Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means if you click on a link and purchase something, I'll receive a small affiliate commission at no cost to you. Thanks so much for supporting my efforts with this blog! My bloggy pal Hilary over at Raising Fairies and Knights started a fun new Monthly Crafting Book Club this year - a challenge to create activities to go along with some of the most beloved children's books. We're halfway through the year and so far, have really had some great fun: January - Animal Action Dice Game for the book Barnyard Dance. February - Cause & Effect Box for If You Give a Moose a Muffin. March - an alphabetical scavenger hunt for Dr. Seuss's ABC. April - handwashing fun to go along with The Piggy in the Puddle. May - 5 Little Monkeys Fold 'Em Up for Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. June - pinecone princess & Cozy Sweater Warrior Paper Dolls for The Princess and the Pony. July - lantern craft for Curious George Goes Camping. Now it's August, and we all chose a different back-to-school themed book to focus on. I have quite the stack of great school-themed titles from my classroom, so I pulled them all out and had Gv choose her favorite. She immediately reached for Froggy Goes to School - that silly frog never fails to get her giggling, so I had already suspected it would be a major contender. We started reading the book, but after just a few pages, Gv ran off to grab this one to add to our pile: Froggy's first-day-of-school dream had reminded Gv of all his crazy clothing antics in Froggy Gets Dressed, so we went ahead and worked in a little activity to go along with that title, too. For the book Froggy Goes to School, we decided to make a cute little backpack for Gv's stuffed frog and then fill it full with school supplies. I printed out this freebie onto cardstock, then Gv drew her design and cut out all the pieces. She and I worked together to glue all the pieces on. (The mini-backpack, while the perfect size for our frog, did not fit the paper bags we had. We just glued this smaller backpack together on itself for her frog to wear and then made the larger-sized backpack to go with our paper bag. One of Gv's babies got to wear that one.) Finally, Gv went on a school-supply scavenger hunt around the house to find things to fill this backpack with. After all that crafty fun, we turned to our second Froggy book. I read it to Gv and then asked her to go find all the clothing items he wore during the story. Then, she grabbed a little friend and dressed her all up - remembering to put on the underwear first! {wink} Gv had so much fun with this, she repeated the activity three times throughout the day! I love coming up with book connections like this, how about you? I'd love to hear! Either leave a comment below or email me at lisahealy (at) outlook (dot) com. Also, if you don't want to miss a single minute of great tips like this and all the fun around here, be sure to sign up for free updates and then look forward to having each post delivered right to your inbox. Click here to find great craft ideas for other back-to-school books! Linked up with: Just Another Linky, Favorite Things, Over the Moon, Share the Wealth Sunday, Dishing it & Digging it, Social Butterfly Sunday,What's for Dinner?, Family Joy Blog Link-Up, Literacy Musings Monday, Practical Mondays, Homeschool Nook Link Up, Happiness is Homemade, Mom to Mom Mondays, Merry Monday, Motivation Monday, Thoughtful Spot, What'd You Do This Weekend, Everything Kids, Meet Up Monday, Totally Terrific Tuesday, Tasty Tuesdays, Little Learning Link Up, Two Uses Tuesday, Hip Homeschool Hop, Lou Lou Girls Fabulous Party Tell it to Me Tuesday, Tuesday Talk, Wonderful Wednesday, A Little Bird Told Me, WFMW, Everything Early Childhood, The Mommy Club, Creative Muster, Party in Your PJs,What to Read,I Am Pinnable, Christian Bloggers Link Up, This Is How We Roll, Creative Ways, Hearts for Home, Creative Exchange, 100 Happy Days, Learn & Play Link Up, Shine Blog Hop, Try It Like It, No Rules Weekend Blog Party, Booknificent Thursdays, On the Edge of the Week, Thursday Favorite Things, Cozy Reading Spot, Party at My Place, I'm Lovin' It, Inspiration Spotlight, Home Matters, Pretty Pintastic Party, Weekend Potluck, Awesome Life Friday, Creative Collection, The Beautifully Creative Inspired , Bloggers Pit Stop, Weekend Traffic Jam, Pin Me Party, From the Archives, Family Fun Friday, Friday Frivolity, Bloggers Spotlight, Make My Saturday Sweet, Weekend Wind-Down Party,Friday Features Linky, Funtastic Friday , The Pinterest Game, Best of the Weekend

