Bubble Gum Fun

Want to work on number skills while having fun?  This is a perfect activity to work on matching skills for little ones.  Put the bubble gums in the machine.

Click on the picture below to grab it for free.

Keeping Phonics Fun!

Every week we have been adding a new "special sound" to our phonics repertoire. I assume that most "language" curriculums are similar and they 'bombard' our first graders with a TON of rules and expectations for them to master in 5 short days. Then, we are suddenly on to the next rule, concept, and phonics sound. While many of our students will grasp these concepts, not all of them do... Right? 

To help my students, I try to make these new sounds fun, exciting and meaningful. Last week we were working on "ow" and "oa" words.

  I thought that "blowing a bubble" would stick in my students' minds well and to start the week, my students had to guess what our rule was by hunting through my tupperware container. As you can assume, they were happy to oblige. The took out each card and carefully read each word and then in partners discussed what they thought the new sounds were. 

 This week we are learning that ar says /ar./ The "barn" is helping us with this sound! 

Through the help of poems, games and centers I try to make our new phonics sounds fun, engaging and hands-on.

Swing by my blog to pick up word cards that are perfect for word work, word sorts and centers! The cards are for r-controlled vowel words and oa/ow words! There are even recording pages in the freebie! 

To grab this freebie and to read more about the activity, head over to my blog! Simply click on my blog button to get taken there! 

Table Captains

Do you have your kids in table groups?  Do they argue over who gets to pass out or collect the papers? Head over to my blog to see how I use "table captains" to eliminate arguing and promote working together!

Head over to my blog to pick up this classroom management freebie!

Michelle

Lenten Good Deeds Coloring Chart

I have a fun freebie to share with my friends that teach in Catholic or Christian schools as well as homeschool parents. Ash Wednesday is on March 5 and my students celebrate the Leseason with Good Deeds. I spend a few days teaching the class about Good Deeds, then send a Good Deeds chart home with each student. Each time a child does kind things for a family member at home, he/she can color one space on the chart. Students will gradually begin to see their charts fill with bright colors as Easter draws near.

You can download a FREE coy of this Lenten Good Deeds chart. Just stop by the Kinder-Craze blog. While you're there, you'll find practical guidelines to help your students understand the difference between a Good Deed and a personal responsibility (such as making his or her own bed). 

Have a blessed day!

Are You Ready to Read the Simplest, Most Fun Way Make Your Kids Happy for St. Patrick's Day?

I love St. Patrick's Day in the classroom! The mischief, the fun, the treasures, it all represents and energizes young children so well. Of course, in this day and age, it is imprtant that we tie in the academics as well. To make ever lasting memories, I introduce my students to the Legend of the Shrinking Leprechaun Hats a few days before St. Day to excite them and then it all unfolds from there. If you are interested in sharing this same magic in your classroom, click on the pictures to get the free directions, as well as a follow up poem and project once the hats have been shrunk! Your students will remember this memory forever because it is so magical and unbelieveable to them. (I love to create this, but especially when it is THIS EASY!).

So, swing on into Mrs. Miner's Monkey Business for some shrunken hat fun!

 

Lions and Lambs CVCe Freebie

Hi friends! Mrs. Hoffer here! I just wanted to let you know that I added a freebie over at my blog. My higher kiddos were needing some help on their CVCe words so I whipped up this little cutie.

We are getting ready to start a unit on Lions and Lambs. So this is perfect for my little bambinos!

Head over to my blog to download this free and fun game.

Stamping Sight Words

Alphabet stamps are a fun addition to any word work station. My students love to use them to practice building and reading their words. One of their favorites is stamping sight words in these little booklets.

These booklets help my students be successful in reading because they are predictable sentences with lots of visual clues to help them decode unknown words. They focus on one sight word per book, but they are full of other sight words we have learned along the way!

I store the alphabet stamps in little ice cube trays to keep them organized!

I also added a little alphabet sticker inside the trays to help my students put the stamps back in the correct spot.

They love it and I love it!

To download a free sample mini book, you can visit my TpT store. 

This book, We Can Do A Lot, is there for free. Just print, cut along the dashed lines and staple together!

Stop by my blog to see more fun stamping ideas!

Skip Count Hopscotch

My 100th Day of School was last week and my students had a blast celebrating their new knowledge of 100. One of their favorite activities of the day was playing HOPSCOTCH! This winter's arctic weather has left very few opportunities for my students to run around and get their energy out. I decided to take matters into my own hands and use their energy in a constructive way. The students hopped their way into skip counting by 10s up to 100. They had so much fun and I was happy to hear everyone skip count with success.

I created the hopscotch board on the back of a Twister game mat. I used Scotch Expressions Masking Tape to create the grid, then added laminated skip counting numbers. The tape sticks well but also peels cleanly off. To prevent the mat from sliding on the carpet as my students hopped, I added a few small dots of velcro (the side that grabs) on the Twister-side of the mat. It worked like a charm. 

You can download a FREE Hop By Tens set of skip counting numbers to get started as you create a hopscotch mat for your own classroom. Just stop by the Kinder-Craze blog! 

While you're there, be sure to pin lots of great ideas to help you celebrate the 100th Day in your classroom next year! 

xoxo

Sight Word Puzzles

Hi Friends!

This is Mary from Sharing Kindergarten

I am here with a fun, simple freebie I want you to grab asap for the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar

 {I updated this older post and added some cool pics and 

an art example I know you are going to love as well!}

FREE Winter Sports Newsletter Templates

Have you incorporated Olympic themed activities in your classroom? If so, you might like these 3 newsletter templates with a winter sports theme. Also available in Spanish. Stop by my blog to download your freebies :)