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.

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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

8 pages. Common Core State Standards: RF.K.1d, L.1.1a

This pumpkin-alphabet matching game is inexpensive to make, as they sell clip-on clothespins at The Dollar Store. This FREEBIE is part of my jumbo Alphabet Wheels Activity Packet.   For your convenience, I've included a preview.

4 pages. Common Core State Standards: RF.K.1d, L.1.1a

This apple matching game is inexpensive to make, as they sell clip-on clothespins at The Dollar Store. This FREEBIE is part of my jumbo Alphabet Wheels Activity Packet.   For your convenience, I've included a preview.

1-2-3 Play An Alphabet Matching Game With Me!

The Dollar Store is one of my favorite stores.  My mantra when I go in one is: "What can I do with this, that will help my students learn?"  so when I saw that they carried clip-on clothespins, I designed all sorts of games that students could "clip and match."  I did this for colors, numbers, upper and lowercase letters, shapes, and even glued my kiddos' photo on the front and back, so they could clip it to a yes or no answer for Question of the Day. 

I used another photo clip for attendance. This clothespin could also be used on your behavior board. i.e. Children all start out on the green apple for "good" behavior, and move to a yellow apple when they've been warned, and finally to a red apple if there's a consequence.

Because my little ones needed help recognizing and writing their names, I wrote them on clothespins for them to "find".  These were kept in a bucket and were sometimes used when I graphed something.   Children could also pick a clothespin out of the bucket and have that child be their partner. 

My clothespin craftiness started 13 years ago.  Creative minds must think alike, because I've seen clothespin activities all over Pinterest, with similar ideas.  One gal used yellow alphabet clothespins as "rays" that were clipped around a sun.  This gave me the idea to make several themed alphabet clothespin games. 

I started with an apple and then made a pumpkin. I'll fool around with a turkey and its feathers for November. Hopefully by then, all of your students will be able to identify upper and lowercase letters.

Here are some tips to help you make the apple/pumpkin alphabet games.  Directions for the pumpkin are similar and included in the packet.

If you are making multiple games, so that more students can play, make a template for the leaves and stem. Print, cut and trace onto an old file folder to make a pattern that’s easier to trace.  Using the template, trace the leaf once on green construction paper and then cut several at a time. Do the same for the stem, only on brown construction paper.  Glue to the back of your apples then laminate.  Children will clip the Aa clothespins on the stem, and the Z or B clothespin on the leaf, depending on where you glue the leaves.  Run off the apples on red, yellow and lime green construction paper.

I suggest you clip all of the clothespins onto the apples BEFORE you write the letters on.  Since little ones are just learning about letters, it’s less confusing for them, if you print on the clothespins, so that a letter doesn’t appear upside down.  i.e. I printed letters E, F, G, H, I, J, sideways with the “pinch” end of the clothespin going to the right, and letters Q, R, S, T, U , V and W sideways; with the “pinch” side going to the left. Letters A, B, C, D, Z, Y, X with the “pinch” side up,; and L, M, N, O, P with the “pinch” side down.

Another help for younger children, and allows for quick sorting, is to print the uppercase letters in red permanent marker, and the lowercase letters on the flip side, in black.   Bag up this particular set of clothespins and mark them Apple Clothespins.  

Children can also play with a partner, dividing the clothespins so that each child gets 13 to clip. Teacher chooses the partners, so that a stronger student can help a child who’s struggling.  There's an apple and pumpkin alphabet anchor chart, so that children can self-check their work when they have completed clipping their clothespins.

Make a few extra games to send home with children who need more one-on-one help.  Inform parents via a note (There's one included in the pack) that they may BORROW the game for one week and need to return it on a specific day.  Jot yourself a note as to who has the game. I've also included a reminder note to send home, in case a child fails to return the game on time.

Click on the link to view/download the Apple Alphabet Clothespin Game and/or the Pumpkin Alphabet Clothespin Game.

Thanks for visiting today. Feel free to PIN anything from my site.  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 menu bar.  If you'd like to see all of the wonderful-educational ideas that I pin, click on the heart to the right of the blog.

"I was asked to memorize what I did not understand; and, my memory being so good, refused to be insulted in that manner." -Aleister Crowley

1 page.

Here's a list of my favorite apple books.

1-2-3 Do Some Apple-icious Activities With Me!

As I stated in the article after this, I wanted to finish up with all of the apple requests I've had this month, and move on to some other fall theme, so I put lots of apple FREEBIES in the blog today, that I hope you and your students will enjoy.  Click on the "We Love Studying About Apples!" to grab your free poster.

Part of our morning, was spent doing "table top" activities, where students worked independently on various standards and skills. 

With this in mind, I created the Caramel Apple Letter Find.  Students find the capital letter A's and color them red; they color the lowercase a's yellow, and any Cc (for caramel) letter green.  Click on the link to view/download it.

I'd also reinforce letter and number recognition, by playing "I Spy" games.  Teacher starts out by calling out a letter/number. 

Students find it, and either trace or color the apple, and then raise their hand.  Teacher then calls on a quiet student to choose the next letter/numbered apple to find. Click on the link to view/print "I Spy a Letter!" apple game. 

Besides "I Spy" my students enjoyed playing dice games.  This helps with counting and number recognition, and simple addition for older students.

