I always feel like November is a shorter month than it is. I don't know why, but I've heard other teachers agree. So I wanted to give you access to some of my November themed resources in one quick and easy download. Plus, I wanted to share some additional activities, videos and crafts that you can do with your kids as well this month. 

Here it is...My November Holidays MEGA Pack
You're going to love having so many activities to choose from for your students.
Get ready for November with this mega pack of activities for kids that includes holiday math and literacy printables for Thanksgiving, Veterans Day, and more! A perfect addition to the other crafts and ideas you have planned for your preschool, kindergarten, or first grade students! #thanksgiving #veteransday #thanksgivingactivities #kindergarten #preschool #firstgrade #holidays #math #literacy
This MEGA bundle includes four bundles, all of which are available separately as well. Over 300 pages to print! Here's what you'll get:

You'll find activities like emergent readers, pocket chart pieces, high frequency word practice, pattern & number practice, tally marks, fun sheets, color-by activities, Common Core aligned morning work, vowel reinforcement, a variety of K-1st math concepts, & so much more!
Print out some extras to throw in a sub tub, just in case. Send some home for fun review work over the Thanksgiving holiday break. Or even use a few for fast finishers!

If you're looking for even more...
This 'I Am Thankful' flip book gives kids a chance to practice writing (and cutting & gluing) skills while thinking about what they are most thankful for in life. 

There are nine covers for the book to choose from. If you're going to use this with your students, the books make a wonderful hallway display outside your classroom that they can take home for Thanksgiving break. 


Besides the cover, there are six additional pages to the book. Each one has kids focusing on a specific area to be grateful in. From family, to food, to friends, and more! 


One page throws a little word making fun into the book and asks students to think of all the smaller words they can make from the letters used in the bigger word 'thankful.' 

The 'My Family' page asks kids to draw and label members of their family. 
When they are done, they can cut them out and glue them together at the top (don't worry, the tabs show where to glue on each page). 
You can get the I Am Thankful Flip Book HERE!


Another great activity are these differentiated 'I Am a Turkey' emergent readers that sneak in some writing practice at the end of each book.

These I Am a Turkey emergent readers not only tell all kinds of facts about the life cycle of a turkey, but are differentiated as well. Meet your students right where they're at with their reading abilities. 

Each level of the reader takes students through the basic development of a turkey from inside of an egg, to hatching, to young poult life, to adult life. 

Here are a few more pages that are included:

    

My favorite part of this informational emergent reader set is that the last page that sneaks in some writing practice! It asks students to write down some of the favorite facts they learned about turkeys.
Get these 'I Am a Turkey' readers HERE.


As I was browsing on Pinterest to look for new Thanksgiving craft ideas, I stumbled up this awesome FREEBIE by The Creative Classroom (see link below)...
 Each page of this little mini book has a place for them to write and draw what they are thankful for. Plus, it's just absolutely adorable! I'm so glad I ran across this!
The download includes detailed instructions on how to build this book, along with picture examples.
Get this FREEBIE from The Creative Classroom to use with your kids too!

I just started a NEW Pinterest Thanksgiving board to keep the newest Thanksgiving craft & activities ideas all in one place. If you have some good Thanksgiving ideas and would like to be a contributing pinned on the board, just shoot me a message and I'll add you. 
It includes all kinds of ideas for Thanksgiving related songs, games, crafts, snacks, and learning activities. I'm glad to finally have it all in one place so that I don't have to keep scrolling through my other boards looking for the Thanksgiving themed items.

For clean up or transition times, use this silly Turkey Song as a time limit for students to complete cleaning. 

Another one that you'll find yourself singing long after it's finished is this fun one:

If you're kids like to watch videos of books being read, this next video reads Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving. Sometimes my kids like to watch it read on video after I've read it to them in person. 

Speaking of books, there are so many to available for Thanksgiving, but here are some of my favorite. Maybe you'll find one or two new ones that you haven't used before. 

