I wrote this simple book for children who were learning numbers and letters. Here’s how to use the book: During the first reading, read the story to the children. Point to the words as you read them and ask the children to do the same. After reading each page ask, "How many letter stickers do we need?" Help the children place the appropriate amount of letter sticker(s) on each page. During the second reading, ask the children to read the story with you. Ask the children to reread the story to as many people as he/she can: friends, family, the cat, etc. I used clip art, a binding machine, a computer, and letter sticker(s) to write my book, and then I made a copy for each child. Feel free to tweak the story as you wish. I’m a teacher, so I know that most educators are great teacher tweakers. Best of luck! (Cover) Ten Letters on my Toes (Page One) One letter on my nose. (Page Two) Two letters on my glasses. (Page Three) Three letters on my head. (Page Four) Four letters in my hair. (Page Five) Five letters on my hand. (Page Six) Six letters on my leg. (Page Seven) Seven letters on my teeth. (Page Eight) Eight letters on my tongue. (Page Nine) Nine letters on my feet. (Page Ten) Ten letters on my toes. Related posts:Top Ten Things to do with Tactile Letters Here are some ways to use tactile letters to teach...Top Ten Things to Remember When Teaching Letters (parents) Children need to know: the name of each letter,...Stickers and Story Starter Webs Usually l let children choose the setting, characters, and...The Standing-in-Line Game It seems like my first graders and I were always...Favorite First-Grade Letter Song When I was a first-grade teacher, I started each day,...First-Day-of-School Story On the first day of school, I would tell each...Halloween Theme Unit My son will be making a Halloween book for his...Body Letters (ages 4-10) Tired of hearing how bored your children are in the...Pipe Cleaner Letters (ages 4-10) Here's what you'll need: Pipe cleaners (in a variety of...Jump on Letters! (ages 3-6) Here's what you'll need: Colored chalk A sidewalk or driveway...

I made a "Feed the Frog" game to teach children the basic sight words, which make up about 1/3 of all printed material. These words are: a, and, are, as, at, be, for, have, he, his, I, in, is, it, of, on, one, that, the, they, this, to, was, with, & you. Here’s how I made the frog: I drew (or to be honest, my husband drew) a frog on green foam sheet and cut him out. I also cut out the frog’s mouth. I took a piece of red foam sheet and cut it so that the rectangle fitted on the back of the frog. I cut out squares on all four corners of the rectangle and folded them up to form a box. I hot-glued halfway up the corner edges to secure the corners. I bent over the remaining sides to form a "lip" for the outer edges. (It kind of looks like a cake pan.) I hot-glued the red "cake pan" to the back of the frog and trimmed the "lip" where it wasn’t attached to the frog. Here’s how I made the bugs: I found a clip-art bug that I liked. Using a computer drawing program, I put each basic sight word on a separate bug so that I had 25 bugs. I printed out the bugs on sheets of paper and laminated the sheets. I cut out each bug by hand. (Yes, it was a bit of a pain, but when I saw how much fun my kids had with them, it was worth it!) There are many ways to use this game. My children would pick a bug out of a bag (see image below), say the word, and "feed the frog" the word. If the child did not know the word, another child or an adult could help, or the child could put the word back into the bag until help was available. It was a lot of fun to watch children play this game. I would pair them up: one child who was struggling with the words, and another who knew all of the words. These teams knew my rules well and knew that they were never allowed to criticize each other. If their partner did not know a word, they would be a team helper and tell the struggling child the word. Some children made "ribbit" sounds as the frog ate, or made the frog burp after it ate all the bugs. I was okay with that because I knew if the frog was full, the children’s minds were growing and filling up also (burp!). Related posts:The Standing-in-Line Game It seems like my first graders and I were always...Top Ten Things to Remember When Teaching Letters (parents) Children need to know: the name of each letter,..."Love" is Hard to Spell (ages 4-8) Children are full of love, but the word "love" is...October Diamante Poem Diamante poems are fun for children to write, especially in...Spelling Test Idea plus Fun Spelling Web Sites Are your children frustrated with trying to memorize their spelling...Hunting for Rhyming Words (ages 3-10) Fall is a great time to read about farms—or visit...First-Day-of-School Story On the first day of school, I would tell each..."This is How My Brain Grew Today" I created a binder for our son Will after my...October Diamante Poems Here's what you'll need: Paper Pencil Here's what you do:...Apple Theme Unit Here are a few ideas for an apple theme unit....

