100's Chart Mystery Pictures for Spring!

I am feeling so thankful for this three day weekend.  I don't know about you guys, but it's getting into that home-stretch time of year.  Each week is a week closer to summer, and each weekend is a much needed breath of fresh air.  Today, I got to wake up at my leisure...which still happened to be at 5:30.  Crazy, I know, but it included a lazy cup of coffee and time to watch my DVRed shows that I've been too tired for in the evenings all while starting on the overflowing laundry basket.  Then I got to take my sweet girl out for brunch and shopping for a new backpack.  Check out this delicious meal: chicken verde omelette and a short stack of pancakes...one is cranberry orange walnut and one is gingerbread.  If you live in or around Austin, I highly recommend these from Kerby Lane Cafe!

 After finding a backpack that my sweet 6th grader deemed cool enough, she helped me finish up my 100s chart mystery pictures.  I always show her the final products to see if she can tell what they are without asking, and if she thinks they need to be tweaked at all before I put them on sale.  So, without further ado...here they are!  Hannah approved!  You can buy them here in my TpT store.  I know what my kids are going to do for morning work on Monday!  :) 

 I hope you all are having a blessed and restful Easter weekend! 

Spring has Sprung...Pictures and a Craftivity!

So, today my students were using all of the plastic egg activities that I talked about in my last blog post, and they were all having so much fun.  Well, all of them except that one student who was busy trying to wipe off the marker from the egg.  I know you know who that is, cause you have a student just like it.  ;)  Anyway, I had to share a couple of pictures with you guys of the math tub activities.  The first two are how I store my math tubs each week (except they are not usually in Easter baskets of course), and then the other pictures are the tubs in action.

 

 

If you want to buy these activities from TpT store to use this week or the week after Easter, click here.  :)

This week we are also working on our Spring Chick Craftivity in my follow directions center.  Because we don't have time to spend during the day devoted to just doing a craft with the kiddos, then we incorporate them into the read and follow directions center.  One of our student expectations is that they are able to read and follow written directions with picture clues, so this fits right in.  Here is a picture of how I set that up in my classroom.

 

 

Last year, my teaching partner and I wrote up all of these activities, and now I have a cardboard box that was meant for borders that I store all the sentence strips in and a file folder crate with hanging files that I store the examples and hard copies in.  It is a beautiful thing having them done for every week of the year, let me tell you.  I have made two or three new ones this year, but for the most part, this is one center that I praise the Lord for that I don't have to think too hard about.  Whew!!!!  Plus the kids get to spend time coloring, cutting, gluing, creating, etc....all the stuff they need and love to do. 

The science and writing portions of the activity will be done in the writing center or during science or writing instruction time.  This packet comes with colored and black-and-white versions of a chicken's life cycle and an organizer to order them.  It comes with a planning page for writing about the three stages.  It has a half-sheet and a whole-sheet publishing page to write about the stages of the life cycle.  Then it has the templates for creating the Spring Chick to go with their writing.  This is perfect for Easter time or for spring time when most curriculums cover life science.  If you were doing it away from Easter time, they could just make the shells of the egg white or brown.   I just have them make it more festive in honor of the holiday.  :)  Click on the preview below to purchase your copy of this craftivity in my TpT store, and please comment if you have any questions or feedback.  Enjoy!

Math and Literacy with a Basket of Eggs.....Plus a Freebie!

I just love when I can use one thing a million different ways.  I made Reagan's fabulous Phon-eggs and it got me to thinking...what else can I do with plastic eggs.  I typically have four math tubs a week, and the kids catch up or do free centers on Friday.  I also have various amounts of literacy centers each week.  My goal was to make four math and four literacy activities, and I did it!  Success!  One of the activities is available below as a freebie, but you can get all eight centers here in my TpT store.  Plus if you buy it today or tomorrow, you can get it for half-price.  Score!  The math tubs include: "Eggspanded" Notation (matching the number and the expanded notation written on the top and bottom halves of the eggs), "Eggsact" Change (counting coins inside the egg), "Eggstraordinary" Math Facts (matching addition facts written on eggs), and Time to "Hatch" (reading the analog clocks inside the eggs).  The literacy centers include: "Eggstra, Eggstra!" Read all About It! (writing prompts inside eggs with writing paper), "Eggcellent" Compound Words (matching base words written on the tops and bottoms of the eggs to make compound words), Nouns and Verbs Are so "Eggciting" (reading the words inside the eggs and recording as either a noun or a verb), "Scrambled" Word Wall Words which is described in detail below, as it is available for a freebie.  All of the activities have cover pages and recording sheets.

I already have some easter baskets that I got at the good ol' Dollar Tree, and I bought a bunch of the cheap colorful eggs from Wal-Mart.  Mostly  I bought a bunch of the smallish, regular sized eggs, but I did get some of the larger eggs too.  I used the larger eggs for this freebie literacy activity, because they hold the magnet letters better. 

 

 

For this activity, you can put either magnet letters or paper letters inside the eggs.  The letters should spell a word from your word wall when it is "unscrambled".  (hehe)  Once the kids have the word wall word figured out, they will record it on the recording sheet.  You can either make 9 or 18 eggs, as I have the recording sheets for both.  I made 18, cause I have some super fast, super smart firsties that need the extra challenge.  :)  Click on the picture below to grab this freebie for your classroom, and don't forget...comments=love. :) 

 Last, I wanted to share a picture of what my firsties got when they got back from spring break today.  They were so excited, and it made our first day back so much more fun!  Have a great week!