1-2-3 Come Do Some "Room on the Broom" Measurement Activities With Me

Do you read “Room on the Broom” by Julia Donaldson? It’s one of my students’ favorite Halloween stories.

It occurred to me, while thinking about the many animals that are being added to the broom, that I could really make this lesson come alive, by having students figure out how many of THEM could fit on a broom.

I had an absolute blast creating these quick, easy & fun activities, all of which have to do with measurement, and are easy-peasy “print & go”.

I know that your students will truly enjoy these hands-on “experiments” using a real broom.

The activities can be done as a whole group with younger kiddos, or in groups of 3-5 students.

Decide what format is best for your class, and pick the various "Room on a Broom" “challenges” accordingly.

If you’re looking for an educational & engaging activity for your Halloween party day, I think you’ll find this to be an absolute winner.

There’s plenty of options, so you can easily diversify your lessons.

Activities will help practice cooperation, estimation, measurement, addition, “thinking outside the box”, graphing, brainstorming, data collection, observation & analysis.

Students can also compare & contrast whether using a pool noodle, provides more room on a broom than a regular broomstick.

I made a "yes/no" graphing extension for this. Kiddos come up and write their name in the appropriate column.

Not too surprising, almost all of my students thought you could fit more kiddos on a pool noodle. 

I think this is because they see it as "fatter," thus there should be more room.

This is much like the fact that my Y5s have a hard time remembering that a nickel is worth 5 cents, while a dime is worth 10.  They think that the nickel should be worth 10 cents because it is bigger. Makes perfect sense to me!

This leads us into a wondeful discussion about length and how that's the most important variable when loading people on a broom.

There’s also a bonus challenge (“The teacher wants to ‘drive’ the broom...") to extend the math lesson if time permits, or simply add this activity to another day.

“Something to Think About….” is another extension activity: here a new student has just arrived along with the dragon! You must fit them on your already full broom! How can you do that?

A “Save the Day!” activity, gives students yet another option to try out for “making room on their classroom broom.” In the end, will they have enough room to save the principal from the dragon as well?

"Delving Deeper!" and "Let's Make Convertions" ( inches to feet, feet to yards...) provide for more measurement activities.

Taking pictures as your children do the various activities, combined with the “challenge worksheets”, makes for a great bulletin board or hallway display.

I’ve included several posters to add some extra pizzazz.

If you'd like your students to listen to the story again, YouTube has a nice 8-minute read aloud.

After your measurement activities, you could watch the Netflix “Room on the Broom” video, which takes just 24 minutes.

Woo Hoo; some quiet time at the end of a fun-filled day.

If you’d like to practice sequencing & retelling the story on another day, check out the LINK for my “Room on the Broom Storytelling Craftivity”.

Today's featured FREEBIE is "10 Little Pumpkins" song-poster with manipulatives. 

It goes to the tune of "10 Little Indians" . My kiddos really enjoy this activity. 

It's also an easy & quick way to practice +1 addition, as well as counting backwards from 10-1.

I hope you find it useful.

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

The rain has finally stopped and Mr. Sunshine has made an appearance.

I'm excited to buy some pumpkins and cornstalks to go with my mums. Love decorating for fall.

Wishing you and the little "punkins" in your life, a frolicking & fun-filled day. 

"Skill to do, comes of doing." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

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

Make learning how to count and identify numbers, super-fun with pumpkins; which are not only perfect for October, but can still be used throughout November too.

I find that if I have an interesting theme for things that I’m trying to teach my students, they get excited and are happily engaged and on task.

With that in mind, I designed a variety of pumpkin number activities, which will help your students practice counting, number recognition, sequencing, subitizing, sorting, patterning, and one-to-one correspondence.

The packet includes:

* Eleven sets of different pumpkin cards. There's a sample of each set in the photograph.

You can use them for all sorts of activities, including a variety of games like "Memory Match", "I Have; Who Has?", "Kaboom", "Speed" and "Flip It". 

