Fall Fun–A Kindergarten Common Core Aligned Unit

Hi everyone,

What a week! I started off with a little cold and then took a quick trip to labor and delivery last night as I was having some weird pains…….not to worry though, everything is fine :-)

I’ve been TRYING to get my new fall fun unit out and I FINALLY got there! We’ll be using these activities over the next few weeks so you’ll get to see LOTS of pictures.

This unit is MASSIVE!!!!! It is 184 pages long! So long in fact that I didn’t have the space to add my usual craft activities. I’m HOPING to come out with a “Fall Literature Fun” pack soon that will include loads of craftiness and writing activities. I’ve had LOTS of emails asking about the fall activities that were previously available on my blog….they’re all in here along with MANY others. Check out what you can find.

Language Arts:
I have, Who Has? (alphabet - upper and lowercase letters included)
Colored Leaves Pocket Chart (includes 2 response papers and 2 emergent readers)
Fall Fun Cards (matching words/pictures and ABC order - 4 response papers)
Nuts About Letters (Upper/Lowercase Letters)
Scarecrow Stampin' (upper/lowercase Letters)
Corny Beginnings (Beginning sounds)
Find and Write (Write the Room)
See it, Make it, Write it
Raking up! (Sight word game like "Boo")
Spinning for Sight Words (A Spin and Dot Activity)
Pumpkin Roll and Dot (Upper and Lowercase Letters Included)

Math:
A Nutty Sort (Odd/Even)
Counting Crows (Addition)
How Many Seeds? (Counting)
Pumpkin Pie (10 Frames)
Falling for Numbers (Counting Numbers)
Falling Leaves (Counting)
Leaf Counting
Addition Acorns (Making Numbers 1-10)
Math Write the Room (Includes 10 Frames)
Measuring Rakes (Measuring)
Pumpkin Patch (Roll and Cover)
Pumpkin Pickin' Time (Time)
What Comes Before?
What Comes After?
Leaf Patterns

Emergent Readers:
Pumpkins in a Wagon
Leaf Patterns
I See Leaves
Graphic Organizers:

Posters and Worksheets included for:
Leaves
Pumpkins
Scarecrows
Squirrels
Science
Fruit and Vegetable Sort

Detailed instructions, common core standards and recording papers (INCLUDING many that are differentiated) are included for EVERY activity!
I have used lots of clip art which is all copyright and credit goes to:
Dianne J. Hook
www.djinkers.com

Commercial license # 0912168966
Lettering Delights
http://www.letteringdelights.com

Print Candee
http://www.printcandee.com

Teaching in a Small Town
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Teaching-In-A-Small-Town

 

If you’re interested, Click on any of the pictures above to find it at my TPT store.

I would like to offer this for FREE for the first 5 people to blog about it! You need to send me an email (musngsofme@yahoo.com) with the link to your blog post and I’ll email it to you :-) I’ll let you know when I’ve received 5 links!…..I’ve received 5!!!!! Thanks guys!!!!!

I hope you find this unit helpful – I ADORE fall and I can’t wait to use these things myself :-)

Happy Fall!

I’ve been waiting and waiting and it’s FINALLY here……..FALL!!!!! I think I’ve mentioned before that fall is my absolute favorite season. I love everything about it….the colored leaves, pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin rolls, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin spice cake, pumpkin picking, apples, scarecrows……….EVERYTHING!!!! I have to also admit that I’m loving the slightly cooler weather right now :-)

To start off the season, I made some pumpkin spice playdough…. one word YUM!!!!! (The smell that is – I’m sure it’s safe to eat but it would be a little salty). It smells DELICIOUS and even LOOKS like fall!

Here’s how you can make it:

2 Cups Flour

1 Cup Salt

4 tsp. Cream of Tarter

3tsp (heaped) of pumpkin pie spice

2 Cups Water

2TBS Oil

A few squirts of orange food coloring

 

1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a saucepan (no heat yet).

