Blog - Pencils to Pigtails

Science of Reading Activities and Mapping Mats

August 23, 2022

I’m sharing how I use Science of Reading activities and mapping mats with preschool, kindergarten, and first grade students! These mats help build essential blending and segmenting skills children need for building words. Read on to find out how we make word building fun and exciting by incorporating a variety of manipulatives!

Flip It Mats aligned with the Science of Reading Approach

Science of Reading Activities and Mapping Mats for Young Children

It is such an exciting time in education! The research is FINALLY starting to sink in and so many educators are really taking the plunge to incorporate the Science of Reading into their literacy practices. If you want to learn more about how I started incorporating these strategies in my classroom, head here to read about the Sound Wall I use or here to read about some of the other Science of Reading Literacy Centers I’m using in my classroom.

Nothing about the Science of Reading has to be boring. That’s one reason I use these adorable “Flip it” mats with my kids. There is just something about the “Flip” that makes them so fun!

Mapping Mats for Preschool, Kindergarten, and First Grade Students

Flip It Mats

First of all, I really think the best way to set these up is to slide them in a dry-erase pocket. I have 4 of these pockets so when students are ready to work on this independently, I set up 4 places to sit like this one.

Next, I teach them how to use the mats. They simply “Flip it” as in flip one card from the stack over. Then, they “Say it” which simply means they should say the word out loud. Cards are included with or without words on the bottom so you can differentiate the skill according to student need.

Next, they map the word. They can map the word by writing each sound or with any other small object you can think of!

Finally, children write the word. This is when you will be so glad you used dry-erase pockets. They enjoy using those markers plus they can reuse that mat again and again!

Mini-Erasers

I always let children choose what mini-eraser they want to use. This child chose the earth-shaped ones. Adding that extra bit of choice in there really adds to the engagement factor!

Segmenting and Blending Mapping Mats for Children

The mat above and below are from a different set of mapping mats, but you can see how for the photo above, they chose ice cream cones. In the mat below, they chose dogs!

Science of Reading Mats for Preschool, Kindergarten, and First Grade Students

Anytime I see mini-erasers in the Target Dollar Spot, Dollar Tree, or anywhere else, I’m totally guilty of snatching them up! I just think they are so cute and engaging!

Letters

I feel like I was one of the last people to know about these adorable letters. (This is an affiliate link which means you get them at the same price but it helps keep this blog going!)

They are perfect for word building. Make sure to grab this lowercase letter set. I love that they have lines to indicate what side they should be turned to and that there are so many making endless word possibilities!

Don’t you love the cute bag they come in? Look how many words I could build on this practice sheet! So much fun!

Say it! Map it! Write it! Word Mapping Practice Worksheets

Of course, the mat above can be used as homework, for early finishers, or as a worksheet. You can pair it with any small counters, mini-erasers, or these adorable Banana Letters!

Math Manipulatives

There are so many ways to pair these mats with counters or other objects you already have laying around.

In this photo, you can see how the child uses colorful counting chips to segment the word. This is the perfect way for kids to practice truly hearing each sound that makes up the word before blending them.

This is another way to use the counters. You can see how you could incorporate a variety of math manipulatives here! The counting bears would be adorable! How about pom poms? Those could work too!

Play Dough

Science of Reading Activities for Young Children

You probably saw this one coming! I LOVE using play dough to help students map words. They love it even more than me. In fact, my girls choose this every single time. We roll up 3 balls. As they segment the word into 3 sounds, they press them down. I tell them to try and keep the play dough in the square and to leave a visible fingerprint in the ball when it is pressed down.

Word Mapping Mats using play dough and dry erase pockets.

I can guarantee if you start asking your kids what they choose to use, MOST of them will pick play dough! There is just something so fun about it!

Independent Practice

After we’ve EXTENSIVELY practiced using word mapping mats together, I send them off for extra practice. This could be at home practice, during literacy centers, or something I set out for early finishers.

Science of Reading Aligned Word Mapping Worksheets

Ready to Try?

Have I convinced you to try using new manipulatives yet? If you are ready to try these centers with your students, head here to grab the bundle. It is truly the best way to get a huge variety of Science of Reading activities for your students to practice those essential segmenting and blending skills. If you just want to try the Flip It Mats, you can find those here!

Happy Teaching & Parenting this week friends!

Science of Reading Literacy Centers

August 13, 2022

Science of Reading Literacy centers will help students practice essential phonemic awareness skills. These mapping mats are perfect to help students segment and blend words!

Word Mapping Mats Aligned with the Science of Reading approach

Science of Reading Literacy Centers

The more I learn about the Science of Reading approach, the more it all just makes sense! I have always been confused about why we are trying to get students to memorize so many words. Shouldn’t we spend more time teaching them basic phonemic awareness and phonics skills? Of course, the answer is yes!

After implementing my Sound Wall, I have seen a major change in the way my students are able to read and spell new words. If you are implementing the Science of Reading approach, make sure to head over here to learn about why research says you should replace Word Walls with Sound Walls!

Today I’m sharing how I use these literacy centers with my students. These centers help kids really practice those essential skills that research says is a necessary part of the learning to read progression.

Say it! Tap it! Map it! Write it! Word Mapping Mats

Segmenting Words

In order to write words, students must know how to segment a word into the individual sounds or phonemes. If you say “mop”, are students able to recognize that /m/, /o/, and /p/ make up that word? There are so many ways to practice this skill.

I like to have students say the word, tap the word, map the word, and finally write the word. You can see that in the above photo.

Word Mapping Mats for Kindergarten, First, and Second Grade Students

Say it!

First, children should say the word aloud. This helps them to hear the sounds and recognize the way their mouths pronounce the sound. I like to ask students to put their pointer finger on the picture as they say it out loud.

Have you heard this fun song? It is to the same tune as the nursery rhyme we know as “Brother John” or “Frere Jacques”. I sing it every time I want them to use their index finger. I start with my pointer finger (index finger) behind my back and bring it out in the middle of the song like I just found it.

It goes like this, “Pointer finger! Pointer finger! Where are you? Where are you? Will you come and help me? Will you come and help me? Touch and name? Touch and name!”

Tap it!

Next, it’s important that students can segment the word. One way to do this is to “Tap it!”. You can ask students to simply use a finger or a pencil. Another way to do this is to use a magician’s wand or fairy wand. This is just one way to make it more fun for children!

