23 pages.

These 100 Day puzzles are a quick, easy and fun way to help students count and sequence numbers 1-10, count backwards from 10 to 1, as well as skip count by 10s to 100. 

 1-2-3 Come Do Some More 100-Day Activities With Me

If you're like me, you've started looking for a few more quick, easy and fun ideas to add to your collection of 100-Day activities. One Hundred Day was one of my favorite celebrations, second only to Valentine's Day, which was my favorite.

Everything we did related to that number, from reading 100-Day stories, to making class books with writing prompts about 100 and of course lots of super-fun math activities, which my Y5's really enjoyed. 

Counting that high can be a bit tedious for a young five, so I tried to think of a variety of ways for them to practice.  Watching numbers flash on a screen to some catchy music, is a visually fun way to count.  I spent about an hour looking at short "count to 100" videos on YouTube. 

Here are a few of the best ones:  "We Can Count To 100" (1:52) simply flashes colorful numbers as they count in a sing-song way.  "The Big Numbers Song" also counts to 100.  I especially like this 3:11 minute video clip, because the voice is soft and soothing, and also shows the number words, which we were also working on.

Dr. Jean keeps students engaged with her (2:17 minute) Macarena Math Time counting to 100 song, by showing and repeating the Macarena dance movements, as she counts to 100.  She also breaks up the counting, by ending each segment of 10 with: "That makes ______ 10s."  i.e. ". . . 78. 79, 80! That makes 8 tens."

If you have a superhero theme going on in your classroom, your kiddos will enjoy the (2:27 minute) "Count To 100 Superhero"  clip.  It has a catchy beat that your students will enjoy.  Finally, click on the link for  a counting to 100s video with a jazzy beat.  With all of the bright colors, your little ones will find it visually appealing.

Besides counting by ones, my Y5s were also learning how to skip count by 10s to 100. With that in mind, I just finished designing some quilt block bookmarks yesterday. 

I've included a blank template, where students write in the numbers, as well as one with the skip counted numbers filled in, in both black line and full color.

Choose which one you want your students to have.  As a whole group, use them to practice skip counting by 10s.

For some fun, non-standard unit of measurement practice, have students use their bookmarks to fill in the measurement worksheet.

Making a 100-Day Pizza is also a non-boring way to count.  I haven't come upon a child that doesn't list pizza as one of their favorite foods, so I thought it would be fun to design a paper craftivity one. 

There are several templates to choose from.  If your kiddo's are learning to skip count by 10's to 100 then use that pizza pattern.  If they're also counting to 100 by 5's, you can give them a choice.

The packet reviews quite a few Common Core State Standards: RF.K1a, RF.K1c, RF.K3c, L.K.2a, L.K.2b, RF.1.1a, L.1.2b, K.G.2, K.CC.1, K.OA.1

Students read the simple sentences filled with quite a few Dolch sight words, circle the capital letters and add the end punctuation.

Besides skip counting by 5s and 10s, there are also opportunities in the booklet to skip count by 2s and 3s. 

The 100-Day pizza packet, also includes a paper pizza craftivity, 2 graphing extensions, a shape sorting mat, pizza patterning page and a count the pizza slices by 5's worksheet.

For simpler counting, students can arrange the toppings by 10 groups of 10, or 20 groups of 5, depending on how you want them to count to 100.

The 100-Day pizza, also reviews 2D-shapes as well as colors.  Completed projects make a terrific 100-Day bulletin board.

Click on the link to view/download the 100-Day Pizza Packet.

If you're looking for more 100-Day FREEBIES, check out my Pinterest Boards.  I have one especially for 100 Day.

That's it for today. Thanks for visiting.   However you plan to celebrate, I hope your day is filled with lots of fun "ed-ventures"!

My grandchildren are stopping by for a few hours, so it's time to put my Nana hat on.  I'm looking forward to some major snuggle time, as Kaitlyn is only 2-months-old, and Kaiden is two.  Wishing you a love-filled day.

"If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so that I never have to live without you." -Winnie the Pooh (A. A. Milne)

5 pages.

Practice skip counting by 10s with these quilt block bookmarks.  I've included a blank template, where students write in the numbers, as well as one with the skip counted numbers filled in, in both black line and full color. 

19 pages.

Help reinforce number sequencing from 1-10, counting backwards from 10-1 and skip counting by 10's to 100, with these number puzzles.  These puzzles will be FREE for an entire year (!) After which time they will be up-dated and put in my whopping 53-page Fire Safety Number Puzzles packet.

Click on the link to zip on over.  In addition to making 52 puzzles, I've added skip counting by 2s.

1-2-3 Come Do Some Fall-Themed Activities With Me

I just love fall.  It's my favorite season, not only because of the spectacular fall colors and wonderful weather, but because of the super-fun themes that we get to teach.

In this blog article, I  want to feature some of the fall groupings I did to cover numbers (1-10), skip counting by 10's, number words and shapes. 

Using the adorable clip art of Laura Strickland over at mycutegraphics.com as well as Dianne Hook at djinkers.com, I whipped up 24 number puzzles. 

