1-2-3 Come Do An Owl Craft With Me

Whether you do this activity at the beginning of the school year for a back to school icebreaker, or in the fall for October or November, this owl craftivity is a wonderful way to get to know your students, and for them to get to know their classmates better. 

Completed projects make an adorable fall bulletin board.  A caption could be: "Owl Stars!" as a play on the words all star.

For those finishing touches, have students cut out their owl, fold the wings inward, and add some highlights with crayons.

Adding a pair of wiggle eyes, stuck on with glue dots, is also cute.  I've included owl templates with the pupils missing, so they can be creative.

Where they place the eyes really changes the personality of these cute little critters. They can even make them goofy, like I did in my sample.

There are two options to choose from:  Students can make an owl for themselves: "Owl" About Me... or have children pick a partner and make one for that student: "Owl" Be Your Friend.

If you have chosen the personal owl for your kiddos to do, adding their school photo makes this a sweet keepsake. 

If you're doing this in October, it's a fun activity for your Halloween party day. 

Children can write "Happy 'Owl-oween!" on the back and present the card to their friend. 

Click on the link to view/download the Owl Writing Prompt Craftivity. 

Thanks for visiting.  I'm off to do a zillion and one things that I never have enough time for.  Wishing you an energizing day.

 "If we were meant to talk more than listen, we would have two mouths and one ear." -- Mark Twain

7 pages.

Whether you do this activity at the beginning of the school year for a back to school icebreaker, or in fall, for October or November, this owl craftivity, is a wonderful way to get to know your students, or for students to get to know their classmates better. Completed projects make an adorable bulletin board.  A caption could be: "Owl Stars!"

 1-2-3 Come Do A Few Ghostly Activities With Me

I had a request from Alma, over in California, for a few non-scary math activities, with a skeleton or ghost theme.  She teaches a Hispanic group of kinders in Oakland and their Day of the Dead celebration (Dia de Los Muertos) is huge for them.

I referred her to the Numbskull math activities, as well as the Candy Bones activities, but also decided to design a few ghost -themed things as well. Cute little ghosts seemed to be a lot less scary to me than a skull, although that seems to be the prominent symbol for their holiday.

So if you too, are you looking for a few activities to plug into your Halloween party day, but still want to cover some standards, then I think you'll enjoy this cute little ghost-themed packet. 

The packet includes:

• A ghost craftivity that I call Spooky "Soles".   Students trace their shoe, trim & add some wiggle eyes to make a keepsake ghost (the heel is the head).  They glue their ghost to the back of the tombstone, which has a little poem on it.  "Here's a little ghost traced from my shoe. Made with lots of TLC cuz I love you."  

Instead of the R.I.P. signifying rest in peace, I printed Really Important Person on the tombstone.  Children sign their name at the top.  Older students can complete the writing prompt: Things that scare me... on the back.

• The packet also includes some Spooky sliders.  Even though this packet is mostly about numbers, I've also included extra sliders to cover other things.  Sliders for: upper & lowercase letters, shapes, numbers 0-30, counting backwards from 10 to 0 & 20 to 0, plus skip counting by 2's, 3's, 5's, and 10's.

Children can also trace their shoe to make their ghost slider and then cut 2 slits in the center, so they can insert their "slider" strip, or simply run off my ghost template, (bottom right in the photo), choosing whatever slider you want to practice.

• A Five Little Ghosts rhyme poster that I wrote. (Use the number cards as manipulatives for the poem.)
• "Five little ghosts flying out the door, one flew away and that left 4.  Four little ghosts playing happily, one flew away and that left 3.  Three little ghosts yelling boo, boo, boo! One flew away and that left 2.  Two little ghosts having spooky fun, one flew away and that left 1.  One little ghost sleeping in the sun, flew back home and that left none."
  

