End of School Goodbye Notes!

I am excited to share a fun summer product!

The activity that I am sharing is my 

End of The Year Summer Goodbye Notes,

What an adorable looking little crab! This product has notes or postcards for the end of the year with a beach theme. You can create a personal handwritten note or use as a thank you card.

Show someone you care! Great for teachers to give to students, principals to staff or just from one person to another. 

There are three versions. No fold single quarter sheet, side fold half sheet and top fold half sheet. There is color and gray scale, which can be colored. The clipart is appropriate for a wide range of groups and age levels.

After printing the notes out, just write a heartfelt message and give it to that special someone! It looks so cute and is a wonderful keepsake!

My Fun Shines of Summer

Getting children to write during the summer can sometimes be a challenge!

So the goal is to make it simple, fun and creative!

Need an activity to promote creative writing over the summer and exciting enough for your students or children to want to do it? This project can be used to write down those moments that truly shined for them over vacation. Those special times that put a smile on their face because they enjoyed it so much!

My Fun Shines of Summer Creative Writing and Art Activity!

The black and white blackline set can be run on yellow papers or for more fun, print on designed papers. See example above! This is the cheapest way as it uses less ink. The yellow colored set has rays in two shades of yellow or mixed colors.

Print the pages out on the front side only. The thicker the paper, the more durable they will be. The sun is big enough that it can have two pages of rays shining around it! The rays can also be flipped the opposite direction so the skinny side is shining out.

The littlest learners can dictate their ideas for someone to write them down. Older children can write a more detailed small paragraph.

This is an activity in my

TeacherpayTeachers Store.

As a special treat for only my blog Followers, I am posting two pages of this activity for your personal use only.

Here are two blacklines for this activity! I have posted the sun and a set of rays!

 When you go to my store if you look under My Products, you will see a Sort Menu and if you click "Most Recent" all of my latest activities and products are listed.

 It makes a great bucket list activity too!

Warm Fuzzies!

I love Warm Fuzzies!

 

Urban Dictionary Definition: notes of praise that gives one a "warm fuzzy" feeling upon reception! As when someone you love or close to you says or does something that gives you a tingling sensation, melted or warmed heart, sends your heart racing to the heavens or even gives that "good" kind of goosebumps!

 

I truly love all the creative drawn pictures and adorable inventive written cards from the children, plus the special handwritten letters and notes from the parents!

It means so much when someone takes the time and effort to show they care!

So as the year ends, two things......

 

As a parent, take a moment to share a warm fuzzy with your child's educator or teacher.

As a teacher or educator, take the time to start a special Warm Fuzzy File for all your
one-of-a-kind treasured keepsakes.

 

I am so glad I did!

 I am so excited to have this post featured on the TpT blog!



Celebrate The End of The Year!

The end of the year is getting closer with each passing day!

So much to do and so little time to do it!

 

To encourage summer reading, I've created an end of the year bookmark that hopefully will be a placemarker in several reading books during vacation!

Free! End of the Year Beach Theme Bookmarks

This has 4 pages of bookmarks for the end of the year with a beach theme. Show someone you care! Great for educators to give to students or staff.

They can be used to motivate reading with the words "Have a super summer! I will miss you!" The clipart is appropriate for a wide range of groups and age levels. There is color and grayscale, which can be colored. I would love feedback if you download this, please!

 

 I also have a wide variety of certificates and diplomas in many colors and designs!
This is my newest one!

End of Year Certificates or Diplomas of Completion For Any Activity.
Plus I have a variety of others!

 These can be found in my

TeacherspayTeachers Store

look under CUSTOM CATEGORIES for

Back to & End School.

There are spaces to be handwritten in for the name, the date, and the signing person.

After printing the certificate out, just fill in the blanks and present to the student. So much more personal when handwritten! They look gorgeous framed and are a wonderful memento!
 

 I also have Picture Frame Attachments.

 

Print the activity out on one side only. The heavier the paper, the more durable it will be. Laminate and cut the pieces out.

