Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Using a Writing Center to Empower Students

I think we all understand that writing is powerful; you can do so much with it. That's one thing I want my students to know, even as young as they are. I think as early childhood students are learning how to write letters and words, the idea of why we write can be so abstract to them. They learn their letters and how to write their names; we try to teach them the connection as we read books, that the words they are hearing are written down with letters--the same letters they are learning to write. Giving them the opportunity to write themselves brings it all full-circle, so that writing is no longer something that just adults do.
Using a Writing Center to Empower Students | Apples to Applique

The writing center is essential in making that connection. It helps kids to see the power that writing gives them, and that it goes so far beyond writing their names and their ABCs. I think that's my favorite feature of my writing center: all of the visuals included to empower students and help them to see all the things they can do with the written word!

Using a Writing Center to Empower Students | Apples to Applique

Each student has his or her own journal, and every day during learning labs time, they are given the opportunity to add to their journal as they desire. Sometimes I provide some kind of prompt or challenge, especially at the beginning of the year as they are first getting comfortable with journaling. Most of the time, however, it is just a place for them to put their own thoughts to paper. Even though they are not able to truly write yet, they are learning that they can use symbols and pictures to represent what they are thinking.

Using a Writing Center to Empower Students | Apples to Applique

Perhaps even more importantly, they are learning that their thoughts and ideas have value. Their journals are kept in a special place, and only they are allowed to use them. When they show me what they draw or write, I ask them open-ended questions to get them talking, and never make assumptions about what I think they might have drawn. I also try to not assign aesthetic value to it with remarks like, "What a pretty picture", but instead use comments such as, "Wow, I see you used so many colors!" or "I can tell you worked really hard on that!" One phrase that works well, especially if I am unsure of what they have drawn, is saying, "Tell me about this", pointing to specific elements in the picture.

Using a Writing Center to Empower Students | Apples to Applique

When students see that their writings and drawings are treated as being important, they begin to see that their thoughts, ideas, and feelings, as well as their representation of them, are also important. When children see that adults value their thoughts, and allow them to have ownership over the expression of them, it empowers them and builds their self-confidence. This helps in establishing a strong foundation for healthy social-emotional development.

Find my writing center kit here, with all 16 of the "I Can Write" visuals, as well as 20 organizational labels!

Writing Center | Apples to Applique

Writing Center | Apples to Applique

Writing Center | Apples to Applique

Writing Center | Apples to Applique


Happy writing!




Saturday, November 24, 2018

North Pole Dramatic Play Center

*Note, this post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking on my links, I make a small commission at no charge to you!**

So, I thought my Pumpkin Patch Dramatic Play Center was my absolute favorite ever...until I created this. A North Pole Dramatic Play Center!

Santa's Workshop Dramatic Play Center Printables | Apples to Applique

After all, what is more magical to a child than Santa's Workshop at the North Pole?

I wanted it to have all the details. Signs for different areas, such as the workshop, mail room, and gift wrapping area...

Santa's Workshop Dramatic Play Center Printables | Apples to Applique

Santa's Workshop Dramatic Play Center Printables | Apples to Applique

...as well as the reindeer stall and tree farm. Bits of realia added in make it all come alive!

Santa's Workshop Dramatic Play Center Printables | Apples to Applique

I found the darling plush reindeer here, and fun little trees and gift bags at the Dollar Tree! I even reused the hay bale from my Pumpkin Patch Dramatic Play Center (notice it's still in the cellophane--ha! There was no way I was going to give my 3- and 4-year-olds free rein with a messy bale of hay!)

Of course, the North Pole has to have an area to bake Santa's favorite cookies...

Santa's Workshop Dramatic Play Center Printables | Apples to Applique

...and you can't bake cookies without Santa's favorite cookie recipe!

Santa's Workshop Dramatic Play Center Printables | Apples to Applique

On top of all this great print awareness, there are also opportunities for writing included! There are gift tags and gift order forms, and even a letter to Santa template. Download the letter to Santa template for FREE!

Santa's Workshop Dramatic Play Center Printables | Apples to Applique

To see everything that is included in this center, check it out here in my TPT store!