I've included a 4-page tip list, filled with interesting and fun ideas of how to use the cards, including directions for a variety of games.

There are also covers for some of the sets, so that your kiddos can make (just the right size) "Itty Bitty" booklets. 

Because of the nice selection of cards, students will also njoy sorting them into "Pumpkin Piles". 

For example, children put all the pumpkin cards that represent the number one in a pile; all those that show the number 2 in another pumpkin pile and so on.

To strengthen upper body muscles, have children lie on their tummies and sequence the numbers in long lines.  A group of my Y5s enjoyed making a "pumpkin snake" all the way out the door!

I also made a specific set of pumpkin cards to be puzzles. These make a wonderful math center. 

There are 5, strip puzzles on a one-page pattern, which makes them "just the right size" for little learners.

Simply snip on the line to cut the number from the matching group of pumpkins.  Each line is different, so there's only one way for students to complete the puzzle, which will give them the correct answer. 

Another fun way to practice with the cards, is to make Jack.  This cute pumpkin pattern is printed on card stock, then laminated.

Cut out the jack-o-lantern's "mouth" and place over the opening of an empty Kleenex box. (There are lots of fall-patterns available. A Boutique box also works).

Pass the pumpkin cards out to your students, then call for the number one pumpkin.

The child holding that card comes up, shows the number to their classmates; everyone says "One", then she "feeds" Jack by dropping the card into his "mouth". 

Another fun, whole group game is done with pumpkin seeds.  I use a package of real pumpkin seeds, which you can buy in most food stores.  You can also save the seeds when you carve your pumpkin. 

Make a class set of pumpkin "mats" that you can use each year, or run off the worksheet. 

My kiddos sit at tables, so I spill a cup of seeds on a paper plate.  They each count 10 seeds and put them in their Dixie cup.

When everyone is set, choose a pumpkin number card;  show it to your class; they count out that many seeds and place them on their pumpkin mat. 

You can see at a glance who is having difficulty. My kiddos LOVE this activity. 

Added bonus: pinching & placing pumpkin seeds, is a great fine motor skill that will help strengthen finger muscles.

I've also including one-to-one correspondence mats that you can use for an independent math center.

If you don't have access to pumpkin seeds, simply print, laminate and trim the page of realistic-looking seeds that I've included in the packet. 

There are also a nice variety of interesting worksheets as well as "print and go" game sheets, like "I Spy" or "Pumpkins on a Roll" which is played with dice. 

Use them for individual and whole group activities, assessing, and math centers; homework, early finishers and help for those who are struggling.

Nice for a substitute, and fun for a harvest celebration or Halloween party day.

Do you know the song "Ten Little Indians?"  This popular rhyme is a super-fun way to help students learn to count forwards as well as backwards.

I substituted pumpkins for Indians, and included a poster poem "10 Little Pumpkins in a Pumpkin Patch" in the packet. 

Stick Velcro or magnet dots to the back of the 10 pumpkin cards, and use them as manipulatives, to attach to a flannel board or white board.

I make an extra set of the "puzzle" cards, and instead of cutting them apart, I use the whole strip in my pocket chart.

The song poster and set of 10 pumpkin cards from the packet, are today's featured FREEBIE. Click the link to download your copy today. 

While the concentration in this packet is on numbers 0-10, there are several activities which also include numbers 11-20, so that you can diversify your lessons and add a challenge.

Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by. Time for a nature walk and much-needed break.

The fall colors are beautiful here in Michigan.

"October's poplars are flaming torches lighting the way to winter." - Nova S. Blair

1-2-3 Come Do A Halloween Craftivity With Me

Are you looking for a few quick, easy and fun activities to do on your Halloween party day, but still need to cover some standards? Then I think you'll enjoy this candy corn craftivity. 

It's very versatile.  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. 

Students can get a lot of cutting practice in with this activity, or to expedite things, pre-cut the 3 sizes of circles on orange, yellow and white construction paper, then choose which fraction template you want to use and run it off. 

