Super Simple Puzzle Practice

Here is a super simple way to have your kiddos practice sight words, math facts, just about anything. I go to the Dollar Tree (can you tell I hang out there a lot!?) and pick up a couple of their sturdy puzzles with only 25 pieces or so.  I have been able to find really sturdy cardboard ones, once even a couple of wooden ones.
Of course, I usually buy a "boy" one and a "girl" one.
After, I get them home, I open the puzzle and put it together. I take each piece one by one, and trace around them on the backboard of the puzzle.  Soon I have 25 puzzle shaped pieces with matching outlines on the board. Again matching the puzzle to its outline, I write one thing on one piece, and the answer or matching part on the other.  For example, I write sight words on both pieces and the my students must read and match the words in order to put the puzzle together.

The one pictured here is a Spiderman puzzle for practicing sight words. Two students can work as a team to put the puzzle together. They are so excited when they get the puzzle together, and I am so excited that they have practiced their sight words.

You can also use this for math facts or just about anything.  So keep your eyes peeled for puzzles at the store or at yard sales. You can never have too many. I use easier words in the beginning of the year and more difficult ones toward the end.  In the beginning I may just have them match number to dots (the number 3 on one piece, and 3 dots on the corresponding outline) and move on the doubles etc.

I hope your kiddos like the puzzles as much as mine do.  BTW if you don't tell them that they are actually studying -- neither will I!

Chery

Task Cards Link

I was asked if I could post a link to the task cards group. This is it (if I can do it).  ProTeacher Task Cards
Chery

Smart Cookie Cards

If you have not been over to ProTeacher and taken advantage of the wonderful task cards they have posted there, you are really missing out! Look under "Task Cards". There is even a task card group!
Many teachers have taken the time to create wonderful cards in every area and for every grade level! They are absolutely terrific.
Here is just one way I use them in my classroom.  I print up cards containing skills we are just learning, or need further practice on, and laminate them on sturdy cardstock.  I then hole punch then and slide them onto binder cards.  My students know that any time they finish an activity early, or need something to do they can go to the "Smart Cookie" Jar take down a ring of cards and practice wither by themselves or quietly with a friend.
My students love doing this and I found that it really helps their recall and solidifies what we have are learning in the classroom.
Here is picture of how they are displayed in my classroom.  I got this giant cookie jar and cookies for $2.00 at Target.

And thank you to everyone who helped me not feel so bad about not posting as often as I feel I should! I really will try harder to post more often.  But if I don't, you know I must be creating new stuff -- so it's not all bad.

Chery

I'm baaaaaack...

I am so sorry that it has been so long since my last post. I have been busy with school (no kidding) and creating new products/resources. Ok, this is going to sound like a sales pitch but it is not!! I love creating materials and resources for my class, just ask my poor husband. It is what I do all the time.  So as a natural evolution, I starting selling my products on Teachers Pay Teachers -- EXCEPT I want other teachers and homeschool parents to have access to these materials for FREE.

So, this is how it works. TpT has been wonderful and I've had a lot of success, however, what is even more gratifying is the number of followers (fans) I have gotten. I am grateful for people taking interest in my work, therefore, I usually GIVE MY PRODUCTS AWAY FOR FREE for a short time after I create them.  I like to think that my followers get access to these free materials before I put them in my "store".  I do it as a thank-you for following me, and as an introduction to that product to be able to get feedback and make changes that might make the product better or more useful.

FREE, FREE, FREE RESOURCES (pls keep reading...)

In order to be notified right away whenever I post a new product you must sign up as a follower (it's free too!) and you will automatically get an email each time I put up a new product.  That way you can make sure to get it for free before it is being sold.

That being said, I hope you will visit my store  Easy Peasy Primary Resources   because I currently have lots of free items that I plan to price soon (plus quite a few new resources). I wanted to make sure to post the invitation and give people a little time to download the freebies.

Here is a not-so-surprising confession on my part. I find a BLOG very difficult to do! Oh not the writing, but the relearning how to post and do everything every single time I post!! I can't remember from one post to the next how to do things!! Yes, I know the only way to get good at it is to DO IT, but (whine) it's hard to find the time sometimes.

