Featured Freebie Fridays - June 16th, 2017

Happy Friday! I hope each of you are finally out on summer break! I know those on the other part of the world are starting your second semester though.

This week's freebie is a blast back from last summer. Your students will enjoy the L Blends Sunshine Puzzles. I suggest printing on cardstock for durability and then laminating them so they last longer. Children love reading the word and putting together the puzzle. If you download please leave positive feedback.

Thanks for hoppin by' Hopkins' Hoppin' Happenings! Keep on smiling!

Teacher Appreciation Sale!!!!!!

This is the last sitewide sale until Back to School, which may be after many of you have gone back so be sure to shop for beginning of the year materials as well. Perfect time to stock up on those bundles like my Kindergarten Math Interactive Student Notebooks, Clip It Phonics, Grammar Task Cards, Write The Room Beginning Sounds, Beginning Sounds Task Cards Bundle, Word Boxes, Primary Math Task Cards, and more!

Click on the banner to check out my store and use the code CELEBRATE to save a total of 28% off on May 3rd and 4th in my store. I will leave my store on sale on May 5th, but you will only get 20% off as the code won't work.

As requested I have made some phonics games including my brand new Ocean Animals Silent Letters that includes a fun game board with word cards, the game BUMP, and a Write The Room Activity. Check it out by clicking on the picture.

Your students may also like my fun Vowel Pairs Cupcake Puzzles

Check out the linky party below to see some other things in my store and from some other sellers. Sellers you may link your store and up to 4 products!

An InLinkz Link-up

Thanks for hoppin' by Hopkins' Hoppin' Happenings! Keep on smiling!

Hands On Skip Counting Fun!

I am starting tutoring again this time with a Kindergarten student. I will be helping her mostly with math. One of the skills she has had difficulty with I was told is skip counting, except by 10's. So I made some fun hands-on activities of course to help her learn to skip count (multiples) her 2's and 5's. I believe that breaking them down into smaller chunks is the best way to learn it.

A friend found an idea of making lacing plates to practice skip counting. This will also help with minor motor skills.

I also created some fun farm skip counting puzzles for 2's and 5's. Each one has 10 pieces. If they make the animal correctly, they have the right answer. It is self checking! The student should then say the numbers orally. Click the pictures if you would like the Skip Counting activities to try with your students.

 

I also strongly believe in chanting them daily during morning meeting or math meeting and using videos or songs with skip counting in them. Videos and songs I can't do tutoring without a computer, but are suggested for those who teach a full class.

One of my favorites is "Skip Count" by The Learning Station. This is a skip counting by 2's song to 30. There are actions for the song that make it even more fun and give children that brain break that they really need! Don has the children marching and jumping as they skip count. FUN!


Thanks for hoppin by Hopkins' Hoppin' Happenings! Keep on smiling!

Phonics Clip It!

One of my most popular sets of products this year has been my Clip Its.  This is a fun hands on center where children find the vowel sound (word for CVC) that matches the picture.  By using a clothespin students are working on fine motor skills.  Other teachers put these into plastic sleeves or laminate and use a dry erase marker to circle the answer.  Another alternative is to play the popular game "Scoot" with them.A recording sheet and answer key are also included.  Click on the pictures or links to check them out.

This is the bundle, which will save you the most money if you are interested in each of the sets.  Perfect for 1st and 2nd grade teachers who go through all of the basic phonics sounds.

 Beginning Sounds Clip It

CVCe Clip It

Vowel Pairs/Teams Clip It

Silent Letter Clip It

R-Controlled Vowel Clip It

I also have CVC, Digraph, L Blends, R Blends, S Blends, and Dipthongs available!

Thanks for hoppin' by Hopkins' Hoppin' Happenings.  Keep on smiling!

Sand Art - Letters, Numbers & Sight Words

I remember as a child getting sand art kits to make pictures with different colored sand.  It kept me busy for quite awhile.  During my first year of teaching I came up with another creative way to use colored sand.  My sand center was probably the most popular learning center that I had when I taught Kindergarten.