Segmenting and Blending with Word Mapping Mats

Map it!

Then, children will “map” the word. Mapping the word helps students visually see how many phonemes are in each one. You can do this by asking students to write the letters in the “Map it!” spot or simply use any kind of manipulative there. I love to use mini erasers for this purpose. Remember, that you can pair these mats with any small object of your choice. Use your imagination and switch it up each time to make these mats seem fresh and new for kids!

You may have guessed that I have a teensy obsession with mini-erasers by this point! The kids love walking over to choose any type they want. I love that you can find packs of them for just a dollar and engagement goes through the roof when they get to have that choice!

By the way, if you love mini-erasers as much as I do, head here to see how I use them with task cards!

Write it!

Finally, I ask kids to write the word. This is where students use their knowledge of graphemes and really connect those sounds to letters. I let my students use a pencil on the black and white mats when they are working on these for extra practice.

However, to really add excitement, simply slide these mats in dry erase pockets and let them use a dry erase marker. They LOVE using those!

Word Mapping Literacy Centers for Kindergarten, First Grade, and Second Grade

Science of Reading Literacy Centers with Play Dough

I personally think it’s so fun to use play dough with my students to practice this skill. Let’s be honest, what child doesn’t love play dough?

To begin, roll 3 small balls for each word. Students will quickly press the balls down while segmenting the word. This is so fun in the “Tap it!” section. Something about that play dough really adds to the engagement and excitement!

Mapping Mats

These mats can be found here. For the sake of these photos, I just set these out to take the picture, but if I was using these with my students, I slide them in a dry erase pocket or sleeve. This way you can use them again and again! You will find dozens of options for every short vowel in both color or printer-friendly black and white.

I like to use the color ones with a small group, for early finishers, or morning work. I send the black and white ones home as extra practice so students can show parents what they are working on.

The way we teach kids to read is changing and this is a great way for children to “teach” their parents.

Word Mapping Mats Aligned with the Science of Reading

Science of Reading Literacy Centers Bundle

Of course, the best way to try these with your students is to grab the bundle. This bundle is PACKED with so many ways to practice skills aligned with the Science of Reading approach. You get the best value for your money but also SO MANY ways to practice essential phonemic awareness skills. The flip it mats you see above are so much fun and part of the bundle.

As always, please me know if you have any questions friends!

Happy Teaching and Parenting this week!

Varsity Patch Letters & a Freebie

August 6, 2022

Varsity Patch Letters can help you achieve that adorable Stoney Clover Lane look in your classroom! Use these letters to create versatile bulletin boards and as classroom decor wherever you need a phrase or large word! Don’t forget to grab your freebie!

Loving This Look?

So tell me, do you love the look of Stoney Clover Lane letters as much as I do? These bulletin board letters help you achieve that look anywhere in your room. I’m also sharing a fun planning freebie with you today!

I decided to create 3 packs of letters in various tones. Read though to find out if you prefer the pastel, bright, or neutral pack. If you can’t pick just one, you’re in luck because there is a bundle option!

Jewel Toned Bright Varsity Patch Letters inspired by Stoney Clover Lane

Bright Jewel-Toned Varsity Patch Letters Set

The bright jewel tones were the first set I created. I just love how colorful these look. They are beautiful against almost any background including white and wood, where they show up best. I made sure to include 5 tones of EVERY SINGLE LETTER. You will also find numbers and punctuation in the various jewel tones. I wanted you to be able to create whatever phrases or words you like without running into the issue of being stuck with the same color over and over.

I know it happens to me where I’m plugging along setting up a bulletin board only to discover that I have to use the same color over and over because of the letter sequence. No worries with any of these sets! Don’t like the green? No problem! Just use the other tones in the pack.

Neutral “Go with Anything” Varsity Patch Letters Set

I love the neutral tones if you worry about your existing decor. The white is very popular with this pack. Neutrals go with anything! You will love the way these letters and numbers look. I’ve included both larger and smaller letters in each set. You can easily create phrases or big one word titles as needed.

Pastel Varsity Patch Letters Set inspired by Stoney Clover Lane

Light and Airy Pastel Varsity Patch Letters Set

Honestly, when I was making these I thought the pastel set would be my least favorite but they are so beautiful! Once I put them together and start to spell words, I think they coordinate so great together and have such an adorable look to them. Just look at how beautiful the word “Math” looks in this set!

Pastel Light and Airy Varsity Patch Letters inspired by Stoney Clover Lane

The Varsity Patch Letters Bundle

Varsity Patch Letters Bundle of 15 tones

Of course, you will get the best bang for your buck by purchasing the bundle! It includes all 3 sets so you will have 15 tones to choose from as you create the bulletin boards and classroom decor of your dreams! In my classroom, I typically use the neutral set because I have lots of white, green, and blue in my room. However, in the hallway, I take turns using the bright and pastel sets. These ones are just so much fun!

Your Planning Freebie

Ready for your freebie? Head here to grab your EDITABLE and printable to do lists! These will also help you see what letter pack would work best in your classroom.

I love to use these to do lists to pick out my top 3 essential things that I have to accomplish each day. Bubble in the circle when you finish one. It feels so good! I use the other lined pages to take notes during any meeting. I’m a print it out type of girl so I always print them when I’m done and print a few to have on hand if I need to take notes with a pencil.

If you’re looking for more back to school ideas, head here to see how I set up my differentiated task boxes or here to read about making the switch to sound walls in the classroom!

Was this helpful? Let me know, friends. I LOVE hearing from you!

Happy Teaching & Parenting this week friends!

Love,

5 Reasons it’s Time to Use Sound Walls in the Classroom and Ditch Your Word Wall

March 27, 2022

Freebie to understand Sound Walls in the Classroom

All of the research behind the Science of Reading confirms it’s time to start using Sound Walls in the classroom. Today I’m sharing reasons why you should dive in and make the switch. In addition, I’m sharing an exclusive and helpful freebie!

Of course, when I first started hearing about Sound Walls in the classroom, I honestly wondered if it was just another swing of the pendulum. Is this a fad or something I’m going to invest time and money in only to hear that we’ve moved on to the next thing?