Students trim their fraction circle, then place it on the top of their candy corn circle, that they've glued together.  Holding the two circles together, they cut on the black lines to quickly and easily make individual pieces of candy corn!

I've made samples to give you some ideas of what you can do with the pieces of candy corn.  Have students write CVC words, or upper and lowercase letters on the sections. 

You can also review shapes, breaking down a number or counting to 30.  Students can also practice writing the orange, yellow and white color words, then writing down examples of things that are those colors.

If you're working on fractions, I've included pocket chart cards for a quick review.

You also have the option to have your students cut their candy corn circle into 1/4ths, 1/5ths, 1/6ths, 1/8ths, or 1/10ths.  (I've included templates to run off so they can place them on top and cut on the black lines.)

Click on the link to view/download the Common Core Candy Corn Craftivity.

Well that's it for today.  Dinner's in the oven and smells yummy; the timer's ringing so it's time to fly. 

Thanks for visiting.  Hope you can pop by tomorrow for another fall FREEBIE.  Wishing you a delicious day.

"If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."  - Unknown 


1-2-3 Come Sing A Halloween Song and Play Some Halloween Games With Me

My Y5's really enjoyed singing all sorts of fun October songs with me.  With that in mind, I wanted to dream one up of my own.  

Since the Wheels On The Fire Truck  song, was such a popular download, I decided to make a Halloween version, entitled The Things In The Halloween House. 

It has the same tune as Wheels on the Bus, only these are things in a spooky house.

Here's one of the verses: :The Mouse in the house goes squeak, squeak, squeak--squeak, squeak, squeak--squeak, squeak, squeak. The mouse in the house goes squeak, squeak, squeak on Halloween.

I've made up motions to go with the song and included these directions in the packet. The song and matching games, are quick, easy and fun activities for your Halloween party day. 

The packet includes 17 matching picture cards, as well as 15 word cards. 

Since most of the words are onomatopoeia words, you have a teachable moment to explain that to your students as well.  

I've included an onomatopoeia poster. Make extra sets of the picture and word cards and use them for games like Memory Match or "I Have; Who Has?"  

You can also make a set to cut up as puzzles and use for an independent center.

The packet also includes a "What's Missing?" Halloween circle game that my Y5's absolutely LOVED!

Gather your kiddos in a circle on the carpet. Place the cards face down, in 3 rows of 4 in the center of the circle.  Flip up the top 4 cards.  Point to each of the 4 cards and say its name. 

Have children repeat the name of the cards with you.  i.e., “Owl, cat, mouse, spider."  Hold a piece of tag board (a size that will cover all of the cards) so that it just hovers over the top.  

Have students close their eyes tight.  Carefully reach under and flip a card over, so that it is now face down.  Say “Ready!” and have students open their eyes.  Remove the tag board, so that students can see the flipped up cards.  You ask: "Which one is missing?"

Children call out an answer.  You can give the first child who called out the correct answer a sticker, or simply continue to play. 

Play continues, as you make things a bit more difficult, by flipping up another card for each round of play. 

Use fewer cards for younger children.   Click on the link to view/download the Haunted House Song and Games packet.

Thanks for visiting today.  I hope you can stop by tomorrow for a few more FREEBIES.  I'm off to go shopping for some treats for Halloween. 

We only get about a dozen trick or treaters, so I make up extra special Halloween bags for the neighborhood kiddos.  Wishing you a day filled with sweet moments.

 "If you were another person, would you like to be a friend of yours?" -Unknown

18 pages.

This haunted house song, to the tune of Wheels on the Bus is a wonderful activity for your Halloween party day.  The packet includes 17 matching picture cards, as well as 15 word cards. 

1-2-3 Come Do Some Halloween Color Activities With Me

While reading some Halloween books with my grandson Kaiden this afternoon, I noticed that I could find a Halloween-themed "thing" that represented all of the colors my Y5's needed to learn.  I was inspired to whip together this little Halloween Colors booklet; a matching spinner game soon followed. 

