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

Since the lists of my all-time favorite books for various units, have been so popular, I decided to make one for my love-themed selections, which include Valentine's Day books and books about hugs, kisses and love. 

I think it's probably my biggest collection, as Valentine's Day has been my favorite holiday since I was five.   Click on the link to view/dowload the list of My 100 All-Time Favorite Valentine Books.

Books need a bookmark, so I designed ten Valentine bookmarks that you can use as incentives (challenge students to collect all of them as they complete various tasks each day) or give as prizes on your party day. 

Click on the link to view/download the Valentine's Day Bookmark packet.

Like the book lists, the punctuation pocket cards, have also been extremely popular, so I made a set of 30 with a valentine theme.  Print; laminate and trim. 

You can put them in your pocket chart, read as a whole group and then make corrections with a dry erase marker. 

Students circle the letters that should be capitalized, and then add end punctuation. 

I made a lot more cards for this packet, as I thought it might be a fun activity for Valentine's Day. 

Pass one out to each student to make corrections and then share the results with the class. 

I purposely included quite a few contractions in the simple sentences to provide yet another teachable moment.  Click on the link to view/download the Valentine Grammar Cards.

While I was making the valentine clock cards yesterday, I was working on several other telling time activities, and finished them today. 

Time For Valentines is a candy heart spinner game.  Children play with a partner or in groups of 3 or 4 taking turns spinning the candy heart clock. 

Whatever number they land on, is the heart that they color on their recording sheet.  Students also write in the digital time, and if you want, have them cover the heart with a candy one. 

The student who completes their clock first is the winner.  The prize can be the candy hearts. Inform students that they may eat one, and then put the rest in the box to take home.  Click on the link to view/download the Candy Heart Clock Game.

Finally, I also finished the Watch Me Tell Time whole-group assessment activity.  Print off the pocket watch page on tan or gold paper, cut off the directions. 

Run off the clocks and digital time rectangles on glossy photo paper. Cut out the clocks and boxes and glue one to each pocket watch paper.  You've now created a dry erase board.

Call out a time. Using a dry erase marker, students draw hands on the clock face and write the digital time in the box.  When they are done, they hold up their pocket watch. 

This is a quick, easy and fun way to whole group assess analog and digital time to the hour or half hour.  (Common Core State Standard:  1.MD.3)  Click on the link to view/download the Watch Me Tell Time assessment packet.

Thanks for visiting today; I hope it's love-filled.   Feel free to PIN away! 

"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself." -John Dewey 

8 pages.

Print; laminate and trim then use them in your pocket chart as a whole group activity.  Choose a student, to use a dry erase marker to fix a card.  They circle the letters that should be capitalized and add end punctuation.

5 pages.

Here's a list of 100 of my all-time favorite books about love, hugs, kisses and Valentine's Day.  It's my favorite holiday, and one of my largest themed collections.

3 pages. Common Core State Standard: 1.MD.3

Review time to the hour with this Candy Heart Clock game.  Students take turns spinning; whatever number they land on, is the heart that they color on their recording sheet.  Students also write down that digital time, and then cover the heart with a candy one.  The first one to complete their candy clock is the winner.

5 pages.

Packet includes 3 heart-shaped Venn diagrams: 1 for Valentine's Day, another plain to compare and contrast whatever, plus a Venn Friend diagram to use for Martin Luther King Day or a back-to-school activity.

21 pages.

Make writing a bit more fun with these 3D hearts, featuring three different writing prompts.  Packet includes 15 writing prompts and heart pattern + sample photographs. 

1-2-3 Come Do Some Valentine Craftivities With Me

I loved decorating the hallway outside my classroom.  I never had enough bulletin boards, so it was inevitable that I'd spill out into the hallway.  Nobody minded as they said it made things look educational and festive.

I think showcasing student work is a huge self-esteem builder.  It also let the parents, vistors and the rest of the school in on what my Y5's were doing.  

With that in mind, I wanted to design some writing activities that were a bit on the crafty side, for your students to have fun with.  

No matter what grade I taught, (PK, K, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 12th and even college) my students really enjoyed incorporating a bit of art into other subject areas.

An easy way to do this is with writing prompts.  Instead of just writing on paper, have students write on their creations.  In the 3D heart dangler, students choose 3 different writing prompts: people, places, things, sports, subjects, books, movies, music etc. that they LOVE. 

You can use my templates, or the plain blank heart.  This can be 3 days worth of writing, or a take home assignment.

Three different color paper hearts are cut, folded and glued together to make a 3D hanging heart. 

The writing prompt heart in the photo is yellow, blue and orange. For that finishing touch, have students glue on their school picture to one of the hearts, and then "autograph" the bottom.

The other photo shows a 3D heart that is hot pink, light pink and purple. 

