New Year's Handwriting Tracer Freebies

New Years is a great time to work on handwriting especially when you need to learn how to write a new year! Am I the only one still writing the year before way into March?

Your kiddos will love these free handwriting sheets from TeachWithMe.Com!

Download here.

Free Classic Ebooks - Treasure Island and More

If you have a Kobo or the FREE Kobo app there are a TON of awesome classic ebooks for FREE!! Just head over to the Kobo website and look for the “FREE EBOOKS” section at the top (or the FREE APPS section to download the Kobo app) Here is a list of just a few of the classics and other ebooks that I spotted:



Anne of Green Gables (3 Book set)

Star Wars Books 1-6

The Count of Monte Cristo

The Hound of the Baskervilles

On the Origin of Species (Darwin)

The Communist Manifesto

Persuasion (Jane Austen)

Peter Pan

Sense and Sensibility

Jane Eyre

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

The Return of Sherlock Holmes

Oliver Twist

Don Quixote

Emma

Frankenstein

Grimms Fairy Tales

A Christmas Carol

Aesops Fables

Beowulf

Around the World in 80 Days

The Invisible Man

The Jungle Book

The Last of the Mohicans

The Phantom of the Opera

The Prince and the Pauper

The Scarlet Pimpernel

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

A Journey to the Interior of the Earth

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

War and Peace

The Secret Garden

Pride and Prejudice

Dracula

Little Women

Anna Karenina

Three Musketeers

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Treasure Island

The Odyssey of Homer



I also spotted The Mouse and the Motorcycle and the 1st Lemony Snicket book for just $1.99 each! So head over to see what KOBO has to offer and fill up your digital library!

Doubling - A Fun Mental Math Challenge To Try With Your Kiddos

Here is a fun mental math challenge to try with your older kiddos. Set a timer for 1.5 minutes then tell your child,

"Write down the number 7


Without a calculator,  double it and write down the answer

Double that and write down the answer

Double that and write down the answer

Double that and write down the answer

Double that and write down the answer

Double that and write down the answer"

.... How far can your child get before the timer goes off?

Try it with other numbers as well.

Get Set For A Pet Hen

Get Set For A Pet Hen tells the story of a girl who gets a pet hen.  It focuses on the vowel word family -et (pet, get, set).

Washington DC

Washington DC focuses on a trip to Washington DC with lots of real world pictures and photographs. The text focuses on the sight words: from, go, and here.


Get Set Go!
Get Set Go!  tells about a little boy's trip to a Dinosaur Museum with his parents.  The text focuses on the sight words: go, see, and you.  It also focuses on the vowel word family -et (get, set).






For more free beginning readers, visit these posts:

Free Beginning Leveled Readers

Free Disney New Year's Printables

If you are looking for a way to keep your kiddos busy this New Year's you might want to try these free printables featuring everyone's favorite mouse - Mickey Mouse! Here is a fun New Year's Activity Page that features a word search and a maze.

You can also have your child make a wish list for the upcoming year with Mickeys New Year Wish List.

Highlights Hidden Pictures December Freebie

Highlights hidden pictures are a great way for your child to develop concentration and a greater attention to detail. You can download December's hidden picture for free by clicking here.

PeachSuite Hotel Supply

When you think about a great place to go for gift ideas (or items for yourself and your home) the first place you think about is probably not a hotel supply store, but you defintely should consider visiting PeachSuite Hotel Supply the next time you are in search for the perfect gift! We have found a few of our most favorite items while traveling at hotels - like the waffle maker Best Western has for most of their continental breakfasts and the matress we purchased came from the Four Seasons hotel.  We bought both of these hotel supplies online, but I love great selection that Peach Suite has - everything from alarm clocks to cleaning supplies. And those little amenity shampoos and lotions. I first discovered my favorite shampoo and a bed and body lotion from a hotel trip. 

The idea of going to a hotel amenities supplier for your shopping needs may seem a bit odd, but I know you will not be disappointed!

What favorite items have you found from your travels?

Free Beginning Readers

Here are a few more freebie beginning leveled readers, perfect for your beginning reader.

Nan the Red Hen

Nan the Red Hen is about a cute little red hen.  It focuses on the word hen, but has several sight words throughout.