Here are some more story starters…. Write a letter to yourself to be read 10 years from now. Write about your best/worst day ever. Make a poster about yourself. Describe the best present you ever received. Make a list of things seen, heard, and felt at a particular place. Draw a picture of your family and write about them. Create a list of things that make you smile. Create a recipe for a new dish. Write a story about a place you’ve never been. Write a story about your toys coming to life. Make a thank you card for someone who has been nice to you. Write a story about a person you know. Make a list of your best qualities. Make a poster on how to protect the earth. Write a story about each of the four seasons. Write a story about one of the planets. Make a list of things you do well. Write about something that scared you. Write a story about your favorite animal. Write a different ending to a book you’ve read. Draw a main character and write three words that describe him/her. Make a list of things for which you are thankful. Make a list of your favorite things. Write a story of what you would do if you were the president. Write how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Here are some tips to improve your child’s writing ideas: Use words that involve the five senses, such as "gurgle" for sound, "slippery" for touch, "cloudy" for sight, "musty" for smell, or "peppery" for taste. Delete words that are overused, such as "very", "and", "every", "good", "lots", "got", "then", "fun", "nice", and "said". Use similes, which are direct comparisons utilizing the word "like" or "as". For example: "He was as busy as a bee." and "She growled like a bear." Use metaphors, which are comparisons that substitute an object or idea for another. For example: "All the world’s a stage." Use personifications, which bestow traits upon objects or ideas. For example: "The thunder grabbed my attention." Related posts:November Creative Writing Ideas Here are some creative writing ideas that have worked with...Miscellaneous Story Starters Here are some ideas for helping children write stories: The...October Story Starters I hope the following October story starters (see worksheet example)...Bone-Chilling Halloween Story Starters Here are some starting words for helping children write Halloween..."Wanted"…Someone is Stealing all of the Pumpkins! This is a fun activity because you never know what...Bone-Chilling Halloween Story Starters Here are some starting words for helping children write Halloween...October Story Starters I hope the following October story starters (see worksheet example)...Stickers and Story Starter Webs Usually l let children choose the setting, characters, and...Writing About Bats Here are some ideas of writing activities about bats: Write...Writing About Bats Here's what you'll need: Paper Pencil Here's what you do:...

Here are some types of journals for children to write: Daily journal: Write down what happened that day. Food journal: Write down everything you ate during the day. Homework journal: Write down all homework assignments and keep track of each completed assignment by placing a check mark next to it. Progress journal: Write down the things that you want to improve about yourself, such as healthy lifestyle choices, sports, and grades. Creative writing journal: Write down whatever you want to write about. You can clip interesting articles and pictures to keep in your journal. Write down whatever comes to mind. Many times ideas that don’t seem to go anywhere now will inspire you later! Spending journal: Write down everything you buy and how much each costs. (I know…ouch!) Clothes journal: Write down everything you have in your closet, what you need to buy and what you need to donate or sell. TV journal: Write down everything you watch on TV. Related posts:A Spring Journal (ages 3-adult) Here's what you'll need: Notebook or journal Pencil Here's what...Story Starters and Writing Tips Here are some more story starters.... Write a letter to...Writing About Bats Here are some ideas of writing activities about bats: Write...November Creative Writing Ideas Here are some creative writing ideas that have worked with...Writing About Bats Here's what you'll need: Paper Pencil Here's what you do:...October Story Starters I hope the following October story starters (see worksheet example)...Books to Make with Children November includes many special days, including "Children's Book Week". There...Different Types of Weather (ages 4-8) Spring is full of different kinds of weather. Make a...My Favorite Homework Excuse Ever My nine-year-old niece is a huge environmentalist and she recycles....Miscellaneous Story Starters Here are some ideas for helping children write stories: The...

