1-2-3 Come Do Some Pattern Block Activities With Me.  

Pattern blocks are one of my students’ favorite math manipulatives.  We count, sort, pattern, and do all sorts of interesting things with them.

With that in mind, I wanted to design some additional activities that would help practice a variety of standards while they “played” with them. What started out as a game & booklet, turned into a jumbo "Fun With Pattern Blocks" packet.

If you don’t have a wooden or plastic set of pattern blocks, no worries, I’ve included patterns so that you can make your own paper ones.

Pick and choose your favorites and use them as math centers, whole group activities, games, worksheets, homework, and an easy assessment tool.

They’re great for early finishers and something to tuck in your sub folder as well.

The packet includes:

* Anchor charts, pocket chart cards & posters.

* Four, pattern block shape BOOKLETS, with 4-on-a-page patterns, which make a “just the right size” mini booklet:

1. Shape UP: featuring “color me” kids holding a shape.
2. Pattern Block Fun: featuring “connect the dots” and “finish drawing the shape” pages.
3. Spying Shapes Inside Shapes: discovering, counting, coloring and naming the various shapes and …
4. Maze Craze: featuring mini mazes in the various shapes, such as “You’re hung up in a hexagon! Can you find your way out?”

* A set of “Block Heads”, which I use for flashcards, decorative anchor charts, & the “Four Corners” game. I've included a variety of silly eyeballs to mix & match.  Their "mouth" names the shape.

You can also use as a whole-group craftivity & have students pick their favorite and make one of their own, writing attributes, and why it’s their favorite on the back.

* A "trace, write & color" flip-a-strip booklet, as well as a full-page booklet, which can be used for a center, anchor charts or a class-made book.

* All sorts of GAMES, many of which can be used as quick, easy and super-fun assessments, such as the “I Spy A Pattern Block!” worksheets.

* There are a variety of dice games as well, like our favorite “Rack Up a Stack!”

* Other games include: “Trapped in a Trapezoid”, “Hiding in a Hexagon”, “Trapezoid Towers”, “Rhombus Race”, “Fill it Up”, “Spin to Win”, “Two Trapped Trapezoids”, “Triangle Trees”, and a “Which trapezoid is bigger? challenge.

* The “Memory Match” game cards can also be used for, Sorting, Patterning, “I Have; Who Has?” 1-to-1 correspondence, “Kaboom!” and “What’s Missing?” activities and games.

Students practice greater & less than, color words, alphabetizing, strategy, graphing, tally marks and addition.

* The number strip PUZZLES (1-10 & 11-20), help with number recognition, counting & sequencing.

* And finally, a cute pattern block name craft, which makes a colorful bulletin board display, and provides a simple way to review shapes, colors, letters, capitalization, alphabetizing and patterns.

There are several pattern options, including one with the shapes inside square blocks.  Choose your favorite, or give children a choice. 

Today's featured FREEBIE is a simple craft I call, Pattern Block Pals.

The gloved-hands & tennis shoes on their feet at the end of colorful accordion-folded legs add the "Awww-dorable!" factor.

Completed projects make a super-cute "Getting In Shape" bulletin board display.

Besides my featured FREEBIE you may also be interested in these other FREE pattern block activities: 

Holly and Heather over at Prekinders have over 20 free pattern block picture mats in full color, as well as black and white. 
ABC Teach also has a big variety of pattern block picture mats: toys, animals, flowers, and some really interesting and challenging patterns.

I was really excited to find a complete set of FREE pattern block mats for upper & lowercase letters as well as numbers over at Confessions of a Homeschooler.  Erica also has a nice set of "complete the pattern" cards.

Well that’s it for now.  Thanks for stopping by. 

My mom, who is 91, is visiting for the week, so time to do some sightseeing with her. Wishing you a stress-free day.

 "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." -Benjamin Franklin 

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 Do Some Shape Activities With Me

Are you studying 2D shapes?  If so, I think your kiddos will really enjoy learning & practicing with these super-fun, hands-on activities, featured in my newest packet: Scarecrow Shapes.

The packet is stuffed with a variety of hands-on fun for learning 2D shapes.

Here’s what you’ll get:

* An emergent reader, “The Scarecrow’s Nose”, which practices a variety of standards, and packs a lot of sight word clout, as I’ve included 33 Dolch words.

