1-2-3 Come Do Some More Chrysanthemum Activities With Me 

Since my students absolutely LOVE the story "Chrysanthemum" by Kevin Henkes, I've made an assortment of Chrysanthemum-themed activities to practice a variety of standards. 

Today I'll be featuring 3 of my newest creations. First up, are some Chrysanthemum Number Puzzles.  

They are a quick, easy and super-fun way for your students to practice sequencing numbers from 1-10, counting backwards from 10-1, as well as skip counting by 2s, 3s, 5s & 10s, plus I’ve added a template for those “toughy teen” numbers as well.

There are 7 different Chrysanthemum-themed patterns, each has an example of all of the above templates, with 97 puzzles in all.

Some are vertical, while others are horizontal.  Pick and choose your favorites to make a collection of choices for your students.

Print, laminate & trim the full color options and use as an independent math center.
Use the black & white ones, so that students can color & cut up their own puzzle.

For an interesting “craftivity” have children glue their puzzle to a sheet of construction paper.

Remind them to leave a little bit of a gap between each numbered strip, to create an especially cool mosaic effect.
Completed projects make a cute back to school bulletin board.

Next up is a set of "Fix the Sentence" cards. These 27, Chrysanthemum-themed sentence cards, are a quick, easy and fun way to review and sequence the story, while practicing capitalization and end punctuation.

Read the cards together as a whole group to practice a lot of sight words.

Choose a student to come up and using a dry erase marker, circle letters that should be capitalized and then add end punctuation. (period, question mark & exclamation point).
You can do this on a whiteboard, with a pocket chart, or pass a card out to each child to correct.

For more practice, as an individual activity, have students choose X number of mini cards and rewrite the sentences correctly on the worksheet provided.
Afterwards, students can swap their paper with a partner to correct.

I've included 2 sizes of mini "fix the sentence" cards for this, which make a nice Daily 5 word work activity too.

There are 27 mini cards on one sheet of paper.  Simply print, laminate and trim several copies for a class set

As an independent center activity, have children arrange the cards in sequential order.  To make this activity self-correcting, number the cards on the back. 

Finally, since my students absolutely LOVE glyphs (Didn't matter what grade I taught and that's lots!) I designed a Chrysanthemum-themed glyph, as a quick, easy and fun way to get to know your new students. while assessing listening and following directions.

Since this is one of my report card standards, glyphs also provide a "hard copy" to use as proof that a child does or doesn't.

Completed projects make a wonderful back to school bulletin board, as each one will be different!

I’ve provided two, Chrysanthemum-themed glyph posters to use for the center of your display.

Afterwards, have children pick a partner, and try to guess which glyph is theirs by asking them a few key questions, which will narrow down the field.

The featured FREEBIE today is also based on one of my all-time favorite back to school books ("The Kissing Hand", by Audrey Penn).

Chester, a little raccoon is apprehensive about going to school 'til his mom kisses his hand, so he can continue to feel her comforting presence, so I thought it would be fun to give my students a few Hershey Kisses in a Snack Baggie after I read the story.  

I designed 3 "header" tags for the top of your sweet treat.  There are patterns with 5 on a page as well as 10.

Click on the link to grab your copy and let the smiles begin.  The Kissing Hand-Inspired Snack Bag Tags.

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for popping in.  I hope you found something useful. 

We continue to melt here in Michigan with unusually hot 90 degree temperatures. PTL for air conditioning, so I have energy to get the mountains of stuff done I need to.  Wishing you a relaxing day. 

"Dear Weather, Stop showing off.  We already know you're hot!" -Unknown

1-2-3 Come Do Some 100 Day Activities With Me

Living in the midwest, we don't start school 'til after Labor Day,  so our 100th Day of school celebration doesn't hit 'til sometime in February. 

Today's blog features four of my favorite 100 Day activities.

First up is the skip count by 10s emergent reader, which features 43 Dolch sight words!

On 100 Day, I have my kiddos count to 100 in a variety of ways.  With that in mind, I designed this packet to give you a few interesting activities for practicing skip counting by 10s, that are sure to be fun for your students.

