Oh, the first day of school! It's such a fun, but chaotic day. Most of my first days are a little bit of a blur. This is why I have to write very detailed lesson plans or I'll forget everything from that day. I always try to have the same activities for that first day

We love connecting projects to books, and we're always inspired by the amazing group of bloggers who participate in the Virtual Book Club for Kids (you can also check the club out on Facebook) as the group comes up with some great extension activities each month. This month's author was Leo Lionni. We chose to read and do a project using a book we've really been enjoying lately, A Color of His Own. This is the sweet tale of a little chameleon who is looking for one color to stay all the time, but keeps running into that challenge that chameleons change color. In the end, he winds up finding a friend to always be with so they can at least always be the same color together. I've used this book in the past as a primary teacher. It's a great way to talk about friendship and also about what makes us each unique. My boys have been loving the simple tale and the colorful illustrations this spring. For our activity extension we decided to use cray-pas and watercolors. I love how colorful this art technique can be. I sketched several chameleon outlines onto white drawing paper using permanent marker. (I'm including a printable copy here in case you just want to print one out, or use the printable to trace onto thicker paper.) Afterwards the boys and I each colored in a chameleon using the cray-pas. Big Brother and I thought about ways to create different patterns. Little Brother focused on just coloring his in, using mostly one color. After we were done coloring, we watercolored on top of the cray-pas. The watercolor doesn't stick to the cray-pas, and fills all the white spaces around it. We all had different strategies for painting. When they were done I cut the three chameleons out and we hung them in our play room. I love how they are a set but each one unique. That's part of what can also make this project a great classroom activity, especially for the start of a school year. Or turn it into a fun family project, with each family member creating a chameleon to represent themselves. What Leo Lionni books does your family enjoy? Have you read this one yet? This post may also have been shared at some of these terrific link parties.

Here's a very special Mini Passport Book, which you can print out and assemble with the kids for your learning journey when you travel!

Book Inspired Kids Crafts Roundup - I Heart Crafty Things A big hello today to all of you lovely Glued to My Crafts fans! My name is Rachel and I blog

Kids color and cut out a spiral snake, exercising their fine motor skills on this prekindergarten arts and crafts and coloring worksheet.

Teaching a weather unit is so much fun for little learners and adults. There are so many great weather books and simple experiments that can facilitate a weather unit. Creating an interactive and lasting way for your learners to explore the weather is a bonus. Of course, this Weather Interactive Science Lapbook is the perfect way of

One of my favorite projects of the year is our End of the Year Memory Book. It's a special keepsake for students and parents that features photos, drawings, writing samples, and more. It's a project the class works on periodically throughout the year. I love it because it shows how much the kiddos change over the year. It gives parents a memento to remember the year by, rather than trying to save everything the child brings home. #guiltyofthat This is Ellee. She was in my very first class. She just started 10th grade! Her Mom sent me these pictures of her looking back on her Kindergarten Memory Book before school started last month. It made me so happy to know that she was reliving all of the fun we had in Kinder. Crazy to think 10 years has come and gone! You can see in the photos that Word Art was all the rage back in 2007. LOL. I've made some updates to my Kinder Memory Book since 2007, and I've also created a Preschool and 1st grade version. I have some tips for creating these Memory Books that will make them manageable. 1. If you have active parent volunteers, find a parent that will head up this project. My first year in the classroom, I had 26 kids in my morning class and 25 in the afternoon. 51 memory books! Thank goodness I had an amazing aide and some super parents that helped out. 2. Two options for binding the memory books... You can copy all of the pages you need and bind them over the summer/at the beginning of the year. However, I think it's better to wait to bind them until the END of the year. To keep it all organized, I have a file folder for each student. As we complete a memory book page, I file the completed page away in the child's folder. Then at the end of the year, all the pages are in order and ready to be bound. 3. Print extra copies for potential new students or for "Uh Oh" mistakes. 4. If you forget to take a photograph of a student for a certain page, they can draw a picture instead. The combination of photographs and illustrations will make it extra special. 5. You can send a page home for "homework" every now and then if you just don't have time to get to it in class. Be sure to tell your students how important these pages are so they come back in good condition. I would recommend sending them home in an envelope or file folder so they don't get ripped, folded, or destroyed on the way home. :) 6. I've included extra pages at the end for photographs. Students can personalize it, color it, add stickers, get autographs from friends, etc. The teacher can write a special note to the child in the back of the book as well. These Memory Books will work great for Homeschool Kiddos and for the crafty Mamas out there. Just print and use the pages you need. I'm thrilled to be making one with my preschooler.

