1-2-3 Come Skip Count With Me

Do you read the story “How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin” by Margaret McNamara?

If you haven’t heard of it, click the LINK to see it on YouTube.

It’s not only an interesting read aloud that your students will really enjoy, but it’s absolutely perfect for exploring estimation and skip counting by 2s, 5s & 10s.

In the story, this is done via a small, medium & large pumpkin experiment, that Mr. Tiffin’s students take part in.

Skip counting is a standard most of us have on our “To Do” list, but finding interesting activities for practice can be challenging.

With that in mind, I designed a variety of fun, pumpkin-themed, skip counting activities; which will keep your students happily engaged, while they practice skip counting by 2s, 5s & 10s.

I use the story “How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin” as an excellent introduction to skip counting, then transition to the activities.

There’s a nice variety of pumpkin-themed worksheets.

These are great as table top activities, for early finishers, a homework assignment or a sub tub. 

I've included "trace & write" skip counting worksheets, as well as "What's Missing?", where students fill in the missing skip counted number.  (These are simple & quick assessment tools too.)

My students love the "Skip Count While You Connect the Dots" and the Bingo-dot worksheets.

They enjoy visiting this center, which I set up on a wooden TV tray.

My kiddos use an orange & yellow bingo dauber (you can buy them at The Dollar Store) to make an AB-AB color pattern, as they skip count and dot each numbered circle.

They also enjoy the puzzles. I've included colorful ones, so you can print, laminate & trim. 

I keep mine in our math center and use them every year in October.

There are also black & white puzzle patterns, so children can color and make their own.

Finally, there is also a variety of games that your students will enjoy, while they learn & practice the various skip counting standards.

On the craftier side, I’ve also included a pumpkin slider craft; if your students are like mine, they will absolutely love making one. 

To save time, run the pattern off on orange construction paper, then have students add a bit of green crayon to the stem & vine.

They then cut out their pumpkin & insert the "slider" strip, with whatever set of skip counted numbers you want to work on.

If you want a bit of 3D pop, give kiddos a piece of green pipe cleaner to wrap around a pencil then poke into the stem and attach with a piece of Scotch tape. 

I've also included an easy-peasy, square pattern, which is simpler for little ones to cut out.

There's also a variety of posters, including a "Look Who Can Skip Count By..." poster, which students get to sign, once they have mastered skip counting.

Trust me on this one, this is a "big deal" to my students, and helps build their self-esteem as well.

It takes less than a minute to count together as a class.

I cover the next number with the "Count with me" strip, then move it as children skip count aloud. 

Hang a set in the hallway, outside the bathroom, so when you're lining up waiting for children, you can practice!

You can also give children a mini certificate of praise for their accomplishment. They come 4-on-a-page, in black & white as well as color.

As with the posters, there's a different one for skip counting by 2s, 5s & 10s.

There are two featured FREEBIES today. Both have a pumpkin theme.

The first is a sweet little "Welcome to our patch!" poster you can hang on your classroom door.

The other is a "Just For Fun" trace & color worksheet I designed after reading "Pete the Cat's 5 Little Pumpkins" story. Hope your kiddos enjoy it.

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

It's really a gray, overcast day, so no Mr. Sunshine to energize me; however, it makes for a great time to check a few things off my too-long "To Do" list. 

Wishing you a terrific day filled with lots of fall fun.

"Try to learn something about everythig and everything about something." -Thomas H. Huxley

1-2-3 Come Make An Apple Craftivity With Me

Apples is one of my favorite fall themes. 

For those of you who are familiar with my work, you know I love dabbling with a "play on words" to add a smile and interest to activities.

 

"'A-peel-ing' Apples" is that kind of craftivity, as the "peel" is a spiral, which provides excellent fine motor practice, and looks amazing dangling from the ceiling!

It's a quick, easy & super-fun apple craft that covers a variety of standards.

 

This is also an interesting way for your students to learn more about their classmates, as there never seems to be enough time for all of the fun "getting to know you" activities for back-to-school.

 

I like to do at least one "learning about each other" activity each month, to help continue to build community & the cameraderie which comes from that.

 

An added bonus is that completed projects make an outstanding display, as the apples swirl & twirl from the ceiling.

 

You’re sure to get a ton of compliments as this apple craft has the “Wow!” factor.

I’ve included a variety of posters to not only enhance your display, but to help introduce the lesson, and teach older kiddos a bit about nouns & adjectives, as this lesson is easily diversified for a variety of grade levels, from kindergartners on up.

 

Spirals: My kiddos are absolutely fascinated watching me demonstrate how to “follow the line, staying on the road” as I cut my spiral and the “peel” begins to dangle down.

