Let's Go Buggy!

Anyone who has read my blog before would know that my all-time favourite resources to use in any subject area are GAMES!  Joining in with an interactive game is so much more engaging for little learners than a worksheet (and even most other hands on activities) - and best of all they'll be happy to play over and over again, practising skills and concepts without even realising!

Just about the most popular game that I have introduced to any of my classes has been 'Let's Go Buggy'!  It's a counting game that focuses on numbers to 10.  To play, children take turns to roll the die.  Choose either numerals, pictures or number words depending on the needs of your kidlets.  Each time they roll, players add bugs to their jar - aiming to be the first to collect 10 bugs.  I use bug toys from the dollar store, but you could just use regular counters.  Adding an element of fun, the dice include a fly swat and bug spray pictures - if either of those are rolled the player must take away 1 or all of their bugs.

I usually use the pocket dice inserts, but this game also includes templates for you to make your own from card if you prefer!

I love this game because it's super easy to set up, works on number recognition as well as simple addition and subtraction concepts, and can be played pretty much all year.  I can't really remember a class who hasn't wanted to play this game right up until the last weeks of school. :)

Once your kidlets have finished playing the game, they can complete one of the 4 recording worksheets included in the resource!

Click on any of the images in this post to see 'Let's Go Buggy!' in my TpT store.

Meet the Teachers! Aussie Sellers on TpT

I'm not sure about you but I just love getting to know more about the friends and acquaintances I make in cyber space!  When I first started reading teaching blogs my favourite posts were the ones that really put a face to the name of the author - tidbits about who they were and why they loved to teach.  It's the same when I buy resources from Teachers Pay Teachers!  I know that when I buy from an Aussie seller they will be familiar with the expectations of our curriculum, and lots of times the themes and language used are more relevant to my kidlets.  Plus, it's always good to 'shop local' and send your money to another Aussie teacher!  If I'm ever teaching something particularly Australian - our history, currency, ANZAC Day, and sometimes even phonics - I always search for local stores to buy from first. {I'll show you how to search by location at the end of this post!}

Today I'd like to introduce you to a few awesome teacher-authors who are waving the Australian flag over on TpT.  I bet you know some of them already!  If it's the first time you've met them, I'd encourage you to click on their info to pop over and check out their resources. 

I'll start with a bit of info about myself, just in case you're new to my blog:

Next up is a teacher whose resources cover just about every subject area in the primary years:

If you're looking for STEM resources, you need to meet Sarah:

There's something for all teachers on TpT!  Kim has your Music needs sorted:

Last but not least, Jennifer has resources in English and other languages - perfect for language teachers or those with ESL kidlets in their class:

If you'd like to find all of the Aussie sellers on Teachers Pay Teachers, it's really easy to search by location and see us all in one handy spot!

First up, hover over the 'All Categories' button to the left of the search bar on the TpT home page:

Move down to 'Sellers by Location', then click 'Australia':

There you have it - easy peasy! Once you've arrived at the full list of sellers, you can refine by grade or subject, just like a normal TpT search.

I hope by reading this post you've discovered some new Australian made resources that will be perfect for your classroom!  

Five for Funday!

It's been soooooo long since I linked up with the Five for Friday party! Today I thought it was time to get back into it... even though I'm two days late. 😃

1. Our household has been bitten by the Christmas bug already!  We celebrated early with part of the family because we won't be together during the holiday, and because we hosted it made sense to put our decorations up!  The girls wore their new dresses for our family lunch - long enough to pose by the tree before they jumped in the pool.  Instead of swapping presents this year we made (or bought) festive costumes to wear during the day - you can see how gorgeous we looked below! We've also posted the girls' letters to Santa - we got the postcards from the post office and posted them into the special box.

2. Speaking of the Christmas season, I saw this image on my Instagram feed and haven't been able to get the idea out of my mind!

It is so easy for kidlets to get caught up in the 'gimme!' attitude that comes along with Christmas time.  Every day there's treats, cookies, candy and gifts galore - it's easy to get selfish and greedy.  I absolutely LOVE the idea of a 'Classroom Kindness Challenge'.  Each day a challenge card is revealed and kidlets complete the act of kindness. What an easy way to encourage children to think of others during the materialistic holiday season.  You can start any time and could even use the challenge at home with your own children - maybe alongside 'Elf on the Shelf'! Click on the image above to see the pack. 

