Blog Hoppin'

Happy Birthday Giveaway Ends TODAY!

2013-05-18T05:58:00.000-07:00

Hurry! Hurry! Don't miss out on over $300 worth of prizes!!!

Enter HERE and HERE!

Happy Saturday!

It's Teacher Appreciation Week! Time to Share Your Shopping Carts.

2013-05-07T17:00:00.001-07:00

We appreciate you and hope that you are having an awesome week. By now, you have heard of the HUGE Teacher Appreciation Sale over at TpT. Amazing deals of up to 28% off when you use the coupon code: TAD13.

Have you filled up your carts? Are you clearing out that wish list? Have you already purchased? We would love for you to show us what your bought or what is in your chart! Link up below and snag our graphic.

Directions:
1. Write a blog post about the items in your cart or the items you have already purchased during the sale.
2. Snag our graphic and link back to this direct post on Blog Hoppin'.
3. Add your direct link to your post, using the linky below.

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! *Don't forget to leave feedback for your purchases, so that you can go back and do some more shopping damage with your credits :)

End of Year Writing Bundle

2013-04-27T05:39:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that we only have 5{ish} weeks left in school. Goodness! My kiddos have state testing in 1 week {well...6 days to be exact}, so as soon as we finish, we are diving back into a normal routine. After our testing is over {finally}, we will be working through my Ultimate End of Year Writing Bundle. This pack has some super cool and easy {PTL} projects that will help your kiddos reflect on the amazing year that they have had.

Here are the activities that we will be working on...

Since our paper bag poetry books were so super simple and since the kids LOVED them so much, I had an idea to create an end of the year keepsake...paper bag style. Love that paper bags are so stinkin' cheap!

All you need are paper bags {lunch sacks....not grocery bags} and dollar store stickers to help your kiddos make these little scrapbook{ish} memories.

Then, we will also be adding to our time capsules for the year. End of the year is the perfect time to bundle all of your memories up into one place for safe keeping. I have included time capsule contracts, poems, and much, much more to get you going.

Along with these two activities, we will also work on several end of year writing and craftivities...just to end the year with a bang!

We will be planning for a great summer ahead...

And...my favorite...letters to next year's kiddos. I always display these on our "Welcome Back" night for my newbies to read {well..until I looped!}. This helps your kiddos get a glimpse into what is ahead in the new year. Plus, it adds a little spirit to those empty walls at the beginning of the year.

Hopefully these activities will keep my summer hungry kiddos busy after testing.

You can pick this unit up at my TPT shop by clicking {HERE}.

Have a great weekend!

Rockin' Math Review (1st Grade CCSS Math)

2013-04-25T18:56:00.000-07:00

YES! That is just what we will do the last 2-3 weeks of school (review the whole CCSS math)! Because we don't have official standardized testing in 1st grade, I like to review the last 2 weeks of school to help my students remember what we learned and to get them ready for 2nd grade.

Here's what I've done (and it's taken me soooooooooo long to do- I even cried TWICE!!!!)... I have made a review center game for EVERY STANDARD in the 1st grade Common Core Math (some games cover multiple standards). I know... I am CRAZY! But, my students needed some fun ways to review and so I have been working on this for WEEKS. This would also be a GREAT review for your 2nd graders at the beginning of next year.

There are 18 centers!

Come check it out:

Incubation Station

2013-04-19T15:58:00.000-07:00

Remember I told you round 3 of my science obsession was coming soon? Well......
Our chicks have finally arrived and are growing fast!! We started our chicken life cycle unit 6 weeks ago and this was one of my most educational experiences yet! My classroom was FULL every morning before and after school with kiddos coming to see our first babies arrive! I am attaching lots of pictures so get ready!

I surprised my students with eggs in March. They went on Spring Break and then came back with only a week left before they hatched. I planned it that way so they wouldn't lose interest waiting 21 days!

The chicks need to stay warm after hatching so they spent 3 more weeks under a heat lamp. They needed to get feathers first. My daughter named them right away. The first one she called "Chickadee", and the second one."Hamburger". I guess they looked like hamburger when they first hatched..LOL! We had 4 total hatch out of 12.

Here is a short video clip of the first chick who hatched:

They hatched on day 20 and 21. By day 23, I broke the rest open to show the students that they hadn't been fertilized.

We started an observation journal a few days before they hatched. They loved this part of the day because they could observe them and write about how they changed each day. And boy do they! One week later, they were already trying to fly!

