Monthly Freebies: December 2014

I've decided to compile all of the little things I make over the month for my class and post it as a freebie at the end of the month! This is the first file! Here is what you can find in the download:

Some of my kids have been constantly asking me to help them write numbers or "dot" the numbers for them to trace.  So I made these printing sheets and slipped them in to page protectors so that they can practice with dry eraser markers.



These are the papers we used for our writing wall this month.





Click on the cover below or any of the pictures to download the freebie!


Here are some freebies from others that I used this month.

Again click on the picture to take you to the free download!

Some of my kids love to colour so I try to incorporate these themed colour by number activities for holidays and special events :)


Another activity I had open during our holiday party was the "My Book of Christmas Words" book.
This was a huge hit with my class!


I hope you can save and use some of these freebies next year!



0

Fourteen in '14

I have been so so sick since Thursday night and even took a sick day for the first time ever on Friday :(
I was so sad since I love spending the last day of school before the holidays with the kids but I couldn't even sit through the morning announcements :( 
I've definetly learned my lesson.. call in sick and take care of myself when I need to!!

Moving on...

Since I finally feel well enough to sit up and get out of bed, I'm joining Hadar, Traci and Kristin for their annual Fourteen in '14 Linky Party to share and reflect on 14 things from this past year :)




 Thankful

I am thankful for so many things this year.  I am thankful that I was able to secure a contract teaching Kindergarten for the whole year so early in the summer.  I am thankful for my amazing admin, like-grade partners and my ECE.  I have a great class and wonderful parents.  I am thankful for my boyfriend, who is amazing year-round but have been especially awesome taking care of me while I have been sick the last few days.  I am thankful for this two week break so I can recharge and get ready for everything I want to implement in the new year.  I am thankful for all of you who are following along with my blog and purchasing products from my TpT store! I could go on and on!


 Differentiate

I am really trying to differentiate and meet the needs of more of my kiddos in the new year.  I have some super high kids who are reading well above the expected reading level in our board and need to be challenged.  One of my goals during the break is to create an independent daily activity for them to do while we complete our whole group morning carpet activities.


&


I was in the Local Newspaper!


When our school put on a community forum and outreach program after school, this photo made it into the newspaper.  It was cool to see myself in the paper but what really made it special was when one of the mom's came up to me the day it was published and said "Did my daughter tell you she saw you in the newspaper? She thinks her teacher is so cool because she is famous! She cut the picture out and put it on her bedroom wall!" Haha

Also one of my boyfriend's co-workers saw the picture and texted him saying "I saw Coco-Puffs (long story but he means me) in the paper, I think she's going to make a great teacher she has a very genuine smile." So that was pretty nice too :)


Starting my Blog & TpT Store



This is something I have wanted to do for over a year now so I was so happy to finally take the plunge and do it this summer! I am so thankful to everyone who visits/purchases from my shop and hope that you can take away something that you can use in your classroom :)


 Teaching 3D Figures in FDK


I loved teaching and blogging about my 3D figure unit this year.  It was one unit where I felt that the work was differentiated, the activities were engaging for the kids and there was a home-school connection as well.  If you want to check it out click on the picture above or click here!


Just a Little Turkey Talk Freebie by Cara Carroll


I was so sad that I wasn't able to use this adorable turkey craft this year as Canadian thanksgiving is in October and this freebie was posted in after.  I've pinned it on my October board though so I can hopefully use it next year!


A Handmade Mug


I just love this BEAUTIFUL mug I got from one of my students this year for Christmas.  The mom hand wrote the quote on the mug and she has the most gorgeous handwriting.

Blogging & Creating!

I guess I'm repeating myself but blogging and creating!
I spend way too much time remaking things for school with cute clipart and fonts ;)



I just bought this set today so I can finish up a new product I'm working on over the winter break ;)


Cactus Club Cafe


When I used to live in Vancouver, I would go to Cactus Club all the time.
It was my go-to for eating out.
The Butternut Squash Ravioli with Prawns pictured above? It is heaven.

Ever since I moved to Ontario I've only been able to visit my favourite restaurant once a year during my annual family visit.  If you are ever in BC, Alberta or Saskatchewan and come across a Cactus, give it a try! The Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowl, Pesto Chicken Quesidilla and Bandara Salad are also my favourites!


The Mindy Project


I just LOVE this show.  It is the only show I PVR and watch.  I started watching the show randomly on NetFlix in the summer and have re-watched both Season 1 and Season 2 at least twice.  It is so so funny!  Give it a try if you have never seen an episode!


I honestly cannot rememeber the last time I went to the theatres to see a movie.
Although I watched "Frozen" with my sister this summer and I finally have some context to what the kids are talking about day in and out! lol


 J.Crew Vintage Cotton Scoopneck Tee


Photo from jcrew.com

I discovered these tees this summer and have them in grey and white.  They are soft, not too tight and in my opinion have the perfect drape.  I have a really hot room for some reason so t-shirts come in handy.  I can layer them with a cardigan or wear it on it's own.  I love this metallic blush colour they have right now too!

Talula Greenpoint Sweater


Photo from aritzia.com

I have 2 of these as well (grey and tan) and wear them over EVERYTHING in the winter. It goes great with both casual and dressier options and it is so warm and cozy!


Photo from This is Glamorous

This is totally me and I need to start thinking less about "what if it goes wrong?" and just trying it. Thoughts to actions quickly so I'm not wasting time!
Definitely another goal of mine this coming year!



2

Teaching Measurement in FDK

This month we worked on measurement!
The FDK expectation that we focused on was:

M2.1 compare and order two or more objects according to an appropriate measure (e.g., length, mass, area, temperature, capacity) and use measurement terms (e.g., hot/cold for temperature, small/medium/large for capacity, longer/shorter or thicker/thinner for length).

Here is our math wall at the end of our unit:


We started by learning about capacity.

One activity we did was writing about what the kids are bigger than after reading the book "I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean" by Kevin Sherry.


"I am bigger than a baby."
"I am bigger than a worm."
"I am bigger than my baby brother."
"I am bigger than a butterfly."
"I am bigger than my Dora snacks."

Next we talked about length.
We talked about and compared lengths whole group and then we practiced ordering items from shortest to longest and longest to shortest in small groups.


Then we moved on to temperature.
You can read about our temperature activities in depth here.


 Finally we talked about mass.

First we read this book "Heavy or Light".


Then the students came up with their own heavy or light items.


The next day we started to compare using the terms heavier/lighter.
We held a water bottle in our hands and then came up with items that were heavier or lighter than a water bottle.

(Please excuse the yogurt stains all over the bottom of the chart.. one of my friends had a little yogurt explosion accident at snack time one day!)


One activity that was available during centres was this light and heavy t-chart.
Since we have done this activity with many other measurement concepts (cold/hot, small/big) they were familiar with what to do and could complete it independently or with each other's help :)




Here is a student example.
Light = a lollipop
Heavy = tree

We also used scales to figure out which items were lighter/heavier but unfortunately I don't have any pictures of that :(

That's a snapshot of all of the measurement activities that we have done so far!

How do you teach measurement?

___________________________________________________________________

Added 08.11.21:

I now have a full non-standard measurement unit with lesson plans and printables! Click here or on the image below if you are interested in taking a look:




I also now have a digital non-standard measurement unit! Click here or on the images below if you are interested in checking that one out:






2