Are you looking for an engaging back to school bulletin board? This inclusive library bulletin board kit will suit any classroom and features plant theme décor. This QR Code Library comes with 200+ books linked to both Storyline Online and Youtube. Students use the QR codes to listen to stories during guided reading rotations or literacy centers. This plant themed classroom library display includes 24 different succulent plants, a variety of sizes to create an adjustable shelf size and three different sized book spines to create book stacks. Use the QR code library to create a functional book shelf display in any space size. Makes a great Back to School Display! ⭐ Try it FREE: The books link to both Storyline Online and Youtube Videos. Any books that link to Youtube are put through SafeShareTV so that students don't have direct access to Youtube. I know school networks can be fussy with YouTube, so if you would like to try the books before you buy the whole library click here for a freebie. What's included in this QR Code Library Book Display resource: ➤ You will receive: 24 plants and woodgrain shelving customisable to any space (also in B&W) 200 coded books Each book has 3 sizes do you can create book stacks Editable PPT with book spines so that you can add your class favourites! ⭐ Editable Library ⭐ This QR Code Library Comes with editable book spines in powerpoint format so that you can add your own books if you would prefer. Just type in your Title and Author and change the QR Code. You will need to download fonts if you would like them to be the same. I use KG Fonts which you can download for free for personal use. Ways to use this QR Code Library Book Display resource in the classroom: This versatile resource can be used in a number of ways in your classroom including: Small Group Literacy Center Listening Post Homework Learning from home Early finishers Bulletin Board This resource supports learning in the Common Core SS SL K.2, 1.2, 2.2, 3.2, 4.2 Books included in this QR Code Listening Post Literacy Centre Activity:  January Books: In Tribute of Betty White: Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion National Poverty Awareness Month: Maddi’s Fridge by Lois Brandt The Coal Thief by Alane Adams The House That Jane Built by Tanya Lee Stone The Tooth by Avi Slodovnick New Year’s Day (January 1st): New Years Day by Lynn Peppas World Braille Day (January 4th): Six Dots by Jen Bryant Clifford’s Bedtime by Norman Bridwell Martin Luther King Day (January 17th): I am Martin Luther King Jnr by Brad Meltzer Who Was Martin Luther King Jnr? by Lisbeth Kaiser I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King Jnr Australia Day (January 26th): My Country by Ezekiel Kwaymullina & Sally Morgan Finding Our Heart by Thomas Mayor I'm Australian Too by Mem Fox Possum Magic by Mem Fox Somewhere in Australia by Marcello Pennacchio February Books: Celebrate Black History Month: As Fast As Words Could Fly by Pamela M. Tuck Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrews Rent Party Jazz by William Miller No Mirrors in My Nana's House by Ysaye M. Barnwell To Be a Drum by Evelyn Coleman Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl's Baseball Dream by Crystal Hubbard National Carrot Cake Day (February 3rd): The Case of the Missing Carrot Cake by Robin Newman Lunar New Year (February 12th): Lotus & Feather by Ji-li Jiang National Italian Food Day (February 13th): Strega Nona by Tomie de Paola Valentine’s Day (February 14th): Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli President’s Day (February 15th) If I Ran for President by Catherine Stier Love Your Pet Day (February 20th): Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion Me and My Cat by Satoshi Kitamura National Wildlife Day (February 22nd): A Tale of Two Beasts by Fiona Roberton Llama Llama Mad at Mama by Anna Dewdney Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. & Eric Carle The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler March Books: National Reading Month: Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen Miss Smith and the Haunted Library by Michael Garland National Pig Day (March 1st): The Three Little Pigs by Paul Galdone The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by John Scieszka Read Across America Day (March 2nd): Crankentein by by Samantha Berger Arnie the Donut by Laurie Keller A Bad Case of the Stripes by Sean Astin Guji Guji by Chi Yuan Chen When a Dragon Moves In by Chi Yuan Chen The Gingerbread Girl by Lisa Campbell PirahnasDon’t Eat Banana’s by Aaron Blabey Women’s History Month: Helen Keller by Sarah Albee Rosa Parks by Lisbeth Kaiser The House That Jane Built by Tanya Lee Stone National Grammar Day (March 4th): Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco International Women’s Day (March 8th): Brave Irene by William Steig Counting on Katherine by Melanie Becker National Pi Day (March 14th) Enemy Pie by Derek Munson World Sleep Day (March 19th): No More Noisy Nights by Holly L Niner April Books: April Fools Day (April 1st): Clark the Shark by Bruce Hale Silly Tilly by Eileen Spinelli Find a Rainbow Day (April 3rd): The Rainbow Fish Rainbow