1-2-3 Come ABC With Me!

I absolutely LOVE going to The Dollar Store. It's exciting to find goodies for my classroom & students at such a bargain.

With that "happy dance" feeling in mind, I decided to design "Diane's Dollar Deals" as a separate category in my TpT shop.
There is no real rhyme, reason or amount of pages that constitutes a Dollar Deal.

Just a fun way to express my appreciation for people who take the time to stop by my shop. I hope you enjoy them and that you'll be doing your own little happy dance.

My first Dollar Deal offering is a set of black & white upper & lowercase number puzzles. There are a variety of ways to use these alphabet puzzles.

Run off on white construction paper, laminate and trim. Keep each letter puzzle in its own baggy.

Students can put them together as an independent center, or do as a whole group activity, passing out a different letter puzzle to each child.
I've included a blank grid to help younger students.

If you want a set in color, have your students help you, by having each of them decorate a letter then laminate and trim to use each year.

Just an FYI... I'm currently working on a full-color set for separate uppercase & lowercase letters. These will also be a Dollar Deal.

Pass them out to your students and set a timer. See who can complete their puzzle the fastest.

When they are done with one, they may exchange theirs with another student who has a different one.

I purposely put both upper & lowercase letters together, as I think it's important for students to continually see the "matches" even early on. Eventually, just by being immersed, the light bulbs go on.

You can use these each year, or skip the lamination and give each child a puzzle for whatever letter you happen to be working on.

They color and decorate the letter, cut their own strips, mess them up and put them together. Use during school, send home for homework, tuck in a sub folder, or have available for early finishers.

Another option, that makes a sweet bulletin board, is to give each child a puzzle that is the initial for their name.
For a cool mosaic effect, they color, cut, & glue to a sheet of construction paper, leaving a little gap in-between the pieces. 

Today's featured FREEBIE is a name card "tent".  I switched mine up each month to match the seasons & my themes.  I hope you find it useful.  Click on the link to get your copy today.

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by. I have lots of Dollar Deal ideas running through my head, and can't wait to get started. 

Stay tuned for more fun.   Wishing you a "doin' the happy dance" kind of day!

"I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself.  For I have learned that the greater part of our misery of unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition." - Martha Washington

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

“When two vowels go walking the first one does the talking.” Is a simple & very popular rhyme that helps children read a variety of words with a vowel digraph. (Such as CVVC)

However, so that children are not frustrated, it is extremely important to add “…sometimes but not always.” after they recite the rhyme, as there are lots of exceptions to the rule. I've included this sentence in my poster set.

To build vocabulary, improve fluency, as well as spelling, I teach the “rule breakers” along with the words that follow the rule. 

This has been so successful with my own students, that I decided to design the "Vowel Villains"  & When To Vowels Go Walking" packet.  

I found it an especially appropriate title, as the word villain is a rule breaker!

Instead of being frustrated when they are tripped up by a rule-breaking word, my students get very excited because they’ve found yet another “convict word” to “jail”! 

Believe me, your students will LOVE this approach to word work.  Choose from a large variety of super-fun "rule-breaking" options.

My kiddos were constantly on the look out for CVVC words.  

They enjoyed determining if a word followed the rule or not, and took delight in finding “culprits” that they could add to the jailhouse.

Another thing that I include in the packet is some Rhyme Time activities.  There are posters with matching 2-on-a-page worksheets for time-saving printing.

Rhyme time, is another quick, easy & fun way to build vocabulary and help students find more examples of words that fit the rule.

Here are some of the things that the packet includes:
* 3 large “When two vowels go walking…” anchor chart posters, with a smaller version showing all of the posters on one page, along with matching bookmarks.

* 7 large vowel digraph posters to use as headers for a word wall.

* “When 2 vowels go walking…” finger puppets.  A set of boys, plus a set of girls in both black & white, as well as color.

They provide a super-fun way to introduce the rhyme & help children remember it.

* A set of 8, Mix & Match, “build-a-bookmark” patterns (boys & girls, black line & full color).

