1-2-3 Come Do Some More Pete The Cat Activities With Me

Are your kiddos crazy over Pete the Cat? If you’re a fan, then these packets are for you! Today I'm featuring 2 of my newest creations featuring a cool blue cat.

Since my other name activities have been such a hit, I decided to make some with a cat-theme. These keepsake, name writing booklets enable me to assess my students’ abilities from that first day on to the last.

They are not only a quick, easy and super-fun assessment tool, but a great way to keep interest high as children continue to practice.

The booklets also provide me with something easy that I can share during conferences to show progress, and at the end of the year, with no added work on my part, children will have an awesome keepsake to take home.

They’ve also worked as a wonderful “stress buster” when I’m ill, or if an emergency arrises, as I’ve easily plugged them into my sub plans with no extra work or running things off.

My kiddos are also familiar with doing them, and where they are located, so it’s a real win-win.

The packet includes:

* 3 different keepsake writing booklets to choose from.
However, I specifically designed them all differently, so that you can make all of them for your students if you want.

All of the templates have 2 pages on one, so that the booklets are half size, which is less overwhelming, expedites coloring and ensures good effort, as well as saves on paper.

The first one is short. “My seasonal name writing booklet”, which features a page for fall, winter, spring and summer.
It’s perfect for when you need a “fill in” or have a sub.

The second booklet “I Can Write My Name With Different Stuff!” gives children an opportunity to write with different things: pencils, crayons, markers, pens and chalk.
They also have a picture to color.

Finally, the “My Monthly Writing Booklet” is a real keepsake, as it shows how children wrote their name on the first and last days of school, as well as each month.

The cat-themed graphic depicts something appropriate for that month, with several options for some of them. Mix and match to make a booklet just right for you.

Next up are my ever-popular "sliders".  I gave them that name because children “slide” a strip of paper through a “window” in a crafty little graphic, that displays numbers, letters, or 2D shapes.

The cutting & sliding are great for strengthening finger muscles too.

There are 5 cat graphics in this packet, (full-page & 2-on-a-page) as well as 3 different sizes for the sliders, so you can make more than one.

If you’re a big “Pete the Cat” fan, have children color their cats various shades of blue, or if you want your students to get in some cutting practice, run off the patterns on blue construction paper.

I’ve included shoe patterns as well. All of the cat patterns come with and without shoes.

There are “sliders” (number strips) for sequencing numbers from 0-10 as well as 1-30; plus a strip for counting backwards from 10-0 or 20-0, as well as strips for skip counting by 2s, 3s, 5s, & 10s.

There’s also a slider for uppercase letters, as well as lowercase letter strips, plus a strip of 2D shapes as well as a “shoe slider” that reviews colors/coloUrs.

Students trace the numbers/letters and color the 2D shapes/shoes on their slider strips. 
If you’re working on patterning, have children choose 2-3 colors to show an AB-AB, ABC-ABC color pattern.

My favorite thing about sliders is that they are a quick, easy and interesting way for me to review, as well as whole-group assess a variety of standards, by playing a “Show me the number, letter, color or shape” game.

Today's featured FREEBIE is a sweet treat idea. It's perfect for your students' first day/week of school, or something you can give them during those grueling tests, or whenever you need a little surprise treat.

Print off the star template (2 to choose from) and attach Starburst candy with glue dots.

While they're chomping away, have them write "I AM a star!" on the back and sign their name, then hang up as a positive "you got this" happy space.

Well that's it for today. My grandchildren are coming over, so it's time to change hats.

We'll for sure be coloring some Pete pictures!  Wishing you a super-groovy kind of day.

"A good day is a good day.  A bad day is a good story.  At the end of the day it's all good." - Glennon Melton

1-2-3 Make A Keepsake Name Booklet With Me

My Y5s were simply too young to keep track of a portfolio, and I didn't need more work collecting and filing "stuff" for it, so instead, to show my students' awesome progress, I designed what I call "monthly keepsake booklets". 

Today's blog features two name writing activity packets.  First up, is a very simple "color me" booklet.