No matter what I did, I tried to cram at least 3 other standards into any activity that I dreamed up for my Y5's, so that I'd get more bang for my time. 

With that in mind, this Halloween-themed easy reader has students read the simple sentences, (chock full of Dolch Words), correct the beginning capitalization, and then add end punctuation. 

Children trace, write and color the color words and matching pictures.

There are teachable moments for pronouns and plurals, because of the way I set up the sentences.

For more practice, there's a color word matching worksheet. 

I've also included a "favorite colors" graphing extension to toss in a bit of math.

The spinner color game, matches the story. Students pick a partner and take turns spinning the color wheel. 

Whatever color they land on, they have to remember the Halloween-themed "thing" that was that color in their booklet, and then color that object on their spider web coloring page.

You can use the game as an assessment tool for comprehension, or assist little ones by hanging up the answer key poster. 

Either way, both of these activities make great additions on Halloween party day, as they are quick, easy and fun, yet Common Core based. 

Click on the link to view/download a copy of the Common Core Halloween Colors Activity packet. For more Halloween activities click on the link to zip on over to that section of my site.

Thanks for visiting today.  Hope you can stop by tomorrow for a few more FREEBIES.  Right now it's time for me and one energetic 2-year-old to clean up our messes. 

Wishing you a day filled with giggles and precious moments. 

"When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion." - Ethiopian Proverb

1-2-3 Come Do Some Haunted House Activities With Me

I love Halloween.  Some of my favorite childhood memories surround this holiday. Although I don't care for horror movies, some of the old classics like Abbott and Costello and the Haunted House are fun.  There's nothing like the idea of a haunted house to get students excited about writing.

With that in mind, I designed some interesting haunted house-themed activities.   I hope you find them spine tingling! 

If you're looking for some Common Core lessons for Halloween, the Haunted House Activity Packet might be just the thing. 

It includes alphabet activities, adjective practice, vocabulary building, plus writing prompts, which are great for Daily 5.  

You can complete the Haunted Houses ARE and Haunted Houses HAVE worksheets as a whole group, or have students make up their own. 

I've included finished samples for you to share.  For more practice, students can look up the words that they don't know, or alphabetize my list.

I've also included upper and lowercase trace & write worksheets, as well as assessments for both, plus a "Spooky Letters" alphabet game.

Use the game as an independent center, or whole group game.  Pass out a lowercase letter pumpkin card to each student. 

Call for a letter. The child holding that card comes up and opens the matching uppercase "window".  

You can also use this file folder game as a different and fun way to independently assess a student. 

I've included upper and lowercase assessment recording sheets for this.  

For more creative writing, I've also included the writing prompt: If I lived in a haunted house... Click on the link for the Haunted House Activity Packet.

Since the apple and pumpkin senses writing craftivities were such popular downloads, I thought your students would enjoy doing one for a haunted house. 

This is a quick easy and fun way to review the 5 senses, as well as work on adjective usuage for more descriptive writing. I've included a completed sample for you to share, or make one up of your own. 

Students color their haunted house, trim, and cut the roof off, which they attach to the top of their writing prompt.  The base of the house goes on the bottom. 

For that finishing touch, have students put their school photo peeking out a window.

To add to the fun of writing about haunted houses and get students in the mood, dim the lights and play some Halloween music or a soundtrack from a thunderstorm. 

Completed projects look terrific as a border along a hallway wall, or hung back-to-back suspended from the ceiling.  Click on the link for the Haunted House Writing Craftivity.

Well that's it.  I'm trying to keep my blogs shorter, so the other two Haunted House-themed activities will be in tomorrow's article.  Hope you can pop by to pick up those FREEBIES.

I'm off to pack for a little get-away time with my hubby.  Wishing you simple pleasures and heartwarming moments this weekend.

"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved." -Thomas S. Monson

1-2-3 Come Do Some Spook-tacular Activities With Me!