On a non-classroom related topic...
Do you have a favorite food you make every year for Thanksgiving? 
This year, I'm making something new (to me) that I found from Spend With Pennies on Facebook - Cranberry Millionaire Salad
It looks delicious and I can't wait to try it! I'm not much of a cook myself, so I try to keep to simple...and this definitely looks that!

If you have something you love to make, I'd love to make for Thanksgiving, I'd love to hear about it in the comments below. 

From my family to yours, have the most wonderful Thanksgiving ever!

-Til next time
            


I LOVE teaching Fairy Tales! Today I want to share my absolute all-time favorite resources with you, as well as give you some activity ideas, some YouTube videos your kids will be sure to fall in love with, and a Little Red Hen FREEBIE (which will be at the end of the post)! 
**This post contains affiliate links.**

Fairy tales are my favorite books to read to students. I especially like to read different versions of them that allow us to compare/contrast. Have you seen the ones that are told by an unexpected character from each story. These are just some of them from the collection. But there are a lot more available too. 


Here are links to my top 5 favorites, but you can browse through all of them here.







If you really want to have your kiddos rolled up in giggles, try this one:
(Ok, I laugh just reading the title!)


My students like to create their own fairy tales and also reenact their interpretations of the well known ones. I happily noticed that they were falling in love with them just as much as I was. 

However, when they would go to the reading carpet to look at the variety of fairy books I had laid out, they were only skimming the pictures. 

I needed fairy tale books that were more at their level. 

So I ordered some from online. All kinds of them at a variety of levels. I was so excited when they arrived, but to my disappointment, for most of my students, the words were still too hard and the sentences still too long. 

I decided to create my own miniature versions of classic fairy tales (& fables & folk tales-but those are for a different time!) that are at simple levels...levels that even beginner readers could handle. 


 I bundled them together (there are 16 fairy tale readers total) so that if you're interested and want them for your classroom, you can access them all in one simple download - Fairy Tales Emergent Readers Bundle.

They are also available individually as well! They include the following stories: 



     

(This last one is perfect to read during your Christmas week of activities!)

When your students read these little books, have them use gel highlighters to highlight sight words that you have or are currently working on. Or blends, or whatever you want them to focus on. 

Whenever I read a Fairy Tale to my students, I like to also show them the matching YouTube channel CoolSchool's videos! They are fun, silly, and perfect for comparing and contrasting. Plus, they'll have your littles rolling on the ground in giggles!

There are many types of videos on the CoolSchool channel, but we focus most on the FairyTale (& Nursery Rhymes...but those are for a different post!) ones with Ms. Booksy, who not only narrates the story, but jumps right into the story herself...literally! 


Here are a couple of our favorite...although they all are really good:

Jack & the Beanstalk:

Little Red Riding Hood:

If you're looking for math and literacy activities to go with your Fairy Tale units, I have a few that will go with the more common ones used in classrooms. Most of the activities were made with the Common Core standards in mind.

This Goldilocks & the 3 Bears Math & Literacy Bundle includes over 100 pages of emergent readers,  vocab reinforcement, labeling activities, fact/fiction practice, counting & pattern practice, and so much more! 

     

     


Here is a Rapunzel Math & Literacy Bundle of Activities. It includes 75 pages. There is even a Spanish emergent reader included! 

     

     


Don't forget to also introduce your kiddos to Fables & Folk Tales! 
I've created fable and folk tale emergents readers, which I'll talk about some other time.

Remember that FREE DOWNLOAD I have for you? Well, it's a The Little Red Hen emergent reader! Before I send you off to download it, here are some ideas that you can use along with it. 

These craft ideas are simple and involve supplies you most likely already have! (I hate having to go out and purchase a bunch of stuff I only wind up using once a year.)






