1-2-3 Come Skip Count With Me
Do you read the story “How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin” by Margaret McNamara?
If you haven’t heard of it, click the LINK to see it on YouTube.
It’s not only an interesting read aloud that your students will really enjoy, but it’s absolutely perfect for exploring estimation and skip counting by 2s, 5s & 10s.
In the story, this is done via a small, medium & large pumpkin experiment, that Mr. Tiffin’s students take part in.
Skip counting is a standard most of us have on our “To Do” list, but finding interesting activities for practice can be challenging.
With that in mind, I designed a variety of fun, pumpkin-themed, skip counting activities; which will keep your students happily engaged, while they practice skip counting by 2s, 5s & 10s.
I use the story “How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin” as an excellent introduction to skip counting, then transition to the activities.
There’s a nice variety of pumpkin-themed worksheets.
These are great as table top activities, for early finishers, a homework assignment or a sub tub.
I've included "trace & write" skip counting worksheets, as well as "What's Missing?", where students fill in the missing skip counted number. (These are simple & quick assessment tools too.)
My students love the "Skip Count While You Connect the Dots" and the Bingo-dot worksheets.
They enjoy visiting this center, which I set up on a wooden TV tray.
My kiddos use an orange & yellow bingo dauber (you can buy them at The Dollar Store) to make an AB-AB color pattern, as they skip count and dot each numbered circle.
They also enjoy the puzzles. I've included colorful ones, so you can print, laminate & trim.
I keep mine in our math center and use them every year in October.
There are also black & white puzzle patterns, so children can color and make their own.
Finally, there is also a variety of games that your students will enjoy, while they learn & practice the various skip counting standards.
On the craftier side, I’ve also included a pumpkin slider craft; if your students are like mine, they will absolutely love making one.
To save time, run the pattern off on orange construction paper, then have students add a bit of green crayon to the stem & vine.
They then cut out their pumpkin & insert the "slider" strip, with whatever set of skip counted numbers you want to work on.
If you want a bit of 3D pop, give kiddos a piece of green pipe cleaner to wrap around a pencil then poke into the stem and attach with a piece of Scotch tape.
I've also included an easy-peasy, square pattern, which is simpler for little ones to cut out.
There's also a variety of posters, including a "Look Who Can Skip Count By..." poster, which students get to sign, once they have mastered skip counting.
Trust me on this one, this is a "big deal" to my students, and helps build their self-esteem as well.
It takes less than a minute to count together as a class.
I cover the next number with the "Count with me" strip, then move it as children skip count aloud.
Hang a set in the hallway, outside the bathroom, so when you're lining up waiting for children, you can practice!
You can also give children a mini certificate of praise for their accomplishment. They come 4-on-a-page, in black & white as well as color.
As with the posters, there's a different one for skip counting by 2s, 5s & 10s.
There are two featured FREEBIES today. Both have a pumpkin theme.
The first is a sweet little "Welcome to our patch!" poster you can hang on your classroom door.
The other is a "Just For Fun" trace & color worksheet I designed after reading "Pete the Cat's 5 Little Pumpkins" story. Hope your kiddos enjoy it.
Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.
It's really a gray, overcast day, so no Mr. Sunshine to energize me; however, it makes for a great time to check a few things off my too-long "To Do" list.
Wishing you a terrific day filled with lots of fall fun.
"Try to learn something about everythig and everything about something." -Thomas H. Huxley
1-2-3 Come Practice Place Value With Me
Put some “Woo Hoo!” into studying place value, by creating a super-cute PVP (Place Value Pumpkin).
This is an especially fun activity for your students and a nice alternative to worksheets; making it that “extra special something” you can do on party day or for October math practice.
Completed projects turn out absolutely adorable and make an outstanding bulletin board or hallway display.
I’ve included 2 posters to help decorate, as well as header cards that show the total value of the pumpkin.
You’re sure to get lots of compliments, as the results definitely have that “Wow!” factor.
The packet is very versatile with lots of creative options for your students to choose from, which allows you to diversify your lesson.