This is a mini, 4-on-a-page booklet, which they trim, collate and staple together. 
Children read the sentence, and dot 10 spots on the picture.

To include a lot of sight words as well as practice following directions, some spots are big, others little, and a few are a specific color.

However, you can also do this booklet with PK, non-readers as well.  Simply read each page and have students “monkey-see, monkey-do” what you’ve done in your sample.

Afterwards, read the booklet as a whole group, then count the spots by 10s, to come up with 100 “spots and dots”.

The packet also includes 4 “slider” craftivities, featuring one for boys and one for girls.  There is a 100 Day option, as well as one for any time, with a 2-on-a-page pattern, plus one with 4-on-a-page.

I designed sliders as a quick, easy, and fun way to practice a variety of standards, as well as whole group assess.

Because children see the numbers “slide” by as they count, this is especially helpful for visual learners.

I often have my students trace the numbers to show an AB-AB or ABC-ABC color pattern. 
There are 4 worksheets, plus a certificate of praise as well.   

The skip counting to 100 by 5s emergent reader matches the format of the first one. 

Here children read the sentence, and dot 5 spots on each picture instead of 10. 

This booklet features over 70 Dolch sight words, but again, is easy enough for a PK student, when you make the booklet as a whole group activity. 

All of the pictures for both books are different. 

My students enjoy doing both throughout the week, then we graph which one was their favorite. 

Finally, if you're looking for a writing prompt with a creative twist, then I think you'll enjoy the 100 Day Writing Prompt Quilt Packet.

There are two ways to use the quilt patterns.

Make a whole-group classroom quilt, where each students contributes 1-3 squares, or give each child a copy of the quilt and have them make their own 100 Day quilt poster.

For the classroom quilt idea, run off X amount of copies of the pattern (there are 12 squares on it) for however many squares you want your students to contribute, then cut them up and toss them in a container for children to pick.

They fill in the two blanks, add end punctuation to complete the sentence, then draw or glue on clip art pictures that match.

Provide a variety of scrapbook squares to glue their completed quilt square(s) on, then arrange them on a piece of tag board or bulletin board paper, to make a big classroom quilt.

Even PK kiddos can make a square by dictating their answers, then drawing a picture.

Since the pattern only has 12 squares on it, and the prompts are super-fun to answer, the quilt is also do-able as a personal, 100-Day quilt "poster", which students mount on large, square sheets of scrapbook paper.

It only took me 15 minutes to make my sample, so this is a great homework assignment too.

If you don't want to do crafty, but need a super-fun 100 Day writing prompt, I've got you covered.

I know your students will really enjoy not only completing, but sharing this "fill-in-the-blank", "Print & Go" writing activity.

There's a colorful version, as well as a black & white option. Students add end punctuation where appropriate. 

Afterwards, "popcorn" around the room, and have students share a portion of their work, (fun way to get to know more about your students), then mount on construction paper and display on a "100 Days Smarter" bulletin board.

PK kiddos can also do this as a homework assignment, so they can dictate what they want their parents to fill in.

Today's featured FREEBIE is an "Oldie 100-Day Pennant" craftivity. 

Challenge your students to think about how they might look if they live to be 100.  Have them draw a self-portrait or use an aging app to create a photograph. 

Suggestions and links for apps are included, as well as templates for an "Oldie 100-Day Pennant Banner." 

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by. I hope you found something useful here, that will add even more fun to your 100 Day celebration.

Speaking of celebrations, I have to get going on making some special things for my mom's 90th birthday bash this weekend.  We are planning a surprise party and I have much to do. 

Wishing you a productive and energizing day, brimming with warm fuzzy moments.

"The more you praise and celebrate your life.  The more there is in life to celebrate!" - Oprah Winfrey

1-2-3 Come Do Some Thanksgiving Activities With Me

I think you’ll really like the versatility of the Turkey Feathers number packet, as you can pick and choose what’s appropriate for your students PK-1st.

What’s especially nice about the variety, is that you can easily differentiate the activities to suit various student levels.

Use them as table top worksheets, independent centers, whole group activities, something for early finishers, homework, interventions, or a sub folder.

