Summer Writing Journal for K-2

My daughter just graduated from kindergarten last week.  Where does the time go?  I'm very pleased with her reading and math, but I would like to see her practice writing more.  So, I created this "Summer Writing Journal" to provide her with a little extra  practice over the summer.  

All of the pages have a SUMMER THEME!  

Students can demonstrate many LITERACY SKILLS by completing this journal.  It comes with 25 draw-and-write prompts, as well as an extra page of lines for older students.  This extra page can be copied multiple times, as needed, to provide additional writing space.  The packet also includes 3 additional draw-and-write pages without prompts so the student can invent their own!  

I would LOVE to see many students using the journal this summer, so it will be on sale! It will be offered as one of Sunday's Daily Deals (40% off on 6/1/14) on Teachers Notebook.  I also have it marked down in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  Click on the picture below to see it on TN.  Click on the sentence under the picture to see it on TPT.  

CLICK HERE TO SEE IT ON TPT!  

Thanks for reading!

Flip-Flop Blog Hop AND a FLASH FREEBIE!!!

Welcome to the Flip-Flop Blog Hop!  As part of this hop, I got to try out the awesome "Butterfly Life-Cycle Cross-Curricular Mega Pack" from Life Over C's.  I used it at school just as our butterflies emerged from their chrysalises AND for a little "at home" butterfly-themed fun with my son and daughter.  It was a hit!  

First, we used it at home for some addition and subtraction practice.  The pages helped my preschooler work on his addition AND number formation.  My kindergartener practiced her subtraction skills.  

At school, the students made butterfly life cycle flip books.  They were easy to assemble and also provided students with some cutting and gluing practice!  

Since our pocket chart was occupied, we used the scrambled sentences as a literacy center activity.  Here, students worked in pairs to correctly assemble and read butterfly-themed sentences.  These offered some wonderful practice for punctuation, capitalization, and sight words.  

I added the clothespin addition activity to our math center.  My coworker had these cute, mini clothespins that were just perfect!  Colorful butterflies to count AND teeny tiny clothespins made this a very appealing choice!  

These were just a few of the activities included in the "Butterfly Life-Cycle Cross-Curricular Mega Pack" from Life Over C's.  CLICK on the title to take a look at this almost 100-page product that includes everything from write the room and graphing activities to patterns and a noun/verb sort!

Now for the FLASH FREEBIE!  Since Friday the 23rd is my LAST DAY OF SCHOOL, I decided to do a flash freebie to celebrate during the hop!  Once again, my flash freebie is a science game.  This time, it's a science board game that includes facts about butterflies (a $3 value, Grades K-2)!  This has been such a hit in my classroom that I think YOU need a copy for your students, too!  CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO GRAB A COPY!   

Now, CLICK ON THE PICTURE of Maja below to visit her blog, Kooky Kinders, the next stop on the hop!  

NEW FREEBIE! Water Balloon Fun Card Game

As you probably know by now, my FAVORITE way to help students practice their skills is by playing a game.  So, when my son's reading progressed to the point where he needed to work on vowel teams and more sight words, I made yet another game!  This one focuses on LONG A AND LONG E VOWEL TEAMS:  ai, ay, ea, ee, ie, ey, and ei.

It also includes another set of cards covering 30 Dolch sight words for first and second grade.    Plus, there's an EDITABLE page of cards so you can even include your own words!  

Here, my son is playing the game with his older sister.  In no time, he'll be reading new sight words and several vowel teams easily!  There's nothing that motivates him more than winning a game!

 I hope you can use this game at home or in your classroom, as well.  It's a great, summer-themed way to practice reading!   Just CLICK ON THE COVER PICTURE BELOW to download it from Teacher's Notebook.  This freebie is ONLY available on that site.  

Please remember:  My FREEBIES have different terms of use than my priced items.  The FREEBIES can be readily shared with colleagues and/or other parents.   If your child and/or class does not need this game, please feel free to grab it for someone else or share the link!

Thanks for reading!

Giveaway! Summer Bash Bundle for Kindergarten and First!