Appeals to a variety of ages and abilities.
The versatility allows younger kiddos, as well as older students, to create a pumpkin that will have a two, three or even 4-digit number value!
Keep things simple for little ones and limit the number of pieces and options, as they create a Place Value Pumpkin "head".
Challenge older students to add arms and legs which will add to the total value of their pumpkin, as well as increase the cuteness factor. I’ve included hats, gloves and shoe patterns too.
Once children have finished their PVP they figure out the value of their pumpkin.
I’ve provided several worksheet options for students to complete, as well as a whole-group activity.
Pick which of the 3 worksheets is the most appropriate for your students.
Each practices a variety of place value math standards.
On the one pictured here, students write the various forms of their number. Students also pick a partner and compare and contrast their Place Value Pumpkin Pal with another classmate's to practice even more math standards.
Pumpkin head patterns take up a full page, so there's plenty of room for creating a nice sized Place Value Pumpkin head.
To show you how tall these creations can get I took a picture of my husband's personal favorite next to a ruler.
Limited time? This makes a super-fun homework assignment, or another idea is to have students work with a partner or create one PVP in a small group of three, which will divide up the work.
Here’s a fun challenge: Give the small group a total pumpkin value, and see how close they can get to hitting that number.
Create extra pizzazz and 3D pop, by giving students the option to add wiggle eyes, glitter, a pipe cleaner vine, bow, rhinestones, or a pom pom topped cap.
I had an absolute blast using all of these "extras" in my samples. They really added that "finishing touch".
Today's featured FREEBIE is also perfect for Halloween party day.
It's an "oldie but goodie" that I created a few years ago before I honed my computer graphic skills, but my kiddos absolutely love cutting out a "Spooky Spiral", which look pretty awesome swirling and twirling from the ceiling.
Well that's it for today. So happy to be done with this whopper of a packet chock full of so many fun options.
Time to take a much-needed break. Despite crashing temps from 70s to 50s it's a pretty day.
The sun is shining and fall has definitely arrived. Wishing you a joy-filled day.
"Piles of leaves; Crisp autumn breeze; Pumpkin pie; Oh My!" - Unknown
1-2-3 Come Label A Pumpkin With Me
Although I’ve seen a variety of 3D pumpkin crafts using paper strips to form the sphere, I could not find a pattern anywhere.
After a few hours of diddling around, I came up with this simple “print & go” pumpkin craftivity, complete with several pattern options and step-by-step directions using photographs of the various stages.
Few teachers have the luxury of simply making a craft just for fun; so to incorporate some science standards, one of the options is to make a “label the pumpkin” craft.
I’ve included labeled templates for little ones, as well as blank ones, so that older students can label their own pieces.
You can also opt to simply make an unlabeled pumpkin, with the “skin strips” going all the way around the “core”, which is a toilet paper tube that's covered with a rectangular pattern sprinkled with pumpkin seed graphics.
This is easy enough for little ones to make, as they simply use the 5-fatter “shell” strips for their open-looking pumpkin.
If you want to make the pumpkin plumper, simply add 5 of the thin shell strips, which will alternate between the fatter ones, creating a fat-thin-fat-thin pattern.
For that finishing touch that's wonderful fine motor practice, have students loop a green pipe cleaner around a pencil, marker or crayon, then gently slide off to make a "vine".
Completed pumpkins are free standing and make adorable fall centerpieces.
For more pizzazz, using a protractor, punch holes in the TP tube prior to assembly, then place over a battery-operated tea light.
I’ve also designed the stem as a “looped handle”, so that the pumpkin "lantern" can be carried, or suspended from the ceiling on various lengths of yarn.
A fun surprise after lunch...
After children have made their pumpkin (leaving it on their desk to go to lunch), tuck a Snack Baggie filled with candy corn inside the hollow TP tube, providing a sweet Halloween treat when they return from recess.
Besides this craft, I also put together a little "Let's Label a Pumpkin" activity packet, that pairs nicely.
Do you have a class pumpkin? We do. It’s an inexpensive and super-fun way to practice all sorts of science.
