Bananas for Groundhogs

     Groundhog Day is right around the corner and no one loves silly holidays more than kindergarten teachers! I've been looking through my files trying to decide which activities I'm going to dust off and roll out on Thursday. With the pressure to fit everything we do into the Common Core Standards,  I'm finding myself worrying that some of my "Old Favorites" might seem like "fluff" to administrators who might stumble into my room while we are painting, cooking, or doing other worthwhile but less academic activities.  So, I've been on a mission to beef up some of these fun favs to include a more comprehensive literacy component.  For example, in the past we've made these yummy little snacks on Groundhog Day. They're cute and healthy and the kids LOVE making (and eating) them.  

     So, in an effort to make the fun a little more "Core Friendly," I've created a recipe book to go with the activity.  With shared reading, independent reading and independent writing components to go with the fun, I'm not going to worry a bit if my principal walks in when we're up to our elbows in Cheerios and raisins.  If you're as bananas about Groundhog Day as I am, leave a comment and help yourself to a copy of the packet down below.  You'll just need to pick up some dixie cups, bananas, Cheerios, chocolate chips and raisins.  Have a Core-riffic Groundhog Day!

Click Here to Download

     On a side note, I've just stumbled across a really great graphic artist, Lauren, who sells clipart on Etsy.  She even allows the use of her graphics in products you make for TPT!  Check out her shop The First Grade Diaries.  In celebration of this great find, I'll send a copy of the emergent reader I made with her clipart to the first three people who comment below.  (Don't forget to leave me your email)

Have a great night!

MLK Giveaway WInners

Wow!  What great ideas everyone has for Martin Luther King Day!  If you're looking for some great activities, read through the comments on the original giveaway post.  To say thanks for all of the fantastic tips, I picked some extra winners for the MLK unit.  If you're one of the people listed below, check your email!

Have a great night!
**Update at 11:29 PM - Barbara and Jennifer, for some reason hotmail is blocking my email, could you email me at DLCteach@aol.com so I can get you your packet?  Thanks!

MLK Freebie and Giveaway

     While planning for the month of January, I was disappointed to find that most of the resource materials floating around for Martin Luther King Day are geared toward upper elementary grades.  Word searches and crossword puzzles are great, but they sure don't meet the 87 zillion kindergarten standards we're all trying to squeeze in.  So, as we all often do, since I couldn't find any good cross-curricular activities, I made some of my own.
     Wanting to combine the powerful message this great man had for our world with the emerging skills of my kiddos, I came up with some kindergarten-y math, literacy and art activities.  I've been using some of them in my math and literacy centers and they've been a big hit and the kids are doing a great job with them.  In honor of Martin, I'd like to spread some love and share. First, help yourself to the writing freebie down below. It's a bubble map for students to use to write descriptive words about MLK.  Next, I'd like to send the whole packet to the first 3 people who comment on this post with an idea that they use to share Martin's dream with their kiddos.  Finally, I'd like to have a quick giveaway.  To enter, leave a comment if you're a follower and an additional comment if you blog about the giveaway.  I'll pick one winner for every 20 comments - the more entries, the more winners!  It's going to be a quickie because I'd like the winners to have a chance to use the unit later this week, so I'll pick the winners Tuesday night.  Be sure to leave your email!

Click Here for the Writing Freebie

 

Leave a comment to enter to win!

 Have a great night!

A Freebie for the New Year

Sigh... Time to go back to school tomorrow.  I've had a very nice break and feel totally refreshed but the thought of waking up so early on a cold, dark, January morning is making me a little sad.  I missed the kids though and know we'll have an exciting day with all kinds of stories to tell.  I've been planning for the week and we're launching a new unit (Working with Non-fiction - my favorite!) in both Readers' and Writers' Workshop.  Because this is our first nonfiction study, I want to be sure that the kids are all fully engaged when we start.  Since tomorrow is going to be quite the transition day trying to get everyone back into routines, I'm going to wait until Wednesday to launch.  So, I've come up with a little 1-day mini-unit to help get us all back to business tomorrow.  All of the activities are based on a new emergent reader, A New Year, and will hopefully ease the kids back into the structure of school before we tackle more serious learning on Wednesday.  There's a little something for shared reading, independent reading, writing, math and a pocket chart activity. If you're looking for some cute yet meaningful activities to welcome your kiddos to a new year of learning, help yourself to the unit by clicking under the picture.  I'd love to hear how your first day back goes! Good luck getting back into the swing of things and Happy New Year!

