New Year's Activity and Craft for Pre-k and Kindergarten! How To and Free Printable.

Hey everyone!

Hope you are enjoying the holidays and getting some well-deserved rest and relaxation.

The Christmas-y atmosphere in the house and all around, got my brain in gear and I created a New Year's craftivity for kiddos in pre-k and kindergarten. It is a way to have fun and practice writing on the first day of the year, or on the first day you are back at school, after the year has changed.

Materials you'll need:

- Markers or crayons

- Scissors

- Pencil or pen

- Black cardstock (A4)

- Colored cardstock

- Tape

- Gold star confetti or glitter

- The writing printable (provided below)

How to:

1. Grab the printable below. Print.

2. Ask the children about their hopes and dreams for next year. Then, give them the printable above. Τhey can write the new year's number, trace the phrase "Happy New Year", cut along the black outlines, write, and color.

3. Give your students some colored cardstock to trace their hand. They can choose whatever color they like. Then, they will need to cut out their handprints.

4. Bend the fingers to create the "fingers crossed" hand gesture. You can use some tape to keep the index and middle finger together.

5. Glue the printable and the handprint on black cardstock (A4). It will look something like this :

6. Add gold star confetti around the printable or glitter! (optional) 

I used gold star confetti and this was the final result :

Now we are one step closer to being (almost) prepared for the first day of school after New Year's Day!

Happy New Year!

                                                                                            Dina

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

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

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