Kinder Count

Here is a freebie number puzzle just in time for Halloween.

I print these number puzzles on cardstock. Draw a colored line across the back. Laminate and cut the strips. The colored line on the back is so you can tell which pieces go together! I know....smart! hehe
Click HERE to grab it now!

Going on a Turkey Hunt - Freebie

Oh my goodness! It is Halloween! Next up is Thanksgiving. Is it me or is 2017 just flying by?

I have to admit I absolutely LOVE Thanksgiving. It really is one of my favorite holidays….mostly because it’s all about food, family, and relaxation (well at least after the cooking is done).

Here is a cute little book to get you in the Thanksgiving mood. I made it using “I’m going on a turkey hunt”…you know…it’s similar to “I’m going on a bear hunt”. This little early reader is simple to read and it reinforces color words. It is free and you can download it by clicking on the picture. I hope you enjoy!

Grab it here!

Seusstastical Giveaway + Freebie

My absolute favorite month to teach every year is March! Hands down! I LOVE March. The kiddos are becoming quite independent and you can really push them like never before. March is filled with fun....it's becoming Spring, Spring Break is approaching, and then of course there's Dr. Seuss' birthday and St. Patrick's Day. Really -- how could any teacher not love March?

Any Seuss lovers out there? Of course! Dr. Seuss books are a mainstay in elementary classrooms around the world! Nothing captures the imagination of a child quite like a Dr. Seuss book. I love beginning March by celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday. We even have birthday cupcakes for Dr. Seuss!

Here is more Seuss learning we do during March. This comes from my "A Non-Sensical World" unit on TPT-- because if there's anything I know about Seuss is Seuss' world was as non-sensical as they come. Click HERE to check it out!

What's inside? Take a peek below....

Here is a quick little freebie for you. I've been getting alot of emails asking for the link to this little freebie I made years ago, so I thought I'd share here: CLICK HERE!

And...here's the next fun thing.....Anyone love Target? What better combination than Seuss and Target, right?

I was at Target....in the dollar section....of course....and I picked up some things. I thought...wouldn't this be great to do a giveaway with? So, here's how we'll do this.... all I ask is for you to follow me on TPT...That's it...no extensive list of every place possible -- just TPT. ;)

I will choose 1 lucky winner of everything pictured and get it sent off first thing Monday morning! What's included? 5 Dr. Seuss bags, stickers, certificates, 2 Dr. Seuss books, bookmarks, erasers, and stamps. These are perfectly fun things that would be amazing for your own Dr. Seuss celebration or for a prize box! 

So, what are you waiting for? Click below to enter my super simple Dr. Seuss giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Packed with Presents FREEBIE

Ok, so I'm sort of on a roll. So, why stop, right?

Here's another older Christmas FREEBIE that I have updated. It's a simple Dolch word game...perfect to use right before Christmas break! It will give your students the extra sight word practice they need...especially right before break.

Click HERE to grab this freebie.

Deck the Tree FREEBIE

Who's ready for Christmas? 

 Here's an updated FREEBIE I've had in my TPT store for quite awhile, but now I've updated it with gorgeous clip art. It looks so nice and fresh! If you need to give your students practice with numeral identification to 50, here's your gift. I hope you like it!

Merry Christmas!!

Click here to grab this freebie!