Ready for a FREEBIE?! 
You've found them! The perfect Fairy Tales Emergent Readers for your Preschool, Kindergarten, or First Grade kids. These easy to read books will go right along with the other activities and crafts you have planned for your fairy tales unit. Plus, they are a perfect way to practice high frequency words! Plus, you can download one for FREE! #fairytale #littleredhen #fairytales #kindergarten #firstgrade #emergentreaders #fairytalesforkids #freedownload
This Little Red Hen Reader has easy to read text and includes 20 pages. Many of the pages are repetitive so that littles can experience even more success when reading! Take a peek at some of the pages...you can download it absolutely FREE using the link below!

And here's CoolSchool's matching video to go with it! (It starts at minute 17:09)

I hope you enjoy these resources as much as I do. 
May they keep your littles reading!

If you're looking for even more Fairy Tale ideas, follow my Fairy Tales Pinterest Board!

-Til next time
          
You've found them! The perfect Fairy Tales Emergent Readers for your Preschool, Kindergarten, or First Grade kids. These easy to read books will go right along with the other activities and crafts you have planned for your fairy tales unit. Plus, they are a perfect way to practice high frequency words! Plus, you can download one for FREE! #fairytale #littleredhen #fairytales #kindergarten #firstgrade #emergentreaders #fairytalesforkids #freedownload




SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave
What's better than a kid reading to other kids?! 
I've discovered that in almost all circumstances, 100% of my students were instantly engaged when I either showed them a video of another kid reading or had a special kid visitor come to my classroom and read to them. There's something magical about it. Students like to see other kids in action. 
That's why I like the Book Nook Girl's YouTube channel
She offers a variety of books that kids can watch and even interact with...yes, I said interact, lol. I can't tell you how many times my students have conversed back with the video they are watching. 

She has many videos, but I am only going to highlight a few...

1.) 10 Little Pirates - A Counting Book
I love that at the end of the story, she practices counting both forward and backward with her audience!

2.) Elephant & Piggie - I Love My New Toy
The Book Nook Girl demonstrates great expression when reading from one of our favorite series from Mo Willems!

Do you stop eating your favorite food when you encounter a mushy banana? LOVE this story...a great reminder to always try things more than once before walking away!

NO DAVID! This one is great for back-to-school. Let the Book Nook Girl read to your students while you set up the next activity for your classroom!

Another great back-to-school read aloud. Have you students chant the story with Book Nook Girl as she reads!


Make sure to become a subscriber so that you get notifications of new read alouds. She's been posting a new one every few days!

-Til next time
            

SaveSave
My daughter needed some fresh, new flashcards to brush up on her letter ID & Sounds, so I made these adorable animal themed ones that I'm going to offer FREE for a limited time. So hurry quick & download them....Don't forget to leave a rating! Enjoy! 



-Til next time
       

SaveSave

Hey friends! It is with jittery nerves of excitement that we share with you that we've begun the process that will grow our family through adoption! 
We have decided not to go through an agency and are instead working with an adoption lawyer to find an Illinois infant/baby that is in need of a family & home. What can you do to help? First, PRAY for us through this journey. We firmly believe that God has placed this on our hearts & are excited to see who He brings into our lives. Second, JOIN our adoption Facebook page {http://bit.ly/1ROnpSJ} and click 'follow' so that you will receive the updates in your newsfeed (Please invite/add people to our pages as well...the more the better). And finally, help us spread the word & SHARE, SHARE, SHARE our adoption page frequently. With your help, we know that our adoption page and/or profile books will reach the Illinois birthmother that was meant to be matched with our family. Check it out: http://bit.ly/1ROnpSJ

>>UPDATE!<<
Our adoption shirts are ready to purchase! We absolutely LOVE them and hope you do too!  Modfund​ has put together a perfect design for our campaign. Their shirts are super soft & comfy (I've ordered from them before) and 50% of every purchase goes directly to our Baby Castle adoption fund! To order, go to: http://www.modfund.com/product/castleadoption/


(I won't be posting constant updates here on this page, so if you're wanting to keep in the loop on what's happening, make sure you join our adoption FB page! )

Thanks for helping us spread the word! 

-Til next time
          

Powered by Blogger.