Integrating Math & Literacy-Zoo Style

I always forgot how much fun teaching "ZOO" is until I begin the unit.  Usually by this point in the year I'm tired and not motivated, but once I get into the unit it is SO MUCH FUN!

My kids are amazed at how big a grown gorilla's hand is every year....me too!  

This was our gorilla project.

 We learn about kangaroos and how far the biggest kangaroo can jump...40 feet!!!  Wow!

Inside this "pouch" is the joey and a fact.

I forgot to take a picture, but we measured 40 feet with yarn, took it to the playground and counted how many times it took us to jump 40 feet.  They loved it!

We made the little Zoo Faces below along with a fact after learning about each animal.  Yu can find patterns for these zoo faces (not the kangaroo above) in my tpt store HERE.  Someone said "crafts for dummies" and they are so right!  SO simple and quick, but they look great!!  It's an easy 30 minute activity and that includes reading a book!

The gorilla activity is in Zoo Faces part 2.

We measured 6 ft of crepe paper and glued them to our elephants.  That's about how long an elephant's trunk is.

I found these cuties last year in Target dollar spot.

We read a fact sentence and then sorted them into the little trash cans.

I like to get my kids up and moving....here this little cutie is hopping out syllables kangaroo style during literacy centers.

And, I have this pocket chart story in my tpt store...you can find the SHOO FLY packet HERE.

 I just had to include this pic....they are discussing their drawings during math...their pictures had to include something in our classroom and use math words shorter, taller, longer, etc.

 Happy Weekend friends!!  

I'm working on some freebies for you soon!  

The Table Fairy Came...

Whew! I meant to have this up Friday and link up for Five for Friday, but that didn't happen! It was my first week back and boy was I tired! I just have a few pictures for you. We made our little Farm Faces...they always turn out cute! The best part...SO easy to prep & it's a fast project if your time is limited. On another note...do messy baskets, tables, desks bother you to no end?? Well, the Table Fairy just so happened to stop by Friday afternoon after school and she found some nicely organized baskets (YAY!) and others...not so much! Ummmmmm...excuse me, but this is a MESS! Let's just say the Table Fairy was sad! This, however, made her happy...well the orange and yellow baskets... So, she left stickers and a rainbow piece for students at these nice & neat tables!! Oh, and she always leaves a trail of fairy dust on her way out! ;) Hope your weekend was great!!

Winners!!

Congratulations ladies! I've already sent your prize. Thanks everyone for entering! Yay for warm weather where I live...hoping to get some vitamin D today! Winners posted at bottom of Rafflecopter. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Flash Giveaway and Oops! Let's Try this Again...

Oops!! I'm new at the Rafflecopter giveaways and for some reason it ended before it started! Let's try this again... Enter below to win my newest pack...Tops & Bottoms Companion Pack & Other Fun Plant Ideas. Scroll to previous post to see samples of what's included in it or click on the product link and download the preview. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Plant Crafts! & Tops & Bottoms Companion Pack

Hopefully this is my last week off from school since I've been sick.  If I was at school teaching this week, here's what we would be doing!  All of the activities below plus more are in my Tops & Bottoms Companion Pack.

What Do Plants Need?  Flap Book...

 My favorite book to use when teaching my kiddos about plants is Tops & Bottoms by Janet Stevens.  

This is a little Bear Writing Craft...it's in my Tops & Bottoms Companion Pack

I love how his eyes flap open...so cute!

Hare Craft and Writing...

Fruit and Veggie People...

Feel Free to pin with a link back to this post!  

Flash Giveaway!  Follow the instructions below for your chance to win my new pack!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Egg-cellent Sale!

I'm a tad late, but you still have time to shop my sale!  Click the image above to go to my store.

I have 5 of my favorite products on sale through Sunday!

Happy Easter!

PLANTS!! Centers are Ready!

I'm on spring break and it's snowing, y'all!  But, to get in "spring mode"

I finally finished my plant centers pack!  I am SO excited about this one!  Check out the preview below to see samples of what's in the packet.  I have it on sale for 24 hours only! 

I will give this away to one lucky person for leaving a comment below!  Hurry, because I will choose a winner sometime tomorrow!  :)

 

When Life Gets You Down...

Hi Friends!  I have been absent from the world for the past week or so.  I've had some pretty scary health issues pop up that literally stopped me in my tracks.  For the first time in a week I can actually look at the computer screen without being dizzy, but not for too long yet...I won't go into a lot of details, but hopefully it's something I will be over very soon!  I hate not being able to get up and go to work & church and pretty much being waited on hand and foot...not cool!  I am, however, SO thankful for the many many blessings God continues to give me daily.  I just don't see how people live without Him.  My family changed their daily lives to make things easy on me; my parents have "adopted" Lexy, letting her spend the night every single night and getting her to and from school; my in-laws who take care of our other babies have been staying at our house, & my sweet hubby has taken time off from his "other love" baseball, so he could take care of me at nights!  God has blessed my family beyond measure and for that I am just SO thankful!  

I just wanted you all to know I haven't abandoned by e-mail, blog, or FB permanently, but just until I can get over this "stuff".  

I had some Really Fun St. Patrick's Day Centers ready and was hoping to have that up and posted for you all, BUT God had other plans.  Also, I was right in the middle of transportation centers, but wasn't able to get that finished either.  Boo!  I will get them done at some point.  Aaaannnd...I've had tons of e-mails about spring, plants, farm, & zoo...I HOPE to get to it all, but, y'all...I just don't know.  It kills me not to have it out there, but TIME!  AH! 

There!  Thanks for letting me rant...And, I couldn't NOT post a single picture with my post.  I have no school related pictures, but here is my precious baby boy at 4 months.  We did 5 month pics today so this is a *tad* old, but still so sweet!  

What are you most thankful for??

Silly Centers & Reading Conga Line

Busy, busy week for us!!  You?  

First, let me share with you my baby girl reading to my class!  Ah!  My kids loved the fact that our guest reader was the same age as they are!  She did so good...one proud mommy!

Okay, so our reading coach is so great!  She has just opened a TPT store...you should definitely go follow her HERE because she'll be adding some great things...I just know it. 

We read her little book today and did the Reading Conga Line she suggests!  

Y'all, they LOVED it!  Begged to do it over and over!  

Last, here are a few of our Silly Centers from this week.  You can check them out for yourself HERE.

We are still practicing syllables.  I had questioned on my FB page about you guys teach this because it becomes so confusing for my kids once they are able to hear individual sounds in words.  But, my friend Rebecca Stone suggested having students put their hand under their chin and each time their chin drops they count the syllables.  Whoa...this helped so much so Thank You Rebecca for sharing!  

Finally, we've been reviewing number words 0-10 with my Search & Find Number Word pages.  

Yay for you if you read all the way to the bottom.  Hope your weekend is lovely.  Hope to have my Transportation Unit uploaded before Monday.  :)