Children read the sentence, add end punctuation: (period, question mark & exclamation point).

They trace and write the shape & color word, trace and draw the shape, then color the picture.

There is a pattern with 2-on-a-one-page template, as well as 4-on-a-page to make an Itty Bitty booklet.

On the last page, children draw a scarecrow. The nose is their favorite shape and color.

* There’s a whole-group graphing activity to graph the results.

* I've also included a really cute “My Scarecrow’s Nose” slider craftivity. 

"Socrates" is not only super-fun, but a quick, easy, and interesting way to whole group assess 2D shapes.

I’ve included a full-page size, as well as a smaller, 2-on-a-page pattern.

* There's also 7 shape worksheets that practice a variety of standards, as well as ...

* 6 colorful pocket chart cards, plus a matching black and white set, so students can make a Shape Flip Booklet, plus ...

* 5 shape games along with ...

* 4 assessments using just one worksheet!  And finally,

* A bookmark-size, “color me” certificate of praise. 

This packet is a whopping 63 pages long. 

Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to have a look: Scarecrow Shapes: Emergent Reader, Games, Worksheets & Craftivities and let the learning fun begin.

I hope your kiddos enjoy learning with "Socrates" as much as mine did. 

Today's featured FREEBIE is also another fun way to practice shapes.

Back in 2009, I designed Silly Shaped Penguins. 

Because it's one of my most popular downloads, throughout the years I've added to the menagerie. 

Since it's fall, I thought the Silly Shaped Owls were perfect for a fall FREEBIE.  Hope you enjoy them.  

Well that's it for today.  I have so many projects "in process" and scattered all over my desk , that I'm not sure where to begin. 

October is flying by way too fast! Wishing you an awesome autumn. 

"I craft so hard, I sweat glitter!" -Unknown

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

Ever since Disney came out with Monsters Inc, monsters have gone from something scary to something sweet, helpful and rather loveable.

Because these cute creatures are super-popular with children, I decided to design a few monster things for my October activities.

Thus, "Shapely Monsters" was born, and like Disney, my monsters are adorable.

This emergent reader, packs a lot of Dolch punch, as students practice color and number words, as well as 2D shapes.

Children read the simple sentences; trace & write the shape, color & number words associated with that monster, then color the “shapely monster” the matching color, adding the appropriate number of eyes.

For the last page, students design their own monster, using their favorite color, and draw on as many eyes as they are years old.

To cover another math standard, I’ve also included a graphing extension, featuring Marvin the marvelous monster who is helping to search for, count & color the various 2D shapes.

Besides the full-page booklet, to conserve paper & ink, I’ve also included 2-on-a-page templates to make a smaller emergent reader.  You can use the larger one as a teacher's edition.  

When everyone has completed their booklet, read it aloud as a whole group to practice concepts of print, then encourage children to share it with their family when they get home, to further reinforce colors, numbers and shapes. 

Shapely Monsters is one of Diane's Dollar Deals in my TpT shop.  Click on the link to zip on over.  

Today's FREEBIE also has to do with shapes, and features an assortment of fall-themed pictures.  I hope you enjoy it.  Fall Shape Matching Game.

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by.  There's a huge MOPS sale at a nearby church today!

I'm excited to search for some bargain-priced clothes and goodies for my grandchildren.  Wishing you an exciting day. 

"The monster was the best friend I ever had." -Boris Karloff

1-2-3 Come Pair Up With Me

Welcome to another one of Diane's Dollar Deals.  This cutie-patootie, Pair Pears Packet is packed with versatility.

At the beginning of the year, when children are learning their classmates' names, glue a photo on the top of the pear, and write students' names on the bottom half.

Children can match their friend's photo to their name in an independent "get to know you" center.

Use the puzzle pair pears as a classroom management tool for a fun way to have children partner up.

Use them to play games like Memory Match & "I Have Who Has?"

I have included pairs that review shapes/shape words, numbers/number words, and uppercase/lowercase letters etc.

You can also run the templates off so that each student can make either an alphabet, number or shape booklet.

Covers are included, as well as blank pears for you to program with whatever.

Be sure and grab the "teachable moment" to discuss homonyms. 

Click on the link to grab this super-fun Pair Pears Dollar Deal.

The featured FREEBIE for today, includes another fun way to pick a partner.

