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

Living in the midwest, we don't start school 'til after Labor Day,  so our 100th Day of school celebration doesn't hit 'til sometime in February. 

Today's blog features four of my favorite 100 Day activities.

First up is the skip count by 10s emergent reader, which features 43 Dolch sight words!

On 100 Day, I have my kiddos count to 100 in a variety of ways.  With that in mind, I designed this packet to give you a few interesting activities for practicing skip counting by 10s, that are sure to be fun for your students.

This is a mini, 4-on-a-page booklet, which they trim, collate and staple together. 
Children read the sentence, and dot 10 spots on the picture.

To include a lot of sight words as well as practice following directions, some spots are big, others little, and a few are a specific color.

However, you can also do this booklet with PK, non-readers as well.  Simply read each page and have students “monkey-see, monkey-do” what you’ve done in your sample.

Afterwards, read the booklet as a whole group, then count the spots by 10s, to come up with 100 “spots and dots”.

The packet also includes 4 “slider” craftivities, featuring one for boys and one for girls.  There is a 100 Day option, as well as one for any time, with a 2-on-a-page pattern, plus one with 4-on-a-page.

I designed sliders as a quick, easy, and fun way to practice a variety of standards, as well as whole group assess.

Because children see the numbers “slide” by as they count, this is especially helpful for visual learners.

I often have my students trace the numbers to show an AB-AB or ABC-ABC color pattern. 
There are 4 worksheets, plus a certificate of praise as well.   

The skip counting to 100 by 5s emergent reader matches the format of the first one. 

Here children read the sentence, and dot 5 spots on each picture instead of 10. 

This booklet features over 70 Dolch sight words, but again, is easy enough for a PK student, when you make the booklet as a whole group activity. 

All of the pictures for both books are different. 

My students enjoy doing both throughout the week, then we graph which one was their favorite. 

Finally, if you're looking for a writing prompt with a creative twist, then I think you'll enjoy the 100 Day Writing Prompt Quilt Packet.

There are two ways to use the quilt patterns.

Make a whole-group classroom quilt, where each students contributes 1-3 squares, or give each child a copy of the quilt and have them make their own 100 Day quilt poster.

For the classroom quilt idea, run off X amount of copies of the pattern (there are 12 squares on it) for however many squares you want your students to contribute, then cut them up and toss them in a container for children to pick.

They fill in the two blanks, add end punctuation to complete the sentence, then draw or glue on clip art pictures that match.

Provide a variety of scrapbook squares to glue their completed quilt square(s) on, then arrange them on a piece of tag board or bulletin board paper, to make a big classroom quilt.

Even PK kiddos can make a square by dictating their answers, then drawing a picture.

Since the pattern only has 12 squares on it, and the prompts are super-fun to answer, the quilt is also do-able as a personal, 100-Day quilt "poster", which students mount on large, square sheets of scrapbook paper.

It only took me 15 minutes to make my sample, so this is a great homework assignment too.

If you don't want to do crafty, but need a super-fun 100 Day writing prompt, I've got you covered.

I know your students will really enjoy not only completing, but sharing this "fill-in-the-blank", "Print & Go" writing activity.

There's a colorful version, as well as a black & white option. Students add end punctuation where appropriate. 

Afterwards, "popcorn" around the room, and have students share a portion of their work, (fun way to get to know more about your students), then mount on construction paper and display on a "100 Days Smarter" bulletin board.

PK kiddos can also do this as a homework assignment, so they can dictate what they want their parents to fill in.

Today's featured FREEBIE is an "Oldie 100-Day Pennant" craftivity. 

Challenge your students to think about how they might look if they live to be 100.  Have them draw a self-portrait or use an aging app to create a photograph. 

Suggestions and links for apps are included, as well as templates for an "Oldie 100-Day Pennant Banner." 

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by. I hope you found something useful here, that will add even more fun to your 100 Day celebration.

Speaking of celebrations, I have to get going on making some special things for my mom's 90th birthday bash this weekend.  We are planning a surprise party and I have much to do. 

