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

 Whenever I toss in a bit of craftiness to our learning, I grab my kiddos' attention and they can't wait to get down to business. It's an absolute joy to see them so happily engaged. 

The little bit of extra prep time is well worth the effort, as everyone is focused and on task, with no wasted time with discipline problems or re-explaining things to students who were not listening. 

Plus, completed projects make wonderful bulletin boards and hallway displays, which promote pride in their work and increased self-esteem.

With this in mind, I designed a variety of snowman-themed activities, that practice a variety of standards.

"The Snowman's Nose" is a quick, easy and fun way to practice: upper & lowercase letters, numbers to up to 20 or backwards from 31, plus skip counting by 2s, 3s, 5s and 10s, and can also be a way to whole-group assess. 

There are 8 different snowman heads to choose from. Simply choose which one is appropriate for your kiddos.

"Snowy's Nose" by Kelly Asbury, is a sweet book to read before or after this craft.

Another way to practice upper and lowercase letters, counting forwards and backwards, as well as skip counting by 2s, 3s, 5s, and 10s, is with Pete the Puzzling Snowman.

Print, color, laminate and trim a set, keeping each puzzle in its own Baggie, and use them for an independent center activity, or do as a whole-group craftivity.

Children can color my snowman face, or they can draw one of their own, on the blank pattern. 

After children cut up their puzzle template, they arrange the pieces on a blue sheet of construction paper, leaving a little gap in-between each strip, creating a cool mosaic effect.

For more alphabet practice, try my Dollar Deal Alphabet Wheels, which build the vocabulary needed to give an example of a word, with that beginning sound.

They feature 6 nouns that begin with that letter, and come in black and white, for individual word work, as well as color, so that you can use them as an independent center activity.

I've also included a worksheet where students trace & write the words in alphabetical order. 

We revisit the letter Ss in January, with the Ss is for Snowman alphabet wheel.

To practice 2D shapes, make a set of "Shapely Snowmen". 

Look closely at the photo, and you'll see that the snowman's facial features match the 2D shape of his head. 

I put a sprig of holly on my hats, but a paper punched snowflake would also look cute.

Use them as giant flashcards, (Hold one up. Children call out what shape it is, along with its attributes, like the number of vertices), use them as a 2D bulletin board display, independent math center, or do as a craftivity, and have students make one of their own.

You can also play a variety of games with them. I've included directions in the packet.

My kiddos absolutely LOVE playing  "4 Corner Freeze" . 

It's easy-peasy for me, and only takes a few minutes, so it’s perfect for the end of the day, or when you want to give your students a brain break or get the wiggles out. 

Finally, if your kiddos need some review with color and color words, the Colorful Snowman Games packet is an interesting and fun way to practice.

Students can play the color-matching game as an independent center, or choose a partner and play a spinner game.

Make an extra set and glue the puzzle hat and scarf pieces to the appropriate snowman and use them for your winter word wall, or a bulletin board display.

I’ve also included a plain set, for students to draw in their own snowman face, if you want to do this as a whole-group craftivity, where each child makes their favorite color snowman.   The packet also includes a “Colors on a Roll” dice game. 

The other snowman color activity is Snowman Colors, which features an emergent reader that covers lots of standards, as students read the repetitive sentences, circle capital letters, add end punctuation, trace and write the words, and color the pictures.  Days of the week + color words are also reinforced.

The packet includes 3 graphing extensions, a game, bookmark and a worksheet, plus a cute snowman craftivity, where the “scarf” is a little flip booklet, featuring color words.

The featured FREEBIE today is a set of "I Spy" snowface worksheet games, which help reinforce upper and lowercase letters + numbers from 1-20.

I did "I Spy" daily, as a fun way for my Y5's to practice, as well as a quick and easy way for me to whole-group assess.

Well that's it for today.  Hope you found something here that tickled your fancy. The sun is shining outside my office window and making the snow sparkle.

As Mr. Rogers used to say: "It's a wonderful day in the neighborhood." Wishing you a carefree day filled with Brrrrr-illiance!

"Some people are so much sunshine to the square inch." -Walt Whitman

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

We didn't have much snow in December, but January is certainly making up for it. There's certainly enough to make a few fat snowmen; so I wanted to feature some of my favorite snowman-themed activities.

