1-2-3 Come Play Some Color Games With Pete and Me
To get my students excited about learning, I try to design things that feature a “hot button”.
Since they absolutely love Pete the Cat, I made these color games and activities with a shoe theme, inspired by 2 of their favorite stories: Pete’s “I Love My White Shoes” and Pete’s “Rockin’ In My School Shoes”.
I'm featuring my 5 newest creations on the blog today, along with today's fun FREEBIE.
First up, is the packet "We're Rockin' In These Color Shoes!" which is a whole group game and assessment, as well as an independent center activity.
Use the 12, colorful posters featuring a wonderful variety of ethnicities, as a super-fun, non threatening way to individually assess colors and color words.
My students can’t wait for their turn to show me what they know, as they get to play a game with their teacher.
The packet also includes black and white worksheets featuring 12 different children, so that students can color, cut and make their own game, which can now be used as a whole group assessment tool.
When everyone is done, simply call out a color. Children find those matching colored shoes, as well as the color word and place them on their worksheet. You can see at a glance who is having difficulty.
Next up is the "Cool Cat Rockin' In My School Shoes!" color game, which includes spinners in color as well as black and white, with a "color me" bookmark.
You can also skip making the spinners (I use them for a center), and run off the black and white game sheet, which have the spinner already on the worksheet; simply "Print & Go!"
I also made the "We're Rocking In Our School Shoes" color-me booklet, to not only reinforce colors and color words, but as a fun way for students to learn how to read and write their fellow classmates’ names.
To complete the first sentence on each page, Students fill in the name of one of their new friends.
There are 2 pages on a template to create a “just the right size” booklet. Children color, trace and write the color words then color the graphics accordingly.
Besides the booklet, I’ve also included a colorful set of pocket chart cards featuring color words with matching colored shoes.
Another emergent reader "Cool Cat Shoe Colors" is a bit more advanced as it includes 20+ Dolch sight words; however, I keep it simple by setting this up like a worksheet, with just 3 pages.
Children read the simple sentences, fix letters that should be capitalized, and add end punctuation, then trace, write and color the color words and shoes.
For the cover, children color the cat their favorite color, color his shoes to match the color shoes they are wearing, then name their cat.
The story ends with children drawing a picture of the shoes that they are wearing.
Finally, my largest Pete Color Packet ("I Love My Shoe Colors!") can be used for centers, games, and assessments.
The main focus of the packet is having fun playing games using 20+ sets of colorful cards.
Besides depicting a huge variety of shoes, the cards include colorful cats, paw prints, and guitars.
There are also word cards in matching colored ink, as well as sets in black ink so you can test comprehension.
Children enjoy using the cards for . . .
Sorting: Simply print and laminate the color-word sorting "mats" on a matching color of construction paper; have children pick X number of cards, then sort them by color.
Patterning: Children choose 2 to 3 colors or kinds of cards, then create a row of patterns. (ABAB, ABC etc.)
Math: Children can make groups/sets with the cards, and use them as manipulatives to count, add, subtract, and show greater & less than. I’ve included those math symbol cards as well as a “recording equations” worksheet.
Games: Most of the templates have 11 color cards on a full page pattern, so they are perfect for Memory Match and “I Have; Who Has?” games, or card games like “Go Fish”.
Besides the individual card games, I’ve also included several whole group games like...
“Pete! Pete! Where are you? We think you’re hiding under a shoe!”; "What's Missing?"; "Oh No! Pete's Lost A Shoe."; "1-2-3 Come Find Pete With Me" (a number recognition game) and "Cat-Cat Who Took Your Shoe", as well as a syllable, color-chant game.
In addition to the games, I’ve also included 2 color-word worksheets, which can be used for an assessment.
There's also an Itty Bitty “My Colors” booklet, plus 2 mini-certificates of praise.
Use the activities for centers, as a whole group, partner fun, in small groups, or as an assessment tool.
Today's FREEBIE also features Pete's shoes, and is called Alpha-Cats. I hope you find it useful.
Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by. I usually don't post on Saturdays, but it pouring rain and my husband's taking a nap.
Perfect time to dash off a blog article. Wishing you a relaxing and fun-filled week.
"Anyone who thinks sunshine is pure happiness, has not danced in a gentle summer rain." -Unknown
1-2-3 Come Do Some Pete the Cat Activities With Me
The Pete the Cat series of children's books, is a new favorite of mine. Pete is a cool cat, and his positive up-beat attitude is refreshing. "Does he cry when things don't go his way?" "Goodness no!"
Pete is the brain child of James Dean, an illustrator, who in real life loves cats. Eric Litwin, is a "folksy songwriter" who helps create the stories and writes catchy little tunes to go with the books. Kids quickly catch on to the funky-repetitive lyrics. They stick in your mind like "It's a Small World" and if your kiddos are like mine, they'll be singing the little tunes through out the day.
Harper Collins is the publisher of the Pete the Cat stories. Click on the link to check out the entire collection. You can download a variety of FREEBIES there as well.
One of my personal favorites is Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes. You can hear it on YouTube by clicking on the link.
In this story, Pete has a brand new pair of white shoes. However, they change to the color red, as he steps into a pile of strawberries, and so the story goes, for Pete's shoes continue to change color, as he steps into blueberries and mud. Finally, all of the colors are washed away, because he steps into a bucket of water.
Oh no! His shoes are now wet! Does Pete cry? Goodness no! He just walks along singing his song, because it's all good.
Even though the story only involves four colors, I thought it would be fun to design some quick and easy activities to help reinforce 10 colors and their color words.
In the Cool Cat Colors: An Easy Reader packet, students read the sentence; correct the letters that should be capitalized and add end punctuation. They trace and write the color words, and then color the shoe(s).
For more teachable moments, be sure to reinforce the use of a variety of pronouns, as well as plurals in the sentences. The last page of the story, asks students what color shoes they are wearing.
Children color a picture of their own shoes to complete the story. Click on the link to view/download the easy reader: Cool Cat Colors.
Another fun way to reinforce colors and color words is by playing Memory Match and "I Have; Who Has?" games.
In the Cool Cat Shoe Color packet, I've included shoe cards that students match up with color words.
For students just learning colors and color words, use the full-color word cards for the game.
If you want to assess to see if your students can read and match the color words to their appropriate colors, use the set printed in black.
I've also included a mini-color booklet for them to make. They color the sneaker cards, then write the color word underneath in the matching color. There's a cover for them to add.
For even more practice, have students complete the color word matching worksheet.
Click on the link to view/download the Cool Cat Shoe Color packet.
Finally, for the Cool Cat Spinner Game, have students pick a partner and take turns spinning the color wheel.
Whatever color they land on, they color that sneaker on their recording sheet, and then trace and write the word in the matching color.
The first child to complete their bookmark with all of the colors, is the winner. I've included a certificate of praise for them. Click on the link to view/download the Cool Cat Colors Spinner Game.
Thanks for visiting today. Be sure and stay tuned, as I'll be busy designing more Pete the Cat activities for these sweet stories. Remember, according to Pete, "it's all good"... especially when it comes to FREEBIES!
"Elegance is not about being noticed; it's about being remembered." -Giorgio Armani