Wishing you a productive and energizing day, brimming with warm fuzzy moments.

"The more you praise and celebrate your life.  The more there is in life to celebrate!" - Oprah Winfrey

1-2-3 Come Do Some "There Was A Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow" Activities With Me

There Was A Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow by Lucille Colandro, is one of my favorite winter books. My kiddos LOVE it.

It's perfect for practicing sequencing and a variety of other standards.

With that in mind, I designed There Was A Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow Literacy Packet, with quick, easy and fun "print & go" activities, games, and even a class-made book “We Swallowed Some Stuff Too!.

The packet includes:

* A "label the cover" worksheet, with completed sample.

* Characters, setting and events pocket chart cards.
* Story elements, plus Beginning-Middle-& End parts of the story, worksheets.

* Worksheets for sequencing the story.
* Several writing prompt worksheets, for summarizing the story and explaining your favorite part.

* Who-What-Why-When-Where-How? worksheet.
* Several games, including a set of Memory Match cards that you can play 3 additional games with.

*Venn diagram worksheets, which are a fun way to practice comparison & contrast.
* A graphing extension.

* 27, pocket chart, sentence cards, which help review the story, as well as practice capitalization & end punctuation.
* There's a matching set of mini cards, to use for several other activities.

* “Ask me to tell you the story." bookmarks.
* "Ss is for snowman and . . ." beginning letter sound worksheet.

* Rhyme time worksheet, with matching answer-key poster
"How Many Words Can You Make?” worksheet with an answer-key poster, plus
A class-made, writing prompt book: "We Swallowed Some Stuff Too". 

Since the story telling "slider" that I made for The Mitten, by Jan Brett, was such a hit, I decided to make one for The Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow too. 

There are two choices. One is vertical, the other horizontal, plus I’ve included a full-color pattern for you, as well as a black & white template for students. 

Students color, cut and glue their slider together. 

As children pull on the end of the “slider”, the various pictures go through the “window”, so that it looks like the cold lady is swallowing these things just like in the story.

I introduce the lesson by reading the story, then share my sample with the children.  We retell the tale together, using the picture prompts on the slider.

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

Finally, another quick, easy and fun option for sequencing and retelling the story, is The Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow story Wheel and Puzzle Packet, which also helps assess comprehension.

There are full color patterns to use for centers, as well as a sample to share, plus a black and white pattern, so your students can make their own.

When everyone is done with their story wheel, take a moment to retell the story as a whole group, by turning the wheel.

As a comprehension-assessment tool, and for fine motor practice, another option is to have students cut up the picture sections, then glue them to the blank wheel in the appropriate order.

To practice ordinal numbers, have children write 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc. on each piece.

I've also included "Sequence the Story” Puzzles.

Use the full-color versions for an independent center, and print the black & white pattern, so children can color, cut and arrange their own puzzle.

There's also a writing prompt worksheet, where students write what happened in the story.

If you’re studying fractions, be sure and take a teachable moment to review that vocabulary and information.

I know a lot of teachers will be celebrating 100 Day soon, so the featured FREEBIE today is a packet of 18, 100 Day Certificates, in color as well as black and white.   I hope you find them useful.

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

I hope your students enjoy The Little Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow and the certificates as much as mine do. 

Wishing you a carefree and cozy day.

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

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

The flurries are swirling and twirling outside my window, so it's the perfect morning to blog about some of my favorite snowman-themed activities.

We all know that “Practice makes perfect”, but sometimes those worksheets get a bit tiresome. With that in mind, I wanted to create a wintry math activity that children would enjoy.

Dominic, the domino snowman, is a quick easy and fun math game with a variety of options that practice addition and subtraction.

I’ve also provided a simple work mat, for PK kiddos, so that they can practice rolling the dice, counting the dots, finding the matching dominos, then tracing & writing those two numbers.

You can play the game with real dominoes (They sell them at The Dollar Store) or run off the paper dominoes provided, so each student has their own set. The PK paper dominoes, only have one number on them.

The game can be played as an entire class, by having children work in small groups or with a partner. 
You can also set this up as an independent math center.