A snowman's head is perfect for reviewing 2D shapes.  I had a lot of fun making these shapely snowmen.  You can make a set for a winter bulletin board, anchor chart-posters, large flashcards to review and assess the shapes, a center matching activity, or have students choose their favorite and make one. 

Look carefully and you'll see that the snowman's facial features also match the 2D shape of his head.  Click on the link to view/download the shapely snowman packet.

Reinforce a variety of standards with these 7 snowman puzzles that cover upper and lowercase letters, counting backwards, plus skip counting by 2s, 3s, 5s and 10s.  Make a set to use as puzzles for an independent center.

These also make a lovely bulletin board.  Caption: Learning is “snow” much fun!  Have students choose a snowman that they want to make.  Run off copies, they trim and glue to a sheet of blue or black construction paper. 

For a mosaic appearance, tell students to put a small space in-between.  Add a bit more pizazz by having students make “snowflakes” with a Q-tip dipped in white paint.  For that finishing touch, sprinkle the wet paint dots with opalescent glitter.

If you are working on colors or color words with your students, I think you'll enjoy the Snowman Color Match packet. Students can play the game as an independent center, or choose a partner and play a spinner game. 

Make an extra set and have students glue the puzzle hat and scarf pieces to the appropriate snowman and use them for your winter word wall. There's a plain set for students to draw in their own snowman face, as well as an illustrated set.

The snowman-themed emergent reader, covers lots of standards, as students read the repetitive sentences, circle capital letters, add end punctuation, trace and write the words, and color the pictures. 

Days of the week + color words are reinforced. Three graphing extensions, a game, bookmark and a worksheet are all included as well.

Finally, help review analog and digital time to the hour and half hour, with the snowman clock matching game. 

Print the snowman template on white construction paper; laminate and trim. 

Run off the hatband-time words, the digital time-rectangles and the analog clocks; laminate and trim.

Students choose a time and then match all of the pieces and parts to complete that snowman.  Make an extra set and glue together for a "Time For Winter" bulletin board. 

Students can also make their own snowman clock to use as an assessment tool.  Run off the analog clock and digital time box templates, on glossy photo paper.  Children trim and glue to their snowman. They now have a dry erase digital and analog clock! 

Teacher calls out a time. Using dry erase markers, students draw hands on the clock and write the digital time in the box, then hold up their snowman when they are done. 

This is a quick, easy and fun way to whole-group assess, as you can see at a glance who is having difficulty. Children use a tissue to wipe off that answer, so they can play another round.  Continue the game 'til you have covered/assessed all of the time options.

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for visiting.  I hope you found some useful activities to help bring out the brrrr-illiance in your kiddos.  As for me, it's time to brave the wintry artic to buy a few groceries, as Mother Hubbard's cupboard is indeed bare, and I'm clueless what to make for dinner.

Hopefully it won't take too long to find my car under the avalance of snow it's frosted with.  Wishing you a stress-free happy day.

"I get a special feeling when I walk on snow that no one else has.  It's a mixture of awe, adventure and amazement; and makes me wonder if this is something akin to what explorers and astronauts experienced, when they left their footprints on places yet to be discovered by others.  Certainly a pleasant feeling of accomplishment at being first." - Diane Henderson

1-2-3 come Enjoy Winter Wonderland With Me!

Oh my!  It's  really snowing hard, and the winter wonderland swirling outside my office window is spectacular!  We are supposed to get 17 inches! Woo hoo!  As long as it's winter it might as well snow.  There's always the added excitement of a snow day right? So bring it on!

Making templates for my daily tabletop lessons, was a real time saver for me.  The repetition empowered my Y5's, as they were familiar with the format and could get right down to business, without wasting time with a lot of directions.  To keep things fresh and interesting, I simply changed the clip art. 

With this in mind, I designed monthly Fun With Number Worksheets.  They review a variey of standards in an interesting way.  I used a graphic organizer-format, that's especially beneficial for visual learners. The different clip art (snowmen, snowflakes, mittens, Martin Luther King, penguins, New Years etc.) added variety.

Print, laminate and trim the number cards 1-120.  Toss them into a basket.  Have a child choose one, as the number students will use to fill in their worksheet with.  When kiddo's are done, they can exchange their paper with another child to correct.  (Saves you time, and provides extra practice for your kiddo's.)

You can also use these for your sub folder, homework practice, something for early finishers, or assessments.  Click on the link to view/download the January Number Fun Packet.   If you'd like the Big Bundle number fun packet (105 pages!) that includes all of the months, click on the link.

