Need a Boost?

Assessments, tests, report cards, and parent conferences!  Anyone need a hug?  How about a boost or a pick-me-up and a chance to win some fabulous stuff?

Well here it is!  Please click on the pictures below to have a chance for a little fun, a little luck, and lots of great ideas!

Corinna at O "Fish" all a First Grade is having a fantastic 58 products giveaway! Please have a look.

Let's double the fun and head on over to Tales From Room 112.  Erin is also having a terrific 50 plus products giveaway.

Good luck to everyone! Hugs to you all!

Kathy

Counting the Days

Have you started counting the days until holiday vacation?  The holidays will be here before we know it.  The stores already have Christmas decorations on display!  What fun!  Both the students as well as the teachers are feeling the excitement.

Every month my students make a calendar to take home and help them keep track of what is happening during that month.  They write down the number of days in the month and color the art at the top.

Then we talk about what is happening during that month.  I'll use October as an example.  We color all the non school days with a yellow crayon.  If there are student birthdays we color those days pink.  Field trip days are colored green.  Holidays are colored with a color that is associated with that holiday. October is orange.  Special school assemblies, movies, rallies, etc, are colored light blue.  Then I tell the students that they will need to make an X at the end of each day to keep track of the days as they pass.

Once we have discussed and colored the important days in October the students take home the calendar and hang it up.  This really helps them keep track of events.
Here is a sample.

We also keep track of how many school days there are in each month.  We tally the days and count the tally marks daily and keep a running total.  This is part of our daily calendar routine.  If you are interested in a copy.  I have posted a copy in my TPT store.  Please click on the picture below to have a look.  Thank you.

Loving the Cooler Weather!

Kathy

Not Afraid of Anything

"I'm not afraid of you," said the little old lady bravely.  "You can't scare me!"
Sometimes during the month of October we need to put on a brave face.  There are lots of ghosts, goblins, witches, skeletons, and monsters that pop out at us.  It's called Halloween fun!

During October I like to read the book, The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything, by Linda Williams, to my students.  It reinforces the idea of being brave in a scary situation.  Plus the story is filled with refrains and lots of action.

The little old lady leaves her cottage to go for a walk.  It begins to get dark.  Only a sliver of the moon is shining through the night.

Suddenly she stops and sees two big shoes on the path, clomp, clomp.  She says, "Get out of my way, you two big shoes! I'm not afraid of you."  Bravely she continues on, but the shoes follow her.

Then she stumbles onto a pair of pants that go wiggle, wiggle, a shirt that goes shake, shake, gloves that go clap, clap.  But she is still not afraid.

Next, comes a tall black hat that goes nod, nod and a very scary pumpkin head that shouts boo, boo!

The little old lady runs home and locks her door. 

Then she hears a knock on the door.  Should she answer it?  Of course, she's not afraid of anything!

She opens the door and sees the shoes, pants, shirt, gloves, hat, and pumpkin head that have come to scare her.

Again, she tells them she is not afraid of anything. "What's to become of us?" asks the sad pumpkin head.

The little old lady has a brilliant idea.  The pumpkin head, hat, gloves, shirt, pants, and shoes join together to make a scarecrow that scares the crows away from the garden.

Extending the Reading Experience

Initial Reading:  Read the story to your students with lots of expression.

Second Reading:  Involve your students with body movements.

When you read: the shoes go clomp, clomp, at the same time stomp your feet, one, two.  (If I am sitting in a chair I will pat my thighs, one, two.)  Encourage your students to follow along in the same way.

The pants go wiggle, wiggle.  At the same time wiggle your whole body.

The shirt goes shake, shake.  At the same time shake out both your arms. 

The gloves go clap, clap.  Clap your hands two times.

The hat goes nod, nod.  Nod your head two times.

The head went boo, boo!  Say it loudly and make a scary face.

YOUR STUDENTS WILL LOVE TAKING PART IN THIS STORY.

After you have had fun with this story please click on over to my FREE scarecrow art product and have your students make a scarecrow art picture.

Happy Harvest!

Kathy

Please click on the picture below to join Tammy at 123 Teach With Me for more great book ideas!

and 

Click on over to Teaching Blog Addict for more great stuff!

FREE Scarecrow Art

Fall is in the air and there are scarecrows everywhere.  Scarecrows are a fun symbol of the harvest season.  Children enjoy seeing all the different kinds of scarecrows; silly, scary, funny, and even cute.

I just uploaded my FREE Scarecrow Art project.  This project gives your kids the opportunity to show their creativity and have fun creating a scarecrow picture.  Their delightful pictures can be displayed in your classroom.

Please click on the picture below and enjoy a free copy.

Happy Harvest!

Kathy

Just linked up with Christine at Crazy Pre-K Classroom.  Click below for more free fall ideas!

2 Fantastic Giveaways

Two of my blogging friends are have an incredible giveaway to celebrate their followers.  You don't want to miss this!  Please click on over to Primary possibilities and join the fun.

Then click on over to Fun in First Grade for more jaw dropping fun!

Good luck to all of you!

Kathy

We Share Everything!

Picture books are the greatest.  They say so much in just a few words.  The illustrations are marvelous.

My all time favorite children's author is Robert Munsch.  His books are so funny.  He has such a good sense of humor.  Teachers and students of all ages can appreciate and enjoy his books.
Here is one of my favorites.

We Share Everything!
By Robert Munsch
It's the first day of school for Amanda and Jeremiah. (They go to kindergarten, but you can read this book to any age group.)  They don't know what to do. And they don't know how to share.

They don't know how to share a book.
So Jeremiah screams and Amanda sticks a book in his mouth.

Jeremiah builds a tower and Amanda kicks it down.
They have a paint fight.

Each time there is a problem the teacher angelically flies over to say, "We share everything."

Finally Amanda and Jeremiah decide to share, but what should they share?
They hilariously decide to share their clothes!

The teacher can't believe her eyes.  "Who told you to do this?" she yells.
Cleverly they reply, "We share everything!" (Just like she told them to do.)

FREE - Extending the Reading Experience

After reading this book to your class or your students can read it independently, use the book discussion questions to check student listening/reading comprehension. Then follow-up and brainstorm with your class or make a class chart:
What kinds of things can we share in our classroom?

If you would like a FREE copy please click on the picture below to link to teachers pay teachers where you can download a free copy from Picture Book Reviews With Writing Connections.

Happy Reading,

Kathy

WOW! 12 Prize Giveaway!

Don't miss out on this fantastic Fall Theme giveaway.  Hop on over to Jenna's blog, Diving Into Learning.  Jenna is having an amazing 12 prize giveaway.  There are lots of wonderful prizes to win!

If you scroll down to prize #12 you could have a chance to win my 

Sparkling Pumpkin Art & Writing product. 

 Please click on the picture below to view the item.

Good luck to everyone!  Please click on the picture below to visit Jenna's blog Diving Into Learning

and sign up for all of the great Fall Theme prizes.

Best Wishes,

Kathy