1-2-3 Come Do Some Little Old Lady Storytelling Crafts With Me 

Do you read the book "There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly?"  My kiddos absolutely LOVE this story; it's perfect for practicing the "sequencing and retelling a story" standards too.

Lucille Colandro has also written a cute Halloween version: "There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Bat", which my students also enjoy. 

If you haven't read it, click the link to see a short  YouTube video of the story, which is set to music.

With that in mind, I designed two storytelling sliders, which make a quick, easy and fun craftivity children can transition to after you read the stories. 

Choose your favorite, or give your students a choice. Children color the objects on the “slider strip” then cut and glue it together.

As they pull on the end of the “slider” the various pictures go through the ”window”, so that children can take turns retelling the story to a partner or reading buddy, then take their “Little Old Lady” craftivity home to share with their family, once again practicing these standards.

Storytelling sliders are also an easy & interesting way to assess comprehension.

I’ve included a “sequence the story” worksheet for this, where students color and trim the picture “windows” then glue them in the correct order on the blank worksheet.

I introduce the lesson by reading the story, then share my completed "slider craft” with my students.  So that you can quickly and easily make an example, I’ve included a full-color slider pattern.

After I read the story, we retell the tale together using the picture prompts on my slider.

I have them guess which object they think the little old lady ate next, before I pull the picture through the “window”.

My students now know what’s expected of them, and are very excited to transition to making a slider of their own.

I’ve also included a “Here’s What Happened…” writing prompt worksheet, as another way to check comprehension plus practice sequential writing, hopefully using a variety of ordinal numbers or other transitions.  

Reading both stories on two different days, also provides you with an opportunity to do some comparison and contrast activities.  We also graph which one was our favorite.

Today's FREEBIE is a packet with 7 pumpkin-themed games in it,  perfect for Halloween week or party day. 

Well that's it for today. Thanks for popping in.

I have lots of errands on my "to do" list, so my feet have hit the floor running this morning.  Wishing you a pleasant and productive day.

 "Colorful leaves, light breeze, bare trees...it must be autumn!" -Unknown

1-2-3 Come Do A Storytelling Craft With Me  

Do you read “The Little Old Lady Who Wasn’t Afraid Of Anything” by Linda Williams? 
It’s perfect for practicing the “sequencing and retelling a story” standards.

With that in mind, I designed this quick, easy and fun storytelling “slider” craftivity, that will help your students retell the tale in the proper order.

Children color the objects on the “slider strip” then cut and glue it together.

As they pull on the end of the “slider” the various pictures go through the ”window”, so that children can take turns retelling the story to a partner or reading buddy, then take their “Little Old Lady” home to share with their family, once again practicing these standards.

Storytelling sliders are also an easy & interesting way to assess comprehension.

I’ve included a “sequence the story” worksheet for this, where students color and trim the picture “windows” then glue them in the correct order on the blank worksheet.

I introduce the lesson by reading ”The Little Old Lady Who Wasn’t Afraid Of Anything”, then share my completed "slider craftivity” with my students.

So that you can quickly and easily make an example, I’ve included a full-color slider pattern.

After I read the story, we retell the tale together using the picture prompts on my slider. I have them guess which object they think comes next, before I pull the picture through the “window”.

My students now know what’s expected of them, and are very excited to transition to making a slider of their own.

I’ve also included a “Here’s What Happened…” writing prompt worksheet, as another way to check comprehension plus practice sequential writing, hopefully using a variety of ordinal numbers or other transitions. 

Today's featured FREEBIE is entitled "Halloween Boo Boos" .

For a fun language arts activity for Halloween, have your students become the teacher.  Pass out the ghostly paper then set a timer.  How many boo boos can they find before the timer rings?

Students circle the mistakes and then write a corrected sentence.  You decide what sentences you want your students to correct.  They circle those numbers and then begin the game. 

Well that's it for today. Thanks for popping in. Dashing this off before I turn in for the night.

I have a bit of a cold, and am hoping a good night's sleep will perk me up in the morning.  Wishing you a pleasant and relaxing evening.