I’ve provided colorful math mats that you can print and laminate, as well as black & white versions in a large, as well as a smaller, 2-on-a-page size, so that children can color their own.

The recording sheets provide practice writing equations horizontally, while the math mats are vertical. 
It’s important to practice both directions because standardized tests include both, and can otherwise be confusing to children.

 The snowman clock matching game, can be used for an independent math center as well. Students match the analog and digital clocks with the appropriate hatband, arranging them on the snowman.  You could also use the snowman and his puzzle pieces, as an interesting and fun way to individually assess a child, or . . .

Make a snowman clock as a whole-group craftivity, and have students each make one of their own. 
To use the snowman as a whole-group assessment tool, run the blank clocks off on glossy photo paper and trim. Students glue it to their snowman to create a mini dry erase board.   Do the same thing for the digital time square.

Call out a time.  Using a dry erase marker, children draw the hands to show that time, then write it digitally in the rectangle.  You can see at a glance who is having difficulty.  To use the snowman as a clock, print off the blank clock pattern and trim.

Students glue it to their snowman and poke a hole in the center. Attach card stock "hands", or use a large and small paperclip, attached with a brass brad, that children manipulate to show whatever time is called for.

I’ve also included a set of mitten-themed telling time cards, which you can also use in a variety of ways: flashcards, games, a bulletin board display or snip in half to make puzzles. The cards reinforce digital, as well as analog time to the hour and half hour.

The packet also includes: two assessment templates, a blank set of cards to program with whatever, as well as a black and white clock page, with a cover, so that your kiddos can make an “Itty Bitty” Telling Time booklet.   

Another quick, easy & fun little snowman craftivity is the name snowman, which is very versatile.  Children can spell out their entire name, or simply do just their initial.

Studying winter vocabulary words, working on CVC or sight words? Those are other options. Give children a choice, or assign them a word to spell out. 
I’ve also included a writing prompt worksheet with a winter border: “I like winter because . . . However, I don’t like winter when . . .”

Children will be excited to get down to the business of writing, so they can make the snowman “topper” to put above their paper.  
I’ve also included a blank pattern so you can program with a different prompt. Completed projects make a sweet winter bulletin board too.
There's also a blank, black and white template, so students can make up their own puzzles, or you can program with whatever.

Besides the craftivity, you can mix and match the 5 sets of upper and lowercase letter cards to create alphabet games & centers. 
I’ve also included a 3-page tip list of ideas, which includes the “Kaboom!” game. 

Finally, I just finished these sweet snowman vowel pair puzzles.They are an interesting and fun way to practice those tricky vowel pair words.  

Use them for an independent literacy center, where students put them together as puzzles or sort them alphabetically or as groups of rhyming words.

You can also partner children up to play a Memory Match game, or use them for a whole-group, “I Have; Who Has?” game.
I’ve included a sorting mat, as well as two different worksheets for students to write the words on, as they complete the center activities.

There's also a blank, black and white template, so students can make up their own puzzles, or you can program with whatever.

Besides the craftivity, you can mix and match the 5 sets of upper and lowercase letter cards to create alphabet games & centers. 
I’ve also included a 3-page tip list of ideas, which includes the “Kaboom!” game.

The featured FREEBIE for today is a "Snowman on a Roll Dice Game" which reinforces number sense, counting, plus addition if you play with 2 dice.  Well that's it for today. 

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you found something to make winter a bit more fun.  Wishing you a special day filled with lots of smiles.

"Life is like a blanket of snow.  Be careful how you step on it, as every step will show." -Unknown

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

Brrrrrr! It continues to be mitten weather here in Michigan. A chilly 3 degrees this morning! So I'm certainly in the mood to blog about some super-fun mitten-themed activities.

First up is Mm is for Mitten.  My "Dollar Deal" Alphabet Wheels, are a quick, easy & fun way to practice letters, and build the vocabulary needed to give an example of a word, with that beginning sound.

They feature 6 nouns that begin with that letter, and come in black and white, for individual word work, as well as color, so that you can use them as an independent center activity.