I’ve included completed samples, so you can quickly & easily make examples to share with your students to help explain what you want them to do. 

As you can see by the photograph there are lots of ways to mix & match the heads, feet & bodies to come up with a cute "Walking Vowel Bookmark".

* 338 (10-on-a-page) word cards for ai, ea, oa, & ee; including a blank set of cards so you can program with more words, plus a tip list of what else you can do with the word cards, including the“Kaboom” game. 

These words are also listed on anchor chart posters.

* A variety of “rule breaking activities” including a rule breaker song to the tune of London Bridge

* 74 rule-breaking word cards, with a blank set to program more.

* An assortment of “Lock them up” worksheets, with answer keys;  ai, ea, ie “I broke the rule” posters, along with a set of rule breaker,“build-a-bookmark” convicts, in color plus black & white.

* And as always, directions, tips, samples, links & photographs

I sincerely hope that your students enjoy learning tricky vowel combinations with these interesting techniques, as much as my students have.

Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop to check it out: "Vowel Villains & When 2 Vowels Go Walking...Packet". It's a whopping 135-pages, and just $4.95. 

Today's featured FREEBIE comes from the packet.  It's the 3 "When 2 Vowels Go Walking..." poster set." I really enjoyed creating the graphics, & hope you like them too.  Click on the link to get your copy. 

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

My bones are achy, so I'm hobbling around with my cane that I haven't used in months, reflecting on how much we take for granted when we are healthy & buzzing around. 

Wishing you an energizing day, filled with lots of memorable moments.

"You know, all that really matters is that the people you love are happy and healthy.  Everything else is just sprinkles on the sundae." -Paul Walker

1-2-3 Come Chalk Up Some Fun With Me

Woo Hoo!  I now have 500 wonderful people following my TpT shop, and as promised,  here's "Chalk Talk" a special milestone FREEBIE. 

A special thank you to all of my spectacular followers.  Please know that I'm grateful & appreciative.

Like most kiddos, I LOVE sidewalk chalk.  You can buy 6 to a dozen sticks at The Dollar Store, so I always had a big bucket on hand, for those crazy days when everyone has had enough, and you just need to take a break and get outside. 

Keeping in mind, that just about everything we do has to be "educational" and include the "standards", I'd have my kiddos start by practicing writing their names, letters, numbers and drawing shapes.  After we got that out of the way, they enjoyed creating "mess-terpieces" 'til it was time to go in. 

For quick kid-cleanup, make sure you bring some wet wipes with you, so students can wipe off their dusty hands.

If you give your students a first day gift or treat bag of some sort, and are looking for something easy and inexpensive, then I think you'll enjoy my "Welcome! ___________ is 'chalk' full of learning fun!"  treat bag.  I have templates for preschool, kindergarten and first grade, plus a blank one to fill in with whatever you teach.

And... no worries if you've already started school.  There's a generic "Wishing you a day that's 'chalk' full of fun!"  black & white, plus colorful note too.

My "pinspiration" for this packet, came from My Sweet Sanity's blog spot.  She used the "chalk full" play on words, for an end-of-the-year summer gift.  Click on the link to zip on over and see her rainbow version. 

If you'd like a first-day time filler, use the black & white header, so that students can pull it off, color and use as a bookmark. 

Attach the card to the front of a Snack Baggie, with a glue dot.  (I don't like using staples with little ones.) Put a piece of sidewalk chalk inside and you're done!

Super quick, easy, & inexpensive, yet a thoughtful gift that "keeps on giving".

Because students will want to play with the chalk right away, I wouldn't put them on their desks.  Instead, put the treats in a big basket in full view and wait for children to notice, or show them one and let them know that they will get their Baggie at the end of the day to take home, or...

Use them as a behavior modification technique.  Tell students that they need to work as a team with their new friends. 

Each time they complete a task, or show great group behavior, you'll color in a letter on the "chalk" poster.  When all of the letters have been colored in, they get their chalk and are able to go outside for some special fun.