The packet includes a trace & write counting booklet, a variety of worksheets, games, puzzles, several assessments, odd & even activities, plus a graphing extension.

There's also a turkey slider “craftivity”, with “slider strips” for numbers 0-10, 0-30, counting backwards from 10-0, as well as 20-0, plus skip counting strips for 2s, 3s, 5s & 10s.

Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to have a look see: Turkey Feathers. 

While you're there, I'd so appreciate it if you'd follow me, so that you'll know when I post the latest FREEBIE or am throwing a sale.

Speaking of FREEBIES, today's is  my "Tasting Feast" packet.  It's filled with everything you need to throw a Thanksgiving Tasting Feast for your students: signs, ingredients, letters and notes home + tips.

The packet is one of the first Thanksgiving activities I posted years ago, before all of the clip art, fonts, and graphic design programs that I use now, but I think you'll still find it helpful.

A tasting feast is a fun and easy alternative to help celebrate this historical event.  My kiddos absolutely loved it. 

Half of them chose to be Wampanoag Native Americans, the other half were Pilgrims.  They especially enjoyed making hats and headbands, as well as collars and paper bag vests to wear.

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by. The carpet cleaners are coming tomorrow to do the whole house. 

Babies, toddlers and a puppy have taken it's toll,  so it will be a busy day getting ready. 

At least I feel energized to get things spruced up for Thanksgiving. Wishing you a carefree day.

"Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received.  Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling.  Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse." - Henry Van Dyke

1-2-3 Come Practice Place Value With Me

Today I'm featuring two quick, easy and interesting ways to practice math skills and standards.

The first is a super-fun way for your students to practice place value.

It's perfect for November, as I use a Pilgrim hat for the place value mat. 

The game is also a quick & easy way to whole-group assess.

Make a few Pilgrim hats for an independent math center, or make a class set, so that you can practice together.

If you're short on time, send the hats home with a parent volunteer to assemble, then laminate & trim, so that you can use every year.

Here's how to play:

* Students take turns calling out a number.

* Children count out the appropriate amount of number tiles and place them in the corresponding place value columns on the Pilgrim hat, raising their hand when they are done.

* You can see at a glance who is having difficulty.
* Jot yourself a note, so that you can work with struggling kiddos later.

Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to have a look: Place Value Pilgrim Hat packet. 

The other math activity is "Turkey Battle".  I designed it after the ever-popular game of Battleship.

It's played in a similar way, and practices strategy, skip counting by 2s, 5s and 10s, as well as addition, ordered pairs, data collection & analysis.

However, the game can be simplified for PK kiddos as well, so they can practice all those life skills involved in playing a game.

The packet includes everything you need to play the game, with large, as well as small "battle boards" & pieces.

Make several games for a partnered math center, or a class set, so that everyone can play.

There are several ways to win the game. Children decide which rules they want to follow, then the teacher sets a timer for 5-10 minutes. 

Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to take a look: Turkey Battle.

Today's FREEBIE is a sweet, turkey craftivity made from a family's hand prints.  I

t's sure to become a cherished keepsake. Click on the link to grab your copy: Turkey Prints

Well that's it for today.  I hope you and your little turkeys enjoy these activities. 

It's chilly this morning, so time to toss another log on the fire. 

Hopefully the colder weather has set the sandhill cranes in motion. 

We're going to the bird sanctuary to see literally 1,000s make a stop over, as they migrate south.  Wishing you a memory-making day. 

"Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark." - Rabindranath Tagore

1-2-3 Come Do Some Fall-Themed Math Activities With Me

Oh my goodness this packet took a lot of time to put together! I hope you find it super-helpful and time saving, as it's chock full of quick, easy and fun math activities, that cover a variety of Common Core standards.

They are very versatile, so you can differentiate, making the lesson easier or more difficult, to fit your needs and grade level. (PK-1st).

Use them throughout the month for early finishers, extra help for strugglers, brain breaks, centers, review, table top lessons, assessments, homework, ESL help, or "just for fun” plug-ins when you have a few spare minutes. Tuck a few in your sub folder too.