Cutting out a spiral is a great way to strengthen those finger muscles, and evaluate your students “listening & following directions” skill too. 

 

TIP: Cutting is so much easier, if you demonstrate what you want your kiddos to do.

I tell my students to "Stay on the road and cut on the dark line."

 

I also have a room helper cut around the spiral, instead of leaving it in a square (see photo).

 

It is less confusing for little ones to know where to start, if they are just cutting on one line.

 

I've also made a pattern for your left-handed kiddos as well.

Grab that teachable SCIENCE moment, to reinforce the “parts of an apple” with the various pieces used to assemble the finished project.

 

Creating apples in red, yellow & green also practices the fact that an apple’s skin comes in more than one color too.

 

There are a variety of options for you to choose from to make differentiating easy-peasy.

There are 4 different apple writing prompt options. 

 

There are also 2 “apple toppers” pictured on the right.

Younger kiddos can simply jot down one thing they find “a-peeling” while older students can create a list to practice that writing standard.

Preschool kiddos can dictate their answers to a room helper, or you can make this a homework assignment, where parents can assist their child. 

I use the definition poster to teach what the word “appealing” means, then explain the play-on-words of an apple peel, showing them that the spiral represents the peeling of the apple.

We brainstorm a bit about all sorts of things we find appealing. Children think about one thing they find appealing then write it on the blank circle and illustrate it.  

This is a super-fun project to do with older reading buddies; my kinders work with a 5th grader who can help them with spelling. 

I've provided 4 styles of paper patterns for students to write on and then glue under their apple or topper. The paper patterns are long and narrow; perfect for making a list.

Students can simply make up their own list, or you can read the "Tell me Ten" response worksheet.

For example, one of the questions is  "What color do you find appealing?"

 

Students take far less time with a structured format such as this, and you can include the question worksheet as part of your display.

You can use my sample questions, or create your own.

 

When displaying student work, the apple-topped lists can be hung back-to-back, then suspended from the ceiling.

A "whole apple" list, can also be hung singly, or back-to-back.

If you're going to do this, have one student glue their "peel" to the top  or side of their apple, while the other child glues theirs to the bottom of their paper.

 

Extend the lesson and have children draw a picture to illustrate their answers, by using the blank, white "center", which they can glue to the back of their apple.

 

The yellow apple sample pictured on the right, uses a template that has students complete the sentence with an animal, color & activity they find appealing.

 

The red apple pictured on the left, reinforces nouns, and has students complete the sentence with a person, place and thing that they find appealing.

 

Remind kiddos to add end punctuation when completing the sentences. (Woo hoo another standard practiced!)

 

If you're doing this with older students, they can write their own, complete sentences. 

 

Patterns come in black & white, as well as full color, so that teachers can quickly and easily make an example to share.

 

Be sure and make a personal one, so that students can learn more about their teacher too.

 

To save time, I’ve also included my completed patterns.

 

Today's featured FREEBIE also has an apple theme.

It's an "Aa is for apple" alphabet wheel. 

It's the first in a series of 26, ABC letter wheels.  I hope you enjoy it.

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

The sun has finally ventured out after an all-day deluge of rain, so it's time to take my poodle pup Chloe, for a walk!

Wishing you a fun-filled week.

 "Anyone can count the seeds in an apple; only God can count the apples in one seed." -Robert H. Schuller

1-2-3 Teach Some Constitution Day Activities With Me

I'm back!  I took the summer off for a much-deserved rest, but am now in the swing of things again and excited to share my latest creation.

I don't know about you, but when it came to being a fount of knowledge about our Constitution, I was sadly lacking expertise.

So, in 2004, when our government declared September 17th Constitution Day (also Citizenship Day), all public schools had to teach something about the Constitution.

I, along with many of my teacher friends thought, "Where will I find the time to squeeze that activity in with all of the other 'have-to-get-done' lessons?" 

Don't get me wrong, I love being an American citizen and am extremely grateful for our country's freedoms, feeling blessed indeed; but as a teacher faced with yet another thing to add to an already full plate, one can't help but feel a bit overwhelmed, with the prospect of "What on earth am I going to find that my early elementary students will understand?" All while thinking, " and when will I get time to prep this?"

No worries.  I put in the time so you don't have to!

"Find Me a Fact" is an easy-peasy, no prep, "print and go” activity you can simply run off and pass out.

If you don’t know much about the Constitution, no problem.

I’ve spent hours researching factual information about the Constitution, then compiled 8-pages of easy-to-understand background information, plus interesting and fun facts for you.