As long as you're outside, why not take some pictures. Pinterest has quite a few photo op examples that involve sidewalk chalk.  If you take a first day of school picture, one of these ideas would make a cherished keepsake.  Children tend to be less camera shy while playing outside, so you should get some adorable shots like the ones pictured here.

I especially like the kindergarten idea.  Write your grade level as shown, and then have each student pose. 

I've linked back to give credit when I could, however some showed just a photo and went no where.  (Hover over the photo to see if it's linked and then bop on over to those sites for more details.)

The balloon and crown idea are also easy and cute. That little guy is so joy-filled!

Keeping with the sidewalk chalk theme, I designed some writing prompts that I call "Chalk Talk". 

There's one for boys and one for girls.  Children complete the prompt: "I had a nice day at school.  These are a few of the things that I did..."

I've also included two "chalk talk" posters to use for whatever you deem appropriate. 

Click on the link to view/download the Chalk Talk packet.

To see if I could find any other interesting things to do with sidewalk chalk, I Googled it.

For 30 fun games and activities with sidewalk chalk check out this creative birthday party idea website.

You can buy a bucket of sidewalk chalk at The Dollar Store, but if you’d like to make some, you can find a recipe on wikihow. For 7 fun ways to make ice chalk, click on the link.  I like the idea of using Popsicle sticks, so children's hands don't get as messy.

Finally, click on the link for a recipe for scented sidewalk chalk paint, (She used Kool-Aid for non-toxic fragrance) and says: "This is a super-simple and inexpensive paint recipe that rinses off with a hose."

Well that's it for today.  Time to go make some special memories with my grandchildren and our brand new tub of sidewalk chalk. 

Wishing you a day "chalk" full of giggles. 

"Leave a little love wherever you go." -Unknown

1-2-3 Come Make a Mary Had A Little Lamb Bulletin Board With Me

This cute schoolhouse craftivity, is a quick, easy and fun writing prompt that will make an adorable bulletin board.

I try to design things that practice a variety of skills & standards, so I’ve added the Mary Had a Little Lamb nursery rhyme to this activity.

There are 2 writing prompts to choose from: “I like school because . . .” and “My favorite things about school”.

Children color the schoolhouse then cut it in half, gluing the ends to their writing prompt page, in such a way that they flip open, to reveal the writing underneath.

Students complete the prompt, add some color & draw a picture of themselves.

For that finishing touch, have them glue their school picture on one of the windows.
I also added my photo to make this a special keepsake for them.

To help explain things, I’ve included colorful completed samples, so you can quickly make an example of your own to share with your kiddos.

Before or after this activity, share the Mary Had a Little Lamb nursery rhyme.

I’ve included background information, a poster poem, pocket chart cards, plus some “trace & write” color-me worksheets.

The pocket chart cards come in a full-page size, as well as two smaller sets on one template. 

Laminate & cut them apart.  For an independent center, students read the cards and put them in proper order.

The poem fits the schoolhouse writing prompt, and is a nice segue for introducing the nursery rhyme genre, along with rhyming words.

Discussion: “What words rhyme in the poem?” (go-snow & school-rule). Can they think of anymore?

You can do this as a whole-group activity and write the words on the board, or have older students make their own lists on the worksheets provided.

To practice another skill, have them alphabetize the words on their list. I’ve included answer keys.

Students can also share their schoolhouse at this time.  Completed projects make a sweet bulletin board.

To tie them into the poem, I’ve included a “_______________’s little lambs have found their way to school” poster for the center of your board, the nursery rhyme poster, plus some large sheep to go on each side. The photo shows the start of my bulletin board display.

You or your kiddos write their name on the little lamb cards, which are placed next to their schoolhouse. Add some border & you’re done. 

Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop for my newest back to school writing prompt craftivity.

While you're there, I would so appreciate it, if you'd follow me.  I just need 11 more people to hit 500 followers.  I love designing milestone FREEBIES and have a really cute one that I'm working on, in anticipation of reaching that goal soon.  Thanks in advance.

Today's FREEBIE features a variety of popular road signs that are perfect for your classroom.  They are especially fun if you're going to do a transportation theme. 

