GRADE ONEDERFUL

How to Help a Child Who Worries: My Monster and Me Book

2021-05-03T15:29:00.007-07:00

Inside: Book review and follow-up activities for My Monster and Me, a book about childhood worries. Includes links to other books and a colouring sheet.

Hello!

Today I'm excited to share a wonderful new picture book about dealing with childhood worries.

The author, Nadiya Hussain, draws upon her childhood panic attacks to write this reassuring and comforting book.

Title: My Monster and Me

Author: Nadiya Hussain

Illustrator: Ella Bailey

Publishing:Viking, 2019

Ages: 3-7

Theme: Childhood Worries

Opening Lines:

This is my monster. And this is me. I've always known my monster. It's always been there. It knows ALL about me.

Book Summary:

The story opens with a giant smiling monster and a nameless little boy. The boy explains that his monster has always been with him. He can see it, he can hear it growl, and as time moves on the monster becomes bossier and increasingly bothersome. When he tries to tell his parents about it, the monster cleverly hides itself. The monster, of course, is a metaphor for anxiety and worry.

One day, when the monster is being especially obnoxious and follows him all the way to his Gran's house, he breaks down in tears and explains the situation to his Gran.

Gran is a GOOD listener.

At this point the boy notices his monster getting smaller and smaller. He finally feels some relief as he realizes that he has some control over the monster.

The next day the boy surprisingly feels compassionate towards his monster, now that it's so little and helpful looking. He treats the monster kindly and puts it gently into his pocket. The monster likes being in the pocket, and now that the boy has learned to tell his monster to behave, life is lot easier.

Why I Like This Book:

I could really relate to this story since I went through a period when I was about 9 years old where I suffered from serious anxiety, to the point where it was difficult for me to go to school or to a friend's house. I have no doubt that many children will also be able to connect with this text.

I like the way Ms. Hussain treats a serious situation with lightness and honesty. More importantly, I love how she doesn't have the boy scare the monster away, or call it names, or be mean to it in any way. Because whatever he does to the monster he's doing to himself. Instead, it's completely the opposite. The boy learns to accept his monster, be kind to it, and to exert control over it when he needs to. I love this compassionate and loving approach to the monster problem.

I should point out that the illustrations also add to the feeling of warmth and comfort. They're simple but full of expression with lots of warm yellows and pinks.

I think this book is absolutely perfect for a parent, teacher or counsellor who is looking for a way to help a child deal with worry or anxiety.

Book Extensions:

Talk about the book. What do you think the monster is? Why is it living with the boy? Why does it follow him everywhere and won't leave him alone? How does the monster make the boy feel? Why does the monster get smaller while the boy talks to his Gran about it? Why does the boy put the monster in his pocket? How does the boy feel at the end of the story? How does this compare to the start of the story?

Ask if anyone understands or can relate to the boy's monster. Not everyone will want to share and that's just fine.

If you're reading this book in school start a list on a chart called "Monster Feelings". Name some big, hard-to-handle emotions and write them on the chart. Some feelings that might come up are anger, worry, panic, frustration, guilt, fear. Draw a little face beside each word that comes up so that you have a visual. The idea is to normalize these feelings so that children understand everyone has them to some degree.

Discuss some ways to deal with big emotions. Some ideas are a) talk about them with an adult you trust, b) talk to yourself, e.g., "It's okay that I'm having this big feeling right now. I'll just breath deeply until it settles down." c) remember that it's normal to feel the big feelings. Everyone does.

Another way to deal with big feelings is to draw pictures about them. Encourage the children to give their drawing a name and to talk about it. But don't force anything -- just give them the option.

Be sure to read this article called Anxiety 101 by Anxiety Canada.

If you'd like to teach your class how to regulate their emotions then be sure to check out The Zones of Regulation (click on the pic to see it on Amazon):

MORE BOOKS ABOUT EMOTIONS AND MINDFULNESS (these are all previous book reviews I've done with lots of ideas and activities):

Breathing is My Super Power

Tiny T. Rex and the Impossible Hug

The Good Egg

Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox

The Piano Recital

The Many Colours of Harpreet Singh

I Am Peace

Every Little Thing

Peaceful Piggy Meditation

The Color Monster

Happy

COLOURING SHEET:

I also made a colouring sheet of the monster. Hopefully your kids will enjoy it.

