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20 May 2014

And More Bugs!

We're continuing our study of insects in science! We did an observation of ants the other day. It was so interesting to watch! We put out 6 types of food on small circles (cut out of coffee filters) around an ant pile on our sidewalk. We put out orange slices, shredded cheese, Ritz cracker, pretzel, honey, and a carrot. We predicted that the ants would go to the honey first.

 
We were all surprised when the ants went straight for the cracker! We watched as they worked together to try and take pieces of food to their home. We watched for about 10 minutes, and then went back inside. When we checked a couple of hours later, the cracker and cheese were completely gone! Soon after the pretzel disappeared, but the honey, oranges, and carrot stayed a while. We also observed that flies loved the oranges!
 

A few weeks ago we got some ladybug larvae from Insect Lore and watched them turn into pink spotted ladybugs! 
 

We did this fun activity after learning about how some insects use camouflage to protect themselves from predators. First I printed out a page with branches and leaves on it and the kids colored it in using browns and greens. Then I printed out some pictures of insects that look like sticks and leaves. The kids colored them using the same colors, cut them out, and glued them on the paper. Then we got a few real sticks and leaves from outside to glue on, just for fun!
 

 
And finally we made some cute butterflies from toilet paper rolls! I love crafts that don't require special materials! First we painted the toilet paper rolls.
 

 
Then I cut out some wings and the kids colored them with markers.
 



We folded back a small edge on each wing to put glue on, then put them on the tp roll.
 

 
Finally we taped pipe cleaners on the head for antenna and glued on googly eyes to complete our cute little butterflies! 


 

19 May 2014

May Giveaway Winners!

Congratulations to the 2 winners of the May Giveaway!

$25 TpT Gift Card - Michele Arvidson
$20 of your choice from my store - Kelly Brown

Thanks to all who entered! Don't forget you will have another chance in June!!

I also wanted to let you know of my newest creation! I wanted to come up with a fun way for my daughter to practice her word family words, so I created this fun Word Family Mystery Pictures Pack which includes 16 pictures covering 8 different word families! I'd love for you to check it out!

Word Family Mystery Picture Activities

18 May 2014

Summer is Comin'

Can you believe it's almost the end of the school year?! This year has gone by super fast for me while homeschooling the kids and having a new baby. While we will definitely slow the pace down a little this summer, I have to keep my sanity by having some sort of structure to my day with the kids. So, I've been doing some research to find great books, crafts, and other ideas to keep us learning and having fun this summer! Check out some of the things I've found!
 
Painting outside with ice cubes made of colored water!
 3 Easy Summer Crafts for Toddlers - Our Family World
 Super simple bird feeders using toilet paper or paper towel rolls, peanut butter, and bird seed!
 Sugar and Grace breaks this classic, easy birdfeeder down: TP rolls covered with PB and rolled in birdseed. Place roll over branch, await birds. (Remember to keep feeding birds once you start!)
Cute and healthy snack!
Fun summer snack.
Not quite as healthy....but sooo cute!!
Watermelon-krispie-treats
This is a really cool summer reading Bucket List!
Summer Reading Bucket List
 
Speaking of bucket lists - here is a cute freebie to make your own summer bucket list!
 
FREE Summer Bucket List Glyph and Writing activity End of
 

 I have also teamed up with Educents with some instant downloads for you! It includes printables, centers, games, science investigations, close reads, and much more!  It's a mixture of reading, math, and science to keep the kids working hard through the summer and to get them ready for first grade!

http://www.educents.com/kinder-summer-learning-bundle.html#mrsthompsonstreasures

I have 2 products included in this bundle! Your kids will love this emergent reader about ocean animals! There is a bright colorful copy, student b&w copy to color, cut, and staple together, and vocabulary cards included! 

http://www.educents.com/kinder-summer-learning-bundle.html#mrsthompsonstreasures

 
These 120 chart mystery pictures are my kids' favorite! They will practice following directions and recognizing numbers all while having a blast discovering the mystery pictures!

http://www.educents.com/kinder-summer-learning-bundle.html#mrsthompsonstreasures
 
For a limited time it is $14.99 from Educents which is about 70% off!  
14 instant downloads with over 400 pages of materials perfect for your recent kinder graduates (or your struggling first graders or advance preschoolers of course too!)

http://www.educents.com/kinder-summer-learning-bundle.html#mrsthompsonstreasures
 

You can also take peek at some of the other products included in the bundle at any of the links below!
Have fun teaching everyone!