"There is a harmony in autumn, and a lustre in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been!" -Percy Bysshe Shelley

1-2-3 Come Do Some Spider Math With Me

Since we study spiders in October, I thought it would be fun to design a craftivity, that would not only help reinforce the science fact that spiders are not insects, but arachnids because they have 8 legs, but also practice several of the math standards that we’re also working on.

Thus “Midnight”, the “8 is Great!” math spider was born, where children show you various ways to represent the number 8

Since a spider has two body segments (cephalothorax & abdomen) which look like the number 8, I created a number template. (Remember to grab that “teachable moment” to build vocabulary with these science terms.)

Students fold the pattern in half, cut on the bold lines, then open to reveal the spider’s number 8 body, which they glue 8 legs to.
Because the number is cut on a fold it’s easy-peasy even for PK children!

The craft is versatile, as you can differentiate the “leg labels” (math skills) you want to practice.

Younger kiddos can simply make the spider, while kinder and 1st graders can practice tally marks, addition, subtraction, as well as greater & less than.

There's also a blank template, so older students can subtract larger numbers or show 8 with multiplication & division.

Are you learning time to the hour? You also have the option to include a clock face where students draw hands to show 8 O’Clock.

Since my students are also learning about fractions (whole, half, and quarters) I included a fraction pie too. 

Use the pie pattern that’s cut into fourths then have students turn it into eighths by making an X in the center, or simply use the 8-piece pie pattern.

There's also a fraction poster that shows the various fractions, which will help you explain what you want your students to do.

Legs can lay flat, or they can be folded to add some 3D pop.
Add a bit more pizzazz by suspending the spiders from the web pattern.

Completed projects make a terrific bulletin board or dangle them from the ceiling as a hallway-wall border.

I’ve included two “8 is Great!” posters to use for the center of your display, as well as a “Show Me Eight!” worksheet. 

Today's featured FREEBIE is "Peek-a-Eeek!"  a 2D, spider-themed shape booklet.

You can make just a copy for yourself and use it to review the basic 2D flat shapes with your students, or run off copies of the shapes and have students cut and glue them into a booklet of their own. 

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

I'm reading a pumpkin story for "orange day" at my grandson's preschool today, so time to add the finishing touches to my "splash of orange" outfit. (Orange nail polish and all!)

Wishing you a fun-filled day.

"We lose ourselves in books.  We find ourselves there too." -Unknown

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

Since pumpkins are carved with all sorts of shapely features, I thought it would be fun to make some "pumpkin eye" activities to practice 2D shapes.  Today's blog features my "just finished" packet, along with today's featured FREEBIE.

The packet includes:

* 2 sets of picture cards featuring pumpkins with the various shaped eyes: circle, oval, rectangle, square, triangle, hexagon, pentagon, octagon, rhombus, trapezoid, heart and star.

These can be used as flashcards or for Memory Match, or "I Have; Who Has?" games.

* There’s also an emergent reader craftivity: “Pumpkin Eyes", with 3 options:

* One option features pages with simple sentences using words from the Dolch lists, especially pronouns: “My pumpkin has rectangle eyes.” There is space underneath for students to draw that shape.
* Option 2 includes the sentences as well as the shapes. The 3rd option, for little ones, doesn’t have sentences, just the picture shapes for them to color.

Students cut the pages and staple the "Pumpkin Eyes" booklet to the eye-section of their pumpkin.

* I’ve also included a whole group chant written on a poster. Read and point to the words on it:
“Oh my! We’re wise. We spy a pumpkin with ____________ eyes!”
When you get to the blank, place a shape word card on the poster.

To start the game, pass the various shaped eye cards out to your students. The child holding the called-for shape, puts that eye-card on the pumpkin poster.

Continue the chant ’til you have used all of the shape word cards.
My Y5s absolutely LOVE practicing shapes this way.

* Make an extra set to be used as an independent center. Children place the shape word above the pumpkin, then put the matching eyes on. To make this self-checking, draw the shape on the back of the word card.


