Cookie and Candy Activities

If your children/students are like mine, their eyes light up when presented with the occasional sweet treat.  Why not use that excitement to teach a variety of subjects and concepts?  "A Sweet Thematic Unit" uses cookies, candy, and ice cream to teach Math, Language Arts, and Science/Social Studies.  Art activities are provided also.  Before you panic with the thought of your kiddos being on a sugar rush all day, most of the activities are printables and do not involve consuming the sweet treats.

Wrapped Candy



 

 

 Colorful Skittles

 

 

 Placing letter cookies in alphabetical order on a cookie sheet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fun Winter Activities

The cold weather is a great introduction for winter related topics, such as snow and mittens.  By creating winter portraits, making large cotton ball snowmen, and matching lowercase scarves to uppercase snowmen, etc., winter can be fun for the kids indoors and outdoors. 

Moving Right Along with a Unit on Transportation!

Matching numbered airplanes to clouds 

 

Making a fire truck with construction paper and popsicle sticks

 

 

 Creating a hot air balloon with construction paper, a paper cup, and tissue paper

 



 Making a train with square sponges and fingerprints 

 

Has keeping up with puzzles left you feeling puzzled?

Here is a helpful solution.  Number all of your puzzles, then write corresponding numbers on the backs of all the puzzle pieces.  In case you find a missing piece, you will know exactly where it goes.

 

Completing a puzzle can sometimes be a challenge for little ones.  Give them a helping hand by creating an outline of the puzzle.  Remove one puzzle piece at a time and draw around it with a permanent marker.  Knowing the shape of the pieces can be a helpful tool in helping children complete it.

Name Plates

The start of a new year usually puts me in the mood to do some extra cleaning and organizing.  By now your students' name plates are probably looking a little ragged.  Why not start the new year off with some new name plates?   Did I mention they are free?  Click here to get your free set. 

Paper Plate Bears

Use small and large paper plates to make a bear.  Paint the plates brown.  Attach construction paper arms and legs with brads to make the bear moveable.

 

Glue shredded coconut onto a paper plate to create a Polar Bear.

 

 

 

 

Officially a blogger!

Hi everyone.  After searching online for ways to share my teaching ideas/curriculum with others, I stumbled upon Teachers pay Teachers (TPT), a website that allows teachers to create, share, and sell their lesson plans with others.  Check out my thematic units by clicking here on the link below or by clicking on my store on the right. 

 

 

Besides creating fun lessons, I also like to look for and create practical solutions for the classroom.  When I first began teaching Pre-Kindergarten, I began to collect a lot of children's books.  Because I like to teach using thematic units, I wanted to develop a way to sort my books by themes.  Solution . . . book drawers, AKA, 3-drawer containers.  Books 8 1/2" X 11" will fit inside the drawers.  Depending on the thickness of the books, typically 10 books will fit in each drawer. The drawers and the inside covers of the books are labeled with the themes so I know exactly where each book goes.

 

 

 

It's great to have a bright, colorful rug for Circle Time, but classroom rugs can be very pricey.  Another solution is to use large interlocking foam mats.  I bought a set of 6 for $13 on sale at K-mart last year, but you can find them in various locations at a reasonable price.