Students simply pick a “Topper”. I designed these semi-circular "glue ons" complete with Constitution-themed clip art. 

There are 9 designs students can choose from, and are just the right size to top a full sheet of writing paper. 

The graphics come in both black & white, as well as color, so that teachers can quickly & easily make an example to share.

I've also included 4 kinds of writing paper templates.

Pick the one that best suits your students' writing abilities, or have them complete their assignment on a sheet of notebook paper. 

You can use my background information to make your own example, or share it with your students as a non-fiction read. 

I designed an Uncle Sam "I want you..." poster that can be used to introduce the lesson. (The poster lists what you want students to do.) 

Afterwards, you can use Sam as the center for your bulletin board display, as completed projects make an awesome student-made bulletin board for Constitution Day, that's sure to get lots of compliments.

I've also included several posters to scatter around your display to add some extra pizzazz.

Simply run off the patterns.

Students choose a "topper" then they color, cut and glue this to their completed assignment, which is to find 3 facts about the Constitution.

You can use my list of educational and very helpful website LINKS about the Constitution, to steer your kiddos in the right direction.

This can be done as a homework assignment, or be part of your class computer lab.

There's also a worksheet that students fill out to help them navigate finding their 3 facts, as they provide URL links and explain how they know these facts to be true and the websites they used reliable.

There are also 7 “danglers”, which are a bunting-like decoration that's glued to the bottom of their paper.

You can skip this step, but I really think the borders add extra pizzazz and take just a few minutes more time.

To reinforce lessons learned about the Constitution, students share one of their facts with their classmates the next day.

As an extension to the lesson, after hearing everyone's answer, children can choose their favorite or most interesting fact that they learned, and jot it down on yet another worksheet. 

Yippee! Fun, fast, educational, easy and a bulletin board to boot.

Woo Hoo and Happy Constitution Day to you!

Since we also study apples in September, the FREEBIE for today is called "You Can Count on Willie".

It's a sweet, little apple craft, which is a super-fun way to practice counting.

There are several options to help your students count from 1-10, as well as skip count by 2's,3's, 5's, or 10's.

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

It's the perfect day to be putzing with crafty things, as the sky is electric with lightning, and a gentle rain whispers as the rivulets cascade down my windowpane. 

Wishing you a wonderful week and a blessed Constitution Day.

"To teach is to learn twice." -Joseph Joubert

1 2 3 Come Do Some More "Oh, the Places You'll Go..." Suess Activities With Me!

Last week I posted a super-fun “Oh the Places I'll Go”  flip-the-flap, writing prompt HAT craftivity. 

While I was working on that packet, I also designed a craft featuring "little readers" as well as graphics depicting older students; however the packet was fast approaching 100 pages, so I decided to divide the crafts into 3 separate packets, which would then have less pages and a much lower price point.

This way, teachers could choose which writing prompt best suits their students and grade level.

Featured below, are the other two "Oh the Places" packets, which are not only perfect for March is Reading Month, Read Across America, or a Celebration of Seuss Week. but certainly appropriate at the end of the year, when students are "going places" by advancing into a new grade or graduating!

As with the HAT craft, these too, combine reading and writing with a bit of geography.

Children think of a place they’d like to travel to. Money is no object, so the world is literally at their feet.

Older students can do a bit of research, to find out about a fascinating place they’d like to travel to. (Thus the geography connection, as well as great research & technology practice!)

In the "Little Readers" packet there are 4, black & white graphic options of children reading a book. They come with and without faces.

The Students choose one, which becomes the “base”. They color, then cut it out. The hat "booklet" is glued to the top of the graphic of the child's head. 

So that teachers can quickly and easily make an example to share, I've also included full-color patterns.

The cover of the hat, comes with & without the question words: Who? What? Why? When? Where & How?

This flips up to reveal 3-pages of answers.

For one of my samples I used the same color scheme as the "Oh, the Places You'll Go" story.

To add a bit more interest, I also used those same colored markers to write in my answers.

I’ve also included a blank page template, so that students can consolidate their answers to one page, or write longer answers if they want. 

For this sample I used red to color in alternating stripes, for a more traditional looking Seuss hat. 

This is a great teachable moment to practice an ABAB color pattern as well.

Using white as my second color choice and not having to fill in those stripes also saved time.

The craftivity provides an interesting way to practice & reinforce the “5 Ws + 1 H” question words in a fun way.

I find this particularly helpful with my Y5s as they enjoy sharing, so when I ask if anyone has any questions they'll often say things like, "I want to make one" or "I have a hat like that" instead of asking a question. 