2. Make a well in the middle and add the water, oil and food coloring.

3. Mix well then turn on the heat to medium.

4. Stir continuously until too thick to stir anymore (your arms will feel like they are about to drop off).

5. Dump out onto the counter (it’ll be HOT) and knead.

6. Play :-)

Michelle

Apple Tree Seasons

We’ve spent a lot of time this week reading apple themed books. “The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree” by Gail Gibbons was one of our favorites. After reading the book, we made our own little apple tree seasons book.

The book includes patterns and all the seasons and can be found in my new “Apple Pickin’” unit HERE.

Apple Pickin’ Winner

Thanks so much to everyone that entered my give away :-)

Congrats, Cherie…….my “Apple Pickin’” pack is on it’s way to you!!

Apples!

We’ve been having TONS of apple fun this week. Here’s a little peek at some of the things we’ve been up to (more to come tomorrow).

We counted apples in the basket and then recorded 2 results on our recording paper.

We used our pattern cards to make (and continue) patterns. We used paint daubers to mark them on our recording paper.

We counted the seeds in each sack and stamped our answer on the recoding paper.

We used the alphabet cards and had to find the next number. Stamping is a bit hit so we stamped the answers to this one too :-)

We used the apple cards to add seeds and write our responses.

We did some craft and learned a few poems.

We read a few books about Johnny Appleseed and completed this activity.

 

We read “Ten Apples Up On Top” by Dr. Seuss and made our own little counting book. These are just SOME of the activities that are in my “Apple Pickin’” Unit that you can purchase HERE. Don’t forget that you still have 24 hours to get one for FREE (see THIS post).

 

Michelle

Apple Pickin’ Time (A Kindergarten Unit) and a FREEBIE!

Hi everyone,

Sorry you didn’t hear from me much last week…..this is what I was doing:

We had last week off and spent the ENTIRE week going through our basement and getting stuff ready for a HUGE yard sale. This 14 foot truck was PACKED! I’m happy to say that by the end of the weekend the floor of the truck only had a few stray boxes. What concerns me though is that we’re supposed to fit the rest of our lives into a 20 foot container………ummmmmmm….I think we still have LOADS of work to do and only 11 weeks until our baby arrives!!!!

Anyway, this week we’re studying apples (one of my favorites). Although it’s not really meant to be our week to do apples, I decided to do it anyway. Here’s the pack I created for us to work on this week.

Here’s what you can find inside:

What Comes Next (letters)
Bushels of Sounds
Candy Apples (alphabetical Order)
Find and Write
Roll and Write
Apple Bobbing (upper/lowercase letters)
Apples (adjective activity with craft)
Apple Pie (game)
Apple Colors (pocket chart with book)
Apple Basket (poem and craftivity)
Apple Tree (poem and craftivity)
How to Make Applesauce
Johnny Appleseed (facts and craft)
Amelia Bedelia's First Apple Pie (book review)

Apple Adding
Apple Patterns
Apples in the Basket (counting)
How Many Seeds (10 frames)
Apples On Top (counting book)
Apple Pie Counting
Apple Pickin' Time (time)
Measuring Up! (measuring)
Apple Ordering (number order)
Number Headband

Emergent Reader:
Where is the Apple?
Science:
Apple investigation
Apple Oxidation (an experiment)
Label It! (parts of an apple)
My Apple Tree Seasons (book with craftivity)

Detailed instructions, common core standards, photos and templates for crafts and recording papers (INCLUDING many that are differentiated) are included for EVERY activity!

It’s 119 pages of FUN! The whole thing is only $5!!!!!!!!!!!

You can get one for FREE!!!!

Here’s how: If you’re a blogger, do a blog post about it (and link to my store) then email me the link (musingsofme@yahoo.com) to your post.I’ll send you one for FREE. This offer is only good until September 20th, 2012 @ 6pm  EST.

If you’re not a blogger, I still want to give you a chance to won one so if you follow my TPT store and leave me a comment below (with your email), you can be entered to won one too. This will also end September 20th, 2012 @ 6pm EST.