A Walk in Antarctica

A Walk in Antarctica tells the story of a boy taking a walk in Antarctica.  The story introduces your child to arctic animals such as seals, whales, and penguings. The text focuses on the sight words: from, go, and here.

Ten Red Sleds

Ten Red Sleds tells the story of two sisters sledding.  The text focuses on the phonics -ed famuly (i.e. red, sled).


  For more beginning readers, check out these posts

Free Leveled Readers

Where Do Monsters Live Freebie Book for ipad

If your kiddos are anything like mine, they are constantly asking to play with your iphone or ipad.  It is easier to hand it over when you know they will be using them for educational activities, and for a limited time you can download the book Where Do Monsters Live for FREE! About the App:


Children ages 3 and up will enjoy interacting with this colorfully illustrated story through this app, which includes playful, animated monsters and fun activities that reinforce the learning process.

The Where Do Monsters Live? app is based on the award-winning Learn to Read children’s book series. Features of the reading app include the following:


•Read-along narration options with text highlighting.

•Record-and-play selections that allow children and parents to record themselves reading the story and play it back.

•Easy, swipe-friendly navigation.

•Special effects and colorful, mom-approved games, including multiple levels of matching games, mazes, and path play.

•Certificate of completion that can be personalized with a photo and emailed to parents or grandparents.

Additional popular Learn to Read titles, Cinderella Dressed in Yellow, Who Took The Cookies from the Cookie Jar?, and The Bugs Go Marching, are currently in development and will be available as apps in Spring 2013.


Get it for FREE until January 31st!



Where Do Monsters Live App

Grinch Story Problems - FREEBIE

If your kiddos are fans of the classic Dr. Seuss Christmas story, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, you will want to check out this adorable freebie from Rulin' the Roost. A fun way to combine some math practice with a great story!

Creating Family Christmas Traditions - Guest Post

One of the people I follow on Twitter, Jenn from @KeepCalmandMom offered to guest post on my blog.  I was happy to oblige!  If you enjoy her post, be sure to follow her on Twitter to see where her next posts will appear.

Christmas is the best time of the year for reinforcing family values and traditions that will be passed down by future generations. The blended family as well as the traditional family may come together during this wonderful season of giving to carry on timeless crafting and creation. There are so many opportunities for family, and friends alike, to interact in festive holiday activities.



Aside from the parties and delicacies that define the season, there are activities that everyone can participate in that will become events that all ages will look forward to. Some of these may include:


Building a gingerbread house - Wilton.com has great gingerbread house ideas, lists all the ingredients and tools needed and even gives you step by step instructions. Planning and designing, baking, cutting, assembling and decorating are just some of the tasks to be shared in creating the gingerbread house. Each year a photo can be taken of the finish project with the construction crew and used for a Christmas Card.



Wreath making – While her instructions may be a bit involved, Marthastewart.com has some of the most beautiful and unique wreath ideas out there. If you are fortunate enough to live where natural materials like vines and evergreens are readily available, it a great fun to collect these items and have everyone create there own wreath. Grape vine, wisteria and Virginia creeper are a few of the many vines that can be wound for a form. Be sure to identify the vines when they have leaves. Poison Ivy can make you itchy in the winter too.

Make Snow Globes – Kaboose.com offers a great instruction guide that’s great for the younger children. All that is needed is some glycerin, a few miniatures, available in any craft store, some glass glitter, glue and a jar. Add a little imagination and a self contained fantasy can come to life.



Put the family Christmas photo on your iPhone case – Online services like TinyPrints.com can take your family portrait, or informal fun shots, and put them on an iPhone case that you choose yourself from a vast collection of designs. Make the family Christmas photo something you can take with you all year long.



There are so many more activities to get everyone involved, creating a future yearning for the season in the hearts of all. It might be decorating and baking holiday cookies or crafting ornaments. Decorating a gourmet tree for the birds and animals each season will be fun to do, fascinating to observe and appreciated by all the fauna that can work less and eat more.



With Christmas becoming more commercialized and stressful each year, it is healthy to participate in some festive family fun as the holiday draws near. Create memories for your family that they will cherish, while instilling values that will benefit them for life.

