Tuesday, December 31, 2013

New Years Activities for The Kiddos

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If you are looking for a way to keep the kiddos busy this New Year's Eve without constant streams of "Is it Midnight yet?" You might want to head over to Squishy-Cute Designs where they have posted several activities (tons of freebies) for both the little ones and the older ones.  While you're there, you may want to check out some of the non-holiday related activities as well as there are a ton of them!  Happy New Year!

New Year's Freebies

Monday, December 23, 2013

Adding Snowflakes Free Worksheet

Here is a fun free worksheet for practicing addition with your little ones with a fun snowy theme.  This would be perfect with some hot chocolate and a candy cane.  If you can find mini snowflake decorations, you can also give your child some hands on practice as well.

Adding Snowflakes Worksheet

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Highlights Freebie - December Hidden Pictures



When I was a little girl I loved finding the hidden pictures in my copy of Highlights magazine.  Your kiddos can enjoy this activity with this freebie from Highlights!

Saturday, November 30, 2013

December 2013 Traceable Calendar


If you are working on writing numbers with your kiddo, you will love this adorable traceable font calendar for December 2013 from Childcareland.  Not only can you help your child practice writing their numbers, but you can count down until Christmas!  You can print out in color like show above or in black and white.

December 2013 Traceable Calendar

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Disney Frozen: Free Activity and Coloring Sheets

Are your kids as excited about Frozen as mine are?  Here are some free activities and coloring sheets to keep them occupied:

Disney Frozen Free Coloring Pages and Activities #freeprintable
Click on the following links to open up the printable and print it out.
Learn more about Disney Frozen here:
Website | Facebook | Twitter #DisneyFrozen | YouTube

Monday, November 25, 2013

Learning Color Words Turkey Style Freebie


 FREEBIE Color Word Practice Turkey Style

If your kiddos are learning how to read color words (or just need a little practice), you will love this adorable color word turkey from Kathy Griffin!

The best part? It's a freebie!

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Thanksgiving Odd and Even Color By Number Turkey FREEBIE

Turkey color by number-  sort odd-even STICKER
I just love this adorable Thanksgiving color by number page from Squarehead Teachers. It requires kids to determine if a number is in a certain number range and then if it’s odd or even. This will be perfect for your Thanksgiving lesson planning! Click here for the free printable PDF: Turkey color by number- sort odd-even   Happy Thanksgiving!

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Thanksgiving Common and Proper Nouns Freebies

If you are working on learning about proper and common nouns (or just need a bit of review) you will love these freebies from Squarehead Teachers. These worksheets focus on identifying proper and common nouns. This free worksheet is appropriate for 2nd grade and up. Click here for the first free printable PDF: Thanksgiving common vs proper nouns PDF  
 Click here for the second free PDF: Thanksgiving common vs proper nouns 2

Saturday, November 9, 2013

November Highlights Hidden Picture Freebie

[Hidden Pictures Preview]

Highlights magazine's hidden pictures are a great way to develop your child's attention to detail.  What goodies can they find in November's Thanksgiving day themed picture?

November Highlights Hidden Picture Freebie

Make it a challenge - who can spot the pictures first?

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Halloween Parts of Speech Freebie

Halloween P.O.S coloring page STICKER
Teaching parts of speech isn't what I would particularly call fun, but these adorable Halloween parts of speech printables  from Squarehead Teachers do add a bit of fun to the process! Print them out and help your kiddos practice nouns, adjectives, and more!

Halloween Parts of Speech

Monday, September 30, 2013

Free Fall Fun Mini-Mag From Highlights

Fall is a great time to carve out some time not just for pumpkins, but for family fun!  Why not grab some inspiration from the free Fall Fun Mini-Mag from Highlights and Melissa  & Doug?  The 12-page magazine features: a story page, hidden pictures, an art project, and more!

Fall Fun Mini Mag

Sunday, September 29, 2013

October Calendar Numbers and Headers - Freebie!

