1-2-3 Come Do Some Dolch Sight Word Activities With Me

Reviewing the Dolch sight words, or word wall words, can become a bit tedious and boring for students as the months fly by.  Yet it's important to keep at it, 'til recognition is automatic and students become fluent.

With that in mind, I designed the Spin and Read Dolch Word Game packet, which includes an alphabetical Dolch word list for Pre-Primer, Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades, plus the Dolch list of nouns. 

It's that "something different" that will hopefully keep interest high and your students engaged, as they review the words in this fun way. 

The game is played as a whole group. Run off the word list of your choice, laminate and trim, so that you can use the game boards each year. (There are two game sheets on one page for quick printing.)

Children use a pencil and a paperclip to make their spinner.  They spin it to see how many words they will read. After their turn, another child spins their spinner and reads from their list of words. 

To make the game more interesting and fun, run off the 24 voice cards.  Children pick a card and read the word(s) using that kind of voice.  i.e. soft, loud, silly, mad etc. If you don't want to have separate cards, I've also included 3 voice choice posters that you can hang up.  Children can then look at the poster and choose a voice.

Be sure and demonstrate each voice, and then have students give it a try.  My firsties LOVED doing this so much that they asked to read stories using some of the voice choices.   For more practice, have students repeat the word after the person whose turn it is, reads it.

The packet includes:

• 5 Dolch word lists (PP-3rd, plus a list of Dolch nouns)
• 24 voice choice cards
• 3 voice choice posters to hang up
• a list of other sight word review games
• a list of links for Online sight word games & activities

Besides reading the sight words with a silly voice, I've included a few other activities that you can do to make reviewing the words more engaging and fun for your students; such as Flashlight Fun, Alphabet Adventures, Happy Highlights, Plastic Letter Play, Read the Room and Hangman.

There's also a list of links for Online sight word games and activities; such as star words, make a match, color word fun, sight word hangman, missing letters mystery, pick and click and spellbound.

Finally, there’s a quick 3-minute video on YouTube that reviews 100 high frequency words for PK-1st. The words are flashed on the screen and read in a child’s voice. I've listed all of these in the packet .

Click on the link to view/download the Spin & Read Dolch Word Games

Thanks for visiting today. It's my mom's 89th birthday weekend coming up, so there's much to do on my "To Do" list.  The sun is shining; the snow is sparkling, and I'm ready to hit the floor running. Woo hoo for energy. Wishing you a creative and cozy day.

"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing you will be successful." ~ Albert Schweitzer

11 pages.

The Spin and Read Word Game packet includes an alphabetical Dolch word list for Pre-Primer, Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades, plus the Dolch list of nouns.  This game is played as a whole group.

3 pages

If you're looking for something different for a Martin Luther King Day activity, this is it.  The "mpatapo" (em-pa-ta-poe) symbol means "knot of pacification/reconciliation".  It is a symbol of peacemaking.  Mpatapo is an African symbol known as adinkra, from the Asante tribe of Ghana.  I thought it was an appropriate representation of what Dr. King tried to do with his peaceful marches, sit-ins and speeches, as he sought nonviolent solutions for abolishing discrimination; so I featured it on this quick, easy and fun MLK Day craftivity.  

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

Today's blog is a bit long, but I wanted to feature my favorite MLK Day craftivities all in one place. I hope you enjoy them too.

The construction paper strip snowflakes, are a quick, easy and fun bulletin board for January! Use them as an "I have a dream..." writing prompt for Martin Luther King Day, of what students want to be when they grow up. 

If you don't celebrate MLK Day, you could have children write what they enjoy about snow or winter; "sparkling" facts about themselves,  or what things they want to do in the new year.

I used paper punch cut outs to practice patterning, but they also look fine plain, or decorated with stickers. 

Cut the strips in a variety of colors to make a rainbow blizzard! A school photo in the middle adds that finishing touch.

Scatter them on a black background to make them really pop.  Caption: Brrrrrr-illiant Work!  or Writing is "snow" much fun! or in-keeping with MLK Day... "We are all unique, but we are also the same. Unity through diversity."

 Because scrapbooking is so popular, I wanted to design an easy craftivity for MLK Day using the simple pinwheel design.  If you don't celebrate MLK Day, these make wonderful Valentine's Day cards too. 

I chose a black and white theme to symbolize diversity, but you could use whatever colors you like. Simply pre-cut 2 large black squares + a variety of light and dark contrasting scrapbook paper.  Each student needs 4 light patterned pieces and 4 dark.