In all three packets I’ve included a poster with the questions, which you can use to introduce your lesson.

Afterwards, hang it up, so that older students can refer to it, or you could also read each question, then allow time for students to write down their answers.

As always, patterns come in both black & white for students, as well as color, so that teachers can quickly & easily make an example to share

You can leave the “child reading craftivity” as is, or have students glue it to the pattern featuring a stack of 2 suitcases. 

If you think this is too much coloring for your kiddos, simply snip off the bottom suitcase to give to another child.

A luggage tag for a student’s name, adds some 3D pizzazz. 

Completed projects make a terrific bulletin board or hallway display.

I’ve included a variety of posters in both packets, to enhance the display of your students' work. 

The quote posters are in plural form, as if your students are saying these popular phrases from the story. 

There are also letters for the caption: “Oh, the Places We’ll Go!” to add extra pizzazz, which are also included in all 3 packets.

Add a splash more geography and use the "globe" letters for the upper and lowercase O. 

I also had a lot of fun designing my first "background papers", which I've included in both packets as well. I hope you find them useful.

The other "Oh, the Places I'll Go" packet, featuring graphics of older students, is similar to the "Little Readers" one; however, there are two writing prompt craftivities in this packet.

One is a file folder suitcase.

Students color and trim the suitcase, then glue it to the front of a file folder, which flips down to reveal their completed 3-page writing prompt.

The writing provides an interesting way to practice & reinforce the “5 Ws + 1 H”, which are also in the Hat and Little Readers packets: Where would you like to go? When would you like to go? Who do you want to go with? Why do you want to go? What do you want to see? and "How do you want to get there?

The 2nd choice is a “Travel Trunk.” This booklet has 6 pages to it, where students answer the same questions listed above.

I’ve also included a blank page template, so that students can consolidate their answers to one page, or write longer answers if they want.

The trunk booklet can be left as is, or topped with a "student reading” graphic. There are 4 options children can choose from.

Students color and trim, then glue to the top of their trunk booklet.

Another option, is to glue their trunk booklet to the base of a stack of suitcases. 

This option can be left "as is" or can also be topped with one of the 4 ”students reading a book” graphics for a taller completed project.

You decide which version is appropriate for your students, or you could add extra variety to your display by giving students a choice. 

There are two featured FREEBIES today.

Since spring brings a buzzing of bees, I thought you'd like to have a "Parts of a Honey Bee" anchor chart poster. 

For the second FREEBIE, click on the link for some bee-themed math games.

Well that's it for today, thanks for stopping by. 

Woo hoo! The sun is shining and temps are in the 50s.

Even though spring has sprung, it still remains rather chilly here in Michigan. Wishing you a warm and wonderful day.

"Reading is dreaming with open eyes!" -Unknown

1-2-3 Come Do Some Dr. Seuss Activities With Me

Do you read “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”  by Dr. Seuss? It’s one of my all-time favorite Seuss stories.

“Oh the Places You’ll Go” is not only perfect for March is Reading Month, Read Across America, or a Celebration of Seuss Week. but the story is also appropriate at the end of the year, when students are advancing into a new grade or graduating!

With that in mind, I decided to combine reading and writing with a bit of geography, with this super-fun “Oh, the Places I’LL Go!” craftivity.

Children think of a place they’d like to travel to. Money is no object, so the world is literally at their feet.

Older students can do a bit of research to find out about a fascinating place they’d like to travel to. (Thus the geography connection, as well as great research & technology practice!)

The cover of this “flip-the-flap” hat, comes with the question words: Who? What? Why? When? Where & How? written on the stripes, which when flipped over, reveal the student’s answers.

For example, “Where would you like to travel to?”, "When would you like to go?", "Why do you want to go there?", "Who do you want to go with?", "What do you want to see?" and "How do you want to get there?"

The craftivity provides an interesting way to practice & reinforce the “5 Ws + 1 H” question words in a fun way.

I’ve included a poster, with the entire questions that you can use to introduce your lesson.

As always, patterns come in both black & white for students, as well as color, so that teachers can quickly & easily make an example to share.

There are also blank patterns, so that older students can write in their own words and title.

Completed projects make a terrific bulletin board or hallway display.

I’ve included a variety of posters that you can sprinkle among your students creations.

I rewrote a few of the story's most popular quotations in first person to match the "Oh,the Places I'LL Go!" writing prompt title, and put them inside speech bubbles, as if your students are saying them.

Besides the quote posters, there are two others featuring students reading their way to wonderful places.

I had a lot of fun designing background papers using the color scheme from the cover of the "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" book.

I thought maybe teachers would like to use them for their own personal creations, so I've included those as well.