Journals

They are growing up! Sniff!

I have feathers now!

We did a little comparing with chickens and ducks. We put together a Venn Diagram to show our learning. They made chickens and ducks to go with it.

If any of you have been thinking of hatching eggs with your students, I highly recommend it! They will love it!

Here is my Incubation Station Math and Literacy Unit. It has 141 pages of fun! It has detailed instructions on getting you started with hatching eggs and the activities are differentiated for the primary grades K-2. Just click the picture links to see more. It will be 20% off today only!

Happy Spring and Happy Hatching!

African Jungle Fun!

2013-04-13T10:54:00.000-07:00

Hello!
This is Cindy, from Kinderkay Love Those Kinders. We are in the midst of our African Jungle unit and I thought that I would share with you some of the fun we are having!

First of all, I am so pumped to say that my students are able to tell me that Africa is a continent, not a country and that there are 7 continents in the world! (We still separate Europe and Asia and do not use the term Eurasia!) They can tell me that Africa has many habitats and that the animals that live in each habitat are different. Woo hoo! It makes me feel like high fiving each child when things like this happen!

To begin the unit, I project the PDF of my African Jungle unit upon our Promethean board in my classroom. We discuss the pictures as an introduction; then revisit the pages as we study each habitat and animal. The children illustrate their own African animal book.

A big project that we do for this unit is for each child to be assigned an African animal and then do a simple report on it. They choose one animal in which they want to be the "Animal Expert." They do research on their animal and fill out the report form with their findings and a hand drawn picture of their animal.

The next thing they do is to create a paper mache representation of their animal. I used to have the children create their own representation, but this was soooo hard for them and I had to work with each child individually which took up too much class time. So, now I create the form for them. Now.... before anyone says "That is not art when the teacher creates the form!", I completely agree with you! This is NOT an art project! This is a science and research project. It is no different than giving a child a coloring sheet and telling them to color a picture that someone else drew!
Here is a picture of what the forms look like:

After the form is made, the children cover the entire form with plain white paper towel and art paste.

When the animal is completely covered, they use NON BLEEDING tissue paper to give their animal the proper colors. I LOVE using tissue paper for the colors! All the mess is done in one day; no waiting for the form to dry and then painting it!

After the animal has a day or two to dry, they add details to their animals using tacky glue. Since this is a science project, they have to tell me whether their animal is a mammal, a bird, or a reptile. They add a small bit of fake fur for the mammals, feathers for the birds, and sequins or buttons for the reptiles.

We also discuss traditional African clothing and masks. They create an African child wearing an African mask.

When both the animal and the African child are complete, they write one sentence on a sentence strip about their animal and we display them together in our hallway.

Hop on over to my blog Love Those Kinders to read more fun jungle ideas that we did in our Jungle unit including more cute pictures of our giraffe art! (This project REALLY is art!)

If you are interested in my African Jungle Animal unit, click the image below to take you there!

Blessings,

A veritable potpourri of Earth Day goodness! (Lots of FREEBIES!)

2013-04-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

Good morning, Blog Hoppin' Friends! Kerri B from Teacher Bits and Bobs here...

Is anyone else excited that Earth Day is this month?? I know I am! Earth Day is one of my favoritest days (holidays? What do I call it exactly??) to teach my kidlets all about, mostly because they REALLY take it seriously and become so motivated to help keep the Earth clean.

Here are some of the activities that I did with my class last year to celebrate Earth Day...

First, we made this super EASY PEASY (and pretty) Earth Day art and wrote about how we could help save the Earth...

Here are the dimensions, if you would like to make them with your class, along with writing paper and the Earth template for your kids to color and cut out (clipart courtesy of DJ Inkers)...

9 x 12 light blue background
5 x 12 skin color (I folded it in half, traced one my kids' hands and then cut it out once)
Earth pattern (click picture above to access this)
3 x 4 paper folded in half for the heart (I used pretty scrapbook paper)
Writing paper so the kids can write how they love the Earth (also included with download, click photo above)

We also made a little "I Love the Earth" bubble map to help us describe the Earth. This helped us when when we wrote about it (click image to download)...

We also had LOTS of fun ~~playing~~ ~~with~~ examining earthworms in a VERY scientific way after reading Diary of a Worm...

SO NASTY!!

Isn't his expression priceless?? This was the BEST ACTIVITY EVER!!