FUN FACT:

Ms. Hussain is also a winner of The Great British Baking Show. She's written lots of cook books as well as Bake me a Story Celebration for kids.

Thanks for stopping by and happy reading!

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Free May Calendar Cards for Your Classroom

2021-04-30T16:53:00.000-07:00

Inside: Free set of May calendar cards.

In celebration of May I'm giving away a printable set of May calendar cards.

These are the perfect size for your classroom pocket chart: 2 5/8 inches square.

Run them off on your printer, cut them out and you're good to go.

I've also included some blank cards in the pack that you can write on, as well as some birthday cards.

DOWNLOAD: MAY CALENDAR CARDS

If you're looking for more May goodies, check these out:

30 Page Collection of May Poems

2 More Cute May Poems

Links to several Mother's Day posts

I also have more CALENDAR CARDS you might like.

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Bubble Tea Poetry Fun: Instant Download

2021-04-28T17:47:00.003-07:00

Inside: 3 Free Bubble Tea Poems

Hello! Did you know that today is Great Poetry Reading Day?

If you've been reading my blog for a while you know that I LOVE using simple poems for kids as part of my reading program.

Every single week, no exceptions, my classes have learned and memorized a new poem to add to their poetry journals.

Poetry is so versatile and short, simple poems are perfect for young readers. They're easy to read, are usually repetitive, and are wonderful fun to perform in a poetry theatre (think readers' theatre)!

So just for the fun of it I wrote my own three silly poems. There's nothing terribly special about them but I think the 4 to 7 year-old set might appreciate them.

In the download you'll receive two versions of the three poems you see above. The second version has no clip art on it, just in case your kiddos like to draw their own pictures.

DOWNLOAD: FREE BUBBLE TEA POETRY

If you like the clip art I used you can buy the whole bubble tea set in my shop. They're nice and tall at 9.5 inches each and come in 18 different colours plus black and white.

Click the image below to see them in my shop.

Take care and Happy Great Poetry Reading Day!

PS Before you go, be sure to grab your free May Calendar Cards

Spring Chatterbox With 8 Hilarious Jokes

2021-04-16T11:39:00.004-07:00

Inside: Free template for a spring-themed joke teller (chatterbox).

Spring is finally here!

Okay, it started 3 weeks ago, but around our place yesterday was the first day it felt very spring-like and it was the first day I've gone without a jacket for months.

So in celebration I've made a spring chatterbox with 8 silly kid jokes.

Here's my favourite:

Q - How excited was the gardener about spring?

A. So excited he wet his plants!

I know you're laughing :)

With this freebie you're going to get the coloured template you see above, plus the black and white version below (without colour words). This one's perfect for those little artists who love to do their own thing.

I've also included a template with the jokes only.

And if you've never made a chatterbox before (also known as fortune tellers and cootie catchers) don't worry, the download includes instructions with each template, plus another page of instructions with pictures.

Do you remember the snowman chatterbox I posted in February? My 8-year-old grandson loved it so I figure if he liked it then your kid(s) will too!

Please remember that freebies are for personal and classroom use only. If your friends and colleagues like the chatterboxes please send them to this post rather than directly sharing the template.

Thank you and enjoy!

DOWNLOAD: SPRING CHATTERBOX

Has spring sprung in your neck of the woods? Be sure to let me know in the comments below.

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Free Multiplication Flash Cards

2021-04-11T11:41:00.007-07:00

Inside: Free multiplication flash cards.

Hello!

I have a BIG freebie to share with you today. It's an entire set of multiplication flash cards from 1 to 10.

This last week I've been homeschooling my 8 year old grandson and since they're working on division at school, we (okay I) decided it was time he started to memorize his multiplication facts.

When teaching multiplication you don't want to start with memorization, of course, but his understanding of how multiplication and division work are solid, and he's had lots of practice with pictures and manipulatives, so it's time to speed up the process.

As you can see from the picture above all the cards have a little monkey face on them. I'm in the middle of making some animal face clip art and this guy will be part of the set.

The cards don't include the answer on the back. I think it's more valuable if you let your child print the answers. You should probably use pencil and try and print the answer directly behind the monkey head so that nothing shows through. Oh! And be sure to print the cards out on card stock so they're nice and sturdy.

