Thanksgiving Activities: Turkey Time!

November 19, 2015, 2:15 am

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This week was all about turkeys! We started off by reading Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano. Such a cute book! Then we spent the week doing all kinds of fun turkey activities incorporating math, language arts, science, and art!

We summarized the story using this freebie from Rowdy in Room 300.

and did this free sequencing activity  from Kimberly Miner.

 

 

I made up 5 sentences about the story, then cut them up and paper clipped each sentence together with a number on it. Then I recorded myself reading the sentence correctly onto my phone, and the kids listened to the recording while putting the sentence together in the pocket chart.

 



 

Of course we had to disguise our own turkeys! This is the first year we tried it and I love how they turned out. 

 

 

 

We made a Can-Have-Are chart to learn about real turkeys. I just cut the head and feathers from construction paper and glued them on the back. 

For some math fun, we did some color by addition pages, and also this activity from Miss Kindergarten called My Turkey Family. We practiced drawing turkeys and got some practice skip counting as well!

 

 

Something I love doing with the kids is directed drawing. We've only done a few, mostly because I keep forgetting, but we got one in this week. They are great for kids to practice listening, following directions, and learning some basic art skills. Here is one for a cartoon turkey from Art Projects for Kids. Click the picture to visit her blog and get a free pdf tutorial. 

 

 

Here is how ours turned out!

I love how festive our wall looks now with all our turkey stuff!

 

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Gingerbread Man Free Activities

November 23, 2015, 9:32 am

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Today I'm sharing with you 7 FREE activities in this fun Gingerbread Man Activity Pack. Included are an emergent reader, color by code pictures, math practice and more! Click the pictures below to download! These are taken from my larger Gingerbread Man Pack which you can find HERE!

 

 

Grinch Party

November 30, 2015, 2:33 am

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Last year the kids and I had "Grinch Party" where we watched the original cartoon, and had some grinchy snacks. This year I'd like to expand it to a "Grinch Day" and include more fun activities! So, I've been looking around and here are some great ideas that I've found to include in our "Grinch Day!" 

Of course you start with the book and watch the movie at some point during the day!

 

Grinch Kabobs - This is one we did last year and the kids loved it! You can have all the ingredients ready, and let the kids assemble their own Grinch kabobs on a toothpick. 

 

 

Of course you have to have a drink! You can use a lemon-lime soda (or koolaid) and add green food coloring, or you can throw in some lime sherbet for a little more of a sweet treat!

 

 

Pin the Heart on the Grinch Game

 

 

Grinch Dust - Students can also make their own Grinch dust by shaking up some sugar and green food coloring in a Ziploc bag. Then add the directions (found online) to the top!

 

 

 

Play Doh Challenge - Divide the class into groups and give each group a set of materials (playdoh, buttons, cotton, string, etc.) and have each group make their best representation of the Grinch. Then have all the students vote on the best one!

 

And finally, to incorporate some writing into your day, you can do this cute craftivity where the students write about a way they would make the Grinch grin! What a cute bulletin board display.

 

{I only found this picture as an image online, so I apologize for not giving a link or credit to anyone!}

 

 



Secret Santa Blog Hop

December 16, 2015, 5:00 am

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Today I'm joining my friends at The Elementary Entourage for our Secret Santa Blog Hop!! So...I wasn't actually able to participate in the Secret Santa part, because my family lives overseas, and sending and receiving packages is super expensive and not very reliable! But, I am excited to read about all the other fun gifts that everyone received!

And I would love to share with you a few freebies I have in my store, along with a GIVEAWAY for a $20 TpT Gift Certificate!

Click on the pictures to see some fun penguin freebies that you can have ready for back to school in January.

     

Enter below for a chance to win a little Christmas gift to yourself - $20 to TpT to spend in anyone's store!

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An InLinkz Link-up

Groundhog Day Activities

January 26, 2016, 10:54 pm

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I've never really done anything with the kids for Groundhog Day, but this year I thought I'd round up some fun ideas to try! Anytime we can mix things up a bit with a fun theme, the kids are more engaged and excited about school.

First, I created this new freebie that you can grab HERE in my TpT store. It's a 120 chart mystery picture of a cute little groundhog!

 

I love this cute snack idea from www.we-made-that.com You could prepare it beforehand, or bring in the ingredients and have a lesson on measuring and mixing! 

 

 

Here is a cute class graph you can make, free from Miss Kindergarten!

 

 

 

My girls LOVE coloring pictures, so I always try to find them some color by code pages so at least I feel like they are practicing something along with coloring. :)

 

For these pages from Sight & Sound Reading, you need to sign up for a mailing list, but they are free.