Even More Free Beginning Leveled Readers

Gib Got It

Gib Got It is about an adorable squirrel and a raccoon who are out picking flowers.  The text focuses on number words and a few sight words such as: got, and it.

Five Bears, All In A Den


Five Bears, All In A Den tells the story of a bear family. The text focuses on number words and a few sight words such as: got, and it. Family names such as mom and dad are also featured.

Five Stops

Five Stops tells he story of two sisters ride on a school bus.  The text focuses on number words




For more beginning readers, be sure to check out these posts as well:

Free Beginning Leveled Readers

Free Printable Beginning Readers

I have found a few more beginning readers that you can print out (or read on-line) with your beginning readers.

One, Two, Three, Four, Five

One, Two, Three, Four, Five features fun photographs of real-life kids playing at the park.  It focuses on the number words as well as a few common sight words.

A Home for Flap The Cat

A Home for Flap The Cat is about two sisters and their cat, Flap. The text focuses on the number words as well as a few common sight words.


The Path to Frog's New Home

The Path to Frog's New Home tells the story of a frog looking for a new home. The text focuses on the number words as well as a few common sight words.



For more beginning readers visit this post.

Disney's Epic Mickey 2:The Power of Two Video game review

You could have heard the screams from miles away when we told my boys that we were selected to review Disney's new video game, Epic Mickey 2: The Power of 2. They already loved the first game, so they were excited to try out the sequel. I am by no means a gamer myself, but the boys in my household (hubby included) definitely are.  The boys were jumping up and down begging me to let them play the game already while I snapped this shot of the cover.

Epic Mickey 2 The Power of Two returns the gamer to the Wasteland which is an imaginary world

 based on classic Magic Kingdom attractions like Frontierland and Adventureland. After the Wasteland is torn up by earthquakes, Mickey is summoned to help restore it — and find out what caused the disaster.  Mickey has a magical paint brush at his disposal that can shoot paint or thinner. 

In the second game, Mickey is joined by Oswald the rabbit as he battles to save the Wasteland.  From what my boys tell me (and my observations) - a second player can control Oswald.  If you choose to play alone, the computer will automatically control Oswald.

All six of my boys (ages 6 to 19) were enthralled with the game for hours.

And so was my biggest kid (AKA the hubster)!

While I am not a video game fan, I am definitely a Disney fan, and I really enjoyed watching the boys play.  There is a storyline, Disney characters, references to the Amusment Parks, and great music.  A lot like watching a Disney movie.

One thing that I really loved about the game as a mom is that it really fosters cooperation.  Players have to work together to accomplish things in the game - and that is a skill that any siblings can definitely work on!

If this is not on your shopping list for your favorite gamers for Christmas, it definitely should be!

Epic Mickey 2 The Power of 2 is available on XBox 360, PS3, and Nintendo Wii to satisy any gamer preference.

 


Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Disney's Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two the video game. I received a copy of the game and additional compensation in order to facilitate the review, but all opinions are mine.

More Free Beginning Leveled Readers

When you have a beginning reader, it is sometimes difficult to find reading material that fits their independent reading level.  Here are a few free beginning leveled readers:

A Rainy Day

A Rainy Day tells the story of two adorable puppies who are sad about the fact that it is raining.  The text focuses on the sight words: look, see, and is.

A Pig's Life

A Pig's Life focuses on the sight words: are, do, and that.  The story accounts a day in the life of a pig with fun examples and illustrations.

A Musical Adventure

A Musical Adventure tells the story of a few friends who make music with items from their house.  The text focuses on the sight words: can, you, and we.  It also focuses on the phonic -ap family (i.e. tap, rap, etc,)

For more beginning readers check out this post as well.

Lock Up Your Love With Master Love Lock

I first heard about love locks on bridges on an episode of Shannen Says. The show followed her and her fiancee as they traveled to Prague and locked up their love with a padlock on the bridge.  I must say that I thought it was quite romantic, and I had an urge to travel with my hubby to "lock up our love". 

Luckily for out bank account, we might not have to travel all the way to Europe to participate in this amazing tradition.  Master Lock is launching www.MasterLoveLock.com, a site that invites visitors to lock up their love—virtually securing their bond to each other and simultaneously generating donations for the American Heart Association.


