Back To School Stress

Feeling overwhelmed with back to school, especially as a first year teacher or a new homeschool educator. Reach out to another staff member or homeschooler for help!
A good peer is always willing to come to the rescue and
help you keep your head above water!

 If you see a teacher or new homeschooling teacher "drowning" in the classroom, maybe you can throw them a few lifeline tips to help them tread the educational water.

Free Bingo Game!

Fall my most favorite season of the year!

 

My freebie is called

My First Number Bingo Game for Fall, Halloween and Thanksgiving.

 

This colorful, fun math product will help to introduce students to the concept of playing Bingo, or provide practice for proficient players. It uses the concepts of left/right, top/middle/bottom, corners and even diagonal, if your students are able to understand that concept. Differentiated instruction allows for a variety of levels of abilities to play this activity, making it more difficult as needed.

 

This game includes 3 pumpkin board templates, a nine grid, a twelve grid and a sixteen grid. Also included are little pumpkin calling cards 0-15, plus directions and suggestions for playing. I've added little leaves, jacks and turkey pumpkins cards as an extra surprise to create some excitement. I used candy corn as my counters to mark the numbers and when a picture card is shown each student gets a piece of candy to eat!

You will need to write the numbers on the pumpkin boards. I had a parent volunteer (Gotta love them!) do that, and laminated them.

 

Another way to use this activity is to give each student a pumpkin and have them write the numbers in the various squares. For example, you assign the numbers 0-10 on the 9 space grid pumpkin. They use a pencil to write the numbers first in any spaces, to make sure they have written them correctly, and then trace over them with crayon or marker. Then play the game. Students can trade cards for each game because each board is different.

This product can also be printed in grayscale to save colored ink.

The children look forward to practicing their numbers and you get a good visual evaluation of their progress. Great to play during fall, Halloween and Thanksgiving.

 

Another number pumpkin product is

 Fall Pumpkins and Leaves Number Matching Color or Black & White.

What a great way to practice number matching with a fall theme of pumpkins and leaves! Just laminate and use over and over every year! 

Introduce or review the concepts of number matching. This activity can be used, even if only a few number concepts have been introduced. Then add the other pieces as they are learned.

Great center or group activity too! Download Preview to see the complete activity.

 

Plus follow my blog to find out about giveaways, freebies, linkys, educational tips and my newest activities!

Enjoy!

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!



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!
 

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!

National Teacher Appreciation Day

Educators play a critical role in educating and shaping our children, the future leaders of our country. They are kind, patient, hard-working, dedicated, understanding professionals that mold lives in a positive direction and have the power to change those lives forever! 

We can find educators in classrooms, homeschools, roadschools, worldschools, preschools, daycares and afterschool programs!

In honor of  those special people that spend time nurturing our greatest resource,

I have a set of bookmarks to share called

The Starfish Story Bookmark. 

 This poem was given to me many years ago, along with a starfish pin, by a very special person. They truly made me feel like I was making a difference! I still have the pin!

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!

 National Teacher Appreciation Day, also known as National Teacher Day, is celebrated on Tuesday of the first full week in May. This day is part of Teacher Appreciation Week which is the first full week in May of each year.