I hope your students love it, and that you all have a wonderful holiday season!





Thursday, October 25, 2018

Escape Rooms for Early Childhood

Escape Rooms for Pre-K and Kindergarten | Apples to Applique

Escape rooms and breakout activities are all the rage right now! And for good reason; they encourage movement, collaboration, and problem solving. These activities tend to be geared toward older kids, but what if I told you they are awesome to use with younger students, as well?

I've taken the concept of an escape room and simplified it to make it appropriate for Pre-K and kindergarten students. Each game has options for playing as a whole group, small group, or even individually. Depending on the activity, I also offer options for differentiating as needed. I made them flexible enough that you can play them in one session, or over several days, depending on the amount of time you have and on the attention span of your students.

Each game has a story line to follow, so kids can really engage with the activity and activate their imaginations. I chose a specific skill to target with each game, making this is a great way to give kids a chance to practice and demonstrate understanding of a certain skill.

Escape the Apple Cider Stand focuses on matching numbers to quantities. There are four activities: matching cards with pictures of apples to apple crates with numbers, writing numbers of objects in a ten frame (options for writing and tracing included, depending on the level of your learners), filling ten frames to match numbers, and a "write the room" activity to match the number of objects in each picture to the correct numeral. Find it here in my shop or here in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

Escape Rooms for Pre-K and Kindergarten | Apples to Applique


Escape the Pumpkin Patch focuses on rhyming. There are four activities or puzzles for students to solve: matching rhyming pictures, generating rhymes, finding objects that rhyme, and a rhyming "write the room" activity. (Find it here in my shop or here in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.)

Escape Room: Thanksgiving! works on sequencing. The story is about preparations for Thanksgiving dinner, and the activities focus on ordinal numbers and putting steps in order, which is great for building listening comprehension skills. The activities are cut and paste sequencing, putting step cards in order, pocket chart sequencing activity, and a "write the room" activity. (Grab it here in my shop or here in my TPT store.)

Escape Rooms for Pre-K and Kindergarten | Apples to Applique


Escape the North Pole may be my favorite one yet! What 4- or 5-year-old kid wouldn't love to be part of a story about helping Santa get ready for Christmas? This escape room focuses on shapes. The four activities are identifying and coloring by shape, drawing shapes (includes an option for tracing for kiddos who need it), matching shapes, and a shape "write the room" activity focusing on shape attributes (with an option for differentiation included). Get it here in my shop or here in my TPT store.

These activities are so much fun, and I really tried to make them as simple as possible for you, with no special locks or boxes required. All you provide are some manila envelopes to hide the clues and puzzles in. And of course, each one includes clear setup instructions.

More great escape rooms are in the works! Check out my growing bundle to get the 4 listed here, plus 8 future breakout activities, for one low price! The price will go up each month as a new escape room is added, so buy early to save the most money!

I hope you enjoy trying out these activities with your students; I would love to hear how it goes in your classroom!


Saturday, October 13, 2018

Pumpkin Patch Dramatic Play

A whole corner of my room has been turned into a pumpkin patch, and it's my favorite thing! I even stayed late after school on a Friday to get it ready, and it was worth it!

Pumpkin Patch Dramatic Play Printables | Apples to Applique

I know there are lots of pumpkin patch dramatic play options out there, but I couldn't find any that were just what I was looking for, so I opted to make my own. (You can find it here in my shop or here in my Teachers Pay Teachers store!)

First there is this cute pennant banner. You could use yarn or something to tie it together, but I happened to have some raffia in my classroom already, and the end result is too perfect!

Pumpkin Patch Dramatic Play Printables | Apples to Applique

I found large pumpkins at the Dollar Tree, and small pumpkins and gourds at Walmart. I made signs for each type so that students could work on their sorting skills.
I also made price tags and a pricing sheet to encourage numeral recognition.

