The CrAlphabet! 26 Alphabet Craft Projects with Phonics Activities. Two Free Printables Included!

Hey everyone!

It's a new school year! Hope you and your new kiddos are adjusting smoothly. 

I have a new creation I am very excited to talk (blog) about! I have been working on it for the last 3 months. It took me that much time to design, draw, and test every template and craft before finally listing the entire packet on TpT.

I believe that all learning should be fun and engaging. In my classroom, I always organize art projects to facilitate learning and teach different subjects as I have seen how well the students respond. As teachers, we know how important teaching letters and sounds is because this knowledge ultimately leads students to early reading. Taking these facts into consideration, I created "The CrAlphabet". The name is a playful merge of the words “crafts” and “alphabet” and the packet includes art-based projects which introduce letters and letter - sound correspondences.

The Cover

It contains 26 templates for craftivities - one for each letter of the alphabet.  These were first hand-drawn, which took me forever..(!)

..then, they were edited digitally and finally beginning sounds activities were put inside the templates. How they look like now:

The shapes are easy to cut out and require only one fold.

Some examples or how-to :

 

Easy phonics graphic organizers/activities are also included in this packet.

Although "The CrAlphabet" took some time and effort to make, I had so much fun creating it and I hope you also have fun with it in your classroom or at home!

If you want to see more details about this teaching tool, you can follow this link --> The CrAlphabet! 26 Alphabet Craft Projects with Phonics Activities

I am also giving away two templates which were originally part of "The CrAlphabet"! Click on the images below to download the files for free (4 pages each).

                      

Hope your students learn and have fun with these!

Wishing you a happy and fulfilling school year,

                                                                                       Dina

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

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

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

End of The Year Super Superheroes Themed Pack for Kindergarten!

Hey everyone!

The end of this school year is...near! Think summer thoughts! :D

I've just finished an end of the year superheroes themed pack! It's a classic and the kiddos love it! This pack contains 40 awards, a memory book, a vacation writing journal to take home, 4 diplomas, 6 badges, 2 superhero masks and 2 unique craftivities!

I added an editable version, so it can be adjusted for any class level!

A preview:

You can check this out by following the link below:

End of The Year Super Superheroes Bundle for Kindergarten!

Hope you enjoy this in class or at home!

Thank you!

                                                                                 Dina -The Constant Kindergartener

Earth Day is Every Day! A picture book, worksheets and activities for Kindergarten and First Grade.

Happy Earth Day everyone with an Earth Day Unit plus common core worksheets!

"Earth Day is Every Day!" is an environmental conservation and preservation unit for children in kindergarten and first grade, explained with a non fiction story. This unit also contains common core worksheets to help the children remember, practice writing and better comprehend the importance of not littering as well as reducing, reusing, recycling and reclaiming.

You can use this in the reading/literacy center, as an emergent reader or for group reading. 

A preview:

I've also included worksheets and  fun activities that the kiddos enjoy!

You can check it out by following the link below:

Earth Day is Every Day! - Kindergarten and 1st Grade

Hope your students learn and have fun in class or at home!

                                                          Dina

Black History Month Social Studies - History. A nonfiction story, activities, printables, worksheets and crafts for pre-k, kindergarten, first, second and third grade.

Hey everyone!

We are only one day away from Black History Month. This is a very important, but also sometimes challenging to explore topic, for teachers and parents of young learners.

In order to make it easier to approach this subject, I created a unit suitable for children in pre-k to third grade. It includes an age-appropriate non fiction story, which explains Black History Month in a simple and comprehensive way. It also talks about important African-Americans.

Additionally, this unit contains 17 unique templates for craftivities to help the children remember, practice writing and better comprehend the important achievements of these people.

You can print the story or use with your laptop, projector or Ipad.

There are 17 graphic organizer (was, had, wanted) cards for each character mentioned in the story.

There are also 2 worksheets with a writing and a matching activity.

The story is in color while the craftivities templates and worksheets are in black and white.

A preview:

You can check it out by following the link below:

Black History Month Social Studies - History Kindergarten and 1st Grade

Hope you enjoy this in class or at home!

                                                                                          Dina

Valentine's Day Math Art Activities in Printable Worksheets

Hey everyone! I have been working on some math Valentine's Day craftivities and they are ready! The children learn to count while they are coloring, cutting and pasting Valentine themed images. Each worksheet will end up different for each child.

The craftivities are aligned to the kindergarten common core. The children practice counting and cardinality (K.CC.4 Understand the relationship between numbers and quantities; connect counting to cardinality). 

The printable worksheets are 10 and have different backgrounds. Both the worksheets and printable images come in two versions : Color and black&white.

How to:

1. Choose the worksheet you want the children to work on.

2. Let them first color/draw.

3. Print the images for the specific worksheet you chose.

4. Let them count, cut and paste the number of items asked by the worksheet.

5. Their individual Valentine's Day themed math and art sheet is created!

A Preview:

You can download these worksheets by following the links below:

Valentine's Day Math Art Activities in Printable Worksheets

Valentine's Day Math Art Activities

Hope you enjoy this in class or at home!

Thank you for visiting,

                                      Dina

MLK Martin Luther King Jr. Social Studies - History for Kindergarten and First Grade. A Nonfiction Story, Activities, Worksheets, Printables, and Crafts!

Hey everyone! 

First days back to school after the holiday break have been a bit tough on everybody. There is only one way to get our minds off of that..by keeping busy!

Since MLK Day is close, I have prepared a unit about this inspiring and admirable historical figure. 

It includes a nonfiction story about Martin Luther King, written in a simple and comprehensive way, for children in kindergarten and first grade. This packet also contains worksheets, activities, and crafts to help the children learn and remember key facts about MLK.

I have added vocabulary cards to explain key words and meanings from the story, like racial justice, segregation, freedom, peace, races, rights, nonviolent. 

A preview:

The Craftivity!

You can see more about this teaching resource by clicking on either of the following links:

MLK Martin Luther King Jr. Social Studies - History Kindergarten and 1st Grade

Martin Luther King's History Unit for Kindergarten and 1st Grade.

I hope you enjoy this in class or at home!

Happy MLK Day!

        

                                                              Dina