Decide what size empty picture frame you are going to use. The 8” by 10”, 11” by 14” or 16” by 20” are great sizes for these attachments. The example frame shown is 11” by 14.”

Have the student hold the empty frame with the pictures attached, centered in front of their face and smile! You take their picture and they will have a wonderful

remembrance keepsake!
I have other Frame Attachments in my store and will be creating more!

Don't forget to Follow Me, you never know when I will post another freebie!



Father's Day Fun and Spelling Activity!

D-A-D-D-Y Was His Name-O

 What a fun activity for giving Fathers special attention for Father's Day!
It is a great way to learn some letters of the alphabet!

There is a song poster, the Love poster and the letter posters that spell DADDY. Included is a cover sheet and directions. Each poster is 8 1/2 by 11 inches. Sing to the tune "Bingo."

Introduce the song using the song poster. Pass the letter cards out and have the students participate with the singing.

To make the activity harder, sing the song with flipping a letter to Love for each verse and do a motion and/or sound instead. For example, sing D A D D Y for the first verse. Then turn the first letter D over for the second verse and have the children hug themselves and sing Love for the letter D. They would hug, then sing Love A D D Y. The third verse would be Love, Love, and sing D D Y. Do this until all the letters are turned over and the last verse is Love, Love, Love, Love, Love.

Lots of love for Father's Day!

So Lucky To Be A Teacher

Teachers are so lucky because they get to experience the joy of watching children learn!

Teachers come in many forms!

 

Teachers in a school classroom, a homeschool, a preschool, a daycare, a roadschool, worldschool, an afterschool program or other educational program will totally understand this!

 

If you are a parent, grandparent or relative that helps with the learning of a child you are also a teacher and will also understand this concept too!

 

I am sharing information about this activity!

Math Number Sense Interchangeable Mix and Match Puzzles 1-10 

 

This is a very exciting concept to use to teach number sense! It is a set of 130 puzzles in 26 different forms for the numbers 1-10. There are two different forms on each puzzle. All puzzles with the same number are interchangeable to mix and match!

Number Forms Included: Numbers 1-10, Counting Fingers, Kid Print Numbers, Number Formations, Number Formation Poems, Dice, Number Words, 10 Frames, Number Lines, Tally Marks, Coins, Roman Numerals, Counting Cubes, Money Sentences, Clock Time, Digital Time, Expanded Form, Before and After Boxes, Ones and Tens Frames, Counting Spots 1-9, Ordinals and Line Placement, Odd or Even, plus 100 Charts, Plus and Minus Sentences.

 

You just decide what parts you want to use. It can be all forms of one number or a certain form for all numbers, or all numbers all forms. These can also be used for sorting activities!

This activity can be started with even the littlest learners using only the numbers they know!

Print, laminate, cut apart, and use year after year!

 

Enjoy!
 

Tiny Books!

Do you need some activities to make your teaching year successful or have items in your TpT wishlist, that have been sitting there? 

 

Try this new educational activity, Tiny Books!

 

Christine Maxwell Hand to Heart

 

Well, I have added a new search label in my CUSTOM CATEGORIES!

Tiny Books

I have several different topics of booklets listed and I plan on adding many more!

 

Tiny Book of 2D Shapes Print, Fold, Cut and Glue.

 

This is a quick and easy way to introduce or review shapes. The six shapes included are circle, square, triangle, rectangle, rhombus and hexagon. Simply print, fold, cut and glue.

Directions: Run the two booklet pages, printing on the front side only. The six colored shape examples can be run colored or grayscale. There are three sets to each sheet, but each child only gets one set of six pictures for their booklet.

Activity: Pass the two pages out to each student. They are to fold each sheet in half on the dotted line and again in half on the dotted line. Place the two pages together with the title on the front and The End page last. The booklet then gets stapled or glued together on the left side.

The booklet shapes maybe traced or colored during introduction or review. Pass out the set of six pictures strip to each student. They cut the six pictures apart and glue them in the box on the correct shape page.