On the 11th month, the 11th day, at the 11th hour, take a moment and stop for two minutes to remember those who served. My son and I are going to make a newspaper about Veterans Day on a sheets of rectangular cardstock paper. We will look through current newspapers to get ideas for format, headlines, topics, pictures, etc. We will also use ideas and newspaper templates (see below) to make our newspaper look neat and professional. The following Web sites will give us information for our newspaper: VA Kids, K-5th (for children kindergarten through 5th grade; also contains games!) Wikipedia: Veterans Day Kids’ Turn Central: Remembering Those Who Served (facts for children) DLTK’s Holiday Activities for Kids: Remembrance Day or Veterans Day Activities (crafts, games, printables, and more about Veterans Day) Apples4theteacher.com: Veterans Day Activities (The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, poetry, word search, and reading suggestions) Department of Veterans Affairs: Celebrating America’s Freedoms Military.com: Ways to Celebrate Veteran’s Day with Your Children Blackwell’s Best: Veterans Day / Memorial Day (tons of information!) Kids Konnect: Veterans Day (lots of great facts and much more for children!!!!!) Wikipedia: In Flanders Fields (poem written by John McCrae in 1915) Web sites with how to write a newspaper paper (for kids), newspaper article template, and an example of a student newspaper: Bedfordshire Libraries: How to write a newspaper article Spencerville Adventist Academy: The Point newspaper (PDF file) Related posts:Writing About Bats Here are some ideas of writing activities about bats: Write...Books to Make with Children November includes many special days, including "Children's Book Week". There...Columbus Day Unit Outline (October 13) I'm having my son write a book on Christopher Columbus...Spider Activity and Web Sites An acrostic is a poem in which the first letter...Pilgrim Peek-Over Book My son is going to write a story about what...Pumpkin Theme Unit My son is going to make a pumpkin-shaped book with...Halloween Theme Unit My son will be making a Halloween book for his...Child-Made Pumpkin Fact Books The purpose of child-made pumpkin fact books is for your...Writing About Bats Here's what you'll need: Paper Pencil Here's what you do:...October Diamante Poem Diamante poems are fun for children to write, especially in...

My son is going to make his own encyclopedia of explorers. Before he begins, he is going to look at real encyclopedias and read the definition of an encyclopedia. For each explorer, he will print out interesting facts along with their picture and write a summary. The following explorers are going to be in our encyclopedia: Wikipedia: Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr. Wikipedia: Neil A. Armstrong Wikipedia: Lucas Vasquez de Ayllón Wikipedia: William Baffin Wikipedia: Vasco Núñez de Balboa Wikipedia: Robert Bartlett Wikipedia: Charles William Beebe Wikipedia: Vitus Bering Wikipedia: Daniel Boone Wikipedia: James Bowie Wikipedia: James Bridger Wikipedia: James Bruce Wikipedia: Robert O’Hara Burke Wikipedia: Sir Richard Francis Burton Wikipedia: Richard E. Byrd Wikipedia: John Cabot Wikipedia: Pedro Álvares Cabral San Diego Historical Society: Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo Wikipedia: René Auguste Caillié Wikipedia: Kit Carson Wikipedia: Jacques Cartier Wikipedia: Samuel de Champlain Wikipedia: Hugh Clapperton Wikipedia: Christopher Columbus (In 1492 Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue) Wikipedia: James Cook Wikipedia: Francisco Vázquez de Coronado Wikipedia: Hernán Cortés Wikipedia: Jacques-Yves Cousteau Wikipedia: William Dampier Enchanted Learning: Hernando de Soto Wikipedia: Bartholomeu Dias Wikipedia: Sir Francis Drake HighBeam Encyclopedia: Daniel Greysolon Duluth, sieur Wikipedia: Leif Ericson Wikipedia: Edward John Eyre Wikipedia: Sir John Franklin Wikipedia: John C. Frémont Wikipedia: Sir Martin Frobisher Wikipedia: Yuri Gagarin Wikipedia: Vasco da Gama Wikipedia: Louis Hennepin Wikipedia: Sir Edmund Hillary Wikipedia: Henry Hudson Wikipedia: Louis Jolliet Wikipedia: Sieur de La Salle Wikipedia: Alexey Leonov Wikipedia: Meriwether Lewis and William Clark Wikipedia: David Livingstone Wikipedia: James A. Lovell, Jr. Wikipedia: Ferdinand Magellan Wikipedia: Jacques Marquette Zegrahm & Eco Expeditions: Shirley Metz BBC News: Victoria Murden Wikipedia: Tenzing Norgay Wikipedia: Mungo Park Wikipedia: Robert E. Peary Wikipedia: Zebulon Pike Wikipedia: Francisco Pizarro Wikipedia: John Wesley Powell Wikipedia: Sir Walter Raleigh Wikipedia: Robert Falcon Scott Wikipedia: Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton Wikipedia: Jedediah Strong Smith Wikipedia: Hernando de Soto Wikipedia: John Hanning Speke Wikipedia: Sir Henry Morton Stanley Wikipedia: John McDouall Stuart Wikipedia: Charles Sturt Wikipedia: Abel Janszoon Tasman Wikipedia: David Thompson Wikipedia: Henri de Tonti Wikipedia: Giovanni da Verrazzano Wikipedia: Amerigo Vespucci Wikipedia: Peter Egerton Warburton Wikipedia: Charles Wilkes Wikipedia: William John Wills Related posts:Columbus Day Unit Outline (October 13) I'm having my son write a book on Christopher Columbus...Political Election Theme Outline Below is a rough outline I am using to teach...2008-10-22 (Wednesday) Daily Warm-up: BrainPOP This is my son's favorite "movie" Web...