• Cute little ghost number cards to 35, number word cards to 10, and ordinal number cards, with a blank set to program with higher numbers, plus a set of math symbols, so students can make equations. There's also a 3-page tip list of what to do with the number cards, that includes the Kaboom game.

• An Odd Todd & Even Steven sorting mat.

• 3 trace & write worksheets for numbers 0-120.  I faded in a little ghost in the background for a rather cool looking affect. 

• Plus a "ghost with the most" rhyming word worksheet with helpful answer key.  
• Click on the link to view/download the Common Core Ghost packet.
  

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for visiting.  Time to straighten up the toy messes happily strewn hither and yon around the house.  Proof that a little pumpkin plays at Nana's house.

One of my dearest friends is coming over.  We are celebrating Jude's going into remission from cancer news!  Since it's Cancer Awareness Month, just want to give a shout out to all those brave people battling it, as well as those helping in and supporting the cause.  Blessings all around.  Click on the link for an inspiring musical video "Truly Brave" by Sara Bareillis and Cyndi Lauper

"We haven't failed. We now know a thousand things that won't work, so we are much closer to finding what will." --
Thomas Edison 


31 pages

Are you looking for a few activities to plug in on Halloween party day, but still want to cover some standards?  Then I think you'll enjoy this ghost-themed packet. 

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

Are you looking for a few quick, easy and fun activities to do on your Halloween party day, but still need to cover some standards? Then I think you'll enjoy this candy corn craftivity. 

It's very versatile.  Use it to reinforce circles, the concept of small, medium and large; or  have students write whatever you want them to practice, on the individual sections of the candy corn pieces. 

Students can get a lot of cutting practice in with this activity, or to expedite things, pre-cut the 3 sizes of circles on orange, yellow and white construction paper, then choose which fraction template you want to use and run it off. 

Students trim their fraction circle, then place it on the top of their candy corn circle, that they've glued together.  Holding the two circles together, they cut on the black lines to quickly and easily make individual pieces of candy corn!

I've made samples to give you some ideas of what you can do with the pieces of candy corn.  Have students write CVC words, or upper and lowercase letters on the sections. 

You can also review shapes, breaking down a number or counting to 30.  Students can also practice writing the orange, yellow and white color words, then writing down examples of things that are those colors.

If you're working on fractions, I've included pocket chart cards for a quick review.

You also have the option to have your students cut their candy corn circle into 1/4ths, 1/5ths, 1/6ths, 1/8ths, or 1/10ths.  (I've included templates to run off so they can place them on top and cut on the black lines.)

Click on the link to view/download the Common Core Candy Corn Craftivity.

Well that's it for today.  Dinner's in the oven and smells yummy; the timer's ringing so it's time to fly. 

Thanks for visiting.  Hope you can pop by tomorrow for another fall FREEBIE.  Wishing you a delicious day.

"If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."  - Unknown 


15 pages

This quick, easy and fun candy corn craft is very versatile.  Use it to reinforce circles, the concept of small, medium and large; or  have students write whatever you want them to practice, on the individual sections of the candy corn pieces.  (I've made examples to give you some ideas.)  If you're also working on fractions, I've included pocket chart cards for a quick review.

1-2-3 Come Do Some Colorful Fall Activities With Me

Because of the Halloween Colors packet, I had 2 requests for something similar, that was less Halloween and more fall in content.  Both gals teach at schools where they don't celebrate Halloween, but do cover all of the Common Core that I incorporated into the packet.  

I decided to revamp The Colors Of Fall easy reader.  It's one of my first booklets, before I took computer classes and bought lots of software, clip art and fonts, yet it's one of my personal favorites, as my husband helped me tweak my poem. 

He's a stickler for the appropriate number of beats for consistancy in a rhyme.  I've included a poster poem to share with your students before they start working on their own booklet.

Children read the simple sentences (lots of Dolch and word wall words here). 

They correct the beginning capitalization and then add end punctuation. 

Using matching colored markers or crayons, they trace, write and color the color words and then color the pictures.