* This activity can also be used as a fun tool for individually assessing 2D shapes.

* Afterwards, graph which pumpkin eyes everyone liked the best using the “Graphing Time” poster.

* Another fun way to whole-group assess 2D shapes, is by making a “Pumpkin Eyes” slider craft.

There are 2 pumpkin patterns to choose from, as well as two slider strip options featuring the various 2D shapes.

* I’ve also included 2 pumpkin patterns where students draw a shapely face, which makes for a sweet bulletin board. 

Place the “Welcome to our patch” poster in the center of your display.  This poster is today's FREEBIE.  Click on the link to grab your copy.

* Finally, a great “go along” story to read with these activities is Denise Fleming’s “Pumpkin Eye”.

The story is about all of the things the pumpkin’s eyes see on Halloween, so I’ve included a class-made book activity as well.
Class books are wonderful to share at Parent-Teacher Conferences.

Each child completes the prompt: “My pumpkin’s eyes are ___________. (shape) He sees ____________________.

Students draw those shaped eyes on the pumpkin, then illustrate their page of what their pumpkin saw. Collect the pages, collate, then add the cover.  

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for popping in. 

It's time to put my "Nana hat" on, as I'm watching two of my favorite little "punkins" today.  Wishing you giggles galore and lots of warm snuggly hugs.

"There's nothing quite like a grandchild to put a smile on your face, a lump in your throat, and a warm, loving feeling in your heart." -Unknown

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Here's a sweet, pumpkin patch poster to use in the center of a bulletin board display featuring your students' pumpkin art.

1-2-3 Come Do Some Activities For The "5 Little Pumpkins" Poem With Me

One of the seasonal poems I do for October, is “5 Little Pumpkins Sitting On a Gate”.   (Click this link to take a look at an animated version on YouTube.)

The poem is chock full of Dolch words, rhymes, has ordinal numbers and is a fun way to practice counting with little ones.

With that in mind, I made up some quick, easy and fun activities for the “5 Little Pumpkins”, which practice a variety of standards and am featuring 3 (hot-off-the-press) packets on the blog today. 

First up is a simple "flip the flap" craftivity, which is a super-fun way for students to read and share the "5 Little Pumpkins" poem.  

Besides the black and white templates for students, I’ve also included colorful patterns, so that you can quickly and easily make a sample to share.

Even if you don’t do this as a whole-group activity, you can whip one together for yourself to use as a storytelling manipulative, which will be a great visual for your students.

I’ve also included an “Itty Bitty” emergent reader booklet for children to color, cut and collate.

Have them pick a partner and take turns reading to each other, then encourage them to remember to read it to their families.  

Next up, is another quick "5 Little Pumpkins" craftivity. 

My kiddos absolutely LOVE making and wearing crowns, so I thought it would be fun to design 5 crown options for my own little pumpkins.

The patterns come in color as well as black and white.

Children color, trim around the crown, then glue the bottom to the center of a sentence strip, or length of card stock.

Bulletin board border also works really well, and adds extra pizzazz because you can choose either plain or a  Halloween-themed pattern. 

Afterwards I have my kiddos line up and we have a pumpkin parade, marching around the room to some spooky music. 

Finally, I created a jumbo, "5 Little Pumpkins" packet, with a nice assortment of simple activities which help practice a variety of standards.

The packet includes:

* 2 versions of the poem.
The original with the line “witches in the air”, as well as an optional poem which changes the line to “bats in the air”.

The poems come in a colorful poster, as well as black and white “color me” worksheets.

One features the words for emergent readers, while another alternative for PK kiddos, has just the pictures.

* I’ve also included a fence and 5 pumpkin manipulatives for telling the “story”.

There's also a colorful set of pocket chart, sentence cards. (For both versions.)

* Plus pocket chart cards that feature numbers 1-5, with the number words, and a group of pumpkins showing that many.

* There’s a matching set with “cutting lines” so that you can make an independent puzzle center, as well as a set of ordinal number cards children can sequence.

* Plus a set of "Memory Match" cards, which can also be used to play “I Have; Who Has?” games.