I also designed a set of letters which spell out the caption: “Oh, the Places We’ll Go!” to add some extra pizzazz.

Simply print, laminate & trim; then hang above your display. 

To add a bit of a "geography look", I created several globes, which can be substituted for the capital and lowercase letter O.

You can leave the hat “as is” or have students glue their completed craftivity to the suitcase pattern.

A luggage tag for a student’s name, adds some 3D pop, when the top portion is glued to the handle of the suitcase, then bent up.

Today's featured FREEBIE also has a Seuss theme featuring the Grinch. 

Celebrate Seuss with these two rhyming & writing, Grinch-themed "craftivities". One features two writing prompts. 

Students think of things that make them grin like the Grinch,  jotting these down on the left side.  On the right side, they list things that make them "grinchly and grumpy".  

The other craft is a "doorknobber".  On the front, students glue their photo face over the Grinch's, after they color it.  On the back, they list all of the words that they can think of that rhyme with whatever word you assign.  I chose Grinch and Seuss. 

Samples of both are included, so you can easily show examples to your students to help explain what you want them to do.

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

The sun is shining, which makes the cold and windy weather almost bearable. 

Wishing you a wonderful week.

"When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it." - Henry Ford

1-2-3 Come Do Some Green Eggs And Ham Activities With Me

Do you read “Green Eggs and Ham” by Dr. Seuss?  It’s one of my students’ favorites.

Besides reading the story to my kiddos I sometimes like to show them a video.

The one to the left is an 8-minute, animated version that aired on TV. (Click the picture to take a look.)

The other video is the story being read. 

You could turn the sound off and have the children read along; however, the pages turn rather quickly.

As a transitional activity, to be done after students read the story,  I designed a cute "Green Eggs and Ham"  writing prompt.

Introduce the lesson with the graphing extension, which you can laminate and hang on the board.

Students write their name on the graph as to whether they like or don't like green eggs and ham, then complete their writing prompt activity.

Keep things simple for younger students, who simply fill in the blanks on their worksheet, then draw pictures of foods that they like and dislike.

I've included my full-color samples, so that you can quickly print off an example to share. 

Older students can expand their writing on one of the two, blank worksheet options. 

For that finishing touch, students can glue their school photo to the top of the page.

To add a bit of pizzazz and craftiness to their writing, students can also make the paper plate craft.

Half of a plate, pops out and appears to balance on their traced hand print, much like Sam balances a tray of green eggs and ham throughout the story.

Students draw the foods that they like and don't like on their plate, differentiating the two, by dividing the plate in half.

They can label their plate or glue on the "thumbs up/thumbs down" icons, or "yum/yuk" emojis, which are included.

After they complete their plate, students pick a partner and take turns tracing each other's hand or hand with a bit of arm.

The plate, hand print and worksheet are then glued on a bright colored sheet of construction paper.

Completed projects make an interesting 3D-bulletin board.

I’ve included lime green, polka dot letters, which spell “Hungry For A Good Book?”

Simply print, laminate and trim, then hang the caption above your bulletin board or hallway display.

Today's featured FREEBIE is another Seuss-themed activity.

This craft goes along with "The Cat in the Hat".

The packet includes pocket chart cards for the story elements, as well as a hat craft, which helps students practice sequencing and retelling "The Cat in the Hat" story.

Older students can make their own hat, while younger kiddos can help you make one hat together. 

Completed projects look great on hallway lockers. 

Clip art was purchased & photographs are Public Domain.

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

As I look out my snowy window and listen to the forecast of more to come, I am longing for spring.

"Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple." -Dr. Seuss

1-2-3 Come Do Some Activities For "Sneezy the Snowman" With Me

Do you read the story “Sneezy the Snowman” by Maureen Wright?

It’s one of my students’ favorite winter books, and perfect for practicing the “sequencing and retelling a story” standards.

With that in mind, I designed three, quick, easy and fun activities that you can make.  

I love that YouTube often has children's books being read.  It helps me decide if I want to purchase it. 

These short clips are also fun to play for my students as a review, after I have read the story. Here's a link featuring a family of voices reading "Sneezy" (4:35 minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J6uZLX9tqg

First up is a "Sneezy the Snowman" flip booklet. There are two options to choose from.

Since Sneezy ultimately solves his “too cold-too hot” problem, by eating ice cream, one of the options is an ice cream cone topped with a “scoop” of snowman. Sneezy’s “head” flips up to reveal pages that have been sequenced from the story.

The other option, is a full-bodied snowman, where a big snowball at the base of Sneezy is the cover, which also flips up.