 

Tiny Book of Solid Shapes Print, Fold, Cut and Glue.

 

Another easy way to introduce or review solid shapes. The six shapes included are sphere, cone, cube, cylinder, pyramid, and rectangle prism. Again simply print, fold, cut and glue.

 

These two booklets can also be found in a money-saving bundle too!

 2 Tiny Books of 2D and 3D Shapes Print, Fold, Cut and Glue.

 

 

There is a money tiny book called

Tiny Book of Money.

 

Here is a simple intro or review of money. The six money pages included are penny, nickel, dime, quarter, half dollar and dollar. Plus there is a money poem for each one, to help them remember the amount it is worth!

 

The tiny book of colors which I have talked about in a previous blog post called

Tiny Book of Colors.

In this activity are the colors; red, yellow, blue, green, orange, purple, brown, black, white, and pink.

 

The newest tiny book is  

Tiny Book of Numbers, Counting, Writing and Ten Frames.

 

The quick and easy way to introduce or review numbers. Plus each child will have a great take home and review booklet to keep! Included in this activity are the numbers 1-10.

 

Each of these books can also be cut apart and used in centers, magnetic boards or with Velcro! 

As shown in this picture!

 

 I always like to give my Followers something extra for following my blog and social media! All my media links are included in the blue strip line under the Blog header picture too!

 

So be sure and Follow, you never know when I might post a new freebie to enjoy!



Thank An Educator!

Here is a set of free bookmarks for you or someone that you know, that has made a difference in the life of a child or another person.

The Starfish Story

It is a great product for administrators to give to staff members. It can be run on heavier paper and laminated for a lasting keepsake.

There are three bookmarks on the sheet. The poem listed below is centered on each bookmark. There is a set in color and another set in black and white.

THE STARFISH POEM
by Loren Eiseley
Once upon a time there was a wise man
who used to go to the ocean
to do his writing.
He had a habit of walking on the beach
before he began his work.
One day he was walking along the shore.
As he looked down the beach,
he saw a human
figure moving like a dancer.
He smiled to himself to think
of someone who would dance to the day.
So he began to walk faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he saw
that it was a young man
and the young man wasn't dancing,
but instead he was reaching
down to the shore, picking up something
and very gently throwing it
into the ocean.
As he got closer he called out,
"Good morning! What are you doing?"
The young man paused,
looked up and replied,
"Throwing starfish in the ocean."
"I guess I should have asked,
why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?"
"The sun is up and the tide is going out.
And if I don't throw them in they'll die."
"But, young man, don't you realize that
there are miles and miles of beach
and starfish all along it.
You can't possibly make a difference!"
The young man listened politely.
Then bent down, picked up another starfish
and threw it into the sea,
past the breaking waves and said-
"It made a difference for that one.“

You make a difference!

Mother's Day Is Coming!

Mother's Day in the United States is annually held on the second Sunday of May. It celebrates motherhood and it is a time to appreciate mothers and mother figures.

 

For this special day, I have an activity called

 Mother's Day Song And Posters M-O-M-M-Y Was Her Name-O.

Hopefully you are a Follower on my blog, because many times 

I will have an activity for sale in my

TeacherspayTeachers Store

and I will post it here for free! This one of those times!

 

 There is a song poster, the HUGS poster and the letter posters that spell MOMMY. Included is a cover sheet and directions. Each poster is 8 1/2 by 11 inches.

Sing to the tune "Bingo."

Introduce the song using the song poster.

Pass the letter cards out and have the students participate with the singing.

It also fun to discuss where the Mother is located in each card!

What a fun activity for giving Mothers special attention for Mother's Day!

It is a great way to learn some letters of the alphabet!