Vowel Valley with Mouth Formation Pictures

Know Better, Do Better

First, I read Know Better, Do Better by David and Meredith Liben and honestly, my mind was blown. Why in the world have we been teaching reading in such a confusing way? I highly recommend this book if you, like me, are wondering where to begin.

Eventually, I started to realize that some of our methods were teacher focused instead of student focused. They are based on practices that make sense to us but don’t make sense to a beginning reader. I came up with 5 reasons why it was time to get rid of my Word Wall and replace it with a student-friendly Sound Wall.

Why YOU Should Make the Switch

Sound Wall Pocket Chart with Real World Photos and Mouth Formation Visuals

1. They Make Sense

That’s right! When you really dig into bringing Sound Walls in the classroom, it just makes sense for our students. Unfortunately, Word Walls can be downright confusing. Just watch a child’s face as they try to find a word with a beginning sound that doesn’t match the most common sound made by that letter. For example, students would likely listen to the /n/ sound at the beginning of the word “know” and attempt to find it under the “N” section of a Word Wall. With a Sound Wall, students would hear the /n/ sound, locate the /n/ phoneme, and understand that “kn” is one way to read and spell the /n/ sound. To clarify, Sound Walls in the classroom are based on a student’s understanding while Word Walls are created based on a teacher’s prior understanding of the variety of spellings we have for each sound.

2. The Science of Reading is Based on Extensive Research

Recently, you’ve likely heard much about the Science of Reading. The Science of Reading is not a book or a new curriculum. It is an extensive body of research completed throughout the last forty years. It clarifies myths that memorizing hundreds of words or guessing what a word is are effective ways to teach reading.

In my own life, I am seeing my daughters try to guess words over and over rather than using phonics skills necessary to decode a difficult or unknown word. This leads to frustration for each of us and a continual reminder that they have the skills necessary to figure out the word. There is no need for their eyes to leave the word and dart around the pictures for clues. Unlike speaking, reading does not happen naturally. Instead, it needs to be explicitly taught in a systematic way in order for our students to become proficient and fluent readers.

Sound Wall Pocket Chart with Mouth Formation Visual and spelling cards

3. Include Mouth Formation Visuals

Effective Sound Walls in the classroom include mouth formation visuals for students to reference. This year, it was a real eye opener when I kept seeing a group of my ELs put their tongues OVER their teeth to pronounce the /l/ sound. However, now that I use Sound Walls in the classroom, I am able to show them the mouth formation visual. I also give them a mirror so they can check to see if they are forming the sound correctly.

Vowel Valley photo from classroom with mouth formation pictures and real world photos

4. Improve Spelling and Decoding Skills

Now, you will be amazed at the difference in your children’s ability to decode and spell difficult words. For so many years, we have taught that certain words HAD to be memorized and that they were just “rule breakers”. This is simply untrue. Many of the words that we teach students to memorize actually don’t have to be as long as we instill phonemic awareness within our students. When Sound Walls are used in the classroom, students learn new spelling patterns helping them both spell and decode unfamiliar words.

5. Make it Interactive!

Finally, let’s face it – some of you have a word wall that is more like wallpaper. It looks pretty but it’s not REALLY being utilized by students. Perhaps you are a unicorn and consistently use your word wall with students. Is it really interactive? To clarify, Sound Walls in the classroom work best when you build them WITH your students. Your students should be getting up and removing the sound spelling cards. Mine take those new sound spelling cards to their tables to use as references. In addition, children pull the mouth articulation cards out and compare their own mouths to the visuals using the provided mirrors. I know that Sound Walls in the classroom may look overwhelming at first. In reality, they are a tool created by and FOR the students!

Free flip cards with Science of Reading, Sound Wall, and Vowel Valley tips!

Ready to Try?

Well, did I convince you yet? Maybe you are willing to give Sound Walls a try. I have a gift just for you! I want you to feel confident and avoid the overwhelm that comes with making the big switch. To help, I have a ring of helpful tips and tricks that I created just for you. I’ve included everything you may have questions about in the freebie.

Click here to sign up for my newsletter and get your free ring of Teacher Tips!

A freebie that includes Individual Sound Walls for students

Today, I’m giving you everything you need for building Individual Student Folders. Both of these helpful items are included in this freebie!

Looking for more classroom inspiration? Try this post about our Teddy Bear Picnic and Sleepover or see how we use technology to practice retell strategies using our favorite fairy tales and nursery rhymes!

Be sure to leave a comment and let me know if you plan to use Sound Walls in the classroom!

Happy Teaching and Mommy-ing this week friends!

Retell Strategies using Technology for Young Children

April 23, 2020

How to Teach Retell Strategies using Technology

Today I’m sharing something that has puzzled me for quite some time: how to teach retell strategies using technology! We’ll go over how to use Boom Cards or Google™ Classroom so students can read or listen to fairy tales, practice identifying characters or setting, place the major events in order, and so much more!

School Closures due to COVID19

I came up with this idea when schools were closed due to COVID19. Not all of my students have Internet or a device to use, so I began by creating hands-on activities which were almost like a condensed version of my differentiated morning boxes. These were so fun to prep and send home for students.

Distance Learning Packets

Hands-on Activities (Say no to too many worksheets!)

Each bag contained a box (you could also use a sandwich sized plastic bag) that included I can statement cards so the parents knew exactly what objectives to work on, small cards for students to practice months worth of skills, and so much more! The cards are purposefully smaller than the morning boxes so that even if you sent home ALL of the skills, you would only have to print 15 pages for each child and you could choose color or B & W. I think that’s a pretty low number for hundreds of cards & activities! You can head here to read more about what is included in those.

These boxes have been so helpful for me and my students. I plan to use these next year as optional “Homework Boxes”.

“Homework” Boxes

These pictures give you a little bit of an idea of what is included. On a normal school schedule, I will just send one or two task cards along with the smaller activity cards so parents can really focus on a small amount of skills and each child’s will be different depending on what they need to work on. Talk about differentiation!

Free Miss You Cards

Be sure to read through to the end of this blog post so you can grab your free postcards shown above! You can tuck them in with packets or send them to students in the mail!

Retell Strategies using Technology

I knew I needed to work on essential reading strategies with my students but couldn’t figure out how I would work on these objectives without physically being with them. The major question was how could I teach retell strategies using technology? Hence, the idea for interactive fairy tales was born!

