Spring ideas and a FREEBIE blog hop!

I am so happy to be joining my #kinderfriends for another blog hop!  This one is loaded with lots of FREEBIES for you to use this spring.  We are having a sale too!  Just search on TpT using #kinderfriends and you will find all of our special spring deals.  Make sure you read through this entire post so your grab all the freebies I have for you.

We just had our first warm week last week and I am so ready for the warm weather.  But this week is another filled with cold and rain.  Spring is here, but it may be a while before it totally kicks in.  Spring fever in my classroom has kicked in, though.  Oh my goodness, we have been working on behavior!  If you want to grab a free printable that I use in my classroom to help with spring fever, you can grab it right here: Spring Fever FREEBIE!

The kiddos are excited and I am too.  I am getting excited for the fun spring themes coming our way.  Flowers are popping up everywhere, so I made a little hands on center activity for subtraction practice.  It is FREE through March 23rd only!  Check it out...

It's a subtraction sorting activity.  Kids sort the leaves onto the flower with the answer to the problem.  My kids will have manipulatives to do the problems hands-on if they need them.  I will encourage mental math, but subtraction can be tricky for our kindergarten darlings, so here is an example of the additional support using manipuatives:

The problem on the leaf is 8-4, the child starts with 8 flower erasers on the ten frame, and then takes away 4.  She is left with 4.  Then she places the leaf on the 4 flower.  The ten frame in this photo is perfect for those little erasers that we all love to use as math manipulatives.  They are a part of a ten frame cards set I made to help with math and number talks in my classroom.  You can grab those right here: Ten Frame Number Cards 0-10

The subtraction sort activity has problems with answers 2, 3, 4, and 5.

It also has two cut and paste worksheets for students to do as homework or extra practice.  I hope this is helpful to you!  This subtraction sort is FREE until March 23rd only!  You can go  grab it right here: Spring Flower Subtraction Sort
 
Spring means active learning is more important than ever.  Subtraction is such a big math concept for kindergarten kiddos, we will need fun ways to practice for the rest of the school year.  So I made a fun little recording sheet to do subtraction bowling in your classroom.  I wanted to start with only 6 cups in the beginning because that's what my students needed.

 After making this for 6, I decided to make it for 10, 15, and 21 as well.  That way, I can differentiate for my class and my first grade friends will be able to have fun with this activity too.  I make double sided copies of this sheet and kids have them on clip boards while doing the activity.  I like to do this as a small group station.  Kids can write number sentences for every turn or just their own.  It is a fun way to practice math facts and solidify those subtraction skills.

This is another spring FREEBIE for you!  You can grab the number 10 recording sheet right here: Subtraction Bowling FREEBIE   If you want the recording sheets for all the numbers, you can grab it in my TpT store right here: Subtraction Bowling ~ Number Sentence Recording Sheets

Don't forget that we are having a Spring SALE through March 23rd.  Just search the #kinderfriends hashtag in the TpT search box at the top of the screen to grab some great things to make this your best spring ever!

Hop along to my friend Cara over at Kindergarten Boom Boom
for more FREEBIES and fun!

Thanks for stopping by!

Teachers love Tieks GIVEAWAY! Yay!

I am thrilled to team up with some great teachers to bring you this BIG giveaway today.  You can enter to win a FREE pair of Tieks! (A $200 gift card that will get you a pair)  This event runs through February 16th.

I just ordered my first pair of Tieks.  My mom gave them to me for Christmas and I am so happy to finally have a pair.  I have really tried to change my buying habits lately.  Less is more.  You get what you pay for.  I would rather have fewer choices in my closet so that everything can be high quality classics that I wear for years.  Tieks are definitely quality. 

Ok, so here is the boring part.  I got black ones.  I know... so incredibly boring and predictable.  True.  But I actually DID NOT have a pair of black flats in my current wardrobe.  Plus, I figure black ones will be easy to polish and keep looking nice for years to come. 

So, here is your chance to try a pair for yourself.  Which color will you choose?

You can enter to win those Tieks right here:


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck!
Thanks for stopping by!

 

Will you be my VALENTINE?

Valentine's Day is a fun, exciting, and sweet holiday in the classroom!  I have some ideas and a FREEBIE to help you have a great day with your kiddos.  This Love Bug bag is a quick easy project that kids can do independently.  I used Ellison die cuts in heart and circle shapes in lots of different colors.  Kids glued them onto the bag and added details with googly eyes, oil pastels, and stickers.  I buy these bags each year at my local craft store.  I consider them an investment for a smooth day at school.  They are big enough, sturdy enough, and EASY!  If it saves me time, it is usually worth the money. 

