Bugs!!!

We are currently doing a unit on bugs: ladybugs, butterflies, and bees. Our ladybug and butterfly larva arrived last week and they are already moving to the cocoon stage (I do realize that there are other terms, but it is difficult to find signs for these words to use with my hearing impaired children). The children are getting so excited watching the bugs!

Below is a graphing activity that you can get for free from my Teachers Notebook store. Enjoy!

Spring Break - Still Working

Started my Spring Break on Thursday, but you know as teachers, we usually are still making/planning activities for when we get back to school, on the premise that we are working ahead. That being said, I am planning a unit on Colors when I go back to school. We will be reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear and Mouse Paint. Below, you will find a Freebie that helps children with graphing skills. Enjoy your Spring Break!!

Easter Counting

I found these bunny eggs at Dollar Tree. I used a Sharpie to write numbers 1-10 on the bottom part of  the egg. The children had to put the correct number of mini Easter erasers in each egg. They really enjoyed this activity and loved playing with the bunny eggs.

Valentine Dice

I found these cute dice at the Target Dollar Spot. They would be great to use in a roll and find type activity.

Winter Freebie

Here is a cute clothespin 1-10 counting activity for the Winter months. Click on the picture to access the activity at my Teachers Notebook store.

The Gingerbread Man

Over the Thanksgiving break, my husband and my dad made a "house" for my class. It is basically a PVC pipe frame that fits around one of the tables in my class. It has a little pitched roof so that it actually looks like a house. For our current dramatic play area, I covered the roof with brown paper and drew on some gingerbread men and candy pieces. The children use the table to play with gingerbread playdoh or play some gingerbread themed games.

The children have enjoyed some of the Gingerbread Man videos that I have found. Their favorites are Five Little Gingerbread Men Lying on a Tray and the Jack Hartmann version of the Gingerbread Man. We have also played a number of gingerbread man games that include sequencing, patterning, and color word matching. Click the link below for a great activity:

 

 Color Word Match          



Erasers

This week I spent some time at the NC Exceptional Children's Conference. I got a lot of great ideas for my class and picked up a few items I know my children will enjoy. I headed to my son's house for the weekend and proceeded to sprain my ankle while being seated for dinner at a local restaurant. This truly hampered my shopping plans. I was able to limp around a little and found some great mini erasers.

I love mini erasers for activities for my children. They can be used for counting, sorting, fine motor (picking up small objects), patterning.....the possibilities are endless. I love to find erasers that are related to holidays and themes. Target Dollar Spot is a great place to find these.

The erasers I found came from Michaels. There are 75 in the bag and have a Santa, a reindeer, a snowman, and a mitten. These are great because I can use them before and after Christmas (the mitten and snowman for my Winter themes). The bag was $2.99 but with a 40% coupon and 15% Teacher Discount, the price is reasonable.