Interactive Fairy Tales

I’ve made interactive fairy tales, developed questions and answers about character and setting, and even given children chances to place major events in order all while using Boom Cards or Google™ Classroom! This idea makes them feel very game-like. You KNOW I love to use games in the classroom!

Characters, Setting, and Major Events

I love the idea of students reading or listening to the complete fairy tale and then retelling the fairy tale on their own. Students can move the characters around as they retell the story, just like if they were using puppets! For example, as Goldilocks tries out the 3 chairs, the children can move her to each chair as they tell the story. Finally, the slides conclude with several questions about characters, setting, order of events, and so much more!

Boom Learning

The fairy tales are read aloud to students if you decide to use Boom Cards. Boom Cards are also self-checking. I personally prefer using this type because I find them to be very student-friendly. It’s so nice when I’m working with students that they can complete the entire deck without ever bothering me when I’m doing small group instruction. This is all because of the integrated sound and the fact that they are self-checking. Remember when I said even more skills were included? In the fairy tale bundle, students can work on ordering objects by size, one-to-one correspondence, compound words, and so much more!

Jack and the Beanstalk one-to-one correspondence

Try the Boom Cards out Yourself!

Guess what? You can listen in to a little of the story, look through, and then try moving the characters on the first 4 slides of the set above by clicking here!

Google™ Slides Version

I do realize that not everyone prefers Boom Decks. Some of you are already using Google™ Classroom or Google™ Drive with your students. You may prefer the decks I’ve made to use with Google™ Slides. One bonus of using this version is that every deck includes some simple sentences for students to unscramble.

What Teachers are Saying

I was thrilled that other teachers are so excited about these too. Trust me, there have been many times where I was super pumped about a new product only to realize it wasn’t what teachers were really needing at the moment. WOMP! WOMP! (I definitely said that in a Charlie Brown teacher voice!)

Here are just a few reviews on these new resources!

“I LOVE the auditory component to this set!!! Many families are looking for independent learning activities during this time when they are working from home, as well. Kindergarten kids are often NOT able to read the question or the response. Thank you for adding this EXTRA feature to your bundle. I wish all BOOM card decks had this NECESSARY piece of instruction. Looking forward to more of your BOOM card creations!” -Holly

“I am a huge fairy tale fan! I love re reading a book all week and the class being so excited to act out the characters. My daughter (5 year old preschooler this year) has been enjoying the boom activities – she is so excited to complete the task on each card.” -Kara

“I just bought this bundle. This is by far THE BEST BOOM CARD stack that I have bought to date. I LOVE the auditory component, story element questions, numeral bean sort, and compound words. Please create more… just like this… GREAT JOB!” – Bill

What Else is Included

I didn’t even mention that you will also receive lots of other printables you can use when you are back together with your kids (or you have my permission to email them to parents!) Some of the bonus items include puppets, masks, word wall lists, word wall cards, differentiated writing prompts, apology letter & card templates from Jack to the Giant and from Goldilocks to the Three Bears, and so much more!

Where to Find These

You can take a look at all of my resources created specifically for Google™ Classroom here or for Boom Learning here! You can purchase the fairy tales separately or as a bundle. I’m creating 3 bundles – Classic Fairy Tales (which you’ve seen pictures of in this post), Royal Fairy Tales (can you guess what’s included???), and Forgotten Fairy Tales (So much fun!).

Don’t forget to grab your free Miss You postcards here!

Happy Teaching & Mommy-ing this week friends!

Unique Easter and Spring S’mores for the Classroom

February 19, 2020

Easter and Spring S’mores are sure to keep student engagement high while working on essential ELA and Math skills for preschool, kindergarten, and first grade students. Today I’m sharing how we use these activities to work on writing!

Easter and Spring S’mores

Easter and Spring S’mores are such a hit with my students! I mean, can you really blame them?

Just typing this blog post about graham crackers, melted chocolate, and gooey marshmallows is making me so hungry!

Of course, we use colorful Peep brand marshmallows in either the bunny or chick shapes for this unique twist on the traditional s’more!

Students followed me down to the teacher lunch area with a clipboard, pencil, and the Taste Test bar graph in hand. They watched with excitement as the Peeps grew larger and larger in the microwave.

Each child took turns taking a bite and announcing whether they thought it was “Yum” or “Yuck”. So much fun! Later we worked on our writing page and the cut & paste sequencing printable included in my Easter Fun resource on TPT.

Easter and Spring S’mores Reminders

Make sure to double & triple check allergies in your classroom before completing this exercise. My daughter is allergic to milk and egg so we use allergy friendly chocolate chips to make hers.

I also want to warn you that it is so hard to say no to these!

Could you resist them?

Easy Egg Dying for the Classroom

We loved this simple technique for dying multiple eggs at one time. It was the perfect project when paired with the Easter Fun resource from TPT that also includes the s’mores printables shown above.

Have you read about the egg dying fun and our STEM project yet? If not, head here!

Hungry Bunny Pick a Card Game

Another thing we are busy doing is our Hungry Bunny Pick a Card game. Have you tried these yet? My students beg me to play them every day during our morning meeting and small group time.

In fact, I created these because I had so many teachers asking me for these games.

We use the one shown below to work on word reading and rhyming.

Head over here to read my recent blog post about Pick a Card games!

Free CVC & CCVC Word Building Games

What could be better than hunting the room for Easter eggs? Well, I have the perfect games for you! When you subscribe to my newsletter list by clicking here, you will be sent 2 FREE sets of word building cards.

For the game above, I would mix and put all three letters AND the picture in an egg. I would fill 12 eggs and hide them around the classroom.

CVC Word Building Freebie by Pencils to Pigtails

Students use the included printables to write and draw a picture of the word after they unscramble the letters.

I’ve included CCVC words too! More details are included in this freebie !

Be sure to pin this image so you can revisit this blog post as needed later.

I hope you LOVE using all of these ideas in your classroom!

Happy Teaching & Mommy-ing this week friends!

Easter Activities and Freebies for You!

February 19, 2020

Easter Activities and Freebies

Celebrate Easter or springtime with these no mess low prep Easter activities and freebies for primary students! The STEM project, easy egg dying project, free CVC & CCVC egg hunts, and Easter s’mores will keep your students engaged while working on essential math and reading skills!