We are working on number bonds in the classroom.  When you do math on or around Valentine's Day, make it fun!  I used more heart die cuts and some washi tape to make some number bond mats for hands-on problem solving.  We used fun heart erasers too.  Here are a few ideas of ways to use them.

We are learning to use number bonds for the first time.  It is a great graphic organizer for numbers and math.  Above is how we used them with objects only to show the two parts making the whole number and visa versa.

This is a another way to use number bonds to compose/decompose numbers.

After kids have enough hands on experience with the concept, they can transfer this knowledge to the abstract using only numerals to show the relationship.  Using number bonds helps give a strong visual reference for the number concepts students are learning.   With young students, it is crucial to have the hands on along with the abstract.  Don't skip the manipulatives!  Some kids really need them to "get it".

Here are my kids using the heart number bonds to decompose 7 hands on and the partner is writing it with numerals on a dry erase number bond.  They make it one way and then trade jobs to make it another.  Kids keep switching until they have done it all 4 ways.  Yay!

Are you working on number bonds in your classroom?  You might want to check out this product - It's my Memorable Math Number Bonds, Addition, Subtraction. It's an absolute life saver in my classroom.  I made it to help my students with these big concepts and I hope it helps your students too.  Here's a peek:

This also helps make Valentine week go smoothly.  It's my Print and Go! Valentines pack.
Here's a peek:

Great books are a must have in the classroom.  These books all have affiliate links to Amazon so you can grab them for your classroom too.  Here are some of my favorites for Valentine's Day:

This book is so adorable!  My kids LOVE it and it has a sweet message about fitting in and the need to be loved unconditionally exactly how we are.

This is a fun sequel to Love Monster.  It is about being kind and generous to your friends and doing the right thing even when it's hard. 

This is a sweet story about a lovable dog who wants nothing more than to be loved by the people in her life.  She makes mistakes, though... just like kindergarten kids, but her owners love her anyway.  A good story for kids who may make mistakes now and again.

This book also addresses the idea that love is big enough to forgive every day mistakes.  My kids love the dinosaur books.  This is a sweet one.

This is an oldie but goodie!  Such a sweet simple story about collecting hearts when they rained and using them to make valentines.  There are so many fun ways to extend this story and inspire kids for creative projects and imaginative writing.

Just one more thing...

I am PROUD to teach in a public school. My school is a model for how public education should look.  The community and the school work together to make our school great.  I feel well supported and have the tools I need in my classroom.  Teachers work hard to do great things in the classroom, and parents work hard to raise money for the extra programs we want to provide to our students.

The image and hashtag above were going around on social media the day Betsy DeVos was approved as Secretary of Education.  You can see my post here on Instagram.  Many teachers were sad and frustrated by this choice.  I believe the secretary of Ed. should want to work within the system to improve it, not undermine it.  DeVos is not a supporter of public education.  She is one of a small group in our country who support ideas that would minimize public education.  This is a VERY dangerous proposition.  Just think about it...  who would benefit from an uneducated electorate?

There is a reason that most folks in our country value a free education for all children.  We need educated independent thinkers to question authority and hold those in power accountable for their actions.  Our country was founded on these values and I will speak out to preserve free education for all.

I know that many public schools are in desperate need of repair and reform.  The larger social issues that impact education are complex and will require hard work and creative solutions to overcome.  Teachers are an amazing, resilient, and talented group of professionals.  I have HOPE that we can work together  to improve public education for the future of our children and our country.

Oh my goodness!  I just had to get that out there and even though I don't want my blog or business to be political...  I just can't sit by and say nothing.  This is the one place I have a voice and an audience, so THANK YOU for reading my little rant. 

Ok, you came here to grab a freebie...
The truth is I am all about spreading the LOVE.  I hope you will be my valentine even when I feel the need to speak MY truth.  I also hope this helps you spread the LOVE in your classroom.  Just click on the image or link below to go grab your freebie:

 FREEBIE! Valentine I love you to Pieces

This is a simple printable and it makes a great independent art project for your kiddos.  The week before Valentines day, we had an emergency school closure due to a storm, and I had half my class out absent on another day.  So, I needed something quick and easy for family valentine cards!  I printed these on card stock.  Kids wrote a message to families on the back and then glued ripped construction paper inside the heart to decorate.  This idea is not new... just my take on it. 

The freebie also has two cute valentines you can use to give to your students.  Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by!
Happy teaching!