3. We had another reason to dress up this week! (And yes, the girls wore their same new dresses.)  We spent a lovely afternoon in the hinterland at a wedding.  

4. Being out of the classroom this year has left me really missing the hands on work of teaching.  I was beginning to feel like my days of impacting kidlets were over - and then I received this feedback on one of my resources: 

It really warmed my heart to know that even though I'm not face to face with students each day, I can still do my little bit to help here and there. 😊

5. Some of the oldest products in my store were in desperate need of a makeover!  The past few days I've updated one of my all time fave freebies - counting snowman buttons or marshamllows, and my Christmas playdough mats. Click on the pictures to go to each resource.

That's all from me today.  I'm off to grab some ice cream and to read the rest of the posts in the Five for Friday linky!

Repeat After Me: A strategy to save your sanity!

Ok, I know we've all been in this situation: 
Children are gathered on the carpet, where it appears that they have been listening carefully to the instructions for the next task that you've spent time clearly explaining.  Before sending them off to get started, you check to make sure there are no questions or clarification needed.  Everyone nods that they are all set - instructions remembered, eager to get going!  As the kidlets move to their desk or work space you (prematurely) congratulate yourself on your clear and concise directions!  And then it begins... "What do I do first?" "Do we draw or cut after we write our name?" "Am I supposed to use crayons or pencils?" "I can't remember what to do after I colour my picture!"  You then spend the rest of the lesson explaining everything again, to each child individually, mentally pouring yourself the glass of wine you'll need when you get home.
A few years ago this was me - all the time! - until I stumbled across a simple strategy that literally saved my sanity.  I'm going to share it with you today, along with a free resource that you can use along with it. :)

When I said this strategy was simple, I really meant it!  It simply uses repetition, connected with a verbal and physical response, to help little learners remember instructions.    

The first step is to explain the task as you usually would - perhaps you have a craft example already made that you refer to while giving instructions, maybe you demonstrate on the whiteboard how to complete a worksheet, or you might move around the workspace pointing out resources that your kidlets will need.  Once you're done with this process, it's time to use 'Repeat After Me'!

Let's imagine I've just explained a craftivity in detail to my class, perhaps these 2D shape icecreams:

I then say "repeat after me" (which my kidlets are familiar with!) and go through the steps one by one one using my fingers to number them, with children repeating my phrases and holding up their own fingers.  For this craft it would go something like this:

(1 finger) "Name the back of the cone in pencil." 

(2 fingers) "Cut out the coloured shapes."

(3 fingers) "Glue the pieces together."

(4 fingers) "Glue on the shape names"

Then we repeat the steps again - this time with less words:

(1 finger) "Name"

(2 fingers) "Cut"

(3 fingers) "Glue"

(4 fingers) "Glue"

Using this strategy I don't ever ask if there's any questions - I send my kidlets away to get started straight away, with the instructions still fresh in their minds! :)

During the repetitions I'll also point to the visual instruction cards that I use  - they have the same numbers and one word direction that we're saying and also a simple picture.  I just stick them to the board and point as I speak.  Even if kidlets forget the next step, or whether they colour with crayon or pencil, the numbered steps remind them and the graphic specifies the material they need.  I've prettied these up a bit for you and uploaded them to my store where you can download them for free - just click the pic below! (Spelling for colour & color included.)

Although using 'Repeat After Me' works really well for more complex activities like crafts, I use it for most tasks.  It might seem obvious that kidlets need to name their worksheet before they start, or to write before they colour their picture... but the fact is that for little learners at the beginning of their school life, it's not! To help them achieve success by completing a task as instructed, I use this strategy to help them establish good independent work habits.  Of course, there will always be a few students in your class who will still forget or become confused completing multi-step tasks, but this strategy should help most. :)

Click this image to grab your freebie (and leave some feedback if you can!):

A Peek Inside Two Puzzling Packs! CVC Word Puzzles

Hi everyone! Today I'm quickly stopping by to give you a peek at my two newest products! :) These CVC word puzzles are the perfect way for little learners to work on their phonics and reading skills.