Spring is in the Air

I love this time of year! The weather is warming up and my students are really into a routine. I’m also seeing improvements in understanding and writing abilities.

Easter Activities and Freebies

This is the perfect time of year to incorporate some fun Easter-themed activities. It you aren’t able to celebrate Easter, you can always use the ideas as part of a spring theme. I’ve included alternate printables in my resource for those of you who want to do that!

Easy Easter Egg Dying

Dying Easter eggs can be really messy. This technique works flawlessly!

You will find more details in my resource on TPT but you will basically need a muffin tin and whip cream or shaving cream to begin.

Easy Egg Dying for the Kindergarten Classroom

You can see that this is an older muffin tin. I labeled it using a dry erase marker with student initials so we would know who the eggs belonged to.

After a few drops of food coloring and a gentle swirl, you are left with a beautiful marble pattern to drop your eggs into.

Easter Egg Dying Techniques using a muffin tin and shaving cream

After about thirty minutes of sitting on one side, we gently roll the eggs over.

While we wait, we work on sequencing with this Easy Easter Eggs cut and paste sheet. We also incorporate some basic “how to” writing practice.

Aren’t they stunning? The kids are always so proud of them and ready to show them off at home. They like to use the printables to help explain the process to their parents.

Marble No Mess Egg Dying Technique for the Classroom

Remember to save your egg cartons to hold the eggs until you are ready to wrap them up to send home.

I just think the finished eggs are so beautiful!

Have you ever dyed eggs like this? It’s so much fun!

Easter Activities and Freebies: Pick a Card Games

Hungry Bunny Pick a Card Game by Pencils to Pigtails

We also love adding this Easter Pick a Card game into our morning and small group routine. Head over here to read a little more about how we incorporate these holiday and seasonal games every day!

Easter STEM

My students are always up for a fun STEM project. This one is low prep and students use the sheet included in my resource to both plan and reflect.

Prepare to be amazed by the towers your students come up with!

Easter or Spring S’mores

How amazing do these Easter and Spring S’mores look? Yum! I don’t think engagement has EVER been this high in my classroom. My next blog post will be all about this fun activity so be sure to check back!

CVC and CCVC Word Building Activity

Have you grabbed these Easter Egg Hunt Freebies yet? Head over here to have them sent straight to your inbox!

You will find e verything you need to build both CVC and CCVC words with your students!

Make sure to pin this image so you can refer back later as needed.

Happy Teaching & Mommy-ing this week friends!

Pick a Card Games – Holiday and Seasonal Fun

February 6, 2020

Pick a Card Games are my kindergarten students favorite way to practice letter recognition and sounds, number recognition, rhyming words, CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words, shapes, and so much more! Today I’m sharing how I use these fun games in my classroom to keep students motivated and engaged.

Before we begin, I want to warn you that your students will BEG you to play “Pick a Card” games over and over again. They are so much fun!

Pick a Card Games – Free Turkey Wobble

You may have already grabbed my Turkey Wobble freebie. If not, head over here. This is a free download for new subscribers. All you have to do is tape the large shape (a turkey head in this case) to a container. Then cut apart and use whichever cards you desire.

Pick a Card games have a fun song/poem to sing or say with your students. You should hear the beats I use! 🙂 You will also find letter and number cards, shape cards, rhyming words, and so much more in the resource on TPT.

I like to sit on the floor with my students in a circle around me or use a pocket chart to mix the word cards up and place the word cards in the correct order.

If they pull out a picture card, they have to do the turkey wobble (dance while flapping their elbows). They love doing this and erupt in giggles every single time!

I have had lots of requests to make more games like this so I came up with these Holiday and Seasonal Pick a Card Games.

Seasonal Pick a Card Games – Jump on the Bus

At the beginning of the year, we like to use this set from the seasonal resource to practice number recognition. I like to sing the song and ask the kids to jump up when we get to the “jump on the bus” part.

The kids love coming to the front to pull a number out of the bus container! If they pull a school supply card, I have them imitate using that particular school supply. They love this part!

You will also find the poem and word cards with “Oh, what LETTER can you name for us?” The games are designed so that you have options about what standards you would like to work on with your students.

Honestly, we play it both ways depending on the day. I also like to show students how the two poems are changed with just that one word card.

Seasonal Pick a Card Games – Rolling Pumpkin

The next poem we pull out goes along with our annual field trip to the pumpkin patch perfectly. Students can work on shapes with these adorable pumpkin cards.

When we sing this song or poem, we like to put our hands up in a “stop” motion and show our hands making a rolling motion during the rolling part. If students pick one of the shape cards, they identify the shape. If they pick a pumpkin patch card they can imitate the child or do a little dance.

Holiday Pick a Card Games – Costume Time

This “Costume Time” pick a card game from my holiday set makes rhyming so much fun. The kids love seeing all of the costumes and coming up with rhyming words.

You can also use this poem to work on letters. It is so easy to differentiate this activity based on each learner’s need. For example, I may ask some students to simply identify the letters, other students to generate the letter sound, and others to think of a word that begins or ends with that letter based on their abilities!

If a student pulls a picture card on that one, they can do a little “Halloween” jig or imitate the costume they pulled. It’s totally up to you!

Holiday Pick a Card Games – Christmas Tree

The Christmas Tree Pick a Card Game is always popular in December. You can use this one to practice identifying letters or numbers.

Let’s think of ways to make this differentiated based on understanding! With this version you can ask students to simply identify the number, count on beginning with that number, count backwards from the number, or even add or subtract a number from the chosen card.

These games can be played in a whole group or you can use them in centers depending on what works best for you.

Seasonal Pick a Card Games – Snow Day

Snow Day is always a fun one. Unfortunately, in TN this is sometimes the closest we get to a snow day!

For this one, we like to “sing” the poem. Students pretend that they are throwing a snowball during the song when it is their turn. If they pull out one of the people cards, they have to pretend they were smashed with a snowball!

Like the others, you can play this several ways. Students can pull a CVC card out and just read it or you could ask them to generate a rhyming word. I like to ask my ESL students to read the word and use it in a sentence.

Pick a Card Games for January and February

Of course, if your students aren’t ready for words, you can use it to work on letters or numbers.

Small groups provide the perfect time to differentiate. You may be playing the game with the words with an advanced group of students while you could easily switch out the cards for lower students as needed. It’s not likely that students even notice the different cards and are all left happy that they were able to play the Snow Day game with you.