As always, all of my patterns come in black & white for students, as well as full color, so that teachers can quickly & easily make a sample to share.

So that you can diversify your lessons, there are also two page options available.

Choose the set of 6 pages, which have 2 graphics on a page, for younger students, while older students can opt to sequence and assemble 12 pages featuring a single graphic.

Besides sequencing and retelling, students can also get in some writing practice, as there is room to write a sentence at the bottom of the single-graphic pages, and if you need more room, students can finish on the back of the page. If you're using the double-graphic pages, students can write at the top of the flipped-up page.

When everyone is done, “read” the booklet as a whole group, calling on a student to explain what’s happening on that page; they choose another classmate to continue.

Afterwards, for more reinforcement, students can partner up and take turns retelling the story.

Next up is a "Sneezy the Snowman" storytelling wheel. 

There are three wheel “cover” options to choose from.

One features Sneezy, another shows children building the snowman, and the 3rd is a full-bodied snowman, where the wheel is the big “snowball” base.

The snowman’s “head” is easily trimmed and glued to the top.

Choose your favorite, or give students a choice. Obviously the "head topper" takes a bit longer, but is my personal favorite.

For more reinforcement, as well as another way to assess comprehension, I’ve also included “color, cut & glue” puzzle worksheets.

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

Another super-fun thing for students to do is to play “Speed”. They pick a partner and race to see who can sequence their puzzle first.

Finally, a storytelling "slider" is another super-fun way to practice these standards. I named this craftivity a slider because students slide a strip filled with graphics through a "window" to retell the story.

Like the wheel craft, there are 3 “outside” slider options available: Sneezy sneezing, a snowman, and one with children building a snowman.

Pick your favorite or give children a choice.

All of them are easy-peasy to cut, as they are in a rectangular shape; however, you can also choose to cut around the snowman. The “slider strip” fits all of the patterns.

Children color, cut & glue their slider strips together, then insert it into the “slits” of their cover.

As they pull on the end of the “slider” the various pictures go through the “window”, so that children can take turns retelling the story with a classmate.

I’ve included full-color patterns for you, as well as a black & white templates for students.

As an easy & interesting way to assess comprehension, I’ve also included a “Let’s sequence the story” worksheet, where students color and trim the picture tiles then glue them in the correct order. 

The slider, as well as the wheel and booklet packets, also include a “Here’s What Happened”  worksheet to help check comprehension. They are different in each one.

The black & white versions can be completed by older students. Use the colorful pattern as a whole group activity, to review the story before little ones begin making their craftivity.

Since Valentine's Day is just around the corner, today's featured FREEBIE is a sweet "I love you" ABC activity, which can be a card, magnet, bookmark or writing prompt. 

If you've already got Valentine's Day covered, you can use this for Mother's, Father's, or Grandparents Day.

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

I'm literally chilling out here in Michigan, as the "Polar Vortex" continues to put us at minus degrees one day, then in the 40s with everything melting on another. 

Today everything is beautifully wrapped in dripping ice, as Mother Nature continues to drive us bonkers.  Wishing you a warm and wonderful week.

"She's fire and ice. You'll fear the cold and crave the burn." - JM Storm

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

Having taken down all the decorations, plus sent home lots of wonderful student work that once festooned the walls, our hallways always look a bit bleak and bare after Christmas vacation. 

It's time to begin again, and since I live in Michigan where snow lasts well into March, I like to do a big snow theme in January.

With that in mind, I designed this sled-themed packet. 

The name sleds are a quick, versatile, and fun craftivity, that creates a super-cute, winter bulletin board or hallway display.

I’ve included letters which spell out “Brrr-illiant Work!” to use for a header.

I've gotten a bit more tech saavy and was able to use this beautiful, blue background paper to make the letters. 

Simply print, laminate, trim and hang on or above your bulletin board or wall display,

There are 28, black & white graphics of children to top a sled with; as well as full color, so that teachers can quickly and easily make an example to share. 

Choose your favorites or give children a choice. Younger children will find the rectanglular shape easy to trim, while older students can opt to cut around the picture.

Besides the 28 graphics, there are also 3 different style options: 1. Graphic with a face on the child, 2. Graphic with a blank face, so that students can draw on their own, and 3. Graphic with a white "photo circle" over the face, so that children can glue on a picture of themselves.

Younger children can simply color the picture, trim and glue to their paper sled with their name on it, while older students can use their sled to go along with one of the writing prompts.

There are three writing worksheets to choose from.

My personal favorite is: “Sledding With My 5 Senses”.

I share my examples, which i've included in the packet.  We close our eyes and pretend we are sledding, then discuss some things we might see, hear, feel etc. 