We carve our pumpkin the last week of October for our party’s centerpiece.
As we carve it, my students learn the vocabulary associated with the parts of a pumpkin, as well as what each part does, or is used for.
They absolutely love this activity. With that in mind, I made some activities to help reinforce “pumpkin parts”.
The packet includes:
* A set of “definition posters”.
* A set of photo posters featuring pictures of real pumpkin parts.
* A set of pocket chart cards.
* A “Match the picture to the word” Memory Match or “I Have; Who Has?” game.
* “Label a pumpkin” posters and worksheets.
* Fill-in-the blank” comprehension worksheet.
* Match the word to the picture worksheet.
* “ABC With Me” alphabetize the words worksheet.
* Plus an emergent reader: “Pumpkin Parts”, featuring 30+ words from the Dolch word lists.
Today's featured FREEBIE also has a pumpkin theme.
Are your students working on transitions and "how to" "directional" writing? "How to Make a Pumpkin Pie" is a quick, easy and fun activity to help them practice.
The packet includes printable patterns, completed sample, recipe, list of transitions, transition poster, a graphing extension, Venn diagram activity, plus an adjective worksheet.
Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.
The weather is in the high 60s here in Michigan, so the fresh autumn breeze is calling me.
Time to go crunch some leaves and enjoy the awesome colors, while I walk my poodle pup Chloe.
She never cares what the weather is, anything for a romp outside.
"Let your life lightly dance on the edges of time like dew on the tip of a fallen leaf." -Unknown
1-2-3 Come Do Some Sequencing and Retelling a Story Activities With Me
Do you read the story “Big Pumpkin” by Erica Silverman? It’s one of my all-time favorite Halloween stories. My students love it too.
With that in mind, I designed 3 different “Big Pumpkin” storytelling craftivities, which are a quick, easy & fun way for children to practice the “retelling & sequencing” a story standards.
The gist of the story is that a witch has grown a gigantic pumpkin, which she cannot get off the vine. Even her spooky friends ( a ghost, vampire, and mummy) can't budge the pumpkin. So how does a little bat think he can succeed where the other stronger characters could not?
Read the story, then pick your favorite crafty option from these 3:
1. A "Big Pumpkin" storytelling wheel, which is in the shape of a pumpkin. Run the pattern off on orange construction paper.
Students trim, then using a brass brad, attach their picture wheel, which they've colored to the back.
2. A "Big Pumpkin" storytelling "slider" which is also in the shape of a pumpkin.
Students color the graphics on the strip of paper, then insert it into the pumpkin to retell the tale, and finally ...
3. A 3 dimensional pumpkin "flip the flap" booklet.
This craft is not as easy as the wheel and slider crafts, so I recommend it for older students.
The pages of the pumpkin booklet fan out so the witch and her "Big Pumpkiin" are free standing, creating a nice wow factor, which makes a cute Halloween centerpiece.
All 3 options have full color patterns to use for an independent center, as well as a sample to share, plus black & white templates, so students can make their own.
When everyone is done, practice retelling the “Big Pumpkin” using the manipulative.
For the pumpkin "slider", children pull the various graphics through the "window".
For the wheel craft, everyone starts by turning their wheel so that the witch with her pumpkin, appears in the “pie-slice window”.
For the flip-the-flap booklet, children begin by flipping the first page to where the witch is seen with her big pumpkin.
Call on a child to begin the story by turning their wheel, pulling on their slider strip, or flipping a pumpkin page.
Continue turning, sliding or flipping, calling on different students to tell you that portion of the story, explaining the “picture prompt”.
After the sixth picture (a slice of pie) is revealed and explained:(The witch made pumpkin pie and everyone ate a piece. After her guests left, she went back into the garden and planted some more pumpkin seeds.) in unison have everyone yell “Happy Halloween!”
To further reinforce the retelling, have students pick a partner and take turns sharing their wheel or slider with each other.
Sometimes we do this with our older, reading buddies. This is a quick, easy & fun way to check comprehension too.