Pumpkin Patch Dramatic Play Printables | Apples to Applique

I know, you're probably thinking I'm crazy for including a hayride, and I may rethink this decision after the kids have had a chance to use it, but it was such a good way to incorporate gross motor skills. The wagon is from a set of Mega Blocks, so I just set a hay bale down inside. I left the hay bale wrapped in the cellophane from the store to contain the mess! Obviously the kids won't actually be riding on the hayride, but I may let them put a doll on top and pull it around. Otherwise, I'll tell them to use their imaginations and pretend they are on a hayride.

Pumpkin Patch Dramatic Play Printables | Apples to Applique

Another way I am adding in gross motor skills is by giving them a toy rake and letting them rake up fake leaves. I have done this in past years, and they love this activity!

Pumpkin Patch Dramatic Play Printables | Apples to Applique

I cannot wait for my kids to come into school Monday morning and see their pumpkin patch. I'd love to hear your experiences with pumpkin patch dramatic play!

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Using Task Boxes for Small Group Work

You all know I love finding ways to streamline my planning time. It's important for me to have meaningful tasks for my students, and it is just as important that I have time for my family outside of work, so I strive to keep things as simple as possible. My favorite new thing this year is using task boxes for small groups. They are ready to go, and they have enough variety that I don't have to plan for them the rest of the school year. Yes, you read that right--my small groups are completely planned for the year. Happy dance! Speaking of planning for the year at once, check out this post about morning work for the year, and this post about age-appropriate Pre-K homework for the year.
(Edited to add: Of course I still do planning during the school year for everything else, like whole groups and content instruction; this is only for independent student tasks. I also plan teacher-led small groups as we go, because they are dependent on student skill levels and current areas of need. Additionally, I tweak the task boxes as needed depending on the skill levels of my students.)

Task Boxes for Small Group Work in Early Childhood | Apples to Applique

Now, I'll be honest with you, this took a TON of planning time up front. I spent weeks over the summer researching ideas and gathering materials. I was 9 months pregnant, so I just pretty much laid around on my couch with my laptop researching and creating task boxes. 

I got the initial idea from a friend and fellow teacher who uses task boxes for IEP goal work in her classroom. She showed me her system and I loved it! In her classroom, all of her kiddos are on IEPs, so they need individual task boxes. My setup is different; teaching in a Unified classroom, about a quarter of my kids are on IEPs, and the rest are at-risk. I needed activities that 3 or 4 kids could complete at a time while I worked with one group on a teacher-led task. 

I decided to have 4 types of boxes: Writing, Reading, Math, and Fine Motor. I have 8 activities for each skill type, for a total of 32 boxes. All of the labels for one skill type are the same color. Fine motor boxes have blue labels, math boxes have green, reading boxes have red, and writing boxes have yellow. Then there is a different symbol on each box.

Task Boxes for Small Group Work in Early Childhood | Apples to Applique

Each week, I pick one symbol—for example, boxes with squares. Each table group does one box each day, rotating so that by the end of the week they have each completed the activities in the square label math box, reading box, writing box, and fine motor box. The fifth group is a teacher-led group, working on whatever tasks I feel like they need to target. This gives me vital small group intervention time while my other students are still working on targeted skills.

Task Boxes for Small Group Work in Early Childhood | Apples to Applique

Since I have 8 of each type of box, it takes 8 weeks to get through all of the task boxes, at which point I start the rotations again. This way, students are only repeating activities every 8 weeks, and I am not scrambling for small group ideas every week. It has worked so smoothly so far!

I also have a little cheat sheet with the list of tasks that are in each box.

Task Boxes for Small Group Work in Early Childhood | Apples to Applique

Since this has helped me so much this year, I have decided to make the labels and master list available in my TPT store for FREE! Click here to download it! Of course, some of the things on my list are curriculum specific, and others I created myself, so the list may not work for you as-is, but hopefully it will be helpful in generating ideas. The good news, though, is that the file is fully editable so that you can customize it to your needs.

Here are some pictures of just a few of the boxes.

Task Boxes for Small Group Work in Early Childhood | Apples to Applique

Task Boxes for Small Group Work in Early Childhood | Apples to Applique

Task Boxes for Small Group Work in Early Childhood | Apples to Applique

Task Boxes for Small Group Work in Early Childhood | Apples to Applique


I hope this is helpful, and I would love to hear ideas you have for task boxes, or how you would utilize them in your classroom!

