MORE ABC Fun!

Sharing a few more of my favorite ABC activities with you!

The children ADORE playing this whole group game, and it is a SUPER game when you only have a few minutes to spare or when you’re waiting in line. (ABC Come Learn with me Games)

I love the felt activities from Katie and Company, and this one is one of my favorite!  As a kindergarten team, we also get together to  make big books for songs – we each take a song and make one for each person in the entire group.  It’s easy to get a lot of books that way!

We do a lot of exploring at the beginning of the year, and these two activities are great.  The top one is from Lakeshore Learning, and the bottom one is from Handwriting Without Tears.

I LOVE all of the “find the” activities.  I hide something behind one of the square pieces on the pocketchart, and the children have to say the beginning letter/sound to look behind it.  This is great for when you have just a few extra minutes!  I have a few of these available in my store.

For this activity, the children simply use their finger to write the letter in salt (in the bottom of a plastic container) and then write the letter on their recording sheet. (ABC Centers for the Frugal Teacher)

We LOVE highway letters! You can download them from Making Learning Fun.  The response sheet is from my ABC Centers for Frugal Teachers pack.

Do you Kagan? I LOVE Kagan games and activities! This one is called Quiz-Quiz-Trade.  The children find a partner, ask them the question on the front of the card, and tell them if they’re right or wrong.  Then, the partner does the same.  When they each have asked a question, they switch cards and find other partners.  Another great time filler!

Who doesn’t love do-a-dot markers?!  At this simple center, the children pull out a letter from the bag, match it on their paper, and dob it! Simple, effective, FUN!

This game is so simple and can be played so many ways.  You can download this for free in my store!

All of my ABC activities are on sale through today, now is the time to get them prepped so you’re ready for those first crazy weeks of school!

 

  

Here is a reminder of what the calendar looks like for my Christmas in July sale!  

Click the image below to go to the sale:

ABC Fun! Christmas in July

I wanted to share with you some of my favorite ABC activities that I do with the kiddos.  In the beginning of the year we eat, breathe, and sleep the alphabet!  My goal is to have all children secure with their letters and sounds by Thanksgiving.  Of course, not all make it, but I will sure as heck try!

We play lots of whole group games.  I like to use a lot of the games from Katie & Company, different websites and videos, and of course old fashioned fun! I’ve compiled a few of my faves in this unit:

This is an old Making Learning Fun game that I updated!

You can download this one for free in my store!

We also play some partner games! This game of bubble pop is an ALL TIME favorite!  I’m working on making this game in other skills too.  They just can’t get enough!

And of course, we have centers.  Lots and lots of centers! The kids love playing these games, and I love putting them together because they are SO simple to prep!  You just need a few basics that most people have in their classrooms or can easily find/borrow from colleagues!!!

I have these available in a few options

 

Each of these have 10 different centers in them.  Or you can get the bundled set for a discount.

This is a super fun game for partners called ABC Splat!  You just need upper and lower case dice. You can also find this in my store.

Of course, I also have the basics for independent work!

 

 

 

 

 

Stop on over to my TpT store – these items will be on sale for today (7/17) and tomorrow (7/18) only! Just click on the banner below to go there!

On a side note, today my husband and I celebrate 15 years of marriage! Time flies when you’re having fun!!

Crash Course! Kim Bearden

For me, summer is a time to catch up on my ever growing reading list.  I love to read, and I try to squeeze in a bit during the school year, but I get so overwhelmed with everything I have to do, and my eyes shut as soon as my head hits the pillow! Although I like to keep my reading light during the summer, I will read a few professional books.
I recently finished one of the BEST teaching/motivational books that I have ever read.  No kidding.  I sometimes have a hard time getting through professional books, but this one kept me engaged from day one.  I even read it while I was on vacation at Disney World, people!
Crash Course: The Life Lessons My Students Taught Me by The Ron Clark Academy Co-Founder Kim Bearden.

The book is written as though you are taking a course from Kim.  It is written in manageable sections, and you can stop and start easily.  So if you have 10 minutes to kill while waiting for your children to come out of dance class (like me), this book is perfect.  Or you can read the whole thing in one night – which you might do.  It took me 2 nights, but I was on vacation

Kim writes about the ups and downs of her teaching career.  She writes about her failures and successes.  She reflects on the children that have crossed through her classroom door and how each and every one of them have shaped who she is today. 

Even if you think you don’t have time to read this summer, make time.  This one is a keeper.  I have recommended this book to so many colleagues already, and I can’t wait to had a copy to my administrator.  You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll nod your head in agreement.

 
So grab some tissues, and pick up your copy of the book right here! You will definitely not be disappointed!

Kim Bearden is the co-founder and executive director at the Ron Clark Academy. Most importantly, she is also the language arts teacher. Kim has received numerous awards for her creative, dynamic, and rigorous teaching styles. She was selected from over 70,000 nominations to be honored as the Disney American Teacher Awards Outstanding Middle School Humanities Teacher. Along with countless other awards, she was also chosen from among 7,000 teachers as Teacher of the Year in Cobb County Georgia. Over the past twenty-three years, she has been a teacher, instructional lead teacher, curriculum director, school board member, staff development trainer, and middle school principal.
For someone that has accomplished so much during her career, Kim is by far one of the most humble and down to earth educators. Her life hasn't been perfect, and I love that she is so transparent in her book as she shares her experiences as an educator. 

Instead of telling you, I will just show you! Here is a little clip that shows who and what the Ron Clark Academy is all about! The best part? You can actually come spend a day…or two…at the school! Be sure and follow the Ron Clark Academy on Facebook {HERE} to receive special updates and events!

If you would like to visit RCA and participate in the RCA Educator Training Experience, visit the website {HERE} to register! It is truly a training unlike anything you have ever experienced before. During this training, you will get to meet the students of RCA and observe Ron Clark and Kim Bearden's unparalleled instruction in their 5th grade classrooms. You will also spend the day in classroom observations and workshops that will enhance your instruction in any grade level. And of course, you will end the visitation becoming "slide certified."
2014-2015 Training Dates:

I am so excited about teaming up with some of my favorite bloggers to share our review of Kim's book. Click on any of the links below to see what they think...

InLinkz code:

An InLinkz Link-up

Win a signed copy of Kim's Book!

 

Win a free visitation to the Academy!  
 
 

It’s Christmas in July! (That means a sale!)

It’s that time of year again!  Time to shop, prep and prepare for the upcoming school year!  Luckily this year, we have pushed our start date back to after Labor Day, so I have a nice long summer break!  We’ve already been to Florida and Las Vegas, our next trip is to New York! So excited about this trip!!

But, for now….

I will be putting different items on sale for the next couple of weeks! Today and tomorrow I have placed my center packs on sale!

Check out the calendar of events:

I have bundled up all of my center packs as well!  I’ve combined my best sellers from each season to give you a fantastic deal! These won’t always be added to the sales I do, because they are already deeply discounted, but I will discount them again ONLY for this sale!  Grab them while they’re hot!

Fall Centers
if purchased separately: $49
bundled price: $39
sale price: $35

Winter Centers
if purchased separately: $62.50
bundled price: $49.00
sale price: $45.00

Spring Centers
if purchased separately: $63.50
bundled price: $49.00
sale price: $45.00

And finally here is a little freebie center pack that I posted a few years ago! It’s an oldie, but a goodie!!

Have a great week! Be sure to stop by my Facebook page – I’ll be having some flash giveaways throughout Christmas in July!!