We also had LOADS of fun with my Earth Day Math and Literacy Centers...

Here are my kids having fun with the centers...

Counting Patterns

Graphing

Number Puzzles

Syllable Sort

They also used my Earth Day Writing center to write all about the Earth...

Finally, to complete all this Earth Day goodness, how about another Earth Day Number Puzzles FREEBIE from my TPT store! Click on the picture to download it for yourself...

Whew!! That was a lot of Earth Day fun!! Hope you found some activities that you can share with your kiddies!! Happy Earth Day, friends!!
XOXO Kerri B

Butterflies Galore!

2013-03-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, here is round 2 of my science addiction! Stay tuned for round 3 coming soon!! HINT: It has to do with eggs!

My first graders really loved our fun with butterflies! It finally got warm enough to let them go this past week. My daughter hated seeing them go!

But we still had fun!!

Last year, I got the caterpillars from a local garden. I ordered them this year and did the whole cup thing. It worked a little better this year!

The students used a black and white version of this booklet to complete their worksheets and craftivities.

Last year, the Botanical Gardens in Tucson gave us real samples of exotic butterfly wings and chrysalis'. We used them to compare and contrast. They really liked this.

We passed the caterpillars around and documented our observations.

Sequencing has been our focus this week and we combined that with art to make these life cycle books.

My first graders loved watching the caterpillars change.

They even watched them wiggle into a chrysalis.

I found some flowers to keep in the habitat. They also would drink from the orange slices we gave them. We had to wait 2 extra weeks before we let them go so they wouldn't freeze.

My daughter helped release them in our yard. They loved the flowers blooming on our almond trees!

If you would like to do this with your students, you can grab my Butterfly Unit with all these activities and directions on getting you started. Click the picture link below to see more.

Have a wonderful Easter with your family and friends!

Spring Activities from Primary Graffiti

2013-03-28T07:40:00.002-07:00

Hi it's Cheryl from Primary Graffiti. I'm back today to share a file spring themed activities! Up first, Core Centers! Link in first graphic!

Are you a little curious about my core themed centers? I created a freebie sample themed for March Madness! Link in first graphic!

I finished up my current Swallowed Tub. This one aligns with There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Chick. Eek! This one is my favorite and so late. I discounted it several dollars for a short time! Link in first graphic!

Have you seen Rachelle's cute new Rabbit Research Unit? Ahhhh! So cute! I'd prepared bunny books for the kids when we return from break and planned on creating something to record our research. In a timely fashion, Rachelle from What a Teacher Wants created and posted a much needed file. I scooped it up immediately. Check it out by click the graphic below!

After speaking with Rachelle, I uploaded a vocabulary book to align with her unit. I'm eager to come back and share the results of our learning!!! To see more previews of Rachelle's unit, link here.

That's All Folks! I'd be honored if you stopped by Primary Graffiti to say Hi!

Spring Has Sprung!

2013-03-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

I admit that I am totally into science! I love engaging students in fun activities and experiments. Not only does it make it fun for the students, they begin to express their thought more in their writing.
Since it is 80 degrees here in Arizona, we started planting our peas plants. We used Erica Bohrer's Seed to Plant Unit for some of our observations and activities.

I ventured into the local Home Depot for some potting soil, containers, and seeds. I thought peas looked entertaining.

These small pots come in a pack of about 30 and it was only $2

They begin to sprout!

Now there are a few more sprouting and the students can begin to measure!

This observation booklet from Erica was great for the students to use to document the changing plants.

The students were getting excited over how many paperclips they were using to measure!

We sequenced our plant experience with this writing booklet I created last year. Click the link below to download.

Enjoy your week!!

Sight Words On-The-Go

2013-03-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun creating this new activity. I made a cute way to carry sight words on-the-go. The girls will get a Sight Words in a Purse. The boys will have fun with their Sight Words in a Car. Simply choose your words of the week and have your students assemble the purse or car in a center. There are two cover options. The cover includes two lines where you can add the Dolch List # and expected date of mastery. After it is assembled, students may carry their sight words wherever they go. Great to use as review and practice on sub days, rainy days, in a center, at home, in the car, ... well you get the idea :)

This is how the completed project will look.

First, the student will color and assemble the purse.

Now, it is ready to use wherever they may be go.

Students can keep track of their progress by highlighting the words that they are able to read.