There are a dozen for sequencing numbers 1-10, as well as another 12 for skip counting by 10's.  Print, laminate and trim and then store in Ziplock Baggies.  To help little ones, I've also included blank templates. 

Besides using these as independent centers or something "early finishers" can do, choose 3 or 4 and make a flip book.  I give directions in the packet.  (A sample is pictured at the bottom of the photo.)

Click on the link to view/download the 24 Fall-Themed Number Puzzles.

If you want to reinforce shapes as well as shape words, then I think you'll enjoy these fall-themed, shapely matching games.  Simply print, laminate and trim. 

Students place the colored shape tile onto the matching shape on the leaf, spider, bat, owl, or turkey card.  

I've included a blank template for each theme, so you can program with more shapes or whatever. If you like this set, be sure and check out the apple and pumpkin ones.

Finally, to practice number word recognition, click on the link for some fall-themed clothespin number games. Students clip a clothespin to the number that matches the number word on the card. 

Pinching a clothespin, is great for strengthening a little one's finger muscles.  Children also seem to really enjoy this activity, so it's a win-win. :-)

To make the cards self-checking, mark an X on the back of the card where the correct number lies on the front. These are something different for your kiddos to do for their Daily 5 word work activities too.

I've included a blank set of cards for each theme, so that you can program them with higher numbers or whatever else you'd like your kiddo's to practice.  If you like this set, be sure and check out the apple and pumpkin ones.

Thanks for visiting today.  Fall is in the air; the sun is shining and a lovely breeze is blowing through my office window.  The weather is calling me, so it's time for a much-needed break.  Wishing you a refreshing day filled with everything and everyone you enjoy the most.

"Success: To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."  -Ralph Waldo Emerson

7 pages.

Help practice and reinforce upper and lowercase letters, numbers, plus skip counting by 5's and 10's with these fun connect the dots, apple-themed worksheets.

38 pages.

This is a quick, easy and inexpensive little gift that you can have lying on your students' desks for that first day of school.  Be sure and write their name on the puzzle to make things extra special.  These can be precut to expedite things, or to give yourself some extra "sanity" time, you can have students cut up their own puzzle after they have colored the picture.

1-2-3 Come Do Some Very Hungry Caterpillar Activities and Crafts With Me

My life seems to be flying by!  Can anyone else out there relate?  I had planned to get these cute little caterpillars done the first week of April, but the past few days filled up with so many other responsibilities, that the caterpillars had to stay in their "chrysalis state" 'til now. 

I hope you can still use them, or as the life of a pack-rat teacher goes, tuck these ideas away for next year.  Since so many people read The Very Hungry Caterpillar, I wanted to use Eric Carle's cute litter critter as a spring board to studying a variety of other things. 

I created the caterpillar template and made a list of all sorts of ways I could use it, then set about to design the details.   You can choose which one you want your students to do, or give them a choice.  A friend of mine liked them so much, that she plans to make 3 (a different one each week).

In The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats the Alphabet, students trace and write upper and lowercase letters.  I've also included a set where a bit of the butterfly's life cycle is also included with the letters. 

For example, for the Zz letter, I added:  Zzzzzz sleeping in a chrysalis, and then included a butterfly pattern with the letters all over her wings to be cut and glued on the last section.  

I glued just the thorax portion to the last "body" circle and bent the wings up so that the butterfly looks like she's flying.

Older students could also make a list of a food the caterpillar could eat that begins with that letter.  You may want to read Lois Ehlert's book Eating the Alphabet (Fruits and Vegetables from A to Z) to give students some ideas.  Click on the link to view/download The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats the Alphabet packet. 

If you'd like to review just the life cycle of a butterfly, you'll want to take a look at The Life Cycle Of The Very Hungry Caterpillar packet.  Students trace and write the words, then color, cut and glue the pictures. 

If you look closely, you'll see that I glued down just the thorax with this butterfly too, so it looks 3 dimensional, like the larger one above.  Click on the link to view/download it. 

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats a Rainbow, reinforces colors as well as the days of the week.  Before hand, brainstorm what kinds of things the caterpillar could eat that are the various colors.  Write these words on the board to help children with spelling.

Students trace and write the color words and complete the sentence with something the caterpillar ate that was that color.  Adding end punctuation reviews another standard.  

Children then draw and color a picture.  I've included my sample so that you can quickly make one to share with your students. Click on the link to view/download The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats a Rainbow packet.

You may also want to read one of the following books for some great examples of rainbow-colorful food: I Eat A Rainbow, by Bobbie Kalman;  Can You Eat a Rainbow? by Anastasia Suen;  and/or  I Can Eat A Rainbow, by Annabel Karmel.   

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats Some Numbers includes counting from zero to ten, where students trace and write the numbers as well as the number words.  I've  included a butterfly pattern to glue to the last section if you want.

There are also caterpillar "body" circles for skip counting by 2's 3's, 5's, and 10's. 

