Books You Can Count On Workshop

What a wonderful group of teachers at the Math, Math, Math workshop! 

Here are the WORKSHOP FREEBIES I promised you.

 

 
Have fun using "Books You Can Count On" in your classroom!

 

Target Thursday

I promise I'm NOT skipping over Thanksgiving but here's a look at some Christmas holiday goodies you'll find right now at Target!

Stacks and stacks of these cute metal buckets are in Bulleye's Playground!  I put them in my sensory tub and use at the Teacher Table to hold various cards/game pieces during the holidays. 

 

 

If you've missed out before on the wooden food sets, hurry and grab these pizzas and fruits & vegetables before they're gone!  I already have similar ones so I passed them up but they're ideal for the preschool classroom. Sturdy, colorful, and fun!

 

 

So what did I buy? 

 

Adorable wooden houses!  This Gingerbread House will be great for hiding sight word cards at the Writing Center while the Santa's Workshop will be a perfect addition to our classroom Santa's Workshop/Toy Store dramatic play center!

 



 

I also picked up this set of wooden figures to go in the houses. 

 

 

Look!  It's a Jingle Bell BINGO game! Won't this be great for your holiday classroom party or when you simply need a 5 or 10 minute time filler! 

 

 

Looks like there's several ways to play and the cards are a firm cardboard so it should hold up fairly well with preschoolers.

 

 

One final thing from my quick shopping trip...Indoor Snowballs! 

 

These are big!  Actually, they're HUGE!

 

Ten to a package and better than using cotton balls or pom poms for classroom snowball fun!

 

I've heard Target has new holiday themed sets of those mini erasers we all love.  My closest store didn't have any so looks like I'll have to go on a search this weekend. 

 

Happy Shopping everyone!

Pumpkin Life Cycle Book

It's Target Tuesday!

I have to admit I've really missed the Back to School stuff at Target but when I saw these blank books shaped like pumpkins and the fun Halloween pencils...I got a little excited for Fall!

 

 

 

Target has really outdone themselves!  Bulleye's Playground, also known as the Dollar Spot, is filled with everything you need for fall decorating, crafting, and teaching!  

 



I knew I'd use the blank books as a way to extend my students' learning when we study the life cycle of a pumpkin, so I found the best clip art on Teachers Pay Teachers from Drew Doodles and created a template for my booklet. Love how it turned out and can't wait to teach my Pumpkin unit in October! 

 

Here's the cover...

 

 

And here's the inside...

 



Would you like this Pumpkin Life Cycle Book FREEBIE?

 

Click HERE to download!

 

As excited as I am about the blank books, I have to share one of my other Target goodies with you.  

 

Isn't this perfect for a dramatic play Post Office center?

 

 

These felt sets were also in the bins.

 

 

Perhaps one of the best surprises of all was discovering a few Back to School items hidden way back on the bottom shelf! They were already out of the register system but the sweet customer service clerk bypassed it and rang them up for 70% off.  



 

Total spent? Just $3.60 for six storage containers and the little dry erase easel stand! 

 

So there's your Target Tuesday!  Enjoy the blank book FREEBIE!





DIY Pretend Play Cleaning Caddy

I fell in love with this cute Melissa & Doug "Let's Play House" housekeeping caddy but just couldn't justify the $19.99 price.

 

 

 

After taking  a closer look, I realized I could put together my own cleaning caddy for just a few dollars! I LOVE how it turned out! Everything fits just right in the caddy and seems to be the perfect size for my preschoolers!

 

 

 

The orange plastic tote was last weekend's clearance find from the teacher goodies in Target's dollar spot but you might already have one around your house or classroom you could use. Items such as the plastic spray bottle, sponges, scrub wand, and mini broom can be found at Target or Dollar Tree. I had a package of microfiber cloths at home so I added one of those to the caddy, too.

 

 

 

 

The cleaning powder container was made from an empty cardboard salt box! It's the perfect size for the caddy and very sturdy. I simply covered the outside with construction paper and secured it with clear packing tape.

 

To complete my cleaning products, I made labels and adhered those with clear shipping tape.

 

The Homeliving/Dramatic Play Center is still under construction but I had to put the new Cleaning Caddy in there just to see how it looks! 

 

 

 

I can't wait for this year's youngsters to "clean" our classroom!

Target Tuesday

Looking for cute activities with hardly any teacher prep?

 

Here you go!  Everything you need is at Bulleye's Playground!

 

You'll want to pick up several of these plastic storage containers for this project.  They're available in a variety of colors and, of course, priced at only $1. I didn't really need these for storage purposes so I started thinking how I could use them in the classroom.

 

 

 

 

For a quick counting activity, you simply write numerals on small post it notes and place them in each section of the container.

 

 

 

 

Have your students use the Target erasers to count out how many.

 

I lucked up and found these adorable cat and dog erasers that I'm sure my kids will ❤ to use as math counters!

 

 

 

 

For a little alphabet fun, let's use these colorful magnetic letters!

 





 

 

All you have to do to prepare this activity is put the letters you're focusing on in the storage container. How's that for no teacher prep!

 

 

Your students will do the rest as they work on making a match with the lowercase letters!

 

 

How will you use your Target treasures?

Target Tuesday

You've probably seen these cute chalkboard blocks at Target's Bullseye Playground and wondered what to do with them!

Use them in your writing center!  Just let your students use a piece of chalk to write letters on each side of the block. Kids will love taking their blocks to spell their name or a friend's name.  They can also make CVC words or spell simple sight words.

 

These chalkboard blocks are also a quick & fun assessment tool!  Write uppercase or lowercase letters on the blocks and ask a student to roll the letter "dice".  Have the child identify the letter or sound.  Or for your math evaluations, write numerals on the blocks and have the student count out that many objects.

