Howl With The Owls And Learn About Vowels!

Vowel Owls are a fun, hands-on way to teach Common Core State Standards:RF.K3b, RF.K2a, RF.K2d, RF.K3c.

Students sort the 570 CVC & Dolch word cards  into the various long and short vowel owl cups.

The Vowel Owls make a great "Word Work" Daily 5 activity. The cards are just the right size, small for little hands and easy printing. With 60 CVC words on a page, and 10 pages, you'll have enough cards to practice as a whole group.

I've also included a Vowel Howl game board, as another option for a fun way to practice long & short vowel sounds, as well as a list of other things you can do with the word cards, including games, + sorting the cards by rhyming sounds, to cover another Common Core State Standard.

Click on the link to view/download the Vowel Owl Packet.

Thanks for visiting today. Do you have a vowel activity you could share with us? I'd enjoy hearing from you. diane@teachwithme.com or post a comment here.

I hope you and your students get a hoot out of these activities and are enjoying a fun-filled fall!   It's brisk this morning and frost is definitely on the pumpkins.  Time to drain and bring in our garden hoses.  Wishing you a delightful day.

"Motivation is when your dreams put on work clothes." -Parkes Robinson

A Quick & Easy Christmas Craft With Math Extensions!

My grandson’s last day is Tuesday.  If you too are still in school and looking for a quick and easy project to plug in for a little fun, but still want some standards attached to it, then you may enjoy making these little Christmas trees.

The initial shape is a circle; students cut it in half and then fold it in 1/4^th’s, for a nice fraction review. Their circle now looks like a triangle.

When it’s glued together the completed project is no longer a flat shape, but takes the 3-D pyramid shape and looks like a mini Christmas tree.

They are such fun to make; you can also cover the concept of small, medium and large by doing different size circles.

To display the 3 sizes as a centerpiece, place them on a circle of aluminum foil with a large paper doily on top.

Students can count the ornaments they dot on their tree as another math extension, or give them the option to decorate their trees with glitter garland or snow.

Dabbing glue on with a Q-tip, is a no-mess hassle-free way to accomplish decorating the trees.  Remind students “A little dab will do ya.” as you don’t want the glue running when they stand to dry, after children sprinkle glitter on top.

If you are making these at home with your own children, they make adorable place cards for your table.

Simply write your family’s names in the middle of one section of the tree and then decorate around it.

I used green printed scrapbook paper that was cardstock thick, but construction paper also works well.

You can top with 2 gold star stickers pressed back-to-back or cut some with a star punch for that finishing touch.

Lightly sprtiz with evergreen scent for that final Christmas bit of magic!

Click on the link to view/print the 3-D Christmas Tree pattern, OR click on the link to view/print the 3-D Christmas Tree pattern, pix and directions.

Here's Ho Ho Hoping you have a Jolly Holly-Day!

A Spooktacular Idea?  You Decide!

The other day I was out walking our puppy, Chloe, in the dark and misty morning.

Perhaps it was because she was wearing her adorable little pumpkin hat, or maybe it was because my brain never shuts off, but when we passed a rubber glove lying in the leaves, it made me think of a craft project—ghost finger puppets.

We happened to have a box at home so I quickly snipped off the finger sections.

I wanted the edges to be a little jagged so they would look more “ghostly”.

Just as I had envisioned, their semi-transparent appearance gave them an eerie and spectral look-making them perfect little ghost finger puppets for a child.

To see which I liked best, I made some with black-magic marker eyes and then used mini glue dots to fasten some with wiggle eyes. You decide which "look" you prefer for your students.

They’re not only super-easy, quick and inexpensive to make, you can use them for a multitude of fun activities with your little punkins!

What to do with the digits:

Make a quickie center by putting up a TV tray covered with a black plastic tablecloth.  You can buy round ones at The Dollar Store.

Put some safety scissors, the wiggle eyes, black markers and a Halloween bowl filled with the rubber gloves on the table.   Demonstrate what to do and post your sample.

When everyone has made their puppet, gather your students together in a circle and do the Ghost Pokey.

Students should be wearing their finger puppets and do the movements with the ghost puppet.  Click on the link to view/print the Ghost Pokey song.

Have your students sit in a circle and practice counting by 1’s, 2’s , 3’s, 5’s, and 10’s with their finger ghosts.  When you count by 5’s and 10’s, have 5/10 students stand in front of the class and flash their finger ghost in unison as everyone counts.

Read stories like Three LIttle Ghosties, or 10 Timid Ghosts in a Haunted House and have your students follow along, adding and subtracting with their finger puppets.  Click on the link for some ghost activities.

Students can also use their ghostly finger to follow along as they read aloud or use it as a pointer to show the correct answer on the board or on their paper.

Click on the link for a skeleton “I Spy”.

My students LOVE doing these each morning.

Fill them in with numbers or letters.  Students point to the number/letter that you call out and then trace it.  They take the sheet home and play the game again by tracing the circles.

I hope the rest of your October is simply boo-tiful !