If you're working on +1 simple addition with your little ones, I think you'll enjoy the snowy +1 Snowman booklet. 

Students trace and write the numbers, circle the number in the sequence, add +1 to arrive at a new number and then cut and glue X number of snowflakes around the snowman. 

I've also included a graphing extension.  Click on the link to grab it. +1 Snowman Addition booklet. 

Finally, help review analog and digital time (to the hour and half hour) with the Time For Snow snowman clock matching game.  Print the snowman template on white construction paper; laminate and trim.  Run off the hatband-time words, the digital time-rectangles and the analog clocks; laminate and trim.

Students choose a time and then match all of the pieces and parts to complete that snowman.  Make an extra set and glue together for a "Time For Winter" bulletin board. 

Run off the analog clock and digital time box templates, on glossy photo paper.  Children trim and glue to their snowman, to make a dry erase digital and analog clock. 

Teacher calls out a time and students draw hands on the clock and write in the digital time in the box, using a dry erase marker. 

Children hold up their snowman when they are done.  This is a quick, easy and fun way to whole-group assess. Students erase that answer and the teacher calls out another time. 

Play continues 'til you have reviewed all of the times to the hour or half hour.  Click on the link to view/download the Time For Snow matching game.

Thanks for visiting today.  I'm off to unbury my snow shovel.  Wishing you a warm and snuggly day.

"Snow provokes responses that reach right back to childhood." -Andy Goldsworthy

1-2-3 Do Some New Year Activities With Me

I hope everyone had a safe and relaxing New Year.  We enjoyed watching the Tournament of Roses Parade.  I made up a few interesting writing prompts that you can give your students on the day they come back.  They are nice for the writing portion of your Daily 5. 

One prompt packet is about the parade and includes a Venn diagram comparing Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to the Tournament of Roses New Year's Parade.   Click on the link to view/download the New Year Parade Writing prompts. 

The other is a Happy New Year writing prompt-craftivity. Run the balloon pattern off on a variety of colors of construction paper.  Students choose one, trim, and complete the 3 writing prompts.  Children add hands to the clock so that it reads midnight.  Gluing on a school photo adds that finishing touch.  

You can also have students write a longer prompt on the back of their balloon.  Tie with yarn or curling ribbon and dangle from the ceiling. 

I've included a pattern for this New Year (2014) as well as two with a blank for whatever number (201____ and 202____)  you need, so that you can use this craftivity each year.  Click on the link for the Happy New Year Writing-Prompt Craftivity to view/download it.

There's also a packet of New Year posters, mini-cards and bookmarks that you can print off and place in your students desks, on their tables or tuck into their backpacks.   Click on the link to view/download the Happy New Year Poster-Bookmark packet.

I had a request for a list of my favorite books for January, so I compiled one with 77 of my all-time favorites.  Click on the link to view/print it. January Bibliography 

Finally, in yesterday's blog article I promised to complete the Snowman Color Matching Game that's a great companion to the Snowman Colors packet.  Click on the links to grab them.  There are several ways to use the Snowman Color Matching Game packet. 

Students can match the scarf and hats to the appropriate color word snowman as an independent center, or children can pick a partner and take turns spinning. 

Whatever color they land on, is the snowman that they "dress" in the matching colored items. I've included a blank set, where students can draw on their own snowman faces, as well as a set that has faces on them. 

You can give each student their own snowman to complete and have them glue the hat and scarf on.  These can then be used for your winter word wall. 

Students can also make their own personal "favorite" color snowman, as I've included a snowman pattern for that too. Click on the link to view/download the Snowman Color Matching Game. 

Thanks for visiting.  Feel free to PIN away.  I design and blog daily, so I hope you can stop by tomorrow for the newest FREEBIES.  I'm working on some adorable mitten activities, interesting stuff for Martin Luther King Day, as well as some super-fun things for Chinese New Year.   

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do, than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” -H. Jackson Brown from P.S. I Love You

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

Since the Venn diagram downloads have been so popular, I decided to make some with a snowman theme.  There are lots of wonderful winter books out there featuring snowmen. 

They are great for comparison and contrast writing prompts.  Venn diagrams are perfect to help students organize their thoughts before they write.