Can you believe September is almost over and we are heading into October?  Neither can I.  I absolutely love these adorable printable calendar pieces from homeschoolcreations.com!

October Pocket Chart Calendar Numbers and Header




Using the different colored number cards to try different pattern sequences: an ABC pattern, ABAB pattern, AABB pattern and other patterns you can make up together. Here’s an example of different patterns using the cards from September.

pattern example

The set also includes a calendar header for the month of October as well. 

October Calendar Header

 


——> Download the October Calendar Numbers HERE <——

Saturday, September 14, 2013

September Hidden Pictures From Highlights

Highlight's magazine has always been known for their fun hidden pictures puzzles that help children develop concentration and attention to detail.  I love how September's puzzle also showcases the joy of reading!

September Hidden Pictures Free Download

Sunday, September 1, 2013

Labor Day Math and Language Arts Freebie


If you are looking for a fun way to keep your kiddos busy this Labor Day, you may want to download this adorable freebie from 24/7Teacher.

This freebie includes an original Labor Day text, creativity, glyph, writing, math to include coin counting, graphing, addition, subtraction, and multiplication by 2's and 10's, counting by 5's and 10's and 100's chart fill in. The unit also includes centers for word building, sorting, homophones, prefixes and suffixes and so much more!

Labor Day Freebie


Sunday, August 25, 2013

Free Printable Cleaning Checklist

I don't know about you, but with the rapid pace of life it is often difficult to remember what I need to do!  That is why I LOVE checklists.  They keep me on track and a little bit more sane.  I absolutely love this Cleaning Checklist printable from Balancing Home.

Cleaning_Checklist

I love that you can print out the whole month on one sheet.  This is perfect for using yourself or divvying up chores amongst your family members - even better!

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Friday, July 12, 2013

Teaching Your Child About Time Management


Have you ever had those frantic arguments with your child as you are trying to leave the house because they can't find their shoes?  Or when they haven't finished school assignments or chores because they were busy doing something, anything else?  Here are a few tips and ideas to help teach your child how to better manage their time:

Organize your kids with these FREE online printouts from PBS.




I also love this great article from Teach Kids How about teaching your child to manage their time with ideas for all ages.

 

Saturday, July 6, 2013

I Can Read Free Downloadables


I am sure you have seen the I Can Read books before.  They are relatively affordable and available just about everywhere from books stores to grocery stores. They also have levels on the top to help you choose books that are at an appropriate reading level for your child.  Well, did you know that they have free downloadables available to go with the books?


Simply go to their website icanread.com to find these and other great resources!

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Claiming My Blog On Bloglovin

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Not sure if you know or not, but you can't follow with GFC, so if you want to follow me, please click the link above.  Thank you!

Monday, July 1, 2013

Books For The 4th of July

It is almost time to celebrate the birthday of our nation!  Here are some books to read to your kiddos to help them learn more about our country:





 The 4th of July Story by Alice Dalgliesh introduces young readers to all of the major players in the Declaration of Independence and how and why the document was created. It also shows how the news of this document spread and how it affected those along the way. The illustrations are beautiful and show what life was like during this amazing time in our history.











The Story of "The Star-Spangled Banner" by Patricia A. Pingry tells the story of what inspired  Francis Scott Key  during the Battle of Baltimore in 1814 to write the poem that would  later become our National Anthem. The book also explains all the ways to show respect as the song is played or sung.

We the People by Lynne Cheney teaches the history and importance of our Constitution.














  The Story of America's Birthday by Particia Pingry is suitable for toddlers on up.  It teaches about our country's birthday with beautiful illustrations and simple text.


Crankee Doodle is a humorous take on Yankee Doodle's ride to town.  It also explains what they mean by "calling it macaroni"!

Grammar Lessons and Ideas

I used Grammarly to grammar check this post, because my six kiddos keep me running more than a run-on sentence.