In all of the packets there are patterns for the caterpillar's head if you want it to be made out of construction paper, as well as a pattern that students can color, like the "Skip count by 10's" caterpillar in the photo.

Click on the link to view/download The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats Some Numbers.

Since I have many requests for shape craftivities, particulary 3D shapes, I thought I'd make The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats Some Shapes. 

This is the largest packet, as I've included a caterpillar that reviews 2D shapes, as well as the days of the week.  For this caterpillar, students trace and write the shape words, as well as draw the shapes. 

I've included a butterfly pattern with the various shapes sprinkled on the wings, if you'd like to include that on the last "body" section.  For a cool 3D effect, fold the wings up and glue only the thorax portion down.

Another caterpillar, is a cut and glue the 2D shapes on the "body" circles.  Besides the standard 2D shapes, you can also choose to include the hexagon, pentagon, & octagon, and/or the pattern block shapes: rhombus and trapezoid. 

There's also a separate caterpillar that simply eats all of the 3D shapes. As with the above activity, students cut and glue the 3D shapes to the "body" circles.  Click on the link to view/download The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eats Some Shapes.

Finally, rather than make a caterpillar that covered story elements using this pattern, I made a graphic organizer - worksheet, to change things up a bit. 

To save you time, I included a template with the answers, so that you can make a quick sample to share with your students. Click on the link to view/download the graphic organizer for The Very Hungry Caterpillar's story elements. 

Thanks for visiting today.  As always, feel free to PIN away.   

 "Everyone is like a [caterpillar].  They start out ugly and awkward, and then morph into beautiful and graceful butterflies that everyone loves." -Drew Barrymore

1-2-3 Come Do A Few More St. Patty's Day Activities With Me

I had a few special requests this week, and thought I'd combine them all in today's blog article.  I hope you enjoy them.

Kyanne, from Wisconsin, wanted a simple St. Patrick's Day word search for her young five students.  Even though there are a lot of word search generators out there, they mostly have uppercase letters. 

Further difficulties arrise,  because they share letters, show the words going backwards, as well as diagonally and vertically, so I usually make up my own.  I like to include a shape to add interest as well.

Word searches are a great way to practice spelling and build vocabulary, so that's why I think they should be in lowercase letters.  I also like them relatively easy (showing the words in forward-horizontal fashion) so that my kiddos don't get frustrated. 

If you want to do these easy ones with older elementary students, simply give them 1-minute to find as many as they can.  Speed games, help prepare children for timed tests in a non-stressful way.   Besides using them as a game, they are a nice plug-in for your Daily 5 word work activities too.  Click on the link to view/download the 2 St. Patrick's Day word searches.

Another way to work on words, is by giving students a themed-word and challenging them to create other words, using only the letters that appear in that word.  With that in mind, I created How Many Words Can You Find in Leprechaun, and another one for the word shamrock. 

Surprisingly, I made 97 words from the letters in shamrock, and found 161 words using the letters in leprechaun.  The packet includes recording sheets, as well as my answer keys.  Click on the link to view/download the How Many Can You Find St. Patrick's Day activity. 

Betty, from Texas, wrote that she's collected most of the number puzzles for center activites, for her PK students.  She wondered if I had any puzzles for St. Patrick's Day.  I didn't, but do now. 

I made 16, which includes some in color, as well as 5 in black and white, so that students can color their own. 

The puzzles help students practice counting to 10, counting backwards from 10 to 1, as well as skip counting by 10's to 100.  Click on the link to view/download the St. Patty's Day Puzzle Packet.

Gloria, from Wisconsin, collects my alphabet cards, and wanted some with shamrocks and kites, two big theme weeks for her kinders. 

I had already made shamrock alphabet ones, and am now working on the ABC kite cards, to add to our growing collection. 

All of the alphabet packets, include a tip list of what to do with the cards, including games like Kaboom, plus a separate set of upper as well as lowercase letters, so that you can play Memory Match and "I Have; Who Has?"  games.   Click on the link to view/download the shamrock alphabet cards.  The kite cards will be done and posted by Monday.

Finally, Sara from Maine, likes to change her 10 frame math center each month.  She was looking for some with shamrocks.  I spent quite a bit of time making 10 frame templates, so it's pretty easy for me to plug in appropriate clip art to make them for any theme you do. 

If you have a special request, simply shoot me an e-mail, and I'll see what I can do.  diane@teachwithme.com  Click on the link to view/download the Shamrock 10 Frames packet.  

Just a reminder, that all of the 10 frame packets, have matching 1-2-3 Count With Me 10 Frame-Based easy readers to match. Click on the link to view/download the 123 Count Shamrocks With Me.

That's it for today.  Thanks for visiting.  Feel free to PIN away.

"Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow beloings to the people who prepare for it today." -Unknown

21 pages.

16 St. Paddy's Day puzzles will help your students practice counting and sequencing numbers 1-10, counting backwards from 10 to 1, as well as skip counting by 10's to 100.  Includes 5 black and white puzzles so children can color their own.