Pick and choose what's appropriate and put together a Happy Thanksgiving packet to send home over break.

There are worksheets, several craftivities, puzzles, as well as dice, spinner & paper-pencil games, for the following:

* Counting
* Sequencing
* Ordinal numbers
* Telling digital & analog time to the hour & half hour
* Counting to 100 and 120
* 100 chart activities and games
* Skip counting by 2's, 3's, 5's, and 10's
* Sorting odd and even numbers
* "What's Missing?" worksheets
* "I Spy a Number" worksheet-games, for numbers 0-10 and 10-20, with a blank worksheet to program with higher numbers.
Perfect for whole-group assessing.
* Fact families
* Number words
* Strategy
* Coin counting
* 2D Shapes
* 10 frame activities
* Place Value
* Groups/sets
* Fill in the missing ad ends
* Addition worksheets and games
* Subtraction worksheets and games
* Tally marks
* Greater than, less than, and equal to
* +1 more worksheets
* +10 more worksheets
* "Dots and Boxes" game
* Graphing
* Listening & Following Directions

Wow! That's just about a little bit of most everything!

Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to have a look see at this whopping 177-page, November Math Packet for PK-1st.

The featured FREEBIE today, also has a Thanksgiving theme. 

It's an educational placemat that you can use for your Thanksgiving feast, or if you don't do one at school, use it on that last crazy day before break.

Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by. 

I'm anxious to get some smaller Thanksgiving packets completed, before I run out of November! Wishing you a relaxing day.

"If months were marked by colors, November in New England, would be colored gray." - Madeleine M. Kunin

1-2-3 Come Make Some Number Puzzles With Me

Learning to count can be tedious and a bit overwhelming for little ones.  If that isn't a big enough job, learning to count backwards, as well as skip count are also standards.

With this in mind, I designed number "strip" puzzles.  I call them that because I cut the puzzles into strips.

Number puzzles provide a quick, easy and fun way to help students practice counting & sequencing numbers from 1-10, and counting backwards from 10 to 1, as well as skip counting by 2s & 10s, plus my Y5s absolutely LOVE them.  

I usually make the puzzles on a full sheet of paper.  Some are vertical, while other designs are horizontal. I decided to make an apple and pumpkin "shape" strip puzzle for those units.

Simply run the templates off on red and orange paper.
Choose the number puzzle that best fits your needs, or give students a choice.

For a cool mosaic effect, children trim and glue to another sheet of paper after they have traced the numbers. 

I chose black to make the puzzle pop. Remind students to leave a small gap in-between each puzzle strip. To make it more of a keepsake, have students make a green hand print leaf.

Completed projects make an interesting fall bulletin board.
Laminate an extra set of all 8 puzzles, to use for an independent math center or for "early finishers". 

Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to have a look: Apple & Pumpkin Number Puzzles.

The featured FREEBIE today is a Halloween crayon resist watercolor activity.  There are 5 patterns to choose from, with directions how to set things up. 

Children pick a picture and color it.  Remind them to press hard, and really fill it in. Afterwards, they paint over the entire picture with watercolors.  The waxy build up creates an awesome effect. 

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for popping in.  I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and creatively crazy at the moment, as October is filled with so many super-fun themes: fire safety, spiders, bats, scarecrows and Halloween. 

I have a zillion ideas buzzing in my head, and as many projects started or in the rough draft stage.  Hmmmm ... What shall I work on today?  Wishing you a happy and productive day doing things that you truly enjoy.  

"In crafting there are no mistakes, just unique creations." -Unknown

1-2-3 Come Do Some Super-Fun Alphabet Activies With Me

Whether you do a letter of the week, or review a letter a day, I think you & your kiddos will enjoy my newest creation: The Letter Aa packet.

I know there are a zillion letter activities out there, but I think I've come up with some really creative & different ones, that will help make learning the alphabet especially fun.

I’ve incorporated a variety of standards for reading, writing, and even tossed in some math, so that you get more bang for your “time buck”, as you can review additional things besides one letter of the alphabet.

This is the first in a series of letter packets.