There's one where they draw details on the snowmen to look like the two characters they are comparing.  For the other one, they contrast two snowman books.  Click on the link to view download the Snowman Venn Diagrams.

The positive comments about the Gingerbread easy reader, which reinforced color words, were a deciding factor in designing one featuring snowmen. 

I took the snowman packet a step farther and also reinforced the days of the week. 

Students circle capital letters, add end punctuation, trace and write the color and day words, + color the hat and scarf on the snowman. (See photo for a close up.)

A worksheet, 3 graphing extensions, a bookmark and spinner game, are also included.  Click on the link to view/download Snowman Colors.

I'm also working on a matching snowman color puzzle to go along with this packet.  Students can put them together as an indendent center, or play a game with a partner.   You could also give each child one of their own to complete and then use for your winter word wall.  I'm putting the finishing touches on, and will post it with tomorrow's newest FREEBIES.

So glad you popped by today. Feel free to PIN away. 

“I love snow for the same reason I love Christmas: It brings people together while time stands still. Cozy couples lazily meander the streets and children trudge sleds and chase snowballs. No one seems to be in a rush to experience anything other than the glory of the day, with each other, whenever and however it happens.” -Rachel Cohn

1-2-3 Come Do Some Winter Craftivities And Games With Me!

Did you ever have one of those days where you might as well have stayed in bed?  Well that was yesterday! The reason there was no blog article was that our main server (in Texas) crashed. It seemed everything techno in my world went on the fritz, from my e-mail, to the printer and even my favorite design software was having glitchy hiccups. 

I apologize if you tried to visit us and got an error-connection message.  I'm back to being a happy camper with lots of FREEBIES to share.

Keep review of upper and lowercase letters, numbers and skip counting fresh and interesting, by making these puzzles.  Laminate for an independent center (I've included a blank grid for kiddo's to place the pieces on), or have your students pick one, run them off and then they cut and glue them to a blue or black sheet of construction paper. 

If you're doing the alphabet, have students think of a word that starts with that letter on the puzzle piece, and then write it on the appropriate tree-strip.

Remind students to leave a little gap inbetween the pieces.  You can add a bit of pizzazz by dipping a Q-tip in glue and then dotting on "snowflakes."  For an awesome effect, sprinkle with white or silver glitter.

These make a lovely bulletin board too. Caption: Learning About Letters and Numbers Is "Snow" Much Fun! or "Look At All Of The TREE-mendous Work From Mrs. Henderson's Kinders!"  Click on the link for the Snowman Tummy Puzzles or The 13 Merry-Making Tree Puzzles.

Since the Silly Shaped penguins and Owls Shape Up "craftivities" continue to be in the top 10 downloaded items from my site, I decided to design a Shapely Snowman, as well as a Gingerbread set, with plans to make special shape pals for all of the months. (i.e. pumpkins for October and butterflies for April!) 

You can make the gingerbread heads a game, by running the bow pieces off on red construction paper.
Instead of gluing the shape words inside the bows and then gluing them to the gingerbread head, glue only the bows.  Keep the shape-word circles separate.

Students place the shape word on to the matching shapely gingerbread's bow.  To make a girl gingerbread, glue the bows to the top of the head. Glue it as a bow tie under the chin to make a gingerbread boy. To add a bit of pizzazz, I used white puffy paint for "frosting."  Click on the link for the Shapely Gingerbread packet. 

There are also several things you can do with the Shapely Snowman templates.  Make a laminated set for a bulletin board, or use as puzzles for an independent center activity. 

For a center matching game, do not glue the hats on the snowmen.  Instead make only one hat with interchangeable hat bands.  Students pick a shape word-hat band and place it on the hat, then they look for the matching snowman and place the hat on his head.  Play continues 'til the child has used all of the hat bands and snowmen.  Click on the link to view/download the Shapely Snowman Packet. 

Another popular winter activity is the Snowman Glyph.  Each one turns out a bit different so this too makes an adorable bulletin board.  Click on the link to view/download the Snowman Glyph.

Practice addition and subtraction with Dominic the Snowman Domino-Dice game.  Click on the link to grab it.

That's it for today.  Thanks for visiting.  I hope you can stop by tomorrow for even more FREEBIES.  My brain is on over-drive again, and since the weather outside is "frightful" I might as well have a "delightful" time inside designing away.  Feel free to PIN away!

"Snowmen fall from Heaven unassembled." -Unknown