TIPS FOR USING FLASH CARDS:

Start with the easiest set, the ones, and be sure that your child knows all those facts. They should be able to rattle each one off in 1 to 2 seconds.
Check the twos and if there are any your child doesn't know, or they're figuring them out in their head with repeated addition, or it takes longer than 2 seconds, set that card aside.
Go through the deck that way working your way up from the ones to the tens. You probably won't get past the threes your first time doing this.
Stop checking when you have 5 cards set aside (the ones your child hasn't solidly memorized).
Use a small deck of the 5 tricky facts and 5 facts your child knows. This way they can reliably get at least half the deck correct so they're feeling good about themselves.
Whenever they miss a card set it aside and repeat those ones again and again.
I wouldn't spend anymore than 5 or 10 minutes on this but definitely do it two or three times a day until you're ready to add some more tricky cards to the deck.
Building up slowly and using the cards consistently are key.

DOWNLOAD: MULTIPLICATION FLASH CARDS

Don't forget, I have LOTS MORE FREE MATH ACTIVITIES.

Have fun!

Be sure to let me know in the comments if you have any tips I could add to the post!

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Free Easter Word Search and Colouring

2021-03-29T13:01:00.001-07:00

Inside: Free Easter Word Search

Happy Easter!

I have a word search for you today. I popped it onto a background of peeps bunnies and chicks I made so your kiddos will have some extra colouring fun, too.

I hope you get it in time to use in your classrooms this week. I think it's perfect for grades K to 3.

If you're looking for more Easter goodies and ideas be sure to look here.

DOWNLOAD: FREE EASTER WORD SEARCH

Peter Easter Frog: Book Review and Ideas!

2021-03-26T10:45:00.003-07:00

Inside: Book review of Peter Easter Frog

I just bought the sweetest book for my almost 5-year-old granddaughter. I'm pretty certain she's going to love it!

Title: Peter Easter Frog

Author: Erin Dealey

Illustrator: G. Brian Karas

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2021

Ages: 2-6

The story begins with a cute little Easter frog.

He's merrily hopping down the road when he bumps into his friend, Turtle.

Turtle, of course, questions Frog's antics.

But Frog has a wonderful comeback. He can hop, he loves Easter, and perhaps the Easter Bunny shouldn't be hogging all the fun.

So Frog continues on his merry way with the now helpful Turtle in tow.

Peter Frog then meets Easter Cow, Dog and Chipmunk who all decide that hiding Easter eggs with Peter Frog is a grand idea.

Until ... they meet the Easter Bunny, who is not initially too happy with the animals' Easter shenanigans.

But Peter Frog is not to be dissuaded and he quickly finds a way into the Easter Bunny's heart.

What I Thought:

I was immediately charmed by this delightful Easter tale. It's kind, funny and quirky, and the soft, pastel-coloured illustrations lend the perfect spring-time vibe.

The text has a bouncy rhythm that pairs perfectly with the hoppity Peter Frog. I found myself smiling and laughing throughout the book and thought the ending was absolutely perfect!

Some people might think the book is more suited for the pre-school crowd, but I think it's very suitable for Kindergarten and first grade students, as well. Keep reading for some ways I'd use the book in an early primary classroom.

Book-Related Activities:

Predictions: As you read the book aloud to your students, pause every now and then and ask them to predict what will happen next. Which animal do you think they'll bump into? Do you think that animal will join in the fun? Be sure to predict what will happen when the animals meet the Easter Bunny.

Discuss: What did you think of the ending? Was that the best solution? What do you think was the author's big message?

Round Up the Rhymes: Read the story again only this time focus on the rhyming words and create a chart of rhymes. Break students into pairs or small groups and challenge them to think of and print more rhyming words to go along with the ones on the chart. This is great word work practice!

Made Up Words: Erin Dealey has used a variety of fun words like skippity, clippity, sniffity and more. Challenge the kids to make up some similar words, such as walkity, hide-ity, runnity ... you get the idea.

Drawings: Invite your students to create a drawing of their own animal(s) hiding Easter eggs. They would look wonderful done up in watercolour or chalk pastels.

Writing: Ask everyone to print a sentence using two rhyming words (refer to the chart above) OR at least one fun word (like the ones in #4). E.g., "Ladybug danced on the rug while hiding her pinkity Easter eggs."

Printables: Erin Dealey has four fun activity sheets you can instantly download.

I hope you enjoy this lovely new Easter book as much as I did and that the activity suggestions are useful.

Happy reading and have a wonderful day!