Fun STEM activity for outdoor play and makes a great science lesson! (Includes a printable rocket template).

The Gruffalo book activities unit with literacy printables, reading companion worksheets, lesson ideas for Kindergarten, First Grade, and Second Grade

These FREE Printables and Unit Studies for Eric Carle's Books will help you expand on what your kids are learning through these beloved books.

Amazing things can happen with just one dot.

4 Must Do's on the First Day of Pre-K. Worried you missed something while lesson planning for the first day of school?

Free printable preschool worksheets pdf for teachers and homeschoolers. Fun preschool worksheets for math, English, fine motor skills, and more!

These FREE Printables and Unit Studies for Eric Carle's Books will help you expand on what your kids are learning through these beloved books.

Lots of free coloring pages and original craft projects, crochet and knitting patterns, printable boxes, cards, and recipes.

Thank you to Diane for submitting this fun book report poster. It’s legal size (paper) worksheet and is great for lower grades (or as an easy project for upper grades). Great end of the year …

Creating adapted books is a lot of work. I found this wonderful website with over 400 free printable adapted books you can download. Read more...

Need Wonder activities for your classroom or home school Wonder teaching resources? We have Wonder lesson plans, Wonder worksheets, and more ideas for book projects, kindness activities for middle school, and diversity lessons to make a great study unit for students using both the novel by RJ Palacio and teaching with movies (including the popular precepts project!).

Third grade! Yay! I survived the first two weeks of third grade and finally have the time/energy to tell you a little bit about it. I won’t be going into total detail, so please leave a comment if you have a question! (UPDATE: I created a much more detailed post in 2018. Read it here: ... Read More about The First Week of Third Grade

Visual memory is a vital pre-reading skill that should be developed early. Here are some simple visual memory games to play with your kids.

Harvard offers many free online courses. Here are some of their best free courses on computer science, business, art, math, and more.

No more boring book reports! Check out 26+ FUN, creative and unique book report ideas and free printable projects too!

I love using picture books as inspiration for children’s art projects. Over the past 13 years I have curated a a massive list of project ideas and lesson plans. Here is my growing list of picture books and coordinating art projects for kids: A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni Abe Lincoln’s Dream by Lane Smith

A wonderful free collection of vintage educational posters including the complete Adolphe Millot collection of natural history illustrations.

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Boggle is such a great game for pattern recognition and spelling. You can even get a little math in there with the scoring. Kids (and adults) love it! Here is a template you can use with your class. The color version is for using with your document camera, while the grayscale version is perfect for ... Read More about Boggle Template: Make a New Game Each Time!

Fighting flab is a battle worse than many battles. How much can one watch their weight when there is so much cake to eat! We have one life to live and only eight (or perhaps fewer) hours to sleep

Want to teach rules and expectations in an engaging way? Use picture books! These 15 picture books are some of the best to start your year.