* An “Out went the light” storytelling-pumpkin craft
* 5 pumpkin-themed worksheets

* A “5 Little Pumpkins” Itty Bitty booklet
* A “Pumpkins On A Roll” dice game
* 2 “I Spy” a number game sheets, which are wonderful for whole group assessing.

* A pumpkin “slider” craftivity, which will help practice numbers 1-5, 1-10, counting backwards from 10-1, as well as skip counting by 5s. And finally…

* Pete the Cat has a “5 Little Pumpkins” book out, so I’ve included a worksheet where students “trace the numbers” and color the pumpkins who are “rolling out of sight” on a skateboard.  This is today's featured FREEBIE.  Click on the link to grab your copy.  

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

We are losing some of our beautiful autumn leaves today, as it's windy with a misty drizzle. 

Just the kind of weather for a spicy hot cup of apple cider and a good book.  Wishing you a peaceful and snuggly day.

"There's something about autumn that lifts up our senses and reminds us to truly take a moment to notice all of the beauty that surrounds us, which we sometimes take for granted." -Unknown

The latest Pete the Cat book features the popular "5 Little Pumpkins" poem, so I designed this "trace the numbers" and "color the pumpkins" that are "rolling out of sight" on a skateboard worksheet.

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

Do you read the story “Spookley The Square Pumpkin”, by Joe Troiano?  This cute book has a message of tolerance, acceptance and being kind, which is so important in today’s diversified classrooms. 

It’s also a great read if your class follows a “bucket filling” program. I use it to practice 2D shapes as well.

With these things in mind, I designed this “shapely pumpkin packet” which includes an emergent reader booklet featuring words from the Dolch lists, with a full page option teacher's can share, as well as a 2-on-a-page pattern for your students. 

Students read, trace, write and color, as well as draw the 2D shapes: circle, oval, rectangle, square, triangle, & hexagon. They also underline the capital letters and include the end punctuation.

There’s also a quick, easy and super-fun "shapely pumpkin" craftivity.

If your school's not into Halloween, but a harvest theme, students pick a shape and make a plain, pumpkin in a pumpkin patch.

Older students can write the name of the shape on the front of their pumpkin and a list of attributes on the back.

My school celebrates Halloween, so we opt for a Jack-O-Lantern "shapely pumpkin".

I've included the blank patterns mentioned above, where students can draw on their own face, plus there's a set with facial features on each pumpkin shape that match the shape of their pumpkin. (Check out the photographs.)

Besides the standard shapes listed above, I’ve also included patterns to make a pentagon, octagon, trapezoid, rhombus, heart and star pumpkin too.

For some extra 3D pizzazz, have students strengthen those finger muscles by wrapping a green pipe cleaner around a pencil to create a vine, which they attach to the top of the back of their pumpkin using a piece of tape.

Completed projects make an adorable, pumpkin patch bulletin board. Use the 3 posters for the center of your display, and the "pumpkin patch" sign for the side.

Afterwards, use the graphing extension to see which pumpkin shape was your students' favorite.

For further reinforcement, there’s a set of colorful pumpkin cards, which feature all of the 12, 2D shapes listed.

Use as a center for an independent sorting activity. You can also make an extra set; cut the cards in half to make puzzles.
The matching pocket chart cards could also be cut in half. (These cards are on the cover photo.)

There are shape word cards for a Memory Match game as well. Children can match picture to word, or picture to picture.

You can use these for an “I Have; Who Has?” game too. “I have the circle shaped pumpkin card. Who has the circle word card?”

The packet also includes several writing prompts based on "Spookley", as well as 2 Venn diagrams, plus several bookmarks.

Because "Spookley The Square Pumpkin" is a rhyming story, I've also included  a “Rhyme Time” activity, where students think of words that rhyme with square. 

You can do this independently using the worksheet, or list them together as a whole group.  As always, I've made an answer key with an alphabetical list of 81 words! 

Today's featured FREEBIE, is also a rhyme.  Since I don't have time anymore to do a specific unit on nursery rhymes, I try to include matching themed ones with whatever we're currently studying.