Using my photo tutorial, demonstrate how to glue the pieces down, so they look like a pinwheel.

It's really quite simple and easy, but looks complicated, with very cool results.  I'd do this as a "monkey see-monkey do-what-I-do" whole group activity with little ones. 

For older kiddos, add the white writing prompt "I have a dream" square to the back, or have students think of their own.  If you need MLK writing prompt ideas, I have a list of 60 they can choose from.  

For more pizzazz, students can choose another set of 4 different patterned-squares and glue them to the back, providing a border under their prompt.  A school photo adds the finishing touch.  

Punch a hole in the top point; make a yarn loop, and hang from the ceiling.   Click on the link to view/download the MLK Pinwheel Writing Prompt Craftivity.

I have two more "danglers" to share with you today.  Since I had no problem filling up my monthly bulletin board, I needed some other ways to hang up my students' craftivities.  Because of this, I designed quite a few things that could "dangle" from the ceiling in the hallway. 

Both of these files were done before I had all of the software programs and fonts I use now, but I think you'll find the hand-drawn patterns easy to follow.

A very simple dangler that my Y5's enjoyed making was the MLK Letter "I Have A Dream" one.  It was a nice way to review these 3 letters and provided much-needed cutting practice to strengthen hand muscles and improve dexterity.

Turn it into a more in-depth writing prompt for older kiddos, by skipping the heart on the back, and giving them a longer writing prompt for them to record here.  Click on the link to view/download the MLK Letter Dangler.

One of my personal favorites, was the "stained glass" dove of peace dangler.  

I pre- cut strips of colored construction paper. For great fine motor, and scissor skill practice, my Y5's snipped them into squares and glued them in whatever pattern they wanted.  More fine motor practice was achieved by having them accordion fold the dove's wings. 

To incorporate a bit of poetry and cover this "genre" standard, I ran off the Langston Hughes poem.   Click on the link to check out the background of this outstanding and prolific poet. 

You could also turn this into a writing prompt and have the poem be the cover that flips open to reveal your students' thoughts about peace and how even a child can help achieve it.  Click on the link to view/download the Martin Luther King Dove Of Peace Poem Dangler.  

Finally, here is my brand new MLK craft.  Since Dr.King's name is synonymous with peace, I wanted to design something centered around that theme.  Since the popular peace symbol is somewhat controversial, I wanted to find something else more appropriate for children. 

I thought of hearts and doves, but others were using those, and I wanted something more unique that would also encompass MLK's black heritage.  

Were you ever looking for something, but not sure what you were looking for, but knew when you'd found it, that that would be just the thing?  That's how I felt when I came across the mpatapo symbol. It was perfect to create a Martin Luther King craft around!

Mpatapo, simply pronounced m-pa-ta-po, is a West African Adinkra symbol.  It is a knot of pacification-reconciliation that represents peaceful solutions. 

Mpatapo symbolizes the bond that binds parties in a dispute to a peaceful and  harmonious reconciliation; symbolizing peacemaking after strife.  Names and meanings of the symbols are in Twi, which is the language of the Akan people.

Adinkra is a highly-valued hand-printed cotton cloth, which has traditional Akan symbols stamped upon it.  Its origin is traced to the Asante (Ashanti) people of Ghana and the Gyaman people of Cote' d'lvoire (Ivory Coast).

The cloth can be traced back to the 17th century. Over time, the number of symbols used on the cloth grew. The word "adinkra" means goodbye, because originally clothes adorned with Adinkra symbols were only worn during ceremonies to honor the dead. The symbols worn on the mourner's clothing expressed the qualities attributed to the deceased.

The symbols are created by cutting a stamp out of the thick skin of a calabash gourd. The stamp is dipped in dye, made from tree bark, and then repeatedly pressed onto cloth to create patterns.

The African symbols are ubiquitous in Ghana, and are used extensively on fabrics and pottery.  They  have also become popular as logos, tattos, and in advertising.  Because of tourism, the symbols can also be seen on T-shirts and jewelry.

They have a decorative function, but also represent objects that convey traditional African wisdom, as well as aspects of life and the environment. 

The photo on the right shows some of the 53 Adinkra symbols recorded by Robert Sutherland Rattray in 1927.  They are part of the Creative Commons on Wikipedia.

I feel that the mpatapo symbol, is a great representation of what Dr. Martin Luther King endeavored to do, with his peaceful marches, sit-ins and speeches, that sought nonviolent solutions for abolishing discrimination.  This was it!  This was what I was looking for.  Click on the link to make an MLK mpatapo craft. 