To make the activity harder, sing the song with flipping a letter to HUGS for each verse and do a motion or sound instead. For example, sing M O M M Y for the first verse. Then turn the letter M over to HUGS for the second verse and have the children hug their arms around themselves and sing HUGS for the letter M. They would hug, then sing HUGS O M M Y. The third verse would be HUGS, HUGS, and sing M M Y. Do this until all the letters are turned over and the last verse is sung HUGS, HUGS, HUGS, HUGS, HUGS.

Enjoy!

I appreciate every follower and love to show my appreciation!

You can also follow my other social media resources using the blue dots, plus I have more using the blue tabs at the top under my header!

Two Patriotic Days in May!

Armed Forces Day is a day to recognize members of the Armed Forces that are currently serving. Armed Forces Day takes place on the third Saturday in May.

 

Free! Patriotic Bookmarks "We Salute You" and "Veterans We Salute You"

 

Memorial Day is a Federal holiday celebrated the last Monday of each May to honor the men and women who died while serving in the military.

 

Several activities are fun to do to encourage respect for our men and women in uniform fighting for our freedom and our flag. These are great for teachers in classrooms, homeschools, roadschools, daycares or any educational setting!

 Flag Do Together Parent/Child Homework Activity

 

This is a creative arts and craft project that includes the cover sheet, flag template and parent letter. There are so many suggestions for decorations: glitter, pompoms, tissue paper, felt, foam, yarn,
sprinkles, colored rice, beads, sequins, shells, feathers, macaroni,
flowers, nature materials, sand, fabric, papers, foil, string, recycling
materials, whatever you have around the house.

 

 Patriotic Skip Counting

 

Here are two free examples of this activity for you to use to practice math skip counting!

Cut apart the strips and glue them down on another piece of paper in the correct sequence. If the order is correct the picture is correct, then color.

For continued number practice, just cut the pieces and do not glue them down.

These can also be laminated and used over and over. For example, glue magnets to the back of each strip and use on a cookie sheet. Put a colored dot on the back of matching pieces set to keep them from getting mixed up!

 

Enjoy! 

ABCs End Of The Year Review or Summer Practice

It is the time of year when many schools, homeschools, daycares, preschools and childcares are winding down for summer break. Plus many parents are looking for activities and products for practice and review over the summertime to keep their children's academic skills from regressing! 

Aa to Zz Letter and Sound Banners

This activity is a fun way to review the letters and sounds from Aa to Zz! It includes simple vocabulary words for the beginning reader, plus cut and paste activities for fine motor skill practice. The whole project creates a wonderful banner of ABCs or can be made into an ABC Book!

I have a wide variety of products and activities in my store for summer practice and review!

Christine Maxwell Hand to Heart

Spring Brings Pussy Willows!

One of the first signs of spring is a furry bush called a pussy willow. Children love being able to touch these soft kitty cat feeling flower buds called catkins. 

There are several fun ways to create the pussy willow as a craft.

One is to make them by cutting off the ends of Q-tips! 

The children draw a stem stick with crayon or marker on paper. Have them notice that pussy willow buds alternate as they go up the stem. Simply make a little line on the stem where the Q-tip bud is to be glued on. Then color the bottom end of the Q-tip bud to look like the bud covering.

Another way is to do the same as above, but use clumps of cotton instead of Q-tips.

This third way is cheaper, but is messier to create! Again the child draws the stem stick, but this time the catkins are made by them pushing their pointer finger into a black ink pad, then pressing down on the paper in the spots where they should go.

The ink should be washable!

 It is always fun to bring a little spring inside to share!

Testing.....

I have never liked standardized tests for any age group, but especially for the youngest learners!

 

Good educators already have a true picture of each child's different abilities and talents without using a test that's administered, scored, and interpreted in a standard, predetermined manner.

 

Tests are neither fair nor objective! Their use promotes a narrow curriculum and excessive testing undermines our ability to produce innovators and critical thinkers.  Test-related jitters cause stress especially among young students.

 

The pros and cons of this debate about testing will continue for years to come, but children are not standardized. They are each a "one of a kind" precious creation, with special abilities and talents unique to them and should be treated as such.