For writing practice, all three options include a “Here’s What Happened” writing prompt worksheet, which students complete and color.
There’s also a full color template so you can quickly & easily make an example to share, or do this activity as a whole group with little ones.
Since this story has a moral to it, I take time to define this language arts term.
I’ve included a poster in each packet for you to hang and use as a guide.
As you can see by the photographs, each packet's writing prompt worksheets and posters are different.
There’s also an additional writing prompt worksheet, where students explain the moral of the story.
Use the colorful pattern as a whole group activity, asking little ones what they learned from the bat, then write their answers down on the paper, which you’ve attached to your white board.
Today's featured FREEBIE is a candy corn-themed packet.
Use it to reinforce circles, the concept of small, medium and large; or have students write whatever you want them to practice, on the individual sections of the candy corn pieces.
I've made examples to give you some ideas, such as CVC words, upper and lowercase letters, shapes, showing a number, counting to 30, color words, writing down examples of things that are those colors etc.
If you're also working on fractions, I've included pocket chart cards for a quick review that you'll find helpful.
Well that's it for today. Thanks for popping in.
It's going to be a chilly, rainy and damp day... perfect for creating some more Halloween activities.
Wishing you a satisfying and snuggly kind of day.
"Acting is like a Halloween mask that you put on." -River Phoenix
1-2-3 Come Do Some Pumpkin-Themed 2D Shape Activities With Me
Since pumpkins are carved with all sorts of shapely features, I thought it would be fun to make some "pumpkin eye" activities to practice 2D shapes. Today's blog features my "just finished" packet, along with today's featured FREEBIE.
The packet includes:
* 2 sets of picture cards featuring pumpkins with the various shaped eyes: circle, oval, rectangle, square, triangle, hexagon, pentagon, octagon, rhombus, trapezoid, heart and star.
These can be used as flashcards or for Memory Match, or "I Have; Who Has?" games.
* There’s also an emergent reader craftivity: “Pumpkin Eyes", with 3 options:
* One option features pages with simple sentences using words from the Dolch lists, especially pronouns: “My pumpkin has rectangle eyes.” There is space underneath for students to draw that shape.
* Option 2 includes the sentences as well as the shapes. The 3rd option, for little ones, doesn’t have sentences, just the picture shapes for them to color.
Students cut the pages and staple the "Pumpkin Eyes" booklet to the eye-section of their pumpkin.
* I’ve also included a whole group chant written on a poster. Read and point to the words on it:
“Oh my! We’re wise. We spy a pumpkin with ____________ eyes!”
When you get to the blank, place a shape word card on the poster.
To start the game, pass the various shaped eye cards out to your students. The child holding the called-for shape, puts that eye-card on the pumpkin poster.
Continue the chant ’til you have used all of the shape word cards.
My Y5s absolutely LOVE practicing shapes this way.
* Make an extra set to be used as an independent center. Children place the shape word above the pumpkin, then put the matching eyes on. To make this self-checking, draw the shape on the back of the word card.
* This activity can also be used as a fun tool for individually assessing 2D shapes.
* Afterwards, graph which pumpkin eyes everyone liked the best using the “Graphing Time” poster.
* Another fun way to whole-group assess 2D shapes, is by making a “Pumpkin Eyes” slider craft.
There are 2 pumpkin patterns to choose from, as well as two slider strip options featuring the various 2D shapes.
* I’ve also included 2 pumpkin patterns where students draw a shapely face, which makes for a sweet bulletin board.
Place the “Welcome to our patch” poster in the center of your display. This poster is today's FREEBIE. Click on the link to grab your copy.
* Finally, a great “go along” story to read with these activities is Denise Fleming’s “Pumpkin Eye”.
The story is about all of the things the pumpkin’s eyes see on Halloween, so I’ve included a class-made book activity as well.
Class books are wonderful to share at Parent-Teacher Conferences.
Each child completes the prompt: “My pumpkin’s eyes are ___________. (shape) He sees ____________________.
Students draw those shaped eyes on the pumpkin, then illustrate their page of what their pumpkin saw. Collect the pages, collate, then add the cover.