I don't know about you, but Grammar is not the most exciting thing to teach your kiddos!  Here are a few ideas for making it a little easier:

1. SuperTeacher Worksheets has a ton of grammar worksheets for your child to practice with.

2.Turn it into a game! Use index cards and write noun, verb, adjective, and adverb on half of them.  Write matching words on the other half.  Have your child use the cards to play a Memory type matching game or Go Fish.

3. Schoolhouse Rock videos are a fun way to introduce your child to grammar rules:

For more Schoolhouse rock videos, check here.

4. For your older kiddos, you may want to check out Daily Grammar. Daily Grammar features 440 lessons and 88 quizzes, all free!

5. Go on a Scavenger Hunt! Give your child a magazine or newspaper and have them hunt for different parts of speech.

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Some Great Math Resources From a Blog Reader

 
 
The winner of my Frito Lay Giveaway shared some great math websites, and I thought I would pass them along!
 
Kahn Academy (Excellent site for quizzes, videos, etc. my kids started using it in Kindergarten): http://www.khanacademy.org/
 
Thank you Steph!  Also thank you to mycutegraphics.com for the adorable clip art above!


Friday, June 28, 2013

July 2013 Traceable Calendar


You can print out a free traceable calendar perfect for teaching your little ones how to keep track of the days here.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Win a Frito-Lay Backyard Party Fan Pack

A package of goodies arrived at my doorstep just in time for summer festivities! With 6 active and involved boys, our backyard can seem like party central with kids (and grown-ups) coming over to jump on the trampoline, bat in the batting cage, or just coming over to hang out.  But, when they all come over, I need to make sure we have some goodies to eat.  Luckily Frito Lay brands have some amazing goodies like the ones pictured below for making your backyard party central.
 
 The barbeque dip is to die for by the way! It has real pieces of beef inside - yum!

In addition to the yummy chips and dips, their chefs have prepared some great recipes for backyard entertaining. Just click on the pictures for the yummy recipes!





Frito-Lay Flavor Kitchen Chef Jody will be sharing tips and recipes during a Facebook Fan Chat.  The chat will take place on the Frito-Lay Facebook Page on June 25 from 8 – 9 p.m. ET! They will be giving away fun prizes all night long, so don’t miss your chance to win!
 
The folks at Frito Lay have also offered to give one of my lucky readers the same pack they sent me!
 
Your Frito-Lay Backyard Party Fan Pack will include:



·         2-Piece Chip and Dip Set

·         1 bag of Tostitos® SCOOPS!® Tortilla Chips

·         1 jar of Tostitos® Chunky Salsa – Medium

·         1 bag of use RUFFLES® MAX Smokehouse Style BBQ Potato Chips

·         1 jar of RUFFLES® Ultimate Barbeque Dip

Disclosure: I was given the package above and a package to give away in order to facilitate this review and giveaway.  No other compensation was provided, and all opinions are my own.

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monsters University - Free Printables

Monsters University is in theaters today (June 21, 2013)!  Our boys are so excited to see it, but we have to wait until my hubby has a day off.   Will you be seeing it?

Before (or after) heading to the movie theater, print out these fun, free activity pages for your kids.

Monsters University Free Printables
Click on the links below to download your free printable activity sheets:








On-Line Games for Reading Practice


 Here are some fun games for helping your child to increase their reading skills:
  

Word Search

URL: abcya.com/word_search_jr.htm
Levels: Grades 1-3
Skills: Vocabulary, Spelling
Description: This is a unique spin on the classic word search puzzle. It's a good idea for the teacher to set each game up as the user is prompted to decide how the game is played (on a printable, or on the computer) and which words will be featured in each puzzle. Once the game destination is selected and the words entered, students are presented with what appears to be a random set of letters. Somewhere in that set is a word, however, and the player must find it. Finding the most words wins the game.