Fish and the Big Blue Whale by Marcus Pfister Easter (April 4th): The Tale of Peter Rabbit Pete The Cat: Big Easter Adventure by Kimberly & James Dean World Health Day (April 7th): The Tooth by AviSlodovnick The Pigeon Needs a Bath by Mo Willems Earth Day (April 22nd): Here Comes the Garbage Barge by Jonah Winter Earth Day Birthday by Maureen Wright Please, Please the Bees by Gerald Kelly World Book Day (April 23rd): Snappsythe Alligator by Julie Falatko Zombies Don’t Eat Veggies by Jorge Laceraand Megan Lacera The Very Impatient Caterpillar by Ross Burach Sebastian’s Roller Skates by Joan de Deu Prats Mice Twice by Joseph Low My Rotten Red Headed OdlerBrother by Patricia Polacco Me and My Cat by Satoshi Kitamura Quakenstein Hatches a Family by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen Private I. Guana by Nina Laden May Books: National Teachers Day (May 4th): Thank You, Mr Falker by Patricia Polacco My Teacher is a Monster by Peter Brown Froggy Goes to School by Jonathan London David Goes to School by David Shannon Here Comes Teacher Cat by Deborah Underwood Pete the Cat’s Got Class by James Dean The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson How Rocket Learned to Read by Tad Hills Mother’s Day: Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn Older Americans Month: Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox Europe Day (May 9th): How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz Eat What You Want Day (May 11th): Carla’s Sandwich by Debbie Herman Piranhas Don’t Eat Bananas by Aaron Blabey International Day of Families (May 15th): Quakenstein Hatches a Family by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen My Family, Your Family by Lisa Bullard June Books: National Doughnut Day (June 4th): Arnie the Doughnut by Laurie Keller The Case of the Missing Donut by Alison McGee World Environment Day (June 5th): Hey Little Ant by Phillip & Hannah Hoose Here Comes the Garbage Barge by Jonah Winter Where Do Balloons Go? by Jamie Lee Curtis World Oceans Day (June 8th): Clark the Shark by Bruce Hale The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister Clark the Shark Takes Heart by BruceHale National Eat Your Veggies Day (June 17th): Zombies Don’t Eat Veggies by Megan and Jorge Lacera Veg Patch Party by Clare Foges & Al Murphy Father’s Day (American): I’m Always Your Dad by John Hindman How to Put Your Parents to Bed by Mylisa Larsen Word Refugee Day (June 20th): My Name is Not Refugee by Kate Milner The Little Refugee by Anh Do Word Music Day (June 21st): Rent Party Jazz by William Miller Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrews July Books: International Kissing Day (July 6th): The Kiss That Missed by David Melling TheKissing Hand by Audrey Penn Kissed by the Moon by Alison Lester Crocodiles Need Kisses Too by Rebecca Colby Dinosaur Kisses by David Ezra Stein Cow Appreciation Day (July 13th): The Cow Who Climbed a Tree by Gemma Marino When Pigasso Met Mootisse by Nina Laden Shark Awareness Day (July 14th): Clark the Shark by Bruce Hale Shark Lady by Jess Keating (biography) Sharks by Anne Schreiber (non-fiction) Clark the Shark Too Many Treats by Bruce Hale Clark the Shark Tooth Trouble by Bruce Hale If Sharks Disappeared byLilyWilliams International Day of Friendship (July 30th): A Tale of Two Beasts by Fiona Roberton Mice Twice by Joseph Low Lotus & Feather by Ji-li Jiang August Books: World Lion Day (August 10th): Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen Lions by Laura Marsh (non-fiction) National Monster Day (August 14th): I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll Hey,That’sMyMonster by Amanda Noll Jonathan James and the What If Monster by Michelle Nelson-Schmidt Bedtime for Monsters by Ed Vere Mind Your Monsters by Catherine Bailey World Lizard Day (August 14th): Private I.Guana by Nina Laden Lizards by Laura Marsh(non-fiction) National Honeybee Day (August 21st): Please Please the Bees by GeraldKelley Buzz,Bee! By Jennifer Seymanski (non-fiction) International Dog Day (August 26th): Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion Romeow and Drooliet by Nina Laden Cats vs Dogs by Elizabeth Carrey (non-fiction) National Beach Day (August 30th): When a Dragon Moves In by Jodi Moore At the Beach by Shira Evans (non-fiction) September Books: International Literacy Day (September 8th): Chester's Way by Kevin Henkes The Coal Thief by Alane Adams The Empty Pot by Demi Henry Holton Takes the Ice by Sandra Bradley The Hula-Hoopin’ Queen by Thelma Godin Knots on a Counting Rope by Bill Martin Jr. & John Archambault The Night I Followed the Dog by Nina Laden Stellaluna By Janell Cannon 9/11 Remembrance Day (September 11th) The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey by Maira Kalman 14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy Branches of Hope by Anne Magee World Rhino Day (September 22nd) Rhinoceroses by Valerie Bodden(non-fiction) The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm by LeVarBurton Who Would Win? Rhino vs Hippo by Jerry Pallotta Who wants a Cheap Rhinoceros by Shel Silverstein October Books: Halloween (October 31st): Bedtime for Monster