Holiday Pick a Card Games – Valentine’s Day

Let’s move on to Valentine’s Day!

The little heart cards are perfect for practicing number recognition. Students will learn to quickly identify the numbers whether in ten frame, numeric, or tally mark form. Remember that you can always differentiate this for students by asking them to count on, add one or two to the number, subtract one from the number, etc. Really advanced students can make doubles with the number. For example, if they pull a five, they could say five plus five equals ten.

Of course, you have the option to work on other skills as needed.

Holiday Pick a Card Games – St. Patrick’s Day

This is one of my favorite poems. The kids look so adorable doing the “Leprechaun Wiggle“!

Instruct students to work on reading CVC words or generating rhyming words with this one! You can also stick to working on letters or numbers with the poem options included!

To keep it easy, if students pull a picture card without a word, they have to dance the Leprechaun Wiggle while rotating in a circle. They think this is hilarious!

Seasonal Pick a Card Games – Rainy Day

I think this one is so sweet! We play this one much like the others. Students practice reading the words or can generate rhyming words.

They also have the option of working on letter and number related skills!

Holiday Games – Hungry Bunny

Once again, you can work on a variety of skills with this fun game too!

CVC words, rhyming words, numbers, and letters are just some of the cards that you could choose to put into your container for this game. Aren’t these chocolate carrots the cutest?

Seasonal Games – Ice Cream Shake

When the weather is much warmer outside and summer is just around the corner, we love to pull out our Ice Cream Shake game. Of course you have various cards to choose from to work on CVC words, numbers, or letters but my personal favorite version are the ones shown above.

We are now working on CCVC (consonant-consonant-vowel-consonant) and CVCC (consonant-vowel-consonant-consonant) words. I typically just have my students read the word cards but of course, you could work on rhyming or ask them to use the word in a sentence. You could even ask them to write the word. I might ask my students to sky write the word which means to pretend to spell the word in the air.

Holiday & Seasonal Bundle BONUS Game – Hey Little Doggy

Hey Little Doggy is a bonus game if you purchase the BUNDLE of games for your classroom!

We use it for CVC word reading and rhyming practice. Of course, you can work on whatever skill you want to with this one too. The last time we played this I made the kids shake like a wet doggy if they pulled out a picture card. They thought it was hilarious!

Have you tried these games with your students yet? Let me know!

I’m also curious if you have read this post about differentiated task boxes? They have seriously changed my life!

Pin this image to come back to the game descriptions!

Happy Teaching & Mommy-ing this week friends!

Differentiated Task Boxes to End Trips to the Copier

February 4, 2020

Differentiated Task Boxes

Differentiated Task Boxes are perfect for morning work, early finishers, centers, and reading or math groups. I’m sharing how my kindergarten students master the standards in their own individualized tasks perfect for their unique learning styles.

Frustrated with morning work? Wishing for a better routine that does not involve multiple trips to the copier? Tired of wasting paper?

Sounds familiar, right? I was right there with you until I started using these differentiated task boxes every morning with my students!

Organizational Boxes for Differentiated Task Cards

Organize Your Differentiated Task Boxes

How gorgeous are these beautiful organizational boxes from Michaels? If you keep an eye out for sales and use your teacher discount, you can purchase them for between $10 and $12. I grabbed four or five the last time I saw them at that price and then I waited… what to do… what to do….

Mini-Eraser Task Boxes

I absolutely love using these task boxes to store my seasonal mini-erasers and task cards. Kids can easily grab a set of task cards and choose what set of erasers they want to use to complete the task.

These Christmas task cards are always a big hit with my students. There is something so special about having a choice and selecting your favorite mini-erasers. Look for more task card sets and a blog post to come soon!

Goodbye Morning Work – Hello Differentiated Task Boxes!

Now back to the differentiated task box idea!

One of my colleague has a very smooth morning routine. I am constantly impressed when I enter and see all of the students busy with purposeful tasks. The key here is that the tasks are engaging and purposeful!

One thing she has her students do each morning is line numbers up in the correct order. She made little cards by writing the numbers on each one for each child. My student teacher and I set out to imitate her idea and make it work for our classroom.

The Problem

My student teacher cut out index cards and carefully made a box for each student. While we loved the idea, we quickly had students losing cards, accidentally mixing up cards with other students, and so on.

It started to get frustrating. I realized it was time to get creative to fix our problem.

Differentiated Task Boxes are Born!

I really started to think about all of the tasks that students could do independently in the morning or any time of day, really. I stayed up late night after night to make sure I included a huge selection of choices to fill your differentiated task boxes and reach the standards.

Editable Labels for Your Differentiated Task Boxes

Because we implement full flexible seating, we do not have name tags on a table. My students needed a place to check the number line, ABC order, color words, etc. To help, I created an editable label for the boxes. Now teachers have the choice if they would like to use a simple label like the one shown above or one with various references for young children, like the one you see below.

I Can Statements

As a former evaluator, I know how important it is to include I Can statements with my lessons. I made editable I Can cards along with lots of options so that teachers can easily include an appropriate I Can statement in each task box. This is helpful for the student to understand the task and for any adult who is helping to know what the learning objective is.

Options for Differentiated Task Boxes

You will find so many ways to create individualized boxes for your students. Gosh, I just love the idea of every single student working on a task that is created specifically for them. Can you imagine when your administration comes in and sees each student working on differentiated tasks? Pure magic!

I wanted you to have everything you needed to stay organized. You can use a photo box to store the cards or you may want to sort them into bags. I recommend placing the sorting card in front and the corresponding I Can statement cards behind them. Then I add the cards students will need to complete those tasks. Sometimes I print these on white cardstock or on colored paper and laminate them.

Sorting Examples for Differentiated Task Cards

Student Names

At the beginning of the year, all of my students can use practice lining the letters of their names up in order. As the year goes on, I can also ask them to spell their last names. This is such an important skill. Even if students can already spell their names, it is helpful to look at the letters to practice letter formation and recognition.

Consider asking students to point to each letter and say it for you before they clean up or even trace each letter with a finger while they spell their names aloud to you!

Number Order

Students will also work on placing numbers in the correct order. For some, this might just be numbers one through five. Other students might work on numbers one through ten or one through twenty, or even one through one hundred!