So, thank you so much for those of you have stuck with me or who have bothered to return to see if I've posted again yet!  As an additional thank you, I plan to spend a lot of my time during my Spring Break posting some things for you here on my blog.  I will post a few of my most popular items that have done really well in my store (for free) for a short time here. Really...For starters, here is the primary version of my Pass the Princesses Sight Word Game word game that someone requested.

If you end up going to my TpT store and looking at some of my things you can see that I love creative, colorful, and artful things. I have been able to put that to use in my TpT items, but in my blog...not so much sorry. Just hang in there.

Now, I am going to attempt to post this (still not a natural procedure for me) and I invite you to come over to my TpT store and take advantage of all of my freebies.

Or if you have an idea for something you really need, and would like me to take a crack at it, let me know.

If when I post this the links don't work, I try again... after a tantrum...and a few drinks...
Chery

P.S. I know I should have lots more pictures and visuals, but I wanted to get this posted ASAP (and I still have to learn how to add the cute stuff!)

Transformers

Thanks to everyone who left such nice remarks about my Pass the Princesses game! I think we will have lots of happy little girls in classrooms all over. However, not to neglect the boys (and the un-girly girls -- I have a couple of those:) I will attempt to upload the Transformers Game.

Don't Take My Transformer can also be played two ways. Once is just a simple memory game where two cards are turned over to see if they match.  If you want to use the cards for this game, make sure to print each page twice to have doubles to match.

The second game is the one that the kids want to play over and over again. In this case Don't Take My Transformer!, I put all the cards in a container that you cannot see through and that can withstand lots of little fingers jamming themselves inside (see my last post for a photo). In the download I have included a label that you can use for your container .

To download the game click here. Enjoy!

Chery

Pass the Princesses Game

I just wanted to share a game that my students absolutely LOVE! It's actually 2 games. One is for the boys and one is for the girls -- now hold on! Before you start saying things about sexism, at this age (first grade) I will use whatever excites my students to learn. At this age, it is Princesses and Transformers! I have two different sight word games that I have for my First Graders to play. Yes, sometimes one of the boys plays the Princess game with some girls, and often a girl will join in on the Transformers game.  As Pete the Cat says, "It's all good."

I wanted to post these games here because I don't know how long I can keep them up since the characters I use are not mine. Since I am offering it for free, I don't know if that is okay. So, here is my Pass the Princesses game. I will keep it up until Disney or the Transformer Police say I must take it down.  Hopefully, enough people will get a chance to download it for it to be useful.
Both games can be played 2 ways. One is just a simple memory game where two cards are turned over to see if they match. If you want to use the cards for this game make sure to print each page twice to have doubles to match.
The second game is the one that the kids love. In this case, Pass the princesses, I put all the cards in a container that you cannot see through and that can withstand lots of little fingers jamming themselves inside of. I use some plastic canisters that I picked up from the The Dollar Tree. I have included the labels that you see here, or you can design your own.

In this game the children, I usually limit it to four,  sit in a circle (mine like to sit on the floor where they can spread their cards out) and take turns "passing the princesses". Each child reaches into the container without looking and picks out a card. If he/she can read the sight word out loud they get to keep the card and pass the container on to the next player. If they cannot read the card, the other players tell what the word is and the card is dropped back into the container. The player does not get to keep it if he/she cannot read it. Play continues in this fashion. My girls LOVE collecting all the princesses. Ahhh... but life is not that easy. If someone draws the magic wand card, they are allowed to take a card from any player and increase their collection (we talk a lot about not pouting, sharing, good sportsmanship etc.).  If the Evil Queen card is drawn the game is over.  Each player counts his or her cards and the one with the most cards (counting their magic wand cards) wins! This is such a great way for students to practice their sight words.  In the beginning I just have the easier words (maybe two or three of each word) and add the more difficult words as we learn them. So there you have it! I hope that you have a chance to download this game and hope that your little ones enjoy it as much as mine do.
To download this game, click here. Enjoy.
I will try to post the Transformers game later this weekend.
Chery