"It's Partner Time!"  is an "oldie but goodie" that I made years ago, before all of the cool graphics programs, fonts & clipart that I now use. 

Yet it's still popular & a fun way to practice colors, shapes & numbers while picking a partner.

Well that's it for now.  Thanks for visiting.

I'm busy working on the rest of my letter packets. Wishing you a peaceful & productive day.

 "In the past a leader was a boss.  Today's leaders must be partners with their people...they no longer can lead solely based on positional power." -Ken Blanchard

1-2-3 Come Do Some 3D Shape Activities With Me

This poster packet features four, 3D shapes: the sphere, cylinder, cube & cone.

There are a variety of sizes to choose from: large 8x10, as well as smaller 5x7 ones, to use as anchor chart posters or flashcards.

I've also made a poster with all 4 shapes on one page, as well as that poster with 2-on-a-page.

There are cards to make a Memory Match or "I Have; Who Has?" game.

Students could play "Speed" with a partner, taking turns flipping over a pack of cards. 

The frist one to say the name of the shape, gets to keep the card. 

Print off the 6-on-a-page, 3D shape bookmarks; laminate & trim.  Pass them out to your students to tuck into their math journals.

Make an extra set of the large ones, cut them up, and use them for an independent puzzle center.

This is a special FREEBIE in my TpT shop to celebrate 400 followers.  If you're one of them, I want to thank you so much for following me; I truly appreciate it!

I know it sounds a bit corny, but I really do get excited when I see the numbers grow. 

I promise to post at least one FREEBIE each month, plus celebratory "milestones" like this one, which are only available in my TpT shop.

Click on the link to grab the 3D Shape Poster packet today.   I hope you find it useful in helping your kiddos understand 3D shapes. 

That's it for today.  My husband is whisking me away to the Henderson Castle!  The fact that our last name is Henderson, makes this date even more special.  Wishing you a delightful day, over flowing with love-filled moments.

"Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love." -Mother Teresa

1-2-3 Come Study 2D Shapes With Me

Woo Hoo!  I just finished the final packet in The Kissing Hand "triolgy".  Technical issues had me nearly throwing my computer out the window. 

I'm sure some of you can relate with how frustrating it is when a glitch happens, causing a gnashing of teeth and ripping out of hair.  Arggg! 

Any hoo, I have managed to peel myself off the ceiling and will endeavor to try and post this really cute Kissing Hand-inspired Shape Packet before something else happens.

If you've read the adorable book The Kissing Hand, by Audrey Penn, then you're familiar with Chester, an anxious little raccoon.  

Since he is such an endearing character for children, I thought I'd incorporate him into some fun hands-on shape games & activities.

The packet reviews the 2D shapes: circle, oval, square, rectangle, triangle, hexagon, pentagon, octagon, trapezoid, rhombus, star & heart, simply choose which ones you want your kiddos to learn.

I've included a variety of activities including a trace & write mini booklet, several craftivities, shape word cards (with and without the shapes on them), as well as several shape games with different options for playing.

There are also posters, pocket chart cards, a shape “slider” that’s a fun way to whole-group assess, plus a variety of worksheets; including a graph, & ones that review attributes and spatial directions.

The two raccoon crafts are extremely versatile. Teachers can use them  as anchor chart-posters, bulletin boards, a fun way to individually or whole-group assess, as a game or independent center activity!

In the first raccoon shape craftivity, the eyes, nose and bows (for a girl raccoon) or bowties (for a boy raccoon) take on the various shapes.

I've also made a student-one, where children just change the nose.

In the next photo is "Bandit" wearing all the different shaped masks. 

You don’t have to use wiggle eyes, but I thought they added that finishing touch, and made the raccoon look more realistic.

Not sure why the color looks sort of blue instead of gray like the others.  Chalk it up to more cyber craziness beyond my ken.

You can also use the bowties & bows from the other raccoon for more options for Bandit. 

Students could also place the pocket chart card with the shape name above or under the raccoon as a center activity.

Review the various shapes as a whole group, by passing out the masks to your students.  Show the word card, or ask for a shape.  The child holding that mask comes up and places it on the raccoon.   I used magnet dots on the back of Bandit to stick him to my whiteboard.  I used Velcro dots on the masks.

