Thanksgiving Ideas!

The turkeys are coming! The turkeys are coming!

Do you have leftover mini pumpkins from Halloween?

A project I like to do with little people is to make them into Thanksgiving turkeys!

You can use ice cream sticks, popsicle sticks or tongue depressors cut in half for the head and tail feathers. The sticks can be colored with crayons or makers.

 

The littlest learners will need help getting the sticks into the pumpkins after coloring. A knife maybe needed to cut slits into the pumpkin to make it easier to push in the sticks.

They look cute sitting on the Thanksgiving dinner table!

I also have a variety of Thanksgiving ideas and activities on my
Pinterest Thanksgiving Board.

This paid product in my store has a variety of different colors and fonts.

Thanksgiving Turkey Handprint Poem and Keepsake

I am posting a free page version of this activity here!
Enjoy!



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!

b and d Reversals Posters Visual Cues

Sometimes lowercase b and d can be confusing for children and some adults, knowing the direction of each letter, especially when doing reading and writing activities! I have created an activity to help give a memory trigger for the letters.

 

This cute new product is a set of visual cue posters to help with letters

b and d Reversals Posters Visual Cues.

Visual cues can be helpful with remembering the correct ways the letters are formed.

Lowercase b has a baby patting his belly. This is to help remind students that lowercase b has a belly. The circle for the letter is on the right side of the stick and belly starts with the letter b. 

Lowercase d has a baby with a diaper. This is to help remind students that lowercase d has a diaper. The circle for the letter is on the left side of the stick and diaper starts with the letter d.

 

Enjoy these two freebie posters in color or black and white!

 

To find other parts of this product or to purchase the smaller student sizes for individual reference, click on the link above!

 Click on the Preview to see the complete activity!

Back to School!

It is time for our Back To School!

 Great first day activity to get children talking and interacting!

 

School Compound Word Puzzle Match Set using All School Words 

Here are 30 self-checking puzzle matches of compound words that can be used with the whole class, small groups or in centers. These are words that are used in the classroom!

The instruction page has several games to play using these pieces. For example, give each child a puzzle piece, making sure that another child has the matching piece. The students then scramble to find their match.

 

It can easily be adapted for the littlest learner by only using the simplest word concepts introduced. Plus little ones will use the pictures, while the

older student will read the words.
 Print, laminate, cut apart, and use year after year!

 

 A new product that I have added to my

Christine Maxwell Hand to Heart TpT Store

 

Apples and Baskets Number and Ten Frames Matching

What a great way to practice number matching with a fall theme of apples and baskets!
There is a set in color and a set in black and white for less ink use. Plus the black and white lined set can be run on colored paper to add more creativity to the activity!

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.

Glue and scissors are required if using them for worksheets! Great center or group activity too!
 Download Preview in my store to see the complete activity.

 

 

 

As a way to promote, share my educational activities and get my products in the hands of people that need them, I have been marketing with several other educators in exhibits at educational and homeschool conferences!

I am always delighted when I see and hear that something I created,

made a difference for a child!
We need your help! As back to school begins, help us get the word out about TeacherspayTeachers, so educators are able to work smarter and not harder! Teaching is stressful enough, without having to reinvent the wheel for every learning skill!

 

Best Year Ever

If you teach in a classroom, homeschool, preschool, daycare, afterschool, roadschool, worldschool or are a parent, grandparent or sitter and need fun educational activities and products for children. you need TeachersPayTeachers!

Visit my

Christine Maxwell Hand to Heart TpT Store.

I have a wide variety of activities for all subject areas,

plus decor for your educational settings!

Click on the drop down menu and go to "Most Recent" to see the new products I've added.

 

This makes me smile!

I realize this poster doesn't include the homeschoolers or roadschoolers,

but it is very real for

PreK, first grade, second grade, third........ 

 

I just uploaded a new

Tiny Book of Numbers

which is becoming a popular line of activities in my store!

Click on Tiny Books in my CUSTOM CATEGORIES to find others, 

plus I will be adding many more!

This is a 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.