I've also included a worksheet where students trace & write the words in alphabetical order. 

Next up are some Mitten Number Puzzles to go along with Jan Brett's story The Mitten.  It's one of my all-time favorite winter stories.

These 42, mitten-themed number puzzles, are a super-fun way for your kiddos to practice sequencing numbers from 1-10, counting backwards from 10 to 1, and skip counting by 2s, 3s, 5s and 10s.

Some of the puzzles are mitten shaped, others are rectangular (horizontal as well as vertical).  Many feature the characters from The Mitten story, so you can combine math and literacy!
 
Since Jan Brett’s story, The Mitten, is a Ukrainian folktale, I’ve also included a map of the Ukraine puzzle. Take a teachable moment to toss in a bit of geography, by having students find the country on a world map or globe.

There are colorful puzzles to be used in a center, as well as black & white puzzles, so that your students can make their own.

I did not number the character puzzles, so that students can number each strip according to your directions.
This way you can work on those toughie teen numbers, or counting beyond 100.

Children color the animal and word, cut their puzzle apart, then put it back together.
You can also make these into a mosaic picture as well, gluing the strips on construction paper, leaving a small gap in-between each piece. For an awesome, wintry bulletin board, scatter them on a  blue background, with a few paper snowflakes. 

Whenever I can, I like to incorporate math with literacy, to get more bang for my time.

The mitten-themed emergent reader, is a quick, easy and fun way to have students practice writing skills and end punctuation, along with a variety of math standards.

However, the packet is simple enough, that you can just do the craft portion with PK kiddos, or some of the other activities as a whole group.

I've also included a few worksheets that practice tally marks, addition, skip counting by 5s, subtraction and graphing, as well as data collection and analysis.

You can do them as an independent worksheet, or break students into small groups and have them figure out the answers together.

Another sweet mitten-shaped booklet is "Let's Count Snowflakes", which includes a 10-frame emergent reader featuring 30 Dolch sight words.

Students read the sentences, add end punctuation, trace & write the number and number word, circle it in the sequence, tally the amount, then show the set in the 10 frame. 

Run off the mitten pattern on a variety of colors of construction paper. Students cut & collate the pages of their worksheets, then staple them to the "cuff" of the mitten.

I’ve also included a set of pocket chart cards counting up to twenty, with 2 cover options to make a 1-10 or 1-20 “Itty Bitty” flip booklet as well.

For more fun, there are 3 pages of mini snowflake tiles to use as manipulatives to make groups with, as well as a set of lovely snowflake puzzle cards from zero to ten, plus a blank set to program with higher numbers.

Simply print, laminate and trim, to use as an independent math center, or for a variety of games including “Kaboom”.   That game, plus a 3-page tip list of what else you can do with the number cards, is also included in the packet.

Today's featured FREEBIE is a quick, easy and fun, Mitten-Snowman craftivity that reinforces letters, plus a bit of math. 

By the way, today is a great day to zip on over to TpT, as they are having a site-wide winter sale. (January 20th through January 21st.)

Everything's  20% off, with an additional 10% off with the coupon code: START16

Well that's it for now.  I hope you found something useful here and can make time to check out the TpT sale. Thanks for visiting.

Wishing you a warm and cozy, snuggly kind of day.

 "When there's snow on the ground, I like to pretend I'm walking on clouds." -Ikkaku

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

Counting to 100 on 100 Day is obvious, but simply counting can be a bit tedious.  With that in mind, I designed some quick, easy and fun activities to count your way through 100 Day.

I designed 100 Day "Funshine" specifically for a 100 Day celebration, however, you can use it anytime of the year, as I've included 4, different center suns.

The 10 strips of sunshine "rays" have 10 numbers on them. The counting by 5s and 10s are in red & blue, so children can visually see the patterns as they skip count.

For 1st grade standards, there are 2 additional "rays" for counting to 120.

Another "Print & Go" craftivity that's an interesting way to count to 100, is the 100 Day Star Student Badge featuring 100 stars!

