Pumpkin Investigation!

The baby's asleep! I was able to get in the shower AND eat lunch AND have time to spare to blog? Today is a good day! (Now if I can keep the dog from escaping the backyard, it'll upgrade to great- but that's a story for another day!)

One of the reasons I love doing apples in September is because it leads so well into pumpkins! The background knowledge on apples really helps kids expand their learning by applying it to pumpkins. They have similar life cycles, similar parts, and they both make for some excellent fall themed cooking in the classroom! YUM!

The first part of my pumpkin products that I've added was the Pumpkin Investigation!

Does it look just like the apple investigation? YES! Was that on purpose? OF COURSE! When it comes to little ones, familiarity, routine, and repetition are key! With similar visuals and understanding what they did last time, students will have greater independence in this activity. Plus, the familiarity helps them build deeper connections and understandings of the topic at hand. Many teachers feel the key to engagement is *new* and *different*, but what I've found is familiarity with a slight tweak has shown the greatest engagement and independence in my little learners.

Take a closer peek below!

Interested? The best part is it's a DOLLAR DEAL! Yes! ONE dollar! Find it here!

Be on the lookout! The mini book version of the investigation is coming in my pumpkin pack shortly!

Keep your head in the clouds!

Happy Birthday Johnny Appleseed!

One of the reasons I love to do apples at that the start of the year is because the unit hits a crescendo on September 26th in celebration of Johnny Appleseed's birthday! I've put together some of my favorite activities I use to celebrate one of America's beloved characters.

I love teaching new topics with coloring book mini books. They offer visuals to help understand the writing and they're perfect for children to turn to and color for independent work when they are early finishers. 

There's of course, an apple investigation! I have two options for greater differentiation. There is a one sheet option as well as a mini book containing each activity from the investigation on individual pages. You can read more about my Apple Investigations here. If you're interested in just downloading the Apple Investigation single sheet, you can do so by clicking here.

I love ending Apple Investigations with Apple Tasting! I bring in a few apples of each color and we all taste test them together as a class. Not only is it a fun way to practice our scientific observations skills but it ties in the five senses and builds great classroom community as students have opportunities to share each other's opinions and compare their thoughts.

We also make a class graph with our favorite apples to eat! Talk about STEM in action!

There are also Literacy Resources as well! One of my favorite activities to offer Kindergartners is Color by Sight Word. I love the fine motor skills practice of coloring in smaller areas while incorporating sight word practice with color word practice.

Here's also a sneak peek at the Apple Easy Reader Mini Book that's also included:

With more pages included in the pack!

Plus a Johnny Appleseed hat and more! Is there any other activities you are sure to include when you celebrate Johnny's birthday?

Click below to download the Johnny Appleseed product from my TPT store:

If you want even MORE Apple downloads, check out my All About Apples product here:

Keep your head in the clouds!

An Apple a Day

There's something about September in Kindergarten that screams TEACH ABOUT APPLES! I don't know if it's the connection to Fall and the seasons, if it's merely a tangible topic that most kids have some background knowledge on, or if it's just teachers are born with an inclination toward their career's symbolic fruit, but Apples are my favorite way to kick off Science in Kindergarten!

Our first unit in Science is mainly to teach students how to be scientists through observation. This is why I like to kick start my Apple Unit with a hands on Apple Investigation.

It's part of my Dollar Deal on Apples! You can download it as a single sheet here.

If you're using the same apple for the entire investigation, it's best to do the color, stem, leaf, and measurements first. Next, I move on to sinking or floating, and finally I end with cutting and investigating the seeds before, our fan favorite in K, the taste test!

This year, in an effort to simplify the investigation for my little ones, I decided to split my investigation into a mini book! Each piece of the investigation got it's own page. (Here's a sampling below)

I made each page a center. Students rotated through, completing and collecting pages as we went along. They LOVED building the book as we went and I saw a big difference in their concentration per each investigation. This mini book can be found in my Johnny Appleseed product here! I can't wait to showcase you even more from that later this week.

Download the single sheet Apple Investigation in my TPT store here.

If you want to explore the Mini Book, check out my Johnny Appleseed bundle in my TPT store here! (The single sheet investigation is also included in this product!)

For even more apple fun, download my All About Apples Bundle!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar {Part 3}

I am so enjoying my time teaching The Very Hungry Caterpillar, I had to share this freebie!

I originally saw the inspiration picture on Pinterest, but it just linked to the picture and not the source. Then, the lovely people at Libraryland gave a tutorial, but still no template. Alas, I found that primary teachers needed a template for this hat, and what better way to get it in their hands than as a freebie!

I just cut extra long red construction paper in thirds, and stapled two thirds together to create the base of this headband. You may want to use red sentence strips if you can find them! (and if you can, send that link my way! I'd love to purchase them!)

Now, besides the awesome freebie, I have to brag about my kiddos for a moment. We were super excited to come back from the weekend to discover that our caterpillars have grown big and fat just like the very hungry caterpillar! Take a look below! (Squeamish stomachs, beware!)

WHOA.

However, as you know, most children LOVE this kind of growth and my class was no different.

Check out their awesome Week 2 Observations! What great preschool scientists!

Now, for tomorrow's work: teaching them that it is not a web, but the exoskeleton shedding! Awesome science!

If you want to try out these observation sheets with your kiddos, buy them here with The Very Hungry Caterpillar No Prep Pack!

Keep your head in the clouds!

xo

The Very Hungry Caterpillar {Part Two}

The more I work with this bundle, the more excited I get. I plan on introducing Eric Carle's classic story, The Very Hungry Caterpillar beginning next week. However, my actual caterpillars came in TODAY! I cannot wait to see the look on my students faces when they realize there are REAL, LIVE insects right in our room!

You can download the bundle here!

One of my favorite parts of this bundle is the Life Cycles of a Butterfly Flip Chart. Check it out below!

I printed the flip chart piece on Green to make it more festive. Check out more pics below to see if this looks like a project you might be interested in using in your classroom. I'm excited for my kiddos to get their hands on this project. It combines coloring, cutting, folding, gluing, sequencing, and science topics! Phew! I love when I can combine so much learning in one simple {no prep} activity! Score!

Check out my TPT store to download your flip chart here!

Keep your head in the clouds!

xo

The Very Excited Teacher!

I was going to wait until I put this into action in my classroom next week, but I just can't wait!

So, for those of you that have been following my Bug and Insect Unit, here is the mecca of Bugs and Insects: The Very Hungry Caterpillar!

Here's a preview of The Very Many Activities that are included:

You can download it here!

PLUS! For the next 4 days only, it's ON SALE for 20% off!! Get on this!

I will post the unit in action in my classroom as it progresses over the month of April. I'm really pumped for my Caterpillars to arrive!

Enjoy friends! And remember,

Keep your head in the clouds!

xo

Start of Spring Break + {freebie!}

Do you ever feel like the weeks leading up to a school break all you can think about are your days off? Then, once the break comes around, I find that all I can think about is school! It's funny how that works. Sometimes I think taking time to get some rest, relaxation, and a breath of fresh air can help the brain focus on tackling what used to seem like work-related stress.

In an effort to keep that breath of fresh air continuing back into the classroom next week, I decided to find ways to get my students outside next week. I'm hoping to embrace Spring (and hoping that in doing so, the Spring weather will come here to stay!) by kicking off the home stretch of the school year with a Bug and Insect Unit.

While the unit as a whole is still in the works, I decided to give you all a sneak peek with this Bug Hunt freebie! Take a look!

You can download it here!

Check back later this week for more pieces of my Insect Unit.

It will all be up on my TPT store soon!

Keep your head in the clouds! xo