There's also a color word worksheet, graphing extension and spinner game.  

Click on the link to view/download The Colors Of Fall packet.

As long as I was on a roll, I decided to whip up an all-leaf themed one, using the same format. 

I wasn't sure I was going to use all of the colors, because purple, pink, blue and white are certainly not common leaf colors, but I managed to fit them all in.

As with the other two packets, there's a booklet, worksheet, graphing extension and game.  Click on the link to view/download The Colorful Leaves packet.

Anna and Karla were happy about the new additions, and said "Just what I was looking for!"  so I hope you can use them too. 

Now that I'm calmer, I'm off to try and figure out 3 stupid TV remotes, (Isn't 3 times a charm?) so that I can watch a Disney movie with my grandson.  Things have gotten so complicated I'm ready to throw them all out the window!  Oh for the days of on-off-and fast forward, with only ONE remote.  If you hear a crash you'll know I wasn't very successful... Wishing you a stress-free day.    

"Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is the probable reason why so few engage in it." - Henry Ford

9 pages.

This easy reader booklet covers lots of Common Core and reinforces color words.  Children read the simple sentences (packed with lots of Dolch and word wall words).  They correct beginning capitalization, add end punctuation and then trace, write and color the color words with a matching color crayon or marker.

1-2-3 Come Sing A Halloween Song and Play Some Halloween Games With Me

My Y5's really enjoyed singing all sorts of fun October songs with me.  With that in mind, I wanted to dream one up of my own.  

Since the Wheels On The Fire Truck  song, was such a popular download, I decided to make a Halloween version, entitled The Things In The Halloween House. 

It has the same tune as Wheels on the Bus, only these are things in a spooky house.

Here's one of the verses: :The Mouse in the house goes squeak, squeak, squeak--squeak, squeak, squeak--squeak, squeak, squeak. The mouse in the house goes squeak, squeak, squeak on Halloween.

I've made up motions to go with the song and included these directions in the packet. The song and matching games, are quick, easy and fun activities for your Halloween party day. 

The packet includes 17 matching picture cards, as well as 15 word cards. 

Since most of the words are onomatopoeia words, you have a teachable moment to explain that to your students as well.  

I've included an onomatopoeia poster. Make extra sets of the picture and word cards and use them for games like Memory Match or "I Have; Who Has?"  

You can also make a set to cut up as puzzles and use for an independent center.

The packet also includes a "What's Missing?" Halloween circle game that my Y5's absolutely LOVED!

Gather your kiddos in a circle on the carpet. Place the cards face down, in 3 rows of 4 in the center of the circle.  Flip up the top 4 cards.  Point to each of the 4 cards and say its name. 

Have children repeat the name of the cards with you.  i.e., “Owl, cat, mouse, spider."  Hold a piece of tag board (a size that will cover all of the cards) so that it just hovers over the top.  

Have students close their eyes tight.  Carefully reach under and flip a card over, so that it is now face down.  Say “Ready!” and have students open their eyes.  Remove the tag board, so that students can see the flipped up cards.  You ask: "Which one is missing?"

Children call out an answer.  You can give the first child who called out the correct answer a sticker, or simply continue to play. 

Play continues, as you make things a bit more difficult, by flipping up another card for each round of play. 

Use fewer cards for younger children.   Click on the link to view/download the Haunted House Song and Games packet.

Thanks for visiting today.  I hope you can stop by tomorrow for a few more FREEBIES.  I'm off to go shopping for some treats for Halloween. 

We only get about a dozen trick or treaters, so I make up extra special Halloween bags for the neighborhood kiddos.  Wishing you a day filled with sweet moments.

 "If you were another person, would you like to be a friend of yours?" -Unknown

18 pages.

This haunted house song, to the tune of Wheels on the Bus is a wonderful activity for your Halloween party day.  The packet includes 17 matching picture cards, as well as 15 word cards.