12 Days of Christmas Freebie

Growing up I remember many things about Christmas....some I understood and some....well...totally confused me. The Christmas song, "12 Days of Christmas" was one of those things. I knew it was a catchy tune...and I knew it was a tradition Christmas song. But I didn't understand the song.... what it meant. All I knew it was this weird, catchy Christmas song that everyone sang. It was weird because it talked about sending partridges and gold rings, ladies dancing and milk maids milking...WHAT? And then....the obvious. It talked about the 12 days of Christmas?? What was that about? Of course, to any child, 12 days of Christmas sounded pretty good. I was intrigued. I wanted to know more. So...what is this song about and where did it originate? Well, it turns out that, like many of our Christmas traditions, it originated in Europe. Many people in countries across Europe actually celebrate Christmas for...you guessed it....12 days. So, what is the 12 days of Christmas? The 12 days of Christmas extends from December 25th (Jesus' birth) through the evening of January 5th (Epiphany - the coming of the Magi). This is one of those traditions that, for the most part, didn't carry over from Europe to The U.S. That's why this whole "12 days of Christmas" sounds so crazy. Turns out this song dates back to England in the middle ages. However, there are indications within the song itself (French hens) that it may actually originate from France. It was a game of sorts. A leader would begin the song and it would carry on with players taking turns. A verse was added each time....and whoever forgot the verses would have to hand over a sweet candy or give a kiss as a "penalty". Regardless of where the song originates or the meaning behind it, it remains a family favorite each Christmas. My family really gets into this song and many times you can catch us driving down the road singing verse after verse in much the same way it was originally intended. It's fun to sing! It's also great for memory work. Here's the song on youtube if you aren't familiar with it or want to teach it to your little ones:

 Below I have included a "12 Days of Christmas" book for you. You can print it or simply read it in pdf format. We read it right on the computer screen. I also included black and white double books you can print off and allow your children to color themselves. Grab it below for FREE!

2nd Day Plans

So, you made it past Day 1. You didn't lose any kids. You are a rock star! Now you are so ready for Day 2, right? Day 2 is when reality starts setting in..... For the kiddos, they are now realizing that "going to school" didn't mean a one day trip. Some will be in love with school and ready for what you can throw at them while others will be wrapping themselves tightly around their parents' legs and hanging on for dear life. Kindergarten is a MAJOR life event. Yes, kindergarten is a wonderful experience, but the first week or two of kinder can be a difficult transition for some. It's normal and it will pass! :) As for the teacher, reality begins to set in that you are now in for the long haul. You spent probably a week or more getting your room just right.....but now.....now you gotta teach. This new group of kiddos makes you long for last year's group. This new group seems so slow, so un-trained, and you are starting back over at square one. BUT, this is your expertise - you can do it! Don't fret! In no time you will have this new group up and running like a well-oiled machine! So, let's dig in -- what do you do on Day 2? Below you will find some of the things that I do on Day 2. This is by no means the "perfect day 2". I know as a teacher I love hearing what other teachers do, so I am showing you this to rev up your own engine. Teachers can get rusty - it's been a whole year since you've done Day 2, so hopefully you can gather a few good ideas here. :)

DAY 2

7:40-8:00 Kids will arrive. I will pay attention to those who remembered where to put their backpacks, lunch boxes, and where they sit. The ability to remember those things will tell me alot about those children. On each table, I will have either play dough (which they will remember using on the first day) or pattern blocks (which they used during math centers). If your school is like mine, you will surely get another new student. This day moves almost as slow as Day 1. I double check with every parent how their child goes home. Many times, kids will go home different on the first day of school as they will the rest of the year. So, I am over-cautious and just double check! :) 8:00-8:20 Math Problem Solving I read the book Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. As I read it, I model the finger play that goes with the book. Some kids naturally begin picking up on the finger play and do it with me. This book/finger play quickly becomes a class favorite. Make big number 1 poster. Draw 1 in circle in middle -- kids help me create ways to make the number 1 (stamp, drawing, glue pic, show 1 crayon, etc).... 8:20-8:35 MM/Calendar Use counting Heidi DVD (#1 and #2 songs and counting to 100 song) Kids really love these brief videos. We concentrate on learning numbers 1 and 2 this week. 8:35-8:45 Clap Your Hands song

 We also sing to Jack Be Nimble

 Here is the first ABC song we learn:

 Read and discuss No David!  Focus on how funny it is. I'm still not discussing alot about rules yet (unless I see an absolute need!)


8:45-9:00 Review Line procedures Marshmallow Mouth and Toes - reinforce lesson I taught yesterday. Visit nurse and cafeteria again. These are places they will need to know well. 9:00-9:15 Sing ABC song and do word wall chant. Yes we sing the regular ABC song that we are all familiar with. It's something the kids feel confident in singing even from day one. Plus, I'm able to notice those kiddos that don't know it (they get put on my Uh Oh! list immediately for extra help right from the beginning of school). If you'd like to know more about how we do the word wall chant, read HERE.  I also introduce the new word wall word, "I". 9:15 - 9:35 Read the book, "Who Shares?"