There are so many ways to practice alphabet recognition, one of my favorite ways to do so is to add some fine motor chain link activity cards. These chain links are super easy to find, cheap to buy in bulk and perfect for the budget classroom teacher.

The free I See Fall printable book is perfect for practicing important early literacy skills with preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten kids.

The ultimate goal of literacy is to help students become life-long readers, so they can be educated citizens. The child's first and most...

Check out these awesome activities for The Gruffalo. Includes math, literacy, fine motor, gross motor, craft, snack, & MORE to bring this book to life!

Printable books that explore literacy, math, science, social studies, and fine motor skills with preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten kids.

Use these early literacy building ideas as you share these Over in the Meadow activities with students. Books, songs, & printables included.

If you're reading Ish by Peter H. Reynolds, then you need to check out these Ish book activities for preschool and pre-k. Includes literacy, math, and MORE!

Grab these free printable activities to go with the book, Rosie's Walk. All the Rosie's Walk activities work on positional words.

SO MANY printable books your preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten kids can make throughout the year. Students practice literacy, math, social studies, and fine motor skills with these free printable emergent readers. Click on the Fun-A-Day.com link to get access to all the mini books.

This book-inspired Moose & Muffin Letter Recognition Activity is a fun way for pre-readers to practice capital and lowercase letters!

Toddler gross motor activities are easy to encourage with activities using bright scarves! Check them out!

These following directions drawing activity ideas will teach kids to listen carefully to instructions and interpret them.

Kids will have so much fun going through this 50-page worksheet pack for fall. It's full of cutting, counting, coloring and writing activities that will keep your students busy and excited for all things autumn!

