How to Catch Santa

So, how do you catch Santa? 

     I had a lot of fun reading the book How to Catch Santa to my son's kindergarten class. It's written by Jean Reagan. I thought I would share the lesson in case you want to use it.  

 I started off by having a Christmas bag filled with goodies.  In the bag was a picture of a period and a question mark. I also had a gift box, a small Santa, and some garland.  As a preview to the book, I pulled items out of my bag one at a time.  I first told them we were going to read a book about how to catch Santa, and that's when I pulled Santa out of the bag.  He got to sit by me while I read.  I then pulled the picture of the period out and we reviewed what it was and where it goes in a sentence. I explained that while I was reading, they needed to think about something they would like to tell Santa. I pulled the question mark out and we discussed when and where we use a question mark.  I told them they would be coming up with a question they would like to ask Santa.  A gift box came out next and we talked about how Santa gives us gifts, but what if we gave him a gift, what might we like to give him?  Last, I pulled out my garland and we discussed the name of the book being How to Catch Santa, and would garland work to catch him? By this time, they were eager to hear the story.

The story covers all of those topics above.  It focuses on being prepared if you do catch Santa.  Being prepared means you aren't going to have much time once you catch him, so you need to know one question to ask him, one thing to tell him, a gift you would give him, and of course you need to know what your plan is to catch him.  It's a fun story that sparks the kids' imagination. If you choose to do this activity with your class, here is a follow up activity where students can write down their answers to the topics mentioned above.  You can get the activity by clicking the link below.

How to Catch Santa Activity-Click HERE

St. Patrick's Day for Kindergarten

St. Patrick's Day Tracing & Coloring

Fun and Easy St. Patrick's Day Activity for Primary Grades

Recognizing St. Patrick's Day in school is a delightful way to introduce students to Irish culture and traditions while making learning enjoyable. Engaging activities like art projects, themed stories, and festive decorations create a vibrant and exciting classroom environment. This holiday offers a unique opportunity to blend creativity with education, as students participate in fun and interactive lessons that enhance their understanding and appreciation of different cultures. Celebrating St. Patrick's Day fosters a sense of community and inclusiveness, making it a memorable and enriching experience for everyone involved.

Looking for a fun and easy St. Patrick's Day activity? Here are two I made for primary grades. One is a basic St. Patrick's themed trace and color activity, and the other focuses on the when, why, and how of the holiday; when is St. Patrick's Day celebrated, why is it celebrated, and how is it celebrated. These have many uses, such as a center activity, a whole group activity as a follow-up to a read-aloud, or use them however you would like.

St. Patrick's Day When, Why, and How Activity - HERE

St. Patrick's Day Trace and Color Activity - HERE

Hope you have a lucky day! :-)

Decorating Valentine Bags

Valentine Bag Idea

Today I had fun decorating a Valentine bag with my four year old son. It was actually an assigned activity for his preschool class.  Things like this become huge projects with a preschooler! In addition to the bag, we put together some Valentine cards with heart shaped ring suckers. I made him write his own name on all of the 15 cards, which he didn't like.  I got a lot of the, "My hand is soooo tired!"   LOL.... I even let him do 4-5 at a time with a pretty long break,  but I still got a few complaints.  He did have fun decorating the bag though.  We used  a white gift bag and painted it with colored glitter paint.  He then added some sparkly glitter dragons to the front and back.  I cut out some felt heart stickers that he also added to the front and back, and then he put all kinds of other Valentine themed stickers on the sides.  He added his name to the top.  Yeah, I know the 'h' is lower case, but oh well.... there wasn't a capital one in the pack. :-)

Fun Book Report Idea for Valentines

If you are looking for a Valentine bag idea for upper elementary, I made this fun bag activity, and it can be found in my TpT store.  It lets students share a little about themselves, and it also has a book report sheet the kids fill out and glue to the back.  They get to share about a book they LOVE.  After they bring it to school and present to the class, they get to fill it with all of the Valentine cards their friends brought them.  Even big kids love Valentine's Day activities.  It's one of my favorite days of the school year. :-)

Find the Printable activity in my TpT store.

 Valentine's Day Bag Activity HERE 

Martin Luther King, Jr. Activity for Kindergarten

Let's Learn about MLK
I Have a Dream Activity

If you are looking for a basic Martin Luther King, Jr. activity for your kindergarten kiddos, then this "Trace, Color, and Write" activity might be perfect. It has some basic facts about Martin Luther King, Jr. for kids to read and trace, an MLK image for kids to trace around, and printed lines for them to share their own dream for the world. 
It would make a great literacy center activity or even use it for morning work.  It would also work as a follow-up activity after you read a book on Martin Luther King, Jr.  Use it in your classroom however you would like, and please do pin the image below.   Click the link below to download. Enjoy!