 

Another idea is to take the chalkboard blocks and create a personalized name sign for the teacher!

 

I used a white paint pen but you could use either white or colored chalk to write your letters. 

If you don't like the way your handwriting looks, you could use a set of cute alphabet stickers for your name instead!

 

Since I had an extra block, I decided to decorate it with an apple sticker. 

 

Next, I hot-glued all my blocks so they'll stay together but that's really optional.

 

 

Can't wait for school to start so I can put my chalkboard name on the small bookcase behind my Teacher Table!

Trace Stamp Write

Raise your hand if you need a fun, simple activity so your students can practice writing the alphabet!

Here's a great independent skillsheet I created where students will TRACE the letter....STAMP the letter....and WRITE the letter!

All you need at your Writing Center is the TRACE-STAMP-WRITE skillsheets, uppercase & lowercase Alphabet Stamps, and pencils or crayons. 

This activity is super easy to set up and the kids will LOVE it!

Get your free copy of  TRACE-STAMP-WRITE below!

Trace Stamp Write

Target Tuesday

I've never met a teacher who doesn't 💗 Target!  I know I sure do!

So every Tuesday, I'll be posting one of my favorite finds from Bulleye's Playground and show you how I'm planning to use it in my classroom! 

Get ready for Target Tuesday!

I immediately fell in love with this Giant ABC Work Pad when I saw it! 

 

Soon I realized it was meant for only one child to use and it wasn't really suited for a classroom full of preschoolers. 

I loved the big pages, clean format, and all the opportunities to work on fine motor skills.  And, of course, I loved the $3 Bulleye's Playground price tag, too!  

 

 

 

So I started thinking...how could I use this in a classroom setting and allow multiple children the chance to do these cute pages?

 

Decided I could simply tear out the pages, laminate them, and turn this into a fun independent activity!

 

 

 

Once you've laminated the pages, just add a dry erase marker and a soft cloth or an eraser. 

 

You're all set with a fun Writing Center activity that can be used over and over!

Letter Salad

One of my favorite alphabet resources is Letter Salad!

Letter Salad is a fun sensory experience for students to look for specific letters, match uppercase & lowercase, and record their findings.  Students will love learning with Letter Salad and will ask to make salad over and over!

Here's a list of what you need for setting up Letter Salad in your classroom: 

• large bowl or plastic storage tub
• green crepe paper or green tissue paper (torn into pieces) or green Easter grass for your "lettuce".  You can also use a combination of light green and dark green papers for a mixed green salad!
• pair of tongs
• small plastic bowls
• Letter Salad cards and recording sheet

Letter Salad Cards coming soon!

You choose how many letter cards to put in your large salad bowl.  I typically have students working on matching 4 to 6 sets of letters at a time but your kids may need more or less depending on their skill level. Letter Salad is very easy to differentiate for your students.

For beginning learners, you could simply put in a few of the uppercase letter cards.  Have the student name the letter as they use the tongs to add each letter card to their salad bowl.

Use the recording sheet as a way for students to practice writing their letters.

I hope your students enjoy learning the alphabet and making Letter Salad!



I'm Still Learning at the Teacher Table

Long time, no blogging! 

But I'm back and committed to posting regularly again!

I'm still teaching a Young 5's half-day preschool class and continue to present professional development workshops for teachers. 

My goal for this blog hasn't changed either.  My hope is to provide ideas and inspiration for teachers everywhere.

Back in early spring, I taught a session at the annual Georgia Preschool Association conference called Transition Toolbox.
 

 



The time between activities is usually unplanned and unproductive leading to classroom craziness! 

I developed my workshop Transition Toolbox to help teachers capture their students' attention and easily move through the day.

Here are a few tools from the workshop I wanted to share with you!


Toolbox Tip   
Transitions need to be PLANNED...
just like any other activity in your classroom. 

 

Tools for Clean Up

Give your students a warning clean up is coming soon by having a Countdown from Play to Clean-Up.  When it's five minutes before clean up, walk around the room and say "Five more minutes to play". Give another countdown at the three minute mark and then again when there's one minute to play. When it's clean up time, sing one of these songs as the children start to put away their toys.

 

 

    (tune Skip to My Lou)

I can clean quietly, how about you?

I can clean quietly, how about you?

I can clean quietly, how about you?

How about you, my darling?

 

 

    (tune Farmer in the Dell)

A helper I will be.  A helper I will be.

There's work to do. There's work to do.

A helper I will be.

 

Spotlight on a Super Cleaner

Use a flashlight to "shine" on children who are participating in the clean-up!

 

 

Toolbox Tip 

Always be ready for the next activity. 

 

Have everything you'll need prepped

and ready to go!

 

 

 

 

 

Tools for Lining Up

*If you are a girl, you may line up.

*If you are wearing red, you may line up.

*If you're sitting on the carpet, you may line up.

*If your name starts with the letter "C", you may line up.

*If your birthday is in September, you may line up.

 

 

Line Up song (tune Jingle Bells)

Let's line up, let's line up, quick as 1...2...3!

Come and make a nice straight line

Right here in front of me!

(repeat)

 

 

Toolbox Tip    

Establish and teach transitions

so your students will know what to do next. 

 

 

 

End of the Day Tools

 What do you say?

 What was your favorite thing today?

 

Sing a Goodbye Song 

   (tune Good Night Ladies)

We had a good day, we had a good day.

We had a good day, a good day here at school.

See you tomorrow, see you tomorrow. 

Tomorrow here at school! 

 

 

Later this week I am presenting one of my favorite workshops called Alphabet Sense.

 

I'll be back with lots of suggestions for teaching your students the alphabet using all five senses!

 

Thank you so much for Learning at the Teacher Table with me!