 



 

This is another freebie, a cute informational emergent reader from KidSparkz. 

 

 

And finally, I love these craft ideas, compiled on Crafty Morning.

 



10,000 Followers Celebration!

February 20, 2016, 3:50 am

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Wow! I'm so thrilled to have reached 10,000 followers on TpT! It's an honor to know that so many parents and teachers have faith in my resources for their kids' education! To show my appreciation, I'll be celebrating with a sale this weekend and a giveaway here on my blog!

Everything in my TpT store will be 20% off 2/20-2/22!

Enter below for a chance to win one of these prizes: $25 Target Gift Card, $25 Starbucks Gift Card, or $20 TpT store credit at my store!

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Long Vowel Activities

March 4, 2016, 1:40 am

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Are you looking for some fun and simple ways for your kids to practice reading long vowel/CVCe words? Check out these ideas!

For this first trick, all you need is a popsicle stick to make  a magic 'e' wand!

I printed out some CVC words that can change into CVCe words and taped an 'e' on a popsicle stick. Then we practiced reading the words before and after adding the magic 'e'. When we would add the 'e' we would exclaim "bippity boppity boo!" to make things a little more fun.

Fluency strips are also a fantastic way for readers to build fluency, so I created some using long vowels! See the strips in action:

 

You can make some of these yourself by typing up sentences, cutting out strips, and stapling them together (or put them on a ring). If you'd like some that are already created, you can get mine here: Fluency Strips Bundle.

 

For more practice we did some interactive notebook pages!  

 

 

 

This week we have also been adjusting to life and homeschool with a newborn! Our sweet #5 was born on February 16th.  He is a very good baby and still sleeping most of the time (he's almost 3 weeks now), so for the most part, we are able to complete our work with little distraction from him. Now my 2 year old is a different story...

 

 

States of Matter Fun!

March 8, 2016, 9:50 am

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This week we introduced states of matter in science! We did some reading about solids, liquids, gases, and talked about characteristics of each.

We did a little experiment mixing baking soda (solid) with orange juice (liquid) to create bubbles (gas)! You could also do the classic volcano experiment with baking soda and vinegar, but we just wanted to try something new this time.

We also made this representation of the atoms in each state of matter using cheerios! It was a simple, yet fun way to help the kids visualize the concept.

If you'd like a copy of the page we used for the activity, you can download it for free HERE!

Tomorrow we will be learning about density and doing a sink/float experiment with some household objects!

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8 Fun Spelling Word Activities (Word Work)

March 23, 2016, 8:39 am

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This year instead of doing the same old weekly spelling words with a test on Friday, we changed things up a bit. We still have a list of words for the week, but we are finding ways to make it more fun and meaningful.

Here are some of our favorite activities that will work with any list of words!

1) Dice Roll - Grab some dice and have fun with this spelling word roll activity! You can grab the free download to use for some fun practice! There are 2 versions, so you can choose which works best for your students.

 

2) Spelling Apps - Of course anytime kids get to use technology to practice something, it automatically becomes more fun! But computer games and iPad apps are also great for word work because it gives students practice with keyboarding skills as well! We use an app called The Spelling Bee on the iPad. You can type in your own words to use, and there are different activities for students to complete and earn badges. There are many other apps as well that are great, but this is the only one we have actually bought and used.



 

3) Word Search - Find an online word search maker and make one using your weekly words! There are many sites you can do this, but I like this one from A to Z Teacher Stuff.

 

4) Students Make Word Search - This is a new favorite of my kids! I give them a template and they create a word search from their list of words! You can then have partners complete each other's word searches. I love that this activity not only gives them practice writing the words, but they also have to plan out and strategize how to fit all the words in the spaces. You can create your own template, or use this free one from Mel D - Seusstastic. It's included in a pack with some other great freebies as well.

 

5) Alphabetize - This gets your kids reading the words, but also working on ABC order at the same time. To make this more fun, I use a page like this so the kids can cut and paste instead of just write. I have the template in power point and each week I just change the words and print it out! The students can cut out the words and glue them on the left side. This week we were learning about rocks and minerals in science, so I picked words that the kids would be seeing a lot anyway. Just another way to make the word list more meaningful. Instead of cut and paste, you could also write the words on popsicle sticks for the kids to line up in ABC order.

 

 

6) Charades - Play charades and have students act out words. If someone wants to guess, they must spell the word instead of just say it.

