12 pages.

There are a variety of ways you can use this packet.  For a back to school treat bag, run off the "Welcome" puzzle template. Personalize them with your students' names. Cut up each puzzle and put them in Ziplock Baggies.  Choose one of 3 header cards and attach.  You can also give them during your apple studies or as an inexpensive gift for birthdays, Valentine's Day etc. A large apple puzzle, to be used as an independent center activity, is also included, as well as a blank grid, to help younger students easily put their puzzles together.

4 pages.

This "find your name" craftivity, is a simple, quick, and easy worksheet for students to do at the beginning of the year, or during your apple studies.  Use the blank template  and write your students' names inside the apple.  Students find and circle their name, and then write it on the bottom.  Following the directions, they color the apple.  Completed projects make an interesting bulletin board. 

7 pages.

Help practice and reinforce upper and lowercase letters, numbers, plus skip counting by 5's and 10's with these fun connect the dots, apple-themed worksheets.

8 pages.

Teach, review, practice and whole-group assess with these apple-themed "I Spy!" games.  Packet includes worksheet-games for uppercase letters, lowercase letters, shapes, numbers 0-10, numbers 0-20, plus a blank template to fill in higher numbers.  Students enjoy playing the game and you can see at a glance who is having difficulty.

3 pages.

Use this anchor chart, fall leaf poster, as an assessment tool.  Point to each of the numbered leaves in random order.  Have students tell you what number that is.  Likewise, ask them "Where's the number 5?"

1-2-3 Come Have A Wonderful Year With Me

I know some of you have already started back to school, but that's hard for us midwesterners to wrap our heads around, because here in Michigan (Wisconsin too), Labor Day weekend is our last hurrah, before back to school officially starts on Tuesday.  

With that in mind, I wanted to wish all of my teacher friends a wonderful year.  I hope it's the best one yet.  To everyone else out there in cyber space, Happy Labor Day weekend!

I think the T- shirts with the superman logo on them, that read: "I teach! What's your superpower?"  are realistically very true.  There's a quote by Haim Ginott, that I'm fond of.  

It is so true, and rather mind boggling, to realize the power that teachers wield in the classroom, and the amount of impact we have on our students' lives. The huge responsibility that entails, should be dutifully noted.

I designed this little poster, so that you can hang it up inside your teacher's cupboard or closet, as a gentle reminder. 

If you like it; print off some copies for your teacher friends and tuck them in their mailboxes, as a thoughtful way to wish them a wonderful year. 

Likewise, may yours be filled with excitement and plenty of memory-making moments.  Click on the link to grab a copy of the Superpowers of a Teacher poster.

Thanks for visiting today.  As always, feel free to PIN away.  I for one, get a lot of "pinspiration" from that website, which really gets my creative juices flowing! So many ideas...so little time.

Since it's the start of Labor Day weekend, it's only fitting that I happily labor away designing some sweet little goodies, to hopefully make your life easier, and learning-- a bit more fun. 

Later, when my sweetie gets home, the relaxation party can get started!  Hoping your weekend is filled with everything and everyone you enjoy the most.

"Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere." -Chinese Proverb

1 page.

I love the quote by Haim Ginott.  It is so true, and rather mind boggling to realize the impact we have on students' lives, and the huge responsibility that entails.   I designed this little poster, so that you can hang it up inside your teacher's cupboard or closet, as a gentle reminder.  If you like it; print off some copies for your teacher friends and tuck them in their mailboxes, as a thoughtful way to wish them a wonderful year.  May yours be filled with excitement and plenty of memory-making moments.

1-2-3 Come Play Some Math Games With Me

Just when I think I'm ready to move on to another theme, my brain shifts into overdrive and I come up with yet another apple idea that I just have to putz with.  Thus the apple math mats came about. 

Who'd have thought they'd take 2 days to complete.  My husband always tells me that I have no concept of how much time will be involved when it comes to one of my projects.  I think it's the driven perfectionist in me that always has to have things "just so".  

Any hoo, I hope you and your kiddos enjoy this apple math game as much as I did making it.  You can make a class set of apple math mats to use each year, or have your students make their own.

This apple "craftivity" is a super-fun way to reinforce addition and/or subtraction, and if you teach older students, I've also included a template to make a multiplication apple game. 

To play, students roll a dice to see if they will work on their addition or subtraction skills.  If they roll an even number they will add and use that side of the apple mat.  (I made this side red.) 

If they roll an odd number, they'll flip the mat over and use the subtraction side, which is yellow. (Note how the leaves and center ovals have to do with addition or subtraction.)

For their 2nd roll, they toss two dice to determine their equation, which they jot down on their recording sheet. 

Students can either use the paper seed tiles, some sunflower seeds, or pom poms as manipulatives to show "how many" on their mat. 

If students are making their own apple mats, I'd suggest having them color and cut out the seed tiles. This way they can continue to reinforce lessons by playing at home.  The paper "seeds" are pictured in the photographs.

If you want to have students do this activity as a whole-group and use your laminated mats, I'd use sunflower birdseed.  (As you can see by the picture, the sunflower seeds are just the right size!) 

Make sure you explain to your kiddos that these are sunflower seeds and not apple seeds, as sunflower seeds are sold by the bag. Give each child their own Dixie cup full, or sprinkle them on a paper plate in the center of their table.

For more practice, make an extra set of apples and put the game in your independent math center, along with 14 black or brown pom poms in a Ziplock Baggie.  (I always add 2 extra pieces to my games incase a few get lost.  Saves a ton of time searching for materials to make more.)

Students place the correct amount of seeds on their mat according to the numbers that they roll with the dice. (See photographs.)

After they have written the equation down on their recording sheet, they count up the total number of seeds to solve the addition problem, and take away the appropriate amount, to solve the subtraction one. 

Once they have jotted down their answer, they clear off their mat, and begin the game again by rolling one dice.

To help reinforce greater and less than, have students use the math symbol ovals, and place the < or > oval in the middle of their apple mat, which will now cover the plus or minus oval. 

Have students write these equations down on their recording sheet as well.  Click on the link to view/download the Apple Math Mats packet.

Thanks for visiting today.  My grandson's up from his nap and it's time for a snack and stroller ride.  Have a blessed day!

"Learn as much as you can while you're young, since life becomes too busy later." -Dana Stewart Scott

23 pages.

This apple "craftivity" is a super-fun way to reinforce addition and/or subtraction. If you teach older students, I've also included a template to make a multiplication apple game. 

1 page.

These mini notes of praise that a child can take home, are a quick & easy way to encourage your students and help build their self-esteem.