4 pages.

"Turkey Talk" is a quick, easy and fun way to whole-group assess listening and following directions, numbers, number words, ordinal numbers and colors. This activity will be FREE for an entire year! Woo hoo. After which time, it will be revamped and put in my jumbo, 177-page "Funtastic" Fall November Math & Craftivities Packet.  Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to take a look.

14 pages.

You can review all sorts of standards with this cute turkey game that's easy to differentiate for a variety of learning levels.  Use the 10-sectioned pie pattern, to simply make a 10 piece puzzle, for younger students to practice counting and sequencing numbers 1-10.  Older students can practice numbers and their number words, if you cut the puzzle slices into numbers and number word pieces, making a 20-piece puzzle.

 1-2-3 Come Make Some Thanksgiving Emergent Readers With Me

My Y5's loved when we made little booklets.  Even though they didn't really know how to read, via picture clues and repetition, they were able to remember simple words and actually "read" these booklets, by the time we were finished with them. 

This helped build their self-esteem and confidence and they were eager for more. Parents were excited and encouraging, when their little one would share what they had made in school that day, a total win-win. 

With that in mind, I decided to design a template that I could use to make all sorts of emergent readers, for the various months and themes. 

Thus, a "strip" booklet, as well as a "snip and flip" booklet, came about. They are being debuted here.  I'm excited to make some for December and winter themes as well; working my way through the year, as my days fly by. 

The first "snip and flip" booklet is a Thanksgiving Counting booklet, which packs in quite a few standards. 

I named these emergent readers "snip and flip" because students snip on the dashed lines and then flip the pages over, to reveal a page underneath.

Students trace and write the numbers and number words; they read the simple sentences and add end punctuation, then color the pictures in the group/set.

Review adding one more to complete the next grouping, as students count from 1 to 10. You can also practice counting backwards from 10 to 0 by reading the booklet in reverse.

Snipping the pages on the dashed lines, provides great fine motor skill practice.  When everyone is done, read the booklet as a whole group to review concepts of print. 

As you read the booklet, reinforce some of the Thanksgiving facts that your students have been learning: i.e. What was the name of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America?  What was the name of the Wamapanoag brave that helped the Pilgrims? etc.

Click on the link to view/download the Thanksgiving Snip and Flip Counting booklet.

The next emergent reader, is a Thanksgiving "strip" booklet.  I named these easy readers that, because I can fit 5 pages or strips, on a one-page master, for easy printing. 

Students get one to two whole pages that they cut into strips, then collate and staple into a 5 to 10 page "just-the-right-size" booklet.

Students read the simple sentences that I've packed with Dolch words, as well as sight words, using the pictures as clues for unfamiliar words.  

They trace those words then rewrite the sentences, remembering proper capitalization, spacing and end punctuation.

Both these emergent readers, are perfect for your Daily 5 activities, or are wonderful to send home if your school requires homework or home-school connections.  Click on the link to view/download the My Thanksgiving Emergent Reader Strip booklet.

The 1-2-3 Count With Me booklets, can also be used as emergent readers.  They involve all sorts of simple math standards and are based on a 10 frame. 

That monthly set is complete, with over 20 booklets.  Click on the link for the 1-2-3 Count Pilgrims With Me or the 1-2-3 Count Turkeys With Me.

Thanks for visiting today.  It's time for me to organize my desk. 

I'm one of those people who can't work when things are in a mess and I have drawings, notes, and half completed piles of paper everywhere.  No more flitting!  Wishing you an energy-filled and productive day.

The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving. ~H.U. Westermayer

7 pages.

This little booklet packs in quite a few standards.  Students trace and write the numbers and number words; they read the simple sentences and add end punctuation, then color the pictures in the group/set. Review adding one more to complete the next grouping as students count from 1 to 10.

 1-2-3 Come Do A Few Ghostly Activities With Me

I had a request from Alma, over in California, for a few non-scary math activities, with a skeleton or ghost theme.  She teaches a Hispanic group of kinders in Oakland and their Day of the Dead celebration (Dia de Los Muertos) is huge for them.

I referred her to the Numbskull math activities, as well as the Candy Bones activities, but also decided to design a few ghost -themed things as well. Cute little ghosts seemed to be a lot less scary to me than a skull, although that seems to be the prominent symbol for their holiday.

So if you too, are you looking for a few activities to plug into your Halloween party day, but still want to cover some standards, then I think you'll enjoy this cute little ghost-themed packet. 

The packet includes:

• A ghost craftivity that I call Spooky "Soles".   Students trace their shoe, trim & add some wiggle eyes to make a keepsake ghost (the heel is the head).  They glue their ghost to the back of the tombstone, which has a little poem on it.  "Here's a little ghost traced from my shoe. Made with lots of TLC cuz I love you."  

Instead of the R.I.P. signifying rest in peace, I printed Really Important Person on the tombstone.  Children sign their name at the top.  Older students can complete the writing prompt: Things that scare me... on the back.

