Christmas 2013@Home!

Hey everyone!
Hope you are having a wonderful Christmas and a great winter break! Teachers deserve a good rest and some fun before going back to class so..recharge your batteries!!

This year, we are spending our holidays at home with family and friends. So far, we are having a blast!

We chose a white Christmas tree and decorated it with blue and silver ornaments. 
(Background painting: We are obviously fans of Gustav Klimt's art! Hehe!)

One of our good friends, who knows a lot about sewing, brought us some custom made ornaments which I LOVED! I went crazy when I saw them!

One for us:

                                One for our female spaniel Joy - love the little bone shape!

And one for our male spaniel Danni! 

I guess it's obvious we love our fur kids!

Here they are all dolled up and ready for winter! :D

My friend's lovely knitting blog!  Dizzy Button

I hope you are having a great time this Christmas on your winter break too!

I am getting to something teaching related! Last year, I prepared this New Year's social studies-history unit for children in pre-k, kindergarten and first grade. The pack includes ELA and math worksheets plus craftivities to help the little ones understand the concept of the year changing. I will soon be updating this with a lot of new activities.

A preview of the unit:

You can check it out it by following the link below:

New Year's Social Studies Activities and Crafts for Pre-K and Kindergarten

That's it from us!

...Happy Holidays and Happy New Year everyone!!

                                                                                    Dina- The Constant Kindergartener

Christmas Math Worksheets and Math Word Problems for Kindergarten and First Grade! Counting, Addition, and Subtraction within 10.

Hey, everyone!

I know it's Christmas break time for most teachers out there, but I had a request for this and the cute illustrations I found just made it impossible NOT to make! 😊

It can be tricky to teach math to young learners in a way that it is fun and engaging. During the days before Christmas break, many fellow kindergarten and first-grade teachers are looking for interesting and enjoyable ways to incorporate math into their lessons. I created these amusing cut&paste math word problems and worksheets to help make math a game! You can use them in class, or they can be fun, meaningful activities for the kindergartners and first graders at home. Easy to use with manipulatives as well! This packet helps the children practice counting, addition, and subtraction within 10.

You can see more details about this packet by following the link below:

Christmas Math Worksheets and Math Word Problems - Kindergarten and First Grade

Happy teaching and learning!

Merry Christmas!

                                                          
                                                                                      Dina - The Constant Kindergartener

The Gingerbread Man Story Giveaway winners!!

Hello everyone!
The giveaway is over and the winners are here! There were A LOT of entries, which I loved and many wonderful comments for this pack from contestants. I read each and every one of them and I want to thank you ALL! I decided to have six winners and here they are :

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations!! The winners will see this pack in their e-mails in a few minutes. Contact me if for any reason you cannot see the e-mail.

And for those of you who didn't win, this pack and many more, are 28% off for just 3 days , here!

I also intend to host more giveaways in the future!

Thank you everyone!!

                                                                                       Dina - The Constant Kindergartener

The Gingerbread Man Story - Feelings Map FREE!

Hello everyone!

With the popular Gingerbread Man story and the common core in mind, I created a little freebie for you! It is appropriate for kindergarten and first grade, but second and third graders could benefit and have a lot of fun with this as well! Pre-k students too, with some guidance.

This freebie features a short version of the classic Gingerbread Man story with a feelings map, for children in early grades.

Two versions of the map are included : One to help children think about what their own feelings are, as they read through the story, and one for them to indicate the Gingerbread Man's feelings, over the course of the story.

Click on the image below to download it for FREE! 

I have also added it to my "Freebies" page where you can find more free resources!

The Gingerbread Man Story Pack - Giveaway!

Hey everyone!
Thanksgiving Day and Thanksgiving break are only days away BUT some of us are already thinking about Christmas! I love Christmas as it is a really creative time for the classroom and a very happy one at home..the tree, the songs, the gifts, the hot chocolate, the family atmosphere..oh! 

I thought I would do a little giveaway for us Christmas-holics out there. I have just finished revising my Gingerbread man unit last week which turned out bigger and more fun than I even expected! The Gingerbread Man story is a classic and a theme that early grade students love. 

Giveaway Tips:
Try and follow the exact rules of the giveaway to be an eligible winner. (Don't just click "OK" on the choices - it does not automatically perform the requested actions!)