"Expand" these thoughts with older students. For example. "I see snow" is appropropriate for little ones; while "I see sparkling white snow" is expanded to include adjectives. 

This more descriptive sentence helps everyone "see" what the author does.  If your students are like mine, they will really enjoy "growing" a sentence. 

I’ve also included a “Come Sledding With Me” poem. Use the colorful poster for the center of your display.

"Oh no! Sloping snow. Here we go!"  This rhyming poem is chock full of over 20 Dolch sight words. Have older students use the black & white version to practice reading, along with a variety of other standards.

There’s a question sheet that you can share with your class. For example, "What words rhyme in the first stanza?" "Can you think of another rhyming word?"

Have older students write their answers on their BW copy of the poem.  I've included my completed sample to use as an answer key.

Another quick, easy and fun way to continue with the poetry genre, is having students make an acrostic poem, using the word sledding.

I’ve included an acrostic pattern, with a definition poster, plus an example to introduce your lesson.

Completed projects can be displayed with the name sled craft for a really cute language arts bulletin board. 

And woo hoo! Look at how many standards your students have practiced, all while enjoying making a name sled.

Since the 100th Day of school is just around the corner, today's featured FREEBIE is a quick, easy & fun little "Rip & Tear" craft to help you celebrate. 

Ripping and tearing strips of paper into small square scraps and then gluing them to their #100 worksheet, is not only fun for your kiddos, it helps strengthen their finger muscles.

Children can do a multi-colored "rainbow" 100, like my sample, or choose 2 or 3 colors and do an AB-AB or ABC-ABC color pattern. 

Completed projects make a sweet bulletin board. I've included a poster to use for the center of your display.

Well that's it for today.

The snow outside my office window is falling softly, and all over town children and teachers are rejoicing in having a "snuggle in"  snow day. 

Wishing you a sparkling day.

"If you listen carefully, the silence of the snow is beautiful." -Unknown

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

Do you read the Ukrainian folktale The Mitten, by Jan Brett? It’s one of my favorite winter stories and perfect for practicing the sequencing and retelling a story standards.

With that in mind, I designed this quick, easy and fun, mitten-themed craft. 

The Mitten story “slider” craftivity helps your students retell the story in the proper order.

I just updated this packet and have included a second slider option as well as some additional worksheets.

Simply choose which graphics you like best, then run the mitten and slider patterns off on white paper.

Using construction paper or card stock adds to the sturdiness.

Children trim their mitten, then color, cut and glue their slider together. 

I pre-cut the mitten slits using an Exacto knife, so that children can easily insert their “storytelling strip”.

Takes me just a few minutes to slit a class set. (Try to say that tongue twister 3 times!)

As children pull on the end of their “slider” the various pictures go through the mitten “window”, so that students can take turns retelling the story to a partner, then take their mitten home to share with their family, once again practicing the lesson.

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.   Pausing before I show the graphic, I ask children "what comes next?"

We've had a quick & fun review; my students now know what’s expected of them, and are excited to transition to making a “mitten story slider” of their own. 

So that you can quickly and easily make an example to share, I’ve included full-color patterns for teachers, as well as a black & white templates for students.

The coloring, cutting and assembling a storytelling slider provides great fine motor practice, which will help strengthen children's finger muscles. 

Sliders are an easy & interesting way to assess comprehension.  I’ve also included a “Let’s sequence the story” activity for this, where students color and trim the "picture tiles" then glue them in the correct order on their worksheet.

There’s a larger, full-color option, so you can do this as a fun whole-group activity with little ones.  This can be done during, or after you read the story.

There’s also a “Here’s What Happened…” writing prompt worksheet, as another way to check comprehension, plus practice sequential writing; hopefully using a variety of ordinal numbers and other transitions. 

Use the colorful template to do this as a whole group activity with younger kiddos. 

Keeping with a winter theme, today's featured FREEBIE is a sweet snowman "Name Stacker" craft.

I pre-cut the white circles for my kiddos.

Looking at their name tag, which is on their desk, they write a letter on each of the circles to spell their name.

Encourage students to make big letters, which fill up the center of the circle.

Afterwards, they glue on a hat and add some facial features to the "head"; then glue the rest of their "body" circles on, creating a vertical name "stacker" snowman. 

 Completed projects look adorable on lockers.

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

My "To Do for January" list is quite daunting. 

I'm afraid there is simply not enough time in the month to get everything designed that I'd like. Oh well...

Wishing you a wonderful & stress-free week.

