Make your own festive Nativity Garland to decorate your mantel or home this Christmas.
Honey Pot is 4 years old. Little M&M is 26 months old. Books We borrowed numerous books from the library on caterpillars and butterflies. They varied from simple board books (for Little M&M) to more complex (for Honey Pot). Butterfly Matching The Dollar Tree had a large page of butterfly stickers. Honey Pot used many of them while making cards for her pen pals, but we had some left over. I used a few to create this matching worksheet, and slipped it into a page protector so she could use a dry erase crayon. Butterfly Trails - Prewriting Practice I used more butterfly stickers to create some tracing lines for Honey Pot on the other side. Learning about the Life Cycle There are so many flashcards and worksheets out there just explaining the life cycle, but I wanted something a little more hands-on. I came across this wheel from Lakeshore Learning and thought it was just perfect. I printed out the template, and Honey Pot wrote her name on the front. Then we colored in the pictures. And I assembled the wheel, using a brad from my scrapbooking stash. We talked about the life cycle of a butterfly as she turned the wheel. She really seemed to grasp the concept of the cycle (as she did so well with the water cycle during our rain unit). Pattern Block Puzzles I printed off two puzzles from PreKinders for Honey Pot. Magnetic Pom Pom Caterpillars - Counting Practice Peaceful Parenting had a nice idea using pom poms to help toddlers learn to count. I created a template in PSE and slipped it into a page protector onto which Little M&M could place magnetic pom poms. Right-click for your own printable: Butterfly Color Matching Although I feel confident that Little M&M knows his colors, it is still important to review them and this activity provided fine motor practice for him as well. I printed this coloring page off the internet and colored just the middles. Then I taped it to the wall with a piece of contact paper, sticky side up, taped over it. I set out a plate of sequins in the coordinating colors, and he got to work! This is a big commitment for a little guy, so we kept it out and returned to it throughout the week until it was complete. Build-a-Butterfly I came across this build-a-butterfly idea from Little Family Fun, and then extended it a little bit. First I cut various shapes out of foam, for the kids to build butterflies and decorate the wings with shapes. Then I set them out near the glass doors, with a cup of water and two paintbrushes. Instead of just building butterflies on the table or floor, the kids were able to paint with water and stick them up on the window. They had a BLAST with this activity! Sometimes they just liked painting with water. And sometimes they painted the window, then created beautiful butterflies! Just look at how cute they look! Butterfly Symmetry Painting I found this fun idea from Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas. I printed a butterfly template onto cardstock, covered one side with parchment, and asked the kids to paint the side that was showing. Then we removed the parchment, folded the paper over... And revealed our symmetry! This was Honey Pot's first time hearing the word, and so we discussed what it meant and I think she has grasped the idea well. Once they were dry, I cut the butterflies out and hung them up. Coincidentally, I hung them right near the caterpillars the kids painted with balloons last summer! Symmetry Chalk Drawings We continued our lesson on symmetry with some chalk drawings. I drew half a butterfly on the driveway, and Honey Pot tried to finish them. For Little M&M, it became a nice lesson on recognizing shapes too. Butterfly Pretend Play Pretend play is always a favorite around here. I found these headbands at the Dollar Tree weeks ago and had to pick them up in anticipation of butterfly week. The kids had such fun! Butterfly Garden - Field Trip What butterfly unit would be complete without a trip to the local butterfly exhibit? It's so incredible being in a room full of butterflies. And it was an amazing experience for the kids. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
1-2-3 Come Travel Around The World With Me! Woo Hoo! Having spent over 200 hours researching & creating, plus a small fortune on graphics designing things, I’m so excited to post this jumbo “labor of love”, "Travels Around The World" packet, which features the awesome talents of 38 clip artists! This super-fun packet is extremely versatile, as everything stands alone, so you can mix & match creating a unit that is tailored specifically for your class, or use pieces and parts with lessons you already have implemented. I think my students, favorite part of our Travels Around the World is making the cereal box suitcase, which can be done in class or for homework. The sky's the limit of how you want to design them. We add 2 file folders to make a drop down interactive "briefcase" of sorts, which includes a pocket for their passports, tickets and boarding passes. The extra files are a great way to keep everything neat & organized and provide space for them to glue on a variety of activities that we do. My kiddos absolutely LOVE collecting the "suitcase stamps/stickers" to decorate with. They get a few to start out, then receive more as we travel to the various countries. Others I use as a motivational & behavior modification incentive, which is very successful. Another huge hit is making a passport. There are 4 options, including a passport specifically for "Christmas Around The World" traveling, as well as a huge variety of passport stamps, which they also enjoy collecting. The train tickets and plane, bus, & boat boarding passes. are also a huge hit. Via a letter, students are invited to come travel with the gingerbread man, who makes a speedy tour guide. "Gin" keeps them apprised of places they should visit by sending postcards. I had an absolute blast designing these from real photographs & stamps from those countries. There are 3 from each country, as well as "color me" postcards, so that students can practice "point of view" writing in a fun way. A set of gingerbread-themed posters announce where children will be traveling and how they will get there. The 6 countries included in this packet are: USA, Mexico, Canada, Sweden, Italy & Germany. I've included a variety of maps, which come in color to use as posters, plus black & white for students. They come labeled & unlabeled, so you can use them as an assessment tool as well. My personal favorite activity, is the "Snap & Scrap" journal, with a Christmas-themed page, as well as a generic counterpart. I've included several pages of interesting information about how each country