So..let the games begin! :D

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A preview of the unit:

For those of you who cannot wait, this unit is featured here!

Have fun everyone!

                                 Dina - The Constant Kindergartener

Veterans Day link-up! Got a great teaching resource? Share it!

Halloween Spooky Stories - The Legend of Jack O'Lantern! A story - picture book, printables, worksheets, and a craft.

Hey everyone!

We are only days away from Halloween!

I was thinking about carving pumpkins, calling them Jack O'Lanterns and thought..what is the (hi)story behind this? I looked into it online and came about some quite spooky stuff about who Jack O'Lantern really was (according to an old Irish legend) and how carved pumpkins became a Halloween must. I found this very interesting and I think it would be a hit in class too! 

How the story goes in a nutshell:
There was a man in Ireland called Jack who people called Stingy Jack. He liked playing tricks on everyone, even on the Devil (!) who he tricked twice. When he died, Saint Peter wouldn't let him into Heaven and the Devil wouldn't let him into hell, so he had no choice but to come back to Earth. As the way back was really dark, he asked for the Devil's help who tossed him a coal from his fire. Stingy Jack took the coal and put it in a turnip which he first hollowed out and carved and turned into a lantern. Since then, he roams the Earth with his lantern and that's why we call him Jack O'Lantern, which is short for Jack of the Lantern. The Irish were the first to carve turnips, potatoes, beets, and other vegetables for Halloween. They put them in front of their houses to keep evil spirits out. When they immigrated to America, they discovered that pumpkins are easier to carve. Americans liked and adopted this custom.

Not many images or art of the "real" Jack O'Lantern are out there, but all stories seem to agree that he was a "stingy old man" (!) Some "Stingy Jack" art from the web:

 

(Images belong to their rightful owners)

I could not NOT write a kiddo-friendly story about this and add some activities too..!

A preview of the little picture book I wrote. Includes a Jack O'Lantern craft too!

You can check this unit out by following the link below:

The Legend of Jack O' Lantern and Pumpkins - Social Studies - History

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Dina

Halloween Giveaway Winners!!

Hey everyone!
I thought I'd announce the winners early to give them a chance to take a look at their prize and organize how they're going to use it in class or at home this week! I have decided to have 5 winners instead of just one or three, because I loved the enthusiasm of the participants! So here they are:

1. Entry #116Christin
2. Entry #184Laura S.
3. Entry #237Leslie W.
4. Entry #18Carla C.
5. Entry #324Caitlin O.



Congratulations! You will be receiving your prize via e-mail in the next hour! If for any reason you don't see it in your e-mail by then, let me know.

Thank you everyone for participating!




                                                    Dina - The Constant Kindergartener

Halloween Giveaway time!

Hey everyone! Hope you are all doing well and getting ready for Halloween!
I was thinking about doing something special for my followers so...here it is! A giveaway!

The prize is my (90 pages) Halloween pack of 5 cut&paste math centers for kindergarten - 2nd (detailed description). The giveaway starts NOW (fixed it!) and ends 10/27! Good luck everyone!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



                                                                                        Dina - The Constant Kindergartener

Halloween FREEBIE! 24 Halloween writing papers for all grades!

Halloween fun writing paper for the children to use in projects at school or at home. Also great for teacher's notes and homework.

This item contains 24 colorful and black&white Halloween themed writing and note papers. The main designs are six. Each design is in color, black&white, lined and plain. 

They are FREE and suitable for all grades! Go grab them ;)  (click on the image to download! Target your cursor next to the Pinterest button! )

                                                 Dina - The Constant Kindergartener

A little fall tree craft. Great for pre-k, kindergarten and first grade!

Hey everyone!

Fall is here! 

Every year, in my classroom, we do this little craft - a fall tree, which the students and I really enjoy. Thought I'd share some details for anyone who wants to try it!

Materials:

1. Straws

2. Brown ecoline  watercolor ink.

3. Tissue paper : Orange, yellow, red.

4. Glue

5. Watercolor paper

6. Brown watercolor

7. Plastic cups (If you use watercolor you need them to dilute the paint)

8. Droppers (if you can find enough for everyone!)

How to:

A. Give your students tissue paper of all the three colors mentioned above. Ask them to start making little tissue paper “balls” but not too thick. Give them something to put them in. We used plastic plates. When they are done, store them nearby.