“Padlocks have been recognized as symbols of strength and security for decades, which makes the love locks tradition such a heartfelt gesture,” said Rebecca Smith vice president, marketing, for Master Lock. “With the launch of www.MasterLoveLock.com and our commitment to the American Heart Association, supporters can make their own declaration of affection and in doing so, show others a little love by increasing our donation to a good cause.”

Master Lock is donating an initial $10,000 to the American Heart Association and will donate an additional dollar for every love lock created and sent through the new site (up to $5,000) beginning October 19 through December 31, 2012.

Sweethearts, family members and friends can head to www.MasterLoveLock.com and virtually lock up their affection for loved ones or memorialize loved ones on various iconic bridges throughout the world in four easy steps - no travel required. Visitors select a lock, choose a bridge to secure their lock to, and upload a private photo and personal message for their loved one. To officially lock-up their love, the customized “love lock invitation” is sent to the recipient via email. If your love lock is honoring someone lost, send the invitation to yourself for acceptance. Once the invitation is accepted, the love lock and message are posted on the site’s public gallery, securing this symbol of endearment forever.

For more information or to send a virtual love lock, please visit www.MasterLoveLock.com or Master Lock’s website at www.masterlock.com. You can also download an App by visiting your App Market. For more information about the American Heart Association, please visit http://www.heart.org/.   Who would you lock your love with?

Free Beginning Leveled Reader

If you have a beginning reader at your house, you may want to check out these free leveled readers. Hap is Hot focuses on the beginning consonant H.  It also features sight words such as: is, can, and are.

Hap is Hot

Hob Can Hit also focuses on the beginning consonant H. It also features sight words such as can, see, and is.

Hob Can Hit

Fish Can Swim focuses on the sight words: are, do, and that as it tells a few facts about fish.

Fish Can Swim

Thanksgiving Mad Libs Freebie

I absolutely LOVED Mad Libs when I was a kid, and I am happy to say that my kids love them too. I think it is a great way to sneak in some grammar skills while having some fun.  I love this Thanksgiving Mad Libs freebie from My Sister's Suitcase ! I think it will be a great activity for the boys to do while we are waiting to eat our yummy feast on Thanksgiving.  I bet it would be a great activity in your house as well!

Thanksgiving Mad Libs

Mayflower Addition Game

Here is a fun Mayflower Addition Game to help your kiddos reinforce their math fact speed.  Simply add some dice and crayons and you are ready for a fun review!

Mayflower Addition Game

Thanksgiving ABC Order Freebie

I found an adorable alphabetizing activity with a Thanksgiving theme for you to use with your kiddos this week!  This freebie is a color, cut, and paste activity that includes a Thanksgiving theme where students place Thanksgiving words in ABC order.


Thanksgiving ABC Order

Free Counting Coin Worksheets

If your kiddos are working on counting money, you will want to check out these free counting coins worksheets from Math Coach's Corner.

I also love that she gives ideas for teaching about counting money such as making sure that your child knows that amounts of money can have several different representations and making pictures to represent coins.  She recommends having the child write P,N, D, and Q for penny, nickel, dime, and quarter.  I have had my kiddos do this, but I have them write the amounts instead.
Counting Coins Worksheet

Fun Alien Writing Prompt

Here is a fun writing prompt for your kiddos:

Write a story about a young space alien who is separated from the mother ship when he wanders off in search of earthling friends.



What does he do?

Who does he meet?

How does he feel about being away from his family?

How does he adjust?

History of Native Americans

Thanksgiving is a great time to learn more about Native American cultures and their history.  You might want to check out this short video from National Geographic Kids that will teach your child a little bit about Native American History in the United States and Canada.

Native American History video

Hide Turkey Hide! A Free Emergent Reader

I am so in love with this adorable emergent reader from Kinder Kapers! Your child can learn about positional words (under, over, in, etc). while reading about Thanksgiving traditions with this fun emergent reader.  It is adorable and best of all FREE!