We used the sand to make our letters and sight words.  You could also do the same with numbers.  I generally used the medium sized index cards, but you could use the large ones or if your students have great small motor control the small cards would work too.  Card stock may also work if you cut it down into fourths or smaller.

First the student writes the letter, number or sight word largely with a pencil, pen, or a sharpie on the index card. 

 

Next the child outlines it with glue.

Next sprinkle some colored sand on the letter, number, or sight word.

Carefully, slide the sand onto the plate or tray (I used to use one of those foil tin trays and had newspaper undneathe it just in case).  Now you have the letter, number, or sight word in colored sand.  Once it drys it becomes a tactile sight word, letter, or number that the child can trace with their hand. 

I never thought to use it in 2nd grade, but it would have worked well with their sight words and I believe they also would have enjoyed it.  It is a wonderful way to learn letters, numbers, and sight words, which fits the common core standards!  How might you use colored sand for learning beyond 2nd grade?  Anyone have any ideas?  Have you tried this in your classroom?  If not try it out and it is sure to be a big hit!!!

As always thanks for making my day by hoppin' by Hopkins' Hoppin' Happenings!  Keep on smilin'!

Writing Tips

I am sharing my love of the written word as a part of the Superb Writers’ Blogathon. In partnership with Grammarly grammar checker, this series is bringing helpful hints to ambitious writers all across the world wide web.

In Florida and in many states the writing tests standards have gone up.  It's our job as teachers to help our students become superb writers!  In FL for FCAT Writes in 4th grade, they have added requirements that children be able to spell well and use grammar efficiently.  It's important that children in the lower grades learn  how to write well, spell grade level words correctly, and use grade level grammar efficiently.  Then by the time they get to 4th grade or whatever grade the big writing test is in your state, they are better prepared.    Check out my wonderful writing tips to help make your students superb writers!

- Many students have difficulty putting spaces between words.  I have used these wonderful spacemen from Really Good Stuff for years.  As students write each word they put the spaceman down on the paper before writing the next word.  Click the picture if you'd like to check them out yourself!

- Some students have a hard time putting periods where they go.  One idea that I have used that has helped is to pair them up with a partner and use red dots to put in periods.  Making it hands on sometimes helps children learn a difficult concept.  

- For 2nd grade and up a terrific idea is using the wonderful book Hailstones and Halibut Bones to teach Poetry.  This is a great book using colors for poems.  It talks about things that are each color and what they look like, feel like, taste like, smell like, and hear like.  I learned a great activity from a workshop that I used with my children.  First give them a color and ask them to brainstorm what things the color might look like, feel like, etc.  Then read to them the poem for that color and add to the brainstorm chart.  Next put your children into groups or pairs and assign each one a different color.  Have them come up with their own poems!  You can check out the book from Amazon if you'd like.



What ideas do you have to teach your children writing skills?  Please share in the comments.  Thank you again for hoppin' by Hopkins' Hoppin' Happenings.  Don't forget to smile!

Hands On - Letter Recognition!

Today I thought I would share a hands-on letter recognition activity that I used to do when I taught Kindergarten and I actually tried this with pretzels in a Kindergarten class when subbing a few months ago. 1. Give each child card stock (looks even better if it is colored) or cheaper for your pocketbook colored construction paper. 2. Next write the letter they are working on using a Sharpie really big on the paper. 3. Either you or the child trace the letter with glue. My students for the most part could do this themselves so I was able to have it be a center after awhile! 4. Give them something that starts with that letter. The child puts it right on the glue to trace the letter. Example - C - Cheerios, D - Dots (the ones that are stickers), P - Pretzels or popcorn or pom poms, Y - Yarn and I'm sure you can come up with a bunch more! See the picture for a finished product for the letter P - Pretzels

This is a perfect lesson for Pre-K, Kindergarten, or 1st graders who have not mastered their alphabet or really any child no matter the grade that hasn't.  I have had 2nd graders who don't know all their letters.  The children have fun with it and I have seen them master the alphabet so much quicker this way!!!

 Brian :-)