PS You can see all my Easter posts here.

Free Peeps Calendar Cards

2021-03-23T22:44:00.004-07:00

Inside: Free printable peeps calendar cards

Hello!

Today I'm sharing some adorable peeps calendar cards that are absolutely perfect for April.

The cards are made to fit your pocket chart calendar but they'll work with bulletin board and paper clip calendars, too.

I recommend you print them on cardstock and then laminate them so you can use them year after year.

You'll get numbers 1-31, three birthday cards, Easter and Good Friday.

DOWNLOAD: PEEPS CALENDAR CARDS

If you like the little bunnies I have a set of peeps clip art for sale on Teachers Pay Teachers. As you can see in the picture below, the set includes bunnies and ducks, with and without the black border.

Pin Me, Please :)

Please remember that all freebies are for personal and classroom use only.

Be sure to check back each month for a new set of free calendar cards.

Thanks for stopping by!

St. Patrick's Day Poetry Freebie

2021-03-11T15:33:00.005-08:00

Inside: Free leprechaun poem for your classroom. Perfect for St. Patrick's Day.

Note: This is an updated post.

Every week we learn a poem that becomes part of the kids' "just right reading". I often give the kids different versions of the same poem, including a fill-in-the-blank and a scramble.

For the scrambled version, I give each child a copy of the mixed-up poem (see below). Their job is to cut out the poem on the lines, put it in the correct order, and glue it onto another sheet.

Usually I send them home with this cut and paste version and the fill-in-the-blank or the regular version goes into their poetry duotangs.

The poem is called The Leprechauns are Marching. I didn't write it and I'm unaware of the author. As far as I know it's in the public domain. But if you happen to know who wrote the poem please let me know and I'll give them proper credit.

Regular Version

Fill-in-the-Blank

Scramble

DOWNLOAD: ST. PATRICK'S DAY POEM

Be sure to check out the rest of my St. Patrick's Day posts for lots more FREEBIES.

Have a good one!

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St. Patrick's Day Word Search and Coloring Page for Kids

2021-03-04T08:31:00.005-08:00

Inside: A free St. Patrick's day workshop.

I have a couple of printables for you today: a St. Patrick's Day word search and a colouring page.

And in case you missed last week's post I also have some March calendar cards. Most things on the blog are free so be sure to have a good look around.

I now have links to most of the printables up in the top bar, so that's probably the easiest place to start.

DOWNLOAD: ST. PATRICK'S DAY WORD SEARCH AND COLOURING

Enjoy :)

Free March Calendar Cards for Your Classroom

2021-02-23T09:38:00.007-08:00

Inside: A free set of March calendar cards for your classroom

March is almost upon us which means it's time to change out your classroom calendar.

I have some free calendar cards for you: a lion, a lamb, and a little leprechaun.

You can print your favourite set, or you can print all three and do a mix and match for some pattern practice.

Either way, I think you'll love them!

DOWNLOAD: FREE MARCH CALENDAR CARDS FOR YOUR CLASSROOM

Please remember that all freebies are for personal and classroom use only. Thank you!

I have a few more March goodies you might like:

In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb book review with TONS of free book-related activities.

A few more Lion/Lamb activities.

A cute March poem.

St. Patrick's Day writing paper

Free monster clip art for St. Patrick's Day.

A beautiful shamrock colouring sheet.

The Luckiest Leprechaun book review (a very sweet book about an unlikely friendship)

Rainbow and clouds clip art freebie.

St. Patrick's Day poetry.

Have a wonderful day and thank you for stopping by!

Free Printable: Snowman Chatterbox Joke Teller

2021-02-19T21:43:00.007-08:00

Inside: Free snowman chatterbox joke teller for your kids

Last week it was snowing so much here on the West Coast that I thought some snowman jokes were in order.

But instead of just a list of jokes, I made you a snowman themed chatterbox full of silly snowman jokes!

I scoured the internet and gathered up what I thought were the cutest jokes out there, and popped them all into this chatterbox.

Do you remember making these as a kid? They were SO much fun.

The first time I saw one I think I was in Grade 2 and I thought they were absolutely magical.

In this free printable you're going to get 4 different templates.

You can print the red, yellow, blue and green snowmen chatterbox that you see above, but there's also the same version in pink, orange, purple and brown.

So if your kids need some extra practice learning to spell colour words you can make both!

I've also included a black and white version for those kids who love to do their own colouring.