Well that's it for today. Thanks for popping in.
It's time to put my "Nana hat" on, as I'm watching two of my favorite little "punkins" today. Wishing you giggles galore and lots of warm snuggly hugs.
"There's nothing quite like a grandchild to put a smile on your face, a lump in your throat, and a warm, loving feeling in your heart." -Unknown
1-2-3 Come Do Some Activities For The "5 Little Pumpkins" Poem With Me
One of the seasonal poems I do for October, is “5 Little Pumpkins Sitting On a Gate”. (Click this link to take a look at an animated version on YouTube.)
The poem is chock full of Dolch words, rhymes, has ordinal numbers and is a fun way to practice counting with little ones.
With that in mind, I made up some quick, easy and fun activities for the “5 Little Pumpkins”, which practice a variety of standards and am featuring 3 (hot-off-the-press) packets on the blog today.
First up is a simple "flip the flap" craftivity, which is a super-fun way for students to read and share the "5 Little Pumpkins" poem.
Besides the black and white templates for students, I’ve also included colorful patterns, so that you can quickly and easily make a sample to share.
Even if you don’t do this as a whole-group activity, you can whip one together for yourself to use as a storytelling manipulative, which will be a great visual for your students.
I’ve also included an “Itty Bitty” emergent reader booklet for children to color, cut and collate.
Have them pick a partner and take turns reading to each other, then encourage them to remember to read it to their families.
Next up, is another quick "5 Little Pumpkins" craftivity.
My kiddos absolutely LOVE making and wearing crowns, so I thought it would be fun to design 5 crown options for my own little pumpkins.
The patterns come in color as well as black and white.
Children color, trim around the crown, then glue the bottom to the center of a sentence strip, or length of card stock.
Bulletin board border also works really well, and adds extra pizzazz because you can choose either plain or a Halloween-themed pattern.
Afterwards I have my kiddos line up and we have a pumpkin parade, marching around the room to some spooky music.
Finally, I created a jumbo, "5 Little Pumpkins" packet, with a nice assortment of simple activities which help practice a variety of standards.
The packet includes:
* 2 versions of the poem.
The original with the line “witches in the air”, as well as an optional poem which changes the line to “bats in the air”.
The poems come in a colorful poster, as well as black and white “color me” worksheets.
One features the words for emergent readers, while another alternative for PK kiddos, has just the pictures.
* I’ve also included a fence and 5 pumpkin manipulatives for telling the “story”.
There's also a colorful set of pocket chart, sentence cards. (For both versions.)
* Plus pocket chart cards that feature numbers 1-5, with the number words, and a group of pumpkins showing that many.
* There’s a matching set with “cutting lines” so that you can make an independent puzzle center, as well as a set of ordinal number cards children can sequence.
* Plus a set of "Memory Match" cards, which can also be used to play “I Have; Who Has?” games.
* An “Out went the light” storytelling-pumpkin craft
* 5 pumpkin-themed worksheets
* A “5 Little Pumpkins” Itty Bitty booklet
* A “Pumpkins On A Roll” dice game
* 2 “I Spy” a number game sheets, which are wonderful for whole group assessing.
* A pumpkin “slider” craftivity, which will help practice numbers 1-5, 1-10, counting backwards from 10-1, as well as skip counting by 5s. And finally…
* Pete the Cat has a “5 Little Pumpkins” book out, so I’ve included a worksheet where students “trace the numbers” and color the pumpkins who are “rolling out of sight” on a skateboard. This is today's featured FREEBIE. Click on the link to grab your copy.
Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.
We are losing some of our beautiful autumn leaves today, as it's windy with a misty drizzle.
Just the kind of weather for a spicy hot cup of apple cider and a good book. Wishing you a peaceful and snuggly day.
"There's something about autumn that lifts up our senses and reminds us to truly take a moment to notice all of the beauty that surrounds us, which we sometimes take for granted." -Unknown
1-2-3 Come Do Some Pumpkin Shape Activities With Me
Do you read the story “Spookley The Square Pumpkin”, by Joe Troiano? This cute book has a message of tolerance, acceptance and being kind, which is so important in today’s diversified classrooms.