Simply run the star pattern off on yellow construction paper, and the "ribbon" template off on white.

Students trim and glue their "Star Student" badge together, then count the 99 little stars as they color them.

To make sure they've done that, have students jot down how many stars are on the big star (40) and how many are on the ribbons (30) for the left one, and (29) on the right, with the big yellow star of their badge, making the 100th star. 

Another counting option, that also reinforces colors, graphing, plus 2D shapes while counting 100 of them, is the Shapin' Up On 100 Day "Graphtivity".

There are black & white pattern pages, as well as a color set for teachers.

I've also included a blank 100, if you want your students to draw, dot or sticker, 10 different items (10 times each) inside the numbers, to make their own creation.

Completed projects make a sweet 100 Day crown.  Simply attach to a sentence strip or piece of bulletin board border.

The worksheet can also stand alone, if your kiddos aren't into crowns. 

Finally, Practice skip counting by 10s to 100, 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 & full color.

Choose which one you want your children to have, then for some non-standard, units of measurement practice, have kiddos use their bookmarks to fill in the measurement worksheet.

Today's featured FREEBIE is a Rip and Tear 100 Craftivity. 

Ripping and tearing paper is a great fine motor skill that strengthens finger and hand muscles.

Completed projects make an awesome bulletin board too. I've included a "Happy 100 Day" poster for the center of your display.

Simply run off the 100 pattern and give children a variety of colorful paper strips to choose from.

Children can choose 2 colors and create an AB-AB pattern, or 3 for an ABC-ABC one, or skip patterning and have them make a rainbow 100.  

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

I hope you found something useful here to make your 100 Day celebration extra special. Wishing you a fun-fulled day.

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

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

It's that time of year when we're getting close to the 100th Day of school.  This was one of my personal favorite celebration days.  Over the years I had collected so many super-fun math and writing activities, that I decided to have a 100-Day celebration week, so I could get it all in!

Today I'm featuring some of my favorites, which have been up-dated this past week. The 100 Day, "Flip a strip" booklet is a quick, easy & fun 100 Day "print & go" activity that your kiddos are sure to enjoy.

Children can do this independently during your 100 Day celebration, or as a whole group; read the simple sentences, students then take a moment to complete the task. When the booklet is completed, go back and skip count by 10s to count the 100 things.

You can also send this home a few days prior, to be completed and then returned on 100 Day. The booklet can simply be the "strips" or add a bit more pizzazz and have students staple it to the "color me" base.

100 Day just isn't complete without a celebratory crown.  I've included six in the 100 Day Craftivity Crowns packet.  All involve a bit of counting practice.

Look closely at the pictures and you will see how students made 20 groups of 5 on the “100 Day Rocks!” crown, as well as 10 groups of 10 on the heart crown.

The crown with the circle "jewels" on it, has 104 circles and includes a guess-timation math activity.

My personal favorite is the “100 Days Smarter” pencil crown, where students write things that they’ve learned in the past 100 days, that they are especially proud of.

Choose one, or give children a choice. 
You could also make a sample of the “jeweled” crown, adding extra pizzazz with flat-backed rhinestones attached with glue dots.

Pass the sample around and give children 10 seconds to look it over, “guess-timating” how many circles (jewels) are on the crown, then complete the worksheet.

The child with the correct guess, or the one closest to that number is the winner of the “special” crown.

Finally,  the 100+ One Hundred-Day Number Puzzles, are also easy-peasy and a ton of fun. I’ve included a huge variety that count by 1s to 10, count backwards from 10 to 1, as well as skip count by 2s, 3s, 5s & 10s.

There are 112 in all. Some are vertical, while others are horizontal and feature a nice assortment of themes.
Pick and choose your favorites to make a collection of choices for your students.

Print, laminate & trim the full color options and use as an independent math center. 
Use the black & white ones, so that students can color & cut up their own puzzle.

For an interesting “craftivity” have students glue their puzzle to a sheet of construction paper.

Remind them to leave a little bit of a gap between each numbered strip, to create an especially cool mosaic effect. Completed projects make a cute bulletin board.