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Easy Classroom Setup with Fun Classroom Decor Bundles

It's mid-July and we are now past Independence Day, which means it's the time of year we start seeing back to school stuff everywhere. I know that makes us teachers do a deep sigh, as we just want to enjoy our last few weeks of summer. However, this is also a great time to start getting things ready for the next year before the insanity of in-service and professional development starts.

I've been working on projects like purposeful morning work for the entire year, (get yours here!), and setting up task boxes for small groups. I'm really excited about my new task boxes, and plan to share them with you after I'm back in my classroom this fall.

Make classroom setup a breeze with classroom decor bundles in a variety of themes! | Apples to Applique

All of that purposeful planning takes time, so today, I wanted to share lots of classroom decor and organizational items in several fun themes to make your classroom setup a breeze. Whether you want something whimsical and cute, or a little more sophisticated, I have decor you're sure to love!

I offer the components individually, and also as part of money-saving bundles. Each of my themes is available in two smaller bundles; one is geared toward early childhood, with things like alphabet, shapes, and color posters; the other, called my teacher organization bundle, has labels, name plates, and the like, and is appropriate for all of elementary. Or, save even more and buy the complete bundle, with all of the resources in each theme! There are also some great coordinating freebies like welcome banners and file, grade, and copy labels, so make sure to check them out in my TPT store!

These classroom decor items make classroom setup so simple--just print and go, and you've got a totally coordinated classroom, with everything from job charts to birthday calendars to teacher toolbox labels. Many of the components are even editable, to make life easier for you! What's better than a darling, coordinated, welcoming classroom with as little effort as possible? That classroom environment is so important, but easy setup allows you to focus on what's truly vital: planning quality education for your learners.


Currently, I have 9 themes available in my store:

Classroom decor in a classy yellow, teal, and gray theme | Apples to Applique
Yellow, Teal, and Gray--my bestselling theme! It's simple, pretty, and classy. Great for upper elementary!

Classroom decor in a clean and fresh chalkboard theme | Apples to Applique
Chalkboard decor is all the rage right now! I love this clean look for any grade level.

Classroom decor in a primary color theme is perfect for early childhood | Apples to Applique
Is there anything more classic for early childhood than primary colors?
Popcorn theme classroom decor is perfect as-is, or when paired with circus animals or movie and film decor! | Apples to Applique
I love this versatile popcorn theme! Use as-is, or pair it with circus animals or movie and film decor!

Mischievous Monkey Classroom Decor | Apples to Applique
Who wouldn't love some mischievous monkeys to liven up their classroom?

This comic book theme classroom decor is fun for all ages without being too cutesy. | Apples to Applique
This comic book theme is fun for all ages, and a hit with teachers whose style isn't so "cutesy".

Candy Shop decor lends a whimsical feel to your classroom! | Apples to Applique
Check out this Candy Shop themed decor to lend a whimsical feel to your classroom!

This colorful classroom decor bundle is fresh and bright! | Apples to Applique
This colorful decor pack is fresh and bright!

This black and white classroom decor is perfect for when you don't have access to a color printer, but still want a cute room! | Apples to Applique
This black and white classroom decor is perfect for when you don't have access to a color printer, but still want a cute room!

I hope you enjoy these classroom decor themes, and if you have any ideas for future themes, leave them in the comments!

Monday, July 2, 2018

Pre-K Morning Work for the ENTIRE School Year



Pre-K Morning Work for the Entire School Year | Apples to Applique


I have been working so hard on this resource since school got out, and I am thrilled to announce that it is finally live! Throughout the school year, I spend way too much planning time finding morning work that covers the skills my students need to practice, finding myself piecing it all together a page or two at a time. This year, I decided that one of my big summer break projects would be to create an all-inclusive packet of morning work that covers literacy, math, fine-motor, and science skills.

I also knew I wanted it to be no-prep and low-mess. I say "low" mess because there are cutting practice sheets included, where students practice cutting on a line, but there are NO cut-and-paste activities!!! Pre-K kiddos do not need to be messing with glue first thing in the morning, am I right? Somehow they even make huge sticky messes with glue sticks, so I decided to avoid those types of activities all together.