I've included large as well as small sizes.  Use the bigger ones as posters; I put a few back-to-back & suspended from my ceiling as gentle reminders. 

The smaller ones can be bookmarks, magnets or pencil toppers for your kiddos. Click on the link to grab this fun FREEBIE: Classroom Road Signs

That's it for today.  It's only 57 degrees out this morning, so fall is definitely in the air here in Michigan.  I am so not ready to let go of summer.  Wishing you a warm & wonderful day.

“August rain: the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time.” ~ Sylvia Plath 

1-2-3 Come Get Organized With Me

Using Absent Folders, is my all-time FAVORITE classroom management tip.

Three years ago I blogged about this, and shared a few covers.  Today, I revamped this idea, and 76-pages later, am happy to present my latest classroom management packet: The Absent Folders & Notes packet.

You will LOVE this idea, as it's so easy to implement & such a hassle-free time saver!

Simply choose the folder cover(s) you like, print, glue to a file folder & laminate. You're done! Use them every year.

When a child is absent, put a folder on their desk. When you pass out a worksheet, the student who sits in front of them, puts a copy inside the folder.

If you're working in a workbook, tear out those sheets & include them. (No more writing down a list of what pages, in what workbooks they need to do.)

Any notes being sent home that day also get tossed inside. The folder remains on their desk 'til they return, with each day's work paper clipped.

Now if a sibling pops in at the end of the day, or the office calls at the last minute that a parent has come to pick up assignments, you just take the "stuff" out of the folder, add a little get well note (I have 14 to choose from) & you're done!

No more frantic craziness at the end of the day when you're busy getting your kiddos ready for dismissal.

The packet includes:

* 34 cover options (Some cutesy & some for older grades)
* 14 "get well" plus "we miss you" notes. (Because children are absent for lots of reasons. I included these because there were many times I wanted to include a little note or card to make an ill child smile, but just didn't have the time or resources.)
* labels for your basket.
* cover for your notes.
* several options for "due date" notes 

Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop forThe Absent Folders & Notes packet.

To celebrate back to school, I've knocked a dollar off for a limited time, so this super, stress-buster, is only $2.95.  I sincerely hope you like this time saving tip as much as I do. 

Even tho' I've up-dated this idea, I've left my initial FREEBIE on my site. It includes 4 file folder covers, simply click on the link to grab them. 

Well that's it for today.  Feels good to get another thing checked off my to do list.  I hope you find it useful.  

It's a beautiful summer night.  Temperatures have cooled way down, and there's a hint of fall in the air. 

Great to have all of the windows open again.  Wishing you a star-filled evening. 

"I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night." - Sarah Williams

1-2-3 Come Do Some Miss Nelson is Missing Activities With Me

I am so excited to share my latest creation!  I hope you have as much fun with it, as I did designing the Miss Nelson is Missing Literacy & Math packet. 

Do you have a sub folder, binder or sub tub?  If you don’t, I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to take the time to make one.

You will be thanking yourself a zillion times later, when an emergency arises or you or your own children are sick.  This easy prep is a huge time saver!

Whether you’re “eaten by sharks” or “carried off by aliens”, you’ll have the peace of mind that “Viola Swamp” or whoever else subs for you, has a lesson plan.

This packet is HUGE, a whopping 203-pages, so there's enough for you to use part of the packet to teach a variety of standards, with plenty left over to add to a sub folder, binder or sub tub. 

It’s loaded with all sorts of reading, writing & math activities that your students will really enjoy doing.

There are also some awesome classroom management goodies like a Viola Swamp (Stop & Freeze!) tool, a Sweet Miss Nelson Punch Card, along with "Swamp's Stamp of Approval" posters & bookmarks that promote positive behavior. 

I've included a few little extras for making a sub tub, binder or folder, such as a "welcome note", cute "submarine" covers, & a "while you were out" form for them to fill out, so you know how things went.

There's a ton of writing prompts with 5 craftivities like the "What bugged Miss Nelson?  How did Miss Swamp bug the children?" ladybug, as well as the "Flipping over Characters" booklet.