I’ve included a “We are 100 days smarter!” poster puzzle, to use as the center of your display, along with a “My students are 100 days smarter! They know how to . . .” writing prompt poster, that you fill in with what you’ve taught your kiddos.

To mix math with literacy, have students complete the “Proud to be 100 days smarter!” writing prompt and glue it to the back of their puzzle, then suspend from the ceiling.

Besides the full-size puzzles, I’ve also designed a set of “Happy 100 Day!” 4-on-a-page mini puzzles, as an inexpensive little surprise for your students.

They feature a vibrant, rainbow-colored 100, with 2 options: numbers 1-10, as well as skip counting by 10s to 100.

Print, trim, and put in a Snack Baggie, then attach the “Here is a little something to do because I’m simply so proud of you!” header. 

Today's featured FREEBIE is also a quick, easy & fun "print & go" activity. The "Dots 'n Boxes"  game was first published in 1889 by Édouard Lucas.

I thought it would make a quick, easy and fun game of strategy for students to play anytime, but specifically for 100 Day, as I made a 100-box grid.

Children choose a partner and take turns connecting 2 dots by making a line between them.
The object of the game is to be the last person to connect the last line that will complete a box. When you complete a box, you get to write your initial in it.

When all 100 boxes have been made, students count up how many they have with their initial in them. The one with the most boxes is the winner. 

Well that's it for today. I hope you found something useful here to make your 100-Day celebration especially fun. 

"Educating the mind, without educating the heart, is no education at all." -Aristotle

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

Dr. King used nonviolent protest and the power of words, as a weapon for social justice.

The vocabulary associated with this period in history, involves all sorts of “big words”; without knowing these words, one cannot begin to understand the times or Martin's life.

To break it down for my kiddos, I read a variety of stories, so I designed the "Building Vocabulary and Making Connections With Martin Luther King Stories" packet.

I use Martin’s Big Words, by Doreen Rapport to introduce his life.  Ms Rappaport has taken the words of MLK and woven in her own, creating an easy-to-understand book for youngsters.

My students also enjoy Dr. Seuss’s The Sneetches. It’s the perfect illustration of how unfair and ridiculous prejudice is.

What if the Zebra’s Lost Their Stripes is another favorite, as well as The Crayon Box that Talked, and Sesame Street’s We’re Different, We’re the Same. The packet includes a list of 24 other favorites.

Later, we discuss words like discrimination, prejudice, injustice, unfairness, race, diversity etc.
After reading the books, and referring to the stories, my students understand more clearing these difficult concepts. 

Our discussion takes us through connections that we can make with the stories and characters. (Text to Self, Text to Text, and Text to World)
I’ve included worksheets for this that can be done as a whole group, or individual activity.

Encourage students to use some of the “big words” you’ve discussed. I designed this word work packet to reinforce that new vocabulary. Pick and choose what’s appropriate for your kiddos.
The packet also includes: Worksheets, a word search, student-made dictionary, plus 63 trace & write word cards.

From Dr. King’s words, and our word work, we turn to their personal hopes and dreams for the future. They express things in their own words (big and small) through writing prompts and craftivities.  

The "67 Martin Luther King Writing Prompts"   packet is loaded with ideas.  I truly believe that if you provide students with interesting and intriguing prompts, they’ll get excited and want to get right down to the business of writing.

To jump start their thoughts, I’ve included 2 Venn diagrams, which are a quick, easy and fun way to introduce comparison and contrast.
There’s also a set of four, thought-provoking, poster-like worksheets, as well as a list of 60 other writing prompts to choose from.

Because I find quotations very motivational, I often use them to provoke discussion, which leads to writing what the quote means and if you agree or disagree with it and why.
With this in mind, I’ve included a list of my 35 all-time favorite quotations by Dr. King.

Print a copy and pass it around. Students choose one or two to write about. You could also write one each day on the board. Students comment on it in their writing journals. 

Another quick, easy and fun thing you can do for Martin Luther King Day is an MLK number puzzle. 