Because coloring is great for strengthening those weak finger muscles, I drew pictures for each month, and for quick printing, put 2-on-a-page to make a "just the right size" booklet.

At the end of each month, students wrote their name on the appropriate page and gave their best effort coloring the seasonal picture.

The booklet provided a wonderful look at the progress children were making writing their name, as well as coloring.

It was perfect to share during conferences, and then at the end of the year, my students had a wonderful keepsake to take home.

In celebration, the last page of the booklet is a certificate of praise.

The other name writing packet, has  3 keepsake options for you to choose from, along with a variety of other name writing activities to make practicing especially fun.

The 1st option, is simply a 2-pager in both color as well as black and white.

Simply staple them together & have your kiddos write their name at the end of each month & then color the small picture. 

Keep these in their writing folder or journal.

The 2nd option, is also a two-pager, but has 6 page strips on one page that children cut apart to make an Itty Bitty pencil keepsake name booklet.

Finally, the 3rd option is a bit like the "color me" name booklet I first discussed, as this one has monthly-themed pages to color as well. 

However, I’ve also added quite a few extra pages to work on later in the year, that involve a variety of math & language arts skills appropriate for kindergarten.

Such as vowels, syllables, counting, comparing, word work, greater & less than, as well as simple addition.

Besides the keepsake booklets, there are also a variety of name-related worksheets.

Such as the three "find your name" worksheets, where teachers write everyone's name on a heart, gum ball, and star. 

For another activity students "rainbow write", "stamp" & "cut and glue" their name. I've included a set of letter tiles to make this easy. 

To get in a bit of ABC order practice, there's also an "alphabetize your classmates' names" worksheet. 

My personal favorite worksheet, is the "I can write my name with a ...." (crayon, pencil, marker, pen, and piece of chalk).

Since apples are a big theme in September, I've also included several apple craftivities.

In the first activity, students find their name then give the apple 3 layers of "skin" to reinforce the fact that apples can be red, yellow & green. 

I also made matching apple cards.  Glue a student photo on one, and write their name on another to make Memory Match & "I Have; Who Has?" games, as a fun way for students to learn their classmates' names as well. 

I do the other apple craftivity after we read Dr. Seuss's story "10 Apples Up On Top".

Students count how many letters they have in their name, then place that many apples on top of their head, which is either a photograph or self portrait. 

The apples spell their name, and show either an AB-AB or ABC-ABC pattern.  Older students can cut out the larger apple pattern, while younger kiddos cut squares & color them.

Children share their creations with the class, then color in the appropriate number box on the "How many letters in your name?" apple graph.

Completed projects make a sweet fall bulletin board.

The "Build your name" activity, where students color the construction bear and glue the letters in their name to the worksheet,  as well as the "puzzle name" also make cute bulletin boards too.

Finally, another fun way for your kiddos to learn how to recognize & write their names, is my Spill & Spell game.

I write the letters of each students' name on colored Popsicle sticks & put them in a Snack Baggie.  They spill them out & put their name puzzle together. 

This simple game reinforces colors & counting too.  Children can also pick a partner and compare their names.

I also pass out extra sticks so that everyone has 6; then I call out a shape and students arrange the Popsicle sticks to create whatever shape I ask for.  It's a quick, easy & fun way to whole group assess.

Students can also practice making a variety of capital letters with their sticks as well. 

This 50-page packet is just $2.95 in my TpT shop.  Click on the link to pop on over: Name Activities & Keepsake Monthly Name Booklets.

While you're there, I'd so appreciate it if you'd follow me.  I only need 30 more followers to hit 600 then I'll post a celebration FREEBIE. I know it seems silly to get all excited about reaching this goal, but that's just me.  Thanks in advance.

I have two featured FREEBIES today.  Both of them come from this packet.  They are the "Apples Up On Top" craft, as well as the "Find Your Name" apple worksheet.  Click on the links to grab them.  

Well that's it for today. Mother Nature has decided to pitch a fit, delivering 40 degree temps today. 

Brrrrr! I'm so not ready to give up the warmth of summer.   Wishing you a snuggly day. 

 "There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been!" -Percy Bysshe Shelley.