flowers

Friday, September 27, 2013

A little fall tree craft. Great for pre-k, kindergarten and first grade!

Hey everyone!

Fall is here! 



Every year, in my classroom, we do this little craft - a fall tree, which the students and I really enjoy. Thought I'd share some details for anyone who wants to try it!


Materials:
1. Straws
2. Brown ecoline  watercolor ink.
3. Tissue paper : Orange, yellow, red.
4. Glue
5. Watercolor paper
6. Brown watercolor
7. Plastic cups (If you use watercolor you need them to dilute the paint)
8. Droppers (if you can find enough for everyone!)

How to:
A. Give your students tissue paper of all the three colors mentioned above. Ask them to start making little tissue paper “balls” but not too thick. Give them something to put them in. We used plastic plates. When they are done, store them nearby.
B. Hand out one watercolor paper and one straw to each child. You can use brown ecoline watercolor ink or just brown watercolor. Ecoline is ready to use but stains easily (protect tables&clothes!). Watercolor needs to be well diluted with water. Portions depend on how much paint you will use. You need a “watery” result!  Two to three children can share one ecoline little bottle or a plastic cup of watercolor.
C. Explain that first of all they need to “spill” drops of paint onto the paper (dip the end of the straw in the paint and let drops fall or use a dropper) , starting low, then in the middle (tree trunk) and finishing  higher (tree branches). Remind them not to put drops all over the paper.  After they are done, ask them to start blowing the paint drops with their straws! Lines will slowly appear. If everything goes as planned and with a little help, you will be seeing a tree trunk and branches on every paper. Give your masterpieces 5 minutes to dry.





D. Now the leaves. During fall, trees have some leaves, but they also drop a lot on the ground. Give the children the little tissue balls they made earlier to glue. They can paste “leaves” wherever they like. We put some on the branches and some on the ground. There it is! A fall tree!



















That's it everyone! Hope you have fun with this in class or at home!

                                                                                  Dina - The Constant Kindergartener


Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Halloween Math Worksheets! Color, Cut, and Paste Activities for Pre-k, Kindergarten, and First Grade.

Hey everyone!

Halloween is on its way fast, so I revised and enhanced this Halloween math unit. These activities are a fun way to practice number recognition, counting, addition, and subtraction within 10. They also help the children practice scissor skills and fine motor skills.

This packet is for pre-k to 1st grade kiddos and includes only hands-on cut&paste activities PLUS funny/spooky math word problems!

A Preview:




You can check this out by following the link below:

Hope you have fun with these in class or at home!



                                                                                                                                                Dina



Thursday, September 19, 2013

Columbus Day - Activities, worksheets and an emergent reader for Prek and Kindergarten!

Hey everyone!

Last year, I wrote an age appropriate nonfiction story (anchor text) for early learners about Columbus. This week I revised it and added activities, worksheets and a template for a little craftivity!

This packet helps the children learn Columbus Day history facts in a simple and comprehensive way.

A Preview:





You can check this out by following the link below:

Hope you enjoy it in class or at home!

                                                                                                                                             Dina

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Johnny Appleseed Writing Papers Freebie!

Hey everyone!

This week I created some Johnny Appleseed themed writing and drawing papers. The children can use them for projects at school or at home. Also great for teacher's notes and homework.

They are free for everyone!

The pack includes colored and black&white papers, lined, plain and both combined (for drawing and writing).

A Preview:

You can download them by following the link below:

Thank you for stopping by!

                                                                                 Dina - The Constant Kindergartener

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Apples and Johnny Appleseed! Social Studies - History and Science for Kindergarten to Second Grade.

Hey everyone! 

It is that time of the year..all about apples time!

It is a great subject for every classroom. You can teach science, literacy, math and of course about Johnny Appleseed!

This is one of my favorite subjects, so I wrote a simple and comprehensive text about Johnny Appleseed and added cute kiddo-friendly illustrations.

The cover


Although Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman) was real, many of the stories connected to him are myths. In the anchor text I wrote about him, I tried to be as close to reality as possible without taking away some fun parts, which the children enjoy. 

A separate science/facts booklet, called "All about Apples" with Johnny Appleseed as the narrator, is also included.

All of this unit's contents (94 pages) : 

- Common core ELA worksheets 
- Math with apples 
- Geography activity 
- Science worksheets
- Graphic organizers
- The letter A,a (tracing&worksheets)
- 2 posters about apples (Parts of an apple, apple tree life cycle)
- Unique templates for 2 craftivities (Johnny Appleseed and apple tree life cycle)



To see more details about this packet follow the link below:

Hope you enjoy it in class or at home!

                                                                                 Dina - The Constant Kindergartener