Hide Turkey Hide

Pumpkin Mini-Unit

To me, nothing means Fall more than the good old pumpkin!  From Halloween to tasty Thanksgiving treats - the pumpkin is definately the symbol of the season!  You can incorporate pumpkins into your lessons with this great mini pumpkin theme that includes: poetry, science, math, language arts, vocabulary, art projects, and yummy recipes!

Mini-pumpkin unit

October 6 is Star Wars Reads Day

If you have little Jedi fans roaming your house, they might want to hear about Star Wars Reads Day on October 6! 1,250 bookstores and libraries in all 50 states will spend the day celebrating Star Wars and reading. There will be exclusive giveaways, raffles, costume contests, and more!

Visit starwars.com/reads to find an event near you!

And be sure to "Like" Star Wars Reads on Facebook

Not able to attend an event? Don't let that stop you - you can download a Star Wars Reads Activity Kit and have an event of your own with games, crafts and even some Yoda Soda!

Bedtime Math

I just found this great website called Bedtime Math that features a new math problem every day!  I really love that each problem comes with it's own background information and three levels of problems.  For example, last night's problem was about the Full Moon yesterday.  They provided information about how often full moons occur on Earth, along with information about the moons on other planets.

They then gave three levels of math problems related to the full moon for Wee ones (counting on fingers

), Little kids, and big kids. And the best part, it is FREE!

Head on over to sign up and make bedtime mathtime!

2013 Traceable Calendars

Free printable monthly calendar pages  that have traceable numbers.

2013January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

Read, Give, and Share with We Give Books

I just found an amazing free resource and I wanted to pass it on to all of you. We Give Books is a free online library of children’s books that enables your kids to help other children around the world while they’re reading. Whenever you read a book at www.wegivebooks.org, they donate a book to a child who doesn’t have one, and it doesn’t cost you a thing. Their tagline says it all, “combining the joy of reading with the power of giving.” It’s the perfect tool for parents, teachers, caregivers, and anyone who loves children’s books!



When you go to www.wegivebooks.org, you’ll be able to read a special selection of books without a We Give Books account, but you have to sign up to access their full library. It’s definitely worth it, though. It’s just a quick form, and once you’re signed up, you’ll have access to over 150 quality children’s books! There are a lot of familiar classic titles, and even more new ones for us to discover. You can sort the books by age level, genre, author, and seasonal selections in the “editor’s pick” section, so everyone can find something they like.


On the Causes page you can learn more about where your donated books are going. This fall, We Give Books is focusing on early childhood literacy across the United States and supporting great causes like Jumpstart for young children. In the winter, you’ll be able to read to support global literacy and give books to non-profits like Room to Read. They also give you the option to donate to help your book donations reach even more children.


We Give Books is a program of the Pearson Foundation and Penguin Group. Penguin works with its authors to provide an outstanding selection of online books while the Pearson Foundation donates print books to charity partners. We Give Books is a great way to get your children excited about reading and to teach them about the importance of helping others.

International Talk Like a Pirate Day Lesson Plan Ideas

Did you know that September 19th is International Speak Like a Pirate Day?  Here are a few ideas to help your little mateys celebrate the day!

How I Became A Pirate is a great read! 



Here are a few questions to ask your child:

Would you want to be a pirate? Why or why not?   Does Jeremy Jacob seem afraid of the pirates? Would you be afraid? Describe some of the pirates Jeremy Jacob meets. What soccer team is Jeremy on? What things make Jeremy not want to be a pirate?      After reading, have your child complete the activities to go along with it in this packet.    Here are some great writing activities to go along with the book as well.

Out of This World Similes

I love this adorable simile packet from The Peanut Gallery! Not only is it cute, but it contains tons of activities to teach your child about similes. 

The pages included are:

1. Simile Definition Poster
2. I Sense a Simile- student activity and sample
3. It Came From Planet Simile- simile/art activity (includes three different versions to suit grade/ability level)
4. Simile, Sweet Simile- identifying similes
5. Simile Haiku Poetry- writing haiku
6. Strange Similes- correcting mixed-up similes
7. Simile Scrambles- two different versions included

UnReal Candy Review

Bad parent confession alert!  I feed my kids candy. (Don't judge) Well, not all the time, but probably a little too often.  I have an incredible sweet tooth - and I tend to eat sugary goodies whenever I feel even the slightest bit stressed, so it is also hard for me to tell my kids they can't eat candies when they see mom munching away on some.