This is the template for boys. It is included in the same download as the purse template.

This is the Spanish version. It includes a second cover page in English that says, "My Spanish Words." It can be used by English speakers who are learning Spanish :)

Do yo like it? Hop on back to my blog for a freebie.

Primary Graffiti Randomness!

2013-03-16T15:28:00.001-07:00

For all you hoppers on Spring Break, I AM JEALOUS!!!! I'm sitting in Florida with spring fever!!! Luckily the Mr. and I have enjoyed a bit of fun today at the Farmer's Market, lunch at the river, and cutting back winter's toll on our foliage.

Warning, this post will be random but hopefully a little entertaining! In my school, grade levels meet on various Wednesdays with administration for half day PD. We usually dive into Common Core Math Data, Blooms, CAST, MTSS, Marzano, or FAIR. Head spinning? Mine usually does. LOL! This week it was Kindergarten's turn to meet. My principal shared a 13 minute video on Bloom's According to Andy Griffith. I just LOVED the Andy Griffith Show and was captivated!

The extend on our PD meetings, a teacher pal and I have begun writing MTSS post on Mondays. You can read Jessica's post here and mine here. This week we will be sharing how we collect data!

My kiddos have been plugging away at MTSS Centers over the past several weeks. The first image is linked to my St. Patrick's Day centers which are on sale 1/2 off for the weekend. The following images provides a glimpse at students completing the activities.

This week we tackled Easter Centers. I've linked the first image to my store and the second provides another example of kids at work!

IF you are new to my blog and store, you might like a sample of the activities I provide for MTSS centers. Just click the image to download the freebie!

If you are still looking for St. Patrick's Day activities for Monday, I put my Swallowed a Clover Tub on sale 1/2 this weekend!

Do you have a shopping passion? I love peasant or gypsy skirts. My darling friends call me a hippie! Check out my newest skirt from Hazel and Olive Boutique. Seriously, I'm obsessed!

The sun is going down and I'm in need of a mowing so the bottom of the skirt looks long. The image below is from their online catalog. You can link to the skirt by clicking the image below. =)

Oh.my.word, I found out my school wide theme for next year will be Rainforest. I began a pinterest board with various ideas. Pictures, posts, supplies, units, books, etc. If you are interested, you can check out my board here!

If you have an activity or link that you might like to share then PLEASE add your link to my linky! I'd love to check it out!!!

I hope you have a blissful weekend!

Spring Into Writing! {A Writing Bundle}

2013-03-11T15:09:00.004-07:00

Hey y'all! Hope here from Second Grade Shenanigans! I am beyond excited because I have my writing planned and ready to go for the next two months! Spring is one of my favorite seasons, and I can't wait to excite my kids about writing with some of these spring activities. We are all about some science lately, and so many of these prompts are the perfect way to bring science straight into our writing time!

Now, here is the best part! You can have your writing planned for the next few months too! Check out my newest unit below!

This bundle is packed with over 200 pages of resources to help your kiddos build those writing skills. It is also aligned to the new Common Core Standards and includes narrative, informational, and opinion pieces. This resource includes differentiated materials and will be perfect for 1st-5th grade. Since I love crafts {and so do my kids}, each unit includes the templates needed to make a fun craft at the completion of each writing that will be perfect for spring bulletin boards!

Here are the seven activities included:

You can click {HERE} to purchase the bundle on SALE for $13.00. It will be on sale until tomorrow, so snatch it up fast!

I hope that you all had your best Monday yet! AND...for those of you on SPRING BREAK...I am WAY jealous!!!!

Spring Break and a Little Armadillo

2013-03-06T19:51:00.001-08:00

Hi! It's Lynda from Curls and a Smile!

I am so excited because in just a couple of days, I will official be on Spring Break!

One whole week to relax, spend time with my family and create new resources and fonts for all of you! One of my newest resources (and one that I just love to do with my kiddos) is to have my students write all about their fabulous vacation.

I just love to read about my students adventures away from school! I give my students there brainstorming page before they leave for Spring Break. This way they can jot down a few things that they did each day. This is really helpful on that Monday after Spring Break when they are all in need of a NAP (including me) and sometimes swear they did absolutely nothing for seven days! It's a great way to refresh our memories and get the writing process off to a fabulous start!

The kiddos then use the pages included to write their rough draft. Included on that page is a checklist that the students can use to monitor their writing as they go and as they work with a partner to edit and revise their writing. Once the students have revised and edited their stories, there are also pages included to create their final draft that can be displayed for others to read.