Welcome back to my new series of posts highlighting some of my very favorite, favorite books and the supplementary games, songs, and activities you could use with them. This could be useful for library programs, the classroom, home schooling, or (of course) to just have fun with your kids! Previously, I've created fun activity lists for books like If You Plant a Seed and Mother Bruce. Now I'll share ideas for... Oh, the irreverent humor of Jon Klassen in I Want My Hat Back. This is practically a classic by now, it's just so great. It's short, it's to the point, and man, does it have the best ending. So what sort of activities can go along with this book? Well, here are some ideas that will appeal to its target audience of kids aged 4 - 8 years. 1. Make your own pointy hat—Playing by the Book knows just what to do after enjoying this book: make and decorate your own beloved headwear! Her instructions (and my source for the photo) can be found here. 2. Go on a scavenger hunt—Outside or in the library, you can easily make a list of things kids can find. Just like the bear goes on a hunt for his hat, kids can hunt for pine cones, cool rocks, or some bugs outside. Inside? Maybe a blue cover book, a 597.5-Dewey-cataloged book, or certain magazine. 3. Nature walk—see if you can spot any of the plants or animals from the book. 4. Eat a rabbit—Ahem. Well, we don't know that that's exactly what bear did to the poor rabbit, but hey: this bunny-pancake-recipe is pretty cute and tasty! You could even add a strawberry on top to make the red, pointy hat that started all this drama. 5. List some alternate outcomes—Yes, it looks as though Bear ate Rabbit in the end. But what could've bear done instead to get his hat back? 6. Write a prequel or sequel—Do some creative writing and write why you think the rabbit stole the hat in the first place, or what bear did after he had his hat back. 7. Research headwear through the ages—What kind of hats were popular when your parents were kids? Or grandparents? Or great-great-great-grandparents? 8. Sing "We're Going on a Bear Hunt"—see the YouTube video for lyrics here. Get into it by doing all the actions. Try it out in your backyard or at the park for extra fun. 9. Play hide-and-go-seek—You can play the classic version with a small group, or my favorite with a big group: "hot and cold." You know what I mean? It's the game where you have one kid hide a small hat while another kid waits outside the room. When he comes back, the group helps him find the hat by calling out when he is warm & hot (the closer he gets to the hat). 10. Design a missing poster—Is there something you love that's missing? Design a missing poster with a drawing of what's gone, a description, and a reward! Here's a free printable from Create Educate Inspire to get you started. 11. Activity kit—Well, let's not forget the convenient activity kit provided by the publisher with fun games like a crossword! 12. Help a turtle in need—Bear does take the time, even in the middle of searching for his hat, to help a turtle in need. Is there small service you could perform for somebody today? 13. Puppet show—This is such a simple, repetitive book that kids are sure to learn the storyline quickly. Have them act it out themselves, then! Making some brown-sack puppets would make it especially fun. (Photo from Little Family Fun) 14. Imitate all the animals—as you read about each animal the bear comes across, have the kids do their best impersonation! Can they hop like a bunny or slither like a snake? 15. Read the other books in the series—Klassen has JUST released his third and final book in this series. So try out This is Not My Hat and We Found a Hat. Do you like either of those better than the first book? ........ Whether you do one or all, I hope you have a lot of fun with these ideas to supplement I Want My Hat Back.

Here’s a fun drawing prompt for kids of all ages inspired by Herve Tullet‘s newest book, Let’s Play! In this simple invitation to create, children can create pieces of art or even make their own books. We received the book Let’s Play! for free and are absolutely in love with it! Follow our Children’s Book Activities …

If you're reading Ish by Peter H. Reynolds, then you need to check out these Ish book activities for preschool and pre-k. Includes literacy, math, and MORE!

Links : Oxford Activity Book for Children - 1.pdf Oxford Activity Book for Children - 2.pdf Oxford Activity Book for Children - 3.pdf Oxford Activity Book for Children - 4.pdf Oxford Activity Book for Children - 5.pdf Oxford Activity Book for Children - 6.pdf These creative activities for grammar

This All About Me printable book is a great way for preschool and kindergarten kids to practice early literacy skills. AND you get to learn more about your students along the way. You can grab a copy by clicking on the Fun-A-Day.com link.

Check out this great lesson I found on Cleverbean. Learning Intention: Create an artwork in response to the text ‘Journey’ by Aaron Becker.

These activities for The Most Magnificent Thing include a STEM project, several writing activities, growth mindset components, and MORE!

Pirate printable book for preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten kids. Perfect as part of a pirate theme or Talk Like a Pirate Day activities.