That is why I was excited to hear about the new Unreal Candy which are similar to many of the candies we all love eating, but without the junk - no artificial sweeteners, no corn syrup, no preservatives.

I must admit, I was also a little nervous about it because most of the candies that are good for you - well, they just don't taste as good as the real thing.  Let's be honest, they just don't taste good at all.


I tried the Unreal 41 first and I have to say any fears of it not tasting good were completely eliminated!  Yummy!  They don't taste exactly like M&Ms - but instead have a bit of a darker chocolate taste.  They are made with milk chocolate, but it is a richer taste.  They are also surprisingly filling, so I wasn't able to eat the whole bag in one sitting which was nice because it saves me calories and money!  And the kids could actually share a bag.  What a concept!

The kids loved them too - so I am happy to say that I can feel better about being a parent because I now have a healthier option to give them a sweet treat!



Disclosure: I was provided with samples to facilitate this review as a BZZAgent

The Quietest Pencil Sharpener Ever!

I have a few pet peeves in life - you know those scratching on the chalkboard type things? One of my biggest ones is the sound of a pencil sharpener!  I don't know why, but I hate that sound! When I was asked to do a review on the Quietest Classroom Pencil Sharpener, I wasn't 100% convinced, but I was willing to give it a try!  It was invented by a classroom teacher who must also have the same pet peeve as I do.

Well, let me tell you, it absolutely passed the test - it is very quiet and FAST!  I also love that you can move it around as well, it attaches to a table or shelf so you don't have to permanently attach it to a wall. It is very well made and durable, which has been another one of my pet peeves,.  it is so hard to find pencil sharpeners that don't fall apart after a few uses.  It has been very kid proof and is holding up like new!

Definitely worth the money!  You can order one from Classroom Friendly Supplies, but you have to act fast as they sell out quickly!

Free Phonics Lessons

If you are working on reading skills with your child, and want a free phonics program, you will want to check out Free Phonics Lessons.  The site features over 60 free phonics lessons at a variety of levels with printables, reading lists and more.

September Highlights Hidden Pictures

Highlights Hidden Pictures are always a great go to when the kids start to whine about nothing to do!  You can download Septembers Hidden Pictures here for some extra fun.

The Itsy Bitsy Spider Video and Math Freebie!

Here is an adorable video version of the Itsy Bitsy Spider for your little ones to enjoy:

When they finish watching, print out this fun spider and fly number matching game to play!

Become A Tax Preparer

In my former life, I worked as an accountant in a CPA firm.  My job was primarily as a tax preparer and I really enjoyed it.  I wish that I had known about Fast Forward Academy back then, particularly when I was preparing for my CPA exam and other tax courses.

Tax preparer jobs are a great way to either make a full-time living, or add some extra part-time income to your budget. I am still often asked to prepare several tax returns during tax season, even though it is no longer my primary job.  It is always nice to earn a few hundred dollars per return (especially right after the Christmas Season).

If you are interested in making some extra money this upcoming tax season, or are looking for a career change, you should definitely check out the many resources available from Fast Forward Academy!

Long Vowel E Lesson Plan

Tell your child, "We are going to work with some long-vowel e patterns. The way we’ll do it is we’ll learn a set of clue words, and we’ll use those words to read other words. Your clue words today are eat, bee, and thief. (Write underlined words on a board or print them out on cards). They all use patterns to spell the long e. In the word eat, the letters ea represent the long e. In the word bee, the letters ee represent the long e.In the word  thief, the letters ie represent the long e."

Say: "I am going to show you a new word. I want you to point to the clue word with the same pattern and then say

“I know                                    . This must be                                                   .”

Show your child various words with these patterns, either written on the board or on index cards.  Have your child practice reading them several times.

Then have your child read the Bee and The Flea which you can print out for free here.

 

Watch a Butterfly as it is born! Plus a freebie!

Here is a great time-lapse video of a butterfly as it is born.

After your child has watched it, they can complete this fun life cycle of a butterfly craft.