Once Bandit is wearing a shape mask, ask children what things he sees that are that shape.  For example, he’s wearing the rectangle-eyed mask
and sees a door, window, Kleenex box, book, piece of paper etc.

To celebrate getting ready for back-to-school, this 65-page raccoon-themed packet is on sale for just $3.95.  Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop to have a look.  

The packet matches The Kissing Hand Literacy packet & the "Where’s the Raccoon?" packet, which were featured in other blog articles this past week.  

If you're a follower, you know I always post a FREEBIE in each blog article.  Today's is the shape slider from the packet. 

I've also included "slider strips" for upper & lowercase letters, numbers & skip counting.  I hope you find it useful.  Click on the link to grab it.  

As for me, I'm escaping for some much-needed sanity far away from my computer. Wishing you a stress-free day filled with giggles galore.

"Do what you love; love what you do." -Unknown

1-2-3 Come Do Some Kissing Hand-Themed Activities With Me

The Kissing Hand, by Audrey Penn, is one of my favorite back to school stories.  Inspired by this sweet tale of a little raccoon going off to school, with a kiss from his mom, I designed the “Where’s the Raccoon?” packet.

It’s filled with games, activities, & an emergent reader, which will help students understand spatial directions: on, off, in, out, behind, between, beside, left, right, above, below, over & under.

Why study these things? Being able to show shapes spatially, is part of the Common Core. 

Children are innundated with oral spatial directions every day; they come across them in print and need to follow them to clean up, put things away and basically function in life.

The importance of learning these words is a given.

Thus the packet also includes posters, pocket chart cards, a full-color teacher's copy of both student activities, which are in color as well as black & white,

There's also an alphabetical list of familiar prepositions that your students will come across in popular story books and emergent readers; (21 of them are on the Dolch word lists) plus tips, tricks, mini word cards, a song, and several worksheets. 

Its raccoon theme, correlates nicely with The Kissing Hand. The activities can be done as a whole group or independent center activity, as well as used as an assessment tool.

The 62-page Where's the Raccoon?  packet is just $3.95. 

Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop to check it out.

This packet matches 3 other raccoon-themed, Kissing Hand-inspired packets, that I'm currently finishing up, and will post sometime this week: A Literacy Packet, an ABC-123 Packet, plus a Shape Packet.  

Today's featured FREEBIE is signage to make a "Book Hospital Basket". 

When students are reading a book from your classroom library and discover that it needs some repair work to avoid further damage, have them fill out an Rx form of what's wrong with the book and how you can fix it.

They tuck the note on the page that needs repair, so that the end sticks out and then drop the book in the "hospital" basket. 

These Rx notes are kept in an envelope that's taped to the basket. 

Checking the basket and making repairs can be a student or room helper job. There are two on a page for easy printing, so why not make one for a fellow teacher or your librarian, as a "Hope you have a great year!" surprise.

Click on the link to grab this easy organizational FREEBIE today. Book Hospital Basket.

That's it for today.  Thanks for visiting.  It's been super muggy here, and even though it looks like rain, I don't see it in the forecast, so it's time to brave the humidity and water my flower garden.  Wishing you a carefree day. 

"The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind.  But the goodness of a person spreads in all directions." - Chanakya

1-2-3, Come Make a Letter Shape House With Me

This quick, easy & fun little craftivity, reviews a variety of standards; more value for your "time buck".
Do this sweet craft when you're working on the letter H, shapes (twelve, 2D shapes are included) or doing social studies and studying about families, communities & neighborhoods.

To review more standards, when students share completed projects, encourage them to name the shapes & colors they chose, describing where they are located spatially. i.e. "My green rectangle door is beside the yellow window..." etc. 

For a quick review, I've included 12, colorful flashcards featuring the 2D shapes.  If you're also working with fractions, have students draw windowpane lines, "cut" their windows in half and then in quarters.

If you have "knows their address" as a standard, have students write theirs in the middle of the letter.

I've also included two worksheets in the packet as well.

For that finishing touch, add a school photo.  Completed projects make an adorable bulletin board too.

To celebrate 300 followers, this is a special FREEBIE in my TpT shop.  Simply click on the link to grab your copy today. 

Thanks for stopping by.  It's a beautiful 70 degrees today; the sun is shining and I'm feeling especially blessed.  Wishing you a wonderful day.

 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