TIME TO MAKE THE DOUGH!

Remember that Dunkin Donuts ad?  Well, here we are practicing the gentle art of kneading like the early Colonists...

Here are my darlings pounding the mess out of their dough!  It sounded like a train coming through my room.  Even though it was pre-made pizza dough, they still felt this desire to make sure it was well kneaded!  Here we see the use of elbows and stretching:

The use of "spanking" the dough (I've never thought of trying that...):

Finally, the common practice of pounding the dough...to the death!

I'm so glad I captured the gentle art of kneading by my kindergarten students - ha!

DAY AND NIGHT SKY BUNDLE

I just created this Day and Night Sky Bundle and have discounted it to $1.00!!  This includes:

* Daytime or Nighttime - Naming Pictures
* Day and Night Antonyms
* Draw and Write - Day Sky
* Draw and Write - Night Sky
* Day and Night Sort (t-frame style...words not pictures!)
* Day and Night Quiz
* 18 Colorful Sorting Cards (Headers included!)

Click to get:

DAY AND NIGHT BUNDLE

Colonial Trades - Anchor Chart

We're studying Colonial America in kindergarten and I think the most interesting part of what we've learned so far has been the various trades of the day (well....bartering was pretty cool...see my previous post!).  We've read some text, watched some YouTube videos, and then the kids helped me come up with ideas for an anchor chart.  

The video we watched also included candle makers and printers, but of course, we forgot to include these!  We discussed our favorite trade, acted these out, and of course, the students drew their favorite one.  I'll let you guess what over HALF of my class chose....

Keep thinking.....

What could it be?

Yep.  

Gunsmith.  

Some of my darling students drew pictures that looked like they were holding handguns!  Isn't it always nice to find out who was truly paying attention?  I'm sure that's going to go over well with my parents when they see the gun drawings!!  Ugh!

Here's our cute little reference chart:

Don't forget to check out my shameless self-promotion: 

COLONIAL BARTERING ACTIVITY

BARTERING - COLONIAL LIFE

Once again, I feel disappointed by the lack of fun in the curriculum guide, so I had to make something, which ended up taking all day!!  We'll be learning about Colonial Life and the concept of bartering. 

I recall learning about this in fifth grade - not kindergarten - but alas, times have changed. Our teacher allowed us to create little food items to barter (I had one heck of a time trying to barter away my potatoes) and it was such a fun and memorable way to teach the concept.  So, I made a 'ready to print' version that I hope you find useful.   

Here's a little preview:

I hope you enjoy this!!

Click here to get:

BARTERING ACTIVITY

EVEN or ODD NUMBERS

FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME!  

Do your students need to be gradually introduced to even and odd numbers?  Look no further!  I've included 10 differentiated pages, which gradually increase in difficulty.  

Students will cut, sort, and paste numbers using a handy-dandy reminder on the top of each page!  

Here's a preview of some of the pages.  Note the "reminder" at the top of each chart:

Click here to get:

EVEN OR ODD NUMBERS

1-120 CHARTS

Ooh, la, la!  Free for a limited time...1-120 charts!  I've included 9 pages of charts (two similar charts per page to help you save the trees!) that are ready to print, slice, and go!  

Click on the link below to get these before the supply runs out!  LOL!

Here's a teeny tiny preview:

Click here to download:

1-120 CHARTS

Columbus

I created this unit to supplement our Duval Reads curriculum on Columbus.  I think many students get very confused on main topic and key details, so I made some cut and paste activities that can either be done in small groups, as a whole group, or individually.  

Another area my students need help with is vocabulary!!  Some students need supportive pictures, while others are more adept at using text cues.  Hopefully, you'll find many uses for this bundle to help your students as well.  

Right now, I've reduced the price to half-off, so please stop by my TPT store and check it out.  

Here's a preview:

What's included:

Snippets of the bundle:

Click here to get:

COLUMBUS BUNDLE

Parts of an Ant

I have used this cute ant diagram for years when teaching the parts of an insect.  One page has a word bank and the other has body parts to label.  I underlined the first letter to assist little learners who may get abdomen and antennae mixed up!   

Click here to get:

PARTS OF AN ANT

Day and Night Venn Diagram

We've been learning about day and night through our recent science unit.  I pulled up an old Venn Diagram and noticed that after converting it to an updated version of word, the pictures were too big!  Yikes!  So, it's been revised and I hope you download an updated copy (see link below).

Students can either use the included pictures (3 sets per page), draw their own pictures, or write words to list what can be seen in the day and night sky.

To get this, click:  

DAY AND NIGHT VENN DIAGRAM

MAKING RAIN CLOUDS

We made it "rain" today and it was SO much fun!!  The students not only enjoyed watching our shaving cream cloud "rain" but also loved the smell!  