ABC Bingo

URL: abcya.com/kindergarten_alphabet_bingo.htm
Levels: Grades K-1
Skills: Letters, Spelling
Description: In this version of bingo, students get to choose the size of their game grids, whether they'll be asked to identify letters based on the sound they make or their name, and whether they will be working with upper or lower-case characters. After all the choices have been made, the player will hear either a letter's name or the sound it makes. S/he must then identify that letter on the game grid. If s/he correctly identifies enough letters so that a straight or diagonal line is formed across the whole game grid, the player wins.

Alphabet Action

URL: learningplanet.com/act/fl/aact/index.asp
Levels: Grades K-1
Skills: Letters, Spelling
Description: This game is terrific for early learners. The entire alphabet is laid out, with each letter serving as a clickable link. Clicking a letter will activate an animation that both says the name of the letter out loud, and displays a picture of an object whose name begins or ends with that letter.

ABC Finder

URL: learningplanet.com/act/abcorder.asp
Levels: Grades K-1
Skills: Letters, Spelling
Description: Students encounter a section of the alphabet. Flatbed train cars roll onto the screen, with two letters placed in alphabetical order. Players are asked to decide which letter, from the alphabet section below, comes next. A correct answer results in an animated celebration on the flatbed car. Ten correct answers win the game.

Missing Letter / Busy Letter

URL: meddybemps.com/MissingBusy/Index.html
Levels: Grades 1-3
Skills: Letters, Spelling
Description: One of the letters of the alphabet is missing because it is busy being used in words. Students identify the missing letter, then must identify that letter in a writing sample. Once all the letters have been correctly identified, the player wins.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Fun Games To Teach Math Concepts

Looking for some fun math related games for your kiddos?  Here are a few:



  

Percent Shopping

URL mathplayground.com/percent_shopping.html
Levels
Grades 4-6
Skills
Percentage, Multiplication, Addition, Subtraction.
Description
Description: Learn and practice real-life calculations while shopping. Add up the total cost, apply the percentage discount and calculate the amount saved.

Spiro Math Art

URL mathplayground.com/Spiromath.html
Levels
Grades K-6
Skills
Reflection, Angle, Symmetry, Spiro graph
Description
Explore angles, symmetry and art. Experiment by changing the radius of different parts, and separate them using colors to design your own Spiro graph. Predict different shapes and then try making them using only the radius knowledge.

Part Part Whole

URL mathplayground.com/PartPartWhole.html
Levels
Grades 3-6
Skills
Creating whole numbers from fractions and decimals.
Description
Test your math skills and race against the clock by aiming at the number that completes the "whole" number in the air. This game requires knowledge of addition, subtraction, decimals and fractions.

Alien Angles

URL mathplayground.com/alienangles.html
Levels
Grades 4-6
Skills
Solving estimating angles.
Description
Friendly aliens are traveling to a new space colony on Planet Geometry. Sadly, some aliens have lost their way. Students have been put in charge of the rescue mission and must set the correct angle on the rescue launcher. The computer will generate the launch angle, but the students must estimate the angle on the launcher to within 5 degrees.

Making Change

URL mathplayground.com/making_change.html
Levels
Grades 2-5
Skills
Money and making change.
Description
Harvey has been hired to work as a cashier at Perfect Pets. Sadly, he's not very good at his job. The students' task is to show Harvey how to make change. They are given the total cost of the customers' purchases and the amount the customers pay. Drag the fewest possible coins and bills to the counter to make the change.

Escape From Fraction Manor

URL
mathplayground.com/HauntedFractions/HFGameLoader.html
Levels
Grades 3-5
Skills
Solving basic math and fraction problems.
Description
Cleo the Cat has wandered into Fraction Manor, and the resident scientist, Dr. Fractionstein, sees this as an opportunity to test his new puzzles. Cleo is trapped, and students must use their fraction skills to solve the puzzles and help free her. Encounter obstacles, villains and plenty of math problems.