These Bible Story Print & Fold books are quick and easy to prepare for your Jewish or Christian preschool program. Print & Fold books are a great

Let's say goodbye to boring book reports for good! Today, I'm sharing 7 of my favorite ways to get students to report on the books that they have read. These ideas combine creativity, rigor, and engagement so that students actually enjoy reporting out on their reading. And...there's enough variety in these activities that you'll be able to tap into a variety of learning styles all year long. 1. Doodle Book Review - Exclusive FREEBIE! Oh baby! There's nothing better than doodles to get students excited about learning. In the doodle book review, students complete planning pages before creating a doodle-themed, one-page book report. This book review is accessible and fun...and since I know your students will LOVE IT, I'm providing an exclusive FREE DOODLE BOOK REVIEW. 2. Book Report Mobile Here's a fun twist on a classic book report. It's a paper book mobile. The Clothes Hanger Book Report works with any fiction book. The highly detailed planning pages are designed so that students can work on the project in class or independently outside of school. The end result is a vivid, comprehensive book report that students love. 3. Book Talk Book talks are a wonderful way for students to demonstrate their understanding of the books they read while practicing their writing and speaking skills. The only problem is, students often don't know where to start. That's where this FREE Book Talk resource comes in. Students learn about book talks before completing a pre-write. Then, they write a final copy. After learning about how to give a book talk, they're ready to report on their present their book talks. 4. Literature Circles Looking for a fun way to get students involved in their reading? Then, you are going to love the Doodle Literature Circle roles. A literature circle is when a small group of students gather to discuss a piece of literature in depth. The discussion is guided by students’ responses to Literature Circle Role handouts. Each doodle-style handout will have students thinking critically about the text and of course, doodling to heighten their engagement and connection to their reading. The handouts are completed before the literature circle discussions. Then, during the literature circle, small groups gather and engage in critical thinking as they read, discuss and respond to texts together. 5. File Folder Book Project I love this book project because it's designed for students to complete all on their own. That means that they can create a unique file folder covered in plot details, character analysis, setting description, a personal reflection as part of an independent reading project. This project is super adaptable too. You can also use it for a class-wide novel study or even a summer reading project. And my favorite part is that the final file folders are a great addition to your classroom library. Future readers can easily reference the file folders to get a review of a book before reading the book on their own. 6. Creative Reading Response Tasks Here are 20 creative ways to get students to report out on their reading. These creative Reading Response Tasks give students an opportunity to share their thoughts and interpretations about their reading in engaging ways. The activities tap into current social media trends as well as traditional writing styles. Along with the 20 fun and educational reading response activities, you’ll also find everything you need to set up a reading response program or journal in your classroom. Let the reading (and fun!) begin! 7. Task Cards and Doodle Poster What happens when a great book, creative task cards and engaging doodle notes combine? A Doodle and Do resource, of course! I've created Doodle and Do resources for Freak the Mighty, Walk Two Moons, Wonder, and Tuck Everlasting. In each of these resources, students will respond to 12 fun task cards with 2 pages of doodle notes. The task cards require students to write, chat, swap, and draw in response to specific questions about the book. Then, students add their responses to fun doodle notes for the novels. I hope you have found some fresh ideas for book reports! Here are the links... 1. FREE - Doodle Book Review 2. Clothes Hanger Book Report 3. FREE Book Talk 4. Doodle Literature Circle Roles 5. File Folder Book Project 6. 20 Creative Reading Response Tasks 7. Task Cards and Doodle Poster - Freak the Mighty, Walk Two Moon, Wonder, and Tuck Everlasting Don't forget to grab the FREE Doodle Book Review! Thanks for stopping by, Mary Beth P.S. Click here for even more reading resources!

This list of must have picture books for your classroom library includes a wide range of titles from seasonal to teaching points. Free activities too!

Grab a Free Printable Book Report Form to fill out after getting a free books from Sam's Club!

Special Education Toddler and Preschool Learning Activity Binder. Fun hands-on interactive learning activities for kids develop basic learning skills. https://supermominfinity.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Learning-binder-busy-book-Printables-for-Kids.png

Last summer we put in a small fire pit area in our backyard. We love using it and almost every time we have a fire going we make S'mores. As I added the ingredients to my recent grocery list, inspiration struck and this easy S'mores craft for kids was born! S'mores Writing Craft for Kids

Check out our FREE unit studies that explore science, history, and biographies! Each one accompanies a Who Was, Magic Tree House, I Survived or Carole Marsh book!