Pre-K Morning Work for the Entire School Year | Apples to Applique

This packet has 200 pages of activities--more than enough to give your students something new every morning! Of course, you can also repeat pages as often as necessary to meet your students' needs.

Pre-K Morning Work for the Entire School Year | Apples to Applique

What I am most excited about in this packet are the editable name activities. Type in your class list ONE time, and automatically generate 4 different name activity pages for each student--how cool is that?! Such a time-saver, too; I used to type in each kid's name multiple times for tracing practice. Now it will only take about 5 minutes to have sheets ready for my whole class.

I can't wait to put this to use this fall in my classroom, and I hope you find it useful, too! Get your morning work packet here in my shop or here in my Teachers Pay Teachers store!

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly Interactive Activity

As I mentioned in my last post, summer is a time I love to create new activities for my students! This is actually a project I made a few summers ago, but I realized I never blogged about it, so here you go! (I apologize in advance for the terrible photo; it was taken a long time ago, and the actual activity is packed away in my classroom, so I can't retake it right now).

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly Interactive Reading Activity | Apples to Applique
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly Interactive Reading Activity

Apparently I am all about literacy activities involving old syrup bottles these days, haha!
For this activity, I chose to use an old Mrs. Buttersworth brand bottle, since it's shaped like a woman. You could really use any type of canister or container that will fit tongue depressors. I've even included two labels for that purpose, one with the wording "Old Lady" and one with the wording "Old Woman" so that you can be consistent with whichever version of the story you have.

The prep on this is pretty simple, and once it's done, you'll have this activity for years! Just print out the animal labels and glue or Mod Podge them to tongue depressors. Honestly what took me the longest was getting the label off the syrup bottle! I finally found an awesome tip about using peanut butter--sure enough, it took off all of the sticky residue! Of course, I then washed it VERY well to make sure there was no trace of peanut butter left, what with peanut allergies being common in the classroom. I'm pretty sure it was the oil in the peanut butter that broke down the adhesive, so if you're concerned about it, you might try another type of oil first.

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly Interactive Reading Activity | Apples to Applique
This book was my favorite version of this story when I was little.
I was SO EXCITED to find it at a used book store several years ago.
Of course, any version will work with this activity!
This activity can be used to keep students engaged during the actual reading, as they can come up to put their animal in the Old Lady canister as it occurs during the story. It can also be used as a retelling or sequencing small group, as the students can work on recalling the order after they hear the story. My students absolutely love both options, and get so excited when it is their turn for their animal!

I like that this activity not only works on sequencing and retelling, but it is also easy to incorporate some letter recognition and beginning sound phonological awareness. "We need the bird. What sound do you hear at the beginning of b-b-bird? What letter makes that sound? Do you have that letter on your stick?" Of course, there are pictures to help scaffold the learning, too.

Get this activity here, and I hope you continue to enjoy a productive yet restful summer!

Monday, June 4, 2018

Pancake Letter Recognition and Sight Word Activities

Summer! Such a wonderful time for us teachers to relax and refresh--and plan for the coming school year. I know I started making plans before the school year had even ended. The last month of so or school this year, I kept looking around my room, thinking about what worked well this year and what I would like to change, how I could rearrange things to make them more efficient, and what new ideas I would like to implement. Now that I have some "time off" (I say that loosely, because we all know summer is when teachers get planning and prep done for the next year), I am creating new things to add into my rotation of learning labs, literacy stations, and math stations.

Today I've got two fun activities for you. The idea for these has been rolling around my brain for a while, but I just finally got them completed! They're essentially different versions of the same game, one for letters and one for sight words.

Pancake Letter Recognition Activity | Apples to Applique
Get this fun letter recognition activity here!
 
Pancake Sight Word Activity | Apples to Applique
Get this fun sight word activity here!

These games require a little one-time prep (cutting out all the pancakes and making the syrup bottle), but once that's done you'll have something fresh and new to add to your literacy stations. This is the perfect kind of activity to prepare during the summer; turn on your favorite show, kick up your feet, and relax with a drink while you cut out the pieces.

