Hoppy School Year!

        No one who achieves success does so 

                without the help of others.

        The wise and confident acknowledge this 

                 help with gratitude.

         -Alfred North Whitehead

Holy Cannoli...It's already August! In comparison to other years, I am getting started LATE. Each summer I usually do a new project of some sort...IE- I wrote a grant for Technology Centers and then spent the summer ordering, last year I ordered and prepped Family Literacy Bags, one year I cataloged and leveled my entire classroom library. This year I didn't have a clear focus, but I have begun to organize my thoughts! 


We begin school August 23rd, but we can't get into our classrooms until the 15th, ugh! I don't want to make a ton of changes, but with all the new regulations we have on how much we can hang up...I have to start figuring out how to make my room cute again. I see pictures on blogs of everyone's classrooms and I am SOOO jealous. Jealous of how much space you have, jealous that you don't have a wall of windows which can display anything, jealous that you can hang things from clotheslines or the ceiling, jealous that you can have more than 20% of your walls cover...jealous, jealous, jealous! Alright, enough complaining!


I've already told you that my beginning of the year is in fact...a mess! So, this post is probably going to reflect that...sorry! I focus on the themes Krazy for Kindergarten (all about our school, our room, and each other), Colors & Shapes, and Birthdays. Pretty basic stuff. I've tried to create some fun stuff because I feel that we assess and pound rules into their little brains too much at the beginning of the year, when we should just be getting into the swing of things and make them LOVE coming to school! As always, I thank you for reading and I hope you can find something to use!


I really appreciate and look forward to comments! Please if you download something...the right thing to do is to express your gratitude. I'm not fishing for compliments...just a simple thank you. I love offering things for free, it makes me feel good, but I will be honest when I say this, when I see that things that I have posted have over 500 reads/downloads and then I only get 8 comments...it truly makes me want to quit. If it was worth the download then I certainly deserve some common courtesy, this is especially true if I work with you! Please consider offering a donation if you download.


Alright, let me jump down off my soapbox and give you the Goods! I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer! Thanks again for reading!


Shannon


All documents contain fonts that are copyright DJ Inkers. Virtually all documents contain graphics that are copyright DJ Inkers. They are used with permission. Please visit http://www.djinkers.com/, for wonderful clipart and fonts.


Books We Love
Mrs. Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten
Froggy Goes to School
Chrysanthemum
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes 
Pete the Cat Rocking in My School Shoes
If You Take a Mouse to School
Mouse Paint
Kindergarten Rocks
I Like Myself!
The Crayon Box That Talked
My World of Color
The Feelings Book
It's Okay to be Different
Mouse Shapes
Round is a Mooncake
Shapes in Nature
Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?


Literacy Goods
I use the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom as a whole group activity on the flannel board. I copy the pieces on tagboard and put velcro on the back. Once we have done the activity as many times as the kiddos want, I transfer the pieces to a center activity.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

These are rhyming cards that can be used as a center or whole group activity after reading Chicka Chicka Boom Boom!
Chicka Boom Boom Rhyming Cards

ABC's for Me is a book for students to color and read. The dots under the words are to help students get into the practice of pointing to each word. It's kind of lengthy to copy, you may want to double side it.
ABC's for Me Book
Another little book to read. Super simple...gives them loads of confidence!
The School

Meet the Friends is a class book. We usually complete it during the first couple of days. I copy the "Hi, my name is" page for each student and they draw a self portrait. Then I take their first day of school picture and glue it on the page. I laminate the cover and a back cover and bind the pages. They LOVE reading this even at the end of the school year.
Meet the Friends Class Book

I use the Little Frog, Little Frog as a whole group activity on the flannel board. I copy the pieces on tagboard and put velcro on the back. Once we have done the activity as many times as the kiddos want, I transfer the pieces to a center activity.
Little Frog, Little Frog

This Go Fish corresponds to the order of Jolly Phonics. You don't have to use it as Go Fish, it could be simple matching or memory.
Jolly Phonics Sound Go Fish (1-3)

I LOVE doing this book. It is great for sequencing and the Hoppers love having their own copy. I copy the main page on white cardstock and the rest on regular paper. Students put the pages in order and I staple it on the bottom.
Brown Bear Brown Bear

I will be the first to admit, I DESPISE paying for activities, so I don't! I create and do without what I can't. I have made ONE exception to this rule....I purchased Fran's Pete the Cat unit and it was well worth the purchase! http://kindergartencrayons.blogspot.com/search/label/Pete%20Publication She has me addicted to Pete the Cat. The little book that I've posted goes along with the new Pete the Cat Rockin' in My School Shoes. Super cute!!!

Pete Loves School Book


I See Shapes is a sight word based book to help students practice reading the picture, identify shapes, and recognizing color words.
I See Shapes Book

Math Goods
For the Roll and Color, I create a dice with color words on it for each table group. Students take turns rolling the dice and then filling the shoes. When everyone's page is done, we will compare the results and graph them as a whole group.
Pete the Cat Roll and Color

For early in the year, I pair up students and have them play War with these cards. I like them because they are only 0-10.
War Bears 0-10

Another book for students to read. It helps students practice counting and writing numbers 1-10.
1,2,3 Count With Me Book 1-10

These are materials to create a Boys/Girls Graph. I use to make a huge one that stayed up for a long time, but now the Illinois Fire Marshall prefers our little primary grade center to look like a high school, so to save space, I had to create a small one. Once you create the poster, students use the little squares to create the graph. They write their name on the dotted line, color, and cut.
Boy and Girl Graph

Very basic Spin and Graph activity. You've seen it before :-)
Spin and Graph School Supplies Spinner

Spin & Graph School Supplies

Patterning worksheet. Pretty self explanatory.
School Patterns

The Number Buses are a center activity. A cute variation I plan on doing in my room is to use my students pictures instead of the clipart kids.
Number Buses

This can be used as a center or whole group. I plan on using them as a whole group for identification and sequencing and then placing them in the flannel board center.
Number Sequencing Center Cards 1-12

These are student cards. They color, cut, and glue them in sequence to a sentence strip.
Number Sequencing Cards 1-12

Students will work in groups to complete this activity. They take turns rolling a traditional dice and filling in the number that was rolled. They may only fill in one star at a time. If they roll something that they've already filled, their turn is over.
Roll, Count, Color Stars

The Roll a Color is for graphing and color word recognition. I create a dice by using colored dots. Students fill in the graph as they roll and write the number in the dotted box.
Roll a Color Graphing Activity

After we read Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See, I give students a small baggie of traditional M&M's to sort by color. Students have to recall the story and color the animals the appropriate color before they can begin sorting. They must complete the graph before they can eat their M&M's.
Brown Bear M&M Sorting

Have students use a paperclip and a pencil for the spinner.
Spin & Graph Basic Shapes

Simple Shape Sorting Mats to use as a whole group or center activity.
Shape Sorting Mats

Miscellaneous Goods
School Stuff Concentration


Birthday Goods can be found here....http://kinder-pond.blogspot.com/







Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone.
        -G.B. Stern