Halloween is just around the creepy corner, so I thought I'd blog about a few of our Halloween-themed FREEBIES. Since the Fact Family Schoolhouses were such a huge back-to-school hit,  I thought I'd repost the Fact Family Haunted Houses.

The Packet includes:

• Fact Family "craftivity" templates.
• Fact Family spinner game templates.
• Directions and link for a home-school math connection, for fact family online-homework practice.
• Directions and sample of how to make mini dry erase envelope boards.
• Fact Family T-bar "mad-minute" skill sheets +
• A certificate of praise.

If you're looking for a language arts activity, one of my favorites is the Trick or Treat Word Family packet, which will help reinforce Common Core State Standards: RF.K2a, RF.K2c, RF.K2e

It's a fun way to review the -ick and -eat word families.  Students make this "craftivity" and pull the letter sliders through the treat bag windows, to reveal humorous new ways to say "Trick or treat!"

I've also included traceable word flashcards for the -ick and -eat families (28 cards) + another "Trick or Treat!" word activity game extension.  Click on the link to view/download the Trick or Treat Word Family packet.

Thank you for visiting today.  I design and blog daily, so I hope you can zip on over tomorrow for more FREEBIES.  Feel free to PIN away. 

To ensure that "pinners" return to THIS blog article, click on the green title at the top, it will turn black; now click on the "Pin it" button on the burgundy menu bar.   If you'd like to see all of the wonderful-educational items that I spend way too much time pinning, click on the heart to the right of the blog.

I wish you and yours a very Happy Halloween.

"The whole idea of living, is to believe the best is yet to be." -Peter Ustinov

27 pages.

Help reinforce number (1-10) recognition, sequencing, and skip counting by 10's, as students use fine motor skills and advanced thinking, to put the numbered fall puzzles together.  You can also use the puzzles to make an autumn flip and find booklet. (See photo.) There are 12 different puzzles, with numbers 1-10, as well as 12 matching puzzles, with skip-counted numbers by 10's.

1-2-3 Come Make Some Autumn Activities With Me!

Since the apple puzzles and flip-to-find puzzle-booklets, were such a huge hit, I decided to make them for each season and major theme.   I just finished 12 fall puzzles and have included leaves, spiders, owls, scarecrows, pumpkins and Halloween in the pictures. 

As with the apple puzzles, there is a set using numbers 1-10, as well as a skip count by 10's set.  I design every day and welcome suggestions, so if there's a fall theme I've missed, that you'd like a puzzle for, shoot me an e-mail: dianehen@teachwithme.com and I'll whip something together.  

The puzzles are a quick, easy and fun way to get your kiddo’s sequencing numbers. One of my Y5 report card standards, was to be able to put a puzzle together, so these are especially beneficial.

Print off the puzzles on construction paper, or card stock, laminate and trim.  Keep each puzzle in its own Ziplock Baggie. Pass them out to your students and set a timer.  See who can complete their puzzle the fastest.  When they are done with one, they may exchange theirs, with another student, who has a different puzzle.

You can use these each year, or skip the lamination and give each child a puzzle to take home. They can cut their own strips, mess them up and put them together.

Another thing you can do with the puzzles is make a puzzle flip book.  I used 3 puzzles for the booklet in the photo. Print the puzzles, and cut into strips.  Alternate the 3 different puzzles, so that when you make your flip book, the puzzle picture is now all jumbled. 

Glue just the number portion to the top of the 1-10 or count by 10’s puzzle template, gluing all of the #1 strips, onto the #1 square, the 2's onto the 2 square etc. Children decide on a puzzle to "flip and find" and then flip the puzzle strips up 'til they find a match. Click on the link to view/download the Fall Number Strip Puzzles.

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN away.  If you'd like to see all of the terrific educational items that I pin, click on the big heart to the right of the blog. 

I try and blog every day, and post the newest FREEBIES that I've just designed, so I hope you can pop by tomorrow.  As always, I enjoy reading any comments you wish to share.

"One of the secrets of teaching, is to appear to have known all of your life, what you have just learned this afternoon." -Unknown