Looking for this activity? Click here:

HOW TO MAKE RAIN

CLOUD EXPERIMENT

We have been learning about seasons and weather!  My daughter told me about a cloud experiment she did in 2nd grade involving shaving cream and blue food coloring. Hmm...shaving cream?  Food coloring?  This sounded interesting!  When you add the enough food coloring (rain), gravity takes over and you have rain coming through your clouds!  How cool is that?

Well, as it turned out, I found many pictures online, but not many recording sheets in the "science experiment" format that I like to use.  As a kindergarten teacher, I take pride in providing a foundation for the upper-grade levels, so using the scientific method format is a must!  I decided to make my own product, since I'm sort of a perfectionist (a.k.a. anal-retentive).  :)

Directions and a materials list are included in case you've never done this before.  The pages are differentiated so you can use them to match the needs of your kiddos!  Have fun!!

Materials and Directions:

Here's a preview of the recording sheets:

To get this:

CLICK HERE

Number Bonds Anchor Chart

I always think my students are "getting it" but in reality, sometimes they aren't!  I tend to use lots of color coding when teaching, if you can't tell!  It helps makes learning much more memorable for the visual learners of the world!  Here is a recent anchor chart I made:

If you're looking for any number bond activities, feel free to check out my goodies on TPT:

DOMINO NUMBER BONDS

OR

NUMBER BOND FACT FAMILIES

OR

NUMBER BONDS

FOUR SEASONS - RIDDLES

Are you looking for a quick assessment for your four seasons unit?  Try this!  

Ten multiple choice questions included! 

To get this product, click here:

FOUR SEASONS RIDDLES

Near and Far

So, I've decided to finally update my Near and Far packet to include more writing and and activities.  If you've purchased this product already, please download it again, as I've added more pages!  

This little bundle includes everything you need for teaching near and far.  The basic objective is that objects nearby appear to be quite large and things far away appear small, but are still the same size.  

Product includes:
* Mini-booklets to read, color, and/or fill in (color or black and white)
* Cut and sort page
* Quiz/worksheet
* Colorful sorting cards with headers

There's a full preview on TPT...  

Here's a peek:

To get this product click:

NEAR AND FAR

FRIENDLY LETTER ANCHOR CHART

Today, I introduced how to write a friendly letter using an anchor chart, videos, and of course, modeling.  We watched two videos on YouTube that modeled letter writing.

First, we watched Dear Mr. Blueberry, which was a nice introduction....

Dear Mr. Blueberry

Next, we watched The Day the Crayons Quit which, if you haven't seen this, is absolutely adorable!  This story is a keeper!! 

The Day the Crayons Quit

I made this anchor chart, which we took to my neighboring teacher's classroom to read.  I wasn't quite sure if she was prepared for us, but the kids found it quite amusing and now want to join me at the Monster Truck show!  Yee haw!

Afterward, I used my friendly letter template to model a letter to another teacher.  

When we were done, I asked my students to write me a letter about anything they wanted and then typed back personalized letters when I got home.  I asked each student to write me back, so we shall see what unfolds!!

To get this product, click here:

FRIENDLY LETTER TEMPLATES

TPT CONTEST WINNER!

Thanks to all who participated!!  :)

Ending Digraph Worksheets

This bundle includes three ways to practice ending digraphs: Writing two letters, circling, and using context clues (fill in the blank). Please click the preview to see examples! Digraphs included: CH, CK, SH, and TH.

To get:

CLICK HERE

Long and Short Vowel CHARTS!

Use these simple charts to introduce your students to the difference between long and short vowel sounds. Included are three charts: 

1. Long and Short Vowels 
2. Short Vowels 
3. Long Vowels

To get:

CLICK HERE

KINGS and QUEENS

This thematic unit is intended for primary students who are being introduced to kings and queens. It includes several literacy activities, most of which are differentiated, and correlates to Duval Reads and Engage NY units. Pages include:

* Chart for comparing MY FAMILY to ROYAL FAMILIES
* Fill in the blank VOCABULARY practice
* Vocabulary WORD SEARCH
* SPELLING practice
* Kings and Queens RIDDLES
* OPINION writing
* NARRATIVE writing
* INFORMATIVE writing
* BLANK writing page to create your own prompt

To get:

CLICK HERE

100th Day of School

This bundle includes writing and math activities to use on the 100th day of school. Product includes:

* Writing - When I'm 100 Years Old..
* Writing - If I Found $100...
* Math - Writing by ones to 100
* Math - Writing by twos to 100
* Math - Writing by fives to 100
* Math - Writing by tens to 100
* Math - Sorting Mat for candy or other small items

To get:

CLICK HERE