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Celebrate winter holidays, or a unit about the gingerbread man, while reinforcing shape identification and counting! This low-prep math craftivity uses art supplies found in most classrooms: construction paper, crayons or markers, scissors, and glue sticks. Simply print out the shape page, and you're good to go! I've included a page with images to assist students who may not have background knowledge about gingerbread houses. I ask students to brainstorm shapes they see in the images, then elic

These open-ended STEM projects address science standards for Engineering Design. They can easily be completed at home with craft supplies and recyclables from around the house. They are great extensions to any of the Gingerbread Man (Boy, Girl, Baby) stories, and can also stand alone. I love connecting literature to STEM! I have included links to alternative gingerbread stories that do not involve our hero getting eaten by a fox. Feel free to use the classic gingerbread story if you desire. You

Kids and parents love this meaningful, easy and inexpensive student-made gift that is sure to become a family keepsake! Give students and their families a fun way to connect on Thanksgiving and throughout the year. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to highlight family dinner conversations. In class, students decorate a container to be filled with 30 strips of paper, each printed with a thought-provoking dinner topic. These conversation starters add novelty to the dinner table and encourage meani

Kids and parents love this gift! Dinner conversation starters are a meaningful, easy and inexpensive student-made gift that is sure to become a family keepsake! In class, students decorate a container to be filled with 30 strips of paper, each printed with a thought-provoking dinner topic. These conversation starters add novelty to the dinner table and encourage meaningful, imaginative communication. They provide a fresh new way for families to enjoy each other’s company. At home, family member

These open-ended projects address science standards K-2-ETS1-1 and K-2-ETS1-2, Engineering Design. They are great ways to extend children's Hanukkah books, and can also stand alone. I love connecting literature to STEM! The Night Before Hanukkah, by Natasha Wing, connects to the first project. Students will use various craft and classroom materials as they follow the steps of the project to design a substitute candle for the menorah. The next project relates to The Runaway Latkes by Leslie Kimm

These open-ended STEM projects address science standards K-2-ETS1-1 and K-2-ETS1-2, Engineering Design. They are great extensions to children's Thanksgiving books, and can also stand alone. I love connecting literature to STEM! You can use little turkey erasers to test out students' creations. How to Catch a Turkey, by Adam Wallace and Andy Elkerton, provides the backdrop for the first project. Students will use various craft and classroom materials as they follow the steps of the project to des

These open-ended STEM projects address science standards K-2-ETS1-1 and K-2-ETS1-2, Engineering Design. They are great extensions to children's Halloween books, and can also stand alone. I love connecting literature to STEM! For the first project, you will read the book Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson. Challenge students to design a broom that protects the witch from the wind. Students will use various craft and classroom materials as they follow the steps of the project. This can also be

Add an element of fun to learning sight words with the colors of the rainbow! Here are the first 150 of Fry's sight words in lists of 25. Includes color and black-and-white versions of all lists. Each list also has a grid for cutting and sorting, and there's a worksheet for sorting the sight words by number of letters. A larger-font list allows students to make flashcards and practice tracing each sight word. Print out the blank certificates of completion for each list to add your students' name

These fun, open-ended STEM projects address Next Generation Science Standards in Engineering Design, as well as Common Core standards in reading and writing. They are great extensions to children's books, and can also stand alone. I love connecting literature to STEM! You can use little snowman erasers, or have students make cottonball snowmen, to test out their STEM projects. Please note that students are NOT all creating the same exact thing. The focus is on problem-solving, creativity, and im

These 18 pages of Christmas-themed alphabet review can be stapled together into a student booklet or printed and handed out separately. Perfect for center work, morning work, early finishers. Nice to have on hand during the hectic holidays. Skills include: * identify and color Christmas-themed pictures containing 1 of 6 target letters: C, B, S, L, P, and R. * two variations - capital letters only, and mixed capital with lower case letters * fill in the beginning letter of each Christmas word * f