Let's celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week with a GIVEAWAY!  This bundle of summer-themed resources for K-1 includes 7 engaging products!  TWO lucky teachers/educators/homeschoolers will win this bundle, valued at $32.  You have from May 5th until May 9th to enter, so hurry!  

You must be at least 18 years of age and a resident of the US to enter.  Please see the "Terms and Conditions" on the Rafflecopter widget for more details.  Also, every effort will be made to verify the winning entries.

This packet contains items that would be great to use AT THE END OF SCHOOL, during SUMMER SCHOOL, as TAKE-HOME REVIEW PACKS, and/or WITH YOUR OWN CHILD at home.

Click on each picture to take a look:  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Best of luck and thanks for entering!  

Teacher Appreciation Sale on TpT Linky Party!

To celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, Teachers Pay Teachers is having a site-wide SALE!  Visit the site on May 6 or 7 and be sure to use the promo code TPTXO to receive a discount IN ADDITION to the sale prices!  

Take a look at the linky below to see some teachers who are having a SALE on May 6th and 7th!  To add your store, click on "add a link" below.  There are 2 requirements:  

1) Please make sure your link goes directly to your store.  2) Use the picture at the top of this post to advertise this page via your blog or other social media.  Thanks!  

An InLinkz Link-up

* The adorable image at the top was created with graphics/fonts from:
Melonheadz, Creative Clips, & Sonya DeHart.   Click on the name to visit each store!  

Teachers Notebook Sweepstakes: Enter to WIN AN IPAD!

Just CLICK ON THE PICTURE ABOVE to visit Teachers Notebook and enter to win an iPad!!! (or a $25 gift certificate)

I am sooooo excited because it gets better--if you click on my link in the picture above to enter and you happen to be the lucky winner, then I WIN ONE, TOO!   What a great addition this would be to your classroom (and mine), so please take a moment to click on over and enter!  

The sweepstakes runs from 12am CST on Monday, May 5th through 11:59pm CST on Friday, May 9th.  Every Teachers Notebook member can enter for a chance to win!  

Don't forget!  Today is the LAST DAY OF THE BIG SALE on Teachers Notebook!  All of the items in my store are 25% off  IN ADDITION TO the 10%!  CLICK ON THE SALE BANNER below to take a look at my store . . .  

Thanks for reading!

A SALE and a FLASH FREEBIE!

Don't miss the BIG SALE going on right now on Teachers Notebook!  Click on the picture above OR RIGHT HERE to visit my TN store and take advantage of 25% off every product in my store--even COMBO packs!  

Plus, as an extra bonus to my followers on TN, I'm offering a FLASH FREEBIE just for today, May 3rd!  Everyone who follows my store can grab my "Color by Sum:  Summer Version" for FREE until midnight CST tonight!  (It's a $3 value.)  Click on the picture below to take a look!   Sorry, but this flash freebie is no longer available. :(  Please be sure to follow me on Bloglovin', Facebook, and/or Twitter so you don't miss the next one!   

My students LOVE playing these addition games!   They work well when you have about 10-15 minutes between activities, as center games, or as end-of-the-year FUN addition practice!  At this time of the year, I like to give students a number cube (created using wooden craft blocks) and a die so they can practice "counting on" from a given number.  Don't miss this one!  

As always, thank you for reading!

Teen Number Bugs FREEBIE in the May Free For All!

Yea!  I am participating in the Facebook Free For All!  My freebie is "Number Bugs:  Teens" and it's appropriate for use in preK to first.   Click on any of the pictures in this post to visit my FB page and click on the May Free-for-all tab at the top right of the page.   

(NOTE: The freebie below is now available via Google Docs. Just click on the picture to grab a copy!)

I have been using this latest freebie to help students work on numbers 1-20, concentrating on the teens.  It comes with number cards (including a few larger numbers for those who need to focus on PLACE VALUE), tens and ones manipulatives with adorable little bugs, number to quantity matching puzzles for numbers 10-20, and 3 color & write worksheet pages.  I hope you and your students enjoy this set!  

Thanks for reading!