And then just for the fun of it I threw a fourth template in. This one only has the jokes, so your child(ren) can add their own colours, pictures and numbers. How fun is that?

While I absolutely love the coloured templates and those super cute snowmen (thank you, Lisa Markle Sparkle s), the teacher in me would probably print out one of the black and white versions, just because I like the kids to be involved as much as possible.

But either way, the children in your life will have some great laughs using any of these chatterboxes.

I almost forgot to say: The pdf includes instructions for playing with the chatterboxes (in case these are new to you) as well as directions on how to cut out and assemble.

Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD: SNOWMAN CHATTERBOX JOKE TELLERS

Please remember that all free printables are for personal and classroom use only. Thank you :)

10 Frames in First Grade - Free Game

2021-02-16T11:00:00.007-08:00

Inside: Ten-frame printables and games for Grade 1

Hello! This is an updated post.

I have three fun, educational and easy 10-frame activities for you, that include free printables. You'll get a Totally Ten Snake game and four sets of 10-frame cards in a variety of sizes and two colours (teal and black/white). The download link is at the end of the post.

10-Frame Flash

Have the kids sit on the carpet and flash a variety of 10-frame cards. The students show you with their fingers what they see.

Then ask one or two children how they saw the number. If, for example, you flash an 8, they might say, "I saw a 5 and 3" or "I noticed there were 2 empty spaces so I knew it was 8."

Every time I did this activity with my students they were thorough engaged! Plus they were learning to subitize, and think of numbers in relation to 10.

Make 10 Partners

This is a fun game and can also be played to music.

Print off little 10-frame cards, ensuring that there are enough cards for each student and that everyone will be able to find their 10 partner. You'll need to play with them if you have an uneven number of students in your class.

Give each child one card, and ask them to find a person holding the card that "makes 10" with theirs. 10 and 0, 1 and 9, etc.

This is a big hit and is even more fun to play with music (though it's not necessary). Put the music on, have the kids move or dance, then when you turn the music off that's their cue to find their partner.

It's always interesting to see how many kids find this easy to do, and how many struggle a bit and will need your help.

Totally 10 Snake Game

This is a fabulous game for learning combinations of 10. It's also great practice for subitizing (recognizing how many dots without having to count).

In case you haven't seen it before, this game is super easy to play.

Directions:

Each pair receives a game board (see above) and a handful of counters in two different colours. I like to use bingo chips, because you can see through to the 10-frame underneath.

Kids play Rock-Paper-Scissors to determine who goes first.

Player 1 places two chips on the game board to make 10.

Player 2 then does the same.

The game continues until the snake is full. The kids count up their chips and the person with the most is the winner.

BTW, the person who starts first will always win, so be sure to tell the kids that they need to take turns being the starter (no need to tell them why :))

All my classes love this game and will happily play it several times. Usually a few children will ask if it can be harder, so I have them do the challenge version.

Challenge:

Play the game the same way, EXCEPT this time you're trying to get as many of your chips in a row as possible. Once the snake is full, the player with the longest section (or the most chips in a row) is the winner.

DOWNLOAD: TOTALLY TEN SNAKE GAME AND 10-FRAME CARDS

10-Frame Song:

If you're looking for a video, this one is lots of fun!

GRAB SOME FREE 10-FRAME SPINNERS

Breathing is My Superpower: Book Review and Activities

2021-02-10T21:44:00.009-08:00

Inside: A review of Breathing is My Superpower and some related book activities.

If your child (or classroom full of children) could benefit from taking a mindful pause in the middle of their busy days, or need a coping technique for stressful situations, then I have the perfect book for you.

Breathing is My Superpower

Alicia Ortego

Independently published, 2020

Opening Lines:

My name is Sofia, and this is my unicorn, Bee.
She is seven years old too and special like me.

Synopsis:

This is a sweet book about Sofia, a seven-year-old girl, who learns to use mindful breathing to cope with the worries and stressful situations in her life. Her mom teaches her a Five Breathing exercise that she uses throughout the day whenever something upsets her. The story is written in rhyme and also includes four breathing exercise cards: Bubble Breathing, Square Breathing, Lazy 8 Breathing, and Soup Breathing.

Why I Like This Book:

Children, like adults, often have anxieties and this book is a lovely way to introduce them to some very easy breathing techniques to help calm their minds. Mindful breathing techniques have been around forever, but are now so mainstream it's easy to find articles touting the benefits.