 

7) Magazine Cut Out - Have students find the words in old magazines, cut them out, then glue them on a separate paper. If the word cannot be found, they can cut out letters to make the word!

 

8) White Boards - Have students write words on an individual whiteboard. You can do this as a whole class activity, or have students partner up and have one student be the teacher, calling out words while the other writes them down. 

 

 

If you don't have whiteboards for each student, here is an easy hack: use paper inside a plastic sheet protector, then use a sock as an eraser!

 

 

I hope you can implement some of these ideas to make spelling words more meaningful for your kiddos! 

 

 



Invitation to Play

April 5, 2016, 12:30 am

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I have recently started setting up an "Invitation to Play" in the afternoon for the kids. These are tubs of materials that they can explore, imagine, and create with. While the younger ones definitely get more excited about it, my 8 year old son still enjoys playing once he gets into it!

Here are a couple we have done this week: Creating flowers with playdoh, beads, and construction paper. You could also use pipe cleaners and fake leaves, but we didn't have any, so we just used the paper.

 

Another day we played with our plastic eggs. I put some in a tub with different noodle shapes, and some in a different tub with some kinetic sand. 

 

I'm so excited to come up with more of these ideas. I'm going to try and incorporate some STEM and problem solving activities as well. Could you use ideas like these in your classroom? I think it would be great to try!

How to Get Kids to Love Poetry

April 10, 2016, 4:29 am

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April is National Poetry Month!  Poetry can be fun for kids to read, but scary when it comes time to write it on their own. Here are some tips and ideas to help kids look forward to and enjoy writing poetry!

1. Read poetry to them. Not just during National Poetry Month, but all year long. The more exposure kids have to different kinds of poetry, the more comfortable they will be with it. Consider having a "Poem of the Week" and make it a part of your routine as morning work or in a literacy center.

2. Give them a chance to respond. How did the poem make them feel? Which parts did they like or not like? Let them learn how to express their opinions about something and give reasons why.

3. Model how to write poetry, and practice composing poems together as a class.

4. Let them write about what interests them. Every kid is an expert on something, even if it's the latest video game or TV show. Have them write poems about a character, or how they feel while playing a certain game. Find out what evokes emotion in them, and let them write about that.

5. Brainstorm before you start. Have students think about their topic and write down nouns, adjectives, and verbs that describe the topic. This will give them a great reference to look at while they are composing and they will be less likely to feel "stuck."

6. Celebrate each other. It can be vulnerable to write poetry and share it with others. Be sure to create an atmosphere that is encouraging and supportive when students are writing and sharing poetry.

Try this free activity from my Poetry Unit: Finding Text Evidence & Writing Poetry. It is a power packed activity, full of fun and learning. Students will read about a type of poetry (cinquain), read an example, answer a few questions, citing text evidence to support their answers, and use the prompt to create their own poem!

The free download can be found HERE or by clicking on the pictures below.

 

Poetry is an important part of every culture, and it's our job to encourage a love of reading it and writing it in our classrooms!

Fun Mother's Day Writing Activity & Craft Ideas

April 24, 2016, 4:20 am

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Getting my kids to enjoy writing can be a challenge. Anytime we can do a fun activity that includes writing practice, I consider it a win!

 

This cute Mother's Day page is a fun way to get kids writing, and it usually ends up being a great keepsake. Older kids can write their own answers in. Young kids can dictate their answers and have someone write their answers for them.

 

 

 

 

You can get this free activity HERE!

If you also want to make a cute craft for Mother's Day but don't want to deal with finger paints, (because let's face it, those handprint activities are cute, but can be a big mess, especially if you have a whole class full of kiddos!) here are some great ideas.



Put hearts on the wall and take pictures of each kid in this position, like they are blowing kisses.

Cupcake Liner Flower from I Heart Crafty Things  Salt Dough Fingerprint Flowers from www.meaningfulmama.com

Ten Apples Up On Top: Number Words Activity

May 8, 2016, 10:07 am

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This week with my kindergartener, we are focusing on number words. One of my favorite books to go along with this concept is Ten Apples Up On Top! by Dr. Seuss. It is such a cute book, and perfect for emerging readers!

I made this page for her to complete after reading the book:

 

 

She read the number words at the bottom, then made the correct number of "apples" on top using dot markers (bingo daubers). You can also just use crayons to draw circles if you don't have the dot markers. Other ideas: for a literacy center, you can put it in a plastic page protector and have students use white board markers to draw the apples, then wipe them off for the next students. You could also just have students use manipulatives like bingo chips.

 

You can download the page HERE if you'd like to use it with your kids!