 Directions: Run the three booklet pages, printing on the front side only. The ten little number examples can be run colored or blackline.

Activity: Pass the three pages out to each student. They are to fold each sheet in half on the short dotted line and again in half on the long dotted line. Place the three folded 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 numbers and ten frames can be traced or colored during introduction or review. Pass the set of ten little pictures to each student. They cut the ten pictures apart and glue them in the box on the correct number page.

Other ways this can be used is to laminate, cut the pages apart, put Velcro on the number boxes and the little picture cards so that children can match the number of objects to the correct pictures or set it up on a magnetic board.

 

Tip: How to get TPT credit to use on future purchases by leaving feedback on Paid products!

 To do this, go to your My Purchases page, you may need to login to TpT. Beside each purchase you'll see a Provide Feedback button. Simply click it and you will be taken to a page where you can give a quick rating and leave a short comment for the product.

I truly appreciate your feedback!  



Teaching With A Theme Jungle or Zoo Ideas

Many excited children are gearing up to go back to school!

Teachers; classroom, homeschool, preschool, daycare, afterschool, roadschool or worldschool have been busy getting ready. Many use themes to greet, meet and teach in their educational environment.

 

The Jungle or Zoo theme is a fun one to use and I have a few ideas to share! 

This first day activity makes a wonderful keepsake!

Jungle Picture Frame Attachments For First Day, 100th Day, & Last Day Of School

Be sure and click the Preview to see the activity.

There are pieces for the First Day of School (shown), 100th Day of School, and Last Day of School. The quickest way to use this activity to put Velcro on the empty picture frame corners and on the back of the picture attachments. Then just add or change them as needed.

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.

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

 

I do have many other

Picture Frame Attachment Themes!

 

I have a

Back To School Jungle Welcome Banner!

This colorful Welcome Banner can be used for a variety of ways,

Back To School is just one!

It is 8 1/2 by 11 inches, with the top being 11 inches.

There are 8 posters: W, e, l, c, o, m, e, ! and the cover page.

 

The daily

Jungle and Wild Animals Calendar Pieces Make Monthly Patterns

This is a gorgeous set of calendar pieces with a jungle or wild animal theme. These date cards can be mixed and matched to make a different pattern for

each month of the school year!

 Again, these can be used to make a colorful, fun, and repeating pattern for each month! For example, start the year with a simple pattern like monkey, elephant, monkey, elephant, repeat. As the year progresses make the pattern more difficult like, turtle, turtle, zebra, giraffe, giraffe, repeat. The difficulty depends on the ability of your students.

Please note there is not a background chart to place these pieces on. They work in pocket charts, on bulletin boards, walls, or create your own chart out of jungle scrapbook or wrapping paper.

 

As a math bulletin board or center I have

10 Little Jungle Friends Songs, Number Flashcards and 10 Puppets

There are self-checking puzzle pieces 0-10. Match the number of jungle animals to the correct number or number word. Several puzzle pieces say Jungle Friends for extra fun.

The songs are sung to the tune of "One Little, Two Little, Three Little Indians." A song cards are included. One cards goes from 1 to 10 and the other card from 10-1.

The 10 animal characters can be made into puppets with popsicle or paint sticks attached. Magnets can also be stuck to the back to allow them to be attached to a magnetic surface. Add and subtract the animals while singing the song verses.

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

 

This shared activity is

Math Jungle or Wild Animal Theme Skip Counting Color or Blackline

The child will cut the pieces apart on the dotted vertical lines. They must then count or skip count to place the pieces down in the correct order. If the counting is correct the animal pictures will be correct. The pictures can be colored.

 Here are pages  of the activity you can download!

Great for practicing cutting skills!
 

My last product is a set of posters!
 Jungle Position Word Posters Left, Right, Front and Back

Front, Back, Left and Right are the 4 words written and demonstrated by the

position of the giraffe.

Whatever your theme is.......enjoy and make each day special! 



Christmas in July With Presents!

I. Love. Christmas!

Need I say more!

So I am celebrating......