Thus "Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater" is perfect for October.  Click on the link for a sweet, keepsake craftivity, along with a poster poem of the rhyme. 

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for popping in.

The trees have just started to turn beautiful orange, yellows and red, so it's time for a nice long walk with Chloe. Wishing you a relaxing day.

"Autumn leaves come falling down; red, orange, yellow and brown." -Unknown

1-2-3 Come Do Some More Spider Activities With Me

With all of the spooky goings on in October, I thought it would be a fitting time to study spiders; using that as a theme to practice a variety of standards. 

With that in mind, I designed a "Speaking Of Spiders" packet, which provides a nice assortment of non-fiction spider activities and includes writing prompts, a mini-report, worksheets, a graph, plus a “flip the flap” craftivity.

I’ve included several pages of non-creepy spider facts.

Choose which ones are the most appropriate for your age group, then share them with your students.

Afterwards test their comprehension by asking them to complete a few fill-in-the-blank statements, or make up some “true or false” questions to answer orally, by simply referring to these fact pages.

Students also use this information to complete a variety of worksheets, some of which relate to knowing the difference between a fact and opinion. 

I’ve included black and white templates for students, as well as full color patterns, so that you can do some of these activities as a whole group, especially with younger children. 

The spiders "Can-Are-Have" flip the flap craftivity, is also an interesting way to check comprehension.

I've also included a one-page, graphic organizer that acts like a mini spider report.

There's a KWL worksheet to introduce and end your spider lesson with, which can be done individually or as a whole group.

I've also included a fun writing prompt about tarantulas as pets, with a real photograph to grab attention, plus a spider webbed paper to write on. 

Many of the completed worksheets make a nice spider-themed bulletin board.

I also use a spider to practice 2D shapes. My Y5s have really enjoyed making "Inky" the 2D shape "spider slider". (He's very busy eating them.) 

I’ve included templates if you want to pre-cut the circles, as well as patterns you can run off to have students trim their own.

There are also eye patterns with and without pupils, so students can add wiggle eyes with glue dots for that extra bit of 3D pizzazz, or they can draw their own.

To reinforce the fact that a spider is an arachnid and not an insect, we count the 8 legs and I remind students that insects have 6.

Accordion-folding the "legs" is not only fun for your students, but a great fine motor activity that will help strengthen their finger and hand muscles. I think it also adds that “finishing touch”

Choose the 2D shapes you want to review and print those sliders off. Children color, cut & glue the strips together.

The 2D shape options are the basic 5: circle, oval, triangle, square & rectangle, as well as options for a hexagon, pentagon, octagon, star, heart, trapezoid and rhombus.

There are sliders with the blank shapes, as well as patterns with a fly on each shape. My students like to pretend that the spider is slurping up the flies as we identify the various shapes.

The spider sliders also provide a quick, easy and fun way to whole group assess.

Finally, my students practice math skills, with this quick, easy and fun spiderweb game. 

PK children pick a partner, then take turns rolling ONE dice. Whatever number they roll, is how many web "sections" they color in. 

Older students practice their addition skills, by rolling a pair of dice, writing and solving the equation on the worksheet, then coloring that many sections of their web. 

For an additional math extension, students "guess-timate" how many sections are in the web, then record their answer along with how they figured that out on the worksheet provided.

Completed projects make a nice bulletin board, as each web is colorfully different.

I've included a "We're Caught in the Web Of Learning!" poster for the center of your display. 

Today's featured FREEBIE is a "Spin a Spider" 2D Shape Game.  Students take turns spinning.  Whatever shape they land on, they color or bingo dot the matching shaped spider on their web. 

 I've included a "match the spider shape to the shape word worksheet", which they can also complete using the spinner.  

A set of shapely spiders and their shape words are included in this packet, which you can use to make an Itty Bitty "trace & write" Spider Shape Booklet.

That's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by. Time to put on my "Nana hat" as my grandchildren are coming over this afternoon.

Wishing you a love-filled and snuggly day. 

