Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Creating!

I love making new things for my TPT store and I just love when a new inspiration floats in!  I'm very particular about what I put in my store and I only put things I use in my class.  So everything has been tried with 4 and 5 year olds.  I find it usually works the kinks out before someone else has them.

With that being said, sometimes it takes a long time (forever) for me to put products in my store, especially my year long activities.  I have 3 new one that we have been using all year and now that we are at the end of the year, they are complete!

They worked really well in my classroom, because I (and my kiddos) like routine.  We like knowing what's coming and what to do.  But we still want to learn and have fun doing it.  I hope you find these products useful in your classroom!

Alphabet Readers are predictable, printable books that reinforce letter formation and letter sounds. In my class, I find putting their words to music helps my PreK kiddos remember and "read" to themselves and their partners. ( ABC Poems and Songs)  These Alphabet Readers can be all be sung to the tune: "Farmer in the Dell."    There are 4 pictures in each book that start with the letter and they are allowed to put them on the page they want. Everyone's book and song is a little different.  Just click on the picture below and it will take you straight to my store!


Another year long project I just finished is "Write With What?"  This gives students the opportunity to practice letter formation - upper and lowercase. They get to use instruments that we don't normally use in PreK and they feel so grown up.  I change out the kind of markers and the kinds of pens each week, so they are never bored.  I put these pages in my ABC center or in my writing center. They are very independent pages!


The third project (this one has taken so long)  is my Home Helpers. Do you have any parents that say, "What can we do to help them at home?"  This is the page that I send home at the beginning of each week.  It has activities that correspond to the letter we are studying and it includes math and literacy activities.  I give lots of options and tell the students to choose one or two they would like to do that week.  It simply reinforces what we are learning in the classroom.  It's enrichment for some and practice for others.  It has our weekly poem and a letter card that they collect and use as flashcards.  It also has a place to practice letter formation and writing their name.  I don't usually have them return it.  Sometimes my kids get so excited about an activity on the sheet, that they bring in the product for me to "check out!"   One of the activities is reading the Alphabet Reader.  It doesn't have to be this particular book, though.  This can be any book that you would choose to send home for practice.  


I hope these products inspire you as you wrap up a year and of course prepare for the new one!  Isn't that what we all do in the summer?!