"Kindness is like snow. It beautifies everything it covers." -Kahlil Gibran

1 2 3 Come Do Some Santa-Themed Activities With Me

Each month I like to have a little review of all of the 2D shapes, so this information stays stuck in my students’ heads.

With that in mind, I designed two “Shapin’ Up With Santa” packets.

The first packet is a "print & go" Santa craft, where Santa's "body" is made up of a 2D shape; topped off by his head, complete with a beard, which is cut from a paper plate. 

The 2nd packet includes  a variety of games and activities that provide a fun way to review these 2D shapes: circle, oval, triangle, square, rectangle, hexagon, pentagon, octagon, rhombus, trapezoid, heart and star.

Both packets are perfect for that last week of school before vacation; particularly the quick, easy & super-fun games, which also work well for your Christmas party day too.

First up, The Santa craft: The 2D shapes included are: circle, oval, square, rectangle, triangle, hexagon, pentagon, octagon, trapezoid, & heart.

The packet includes patterns for the above shapes, so that children can make a “Shapely Santa” of their own.

Santa's paper plate beard is snipped along the ridges; then every other "tab" is  bent up, which is wonderful fine motor practice, that will help strengthen those finger muscles, at the same time providing a cool 3D effect.

There are 3 hat "brim" options.  Students can write the shape on Santa's hat, glue on the label, or use the pattern where children trace then write the word. 

Use a red and green marker to show an AB-AB color pattern and add some extra pizzazz too.  

Another quick, easy and fun way to jazz up Santa, is to pull apart a few cotton balls, then glue on a bit of "hair" for Santa.

Eyes and a mustache are a separate piece and simply glued on. Have a room helper pre-cut them to expedite assembly.

Another "finishing touch" that will add some 3D pop to your display, is to attach a white pom pom to the tip of Santa's hat.  I use a glue dot. 

As you can see by the photo, once students complete Santa's "head" they glue it to a red, 2D shape.

To help practice the “positional words” portion of the 2D shape standard, I’ve also included a “Christmas present” whole group, assessment game, as well.

The “Shapely Pokey” activity, is also super-fun and helps get the wiggles out.

The packet also includes shape posters and pocket chart cards to introduce your lesson.

For added reinforcement, try some of the activities from the "tip list" for how else to use the posters; such as playing the game "Catch the Claus".

My students actually beg to play this game at the end of the day.

I’ve also included a “Shapely Santa” bookmark for your students.

Completed projects make an adorable bulletin board or hallway display.

I’ve included several posters to add extra pizzazz, plus informational “tags” should you want your students to explain the attributes of their Shapely Santa.

You can hang these next to a child's "Shapely Santa" on you bulletin board.

The other Santa-themed packet which reinforces 2D shapes, is "Shapin' Up With Santa!" and includes a variety of games and other "print & go" activities.

There is an assortment of (12-on-a page) cards which can be used for “Memory Match” and “I Have; Who Has?” games.

I’ve included a 3-page “tip list” of ideas and other games you can use the cards for; such as: “Flip It”, “What’s Missing?” “Speed” “Who’s Got the Coal?” and “Kaboom!”

Games can be played independently or as a whole group, then put in your math center.

There are also 2 sets of black & white game cards, so that students can make a game of their own to take home for further reinforcement.

Game sheets like “I Spy a Shape” are a super-fun way to whole group assess. The same worksheet can be used 5 times!! Woo Hoo.

There are puzzles, dice and spinner games, as well as 2 graphing activities.

An emergent reader booklet, packed with Dolch words, also practices end punctuation, which can be done as a whole group or independent activity.

Children color the Santa, trace and write the shape words, trace and draw the shape, then cut and glue the matching shape to the empty box.

There are also a variety of worksheets which help practice a variety of standards, including two graphing extensions you can do as a whole group.

I hope your students enjoy these activities, as much as my kiddos do.

Today's featured FREEBIE is a writing prompt craftivity, which also makes a sweet, December bulletin board.

I call this craft "Wishful Thinking". Students finish the writing prompt: "If money were no problem and I could have 5 super-fabulous gifts for Christmas, I'd like..."

They glue their final draft to the inside of a construction paper square, folding the corners over to "close" their "gift". 

Add extra pizzazz, by having students glue a square of Christmas wrapping paper to the back of their square of construction paper. For that finishing touch, top with a bow.

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

Gotta get going.  I'm helping with my granddaughter's Christmas party today. 

As you can see I'm all decked out.  (Jingle all the way...) Not too good at taking selfies...

Wishing you a blessed day filled with lots of love, hugs and giggles galore.

“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!” -Dr. Seuss (From the Grinch Who Stole Christmas.)