There's a writing prompt for K and older students to fill in and glue to the back, as well as an explanation square for younger students.  I've included a sheet of Public Domain mini photo tiles of Dr. King as well.  Students can choose one and glue it to the center of the mpatapo symbol if they want to. 

To see an entire collection of Adinkra symbols and their meanings, click on the link.  To find out more about the Ashanti tribe, click here, or this link for the African Guide.   The research was fascinating for me; I hope you enjoy learning something new as well.   

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for visiting. I found a 3-ingredient recipe for play "snow" so I'm off to make some with my 2-year-old grandson.  I LOVE doing crafty stuff with him, and at only 2, I'm surprised how much he enjoys it too. 

Wishing you a fun-filled day, filled with memorable moments and lots of giggles. 

"Hate cannot drive out hate.  Only love can do that." -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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

Martin Luther King Day is just around the corner, Monday, the 19th, so if you're looking for some ideas, you've come to the right place.

Although I remember the Civil Rights Movement quite vividly, what went on in the 60's is quite different from today.  Because of this, I think it’s extremely important to teach a bit of history, taking your students on a trip through the past, to help them get a feel for what that time period was like.

In today's blog I want to feature some of my favorite MLK downloads that have been quite popular. Hopefully they're just what you're looking for.

To peak student's interest, start the day off by leaving a Happy Martin Luther King Day bookmark on their desks.  I designed 7 for you to choose from. 

Throughout the day, use them as incentives, and pass them out as children complete tasks.  Challenge them to collect all seven to share with their friends. 

Can anyone tell you who Martin Luther King Jr. was or why we have a holiday to celebrate him?  Most of my students had no knowledge of Dr. King. 

With this in mind, I designed a KWL.  Have your students complete their own personal MLK KWL, then gather children together to fill in the larger KWL for MLK.

After your studies, at the end of the day, have students complete their KWL by writing in what they learned.

Reading several stories, is an easy and interesting way to introduce the concept of discrimination and diversity, as well as find out about the life of MLK. 

Click on the link for my 24 all-time favorite books for Martin Luther King Day.

These are tried and true resources, to help little ones wrap their heads around complex concepts, and really helped my Y5's comprehend the hard-to-understand stuff.  

One of my personal favorites, and my Y5's favorite story for our MLK unit, is The Sneeches, by Dr. Seuss.  I checked out YouTube to see if they had a video of The Sneeches and found several. 

Click on the link to take a look at this short 12-minute full-version of The Sneeches!  I think your kiddo's will really enjoy it. 

They can easily see the unfairness of "stars on bellies" and in the end, agree with the author that such practices were cruel and pointless.

Another way to make the 60's real for your students is to have them watch some brief videos about Dr. King's life and listen to a portion of his famous  “I Have A Dream” speech. 

Click on the link for a list of short Martin Luther King Jr. videos on YouTube.   Click on this link for footage of his peaceful march on Washington.

To help you give your students more background information, I compiled a list of 95-Interesting Fast Facts About Martin Luther King.

I enjoyed wading through more than 40 websites and reading over 20 children's books, plus a few biographies and then fact-checked discrepancies. 

I thought I knew quite a bit, however, I learned many more amazing things! (I was unaware that he skipped 9th and 12th grade and went to college at the age of 15!)

Read through the pages, highlight what you feel is relevant and appropriate for your kiddos, and then share:  95-Interesting Fast Facts About Martin Luther King.

While researching, I also found a short animated clip over at BrainPop, that even early elementary students will understand. This is a wonderful site for children.

Another age-appropriate site is  The National Georgraphic site for kids. They have an excellent photographic timeline of MLK.

After reading some stories and watching a few videos, toss in some technology, and have your students take a short online MLK quiz.

For more reinforcement, and to further check comprehension, have children show you what they've learned, by making an MLK Flip For Facts booklet.

I've included a list of kid-friendly websites,  a page of mini photographs, plus a list of fun facts they can use.

Another way to help your students learn about Martin Luther King Jr., is through vocabulary building.  There is a plethora of new words that your students will come across as they listen to stories, read books, search for facts, and watch video clips. 

It's important to make sure that your kiddos understand their meanings.  For example, diversity is a relatively new word for youngsters.  Helping them understand that we are all different, yet we are all also, the same, is a great way to explain things. 