The gently rhyming text and soft colours used throughout this delightful book help to instill a feeling of calm. If you're looking for a way to introduce your child (or class of children) to some kid-friendly breathing techniques, then this charming book could definitely work.

Book-Related Activities:

Practice a breathing technique for a few minutes each day. Make it a regular part of your classroom or home routine and it will soon be second nature. As mentioned, the book includes four extra breathing exercises. You can also find more at Moshi. And a free printable of the Five Breathing exercise can be found at the author's website.

Draw and colour what your feelings look like. I made a cute frame you can download below.

Go outside and run around the house or school a few times. We used to do this at school on a regular basis and it's extremely helpful in calming anxious energy.

Squeeze something squishy. Allow everyone in your class to keep one stuffy at school for this purpose.

Push your hands together. Hold, release and repeat. This is supposed to have a very calming effect on your brain.

Do a few yoga stretches. Downward dog is always a favourite and helps to get the blood flowing into your head.

Just sit with your feelings and feel them. Remind yourself that they're impermanent -- they WILL go away.

Colour a mandala. This can be a very meditative and calming act. You can grab the one I made, if you like (see below).

Feelings Frame (download below)

Free Mandala colouring sheet

DOWNLOAD: MANDALA & FEELINGS FRAME

I hope this review and list of calming activities was helpful. Please let me know in the comments how you help the children in your life calm down and deal with every day stressors.

You can find Breathing is my Superpower at Alicia's website OR on Amazon (affiliate link).

Valentine Word Search and Coloring: Free Printable

2021-01-31T22:30:00.005-08:00

Inside: Free printable Valentine word search and colouring pages

Hello! I have a mini Valentine activity pack for you today.

You get a Valentine word search and two cute colouring sheets.

These would be fun to use in a centre, for some spelling practice, or for kids who finish their work quickly.

DOWNLOAD: MINI VALENTINE ACTIVITY PACK

Please remember that all freebies are for personal and classroom use only.

Be sure to check out some more Valentine goodness:

4 Cute Valentine Cards

Valentine Gnome Calendar Cards (perfect for February!)

15 Valentine Hearts Clip Art (all free)

Review and Activities for the book Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch

14 Days of Free Valentine Clip Art

Thanks for stopping by!

4 Cute Valentine Cards: Free

2021-01-28T03:00:00.005-08:00

Inside: Link to 4 free printable Valentine cards. Perfect for school.

Hi Friends!

Valentine's Day is coming soon and it's one of my favourite days in the classroom.

Perhaps you have all your Valentine goodies ready, but if not then these sweet Valentine cards should come in super handy.

VISIT GO DESIGNS FOR: FREE VALENTINE CARDS

Valentine Gnome Calendar Cards: FREE

2021-01-25T01:00:00.005-08:00

Inside: Free Valentine calendar cards for your classroom

Hello! I couldn't resist making a Valentine gnome. These little guys are all over the internet and they're just SO cute.

I decided to use him to make you a free set of February calendar cards. These are perfect for either your classroom or home schooling pocket chart calendar.

You could also use the cards for number games!

DOWNLOAD: FREE FEBRUARY CALENDAR CARDS

The blog is FULL of freebies and I've got lots more Valentine goodies here.

Pin me, please :)

Free Printable: Groundhog Day Coloring and Word Search

2021-01-18T02:00:00.006-08:00

Inside: Groundhog Day word search and coloring pages -- Free Printables

Hello! I have some more Groundhog Day goodies for you.

This time it's a word search and a couple of colouring pages.

If you like the groundhog, you can buy the clip art set (BW and colour) in my TPT store.

As usual, freebies are for personal and classroom use only. Thanks!

DOWNLOAD: GROUNDHOG DAY ACTIVITIES

While you're here, be sure to grab the Groundhog Trivia Cards I made last week. They're free, too!

Click here for even more Groundhog Day fun!

Pin me, please :)

Free Printable Groundhog Trivia Cards

2021-01-11T22:04:00.008-08:00

Inside: Free groundhog trivia cards. Instant download printable.

Hello!

Since Groundhog Day is coming up in a couple of weeks I thought it would be fun to make up some trivia cards. It's on February 2 in case this isn't high on your list of special days :)

There are a few different ways you could use the cards:

1. During your morning rug time it would be fun to pull out a few trivia cards in the days leading up to Groundhog Day. What better way to up your knowledge quotient of these furry little guys.

