Down by the Sea Centers & Freebie!

Wow! It is getting to be that time of year again! The countdown to summer has started and the kids are ready for some summer fun! All of the activities below (and more) are part of my Down by the Sea Centers Pack!

Fishin' Addition

We go fishing with our partner, then we add up both of our catches and record the equations.

 Marine Measuring

We use cubes to measure the different sea animals.

 Shark Attack

We compare numbers and make the sharks eat the bigger numbers.

Ten Frame Race

We roll a ten frame cube, count the sea creatures, and trace the correct numeral.

 Skip Counting Crabs

We sequence the crabs in the pocket chart and then cut and paste the crabs in order on sentence strips.

 Seashell Patterns

We use seashells to make patterns and then color our patterns on the recording sheet.

 Fishing for Sight Words

We go fishing for sight words and write the words we catch.

 Digging for Crabs

We dig crabs from the sand and write the ending sounds on the recording sheet.

 Label the Turtle

We label a turtle and then record the words on the labeling sheet.

 Beach Ball Bash

We sort beach balls by middle sounds and record the words under the correct ball.

 Beach Blends

We roll a cube and record the beginning blend or digraph on the graph.

Roll a Word

We roll a beach ball with our partners and write the words that land under our hand.

 Sandcastle Sounds

We dig objects out of a pail and write the beginning sounds on the recording sheet.

Seashell Segmenting

We choose a shell, segment the sounds, and use stamps to spell the words.

 Seashell Syllables

We sort seashells into the pails by how many syllables are in the words. Then we use do-a-dot markers to stamp the syllables.

Seashell Sight Words

We dig up seashells and then write the sight words in the sand.

Check out my Down by the Sea Centers for more oceans of fun!!!!

Here is your FREEBIE! This Add & Cover game is a sample of what is included in the unit. Students can use small shells or other counters to play this game, along with a set of dice. Enjoy!

Holiday Fun & Freebie!

I know it's been a million years since I last posted, but I haven't forgotten about this poor little blog! Between teaching and being a mommy, I just don't have much time to spare for anything else! But I really do love blogging and I do want to post updates whenever I can. We have been having so much fun in the classroom, so I thought I'd share some of what we've been doing. 

Gingerbread Celebration

This was my favorite activity and I plan on doing it every year! The parents joined us in the classroom for a gingerbread house activity, and we had a blast! To make the houses, we used milk cartons, icing, graham crackers, and candy (all donated by our awesome parents).

First we read the book The Gingerbread Man. 

Next, I had an assistant model how to create the gingerbread house as we wrote down the steps through interactive writing. 

At last they got to work on their houses! They had so much fun decorating the houses with their families!

During writing workshop, I had the kids write their own how-to using this simple sheet to guide them. This will prepare them for our upcoming how-to writing unit after the break. Click the image below to download the freebie.

Snow Globe Craft

We made snow globes for our parent gifts this year. I got this adorable idea from my co-worker, Debbie. I used Powerpoint to place the kids' faces into the clipart. Then the kids colored their picture and finger painted the snow. Finally, I glued them, laminated them, and put magnets on the back. I love how they turned out! 

Math & Literacy Centers

Here are some of the fun holiday centers the kids have been enjoying...

Tasty Ten Frames - We roll a die to determine how many red counters to place in our ten frame. Then we figure out how many green ones we need to make ten. Finally, we color the ten frame and record the equation. 

Sums for Santa - We roll two dice to determine how many ornaments to place on each tree. Then we add them together and write the equation.   

Add & Cover - I brought in some peppermint candies to spice up this old game! The kids roll two dice, add the dots, and cover the numeral with a candy. 

Count & Color - We choose a card, place it on the mat, and count the candies. Then we write the number and color the ten frame on the recording sheet.

More or Less - This game is played like War. Each partner chooses a card and places it on the mat. They figure out whose number is greater and whose is less. The player who has more keeps both cards. 

Christmas Count - We pick a tree, count the ornaments, and record the number on the recording sheet. 

Count the Room - Students hunt for pictures around the room and count the items in each picture. Then they record the number on their recording sheet.

This cute Shake & Spill Gingerbread Center came from Teaching in Progress. 

Christmas Tree Play Dough Counting - This freebie came from A Dab of Glue.

Gingerbread Lane - We pick objects out of a gingerbread house and identify the ending sound. Then we write the letter inside a gumdrop on our recording sheet.  

Stocking Stuffers - We pull small objects out of a stocking, figure out the beginning sound, and color in the correct letter on our recording sheet. 

Syllable Express - We choose a picture and clap the syllables. Then we sort the pictures into the correct train car and stamp the syllables on our sheet. 

Gingerbread Families - We segment each word, sort pictures by the middle sound, and then write the words under the correct vowel on the recording sheet.  

Elf Hunt - We hunt for hidden elves around the room. We read each sight word and write it on the recording sheet. 

Roll a Word - I modified this game slightly. Instead of using dice, I used a wind-up Santa toy and a grid of words. The kids wound up Santa and read the word he landed on. Then they wrote that word on their graph. 

All of the centers above can be found in my Christmas Math & Literacy Centers on TpT.

 

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year!

February Fun & Freebie!

Last week was our winter break...and for the first time, I actually did not work during the entire week! I really needed a vacation. My husband and I went snowboarding and we had such a great time! The only bad part was that it was freezing. Not just cold, but arctic cold. The wind chill was down to 35 BELOW zero at night! We did have a great time though and it was nice to finally relax a bit!

Now that I'm back home, I wanted to catch up with you all! I'm excited to get back to work tomorrow and finish up all our February fun this week. Take a peek into our classroom to see what we've been working on this month...

My kids are in LOVE with our February centers! These will keep us busy through the rest of this month. Most of these activities are part of my February Centers Pack.

You can download Cupid's Combinations for FREE by clicking the image below. This download includes the ten frame cards and recording sheet. It does not include the work mat. I used the ten frame mat from Scoop & Count and some hearts from the dollar store to make it more hands-on.

We've also finished our math units on addition and subtraction To sum up our addition unit, the kids made these cute penguins inspired by Erica Bohrer!

I hope you're all having a fantastic February and keeping warm!