So that students can practice their keyboarding skills, have them write a rough draft for each of the 3 prompts that they chose, edit and then type them up and glue one on each of their hearts.

Punch a hole at the top and tie a yarn loop. They will look awesome swirling and twirling from the ceiling.

If you'd like a caption, you could have a large 2-sided heart that says: "Mrs./Mr. _____________'s Class LOVES Writing!"  Click on the link to view/download the 3D Writing Prompt Heart packet.

Yesterday I posted some holiday Venn diagrams.  While I was putzing with those, I thought it would be interesting to design a heart-shaped Venn diagram, and have students choose a partner to make a "Venn Friend" with. 

Each student writes their own "different" half of the diagram, and then works together on the "same" section with their partner.

Make sure you create one of your own to share as an example.  You can also have students choose primary colors that when combined make a seconday color.  I thought of this after I had made my sample, and should have used red and yellow hearts with an orange center.  Just a thought. Students could also choose their favorite colors as well. 

Have children share their Venn Friend with the class and then scatter them on a bulletin board, or hang back-to-back from the ceiling.  A caption could be:  We Are Different. We Are The Same. We Are Friends!  

These would also be a nice craftivity for Martin Luther King Day.  I've included two heart-shaped Venn diagrams for Valentine's Day, plus another, without the valentine caption, so you can use it for MLK Day or a back-to-school "meet my new friend" activity.   Click on the link to view/download the heart-shaped Valentine Venn Friend packet.

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN away. 

"Education is hanging around until you've caught on." -Robert Frost

1-2-3 Come Do Some More Valentine's Day Activities With Me

To help build vocabulary, each month I added themed words to our word wall.  There are a ton of words that are associated with love and  Valentine's Day, so I decided to make an alphabetical list and came up with 240. 

There are 2 covers for a Valentine Dictionary, so that students can think up their own word list, and then look up and record any new words from mine that you want your students to know. 

This makes a wonderful Daily 5 word work activity.  Click on the link to view/download the Valentine Vocabulary packet.

Another interesting way to practice words and letters is with my tri-hearts.   You can use the template in a variety of ways. 

The photo shows: upper and lowercase letters (Put one on each side and then flip open to reveal a picture of a word that starts with those letters.); compound words, contractions, as well as equations.  

I've also included an owl valentine your students can make. Click on the link to view/download the Folded Heart packet.

For more writing practice, have students pick a holiday and compare it with Valentine's Day.  I've designed 12 holiday Venn diagrams for your students to choose from, plus a blank one for them to add something different. 

When they are done with their Venn diagram, have students complete the writing prompt: My favorite holiday is ... because ...  Click on the link to view/download the Valentine Venn Diagram Writing Prompt packet.

Finally, I had a few special requests.  Kara, from Florida, needed some valentine themed puzzles for her young kinders to do on party day.  Laura Strickland's clip art is so adorable, that I designed 20 different puzzles, that will help students count forwards and backwards, as well as skip count by 10's to 100. 

I've included 3 black and white puzzles for your kiddos to color, cut and take home; or they can glue their puzzle pieces to a sheet of construction paper, leaving a small space inbetween each piece.  The results are an interesting mosaic work of art and make a cool bulletin board. 

Besides using the puzzles for a center, have students choose a partner and play "Speed" to see who can complete their puzzle first.  You can also make puzzle flip books.  Choose 3 puzzles, mix them up and then staple the top section to the numbered puzzle grid. 

Students decide which puzzle they want to search for, and flip each strip 'til they find the correct one that will complete their choice. Click on the link to view/download the Twenty Valentine's Day Puzzle packet.

Theresa, from Kansas, requested some heart-themed clock cards. This was also on my "to do" list, so I got busy.  The cards include digital as well as analog times to the hour and half hour.  (Common Core State Standard: 1.MD.3)

Use the cards for whole group assessing, flashcard reviews, or a bulletin board.  Make extra sets; cut them up and use for puzzles and games such as Memory Match and "I Have; Who Has?"  

I've included blank clocks so students can fill them in, as well as a clockless set for you to program with whatever. Click on the link to view/download the Heart-Themed Clock Cards.

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN away. 

"Education is the key to unlocking the world; a passport to freedom." -Oprah Winfrey

14 pages.

Now that students have experienced most of the major holidays, have them choose a Venn diagram that compares Valentine's Day with another holiday.   There are 12 different Venn holiday diagrams in the packet, plus a blank one for them to fill in. 

25 pages.

Help your students learn to count to 10, count backwards from 10 to 1; and skip count by 10's to 100, with these puzzles.  Students can also make flip books, or cut and glue the pieces on a sheet of colored paper, leaving a space inbetween for an interesting piece of art.