16 May 2014

Freebie Friday - Word Work

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Word-Work-ap-Family-Activity-Pack-1201793


This week's freebies are all about word work! Enjoy these awesome activities to get your little ones engaged in reading, writing, and spelling!

By: Mrs. Thompson's Treasures
Word Work -ap Family Activity Pack
 
 
By: Melissa Williams
FREE Kindergarten Cut and Paste Word Work Sampler
 
By: Amber Monroe
Word Work It {Five Free Word Work Activities}
 
By: I Love My Kinders
Word Work Freebie - at Family Sample - Word Cards - CVC
 
By: Krista Wallden
Freebie {Word Work Activities}
 
By: Kinderlove and Learning
Word Work with the an Family: Freebie!

*Each Friday I post a new list of awesome freebies, so be sure you're following with Bloglovin, Google + or by email!

*Be sure to check out the previous post about my May Giveaway for a $25 TpT Gift Card!!

14 May 2014

May Giveaway!

It's that time again! I'm so excited to be having another giveaway! This month there are 2 prizes - the first is a $25 TpT gift certificate to use at any store, the second prize is $20 worth of anything from my store! Enter below and good luck!



 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

12 May 2014

Goldfish Cracker Fun!

Anytime we get to play with food, my kids are in heaven! I created this Fun With Food pack using rainbow goldfish crackers! We sorted, tallied, graphed, measured, and practiced patterns and sight words! Of course they got to snack on some as well. 
 
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Goldfish-Cracker-Fun-Activity-Pack-Graphing-Sorting-Patterns-More-1147203
 
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Goldfish-Cracker-Fun-Activity-Pack-Graphing-Sorting-Patterns-More-1147203

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Goldfish-Cracker-Fun-Activity-Pack-Graphing-Sorting-Patterns-More-1147203

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Goldfish-Cracker-Fun-Activity-Pack-Graphing-Sorting-Patterns-More-1147203

 
If  you'd like to try out this pack with your kiddos, you can get it here!

Goldfish Cracker Fun Activity Pack {Graphing, Sorting, Pat

09 May 2014

Freebie Friday - BUGS


This weeks theme is Bugs!! I hate the creepy crawly things, but kids love 'em, so here's a few freebies to use while teaching about bugs!

By: Mrs. Thompson's Treasures

FREE Butterfly Hundreds Chart Mystery Picture

Bugs Crossword Puzzle
By: The McGrew Crew
Bugs Insects Crossword Puzzle
 
By: Kaleigh's Klassroom
Bugs, Bugs, Bugs a Counting by 2's Activity!
 
By: Stephany Dillon
Bug Observation Freebie
 
 
By: Rachel Jones
 
Bug Out! A multiple meaning word activity
 
 
By: Reagan Tunstall
Insect Unit Gone Buggy!
 

07 May 2014

Wordless Wednesday - Be Still My Heart

http://secondgradesugarandspice.blogspot.com/
 
As a teacher, what makes your heart go pitter-patter?


For me, it's having my kids ask me first thing in the morning, "Mama, can we go read?"

05 May 2014

Fingerprint Bug Jars

We're studying about insects in science, so I'm on the lookout for cute buggy crafts! This one we did today is simple and fun!

 
The kids used paint to make different colored fingerprints on the jar template. I think stamp ink would work well too, we just didn't have any. We let the paint dry for a few minutes, and then we used a black marker to add eyes, legs, wings, spots, stripes, and antenna to turn the fingerprints into cute buggy friends!!

 
My 6 yr. old did his own, but my 3 yr. old wanted some help, so I made hers into bugs for her.  


You can download a free jar template that I made here!

Normally I hate bugs....but these cuties can stick around the house for awhile! 

02 May 2014

Freebie Friday - Mother's Day



This week's theme is Mother's Day! Enjoy all these great free products & ideas for celebrating those special women in kids' lives!

Printable Mother's Day Coupon Book by: Penny Pinchin Mom
Mother’s Day is coming in just a few weeks – May 12th to be exact.  The gifts I love the most are the ones which come from the heart, or that my children take the time to make themselves. ...
Grandmother Survey & Poem by: Miss Nelson (She also has a Mom version)
Mother's Day Questionnaire, Survey and Poem ( Grandmother
 
Mother's Day Flip Book Craft - I couldn't find who this is by, it's just the picture. But it is easy to make, just use different lengths of paper and have kids draw pictures underneath each flap to match the words!
Mother's Day Craft ~ by winifred
Flower Craft by: Growing Smart Readers
 
Flower Craft {Super Simple & Easy with Pattern}

Happy Mother's Day to all you amazing Moms out there!