Counting On

My advanced students will soon work on counting on. For example, you can give them numbers 6,7,8, and 9 along with 19, 20, 21, and 22, along with 40, 41, 42, and 43, etc. I think you get the point. Students will have to “count up” three numbers from each beginning number. You can challenge students by making all of the cards in their box the same color or provide some support by making each group a different color. In the above example, the numbers 14-17 could be printed on pink paper, 21-24 could be printed on green paper, etc. This gives students an easy way to sort the cards first.

Counting by 10’s

Students can work on counting by tens by lining up the numbers in the correct order as shown here.

Counting by 5’s

Just like counting by 10’s, students can also be challenged to place the numbers in the correct order when counting by 5’s. Remember that whatever skill they are working on, it is important that you or someone else checks the work before they clean up. I like to walk around asking the students to point to each number as they say them aloud. I can offer support as needed this way.

Number Sorts

I also love to have my students pair or sort the numbers. You could simply put the ten frame and dice together or give students multiple options for each depending on their ability. Remember that you don’t always have to include every card. Scaffold the tasks according to student understanding.

Number Words

You can also see how students would be working on reading and understanding number words. Remember that the I can’s are editable so teachers are able to create their own statements as needed.

Shape Sorts

One skill that we have to spend some time in kindergarten working on is the ability to sort and understand flat and solid shapes. I’ve included these with two different headings so you can find the one that works for you (flat vs. solid or 2D vs. 3D.)

Letter Order

For extra ELA practice, students can work on lining the letters up in alphabetical order.

Pairing Uppercase and Lowercase Letters

Another activity option is to ask students to pair upper and lowercase letters. You could print these on two different colors for students who need extra support differentiating between the two types of letter formation.

As I said before, my students raise their hands when they are finished with their task and I walk around the room to do a quick assessment of their understanding. I may ask students to trace the letters with their fingers or say each letter or letter sound as they point to the cards for me.

CVC Words

Students will also have a blast spelling CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words. I just love incorporating these words whenever I can because it is the first time I get to see that little light bulb go off when students realizing they are ACTUALLY READING!

There are two options included so you can choose what works best for each student. Many students will need the word on the bottom of the card while others can figure it out and spell the word using just the picture.

CVCC and CCVC Words

The next step after students master CVC words is to start working on blends with CCVC and CVCC words. If you are unfamiliar with those abbreviations, “rink” as shown above would be a CVCC word because it is spelled in the consonant-vowel-consonant-consonant pattern.

Chop is spelled in a consonant-consonant-vowel-consonant or CCVC pattern. Look at these two different examples. In the first one, the student has the word support while the other task simply has a picture.

Rhyming Words

Man, rhyming words can be so difficult for young students! ESL students can really struggle. When you are learning a new language, the emphasis is often placed on the beginning of the word. It can be very hard for them to hear the ending sounds necessary to pair rhyming words.

There are lots of cards included to help your students work on rhyming.

Think about your students and how much they can handle before filling their boxes with fifty cards. For instance, my daughter, Aniston, may have to put her name cards in order, pair five sets of rhyming cards, and sort shapes. You may have another student who is spelling CCVC words while yet another is still working on pairing letters. These differentiated task boxes are designed to accommodate each student’s learning needs!

You will find three and four letter rhyming words to choose from with or without the word written on the bottom of the card!

Opposites

I feel like opposites get pushed to the back burner! They don’t take too long to teach but we often forget to really work on them. Again, you will find them with or without the word support on the bottom of each card. It is vital that you ask students to go over their pairings with you.

Differentiated Task Boxes work well if students are assessed on their understanding. I can’t trust that every student does this correctly. It is imperative that you spend time walking around offering support to students as needed. As an idea, in the example below, I may have to explain that the turtle is slow while the tiger is fast.

Differentiated Task Boxes - Sorting Opposites

Syllable Sort

Can you tell that I had a lot of fun making these yet? I spent so long making sure you would have tons of choices for each student!

We use these cards to sort the syllables in each word. This is a favorite option for my students!

It’s Time!

Cn you see how these will simplify your life? I love that they make each morning so much smoother in my classroom but can really be used any time of the day!

Pin this image so you can come back to the explanation of differentiated task boxes as needed! You can click any of the above photos to find this resource in my TPT store.

Looking for more fun ideas for children? Have you tried this Edible 2 Ingredient play dough yet?

Happy Teaching & Mommy-ing this week friends!

Thanksgiving Projects, Crafts, and a Fun Freebie

November 28, 2019

These thanksgiving crafts, activities, centers, and STEM projects will keep preschool, kindergarten, and first grade students engaged during the month of November! I’m also sharing costume and more fun ideas!

Thanksgiving STEM Project for Preschool, Kindergarten, First, or Second Grade

Thanksgiving is the Perfect Time of Year

I just love this time of year! The weather is FINALLY cooling down, my kindergarten students are starting to really get the hang of things, and I’m seeing some major progress with what they are learning!

We like to schedule our pumpkin patch field trip for the day after Halloween. We find November to be less crowded and its the perfect school day activity with all of those sugared-up kids!

My daughter, Aniston, and I had these coordinating shirts made for the occasion!

Thanksgiving Whole Class Sorting and Labeling Activity

I like to kick off the season with this adorable labeling activity. We begin by reading about the first Thanksgiving. I’m aware that there has been a lot of controversy over how to discuss this event in history. I try to be careful about how I talk about it with my students.

In the end, there really was a 3 day feast that the Native Americans were invited to so we spend time sorting present day Thanksgiving pictures and past.

Whole Class Labeling and Sorting Thanksgiving Activity

Labeling is such a good pre-reading and writing skill so I love the way these extra large tables really drive home the concept.

Time for Thanksgiving

All of the activities I’m discussing today are from my Thanksgiving packet on TPT. You can find this 180 page resource to help you by clicking on the cover below.

Thanksgiving Resource on Teachers Pay Teachers for Preschool through Second Grade

Thanksgiving STEM Challenge

This STEM project is so much fun! Students are challenged to build a Thanksgiving table. Advanced students receive more pieces of food. There are planning and reflection sheets included along with the most adorable pieces for dinner!

My students have a lot of fun working with a friend on this one.

Students building Thanksgiving Dinner Table STEM project

I love how each student sees things so differently.