As always, I include photographs & my completed sample masters, to share with your kiddos if you don't have the time to whip one up. 

Completed projects make wonderful bulletin boards to showcase your students' work.

Everything’s centered around the story, but also works independently as well. Simply pick & choose what’s appropriate for your kiddos.  

Run things off, organizing them however best suits your schedule, then fill out your lesson plan for what you’ve done, include the book & you’re good to go!  

Woo hoo! No worries, no stress, no trying to think, when your brain is elsewhere or your body is ill. I did the work, so you don’t have to.  

Using the materials I’ve provided & perhaps adding a few of your own ideas, you’ll have a sub tub, binder or folder that you can reuse every year!  One more thing checked off your “too-long” to do list.

The packet includes: posters, pocket chart cards, word cards, games, puzzles, a variety of worksheets, graphic organizers, Venn diagrams, lots of vocabulary-building word work, 2 class-made books, & an emergent reader.

There's also inference & prediction activities, text to text, self & world activities, so you can cover even more Common Core. 

The math activities review: numbers, skip counting by 2s, 3s, 5s & 10s, counting backwards, 2D shapes, addition & subtraction story problems, plus measurement.

Your kiddos will especially love the "Where's Miss Nelson, Miss Swamp & Detective McSmogg" shape games. 

The photo shows the Miss Nelson set.  There's a matching set for the other 2 characters as well. 

Because Miss Nelson is Missing, it seemed only appropriate to include a variety of "What Letter or Number is Missing?" worksheets.

My personal favorite math activity is the paper airplane measurement craftivity game.

I've included a pattern students fold to make the plane, plus recording sheets to fill with a variety of data about how far the planes flew. 

This is a super-fun way to practice a variety of math skills like: measurement, graphing, comparison-contrast, guesstimation, addition & subtraction.

I'm confident that you will LOVE the versatility of this super-fun, stress-busting packet.  It’s one of my most useful & all-time favorites. 

Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop.  To celebrate back-to-school, the Miss Nelson is Missing Literacy & Math Packet is on sale for only $7.95. I knocked $2 off for a limited time.

It's chock full of so many goodies, I can't even mention them all.  If you're at all interested, the best thing to do is click on my preview to see lots more samples, as well as a complete list of contents. 

I have 3 FREEBIES for you today.  All of them are included in the packet. 

The Miss Nelson is Missing pocket chart cards, are not only a quick, easy & fun way to review the story, but practice end punctuation and capitalization as well.  Click on the link to grab this useful FREEBIE. 

I'm also featuring 2 anchor chart-posters.  Click on the link for the "Parts of a Story" poster. 

The "If people don't appreciate your presence, then make them appreciate your absense" poster is a wonderful writing prompt for the Miss Nelson is Missing Story.  Discuss what the poster means and how it ties in with the story.

That's it for today. Time to go "cruising" in our Cooper & watch lots of antique trucks, hot rods & vintage cars cruise down 28th street. 

Each year this "blast from the past" gets bigger & better. Wishing you a wonderful weekend filled with sweet summer moments.

"Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?" - George Carlin

1 page.

Help your students remember the parts of a story, with this cute anchor chart-poster.  This FREEBIE is part of my jumbo Miss Nelson is Missing Literacy & Math packet in my TpT shop. click on the link to pop on over.  For your convenience, I've included a PREVIEW here.

31 pages

The packet includes 2D shape posters for a circle, oval, square, rectangle, triangle, pentagon, hexagon, octagon, rhombus, trapezoid, star & heart.

1-2-3 Come Review 2D Shapes With Me

As we prepare our rooms for back to school, it's nice to have a few posters to create instant bulletin boards or wall displays. 

With that in mind, I designed a set of 2D posters, which match the 3D shape posters I posted a few days ago. 

They come in a variety of sizes, so that you can use them for anchor charts, flashcards, centers, & games.  

The packet includes the following shapes: circle, oval, square, rectangle, triangle, pentagon, hexagon, octagon, rhombus, trapezoid, star & heart.