 

I also created this little freebie for all of you. Channing and I worked on it today. It’s a little counting book :-)

It includes number words and color words to trace. We used paint daubers to stamp the apples in the basket and added the stem and leaf when they were dry.

You can grab this for FREE here.

See you tomorrow with some of our “Apple Pickin’” activities :-)

Michelle

Kindergarten Common Core

Have you guys checked out this new book?

 

This AWESOME 600 page Kindergarten Common Core resource is dedicated to helping you meet the common core standards in your classroom!  The workbook includes worksheets, center activities and posters that are broken up by each standard for Language Arts and Math. Not only are there TONS of activities but the graphics are adorable (most of them are Scrappin Doodles) which is perfect for little learners :-) I downloaded the preview and was quite impressed by what I saw. My favorite activity (included in the preview) was the  number cards 1-10 . Number word, tally mark and object(s) were all used to show the number and the kids can match all the cards together to show a particular number.

If you’re a Kindergarten teacher who has just started using common core standards, then this is a MUST HAVE! It’s currently $39.99 and well worth the money!  Jump over to their Kindergarten Common Core workbook page to check it out! Better yet, if you’re a blogger and you blog about this book, you can get one for FREE until tomorrow. Go here to read the details……..sooooo worth it!

First Day Back

The day we’ve been anxiously awaiting finally came! Channing started back to preschool this week. He only goes three mornings a week (for 2 and a half hours) so we do our own “school” some afternoons and the other days. He’ll only get about half a year in before we move and then he’ll be in Kindergarten in Australia. He already LOVES his teachers (and so do I)….they are so lovely, so caring and so positive! Sully also started preschool today……….I was soooo nervous (mostly that everything would go OK with his peanut allergy) but the school has been great about making his room a peanut free room and so I’m pretty confident things will be fine :-)

Here’s what we gave our wonderful teachers as a welcome back gift:

A yummy jar of caramel dip with an apple. The teachers loved them and I’ve already had requests for the recipe. Here’s how I made it:

8oz Cream Cheese mixed with

2TBS Caramel dip (the kind you get in the fruit section of the grocery store…….if you can’t get any, boil a can of condensed milk for 3-4 hours UNDER lots of water!! Keep topping the water so it doesn’t explode…..let it cool, open the lid and you have the most delicious caramel ever!!).

Mix those 2 things really well.

Spoon some into a mason jar and add some of the caramel on top of that.

Add some crumbly Heath Bar (or whatever else) you like on top.

It’s THAT simple!!!

Watch out teachers!!!

The Winners Are………

Thank you to everyone that entered my “Lets Write”  give away……..

I will be sending your things soon :-)

Let’s Write (a HUGE Giveaway)!

I’ve been busy!  I wanted to start some writer’s workshop lessons with Channing and also create some things I can use in my classroom. One of the biggest struggles during writing time is often that kid’s don’t know what to write about.  I came up with “Let’s Write about……” a series of packets (that will be added to) that can help solve the what to write about problem. Each packet contains 12-18 topic papers that kids can use to write about. I have also included 2 sets of papers (one set with bigger lines and a smaller line set) so that they would be appropriate for grades K-2.  There is also an extra writing page for you to photocopy to the back of each paper to allow the kids more writing space.Use them during writers workshop. Daily 5, for homework  or after reading a particular book in class.

The great things about them is that they are Common Core aligned and you can use them for a variety of writing genres. Here’s what I have so far in my TPT store.

You can check out the descriptions of each product HERE at my store (you can see a list of every page in each packet).

Sooooooo, you KNOW how I LOVE to bless people and give things away……I’m going to give  3 sets (of everything) to 3 people!

Here’s How!

You will have 4 ways to enter (please leave me a comment with your email for EACH thing you complete).

1. Follow my blog

2. Follow my TPT store

3. Blog about this give away

4. Share this give away on FB or Twitter

This give away will be open until September 10th, 2012 at 8pm (EST). I will choose 3 winners via Random.org. Your entry will only count if you leave me an email address :-)

Thanks so much and good luck!