Find-A-Word puzzles are always a hit with my kidlets! These worksheets are organised by vowel sound.  There are two puzzles for each vowel, with an additional two featuring a mixture.  That's 12 unique puzzles altogether! Kidlets read each word after looking at the picture clue and then find them in the puzzle.  I've also provided colour copies of each puzzle in case you'd like laminate them and use them with dry erase markers.

As kidlets solve each puzzle they are faced with multiple opportunities to apply their knowledge of letters and sounds - as they decode each word, and again as they search for the words in the grid. Because the words are organised by vowel sound they will fit easily into your phonics teaching sequence, or can be used for targeted intervention.  (Aren't medial vowels a huge hurdle for some of our little learners?) 

Spell & Find is a little trickier! Kidlets need to complete each word by correctly writing the beginning sound on the line before finding the words in the puzzle.  As our 6 year old was 'testing' some of these out for me I loved to see her thinking as she searched for words.  Initially she wrote the letter j for the word gem, and then when she couldn't find the word in the grid she went back and thought about another letter choice. :)

These resources are perfect to use during Literacy small groups! They're also great as a quiet 'Fast Finisher' task - kidlets can tuck one away in their desk or a folder and move onto a puzzle without leaving their chair. :)

Click on any of the photos above to see these resources in my TpT store - make sure you view the preview file there for a closer look inside each pack.  Happy weekend, friends!

Valentine's Day Inspiration - with a freebie!

Looking for some easy peasy ways to celebrate all things Valentine's Day with your little learners? You've come to the right place!  Today I'm going to share a few simple ideas that I've made with my little ones this weekend, as well as some links to a few other great activities.  I've just uploaded a new freebie to my store too, so keep reading to the end to grab the link. :)
First up is a super cute footprint craft that I made with Little Miss Two today.  We painted her feet red and printed them onto some pink paper. I made up a template for her to glue the heart onto, but you could easily use this idea for Valentine's Day cards made by older children - and of course it doesn't have to be for Daddy. :)

Taking a little more time (and patience!) was this gorgeous collage craft.  It only took Miss Six about 10 minutes to glue the paper pieces down to the template.  I'd cut the paper for her, but this would also be great as a paper tearing activity.

I've also got plans to make these super cute and simple 'Love Bug' headbands on Valentine's Day.

Hopefully we'll also have time to make these cute Valentine's Day leis, made from wool, paper hearts and pieces of pink straw.

During the week we'll work on these gorgeous cupcakes - a freebie from Mel at From the Pond!  I love that these are so simple but really give kidlets a chance to share about things that are important to them.

This simple name puzzle would be perfect for kidlets who are still working on recognising the letters in their name and spelling it correctly.  I made mine with clipart, printed and laminated it, but for a whole class I'd just use a marker and pink paper before chopping the names up.

I love this counting activity that's perfect as a DIY! Just write numbers on paper hearts and provide kidlets with pom poms (or anything cheap'n'cheerful!) for them to count with.

Last (but not least!) is a number puzzle freebie that I've just uploaded to my TpT store.  Click on either of the images to download 'Broken Heart Number Match' - numerals and number words from 0-10. :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Fine Motor Fun... with a FREEBIE!

Hello lovely friends!  I wanted to pop in very quickly to share a few new resources that I'm planning to use this year.  Everyone knows teachers need to make the most of every minute in the classroom, so the bonus is that both of these tasks integrate fine motor skills with literacy and math concepts. Double bonus? One of them is a freebie!

First up is an addition to my Link-It-Up! series of products, this time with a focus on word families.  Simply add plastic chain links, pipe cleaners or laces to the cards and you've got a perfect Literacy Center or fast finisher activity that's easy to differentiate.  Choose pictures only...

...pictures with words...

... or words only.

Or of course, you could use a few of each!

These photos are from the 'Short A' pack, but of course there's 'Short E', 'Short I', 'Short O' and 'Short U' families as well.  You can also grab them all in a BUNDLE!

Just this morning I uploaded a cute counting (1-10) freebie to my store.  I'm so excited for my kidlets to use these, I know they'll love the cute snowmen and scooping 'marshmallows' onto hot chocolate!  It will be perfect to practise counting as well as numeral and number word recognition.

Click on the image below to check out this resource:

I hope wherever you are that you're having a wonderful day. Thanks for stopping by! :)