Countless hours went into designing it, because I wanted to create a format that I could use with every letter.

The consistency, will empower students, as they can get right down to business because they know what to do.  

This independence builds confidence, which leads to self-esteem.

Teaching’s a breeze because you don’t have to waste time continuing to give directions or explaining what you want your kiddos to do. 

Children are responsible & accountable, which frees you up to work one-on-one with strugglers.

The packets are a big & loaded with lots of variety.

There are activities to suit various levels, as well as practice reading & writing skills at the same time.

Simply choose what’s right for you and build your lesson plan.  

You’ll have plenty left over, to use in a sub folder, as homework, independent centers, or for early finishers.

The packet includes:

* Posters & anchor charts
* Emergent readers

* Lots of Worksheets
* Pocket chart cards
* and a variety of Games.
* There are also several "craftivities" such as the letter pennant.

Children decorate their pennant with things that start with the letter Aa.  They can use stickers, pictures cut from magazines, words, letters, & clip art.  

* There are Bookmarks
* Puzzles
* A Song
* A Maze
* and a Word Search.

Another thing that I included in the packet are “Learn & Earn” brag tags. I think your kiddos will really enjoy collecting them. 

There's one for each letter of the alphabet, plus a star-student one to hand out, when they've learned all of the letters. 

Simply run the tag template off on card stock, trim, punch a hole at the top and attach them with split ring. 

You can buy 8 in a package at The Dollar Store.  There are large teacher tags, which you can use as flashcards. 

The split ring makes it easy for children to flip through, so you can play "Flip & Find". You hold up your letter tag & children see who can find theirs the fastest. 

You can also ask for the letter that is before or after the letter that you're showing them.

* There are a variety of writing prompts too. My personal favorite is the Letter Aa Post Card. 

Children fill in the blanks with things that begin with the letter Aa. Grab a teachable moment with "How to address correspondence".

My Alphabet Wheels have been so popular, that I wanted to make a set for each individual letter.

There's a color copy for the teacher, as well as a black & white one, so that students can make their own.

Each packet will also have an alliterative story. 

This packet features "Going Ape".  Counting how many featured letters are in the story, will provide additon practice as well.

Besides a letter story and alphabet wheel, each letter packet will also have a "_______ is for . . ." flip booklet.

These are emergent readers that help reinforce pronouns too. 

The background picture features something that begins with that letter.  For the letter Aa I used an apple.

* A 100 chart hidden letter provides more math practice.
* There's also a class book writing prompt and
*  A Word Work booklet plus

*A cute certificate of praise, with 2 on a page to save paper.

Have students keep them all together, and when done staple their "Letter Achievement" booklet together.

* Also included is an “I found the sound” activity as well as
* A “growing” alphabet booklet (As you study a new letter that page will be added to this Itty Bitty “Alpha-bits” booklet.

My Y5s really enjoy making "Itty Bitty" things that are "just the right size" for them.  With that in mind, I designed a "Pocket Full Of Practice". 

Since lined paper is really inexpensive because of the loss leaders supply stores have, (I picked up a pack of 100 sheets for just a quarter) I decided to have my kiddos fold a sheet into a pocket, to hold "small stuff" that they completed from the letter packet. 

Everything is in one place, things don't get lost in the bottom of a backpack, and parents have a nice little keepsake. The paper pocket full of practice, is also included in every letter packet.

Because these packets are over 100 pages each (The Aa packet is a whopping 140 pages long!) I will not be "bundling" them, when they are all finished. 

I will however, sell them for only $3.00, instead of the usual $4.95 for packets with this amount of work. As an added bonus, the first 48 hours they will be on sale for just $2.50.  

So that you can take advantage of the savings, if you are a follower of mine, you will get an e-mail notification from TpT when I post a new packet.   Click on this link to pop on over to my shop.

Since it's September, and "apple time" here in Michigan, today's FREEBIE is a sweet little "You Can Count On Willie" craftivity. I hope you like it.  Click on the link to grab yours today.  

That's it for now. TGIF!  My brain has been on overload working on alphabet "stuff" so it's time for a much-needed break. 

