NEW BLOG DESIGN = GIVEAWAY

I just LOVE my new blog design! I'm so EXCITED about it that I'm having a GIVEAWAY!!

I'm going to give away 5 sets of my Calendar Games that I recently posted on Teachers Pay Teachers.

In these games students practice reading the calendar. We do the calendar everyday but some of use still will have difficulty finding the dates and days on the calendar. I have been looking for another way to practice those skills without just doing it on a worksheet.  Although there's nothing wrong with that!

I've turned the calendars into game boards. Each game set comes with a set of 12 game boards, one for each month. All you need to do is add a die and game markers to play!

All you need to do to enter the GIVEAWAY is to leave a comment about anything you'd like to comment about.

For additional chances to win....

1.  Follow this blog and leave a comment.

2.  Follow my TEACHERS PAY TEACHERS store and leave a comment.

3.  Like First Grade a la Carte on Facebook and leave a comment.

4.  Blog about the GIVEAWAY, blog about my NEW blog design or just tell a friend and leave a comment.

5.  Add my BRAND NEW button to your blog and leave a comment.

GIVEAWAY ends Thursday, September 1st, at midnight EST.  

Winners will be posted on Friday.

By the way, click on the pictures above to grab your own copy of one game from each set. ENJOY!!

New Blog Button

Still under construction but I have finished designing the new blog button. The best part is that it's a square! Check it out!

If you have my old button and get a chance, please grab the new one in my sidebar.  THANKS!

Under Construction..

SORRY for the mess but I am currently trying to design my own blog.  As you can see I learn by trial and error!  Wish me luck...

Mouse Shapes

I'm sorry to say that this is my last mouse book by Ellen Stoll Walsh for now. However, I saw she has newer book, Balancing Act. 

In Mouse Shapes, the mice play with 2D shapes while hiding from a cat. In the end, the mice build big mice to scare the cat away.

We sing with Mr. Harry's Kindergarten.

This lesson came from Illuminations.  Have students illustrate the poem.  Then we add it to our Songs and Poems book.

We do lots with pattern blocks.

Here's a graphing activity.

We use dice to play Roll A Mouse. You can precut the pieces or have the students draw the parts as they play.

Don't forget to check out the Mouse Shapes game on Teachers Pay Teachers. ENJOY!

Mouse Paint

This is another little mouse book by Ellen Stoll Walsh.  In this story the mice play in paint and use it to escape from a cat.

I use this book to introduce/review color words at the beginning of the year.

Here are some of our activities to go with the book. Click on each activity to grab your own copy.

Here is a poem we put in our Poem and Song books. We highlight color words.

This activity practices color words.

We practice patterns with this activity.

We read and spell color words with this word search.

My DOLLAR SALE at Teachers Pay Teachers runs through tomorrow.  Stop by and check out my game to accompany this book and others!

Check back tomorrow for activities to go with Mouse Shapes.

Mouse Count

If you don't have this book, it's time to get it! This is a GREAT book to integrate math and language arts.  We have been working with it this week.  

This is the story of a greedy snake who hunts mice for dinner.  He counts and collects them in a jar.  In the end, the mice trick the snake and escape.

Here are some of our activities to go with the book. Click on each activity to grab your own copy.

Here is a poem we put in our Poem and Song books. We highlighted rhyming words.

Here's an activity for counting sets and number words.

Our first word search of the year to practice number words.

If anyone remembers the magazine, Copycat, that went out of publication a couple of years ago.  I was sooo disappointed. One issue had a cute little unit on Mouse Count and Mouse Paint.  I'm thinking since it is out of print I can share this activity.

Students create the snake. Hot glue a clothespin to the back of the snake's mouth. Students color and cut out ten mice.  Give students a large ziploc bag for a jar. While teacher reads story have the students act out using the props.  Have students retell the story on their own using props. When finished with book, I have students take props home and retell the story to their parents for homework.

We create our own little book.

You can also, stop by Teacher Pay Teachers and check out my game to accompany this book to practice number words. It's on sale for $1.00 through the weekend!

Stop by tomorrow for activities to go with Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh.

Are You a Winner?

They commented...

Winners...If you did not leave me your email address on your comment, please email me directly.

THANKS to all who entered my GIVEAWAY!!

The DOLLAR SALE runs through the weekend! I just posted the mouse games in my store at Teachers Pay Teachers. Stop by and check it out!!


P.S. I will post my other activities to go with the mouse books tomorrow.  This week has gotten away from me...busy, busy, busy.

GIVEAWAY and BTS Dollar Days

In HONOR of having 800+ FOLLOWERS I am having DOLLAR DAYS at my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Everything in my store is on sale for $1.00! The sale runs August 14th-20th. Stop by and check it out!

Also, I can't...

without a  GIVEAWAY!

I am giving away my NEW games to to go with Ellen Stoll Walsh's Books, Mouse Paint, Mouse Count, and Mouse Shapes.

All you need to do to enter is just leave a comment!

If you would like more chances to win, you can...

* Become  a FOLLOWER or leave a comment that you are a faithful follower already.

* Add First Grade a la Carte to your Blog Roll, or tell a friend and leave a comment.

       THANKS to EVERYONE who already has...I really APPRECIATE you sending your friends my way!

*  Become a FOLLOWER on Teachers Pay Teachers and leave a comment. Check out the sale while you are there!

*  Choose LIKE on my FACEBOOK page and leave a comment.

GIVEAWAY ends at 12:00 EST on Tuesday, August 17th!
Winners will be randomly selected by a random number generator.

Winners will be posted on Wednesday with more activities to go with Ellen Stoll Walsh's books.

Before I forget...

here's my Chicka Chicka Boom Boom game. Just add a die and friends to play. ENJOY!

Click the picture below to grab your copy.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

I LOVE starting the year with Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.

Here are some of our activities that we do.

I send these postcards to my students before the beginning of the year.

This is my coconut tree that I have in my room.

I made it many years ago out of pvc pipe, wire, and fun foam.  I got a thicker piece of pvc pipe and had it cut at Home Depot.  I hot glued pieces of brown fun foam to the outside of the pipe. Out of the large size pieces of different shades of green fun foam, I cut the large leaves.  Then I weaved wire through the leaves and stuck them trhough the top of the pipe.  I used small pieces of wood to build a stand to hold the pipe.

I have the video. This one is from schooltube.

         

 We explore coconuts.  Find out how to open them up at http://www.howtoopenacoconut.com/.

This a letter matching activity I created to go with the book. Click the picture below to grab your own copy.

Here's an activity with color words. Click the picture below to grab your own copy.

Come back tomorrow to see the new game I created to go with the book.

First Grader Glyph

Check out our first glyph of the year.

Click the picture above to grab your own copy of the glyph...

and the patterns.