 What does it mean to share something? Discuss model what it looks like/doesn't look like to share. Introduce Home center - yes I believe all kinder classrooms should have one although I understand many don't :( - make a looks like/sounds like chart for Home center. Model and have kids model what you can and cannot do in this center. One table group will go to the stationary Home center while other table will do the table centers I talked about from Day 1.  9:35-9:50 rotate centers 9:50-10:05 rotate centers 10:05-10:20 rotate centers During this "center" time - I am walking around monitoring and making informal notes on what I see kids do. 10:20-10:30 Shared Reading Read and discuss Monsters big book. (Kids can come find letters). This tells me alot about which kids have some letter knowledge and which one don't.

LUNCH/RECESS

Hallelujah!!! It's time to eat! 11:20 - listening game - just listen for sounds   11:25-11:40 Read Kissing Hand - Discuss and compare how we feel to how Chester feels. Use hand cutout and put kiss in hand to give to mom/dad. Find small heart stickers or Hershey kiss to put in palm of hand. We do many activities surrounding this book is the first week or two of school. I have a supplemental pack for The Kissing Hand. It contains many whole group activities and several center activities perfect for the beginning of the year. Click HERE to see more.

    11:40- 12:00 King or Queen of the Day - choose a child to be K/Q *show name backwards and talk about whether its a long/short name. Can it be yours? *show first letter, kids stand if it could be their name - based on first letter *Use elmo to examine name. write and cut name apart. check 1-1 matching *rainbow write * can do IW write - write a sentence about children. Here is the pack I use to do King or Queen of the Day. It's a great way to learn names and letters in a quick, authentic way! Click HERE to see more.

    11:55- 12:00 Song -- Play Five Little Monkeys song to get kids up and active for a couple of minutes.

  12:00-12:25 Do Turn and Talk Lesson  Model for kids how to "turn and talk" to a partner. Have the kids practice this activity a couple times. Quickly turn and talk - one person talks and the other listens. Then SWITCH. Do interactive writing by making labels for room. Kids can  turn and talk about what things to label or what would that label begin with?   12:25 - 1:00 Re-read No David and discuss the funny parts. Then read David Goes to School and discuss why he was in trouble at school. Later today re-visit the David books and begin discussing rules at school - What are rules? Why do we have rules at school? What happens if we don't listen to teacher? Sometimes I begin discussing rules on Day 2, sometimes I leave it for Day 3. It kind of depends on the "vibe" from the kids. Are they restless? attentive? sleepy? Each group has a different capacity for new learning. Make a circle map about how we “keep our school safe  1:05-1:50 P.E. 1:50- come in get a drink, then get backpacks and put at seats. I make sure we are all ready to go super early because you just can't be in a rush with beginning of kinder or you will never get where you are going.  So, we actually get ready before starting math centers. That way, we are ready to go ahead of time and all ready come dismissal time. Return to carpet - Discuss unifix cubes. What are they called? What can I do with them/not do with them? Make looks like/sounds like chart. Kids practice using unifix cubes and pattern blocks from Day 1.  

Time-Fillers Ideas (if needed)

kinder books - in book shelf show alphatubs toys or pics - say names only youtube songs (clap your hands, this is the way we say hello, where is thumkin, shake my sillies out)   Ok, so that's a wrap on Day 2 for me. Again - not glamorous. We work on firming up procedures and routines this week. Personally I don't throw in alot of arts & crafts (1. my district doesn't allow much of that and 2.I prefer my students to see our routine from the beginning). They really do start to internalize our routine and LOVE knowing what to expect next.  

So, I'd love to hear from you. Anything else you think is a MUST-DO that I didn't include here? Tell us in the comments. I'd love this to be a great resources for new teachers so please leave your thoughts!