Click on the link to view/print the Apples On A Roll dice game.

To help increase my students' vocabulary, I always had themed words to add to our word wall. 

I encouraged my first graders to refer to the wall when they'd write. Understanding, and using adjectives, is also very important to build good writing skills. 

I designed Apple Adjectives to help with that. There's a black and white version for students to fill in, as well as a completed one in color, to use as an example or anchor chart.  I found that graphic organizers were extremely helpful for prewriting, so I designed an apple one, so students could write in descriptive words.  Click on the link to view/download the Apple Adjective packet. 

Finally, a Venn diagram is extremely useful, in helping students grasp the concept of comparison and contrast.  Once there's understanding and a framework, students will write better. 

Because we study pumpkins shortly after our apple unit, I thought it would be especially helpful to compare a pumpkin to an apple, using a Venn diagram.  Click on the link to view/download the Apple-Pumpkin Venn Diagram. 

If you're looking for some short, but informative YouTube videos on Apples, I spent the better part of a morning watching quite a few.  Here are my favorites: The Life Cycle Of An Apple is put to music in this 2-minute catchy video.

The familiar, 5 Little Apples story-song, is "pumped up" with a rap beat your kiddo's will enjoy, (1:47 minutes.) as well as the "I Love Apples" fact-rap. (2:04 minutes.)

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If you'd like to look at all of the awesome educational items, I spend way too much time pinning, click on the heart to the right of the blog.

"The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows." -Sydney J. Harris 

7 pages.

The life cycle of an apple dangler, is quite lovely when completed. Younger children can make this as a flat project, older students can add extra pizzazz, by making it 3D.  To do that, simply glue 2 treetops and 2 tree trunks together on the fold.  The 3D apple is made up of a red, yellow and green apple.  The blossom is a coffee filter, with the edges colored by a pink marker.

1-2-3 Get To The "Common Core" With Me!

Trying to fit Common Core into your already too-much-to-cover day, is often difficult, so I try to design activities that cover several standards, that can be set up as independent centers, games and hands-on craftivities, that make learning interesting and fun, but not a lot of work for the teacher.  Many can be used to whole-group assess various things, which is a real time saver. I use popular themes, like apples, so they fit nicely into a particular month's activities.  

September is flying by and I want to finish up with apple requests, so I've packed lots of FREEBIES in this blog article.  I hope you and your kiddo's really enjoy them!

Reinforcing colors, color words + a bit of rhyming, can be accomplished by making a Twist and Read Apple.  I do this as a whole-group, so I can work on listening and following directions, which is one of our Y5 report card standards.  You can make 2 separate booklets, or have children glue them back-to-back to make a "flip-over" apple booklet as well.  Click on the link above to view/download it.

You can continue to practice, review or assess colors to color word recognition, with this Apple Color Matching Game.

Your kiddo's will also enjoy making Willie, in the Wormy Apple "craftivity," which helps with counting and number recognition, + skip counting by 2's, 3's, 5's and 10's, as children pull their worm through the slit.  This apple manipulative is great for "I Spy" (a number) to see who's "got it" and who still needs help. Click on the link to view/download it.

Cover shapes, including the crazy hexagon, with this Apple Shape Matching Game.  You can also use this as an assessment tool. I've labeled the shapes, to reinforce shape-to-shape word recognition.  Click on the link to view/download it.

Being able to recognize a pattern, is one of our Y5 report card standards, as well as Common Core for PreK. Since quite a few kiddo's come to kindergarten, without preschool experience, I think it's extremely important to make time to learn about patterns, as it truly helps improve understanding, with lots of other Common Core math.  Click on the link to view/download the Apple Patterning game.

Counting Apples, is a terrific fine motor skill, that reinforces 1-to-1 correspondence, as children pinch pony-beads and place the appropriate number of "apples", on their numbered apple mat.  I've included colored mats with apples 1-5 & 6-10, as well as a set in black and white, in case you want to run off on construction paper to conserve ink.

As you can see by the photographs, I incorporate the 3 colors of apples, to reinforce the idea that apples aren't just red, which many little ones think.

Finally, it's often difficult to make time for science. Whenever I could, I'd tried to dream up a hands-on, independent center, my students would enjoy, that covered some basic science facts, about whatever seasonal theme we were studying.  Reading several non-fiction apple books was a great introduction to this. Click on the link to view/download a bibliography of my favorite apple stories.

The Life Cycle of an Apple - dangler, is relatively simple, yet looks awesome when completed, and terrific hanging from the ceiling in the hallway. Younger students can make these FLAT, while older students can really add pizzazz by making them 3D. Click on the link to view/download it.

Thanks for visiting today.  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 menu bar. 

If you'd like to checkout some of the awesome-educational items that I pin, click on the heart to the right of the blog.  I have an entire board with just apple activities and another with yummy apple recipes.

I blog every day, so I hope you can pop by tomorrow, for the last of my new apple freebies.

"Remember; we all stumble, every one of us.  That's why it's a comfort to go hand-in-hand." -Emily Kimbrough

7 pages.

A quick and easy "craftivity" that reinforces colors of apples, those color words, + rhyming.  This is a great whole-group activity to assess listening and following directions. Make 2 separate booklets, or glue front to back for one.