2. You could make up a couple of sets for kids to use during centre time. Of course, this would only work with strong readers, so maybe Grades 2 and 3.

3. Each student could illustrate a card and print an accompanying sentence which incorporates the question and answer. For example, the first card below could be re-framed as, "Groundhogs protect themselves by hiding in their burrows, fighting with their sharp teeth and claws, or climbing trees."

4. They're great for building vocabulary, too, with words such as predator, gestational, omnivore, herbivore and more!

5. You could also use them at the dinner table to promote learning and conversation with your family members.

When you download the pdf you'll need to print out four pages. There are eight cards on each page for a total of 32 cards. Four of those are blank, though, in case you'd like to add your own facts.

If you love the cute little groundhogs, you can find them in an Etsy Shop called Kristi W. Designs.

It's easiest and fastest to cut them out with a paper trimmer (I use a home cutter by Fiskars -- affiliate link) but obviously scissors will work, too.

Please remember that all freebies are for personal / classroom use only. You may NOT sell these cards or share the download with others. Instead, please send your friends to this blog post.

DOWNLOAD: GROUNDHOG TRIVIA CARDS

CLICK BELOW FOR MORE GROUNDHOG GOODIES:

Free classroom activities

5 Groundhog Day books PLUS free clip art

Pin me, please :)

Over and Under the Snow: Review and Free Activities

2021-01-03T17:00:00.003-08:00

Inside: A book review of Over and Under the Snow PLUS 10 book-related activities.

Hello! This is an update of a post I did a few years ago. Be sure to read the whole post as I've added 5 new links to some truly wonderful book-related activities.

If you don't have Over and Under the Snow, you need to buy it! It's a beautiful book and one of my favourites:)

7 January Poems for Kids: Free

2020-12-27T11:00:00.003-08:00

Inside: A free collection of January poems for your classroom.

Hello!

I'm reposting so I can remind everyone about this set of 7 fabulous January poems for your primary classroom.

Just so you know, I didn't write any of the poems. I just found them and added some cute clipart so they're ready to print and use in your classroom.

I couldn't find the authors of five of the poems but the other two were written by Kenn Nesbitt and Shel Silverstein.

The pdf file includes 7 poems, each in colour and black/white (or grey tone).

These winter poems are perfect for your primary classroom and your kids will enjoy colouring in the pictures and adding their own extra details.

DOWNLOAD JANUARY POEMS HERE

PIN ME

And if you haven't already, be sure to grab these January calendar cards I posted last week.

Happy New Year Calendar Cards for Your Classroom

2020-12-21T03:00:00.006-08:00

Inside: Free set of Happy New Year calendar cards for your classroom

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Friday was the last day of school before winter break and now everyone is hopefully relaxing and recuperating from what I'm sure was a more stressful than usual first term of school.

My hat goes off to all teachers and parents. It hasn't been easy during these COVID times, that's for sure.

I'm sure no one is thinking about school right now, but I wanted to get these calendar cards out there so you'd have them in plenty of time for January.

The cards are 2.75 inches square and should fit most calendar pocket charts. My previous calendar cards are a little bigger and I started to worry that maybe they wouldn't fill all pocket charts. If you've had a problem with sizes in the past, let me know in the comments and I might be able to go back and adjust.

In the meantime, I hope you can put these cards to good use! They include numbers to 31, two birthday cards, one Happy New Year card, and 6 blanks.

Please remember that all freebies are for personal and classroom use only.

DOWNLOAD: HAPPY NEW YEAR CALENDAR CARDS

If you like the penguin clip art you can find the whole set below.

I just made them today!

Happy New Year Penguin Clip Art

Free Gnome Clip Art and Coloring Page

2020-12-14T03:00:00.096-08:00

Inside: Free gnome clip art and colouring page

Hello!

Here in Canada we have one week left of school before the winter break. So in celebration I have some Christmas gnome goodies for you.

I started out making a colouring page freebie, But when that was finished I decided to have some fun colouring in the little gnomes.

So you get 3 cute and colourful gnomes, a black and white gnome, and a colouring page.

And actually, the clip art isn't all that little. It's about 5 inches wide and just over 9 inches tall. And the colouring page is 8.5 x 11 inches.

