Easter Is On The Way!

We have taken down the shamrocks and put up the Easter goodies!

Bunnies and eggs are popping up everywhere!

 

This adorable little bunny makes the cutest bookmark! I have it as a freebie product in my

Christine Maxwell Hand to Heart TeacherpayTeachers Store! 

 Free! "SPRING INTO READING" Bookmarks for Easter or Spring

 

If you download this or any other activity from my store, I would love feedback!

 

To do this go to TeacherspayTeachers and on the top right side is a dropdown menu, go to your My Purchases page (you may need to login first). 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 any product.

I truly appreciate all your feedback!

 

Some hands-on learning activities that I like to do during this time are: 

Easter Bunny Geometric Shape Rabbit

 It is used to introduce or review the four shapes, circle, square, triangle, rectangle,
 plus practice fine motor skills, cutting, gluing, and body awareness.

It has a variety of different activites and colors and creating the whole body or just the head!

For the little learners, it is best to just start with the head activity!

Here is a Preview of this product.

 I have two great interactive songs!

  Easter Song And Posters E-G-G-I-E Was His Name-O

 

Easter/Spring Song And Posters B-U-N-N-Y Was His Name-O

 What fun activities for the spring or Easter season. Sing to the tune "Bingo."
 It is a great way for tiny humans to learn some letters of the alphabet!

There is a song poster, an action poster and letter posters that spell the word, included is a cover sheet and directions. Each poster is 8 1/2 by 11 inches.

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 subtracting a letter for each verse and do a motion or sound instead. Laminate and use year after year!

 

This activity can be used even by a single child by having them point at the posters and do the motions.

 



Teaching Time!

Time is such an important concept to teach children,

since we use it 24 hours a day and 7 days a week for our entire life!

 

I have a free puzzle activity sample that includes a puzzle page of

matching time on the hour.

FREE! Puzzle Match Sample Pack

 

Practicing with a clock is the very best way to introduce the concept of time.

I have a paper clock included in all of my time products. These can be glued to a paper plate with the hands attached with a brad to allow them to move around the face of the clock.

 

The first puzzles set is for the hour and half hour clock times.



 Time Puzzles 1 Show Hour and Half Hour Practice Clock Included

 

 The second puzzle set is for the quarter hour and three quarter hour clock times.

Time Puzzles 2 Show Quarter and Three Quarter Hour Clock Included

 

The third product is a bundle to the first two sets at a discount price.

 Time Puzzles Bundle

 

The last product is one of my favorites. It is teaching about the concept of time using a watch!

Watches for Time Practice

 

These can be cutout, the hands fastened with brads and use Velcro to fasten the wristband.

 

Child love having their own watch!

Still Makes Me Smile!

 

World Read Aloud Day!

"LitWorld was founded in 2007 after Executive Director, Pam Allyn, renowned literacy educator and author, visited Kibera, an area of extreme poverty in Nairobi, Kenya. There, she experienced the urgent desire children had to read, write and share their stories, the barriers that stood in their way, and the amazing power of literacy to remove barriers.

Inspired after her first visit to Kibera, Pam returned to New York and mobilized a group of friends and leaders to join her in building a new movement founded on the belief that literacy is a universal human right. They created a movement designed not only to further basic literacy, but to further productive literacy defined by dreams that can come true.

 They have grown World Read Aloud Day from a simple call to action to a program that rallies over 18 million people online and over 1 million people across 100 countries through community events. People eagerly await the arrival of World Read Aloud Day and celebrate their innovative ways of taking action. From a girl in Haiti marching down her street with a sign advocating for her right to read, to the boy in Iowa hearing his favorite author read to his class over video chat, to a mother in the Philippines proudly listening to her daughter read aloud for the first time: 

This is the LitWorld story."

  Register for World Read Aloud Day

Mother's Day Ideas!

Here is a fun Mother's Day Song!

 

I also have T-shirt templates in my store that make great Mother's Day Cards! 

They come in two sizes and I have the front and backs versions of each.

Tee-rrific T-shirt Template and Blank Template

Feedback Is Always A Nice Reminder Of Why I Create Products And Activities!

The compliments were on my Winter Build A Name or Word Snowman

Sweet Goodbyes!

I am sharing a creative idea to end the day for little learners. It is a fun way to say 

goodbye using dessert words!

Goodbye Rhymes or Sayings Dessert Cards

There are 20 card pages with two dessert goodbyes on each sheet for 40 sentences, 4 goodbye sentences without desserts, the title page and a page of directions.

Assembly: Print the pages out on the front side only. The thicker the paper, the more durable they will be, then laminate if desired.

Cards: There are 40 goodbye dessert cards with words and pictures. There are two dessert card sentences to each sheet. These can be cut apart into two separate cards or simply keep them together. The name of the dessert is on each card with a rhyming word for leaving, goodbye, etc. 

Activity: When introducing the activity at the beginning of the year show the children the cards and explain what each dessert is. Read the sentences and discuss the meanings of the different words.

You can also decide or decide together if a movement or motion is to go with each card. For example, “You stroll, jellyroll.” could be a strolling step as they go out the door. “Give a shake, cupcake.” could be a shaking hands motion while leaving. Part of the fun is making up and creating an action that goes with each dessert! 

As the little learners practice the different cards and sayings they will be able to read them, plus they become a learned memory. They will also be able to pick and choose which dessert they might decide to be as they lineup and leave each day, plus doing their own movement or motion out the door!

As the little learners practice the different cards and sayings they will be able to read them, plus they become a learned memory. They will also be able to pick and choose which dessert they might decide to be as they enter each day or lineup and doing their own movement or motion! 

What dessert do they feel like today!

You can use as many or as few sentences as you would like, plus switch them around from time to time!

Another fun idea to share the different desserts during the year, especially for little ones that have never had or heard of certain desserts! Truly a special activity to share!

Enjoy!

 

I Was Tweeted by TpT!

It is a known fact that everyone loves a shoutout! Thank you TpT for tweeting
about my blog post!

TpT Tweet

Read the blog post here!

Warm Fuzzies

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!



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! 



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!