The people over at Kids Activites Blog,  suggest comparing a brown chicken egg to a white one.  I LOVE this idea.  They look different on the outside, but what happens when you crack them open? Students discuss how they are exactly the same on the inside, then relate it to what they are learning.

You could also do this with M&M's. Have students suck the colorful candy coating off, then stick out their tongue to check things out.  What conclusions can they draw?  How is ethnicity similar?

An excellent book to read about diversity is Sesame Street's We Are Different,  We Are The Same   by Bobbi Jane Kates. 

The quirky rhyming format makes it a wonderful read aloud:  "We're different.  Our noses are different. We are the same.  Our noses are the same.  They breathe and sniff and sneeze and whiff."

Because of all the new vocabulary involved in studying Martin Luther King, and the era he lived in, I made a list of 62-words that relate to Dr. King, that students will undoubtedly come across while studying about him.

To help build their vocabularies, select whatever words you'd like your students to learn, and have them add the words to their MLK Dictionary, where they write, define and use the word in a sentence. 

The packet includes 2 different covers (one for upper and one for lower el), an alphabetical list of 62-MLK-related words, plus 62 trace and write word cards. Click on the link to view/download the  MLK "My Words" dictionary.

Another fun way to immerse your students in this new vocabulary, is by searching for words in a word find.  I've designed 2 word searches for Martin Luther King Day  (1 for lower el, as well as an upper el version).

Students search for words from left to right and top to bottom.  Tell students to start with the first word and look for the initial letter, as well as chunks of letters.  They will undoubtedly come across other words while they do that.

Have them highlight the words that they find, as well as cross those words off the list.  Work from left to right first, and then any words that they  haven't found will probably be from top to bottom. 

Word searches are great for Daily 5 Word Work, early finishers, sub folders or a fun homework assignment.  I've included answer keys as well.  Click on the link to view/download the Martin Luther King Day Word Searches.

Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport, is a great book to transition with.  It's filled with a lot of my favorite MLK quotes, which is another interesting and fun way to learn about him.

If you'd like to see a list of my favorite quotations of Martin Luther King, click on the link. 

Another simple Daily 5 word work activity, is to challenge students to think of as many words as they can, using the letters in Martin Luther King.

I've included a list of 525 words that I thought of.  While I was making my list, I thought how appropriate that many of these words could be directly associated with Dr. King's life. i.e he was a great man, and gave the ultimate sacrifice,  so I decided to assign the extra assignment of having students highlight the words they thought of, that were relevant to MLK's life. 

Click on the link to view/download the Martin Luther King Word Challenge.

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for visiting.  I hope you found a few things to help make your Martin Luther King Day celebration special. 

Be sure and pop back tomorrow, as I'll be featuring some super-fun, and thought-provoking MLK writing prompts.  It's time for me to whip a meatloaf together. 

I enjoy cooking almost as much as I do designing activities. Almost.... Actually, they are similar, as they both involve creating something, and then cleaning up a big mess as I go. :-)

1-2-3 Come Do A Mitten Craftivity With Me

This mitten-themed emergent reader, is a quick, easy and fun way to have students practice simple writing skills and end punctuation. 

Run off the mitten pattern on a variety of colors of construction paper. Students choose one, cut it out and color the snowflake. For that finishing touch, glue a school photo to the center of the snowflake.

Each child also needs a copy of the booklet pages. They are on one sheet for easy printing.  As a whole group, read the sentences aloud.  Pause, while students fill in the blanks, complete the writing prompt and add end punctuation.

I also wrote the color of my mittens, using a marker that color.  Have students write the number, as well as the number word in the blank, for how many pairs of mittens they own.

Children cut, collate and then staple their booklet to the cuff of their mitten, and write their name on the cover.

When everyone is done, have children share their mitten booklets.

I've included a graphing extension for colors of mittens, with a tally time worksheet.

Another graph shows whether they prefer gloves or mittens.

There are also a few mitten math extensions. Do the worksheets as a whole group, or break children up into small groups to figure them out.   

To help explain what you want students to do, the packet includes a completed sample that you can share with them, or, if you have the time, make a sample of your own.

Completed projects make an adorable winter bulletin board.  Scatter the mittens on a background of blue.  Use snowflake wrapping paper for extra pizzazz. 

For that finishing touch, edge with a border of paper snowflakes that your kiddos cut out. White doilies cut in half are also lovely. 

Click on the link to view/download the Emergent Reader Mitten craftivity.  That's it for today's newest FREEBIE. Thanks for visiting.