I'm not sure what that might be, but here's wishing you a wonderful weekend.

 "I'm learning the power of going away for the weekend and keeping myself company." - Zoe Saldana

 1-2-3 Come Make A Common Core Scarecrow With Me!

So much to do and so little time to cover it all.  Sound familiar?  It's a no wonder that teachers constantly complain that there's simply no time for any of the fun craftivities of yesteryear. 

But wait!  There's hope! I spent a zillion hours making a comprehensive "Patches" the Standard Scarecrow. 

He's 17 scarecrows in one, so you can pick the standard(s) you want to practice.  Patches covers the following Common Core/Report Card Standards in a quick, easy and super fun way:

upper & lowercase letters, numbers 0-30, odd & even, skip counting by 2s, 3s, 5s, 10s, 2D shapes, 11-colors, vowels, telling time to the hour and half hour, and words: SC blend, contractions, compound words, beginning Ss sound words, CVC words that begin with S, plus rhyming words!

Wow!  That's a whole lotta bang out of one little scarecrow craftivity, and completed projects make a wonderful fall bulletin board, or look sweet hanging back-to-back from the ceiling.

To make this extra special, fold a sheet of white construction paper, have students trace their hand and then cut once, to get two hand prints for their scarecrow's "gloves".  I ran yellow construction paper through a shredder to make the "hair". 

Run off the scarecrow's body templates on a variety of colors of construction paper.  Students trim and glue together. 

For more fine motor practice, cut yellow rectangles with a paper cutter.  Have students snip the bottom portion and glue the "hay" to the back of the scarecrow's pant legs, then crumple.

I purposely made these patterns super simple to cut out, but if you think this is too much for PK kiddos, have a room helper trace once and then cut 3-6 shirts and pants out at a time,  leaving just the head for preschoolers to cut out.  

There's a blank head so children can draw their own scarecrow face, as well as a completed template for little ones to color.

 Students make their scarecrow and then trim and glue on the appropriate patches.  The vowel scarecrow is especially versatile, as it not only covers vowels, but shapes and colors too. 

The packet also includes shape and color cards, along with a variety of worksheets for more practice.

For extra reinforcement, when everyone is done, play an "I Spy" game and give students a piece of candy corn to use as a manipulative.  Choose a student to call out a "patch". 

Children locate that letter, number, shape or whatever, cover it with the candy corn, and then raise their hand. 

This is a fun way to practice and review standards, as well as a quick and easy way to whole group assess, as you can see at a glance who is having difficulty. 

I've also included blank patches for you to fill in with whatever, plus ideas and templates to use the number, letter and shape scarecrows for matching games.

i.e. match the lowercase patches to the uppercase letters; match the number word patches to the numbers match the colorful patches to the color words, and/or match the shapes to the shape words.

For more scarecrow-themed letter fun, click on the link for a set of scarecrow alphabet cards.

The following scarecrows are wonderful for vocabulary building and Daily 5 word work: Carl is the Compound words scarecrow; (Click on the link for a FREE alphabetical list of over 3,000 compound words.)

Connie, is a contraction action scarecrow; (With an alphabetical list of 72 contractions)

Sam, is a scarecrow that loves 37, 3-letter words that begin with S; (CVC practice!)

Scott, is the SC blend scarecrow, with a list of 50 word cards as well as pocket chart cards.

The packet also includes an entire SC blend section, with lots more activities.

Sophie, is a scarecrow with 47-picture patches, for simple words starting with the letter S. 

For a quick review, I've also included 4, Ss word, picture posters.

Rodney, is the Rhyme Time scarecrow, with 56 words that rhyme with scare and a list of 274 words that rhyme with crow.

Write the words that rhyme with scare on the front of Rodney, and have children choose some words that rhyme with crow and write them on the back.

In the sample, I chose 24-scare rhyming words and wrote them on the shirt, and then wrote an equal amount of words that rhyme with crow, on the pants.  The alphabetical lists include rhyming words that start with every letter except U & X.  I chose one of each.

Finally, the number scarecrow, has several options and serves double duty.  There are number patches from 0-30, which  I traced in a variety of colors. 