I posting four free Christmas activities for you to collect and use when it really is December.

 

The first activity was actually in the TpT Christmas EBook!

Santa Express Geometric Christmas Train.

It is a popular free activity!

 There are so many great stories about trains for children! A very special story for the holiday season is the classic "The Polar Express" by Chris Van Allsburg's. This fun product incorporates 5 geometric shapes into the building of a train engine, plus a creative literacy activity.

 

This activity can also be used in a center, but it is better if the pieces are laminated first. Some of the pieces are small so a baggie helps to keep any from getting lost.

 

 The second free activity is

Christmas Santa's Beard Countdown Math Activity.

 

 

This product is a math activity for counting down the days until December 25th Christmas Day. One page is color and the other is black and white. It starts on December 1st by gluing one cotton ball on the #1 spot. Glue one piece on everyday until the big day!

It is good practice for number sequence, plus adding and subtracting the days until the 25th! It can be hung in your classroom or send one home with each child.

I always sent home a copy of Santa's Beard and a bag of 25 cotton balls to each child. It makes a great early student Christmas present! If no cotton is available, the numbers can be colored or marked off as each day passes.

 

 The third free activity is

Christmas Santa's List.

This is a fun seasonal activity for Christmas that can be used a variety of ways.

There are several versions of this in color or black and white download. One has the words “Santa’s List” at the top, one “Nice,” one “Naughty” and the last is blank.

Children can write down things they have done to get them on the Nice List and the Naughty List! It helps to give them an understanding of good behavior and not as good behavior. Plus, motivate positive behavior to add to the Nice List that will last long after Christmas!

Children can write down what they want for Christmas right on the scroll! The list can be mailed to Santa after coloring.

 

The fourth and last activity is a bookmark! 

Christmas Bookmarks "A Very Merry Reader." 

 Here are two pages of bookmarks for Christmas. One page is color and the other is black and white.

It can be used to motivate reading with the words "A Very Merry Reader." The clip art is appropriate for a wide range of groups. 

 

I have a variety of other Christmas products in my store too!

Christine Maxwell Hand to Heart Store-Christmas.

 

So celebrate Christmas in July with me!

Be sure and "Follow" my Blog, you never know when I might post something awesome!

I would love to have some comments below too!

Plus it would be wonderful to leave feedback in my
TpT Store
for the freebies you download! 

Enjoy! 



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!



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.

Spring Into Learning!

This is the time of year when children really seem to takeoff!

They start to accomplish learning goals at a more rapid pace and make sense of ideas

and problems that used to confused them.

 

Some people say a "light bulb goes off" when a child finally understands that tricky concept, that before, they just couldn't get. For me, I see an explosion of pure happiness and joy, like the burst of bright sun in this poster!

 

Feel free to print and share! 

 

 For beginning readers knowing the letters of the alphabet and letter sounds is an important part of beginning to read.

 Making learning fun is helpful to motivate children to learn,

such as this alphabet puzzle with self-checking pieces.

Alphabet Puzzle Match Sounds and Letters

It can be cut with rounded corners or simply cut the black edgelines straight off,

to make it with square puzzle pieces.

 

A brand new activity, I uploaded is

Bees and Hives Letter and Sound Matching for Spring and Summer

There are a several ways to use this product, starting with working on letter matching, then adding the letter sounds.

It comes in color or black and white. It can also be cut apart a variety of ways.

 

Near the end of the year some educators do an ABC review of a letter a day.

Aa to Zz Letter and Sound Banners

This is a great set of 26 Aa thru Zz triangle shaped banners in black and white, no prep, just print and use. These are perfect for introducing or as a review of the letters of the alphabet.

Each 8 ½ by 11 inch banner has a simple sentence at the top using beginning vocabulary words. The sentences become more difficult with each letter. The words used are: a, my, see, the, I, it, is, look, at, here, this, an, like, have, we, to, end and can.

 

Banners can also be made into an Aa to Zz Book for each child to keep or they can also be sent home, so each student can make their own chain of hanging ABC banners.

 Enjoy!