It’s also a great read if your class follows a “bucket filling” program. I use it to practice 2D shapes as well.
With these things in mind, I designed this “shapely pumpkin packet” which includes an emergent reader booklet featuring words from the Dolch lists, with a full page option teacher's can share, as well as a 2-on-a-page pattern for your students.
Students read, trace, write and color, as well as draw the 2D shapes: circle, oval, rectangle, square, triangle, & hexagon. They also underline the capital letters and include the end punctuation.
There’s also a quick, easy and super-fun "shapely pumpkin" craftivity.
If your school's not into Halloween, but a harvest theme, students pick a shape and make a plain, pumpkin in a pumpkin patch.
Older students can write the name of the shape on the front of their pumpkin and a list of attributes on the back.
My school celebrates Halloween, so we opt for a Jack-O-Lantern "shapely pumpkin".
I've included the blank patterns mentioned above, where students can draw on their own face, plus there's a set with facial features on each pumpkin shape that match the shape of their pumpkin. (Check out the photographs.)
Besides the standard shapes listed above, I’ve also included patterns to make a pentagon, octagon, trapezoid, rhombus, heart and star pumpkin too.
For some extra 3D pizzazz, have students strengthen those finger muscles by wrapping a green pipe cleaner around a pencil to create a vine, which they attach to the top of the back of their pumpkin using a piece of tape.
Completed projects make an adorable, pumpkin patch bulletin board. Use the 3 posters for the center of your display, and the "pumpkin patch" sign for the side.
Afterwards, use the graphing extension to see which pumpkin shape was your students' favorite.
For further reinforcement, there’s a set of colorful pumpkin cards, which feature all of the 12, 2D shapes listed.
Use as a center for an independent sorting activity. You can also make an extra set; cut the cards in half to make puzzles.
The matching pocket chart cards could also be cut in half. (These cards are on the cover photo.)
There are shape word cards for a Memory Match game as well. Children can match picture to word, or picture to picture.
You can use these for an “I Have; Who Has?” game too. “I have the circle shaped pumpkin card. Who has the circle word card?”
The packet also includes several writing prompts based on "Spookley", as well as 2 Venn diagrams, plus several bookmarks.
Because "Spookley The Square Pumpkin" is a rhyming story, I've also included a “Rhyme Time” activity, where students think of words that rhyme with square.
You can do this independently using the worksheet, or list them together as a whole group. As always, I've made an answer key with an alphabetical list of 81 words!
Today's featured FREEBIE, is also a rhyme. Since I don't have time anymore to do a specific unit on nursery rhymes, I try to include matching themed ones with whatever we're currently studying.
Thus "Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater" is perfect for October. Click on the link for a sweet, keepsake craftivity, along with a poster poem of the rhyme.
Well that's it for today. Thanks for popping in.
The trees have just started to turn beautiful orange, yellows and red, so it's time for a nice long walk with Chloe. Wishing you a relaxing day.
"Autumn leaves come falling down; red, orange, yellow and brown." -Unknown
1-2-3 Come Make a Venn Friend With Me
Venn diagrams are a quick, easy & fun way to introduce the concept of comparison-contrast writing.
Years ago, I came up with the concept of students choosing a partner to make a "Venn Friend" with, as an interesting way for students to get to know each other.
I designed the fall "Venn Friends" packet, which feature apples, pumpkins, leaves, turkeys, Pilgrims & Native Americans.
Introduce the lesson with the "What's a Venn diagram?" poster.
To help them do a thorough job completing their Venn diagram and jump start the writing process, I've included a list of 40 questions that they can choose from to discuss with their partner.
Each student does their own "different" portion of the "circle", and then, once they glue their "circles" together, they take turns recording the similarities that they have with their Venn Friend, using the middle "same" section.
I used a "pumpkin seed" for the middle of the Pumpkin Venn Friends, and an acorn for the leaf ones.
You can see little boy & girl "toppers" in the pumpkin photo.