Click Here to Download

The Cutest Thing Under My Tree

I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays with their loved ones and reveling in some much needed R&R. I'm halfway into my break and I feel like a new person.  Sleeping past 5:00 is such a treat!

I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my family and there was a whole lot of laughing, gift-giving and merriment.  I have to admit, while I LOVE to give great gifts, the kid in me still also really loves to get gifts. There. I said it.  It just really means a lot to me to know that someone who love knows me knows me so well that they think of just the perfect gift (with the exception of the orange sweater from my mom - really Mom... orange?)  Anyway, my twin sister, Danni, is an avid, talented knitter. Every Christmas brings beautifully handmade mittens, socks, etc. that she spends a lot of time crafting.  While I always appreciate the time and love that go into anything she makes, this year she really hit a home run!  How cute is this scarf she made me?  I already have visions of me on the playground doing recess duty in my new cozy scarf.  It almost makes thinking about going back to school a little less painful to know I'll be all decked out. Almost. Thanks, Dan! 

I hope that the kid in you was thrilled with some heartfelt goodies this holiday season, too!

(Danni, if you're reading this, stop here.)  

To be honest, the scarf was actually the 2nd cutest thing under my tree. First place goes to my sweet Sally.  She likes to curl up near the heat register under the tree and nap amongst the presents. (And drink the water from the tree stand!)  She was and will always be the cutest thing under my tree...

Happy Holidays!

The Business of Sugarplums (Freebie)

It's Sunday night, a week before Christmas and I'm gearing up for a fun and busy week at school.  We go all the way through Friday the 23rd and our administrators like us to keep things "business as usual" as much as possible to keep Holiday Fever at bay.  Try as we may, those visions of sugarplums sneak in and take over - there's nothing quite like the week before Christmas in kindergarten, right?  So, in an effort to merge business with sugarplums, I'm going to stick to my regular schedule and learning routines but do so in the holiday spirit with holiday materials.  I'm not planning any fluff, just meaningful learning, so I think I'm in the clear.  We're learning about many winter holidays and family traditions and I've created a bunch of emergent readers (you might recall that I'm a little obsessed with making my own since there are so few out there to meet the needs of our kiddos) and activities to use throughout the week.  I can use them for shared reading, guided reading and independent reading and I think the kids will really like them.  If you're looking for something to help get you through the week, here's an emergent reader starring the man of the hour, Santa.  I'd love it if you leave a comment and let me know how you're planning on surviving this crazy week!

Click Here to Download

(If you purchased the original from my TPT store, it is now updated to include extra goodies and you're entitled to a free download so check out the link at the bottom of this post.)

Focusing on other winter holidays, I also created a Hanukkah Emergent Reader and a New Years Emergent Reader available in my TPT store.

 Click Here to Check it Out

 Click Here to Check it Out

 Click Here to Check it Out

Click Here to Check it Out

Get all three for the price of 2!

Have a great night!

He Did What??

     One of my favorite things about teaching kindergarten is reading the inventive spellings that the kids come up with. One thing I've noticed over the past couple of years is the replacement of "we" with the now popular "wii." Thanks a lot for that, Nintendo!  Well, this week I came across a sentence that should earn a spot in the Inventive Spelling Hall of Fame.
     One of our technology curriculum goals is to "Use a computer to draw illustrations to convey meaning."  So one of my kiddos (we'll call him Fred) has been working on a digital story about going out to eat with his family. Each page describes what a member of his family ordered for dinner.  I bought spaghetti. Mom bought chicken and broccoli. You get the idea...  Well I was already chuckling after reading the page where Fred wrote that his sister bought a booger (burger) when I got to Dad's page and did a complete double take!  He did what?? Fortunately, on second glance, I could see that the object on the table is clearly a S-A-L-A-D so I immediately knew what Fred was really trying to spell.  Otherwise I would have been wondering exactly where Fred and his family went for dinner!  Too funny!!!
    Now here's my dilemma...  I don't usually correct the kids' spellings because I want them to feel totally successful as writers.  Take a look at his work and tell me what you think.  Should I break my rule on this one and help him change it or should I send it home as is?  I would love some advice!

Have a great night!