Mitten Match
Oh my goodness–it’s another SNOW DAY in Northern Michigan! It is so snowy and windy outside, it’s crazy. Well, with this unexpected day off I was able to finish all the mitten projects. I’ve created 4 different mitten activities- 2 for reading and 2 for math. Feel free to download the number concepts and addition mittens from this blog post–I’ve attached the downloadable files.
So, all you’ll have to do is print the mittens and cut them out. You may want to print them on cardstock so that they are durable. You’ll need clothespins so that your students can clip the mittens together. This is so not necessary, but I decided to “cutesie” up the clothespins by attaching little snowballs on the ends. I picked up this foam packet at Micheal’s Craft Store. There’s a variety of shapes to use for different activities.
You can find the snowballs on a template of 4. Simply peel them off and put the on the end of the clothespin.
When you download the Mitten Match Rhyme, you’ll receive 30 rhyming mitten pairs!
Click HERE to download this activity from my TpT store.
Click HERE to download this activity from my TpT store.
Now for the Mitten Match Math- You can download the Number Concepts to 10 and the addition facts to 10 for free.
Click the following link to download this freebie Mitten Match Math
Click the following link to download Mitten Math for Addition Mitten Match Math Addition Revised
Lovin’ my snow day! Hope you have a white Christmas season too.
Halloween Games
If you’ve been following my blog for awhile you may know that my daughter Kassie is now a college freshman. I miss her terribly. Even though I have one child still at home the house is eerily quiet. Fortunately, her college is only an hour and a half away, so a quick car ride down on a Saturday is pretty easy to do. Last Saturday I picked her up from her dorm and we traveled to the nearest mall. How much fun! We both picked up a few items of clothing, but spent most of our time in craft stores. We both love Michaels Craft Store, the Hobby Lobby and Jo Ann Fabrics! So, here are a few of the fun finds that I turned into literacy center activities.
First fun find- these mini plastic flying discs I found at Michaels in the Halloween novelty section. They’re only about 2 inches across. I decided to make them into a Rhyming Memory Game. Simply print the pdf below on a full size Avery label
Here’s a picture of how the flying discs are packaged. The discs are made by Creatology just in case you’d like to look online.
If you can’t find the discs, no worries. Michaels also has foam pumpkin cut-outs that’d work just fine too.
Click the following link to download this FREE pdf Halloween Rhyming Memory Game
Just across the parking lot from Michaels was a JoAnn Fabrics! I love shoppig at JoAnn’s for fun holiday ideas. I found this little box in the $1 clearance bin. SCORE! I had Kyle (fabulous artist) whip up some candy corns to match for this beginning sound/alphabet game.
For this activity, students match the beginning sound of the picture to the upper- and lowercase letters.
Click HERE to download this activity from my Teachers Pay Teachers store
I’m going to store my candy corn puzzle pieces in my cute little box. Just in case you can’t find the box, I made a label that can be placed on a plastic baggie for storage.
These are just two of a loadful of fun finds on my shopping trip! Keep checking back as Kyle and I are working on so many more Halloween inspired activities!
DIY Rhyme Magnets
Phonological awareness refers to an understanding of the sound structure of language- that is, that language is made up of words, syllables, rhymes and sounds.
So why is it that phonological awareness is so important? It is because the understanding of how language works is a foundational skill in learning to read and spell. If children do not understand that words are made up of individual sounds that can be blended together to make words, then using the alphabet to read and write would make no sense. In fact, research indicates that phonemic awareness is the best predictor of later reading ability, even more than intelligence, vocabulary or listening comprehension!
Understanding the concept of rhyme is the first skill in the hierarchy of phonological awareness. Although children should be exposed to rhyme through books, songs and poems from an early age, by the end of kindergarten we would expect children to be able to recognize and generate rhyming words (“tell me a word that rhymes with cat”?). Activities such as Rhyme Matching will be helpful in supporting this skill in your preschool or kindergarten classroom.
So, to make your magnetic rhyming beads you will need large marble glass gems, glass and bead glue and 32 button magnets. This gem package came in a 3lb bag and the gems measure 1- 1 1/2 inches (they are not exactly circular). I purchased them at Walmart (of course) and found them in the floral/arts and crafts area. The special glue can be purchased in a store such as Micheal’s or the Hobby Lobby.
Making the magnets is quite simple. First, print the pdf of the pictures on office paper and cut them out. Then cover the flat side of the gem with the glue and adhere a picture on each gem.
Hot glue a button magnet on the back of the gem and your magnet is done!
When you are finished making your magnets, you will have 16 rhyming pairs. To create the Rhyme Matching activity pictured below, print the template on office paper and place it on a cookie sheet. This activity can be used either during your small group intervention or as an activity within your literacy centers. Be sure to differentiate the activity based on the needs of your students. For example, for those just learning the concept of rhyme, you may wish to place 5 gems on the sheet and provide the student only with the 5 matching pairs. For students who are approaching proficiency with this skill, you may choose to use all the gems and have them find the pairs independently.
Click the following link to download the free pdf of the template. Rhyme Matching Template
Click the following link to download the free rhyming pictures. Rhyme Matching Magnets
Here are a few other activities that can be used during small group instruction or within literacy centers to teach and practice the concept of rhyme.
The Clip A Rhyme activity contains 14 rhyming cards with 3 choices and 16 cards with 6 choices. That’s 30 different cards! Students “clip” the stars on the rhyming pictures. Click HERE to download the Clip A Rhyme activity.
The Clip The Rhyme activitiy contains 10 lilly pads. Students “clip” the frogs with the rhyming pictures on each pad. Click HERE to download the Clip The Rhyme Frog activity.
You’ll have to assemble a fishing rod, but it’ll be well worth it. Students LOVE this activity. They “catch” two fish with their fishing pole and if the fish rhyme, they are able to keep them. Click HERE to download the Fishing For Rhyme activity.
Happy rhyming!