DOWNLOAD: Gnome clip art and colouring page

Please remember, all freebies are for personal and classroom use only. If you'd like to use them in your TPT products, please let me know and I'll make a full set and put them in my shop. Thank you :)

Santa Paper Freebies and Cute Christmas Clip Art Borders

2020-12-09T03:00:00.008-08:00

Inside: Christmas borders clip art and free Santa paper

Hello!

Today I'm sharing some Santa paper with you; both regular lines and primary dotted. Hopefully they'll come in handy the last few days before Christmas break.

The Santas come from a set of Christmas borders I made last year.

Visit GO DESIGNS for your free set of Santa Paper.

If you grabbed the download please leave a comment. Comments make my day!

Free Rainbow Candy Cane Clip Art

2020-12-07T03:00:00.006-08:00

Inside: A free clip art set with 15 coloured candy canes plus 1 black and white candy cane.

Hi Friends!

I have a sweet surprise for you today.

I'm giving away my clip art set of rainbow candy canes.

These little beauties are almost 11 inches tall so they're perfect for all your classroom needs.

GRADE ONEDERFUL

How to Help a Child Who Worries: My Monster and Me Book

Free May Calendar Cards for Your Classroom

DOWNLOAD: MAY CALENDAR CARDS

Bubble Tea Poetry Fun: Instant Download

DOWNLOAD: FREE BUBBLE TEA POETRY

Spring Chatterbox With 8 Hilarious Jokes

DOWNLOAD: SPRING CHATTERBOX

Free Multiplication Flash Cards

TIPS FOR USING FLASH CARDS:

DOWNLOAD: MULTIPLICATION FLASH CARDS

Free Easter Word Search and Colouring

DOWNLOAD: FREE EASTER WORD SEARCH

Peter Easter Frog: Book Review and Ideas!

Free Peeps Calendar Cards

DOWNLOAD: PEEPS CALENDAR CARDS

St. Patrick's Day Poetry Freebie

DOWNLOAD: ST. PATRICK'S DAY POEM

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St. Patrick's Day Word Search and Coloring Page for Kids

DOWNLOAD: ST. PATRICK'S DAY WORD SEARCH AND COLOURING

Free March Calendar Cards for Your Classroom

DOWNLOAD: FREE MARCH CALENDAR CARDS FOR YOUR CLASSROOM

I have a few more March goodies you might like:

Free Printable: Snowman Chatterbox Joke Teller

DOWNLOAD: SNOWMAN CHATTERBOX JOKE TELLERS

10 Frames in First Grade - Free Game

10-Frame Flash

Make 10 Partners

Totally 10 Snake Game

Directions:

Challenge:

DOWNLOAD: TOTALLY TEN SNAKE GAME AND 10-FRAME CARDS

10-Frame Song:

Breathing is My Superpower: Book Review and Activities

Opening Lines:

Synopsis:

Why I Like This Book:

Book-Related Activities:

DOWNLOAD: MANDALA & FEELINGS FRAME

Valentine Word Search and Coloring: Free Printable

DOWNLOAD: MINI VALENTINE ACTIVITY PACK

Be sure to check out some more Valentine goodness:

4 Cute Valentine Cards: Free

VISIT GO DESIGNS FOR: FREE VALENTINE CARDS

Valentine Gnome Calendar Cards: FREE

DOWNLOAD: FREE FEBRUARY CALENDAR CARDS

Free Printable: Groundhog Day Coloring and Word Search

DOWNLOAD: GROUNDHOG DAY ACTIVITIES

Free Printable Groundhog Trivia Cards

There are a few different ways you could use the cards:

DOWNLOAD: GROUNDHOG TRIVIA CARDS

CLICK BELOW FOR MORE GROUNDHOG GOODIES:

Over and Under the Snow: Review and Free Activities

7 January Poems for Kids: Free

Happy New Year Calendar Cards for Your Classroom

DOWNLOAD: HAPPY NEW YEAR CALENDAR CARDS

Free Gnome Clip Art and Coloring Page

DOWNLOAD: Gnome clip art and colouring page

You also might like:

Santa Paper Freebies and Cute Christmas Clip Art Borders

Inside: Christmas borders clip art and free Santa paper

Visit GO DESIGNS for your free set of Santa Paper.

Free Rainbow Candy Cane Clip Art

DOWNLOAD: FREE RAINBOW CANDY CANES CLIP ART