I would love for you to check it out in my TpT store!

Curls and a Smile was also part of Booking Across America and I was able to write about my state of Texas! This time of year is a lot of fun in Texas because it is RODEO time....yeehaw! One of my favorite literature activities is the pairing of 2 super books- It's an Aramdillo and Armadillo Rodeo. I included freebies to go along with lesson!

Hope you have a wonderful and super fun Spring Break!

Make sure to drop by Blog Hoppin' and

Curls and a Smile for more engaging and fun ideas for your classroom!

Welcome to the Jungle!!

2013-03-03T00:00:00.000-08:00

Good Morning, Blog Hoppin' Buddies! Kerri B from Teacher Bits and Bobs here...

Well, it's hard to believe, but it's actually March 3rd! Where has the time gone? When March hits, I immediately go into panic mode because A) that means report cards are right around the corner and I have a TON of work to do (blecch), and B) it is time to start thinking about my Open House theme!

At my school, we culminate the year with our Open House 2 weeks before school lets out for the summer, but I start planning and prepping for the big event WAAAYYY early, because Open House is my most favoritest thing ever! I love transforming my room into a place that literally makes my kids say "ooohh, aaahhh" when they see it, and I also love the satisfaction that comes from engaging my kids in an 8 week long thematic unit that includes language arts, math, science, writing, and (of course) most importantly, ART!

Last year I developed my Rainforest Fun! Art and Writing Unit, after years of teaching my kids about the rainforest and turning my room into a rainforest every year for Open House.

Here are some pictures of last year's Rainforest transformation...

(Disclaimer: I am not a patterned art type of gal. All of the art projects my kiddies do are the "I do, you do" step cut method, which makes their art sooo much more original and unique, I think!)

Yup!! The rainforest literally threw up in my room! I love it!!
My kids EAT. IT. UP. every year, and they learn so so much about the rainforest. I am getting excited just thinking about teaching it again this year!!

If you are interested in transforming your classroom into a living rainforest, then you can check this out...

In addition to directions for all of the 10 art projects you see above you, this unit includes all sorts of writing activities for lots of different rainforest animals, which you can save and make into a rainforest book for your kiddos!

I also have my companion Rainforest Fun! Math Literacy Centers available as a companion to my Art and Writing Unit, to extend the rainforest fun just a little bit further! :)

Thanks for checking out my rainforest ideas! I hope you all have a wonderful Open House this year, whatever theme you choose to do! It's a such a memorable experience for our students, isn't it?? :)

Kerri B

Welcome March!

2013-03-02T13:41:00.001-08:00

It's March!! I am excited about the new month, but I also know it can be loooong so I thought I would share my latest March activities! This unit has both St. Patrick's day and Reading month activities to keep your students going all month long!

Six activities to help your students practice fluency! Click on the picture to check out my store to get them for only $4.50. My students have been loving these and I think yours will too! Welcome the new month with a little freebie! Come on over to my blog to pick them up!

Hope you all have the most wonderful month!!

Celebrate Reading! It's a Quick Giveaway!!!

2013-02-23T08:08:00.003-08:00

Hi! This is Deedee from Mrs. Wills Kindergarten! We are gearing up for a great celebration!

Click on the picture to see this product.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Buddy-Reading-Logs-for-Book-Nook-Center

Click on the picture to see this product.

Jump over to my blog to enter!
But be QUICK! This giveaway will be over FAST!

Happenings at Primary Graffiti

2013-02-21T00:30:00.000-08:00

Hi Hoppers! I'm back to share a few units, happenings, freebies, and upcoming news.

Click Image Above to Link!

My class has begun learning basic addition and subtraction facts. I've been working with them on playing the game UNO (a simple games of numbers and colors). We've had a ton of fun! I modeled this game after the classic.. with it's own Tutti Frutti Twist!

Click Image to Link

Preparing for the 100th Day of School always sneaks up on me. It's only a blink away from Valentine's Day. It collides into Groundhog's Day. And always seems to be lurking around the end of our nine weeks. Wiping my brow! So I created some activities that revolve around the cute book Centipede's 100 Shoes. I just love integrating literature and math!

Check out the video of the book on my blog! Link Here!!!

You'll find...

I have extensive pictures in my post here! You can see detailed pictures of each idea provided! Please take a minute and link over to view.