This is a very simple book for a child to make. Just type the phrases below (one per page) and print them out. Ask your child to fill in the blanks and do what he/she wrote on the page. Take pictures of your child being productive, or ask your child to draw a picture. Cover: Things to do Instead of Watching TV Arrange _________ Befriend _________ Count _________ Dance to _________ Enjoy _________ Figure out how to _________ Give _________ Have a _________ Imagine _________ Jump for joy because _________ Keep a journal of _________ Listen to _________ Make a _________ Narrate _________ Observe _________ Play _________ Question things that _________ Read _________ Sing a _________ Take a walk _________ Use _________ Visit _________ Write a _________ X out negative _________ Yearn to _________ Zip up your jacket and _________ Related posts:Types of Journal Writing Here are some types of journals for children to write:...October Story Starters I hope the following October story starters (see worksheet example)...Favorite First-Grade Letter Song When I was a first-grade teacher, I started each day,...My Favorite Fall Sweater Here's a writing activity for autumn (see sample worksheet): Ask..."How Spiders Make Webs" Pop-up Book I asked my son to make a "How to" book...Pilgrim Peek-Over Book My son is going to write a story about what...October Story Starters I hope the following October story starters (see worksheet example)...A Spring Journal (ages 3-adult) Here's what you'll need: Notebook or journal Pencil Here's what...Descriptive Jacket (ages 5-8) Here's what you'll need: One sheet of construction paper (any...Halloween Theme Unit My son will be making a Halloween book for his...

My son is going to write a story about what life was like for Pilgrim children. I decided to make the cover of the book a "Pilgrim Peek-Over". Here’s how I made the cover: I found a Pilgrim face from my files that I liked and copied it to the size I needed. I added googly eyes and glitter paint and let dry. (You don’t have to do this step, but glittery tactile things make me giddy.) I folded a piece of black cardstock paper in half and glued the Pilgrim face to the top of the folded side of the black paper. I cut writing paper in half for my son to write his story on. I stapled the story to the inside of the Pilgrim’s "body". My son is going to use the following Web sites to help him learn about what life was like for Pilgrim children: Aurora (IL) University (Mrs. Garcia’s First Grade Class): What were kids like in 1620? (PDF file) Newton (KS) Public Schools: Fun Facts about Pilgrim Children Scholastic: Pilgrim Children Name Game WikiAnswers: What chores did Pilgrim children have to do? Teaching K-8: Poem - Pilgrim Children Related posts:Pilgrims, The Mayflower, and the First Thanksgiving These are great Web sites about Pilgrims, the Mayflower, and...My Son’s Spider Book Cover Here is a picture of the book cover I made...Apple Theme Unit Here are a few ideas for an apple theme unit...."How Spiders Make Webs" Pop-up Book I asked my son to make a "How to" book...Silly Spider Counting Book I made this book years ago when my son was...November Creative Writing Ideas Here are some creative writing ideas that have worked with..."Love" is Hard to Spell (ages 4-8) Children are full of love, but the word "love" is...Batty for Bats! (Bats Theme Unit) Batty About Bats Cover My son is going to make...Spider Activity and Web Sites An acrostic is a poem in which the first letter...Books to Make with Children November includes many special days, including "Children's Book Week". There...