B. Hand out one watercolor paper and one straw to each child. You can use brown ecoline watercolor ink or just brown watercolor. Ecoline is ready to use but stains easily (protect tables&clothes!). Watercolor needs to be well diluted with water. Portions depend on how much paint you will use. You need a “watery” result!  Two to three children can share one ecoline little bottle or a plastic cup of watercolor.

C. Explain that first of all they need to “spill” drops of paint onto the paper (dip the end of the straw in the paint and let drops fall or use a dropper) , starting low, then in the middle (tree trunk) and finishing  higher (tree branches). Remind them not to put drops all over the paper.  After they are done, ask them to start blowing the paint drops with their straws! Lines will slowly appear. If everything goes as planned and with a little help, you will be seeing a tree trunk and branches on every paper. Give your masterpieces 5 minutes to dry.

   

D. Now the leaves. During fall, trees have some leaves, but they also drop a lot on the ground. Give the children the little tissue balls they made earlier to glue. They can paste “leaves” wherever they like. We put some on the branches and some on the ground. There it is! A fall tree!

 

That's it everyone! Hope you have fun with this in class or at home!

                                                                                  Dina - The Constant Kindergartener

Halloween Math Worksheets! Color, Cut, and Paste Activities for Pre-k, Kindergarten, and First Grade.

Hey everyone!

Halloween is on its way fast, so I revised and enhanced this Halloween math unit. These activities are a fun way to practice number recognition, counting, addition, and subtraction within 10. They also help the children practice scissor skills and fine motor skills.

This packet is for pre-k to 1st grade kiddos and includes only hands-on cut&paste activities PLUS funny/spooky math word problems!

A Preview:

You can check this out by following the link below:

Fun and creative math cut&paste activities!

Hope you have fun with these in class or at home!

                                                                                                                                                Dina

Columbus Day - Activities, worksheets and an emergent reader for Prek and Kindergarten!

Hey everyone!

Last year, I wrote an age appropriate nonfiction story (anchor text) for early learners about Columbus. This week I revised it and added activities, worksheets and a template for a little craftivity!

This packet helps the children learn Columbus Day history facts in a simple and comprehensive way.

A Preview:

You can check this out by following the link below:

Columbus Day Social Studies - History Pre-K and Kindergarten

Hope you enjoy it in class or at home!

                                                                                                                                             Dina

Johnny Appleseed Writing Papers Freebie!

Hey everyone!

This week I created some Johnny Appleseed themed writing and drawing papers. The children can use them for projects at school or at home. Also great for teacher's notes and homework.

They are free for everyone!

The pack includes colored and black&white papers, lined, plain and both combined (for drawing and writing).

A Preview:

You can download them by following the link below:

Johnny Appleseed Writing Papers

Thank you for stopping by!

                                                                                 Dina - The Constant Kindergartener

Apples and Johnny Appleseed! Social Studies - History and Science for Kindergarten to Second Grade.

Hey everyone! 

It is that time of the year..all about apples time!

It is a great subject for every classroom. You can teach science, literacy, math and of course about Johnny Appleseed!

This is one of my favorite subjects, so I wrote a simple and comprehensive text about Johnny Appleseed and added cute kiddo-friendly illustrations.

The cover

Although Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman) was real, many of the stories connected to him are myths. In the anchor text I wrote about him, I tried to be as close to reality as possible without taking away some fun parts, which the children enjoy. 

A separate science/facts booklet, called "All about Apples" with Johnny Appleseed as the narrator, is also included.

All of this unit's contents (94 pages) : 

- Common core ELA worksheets 

- Math with apples 
- Geography activity 
- Science worksheets
- Graphic organizers
- The letter A,a (tracing&worksheets)
- 2 posters about apples (Parts of an apple, apple tree life cycle)
- Unique templates for 2 craftivities (Johnny Appleseed and apple tree life cycle)

To see more details about this packet follow the link below:

Johnny Appleseed and Apples Social Studies - History and Science

Hope you enjoy it in class or at home!

                                                                                 Dina - The Constant Kindergartener

1,040 pinterest followers! Let's {linky} party!

I am very happy to announce that The Constant Kindergartener pinterest boards have now reached 1,040 followers! This means it's time for a..pinterest boards linky party!
My boards are in the first link :)