We introduce journals with our 3 year olds with simple ideas that teach them how to love and care for their little books.

Using wordless shorts in language therapy gives you so many options and your clients will LOVE it! Links to the best wordless videos!

Get prepared for Johnny Appleseed Day with these FREE Johnny Appleseed Literacy Activities! They’re great for K-3 learners. My Kindergartner, 2nd grader, and 3rd grader, are working on them next week for what we’re calling “Apple Day.” *This post contains affiliate links. **The free download can be found at the END of this post. Just ... Read More about Johnny Appleseed Literacy Activities {FREE!}

It is the first week of kindergarten! What do I teach? I get this question all the time! I am so excited to put together this page together for you. I’m sharing our favorite first week of kindergarten read aloud stories and the free coordinating printables I made to go with them. Plus I will s

Pet Persuasive WritingGet your kiddos writing with this persuasive writing activity. This activity is designed to use, “I Wanna Iguana” by Karen Kaufman Orloff as a mentor text, but any book about pets will work! (Don't have access to the book? Don't worry there's a link to a video!)  Total Pages: 24File Size: 4 MB********************************************************************Other AMAZING Writing ActivitiesSmall Moments Narrative WritingMy Leprechaun Shenanigans Expository WritingBuy this unit and ALL my wriitng units in one chunky download!Writing All Year- Growing Bundle********************************************************************This pack is designed to help you guide your students through writing a well thought out persuasive piece. This pack includes:-brainstorm sheet-graphic organizer-rough draft paper with primary and regular writing lines. -4 different final draft writing pages for publishing. -1 with graphics if you choose not to complete the craft. -1 without graphic to be used with craft.-2 of the same as mentioned above, just without a title. -writing checklist -easy print and go pet craft featuring the following animals: cat, dog, rabbit, turtle, fish with bowl, hamster, and bird. ********************************************************************SIGN UP!Sign Up for The Applicious Newsletter and receive amazing content and free resources right to your inbox! Click Here to Sign Up!

Check out these fun activities from Award Winning Author/Illustrator Jarett Lerner to do at home or in the classsroom. Includes comics, drawing, and more.

The joy of making a mark is celebrated every year and in 1st grade, launches us into our first art project. Eight simple steps create a sense of structure for these young students and affords them an opportunity to try to "figure it out". And figure it out, they did. Materials: 6x9 white paper 9x12 yellow construction paper 9x12 black construction paper "crazy" scissors pencil black thin markers (sharpies) watercolor paints brushes glue sticks the Book: The Dot Join the movement today and celebrate your mark making! http://www.thedotclub.org/dotday/ xoxo, SMocK you.

(This post uses affiliate links.) Hi everyone! I'm back with some tips for using Orton-Gillingham materials. You've made a big investment and want to implement them well. You may

Basically any excuse for my kids to take pen to paper and I'm there.These free comic book templates printables are a fun way to keep your kids writing!

A book tasting is a totally doable room transformation your students will go crazy over! I recently decked out my classroom and turned it into 'McJondle's Café' for the first time, and let me tell you - it most definitely won't be the last. My main goal was to expose my 1st graders to different types

Discover free activities for The Wild Robot. Explore the summary, lesson plans, characters, themes, plot, & more at StoryboardThat!

Each school year, I like to create a name book for my preschool students to use. I put them together with all kinds of materials but to simplify things for my readers, I created this little name book template. Getting Started I create a book for

At my school we call them learning buddies but you might know them as reading buddies or big buddies/little buddies. Whatever you call them, some times it’s hard to think of activities to do with them. I often found myself planning things on the fly so I decided to compile a list of activities that […]

The ultimate goal of literacy is to help students become life-long readers, so they can be educated citizens. The child's first and most...

Add the I See Apples printable book to your next kindergarten or preschool apple theme! What a fun and easy way to explore literacy, math, AND science concepts with the kids. Get your own copy by clicking on the Fun-A-Day.com link.

Fun and learning packed The Day the Crayons Quit activities that include free printables to download. Just supply crayons!