Click Image Above to Link

Math isn't the only thing on my mind. Informational Writing began this week. I'm hoping to be back on Sunday to update you with all the cute happenings with this file! My hubby is a police officer who speaks police jargon to his buddies. This language has helped to inspire this pack! I picked up on a few key phrases, giving a new spin to "All About Me" writing. Our Intelligence Bulletin: BOLO Alert has made my kinders smile!

Oh. Man! Speaking of writing. My kids had a blast creating and writing about how to make crayons. This crayon maker cost under 25 dollars at Target and still continues to be a favorite topic of discussion weeks later.

Check out my kiddos procedural papers...

My puppet theater from Land of Nod continues to be a favorite center. This room divider hangs in the door frame. I hung two clothespins with hot glue! Seriously, isn't it darling? We just hung this bad boy back up and kids are diving into all my Swallowed Sub Tub Retelling Props. Yay!!!

Back to Math with a FREEBIE

Click Image to Link

A few months ago, I posted this freebie. We were working on composing simple shapes from smaller shapes. In an attempt to help struggling students, I created this file to ensure students were meeting objectives that came and went while trying to tackle the current objectives.

Click Image to Link

Now we've moved on from Solid Shapes and comparing their attributes AND still I'm working with a few students struggling with their numbers, I created this file to extended. After learning about dimes this past week, I felt my kids were ready to identify the coins associated with each number. For those not in the US, I still provided a page for each number resembling the first freebie (without coins).

Did you see this post? My kids created a little class book and the file is a free grab on my blog! Link here!

Click Image to Link

One of my favorite books is Cherry Blossom Friends by Corkey Hay DeSimone. This story takes you on an adventure within the Cherry Blossom Trees of Washington DC. Predict and Infer with this loveable text written in riddles and rhymes. Learn about the National Mall and all the animals that thrive within the Cherry Blossom Trees. Great for Sequencing!!!

The remarkable Kathleen Wainwright, author of Summer in the City, will be a guest on my blog today! I'm stop number three on her book blog tour. She has discussed her connections to this story, provided a freebie, and provided a giveaway of her newest book. The illustrations are vivid and unique. I made lots of magnificent personal connections with the text. Please stop by and say hi!

10.

Thank you for sticking out this long, jammed pack post.

Bodacious Blending Puzzles!!

2013-02-18T00:00:00.000-08:00

Good morning, Blog Hoppin' Buddies!

Kerri B from Teacher Bits and Bobs here...

I am currently teaching first grade (which I love and adore, BTW!), but did you know that before I moved to First, I taught Kinder for 10 whole years?? I truly thought I would teach Kinder for a million years and they would have to sprinkle my ashes on the Kindergarten playground when I passed on (too morbid? That's how much I LOVED Kindergarten!), but then I taught a Kinder/First combo and caught the First Grade bug in the worst way! Now, they'll have to sprinkle my ashes all over the regular playground, since first grade has to share the playground with everybody else! Whatevs...

When I taught Kinder, my favorite time of the year was that magical time after Christmas when the kids came back all mature-like, and ready to start blending those letters to make words... (Anyone else with me?? Isn't it magical??)

I. LOVED. IT!

I used to pore through old Kindergarten workbooks, looking for cvc pictures I could cut out so I could make my kids blending puzzles (we're talking "OLD SCHOOL" people-cut and paste, for heavens sake!)
It took me a while, but I finally amassed about 40-50 cvc blending cards and it was my Kindies FAVORITE center to do! Like, they would blend cvc words forever if I let them! :)

Well, when I saw Ashley Hughe's AMAZING CVC picture bundle on TPT...I about DIED!

I mean, honestly! Isn't this the most glorious thing you have ever seen?? When I think of all the CVC picture cutting and pasting I did way back when...well, it's just pathetic! Ashley's CVC pictures made me want to teach Kindergarten again!! Well, okay, they ALMOST made me want to teach Kinder again... but then I remembered that these would be PERFECT for my Firsties at the beginning of the year, so I quickly purchased them and got to makin'!!

Introducing... my Bodacious Blending Puzzles-CVC Edition Activity Pack! Sorry for the 80's slang reference, but Bodacious IS a word from my generation, so I just had to do it! (OMG...I just sounded like I was 80 years old...generation, HA!!)