Students building Thanksgiving Dinner Table

Some just work on tables while others will try to build benches and chairs for their tables.

This little boy had an interesting approach! In the end, he was able to fit several pieces of food on it.

My daughter had a goal of making the longest table possible!

One thing I love about STEM projects is how some of your advanced students will really go through a productive struggle while others can visualize and plan the project easily. STEM gives everyone a chance to shine!

This table is from last year’s group. Last year the students colored their pieces of food before cutting them out. I just know your kids are going to love this challenge!

Thanksgiving Books

Have you read Karma Wilson’s books about Bear? I’ve linked to my favorite books on Amazon. These are affiliate links which means if you purchase, I earn a small percentage to keep this blog going!

I affectionately refer to them as the “Bear Books”. Bear Snores On is the first in the series but there are so many good ones! Bear Stays up for Christmas is another really good one if you are starting to prep for December. If you don’t have them yet, I encourage you to start a collection!

Anyways, I LOVE using these books to teach about verbs. Karma Wilson is a master of using beautiful language and the verbs have so many shades of meaning to them. I like to ask students to act them out as I read the books. This one called Bear Gives Thanks is perfect for this time of year!

Do you have these I Can statements yet? This is one of my best-selling resources for kindergarten and first grade teachers. You can find them for Florida or Tennessee or aligned with Common Core standards. They have a student-friendly I can statement at the top, the full standard for teacher reference at the bottom, and an adorable picture to go along with it. They come in color or black and white and I’ve recently added EDITABLE pages! We use them daily in our classroom!

Thanksgiving Number Recognition, Number Words, and Fine Motor Practice

Turkey Craft for Number Recognition and Number Order

I like to make this turkey sample for my students using the pieces from my Thanksgiving packet. We work on writing number words and the numbers on the feather. The kids love building their turkeys and they look so cute in the hall!

Turkey Display Craft for Number Recognition and Counting Practice

Turkey Trouble

Do you read Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano to your students?

We’ve always loved this one. I also own the Turkey Trick or Treat Halloween version and the Turkey Claus Christmas version. They are all so good!

Hide the Turkey STEM

Craft Supplies for November STEM Project

You’ll find one more STEM project included in the packet that asks students to hide poor turkey. They love this one and your students can create all of it with some scrap fabric, craft sticks, and clothespins!

Turkey Handprint Craft

I loved making these turkey handprint crafts with my kids. Cut a piece of cardstock in half, paint their hands brown, and allow the handprints to dry. Before long, you can add the rest of the turkey using permanent markers. Use hot glue to add feathers and a ribbon to the top so you can hang these. I think they are so adorable! I got this idea from Michelle Hudgens from the blog Smitten with First. Let me just go ahead and warn you that the feathers will shed everywhere but it was so worth it!

My Little Turkeys

We decided to dress up as little turkeys. These feathers were cut using a die-cut in our workroom. We added a line of glue and let the kids sprinkle glitter on top. Aniston is modeling for you above!

Feathers for Thanksgiving Turkey Costume

We let the students color sentence strips and then we assembled the headbands for them using a stapler.

My assistant found some brown bags from a local grocery store. She paid $3.00 for around 20 of them. She cut out large white circles and smaller black circles to be the eyes, orange beaks, and red wattles. We let the kids assemble the faces however they liked. I wish I could show you each of their costumes. Even though they had the same pieces, they all came out a little differently.

Aniston’s Grandpa Mickey and little sister came to eat with her. Each student presented their parents with the handprint keepsake during the lunch!

I seriously couldn’t take how cute my daughter looked! As you can imagine, all 18 of my kids were absolutely adorable waddling down the hall in these!

Aniston liked her costume so much that she wanted to wear it for the family thanksgiving. She made one for Heidi too!

Listening Center

A Turkey for Thanksgiving Book and Audio Set

I had a good laugh when I handed this book and cassette tape to my student teacher because she was so confused about how to play it! I guess I forget how old I am! Seriously though, this book is so cute. It’s one of my very favorite books for this time of year. The audio version is so good too! Maybe you can find it on an updated version that is NOT on cassette tape! 🙂

Home Depot and Lowes Kids Workshop

On a side note, have you taken your kids to do the Home Depot and Lowes Kids Workshops yet? The Home Depot ones are on the first Saturday of the month. There is also an extra one on the Saturday after Black Friday. They don’t advertise this one as much so many people don’t realize it! You can head here to read an old blog post about these!

Lowes is testing out doing the projects again in select areas. In our neighboring town, they are having them on the second Saturday of the month. I just LOVED the little turkey photo frames they made. (The girls are into silly faces. Can you tell?) Both Lowes and Home Depot present you with aprons and the project. You collect pins with each project at HD and iron-on badges with each project from Lowes. Lowes also sent us home with goggles. These are a must do for your classroom.

You can also ask them to donate extra projects to your classroom or conduct kids workshops at your school. I’ve had them do both for mine!

Poinsettias for the Whole Class on Black Friday! – A Lesson on Kindness

Speaking of Home Depot, I always purchase around 40 poinsettias there for $1 each on Black Friday. I let each student write a card (free in my TPT store) to someone who has helped them this school year. They hand-deliver the poinsettias and it has become quite the tradition in my school. Head here to read more about it!

Turkey Wobble Freebie

Are you ready for the FREEBIE yet? I just know your students are going to love it! We use these cards to put the song in order and practice saying it first.

Free Turkey Wobble Game to practice Letter Recognition and Sounds

When everyone knows the song pretty good, we begin the game. I call one student up and sing “Hey Little Buddy, do the Turkey Wobble!” They have to dance around a little. Then they sing to the turkey container “Hey Turkey, Turkey, what letter did you gobble?” If they pull a letter card, they have to tell what letter it is. You can also ask them to make the sound or come up with words that begin or end with that sound. I differentiate it based on each student’s prior knowledge.

Free Turkey Wobble Game for Letter Recognition and Sounds

If the child chooses a turkey card, they have to do the wobble. I usually ask them to “flap their wings” and wobble in a circle for this. They always erupt in giggles watching their friends do the turkey wobble!

Head over here to grab your FREE turkey wobble game!

I hope you enjoy some of these activities with your students! Let me know if you can use these ideas in your classroom or with your little ones!

Happy Teaching & Mommy-ing this week friends!