These fun and funny gingerbread materials can extend any gingerbread story, and also stand alone. My students love making silly sentences, and I love that they're learning/practicing conventions of print, nouns and verbs, complete sentences, and sight words. Students match the color on the card to the color on the gameboard. Use as a center, independent activity, small group instruction, early finishers or morning work. Optional recording sheets provide several levels of differentiation. These m

These Valentine's STEM projects are great extensions to children's books, and can also stand alone. I love connecting literature to STEM! The first project can use  The Day It Rained Hearts by Felicia Bond. In this story, Cornelia Augusta catches paper hearts that rain from the sky. Challenge students to design something that will help Cornelia catch more hearts. They will use various craft and classroom materials as they follow the steps of the project. This can also be presented as an invitat

These open-ended STEM projects motivate children with a literature-based challenge. Each student's project will be a unique product of their own problem-solving strategies, just like real engineers! No cookie-cutter results here! Plan for several days (or longer) to allow kids the time to establish, design and implement their ideas. The projects are great extensions to children's books about St. Patrick's Day, and also stand alone. I love connecting literature to STEM! Project #1's read-aloud is

Reach out to parents of students in preschool, Pre-K, TK, and kindergarten. These Family Fun Activities will keep children learning in a stress-free way. All of the activities are educational, standards-based, and encourage family involvement, including skills in counting, sorting, classifying, patterning, identifying shapes and colors, and reading comprehension. Children choose activities that they are interested in, as this will motivate them to complete the tasks and avoid the struggles that

This pack contains 12 fall-themed gameboards for BUMP, a game my students love to play! You will need dot dice, blank dice, and connecting cubes in addition to these gameboards. I buy blank foam dice at Dollar Tree. Alternatively, you can use a cube-shaped block or box. Letter BumpEncourage identification of letter names and beginning sounds with this entertaining game! You supply a blank die labeled with the letters on the gameboard, and 6 connecting cubes per player (each player is a different

Celebrate Hanukkah while reinforcing shape identification and counting! This low-prep math craftivity uses art supplies found in most classrooms: construction paper, crayons or markers, scissors, and glue sticks. Simply print out the shape page and you're good to go! Students first color all of the shapes and cut them out. Then they cut along the dotted lines to separate the words. Next, students glue the trapezoid at the bottom of their page as the menorah. The rectangles are glued perpendicu

Tic-Tac-Toe homework features fun and easy activities that encourage family involvement. All of the activities are educational and standards-based, while introducing (or reintroducing) children to homework in a non-threatening way. Parents read the choices on the tic-tac-toe board and allow their child to choose the activities that they find interesting, as this will motivate them to complete the tasks and avoid the struggles that often accompany homework time at home. Students complete three or

Home learning science experiments! Parents can do simple science experiments at home with their child. Here are 5 easy experiments for Pre-Kindergarten through 2nd grade, using household ingredients. Done one per day, children have time to discuss results and the theme lasts a week. Children work alone or with a partner to ensure that each child gets hands-on experience. You will need to copy one student booklet per child to record the results of the experiments. Fold each page in half verticall

This engaging, hands-on number identification (1-17) game can be played on a pocket chart, tabletop, or the floor. First, laminate and cut out all rainbow number cards and the unicorn card. Spread out all the number cards face up. While everyone closes their eyes, the "hider" hides the sneaky unicorn card behind one number card. Players take turns guessing a number they think the unicorn is behind, and the hider removes that card. The player who finds the unicorn, hides it next. Sneaky Unicorn f

"Magic" potions that fizz, bubble, change color, and dissolve are the perfect instruments to get kids interested in science! Here are 5 simple science experiments you can do at school or home using household ingredients. Done one per day, children have time to discuss results and the theme lasts a week. Children work alone or with a partner to ensure that each child gets hands-on experience. Copy one student booklet per child to record the results of the experiments, or use the information on yo