These are black & white so kiddos can color them. Use them on the pumpkins, leaves or apples.
I encourage students to do a boy/girl Venn friend, not only so they have an extra "difference" but so they can see how much they truly have in common with eachother.
Doing a Name Venn with a classmate, is another option, and practices upper & lowercase letters, along with name recognition & counting.
I also incorporate the concept of “greater & less than” with this activity, as students decide who has the most or least number of letters in their name.
I’ve made a sample using an apple, as I do this in September, for a “Getting to Know You” activity for “Back to School”. There are 3 sets of letter tiles for your kiddos to choose from.
My Y5s enjoy this activity so much, I repeat it in October with pumpkins, and see quite a bit of improvement.
As you can see by the photograph, colorful paper plates (smaller 8” size) provide a nice 3D effect.
I pre-cut these to expedite the activity. Besides yellow & red, I also buy lime green plates, giving my students an option.
Besides using paper plates, I've also included a wormy apple pattern.
There’s also more than one option for November. Students have 3 choices for their Venn friend topper: a turkey, a Pilgrim boy or girl, or a Native American boy or girl.
You can have a turkey find a turkey partner, a boy Pilgrim find a girl Pilgrim, or a boy Native American find a boy Pilgrim, mixing and matching however you or your students wish.
I designed the Venn friends, specifically so students could get to know a classmate better, but you could certainly have students pretend to be "real" Pilgrims and Native American children, and then compare and contrast historical information as well.
Each seasonal Venn, comes with a graphing extension, so you can get some math practice in as well.
For that finishing touch, add a school photograph. Students could also make a green hand print "leaf" for their pumpkin.
Completed projects make awesome fall bulletin boards. Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to check out the super-fun, 51 page, Fall Venn Friend packet.
Since Halloween is just a week away, I thought a "Halloween Boo Boos" worksheet would be a fun FREEBIE. Students make corrections to the sentences that have mistakes in them.
Click on the link to grab a copy. It's certainly a little something fun, yet educational for party day.
That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.
The winds have knocked a lot of leaves off the trees, so this afternoon the hubby, pup & I are going for a relaxing drive to see what's left of the gorgeous fall colors, before they become a distant memory, as barren trees dot the landscape.
I am so not ready for winter. Wishing you a pretty and peaceful day.
"How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days." - John Burroughs
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 Make A Family Pumpkin Patch With Me
Are family names part of your word wall? Do you have ESL students in your class? If so, I think you’ll enjoy this Family Pumpkin Patch Dollar Deal.
It's a quick, easy and fun craftivity to reinforce those words, and completed projects look awesome hanging from the ceiling.
The packet includes:
* Pocket chart cards with family names: (mom, dad, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, grandma, grandpa, pets, cat, dog, bird, fish)
Use them as flashcards, in your pocket chart, or on your word wall.
* There's also a sweet family pumpkin craftivity, where children write their family's names on the back of the pumpkin pattern.
For that finishing touch, add a green "hand print" leaf, and a school photo.
* I've included a note home to get help with this activity, or simply send the pumpkin portion home to be completed and then returned.
* There's a family word search with answer key, plus
* Graphing & Tally Mark math extensions, as well as
* 2 trace & write worksheets
* Use the “A Patch of Family Pumpkins” poster, for your display.
Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop to have a look at this fun Dollar Deal: Family Pumpkin Patch
Today's featured FREEBIE is a manipulative "Pumpkin on a Popsicle stick puppet", that my kiddos make when we sing this pumpkin song: "Pumpkin, pumpkin round and fat, turns into a Jack-O-Lantern just like that!"
On one side they have a blank pumpkin, on the other they have a pumpkin with a face on it. Click on the link to grab a copy. Pumpkin Poem Puppet.
Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by. This "nana" is watching her grand grandchildren today, so it's time to hustle and put my toys away and haul out theirs.
Wishing you a delightful day, filled with lots of heartwarming giggles.
"I love music of all kinds, but there's no greater music than the sound of my children and grandchildren laughing." -Sylvia Earle