I included the rhombus & trapezoid because I use pattern blocks as manipulatives, so my kiddos might as well learn the names of these shapes. 

The star & heart are also part of the packet because our preschool teaches those shapes too. Simply print out the shapes that you teach. 

For your convenience, I've also made a full-page poster showing all of the shapes, as well as one featuring just the standard 6.

There's a one-page set of cards so that you can play Memory Match or "I Have; Who Has?" games, along with a sheet of bookmarks that students can tuck into their math journals. 

One shows all of the shapes, the other bookmark the standard 6.

Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop to pick up the 2D Shapes packet.  I hope you find it useful. 

While you're there, why not make a "wish list" for tomorrow's special one-day site-wide TpT sale. (August 19th) My shop will be 20% off. 

Save an additional 10% by typing in the MORE15 coupon code.

 Well that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by. I can't believe how fast August is flying.  It always does (heavy sigh...) but this year more so than ever! 

Anyone else relate with end-of-the-summer August Anxiety? Wishing you a carefree day. 

"August is the Sunday of summer." -Unknown

1-2-3 Come Do Some Alphabet and Number Activities With Me

Amy, from Kentucky, asked if I was going to do a Kissing Hand -Themed activity packet for the alphabet, or one for counting & numbers that would match the trio that I posted this past week.   Like me, she likes to teach a variety of standards using a theme. 

I actually had one in the works, which includes both, and just finished it today!  Woo hoo. This ABC-123, raccoon-themed packet, matches the other 3 “Kissing Hand” inspired packets: Literacy,  Shapes &  Where’s the Raccoon?

The ABC-123 includes the following:

3 sets of letter cards: uppercase, lowercase, & both UC & LC on one card, so you can play all sorts of games like Memory Match, “I Have; Who Has?”, Kaboom & Speed. I’ve included a 4-page tip list of ideas & directions.

An accordion-fold out, “trace the letters” booklet.

0-10, number & number word pocket chart cards, with a matching poster.

9 number puzzles (color + black & white) to practice numbers 1-10, counting backwards from 10-1, as well as skip counting by 10s to 100.

Use for an independent center & games. Run off the black line ones for children to color, cut & make their own number puzzle.

Counting Kisses 0-10 poster, with a matching worksheet & game cards.
An accordion-fold out Counting Kisses booklet.

Large (8x10) Counting Kisses poster cards for numbers 0-10, with a matching set of 5x7 cards. Use as anchor chart posters & flash cards.
A matching booklet for students. They glue on the appropriate number of kiss “stickers”.

5 number worksheets.
2 roll & color games. You can also use these as “I Spy” game worksheets.

A letter poster showing the arrow directions to write letters, with a matching worksheet, along with 5 other alphabet worksheets.

2 “I Spy A Letter” game sheets for whole-group assessing upper & lowercase letters, with a recording sheet.

A raccoon “slider” craftivity for upper & lowercase letters, numbers 1-20, counting backwards from 10-0 & 20-0; plus slider strips for skip counting by 2s, 3s, 5s, & 10s. A quick, easy & fun way to whole group assess. Includes an assessment sheet.

Upper & lowercase assessment mats & recording sheets, along with a set of upper & lowercase Kissing Hand letter cards, and an alphabet matching game.

Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop to take a peek at my newest Kissing Hand packet: ABCs & 123s.

However, since many teachers offer a bundle to give you added savings, I combined this new ABC-123 packet, with the Shape & "Where's the Raccoon?" packets.

You'll save $3 by buying the bundle, as this 247-page whopper, is only $10.95.  Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop to check it out: Kissing Hand Bundle.

And now for today's featured FREEBIE: A "Dear Students..." poster.  Perfect for back to school. Click on the link to grab it.

Well that's it for today.  It's super-hot and muggy here in my little corner of the world. 

Yuk! Humidity really zaps my energy, so it's time to escape for a dip in the the pool.  Wishing you a refreshing day filled with Ahhhhh moments.

"The man who is swimming against the stream knows the strength of it." -Woodrow Wilson