You can make Odd Todd and Even Steven scarecrows (front and back) or put the odd numbers on the top and the even numbers on the bottom.  (See photo.)

For more math number practice, I've also included skip counting patches.  Children can skip count by 2's, 3's, 5's and 10's. 

There are matching worksheets in the packet as well, along with number cards, plus number puzzles in color & black and white. 

The puzzles review counting from 1-10, counting backwards from 10-1, as well as skip counting to 100 by 10s.

Two emergent readers also reinforce numbers, as well as colors.

For more odd and even scarecrow number fun, click on the link to practice numbers from 1-120, in the Scarecrow's Pumpkin Patch packet.

If your kiddos are familiar with that concept, but need to work on matching numbers to their number words, use the Norman & Nancy number scarecrow patterns, with numbers 0-10, along with their matching number word patches.

Glue the numbers on the shirt and the number words on the pants.  For more practice, have students write the words above their matching number patch.

The Common Core Craftivity Scarecrows are part of a whopping 184-page jumbo packet in my TpT shop for just $5.95. Click on the link to pop on over. Patches, The Standard Scarecrow Packet.

Thanks for visiting today.  It's a really hot July afternoon, with temps expected to flirt with the 90's, which is too hot for this midwest gal.  Time to put the AC on and make some lemonade.

“I know I am but summer to your heart, and not the full four seasons of the year.” -Edna ST. Vincent Millay

1-2-3 Come Feed The Very Hungry Caterpillar With Me

Review Eric Carle's story, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by feeding him a variety of "food" story cards and a whole lot more, with this fun-filled caterpillar packet.

Use my template to make this cute caterpillar for a whole-group review game, or have students color the pattern and make their own.

I made mine out of construction paper.  You can run the master off on red construction paper and students can cut eyes out of yellow and green scraps if you want to make them that way.

Cut a hole for the mouth, Scotch tape a small Baggie to the back and you’re all set to feed this hungry boy all sorts of traceable cards.

The packet includes traceable number cards from 1-30, skip counted numbers: 2’s, 3’s, 5’s and 10’s, upper and lowercase letters, all 14 adjectives used in the book, the days of the week, the months in the year, + covers so that students can make Itty Bitty booklets to match all of the categories!

There's also cards for everything that the caterpillar ate in full color as well as in black line, so students can color their own little "My Itty Bitty Very Hungry Caterpillar" booklet, which includes the rest of the story telling cards as well.

Review more concepts by using the word cards from my other free packets, such as the Dolch words, CVC words, Shape words, Number words or Color words.

Decide which cards you want your students to work on and run those off.  Make all the sets for yourself, so that you can play “Flash Review” to nail all of those standards.

Besides "feeding" the caterpillar, students can also play Memory Match or “I Have, Who Has?” games.

I’ve also included several "What’s Missing?" worksheets for upper and lowercase letters, as well as all of the skip counted numbers + a blank template so you can program your own worksheets with whatever.

Students can also color a pattern on their caterpillar or play the "Caterpillar Creeps" dice game reviewing the life cycle of a butterfly.  I’ve included traceable life cycle cards as well. 

Click on the link to view/download this 50-page fun-filled packet: Very Hungry Caterpillar Activities.

If you're looking for more caterpillar and butterfly FREEBIES, click on the link to pop on over to that section of my blog.  I also have an entire pin board for The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and another for butterflies, with lots of creative ideas, cute crafts and other other FREE activities.

Thanks for visiting.  It's time for this caterpillar to morph into a butterfly.  It's a better way to flit through the day getting things done, rather than be a slow slug-a-bug; certainly no time for a nap in a chrysalis or anywhere else.

Sigh....So much to do with so little time to get it all done. I can't believe Easter's this weekend.

"The beautiful spring came; and when nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also." -Harriet Ann Jacobs

1-2-3 Come Chew On Some Common Core With the Very Hungry Caterpillar and Me

Since so many people read The Very Hungry Caterpillar, I wanted to use Eric Carle's cute little critter as a spring board to studying a variety of Common Core Standards.

