Coolest Butterfly Field Trip . . . EVER!!

If you ever have the opportunity to tour a local conservatory that houses a butterfly exhibit . . . it is a MUST!  I take this trek yearly and it never fails to astound me!  I created a Bugs, Butterflies & Insects Literacy Unit to enhance this field trip!  Enjoy the pictures below!

Click HERE to see more of this unit!

Spring Has Sprung! Time for Bugs and Butterflies!

This Bugs, Butterflies and Insects Thematic Literacy Unit is filled with printable activities to help your students grow, grow, grow in their literacy skills and incorporates Common Core Standards!  The unit is geared toward spring of kindergarten, and all year for first and second grade.

Click on Preview to Get This Unit!!

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles Thematic Literacy Unit - The Little Engine That Could! I Think I Can...

I read The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper to my class.  After reading, I asked my students to tell about a time when they thought they couldn't do something, but really tried and could!  Oh, their stories were glorious!!  After this fascinating conversation, I told them to write about something they THINK they can do if they try.  I also asked them to draw a picture of themselves actually DOING what it is they are writing about.  I gave them a special paper with a train track as a frame and they illustrated their picture inside the track.  This activity is from my four week long Thematic Literacy Unit called Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

Native American Mosaic Teepee Craftivity

This Mosaic Teepee Craftivity Kit is just plain fun and adorable!  It also teaches SYMMETRY and uses a variety of GEOMETRIC SHAPES!  If you’d like to have a Mosaic Teepee kit just click below!  You have Black and White OR Color options for your mosaic pieces!  Just PRINT and Go – NO PREP!!  Who doesn’t LOVE that!?!

Click Here To Get this Craftivity Kit!

Look What I Did With a Leaf!

Here in Ohio fallen leaves are EVERYWHERE!!!  My kiddos LOVE bringing me pretty leaves they find on their way to school.  I thought this would be the perfect time to pull out one of my favorite leaf books...Look What I Did with a Leaf by Morteza E. Sohi.  My students were so inspired by the pictures in this book, they decided to create their own "leaf art!!!"

The Attack of DOGZILLA!!!

After reading the fantastic, WACKY book Dogzilla by Dav Pilkey, I asked my students to tell how they thought Dav Pilkey did the illustrations for this book.  (He actually took photographs of his own dog, Leia, carefully cut out one of them and painted a background around it.)  I had my students look through a variety of magazines to find a picture of an animal.  They carefully cut it out.  Next, they mounted it to a blank framed paper.   Next, they either painted or drew a background, making their animal look gigantic compared to the background.  They titled their art piece,  (BLANK)-zilla.)  Then, they wrote a mini-story to go with their completed art.  These made a FANTASTIC display!!!

If you would like more activities to compliment Dav Pilkey’s WACKY books, click the Dav Pilkey Unit below!!

We Found Gold at the End of a Rainbow! Great St. Patrick's Day Activities!

In preparation for St. Patrick’s Day, my class performed 3 different St. Patrick’s Day Reader’s Theaters, then made these very colorful GOLD AT THE END OF A RAINBOW treats!  Twizzler’s makes rainbow licorice and the golden candies are Rolo’s.  My students arranged them in a baggie and tied them up with a green ribbon and they’ve hit the JACKPOT!  We’ve found our GOLD at the end of a RAINBOW!!!  Click on the pics below for three really wonderful St. Patrick’s Day stories that I adapted into Reader’s Theaters and MORE!  May the LUCK of the Irish be with you!  I’ve also included an ultra cool St. Patrick’s Day craftivity link!