This pack is PERFECT for all you Kinder teachers at this point in the year, and for all of us Firsties out there, these puzzles are perfect for the beginning of the year OR for your kidlets who need a little intervention practice right now!

Here is a closer look...

If you are interested in checking this CVC blending pack out and letting your kiddos blend CVC's until the cows come home, then click on any picture above to go to my TPT store!

Thanks for letting me share, friends!!
XOXO Kerri B

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Bodacious-Blending-Puzzles-CVC-Activity-Pack

President's Day!

2013-02-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

I'm excited to get started on teaching the
President's Day and U.S. Symbols Unit

There's lots in this unit! So click [here] to view the description! IT'S ON SALE TODAY AND TOMORROW ONLY!

Hip Hip Hooray--It's Our 100th Day!

2013-02-15T19:24:00.000-08:00

We celebrated our 100th day today... what a fun-filled day!! Technically, our 100th day occurred yesterday on the calendar, but our team made an executive decision to celebrate Valentine's and 100th Day on 2 separate days--I'm so glad we did! There's just TOO MUCH FUN to pack it into one day. :o)

Click HERE to find my 100th Day Fun for Everyone pack!

What's YOUR favorite part of the 100th day?

Last Minute Valentine Printables!

2013-02-13T18:49:00.001-08:00

I just shared some last minute Valentine's Day free printables on my blog. Click the images below to hop over and check them out! Happy Valentine's Day.

I made a few more updates to my Valentine's Day Common Core Math Centers Packet. I am super excited about these counting mats.

I made two versions: One Valentine themed and in color and the other a plain black line version. You can copy the black line version on colored copy paper to save on ink! It can also be used for any sort of counting not just for Valentine's Day.

I hope you have a lovely Valentine's Day!

Four Valentine Literacy Centers and a Math Freebie

2013-02-10T17:38:00.002-08:00

Hello All!
This is Cindy from Kinderkay Products. This year I made the decision to try Daily 5 for my literacy rotations. I have to say that since making the switch, my planning time has decreased significantly BUT I couldn't quite let go of regular literacy centers for my kinders. I still feel that my little ones need hands on experience with letters and words in a variety of formats. I love to add thematic word study activities to their daily literacy rotations and I think that my kinders love them, too! So...... my little ones have a weekly rotation that goes something like this:

Word Work - This is changed daily and usually involves more traditional word study activities such as magnet letters, big books, read or write the room, and play dough mats.

Word Study - In this rotation, my kinders interact with thematic centers that are literacy based. This is where TPT is such a wonderful resource because I can always, always find something to use in this center. Sometimes I leave the activities in this rotation available all week and sometimes I change them daily or every other day.

All my students do the same Word Work Center and Word Study center every day. But there are only 4-5 little ones in each center because they are rotated in and out of them every 15 - 20 minutes.

I interchange Daily 5 rotations throughout the week. Some kinders are working on their writing, some are listening to a story, and some are reading to self or to a partner, and some are having Teacher Time. They do not do these rotations every day. I have a visual schedule up for them to know which centers they are going to do each day. The purist Daily 5 teacher allows her students to choose which centers they are doing each day. This does not happen in my classroom. I make the decisions for them. This just saves time for me and they do not seem to mind!

So this week is Valentine's Day and I wanted their centers to be based on a Valentine's theme. I just BARELY finished this unit - yikes! These centers will be placed in the Word Study area this week. All are based on the Common Core Standards which are listed in the packet. They are easily implemented and after they have been used in a center, they can be used as choice for early finishers. It is full of awesome clip art from Ashley Hughes, Lynda Barbosa, Mel, from From the Pond, and Cara Carroll's new font collection!

Also, if you are looking for a fun new sorting mat for your candy heart sorting this week, here is a freebie for you! It is, of course, math related, but fun, nonetheless!

Valentine Crafts!

2013-02-09T07:06:00.001-08:00

I have bundled up three of my favorite Valentine crafts that I do with my kids.

Doodle Bugs Teaching: Valentine Crafts

All the patterns are included. The patterns are computer generated and not hand-drawn. Each craft is SUPER easy and can be done in a short time period! Just in time for Valentine’s Day!

You get the letters for students to spell February.

Cupcake patterns to make these yummmmy treats!

And owl patterns to make these super cute owls! They are a hoot!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Click below to purchase…

Doodle Bugs: Valentine Crafts

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2013-02-04T14:41:00.000-08:00

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