This game is super easy to use in a small group. There are multiple ways you can play it--you know I love games that allow for differentiation! (For other activities that allow for easy differentiation, check out this letter game, this egg matching game, this compound word activity, and this bakery dramatic play center!)

Pancake Letter Recognition Activity | Apples to Applique

For the letter game:
-Teacher calls out letter, and student puts “syrup” on the correct pancake
-Teacher calls out sound, and student puts “syrup” on coordinating letter
-Student puts “syrup” on a letter and states either the name or the sound
-Student puts “syrup” on a letter and thinks of a word that begins with that letter.
-Use with only uppercase, only lowercase, or both, as needed

Pancake Sight Word Activity | Apples to Applique


For the sight word game:
-Teacher calls out word, and student puts “syrup” on the correct pancake
-Student puts “syrup” on a word and reads it
-Use with as few or as many words at once as will best meet the needs of your students
-Includes both Pre-K and Kindergarten sight words, for a total of 92 words. Mix and match to meet your students' needs.

Easy and fun, and what kid doesn't love pancakes, or getting to play with a syrup bottle?!
Speaking of that, to make the syrup bottle, I simply adhered the included label with packing tape. Then I threaded a short piece of brown yarn through the opening. (I tied a brown button on the end to both weight down the yarn and to keep it from slipping back through the opening). You could just as easily use an empty syrup bottle without the yarn, and just have students touch the top of the bottle to the pancakes.

This activity could be used over and over throughout the school year, both as you are introducing new letters/words, and as a review activity. It will also make a handy tool to assess students' knowledge. I love activities that help me assess their knowledge, but don't feel like "testing".

I hope you and your students enjoy these activities! Happy summer break!

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Bakery Dramatic Play Center

I have had this dramatic play center in the works for a while, and am so excited to finally have it up and listed here in my shop (or here in my TPT store)!

Bakery Dramatic Play Center | Apples to Applique

What kid doesn't love pretending to cook? The kitchen is always one of the most popular learning labs in my classroom.

Bakery Dramatic Play Center | Apples to Applique

This bakery center is particularly awesome, because it can be used as-is, with play food, or you can really extend the fun by using it with play dough!

Bakery Dramatic Play Center | Apples to Applique


Bakery Dramatic Play Center | Apples to Applique

It includes recipes for kids to follow to make their favorite bakery treats; the recipes allow them to practice following step-by-step directions and simple how-to texts. Of course, there are pictures for each step to allow pre-readers to join in on the fun, or to provide scaffolding for emerging readers. I bound the recipes together to create a cookbook, and it is just adorable!

Bakery Dramatic Play Center | Apples to Applique

The menu, order pads, and guest checks allow for differentiation, as there are different options included. The menu is included with and without prices listed. The order pads use pictures only, which students can simply circle to indicate the customer's order.

Bakery Dramatic Play Center | Apples to Applique


Bakery Dramatic Play Center | Apples to Applique

The guest checks include lines for students to write the price of items ordered and total them at the bottom, allowing for math practice through writing numerals and performing simple addition.

Bakery Dramatic Play Center | Apples to Applique

Both the ordering sheet and guest check include a full-color sheet, which can be laminated and used again and again with dry erase markers, and black and white half sheets, which are easy to copy and staple together to make ordering pads like they would see in an actual restaurant. 

This set also includes a shop sign, open and closed signs, and a daily specials board with interchangeable pictures, as well as the menu, ordering pads, guest checks, and recipes.

Bakery Dramatic Play Center | Apples to Applique

Bakery Dramatic Play Center | Apples to Applique

Watching kids engrossed in dramatic play is one of the cutest things in the world to me. I love how much they get to use language, and it's entertaining to see how they emulate the world around them. They notice so much more than they usually get credit for!

Bakery Dramatic Play Center | Apples to Applique

I hope you and your students love this new bakery dramatic play center! Get it here on my website, or here in my TPT store, and tell me about your favorite dramatic play centers in the comments!