I am blogging about this topic because I want our family to have a great jack-o-lantern this year. With the economy in the dump and such, I wanted to bring a little cheer into our family’s lives. May this blog help you and yours too! Happy carving!! Suite101.com: How to Carve a Pumpkin (This site also explains how to pick out a pumpkin.) wikiHow: How to Carve a Pumpkin (Scroll down the page for cool ideas, recipes, and other neat tricks!) FabulousLiving.com: Free Jack O’ Lantern and Pumpkin Carving Patterns FamilyFun.com: Halloween Pumpkin Carving Ideas pumpkinNook: Pumpkin Carving - Make your Halloween Pumpkin Glow! HowStuffWorks: How to Carve a Pumpkin BackyardGardener.com: Carving Pumpkins for Halloween DLTK’s Holiday Activities for Kids: Pumpkin Carving Patterns ExtremePumpkins.com: Pumpkin Carving Ideas chicagotribune.com: 25 inspirational pumpkin carvings Microsoft Home Magazine: Carve a Creative Halloween Pumpkin The Fun Times Guide: The Best Pumpkin Carving Tips You’ve Ever Seen PumpkinGlow.com: UN-Halloween Pumpkin Patterns Celebrating-Halloween.com TagYerit: Painted Pumpkins (Great ideas for painting pumpkins!) Dogpile: Search Results for Painted Pumpkin Ideas TheCuteKid.com: Fun Pumpkin Decorating Ideas (Other ideas to decorate pumpkins.) Related posts:Pumpkin Theme Unit My son is going to make a pumpkin-shaped book with...Child-Made Pumpkin Fact Books The purpose of child-made pumpkin fact books is for your...Child-Made Pumpkin Fact Books The purpose of child-made pumpkin fact books is for your..."Wanted"…Someone is Stealing all of the Pumpkins! This is a fun activity because you never know what...Bone-Chilling Halloween Story Starters Here are some starting words for helping children write Halloween...Bone-Chilling Halloween Story Starters Here are some starting words for helping children write Halloween...October Story Starters I hope the following October story starters (see worksheet example)...November Creative Writing Ideas Here are some creative writing ideas that have worked with...October Story Starters I hope the following October story starters (see worksheet example)...Thanksgiving Crafts and Fun Ideas Here some Web sites with Thanksgiving crafts, coloring pages, games...

Here are some creative writing ideas that have worked with my kids in the past. Have fun reading the different stories that you will certainly get from young minds! Here is a front cover and dedication page that some of my students have used in past November stories: Make a list of goals that you would like to accomplish in November. Write a persuasive letter that begins, "Dear___: May I have a turkey for a pet?" Picture of pet turkey: Nov. 4th is Election Day. Review what you have studied about the election and ask the children to write, "It is important to vote because…" or have them write a "Vote" poem: Write a story about a Thanksgiving when all the turkeys went on strike. Make a list of your favorite things about November. Make a list of other words that start like November. "The tattletale turkey told the teacher…" If you were a Pilgrim, what would you have packed to go on the Mayflower? "It was important for the Pilgrims and Native Americans to live in harmony because…" Write a story about a character who gets a cold on Thanksgiving. Tell about a time when someone was thankful for something you did. "I love my family because…" Write a story about the laziest turkey in the world. Make a list of the people who you will be sharing Thanksgiving with. Then write a short note to each person about why you are thankful for him/her. "On a cold night I like to…" The Indians discovered popcorn. They placed ears of corn in the fire and caught hot kernels as they popped out of the fire. Write a "How To" paragraph on how your family makes popcorn. Draw a cornucopia, then make a list of your favorite Thanksgiving foods inside the cornucopia. Make a list of five foods that you could eat on Thanksgiving besides turkey. What’s under the Pilgrim’s hat? Write a silly sentence using the following words: barber shop, turkey, and wiggle. Write a silly sentence using the following words: Pilgrim, fluffy, and laugh. "On Thanksgiving, I like to smell ______. I like to eat ________. I like to see _______. I like to feel ______. I like to hear _______. Towards the end of November, write a letter that begins, "Goodbye, November." Here is how some of my children ended their November book. Related posts:The Peanut Family (Writing Activity) November is National Peanut Butter Month. Here is a story idea...Child-Made Turkey Book Here is a nonfiction book my child made about turkeys...Flip-up Spider Book Pages My son researched many spiders on the Web (listed in...Ten Letters on my Toes I wrote this simple book for children who were learning..."How Spiders Make Webs" Pop-up Book I asked my son to make a "How to" book...Silly Spider Counting Book I made this book years ago when my son was...Ideas for Silly Witch Books Here are some ideas for silly witch books (see sample...Feed the Frog (Teaching Sight Words) I made a "Feed the Frog" game to teach children...Stickers and Story Starter Webs Usually l let children choose the setting, characters, and...Writing About Bats Here are some ideas of writing activities about bats: Write...