• The packet also includes some Spooky sliders.  Even though this packet is mostly about numbers, I've also included extra sliders to cover other things.  Sliders for: upper & lowercase letters, shapes, numbers 0-30, counting backwards from 10 to 0 & 20 to 0, plus skip counting by 2's, 3's, 5's, and 10's.

Children can also trace their shoe to make their ghost slider and then cut 2 slits in the center, so they can insert their "slider" strip, or simply run off my ghost template, (bottom right in the photo), choosing whatever slider you want to practice.

• A Five Little Ghosts rhyme poster that I wrote. (Use the number cards as manipulatives for the poem.)
• "Five little ghosts flying out the door, one flew away and that left 4.  Four little ghosts playing happily, one flew away and that left 3.  Three little ghosts yelling boo, boo, boo! One flew away and that left 2.  Two little ghosts having spooky fun, one flew away and that left 1.  One little ghost sleeping in the sun, flew back home and that left none."
  

• Cute little ghost number cards to 35, number word cards to 10, and ordinal number cards, with a blank set to program with higher numbers, plus a set of math symbols, so students can make equations. There's also a 3-page tip list of what to do with the number cards, that includes the Kaboom game.

• An Odd Todd & Even Steven sorting mat.

• 3 trace & write worksheets for numbers 0-120.  I faded in a little ghost in the background for a rather cool looking affect. 

• Plus a "ghost with the most" rhyming word worksheet with helpful answer key.  
• Click on the link to view/download the Common Core Ghost packet.
  

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for visiting.  Time to straighten up the toy messes happily strewn hither and yon around the house.  Proof that a little pumpkin plays at Nana's house.

One of my dearest friends is coming over.  We are celebrating Jude's going into remission from cancer news!  Since it's Cancer Awareness Month, just want to give a shout out to all those brave people battling it, as well as those helping in and supporting the cause.  Blessings all around.  Click on the link for an inspiring musical video "Truly Brave" by Sara Bareillis and Cyndi Lauper

"We haven't failed. We now know a thousand things that won't work, so we are much closer to finding what will." --
Thomas Edison 


1-2-3 Come Do Some Common Core Activities With Me and Spot the Fire Safety Dog

Since the Common Core Scarecrow packet was such a popular download, I thought it would be fun to design a fire-safety themed one. Thus Spot the Common Core Fire Dog was born. 

The packet includes patterns to make 4 Dalmatian matching games for: (upper & lowercase letters, numbers, shapes and colors). Students put a fireman's hat on the Dalmatian, then find the matching bone to put in his mouth. 

For example, Sparky, the shape Dalmatian has a 2D shape on his fire hat. 

Students find the matching bone with the shape word on it, and slide it under the slit of Sparky's mouth.  For another matching game, and to cover more standards, write the shape's attributes on the back of the bones. 

To complete the CCSS shape standard, and review spatial directions, have students place the dog bone above, behind, under, beside etc. 

I've also included a spotless dog for you to program for other things, as well as a black and white spotted puppy so students can color it. (Use as a topper for writing prompts etc.)

There are also blank fire hats and blank bones for you to program with whatever.  Use them for other games, name tags, or write a fire safety rule on each bone.

For even more practice, there are 16 "I Spy" worksheets.

Use them as a fun way to quickly and easily whole group assess: upper and lowercase letters, numbers, number words, colors, color words, shapes, and shape words.

I've also included 5 trace and write worksheets to practice writing upper and lowercase letters, plus numbers from 1-100.

Since so many fire safety rules begin with a contraction like "Don't play with matches."  I've included these Dalmatian-themed contraction action activities: an alphabetical list of 72 contractions, 24 pocket cards with fire-safety sentences using contractions, plus 3 contraction worksheets.

To grab some fun, click on the link to view/download the fall FREEBIE: Common Core Fire-Safety Themed Puppy Packet.

If you'd like to make a Dalmatian sock puppet to use with these activities, or when you read some fire-safety books that feature a Dalmatian fire dog, click on the link. A little square of cardboard inside the toe of the sock, makes the "talking mouth".

I made these each year with my students.  We used them to show spatial directions and share a fire-safety fact.  My kiddos also had fun showing how to stop-drop and roll using their puppy puppet.  

I've included a copy of our Puppey Pokey song, which was a great way to get the wiggles out! There's also a puppy adoption certificate.  My Y5's enjoyed naming their puppies and then introducing them to the class. 

We really enjoy the song: Who Let The Dog's Out, so we'd finish up our fire-safety day rocking out to that tune.  Click on the link for a You Tube listen.  LOVE the variety of dogs that they use in their animation. :-)

I hope you found something that your kiddos will enjoy.  Thanks for visiting.  Time for a little fresh air. 

I love the crunching sound as I tromp through fallen leaves.  The colors are looking pretty spectacular and there's a crisp coolness to the air this morning.  Wishing you a sunshine-filled day.

"When the world says, "Give up," Hope whispers, "Try it one more time." -Author Unknown

22 pages.

Your students will have fun counting pumpkin seeds, while practicing their number to number word recognition.  The packet includes several games, and worksheets.