If you'd like to mix math with literacy, have children color, cut and glue their puzzle to a sheet of construction paper, leaving a small gap in-between each piece to create a cool mosaic effect, then complete a writing prompt on the back. 

Punch a hole at the top and suspend from the ceiling. There are 31 puzzles to choose from.  They come in black and white as well as color, reinforcing sequencing numbers from 1-10, counting backwards from 10 to 1, plus skip counting by 2s, 3s, 5s, and 10s. 

Today's featured FREEBIE is an MLK crafty pinwheel prompt.

The results are awesome and look complicated, but are very simple.  Just follow my step-by-step picture tutorial.

I used black and white scrapbook paper, but a variety of color options would create vibrant results.  Punch a hole at the top, and suspend from the ceiling. 

If you missed yesterday's blog featuring lots more MLK writing prompt craftivities, simply scroll down.

Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a wonderful MLK Day with your students next week. 

As for me, the wind is howling outside my window, whipping the dusty snow cover into swirling twirling patterns.  A good day to snuggle in and craft, a truly rewarding winter "sport".

"In crafting there are no mistakes.  Just unique creations." -Unknown

1-2-3 Come Do Some Martin Luther King Activities With Me

Martin Luther King Day is just around the corner, so I decided to post some quick, easy, and fun writing prompt craftivities. 

I don't think I've ever heard a more powerful speech than "I Have a Dream!" With that in mind I designed an MLK writing prompt quilt. 

Wheneve I toss in a bit of craftiness with a writing prompt, my students are eager to get down to business.

There are 9 different quilt squares to choose from. Each style comes in black and white featuring two different pictures of Dr. King.

I’ve also included a set of quilt squares with the clip art in color.

Students choose one, then using a black marker, write down a dream in however many blank sections they want, then lightly color the sections and trim.

You can scatter the individual squares on a bulletin board, punch a hole at the top and suspend back-to-back from the ceiling, or connect all of the squares together to make a classroom “quilt” to be displayed on a hallway wall.

Next up is an entire packet of Martin Luther King craftivities.

Little ones can simply do the craft, while older kiddos complete the writing prompts.

There are 5 activities to choose from.

I combine math & literacy, with the “Mystery on a 100 Chart” activity.

Students follow the directions and color in those numbered squares, which results in Martin Luther King’s initials.

The writing prompt is “You could always count on Dr. King . . .” A worksheet is provided.

There’s also a  super-simple snowflake craftivity (We are all the same; we are all unique like snowflakes); as well as two “danglers”.

The MLK initial dangler can be plain, or filled with dreams and goals.

The other dangler is a dove. It can stand alone for little ones to make.

(The folding of the wings, is especially beneficial for strengthening finger and hand muscles), or add the writing prompt worksheet, which is folded in half.

One side is for the writing prompt, while the other side features Langston Hughes poem, “Dreams”.

For something really different, you may enjoy the mpatapo (em-pa-ta-po) craftivity. 

I came across this West African Adinkra symbol, while looking for something that would not only represent peace, but encompass Dr. King's black heritage as well.

Mpatapo is a knot of pacification-reconciliation, that represents peaceful solutions.

It symbolizes the bond that binds parties in a dispute, to a peaceful, harmonious reconciliation. The knot represents the peacemaking after strife.

The more I researched, the more I thought it was the perfect symbol to represent what Dr. King tried to do, with his peaceful marches, sit-ins and speeches, as he sought nonviolent solutions for abolishing discrimination.

The packet includes several craftivity options.

If you're going to have your kiddos do some fact finding, and write a little report of some sort about Martin Luther King, my Fast Facts packet can even be done by young kinders. 

The packet includes 4 fast fact “craftivities” to choose from:

* A 3-section, horizontal “flip up”, where children find facts relating to the 3 phases of Dr. King’s life: beginning, middle and end.

* A simple, 3-section, vertical “flip over” booklet, which includes a sheet of photo tiles.

* A “Turn While You Learn” MLK fact wheel, where students record a fact on each one of the 6 “pie pieces”. There are 4 cover options.