I spent an hour on Pinterest last night, so my brain is brimming with ideas, and my desk is cluttered with notes and sketches.

If you'd like to see the boards I take way too much time on, click the link to zip on over.  I have one specifically for mittens! Almost all of what I pin are educational FREEBIES, crafts, games and just plain fun timesavers.   I did lots of work, so you don't have to.

Playing on Pinterest gets me excited for all of the up-coming celebrations, and like everyone else, I have way more things to get done, than I do the time to make them all in.  Wishing you a productive and carefree day.

"If you don't like something, change it.  If you can't change it, change the way you think about it." - Mary Engelbreit   (Perhaps this is what my husband means when he tells me to embrace winter. Brrrrrr.)

6 pages.

This mitten-themed emergent reader, is a quick, easy and fun way to have students practice simple writing skills and end punctuation.  Completed projects make an adorable winter bulletin board.  Scatter the mittens on a background of blue snowflake wrapping paper, with paper cut out snowflakes or white doilies for a border.

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

We didn't have much snow in December, but January is certainly making up for it. There's certainly enough to make a few fat snowmen; so I wanted to feature some of my favorite snowman-themed activities.

A snowman's head is perfect for reviewing 2D shapes.  I had a lot of fun making these shapely snowmen.  You can make a set for a winter bulletin board, anchor chart-posters, large flashcards to review and assess the shapes, a center matching activity, or have students choose their favorite and make one. 

Look carefully and you'll see that the snowman's facial features also match the 2D shape of his head.  Click on the link to view/download the shapely snowman packet.

Reinforce a variety of standards with these 7 snowman puzzles that cover upper and lowercase letters, counting backwards, plus skip counting by 2s, 3s, 5s and 10s.  Make a set to use as puzzles for an independent center.

These also make a lovely bulletin board.  Caption: Learning is “snow” much fun!  Have students choose a snowman that they want to make.  Run off copies, they trim and glue to a sheet of blue or black construction paper. 

For a mosaic appearance, tell students to put a small space in-between.  Add a bit more pizazz by having students make “snowflakes” with a Q-tip dipped in white paint.  For that finishing touch, sprinkle the wet paint dots with opalescent glitter.

If you are working on colors or color words with your students, I think you'll enjoy the Snowman Color Match packet. Students can play the game as an independent center, or choose a partner and play a spinner game. 

Make an extra set and have students glue the puzzle hat and scarf pieces to the appropriate snowman and use them for your winter word wall. There's a plain set for students to draw in their own snowman face, as well as an illustrated set.

The snowman-themed emergent reader, covers lots of standards, as students read the repetitive sentences, circle capital letters, add end punctuation, trace and write the words, and color the pictures. 

Days of the week + color words are reinforced. Three graphing extensions, a game, bookmark and a worksheet are all included as well.

Finally, help review analog and digital time to the hour and half hour, with the snowman clock matching game. 

Print the snowman template on white construction paper; laminate and trim. 

Run off the hatband-time words, the digital time-rectangles and the analog clocks; laminate and trim.

Students choose a time and then match all of the pieces and parts to complete that snowman.  Make an extra set and glue together for a "Time For Winter" bulletin board. 

Students can also make their own snowman clock to use as an assessment tool.  Run off the analog clock and digital time box templates, on glossy photo paper.  Children trim and glue to their snowman. They now have a dry erase digital and analog clock! 

Teacher calls out a time. Using dry erase markers, students draw hands on the clock and write the digital time in the box, then hold up their snowman when they are done. 

This is a quick, easy and fun way to whole-group assess, as you can see at a glance who is having difficulty. Children use a tissue to wipe off that answer, so they can play another round.  Continue the game 'til you have covered/assessed all of the time options.

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for visiting.  I hope you found some useful activities to help bring out the brrrr-illiance in your kiddos.  As for me, it's time to brave the wintry artic to buy a few groceries, as Mother Hubbard's cupboard is indeed bare, and I'm clueless what to make for dinner.

Hopefully it won't take too long to find my car under the avalance of snow it's frosted with.  Wishing you a stress-free happy day.

"I get a special feeling when I walk on snow that no one else has.  It's a mixture of awe, adventure and amazement; and makes me wonder if this is something akin to what explorers and astronauts experienced, when they left their footprints on places yet to be discovered by others.  Certainly a pleasant feeling of accomplishment at being first." - Diane Henderson

1-2-3 Come Do A Little Magic With Me

I did a month-long mitten theme in January with my Y5's.  They enjoyed all sorts of mitten matching games and activities, so I wanted to feature a few popular FREEBIES today. 

