Long Time No Blog, Plant Freebies, and a Giveaway!

Wow, spring break was fabulous, but it feels like everything has been moving at mach 3 since we started back!  We wrapped up our weather unit practicing color words and incorporating a bit of poetry with our 3-D rainbows.  I have to give my kids kudos for this one because they largely completed this activity independently during our literacy work stations.  They turned out pretty cute, and they just make me smile!

We started work on our plants unit.  The kids are loving it, and I have to admit it is one of my favorite units to teach.

I will post some more pictures (and freebies) of our fun later this week, but in the meantime, here is a sight word game that we are using in our literacy work stations.

Click here to download this freebie from TPT.

I have been trying to create some free choice activities for our math stations.  I wanted activities that focused on number sense and could remain in our free choice baskets for an extended period of time.  Here's what I came up with to add last week.

This game is played just like traditional dominoes, but instead of the traditional dot patterns, students must find a match with various representations of the number (numerals, number words, objects, tally marks, dice ten frames, base ten blocks, addition, subtraction, and coins).  My kids absolutely love them.  And I love that they are practicing so many skills!

You can find them here at my TPT store.

Our second addition was Bingo Bonanza.

You can find this pack on TPT.

Again, the focus is on number sense.  Bingo is always a hit, and this pack includes bingo games that can be used throughout the year as students build number sense.  There are 8 bingo cards and caller cards for 11 different versions of bingo.  

Versions include:

Number Bingo

Ten Frame Bingo

Tally Mark Bingo

Addition to 5 Bingo

Subtraction within 5 Bingo

Mixed Addition and Subtraction 0-5 Bingo

Number Word Bingo

Addition to 10 Bingo

Subtraction within 10 Bingo

Mixed Addition and Subtraction 0-10 Bingo

Number Words

Bonanza Bingo (includes representations from all versions)

I have used these in small groups, and they are also out in our free choice baskets.  Since students will be self selecting versions during work stations, and to avoid a potential management nightmare, I printed each version on a different color.  

So far it has worked beautifully!

I would like to giveaway a copy of my Number Representation Dominoes and a copy of my Bingo Bonanza Mega Pack to 2 people.  

Here's how to enter:

*Follow my blog & leave me a comment

*Follow my TPT store & leave me a comment

*Blog about the giveaway for 2 additional entries

Easy peasy, right?  I will pick 2 winners on Friday night, April 20th.

I will have more plant ideas, pictures and freebies later in the week!  Wishing everyone a fabulous week!

Weather Activities (with feebies)

Our theme for the week is wild, wacky, wonderful weather. I wasn't going to make anything new for this week.  I have tons of weather related things, but when I started looking back through them there were a few skills that I really wanted to hit again before spring break.  For some of my little lovelies digraphs are finally starting to click, others can put the correct sound with the digraph, but they are only identifying the digraph when it's the initial sound.

Thus, the Rainy Day Digraph Sort was born.

Download this freebie from TPT

And some more freebies...

Download this freebie from TPT store

A simple write the room with weather words.  There is one set of words, but the cards are slightly different.  The blue cards have the entire word, and the red cards have blanks that they must fill in when writing the word. I am planning to hang both sets and then let the kids know which color cards they are looking for.  There is also a recording sheet that will work for either set of cards.

Due to the size of our school and the need to give us all plan time our kids have science as a special.  I miss teaching science and incorporating it with the rest of the learning that goes on in our room.  It has been ridiculously windy here lately, so I thought it would be fun to do something with the wind.  I saw a wind sort on Little Giraffes and decided to set it up as a station this week.

Download this freebie from TPT

I have just opened my TPT store.  Everything is free, so if you download any of these freebies I would really love for you to rate them and leave me feedback!  Pretty, pretty please!  You could even follow my store while you're there!  I have also uploaded some of the other freebies from my blog, and will try to get the rest uploaded this week.