* A “Flip For Facts File Folder” featuring 8 facts, and 5 cover options.

I’ve also included tips and links for how to do Online citations, plus 8 pages of background information, featuring 95 interesting facts about Martin Luther King.

Today's FREEBIE is a set of 7 Martin Luther King bookmarks. Use them as incentives and pass them out for accomplished tasks.

Challenge students to collect all 7, and then share them with their friends. 

Well that's it for today.  I sincerely hope you found something you can use for your Martin Luther King Day activities. 

My feet have hit the floor running this morning, as I'm watching two little sweethearts today. 

Grandchildren are certainly a blessing.  Wishing you a day filled with lots of  hugs and giggles.

"Grandchildren are like snowflakes.  Each one is beautifully unique." -Unknown

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

My kiddos absolutely LOVE snowflakes. The entire month of January, finds us in a flurry of snowflake-themed activities. I'm featuring two of our favorites today.

The snowflake word family craftivity packet, is a quick, easy and super-fun way to practice and review word families.

The activities are great for a whole group, independent center or Daily 5 word work.

Completed projects make a simple, yet awesome winter bulletin board .

Put the two word work posters in the center, then scatter students’ snowflakes on a blue foil background (I use wrapping paper.)

The packet includes:

* 4 large snowflake templates
* 70 snowflake word family cards
* A list of the 70 word families, with 987 word examples!
* A word family sentence worksheet
* A word family bookmark, which students can use to write word family words on the back, plus . . .
* A cover to make a word family booklet 

Another snowflake activity that I think your students will enjoy is the 2D snowflake shapes game. 

It's a quick, easy and fun snowflake matching game, with several ways to play.

Students can play independently as a center activity, or pick a partner and play a game. They match shape to shape card, shape card to shape card, shape to shape, or shape card to word card.

There's a "color the shape" spinner game as well. I often use these activities as an interesting and fun way to assess.

The featured FREEBIE for today, also has a snowflake theme.

If you're looking for an awesome winter bulletin board or fun writing prompt that your kiddos will get excited about, then this "snow" special family snowflake craft's for you.

It's a quick, easy and fun "homework" assignment, which even PK kiddos can do with the help of their families.

Completed projects make a lovely bulletin board. Suspend a few from the ceiling above the board for that finishing touch. Caption:  "Brrrrr-illiant Work!"  

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

We have huge fluffy flakes gently falling outside my office window right now. PTL I don't have to shovel.  

Wishing you a warm and snuggly day!

"Advice is like snow-the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into the mind." -Samuel Taylor Coleridge

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

I designed the Penguin Emergent Reader packet to go along with my Silly Shaped Penguin craft. The craftivity is today's featured FREEBIE.

For your convenience, I’ve included them in the packet.

You don’t have to make the Silly Shaped Penguins, but I really think they get children excited to make this short emergent reader booklet, which includes 50 Dolch sight words!

Children read the sentence, add end punctuation ( ? . ! ), trace & write the shape word, then trace, draw and color the shape.

I've included an extra page with the hexagon, pentagon & octagon if you study those as well.

The last page is also optional. “This penguin is in the shape of my shoe. It’s a special keepsake that I made for you.” where children trace their shoe, and add details to make it look like a penguin.

There are 2 size options for the booklet: full-page (great for a teacher’s edition), plus a 2-on-a-page half size, to conserve paper and ink.

The packet also includes:

* A set of trace & write the shape word cards, which can be turned into an Itty Bitty booklet, or used for a Memory Match or “I Have; Who Has?” game. I’ve also included a full-color set as well.

* A graphing extension

* A “Roll & Color” the shapes game, where children choose a partner & take turns rolling the dice. Whatever number they roll, is the matching numbered shape that they color.

* And finally, an “I Spy a Shape” game worksheet, which is a quick, easy and fun way to whole group assess.   You can use the worksheet 5 times too! 

Well that's it for today.  I hope your kiddos have as much fun with the silly shaped penguins, as I did creating them.

Who knew? "Penguins have only one mate, and "propose" by giving then a pebble."