I created the caterpillar template and made a list of all sorts of ways I could use it, then set about to design the details.   You can choose which one you want your students to do, or give them a choice. 

Teachers could also make up their own set and laminate to use as spring anchor charts.  Make an extra set to use for independent sequencing centers or to play games with.  Don't glue the body-segment circles together, and you could also use them to  independently or whole group assess the various standards.

In The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats the Alphabet, students trace and write upper and lowercase letters.  I've also included a set where a bit of the butterfly's life cycle is also included with the letters. 

For example, for the letter  Zz, I added:  Zzzzzz sleeping in a chrysalis, and then included a butterfly pattern with the letters all over her wings to be cut and glued on the last section.  

I glued just the thorax portion to the last "body" circle and bent the wings up so that the butterfly is 3D and looks like she's flying.

Older students could also make a list of a food the caterpillar could eat that begins with that letter.  You may want to read Lois Ehlert's book Eating the Alphabet (Fruits and Vegetables from A to Z) to give students some ideas.  Click on the link to view/download The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats the Alphabet packet. 

If you'd like to review just the life cycle of a butterfly, you'll want to take a look at The Life Cycle Of The Very Hungry Caterpillar packet.  Students trace and write the words, then color, cut and glue the pictures. 

If you look closely, you'll see that I glued down just the thorax with this butterfly too, so it looks 3 dimensional, like the larger one above.  Click on the link to view/download it. 

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats a Rainbow, reinforces colors as well as the days of the week.  Before hand, brainstorm what kinds of things the caterpillar could eat that are the various colors.  Write these words on the board to help children with spelling.

Students trace and write the color words and complete the sentence with something the caterpillar ate that was that color.  Adding end punctuation reviews another standard.  

Children then draw and color a picture.  I've included my sample so that you can quickly make one to share with your students. Click on the link to view/download The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats a Rainbow packet.

You may also want to read one of the following books for some great examples of rainbow-colorful food: I Eat A Rainbow, by Bobbie Kalman;  Can You Eat a Rainbow? by Anastasia Suen;  and/or  I Can Eat A Rainbow, by Annabel Karmel.   

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats Some Numbers includes counting from zero to ten, where students trace and write the numbers as well as the number words.  I've  included a butterfly pattern to glue to the last section if you want.

There are also caterpillar "body" circles for skip counting by 2s 3s, 5s, and 10s. If you are practicing counting backwards from 10 to 0, simply have children put the caterpillar in reverse order.

In all of the packets there are patterns for the caterpillar's head if you want it to be made out of construction paper, as well as a pattern that students can color, like the "Skip count by 10s" caterpillar in the photo.

Since I have many requests for shape craftivities, particulary 3D shapes, I thought I'd make The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats Some Shapes. 

This is the largest packet, as I've included a caterpillar that reviews 2D shapes, as well as the days of the week.  For this caterpillar, students trace and write the shape words, as well as draw the shapes. 

I've included a butterfly pattern with the various shapes sprinkled on the wings, if you'd like to include that on the last "body" section.  For a cool 3D effect, fold the wings up and glue only the thorax portion down.

Another caterpillar, is a cut-and-glue the 2D shapes on the "body" circles.  Besides the standard 2D shapes, you can also choose to include the hexagon, pentagon, and octagon, and/or the pattern block shapes: rhombus and trapezoid. 

There's also a separate caterpillar that simply "eats" all of the 3D shapes. As with the above activity, students cut and glue the 3D shapes to the "body" circles.  Click on the link to view/download The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats Some Shapes.

Whew! That's a lot of Very Hungry Caterpillar options!  I hope they help your kiddo-caterpillars blossom into smart little butterlies!

To take a look at all the butterfly-caterpillar FREEBIES on my site, click on the link.  I also have a plethora of more free butterfly & caterpillar activities, crafts, snacks & ideas on my pinteresting PIN boards. 

Thanks for visiting.  The sun has actually ventured out today, so I'm going to bask in it for as long as I can tolerate the wind and 25 degree temperature.  Wishing you a stress-free day.