"Grandchildren fill a place in your heart that you didn't even know was empty." -Unknown

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

Do you read Eric Carle's "The Very Busy Spider"?  It's one of my students' favorite spider stories.

I introduce the story, and grab my students' attention with this quick, easy and fun scissor activity. As my kiddos are gathered on the carpet waiting for me to start reading, I begin cutting out a spider.

Since it’s folded, you can’t easily tell what I’m cutting. Invariably a student will ask “What are you doing?” To which I reply “I’m very busy cutting. Can you guess what I’m making?”

When I’m done, I slowly open the paper to reveal the very busy spider. After reading the story, I pick a name stick and give the spider to a child who was “very busy" listening.

After you’ve made your own, you can decide if this is an appropriate, whole group activity for your students. I've included a shaded pattern so it's easy to recognize what areas to cut out.  There's also a full-bodied "color me" spider for little ones.

You can also use this as a "topper" for a writing prompt. Remember to grab that teachable moment to discuss symmetry.

Completed projects look awesome glued to a square of brightly colored construction paper, then scattered on a bulletin board. 

I’ve included several “We’ve Been Very Busy” posters for the center of your display.

For a splash of 3D pizzazz, add some of those “pull apart” spider webs to each corner.  

After reading the story, we retell the tale together using the picture prompts on my "spider slider".  I have them guess which character they think comes next before I pull the picture through the “window”.

My students now know what’s expected of them, and are very excited to transition to making a "spider slider" of their own.

So that you can quickly and easily make an example, I’ve included a full-color slider pattern, as well as the black & white version for your students. 

There are two slider options.

A completed orb spider web, as well as a corner spider web with the very busy spider dangling as he weaves.

Children color the story characters on the “slider strip” then cut and glue it together.

As they pull on the end of the “slider” the various pictures go through the “web window”, so that children can take turns retelling the story to a partner or reading buddy, then take their spider slider home to share with their family, once again practicing these standards.

To assess comprehension, I’ve included a “sequence the story” worksheet, where students color and trim the picture “windows” then glue them in the correct order on the blank worksheet.

There's also a “Here’s What Happened…” writing prompt worksheet, as another way to check comprehension plus practice sequential writing, hopefully using a variety of ordinal numbers or other transitions. 

Another quick, easy and fun way to review the story, is with my 23, “Very Busy Spider” fix the sentence cards, which will also check comprehension and practice capitalization and end punctuation.

Read the cards together as a whole group to practice a lot of Dolch sight words.

Choose a student to come up and using a dry erase marker, circle letters that should be capitalized and then add end punctuation. (period, question mark & exclamation point).

For more practice, as an individual activity, have students choose X number of mini cards and rewrite the sentences correctly on the worksheet provided. 

I continue the "Very Busy Spider" theme for our Daily 5 writing block, where my kiddos contribute a page for our class-made book "The Very Busy Students and Their Spiders".

There’s a "trace & write" template for younger kiddos, as well as a pattern page for older students to fill in the blanks:
“My spider was very busy ___________. As for me, most of the time I’m busy _____________.”

Children complete the prompt and illustrate their page. You collect, collate and add the cover.

I’ve included a completed sample to help clarify what you want your students to do.

When you share the story with the class, each student can come up and read their page.

The parents really enjoy reading our class-made books during parent-teacher conferences. 

Today's featured FREEBIE is a glittering spider web craft.

I mixed Elmer's glue with white paint. A black construction paper circle is placed in a metal cake pan and a dollop of the paint-glue is put in the middle and a marble is placed on top. Students manuever the pan to "spin" a web. 

When they are happy with the results, they sprinkle opalescent or silver glitter on their creation, and can pick a plastic fly or spider to squish in the center.

I found some cute spider web stationery, so each child glued that on for a splash of color.  So you can do the same, I've included a colorful web with the poem on it. 

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by. It continues to be windy mixed with a misty rain; perfect weather to tackle my too long "to do" list. 

Wishing you a stress-free and productive day.

"When life gives you rainy days, wear cute boots and jump in the puddles." -Unknown