If you teach the "magic e" spelling rule, I think you'll enjoy the Magic e Mitten packet.  It took lots of hours to complete, but I think it was time well spent.   Run the mitten patterns off on a variety of colors of construction paper. 

I wanted mine to have a red mitten with a green cuff + a green mitten with a red cuff, so I ran off two of each page (one on red and one on green). 

Laminate, trim and then cut the cuffs off so that you create puzzles for a Magic e Mitten Matching Game.

The 29-page packet includes a My Magic e Words (dictionary).  Students trace the word, add a magic e to the end (use a different color) and then write the new word that is made. 

Encourage students to look up words that they don't know and define them on their new-word definition page. 

There are also Mitten Math worksheets, where the word + an e ='s a new word, as well as an alphabetical list of 86 magic e words, + a pattern to make a magic e snowflake-mitten wand.

I added glitter to mine and glued it to a Popsicle stick.  Give students a word from the list, have them come up and write it on the board.

Everyone waves their magic e wand, and the child adds an e to the end, creating a new word "magically!"  Click on the link to view/download the Magic e Mitten packet.

Finally, help students practice their writing skills and organize their thoughts, by using a graphic organizer. 

Keeping with the theme of mittens, I designed several graphic organizers, which help students work on adjective as well as verb word work.

Students describe mittens on one worksheet, and tell what kinds of activities they do when they wear them, on the other worksheet. 

Afterwards, have children use the adjectives they thought of, to write several descriptive sentences about mittens. These are quick & easy activities for your Daily 5 time too. 

 I've included completed samples to help explain things.   Click on the link for the mitten-themed graphic organizers.

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for visiting.  Here in Michigan we got over a foot of snow dumped on us, and the windchill and drifting caused schools to close all over the area on Friday.  Wishing you safe and warm travels over the weekend.

"What a severe yet master artist old Winter is.... No longer the canvas and the pigments, but the marble and the chisel." -John Burroughs, "The Snow-Walkers," 1866 

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

Friday I featured activities to go with Jan Brett's story The Mitten.  (Scroll down for that article.) Today I want to highlight a few more popular mitten FREEBIES.  These all have to do with Common Core math standards.

If you're doing things with 10 frames, and want a winter theme, click on the link for the mitten 10 frames packet. (I use them for +1 more, addition, & subtraction.)

Are you working on skip counting with your students? Since mittens come in pairs, I thought it would be fun to do some activities to practice skip counting by 2's and use a mitten theme. 

Challenge your students to make up a list of other things that come in pairs. 

To assist with this, the packet includes a list of 38 items that are found in pairs, as well as some trace and write worksheets, What's Missing? worksheets, a bookmark and a certificate of praise.

Click on the link for the Skip Counting By Twos Mitten packet. 

Is telling time part of your math block?

The mitten-themed time card packet includes digital, as well as analog time to the hour and half hour.

Use them as flashcards, pocket chart cards or for a January bulletin board.  So that students can play Memory Match or "I Have; Who Has?" games, make a few extra sets.  You can also cut them up to make puzzles and play even more games (Like  Kaboom, which is included.)

If you're practicing place value with your students, then I think you'll enjoy this mitten place value craftivity. 

It's a "slider" and the packet includes one for each month, plus extras, which are great for assessing, and cover Common Core State Standards: 1.NBT.2a, 1.NBT.2b, 1.NBT.2c, 1.NBT.3, K.NBT.1

A number is given and students move their sliders up and down to make that number. For further reinforcement, have them jot the new number down.  With each number given, students tell how many 1s, 10s and 100s there are.

For more CCSS practice, have students compare 2 numbers as greater or less than. 

To include some addition and subtraction practice as well, ask children to make the number that is 10 more or 10 less, 

Finally, I made a mitten-themed number packet. 

As with the mitten time cards, print, laminate and trim these to use for flashcards, pocket chart cards or your winter word wall. 

Make a few extra sets, so students can play games like Memory Match or I Have; Who Has?  You can also cut them up to make puzzles and other games. 

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for visiting. Time to sort my piles of "idea paper-sketches" and little notes that I jot down for myself.  I need to clear up the clutter, so I can get down to the fun business of creating some more winter FREEBIES. 

I hope you can pop by tomorrow for the latest.  Wishing you a sparkling, stress-free day.

"I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape — the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn’t show." -Andrew Wyeth