celebrates Christmas, should you want to do the "Christmas Around the World" theme. The "snap" part, is a camera craft featuring a lens "booklet", with pictures specific to that country. You can opt to do just the camera(s), or hinge them with a piece of tape to the "scrap" page, so that it flips over to reveal the information underneath. Each country also comes with factual information, which is incorporated in the "Fan Of Fun Facts For _________" craftivity. The title is a double play on words, for the craft opens like a fan, and students quickly become "fans" of these super-interesting facts. Later, check comprehension by playing "Name That Country?" by reading a fact and having students tell what country it came from. "I Spy A Country" is another game you can play to help reinforce map skills. Teachers jot down 3-5 clues on the poster, then students write down their dated-answer on their worksheet. X number of correct answers and they receive a "super spy" stamp for their suitcase. I've also packed in a lot of travel-themed writing prompts, such as making an itinerary, which provides a vocabulary building opportunity. Students can also do a "Sightseeing Check It Out Then Check It Off" list, flag booklet, and travel journal. There are several options for the travel journals as well, from a "color me" text it page, to a cut & glue class-made book. They are different enough so that you can do them all, or pick & choose what's appropriate for your kiddos. The beauty of this jumbo packet is that it's very versatile, so you can mix & match things to do individually, as a whole group, with a partner, in small groups, or for homework. The projects can also supplement other geography activities you already have implemented. Besides social studies, many items practice a variety of other standards like graphing, weather, telling time, comparing & contrasting & research, with a bit of math tossed in for good measure. There are also a variety of ways to use the packet. Teachers can give the information, or students can pick a country and research it independently. The "Travel Bucks" are a fun way for students to give their presentations, as they become "travel agents", who share highlights about their country, in the hopes that their fellow classmates will use their travel cash to buy a trip from them. Top sales certificates & suitcase brag tags add to the fun, and are a wonderful incentive. An easy-peasy writing prompt for any age, is the "ginger-gram", where students fill in the blanks with a country they would like to live in, as well as one they would not. Older students can explain why. Another simple writing activity is the "Travel Quilt" craft, which practices adjectives in a unique way. Even younger kiddos can do this, and completed projects make an awesome bulletin board. The "Peace is in our hands" craft, is also quick & easy, with lovely results making a terrific hallway display. This craftivity really helps children wrap their heads around the "big picture" of their "personal geography" and their cut out hand prints add that keepsake, finishing touch. I've included a poster for the center of your display, as well as a suitcase sticker kiddos can earn upon completion. Because my kiddos are learning about seasons, weather and appropriate clothing to wear, I designed the "Pack It Up" suitcase craftivity; where they color, cut & glue various clothes suitable for a particular country, to a "suitcase" page; while older students simply list the items they want to take. The suitcase opens to reveal several pages of the different things they packed for the various countries that they visited. Besides a “Christmas Around the World” theme, you can use this unit all year long, as I have matching generic counterparts. Start whenever you want, then in December, board the “Holiday Express” & add the activities of how these countries celebrate Christmas. Lessons are easily diversified for various classroom abilities & grade levels. Simply pick what’s appropriate for your kiddos. "Travel Tweets" are also an interesting way to get students enthusiastic about writing, as is the "Welcome To Our House" booklet, "Airport Adventures" and "Whooooo Do You Want To Travel With?" color-me worksheets. Besides black & white versions for students, I’ve included colorful templates, so you can quickly make samples to share. There are also graphs, Venn diagrams, posters, a song, and some worksheets, which can also be used as assessment tools. As you can see there's a ton of fun for you to choose from including some puzzles. These come in color for an independent center, as well as BW so kiddos can make their own, as they practice recognizing & sequencing numbers from 1-10, or skip counting by 10s to 100. Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to take a look. Travels Around The World. Today's featured FREEBIE comes from the packet and is a "Merry Christmas From Around The World" poster and coloring card, which includes an alphabetical list of how 28 countries say "Merry Christmas" , with 4 links to other websites with more countries. Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by. My feet have hit the floor running, as there is much to do, and not enough time in the day to get it all done. But I will endeavor to slow my pace and enjoy the journey, making sweet memories, as we decorate our blessed home for Christmas. Wishing you and yours a special day. "Maybe Christmas" he thought, "doesn't come from a store." "Maybe Christmas perhaps, means a little bit more!" -Dr. Seuss From "The Grinch"
Written plus video tutorial shows you how to sew a zipper pouch - great practice for zippers and fun and quick gifts to make
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Fruit of the Spirit Lesson Kit. Our Mighty Message Lesson Kits Provide a Turn-Key Bible Lesson Packed into 60 Minutes of Fun. Includes Craft, Games, Lesson Plan, Sermon, Worksheets, Coloring Sheets, and More! Grades K-6.
Sharing activity inspired by Should I Share My Ice Cream by Mo Willems! Perfect for homeschool, classrooms, or family fun. Includes a free printable!
Digestion experiment for kids! An easy science experiment from at-home materials about how the stomach breaks down food. Anatomy science for kids.
For an extensive list of Christmas party game ideas tailored for a diverse array of guests, check out our merry inventory of games and activities!
Christmas Programs Terms of Use: Except for the first program, which you must order, all of these programs are free. You may copy and change them to fit your personal use. (Copy and paste them into your document. Highlight the document, click control + C, go into your new document, click control … Continue reading →
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