 

 

Father's Day: Two FREE Printable Activities

May 14, 2016, 3:45 am

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I had some requests to make a Father's Day activity similar to the Mother's Day activity that I posted recently. So, here it is!

 

 

I also just posted a Father's Day Free Tie Craftivity in my TpT store. With these two activities - you are set for Father's Day!

 

 

 



Free Summer Mystery Picture Math Activities

May 16, 2016, 7:53 am

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The last week (or month) of school can be so difficult! It can be tough to keep the kids' attention and get any learning done at all! I love using fun and engaging activities that kids enjoy, but still provide some educational value.

I've compiled a set of some of my best selling mystery pictures for you to try for FREE! I have gotten so much good feedback from teachers who have used these in their classrooms. With these fun summer activities, your students won't even know they are learning! Click HERE to get the free download!

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End of the Year Activity - Class Scavenger Hunt

May 20, 2016, 10:11 pm

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Here's another fun idea for the last week of school. Let the kids go on a class scavenger hunt! They will walk around the class, ask each other questions, and find out who can fit in each square. It's a fun way for students to be active and engaged! Grab the free download in my online store HERE!

First & Last Day of School Posters

July 12, 2016, 11:34 am

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Are you looking for a poster for your kids or students for the first and last days of school? I made these cute printables that you can take photos of your kids with, or just have them fill out and take home for a keepsake.

 I've made 3 versions (black and white, color, chalkboard) for Pre-K through 5th grade for the first day of school, and more for the last day of school.

Click HERE to get the download with all the versions to choose from!!

How to Teach Skip Counting - Ideas & Activities

July 21, 2016, 1:10 pm

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Skip counting is such an important skill to teach your little ones. It helps with number sense, patterns, telling time, estimation, and multiplication! Here are some ideas and activities for practicing skip counting!

1. Use a blank hundreds chart and dot markers. Dot by 2's, 5's, or whatever number you are working on! You can also make a reusable version by putting it in a plastic sheet protector and using dry erase markers. 

2. Skip count out loud with a partner or group. Use 2 people to count by twos. One person will start and whisper or mouth "one". The next person says "two". Keep going so that the even numbers are heard but the odd numbers are not. Then the partners can switch so the other person says the even numbers. Try with 3 people to count by threes. This time the first two people mouth "one", "two", and the third person says "three!" Keep going the same way so the multiples of 3 are spoken aloud. Try it with any number by using the same amount of people as the number you are counting by. 

3. FREE practice pages - This is a set of 6 pages that I created to help practice counting by twos and fives. 

4. Skip Counting Dot to Dots - www.MathWorksheets4Kids.com has a ton of skip counting dot to dot puzzles like this one.

5. Popsicle Sticks Math Center - Read my post HERE about this fun activity that can be used to practice skip counting with any number!

Free First Day of School Printables

August 6, 2016, 8:17 pm

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On the first day of school, things can be pretty chaotic! You have a class of new students who are coming in with a range of emotions and a backpack full of supplies that need to be organized, all while chatting with parents and trying to help the kids find their place and get settled. 

I love having fun, independent activities that students can start working on right away at their desks. Not only does it keep the classroom calm and quiet, but it also can settle the students' nerves as they adjust to a classroom setting again after summer break. Here are some of my favorite first day activities that are great for a variety of grade levels! 

1) Read & Find - This is my newest freebie I created. Students will read the words, then find and color in the pictures. There is also a bonus activity for students to write down their own words and have a partner find the pictures - great for getting to know their classmates! 

*Click the picture to sign up for my monthly newsletter and you can get this free printable! 

2. Play-Doh

Give each student a small container of play-doh and let them play with it at their desk. You can give them some instructions such as, "Create something that can tell us about your summer," or just let them play freely. It's such a great way to get out some nervous energy and get their hand muscles moving!

3. Finish the Picture - This fun freebie lets your students doodle and get creative right from the start! Put a copy on each desk with a sharpened pencil so they can get right to work when they arrive.

What are your favorite activities for students when they arrive on the first day? Leave a comment and let us know!

Apples - Roll, Add, & Color

September 1, 2016, 11:59 pm

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My 4 year old is learning about numbers and counting, so I'm always looking for fun, yet simple activities for her to practice! I created these apple themed Roll, Add, & Color sheets for her and my 1st grader to both get some practice with counting and adding.

They love any activity where they can use dice, and we especially love using the jumbo foam dice we got from Oriental Trading.

Click HERE or the pictures below to get access to these fun pages!

Two versions are included, so you can choose which works best for your students.