Martin Luther King, Jr. Activity

Thank you for sharing on facebook, pinning to Pinterest, and Tweeting about this activity.

Free Printable 'EGG'stra Special Tag for Treats

Sending some sunshine with an "EGG"stra special treat......Spring time is a great time to let someone know you are thinking about them.  Maybe you want to  let your students know you are thinking about them. Maybe you have a co-worker that needs a 'pick me up' treat. Maybe you want to let your child's teacher know you appreciate him/her.  Whatever the situation is, this original artwork (yes, I created every little part of this tag... even the swirls on the eggs.... just a little doodle, but it turned out cute) gift tag is sure to pep up a friend's  day when you attach it to some chocolate eggs. Rarely can you go wrong with chocolate!! This printable "EGG"stra special tag is a freebie gift from me and it can be printed out by clicking the link below. They print 4 to a sheet.  Enjoy! 
Click HERE to print "EGG"stra Special Tags

Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.

Free Printable St. Patrick's Day Subway Art

Valentine's Day has come and gone, and now it's time to add a hint of green instead of red.  Rainbows and gold.... that sounds like happiness to me!  :-)  I made this cute St. Patrick's Day subway art, placed it in a black frame and Voila!... It turned out so cute!  Feel free to print yourself out one, as I am offering it for free.  Simply place it in an 8.5x11 frame and it will look so cute and colorful on your desk in your classroom or on display in your home.  Mine is actually on a table in a hallway off  my den.  Enjoy!   Just click the link below to print. FREE Subway Art for St. Patrick's Day
Check out my teacher themed subway art here.

Hover over image to pin.

Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.

We appreciate you 'liking' us on facebook, tweeting about us, or pinning us on Pinterest.

For more fun and creative ideas for the classroom, click the above picture to go to my store.

If you are a teacher and you like what you see, please visit often.

God Loves You Valentine's Day Cards

Free Valentine Cards

My son attends the church preschool, so for a change, I can actually mention God on classroom materials. Imagine that!  I made these for him to deliver to his three year old class friends for Valentine's Day.  They would work for any age. Just print and sign a name. I stapled a heart sucker to each one. They are free to print, so I hope you can enjoy on a e future Valentine's Day. Click the link below.
God Loves You Valentine Cards

Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.

Free Printable Christmas Gift Tags

Yes, I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but I am quickly getting into the Christmas spirit.  It's kind of hard not to when you see all the Christmas decorations in stores. I always like to give my co-workers or neighbors a little something for Christmas, so I made these whimsical tags to use on gifts for friends.  I thought I would share the tags with you.  Just click on the link below.  The file is a png image saved in a power point.  All you have to do is open it up and print the slide. Punch a hole in the corner and add a ribbon. Instant Christmas tag. :-) Free Printable Christmas Gift Tags

Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.

We appreciate you 'liking' us on facebook, tweeting about us, or pinning us on Pinterest.

For more fun and creative ideas for the classroom, click the above picture to go to my store.

If you are a teacher and you like what you see, please visit often.

Turkey Toes Baggie Toppers

Your students will think these are the funniest thing.... turkey toes!!  I have made the baggie topper, so all you have to do is get the candy corn and print the turkey toes baggie topper and your are set.  If you are a room mom, this is an easy treat to take in for the kids. Teachers, your coworkers might also find this cute if you leave a baggie in their mailbox.  :-)  Just click the link below. Enjoy! Free Turkey Toes Baggie Toppers

Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.

We appreciate you 'liking' us on facebook, tweeting about us, or pinning us on Pinterest.

For more fun and creative ideas for the classroom, click the above picture to go to my store.

If you are a teacher and you like what you see, please visit often.

Free Printable Thanksgiving Bookmarks

Your students will love receiving one of these colorful Thanksgiving bookmarks.  Laminate the bookmarks for durability.  I love placing something like this on my students' desks where they find it when they arrive in the classroom. Another option is to meet them at the door one morning and pass them out as they come in.  It brings a smile to their face and makes them feel appreciated.   Click below for the free printable Thanksgiving bookmarks. FREE Thanksgiving Bookmarks

Hover over the image to pin on Pinterest.

Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.

We appreciate you 'liking' us on facebook, tweeting about us, or pinning us on Pinterest.

For more fun and creative ideas for the classroom, click the above picture to go to my store.

If you are a teacher and you like what you see, please visit often.

Free Fall Summarizing Activity

Fall Summarizing Activity

When we teach students to pull out the most important details from a text and organize those details in a meaningful way, we are teaching them to summarize.  According to a statistic I read on the West Virginia Department of Education website (taken from Marzano research), the skill of summarizing is one of the top ten most important skills taught in school.   I would say that means it's pretty important. :-)  With that said, it's not something we should just teach once and walk away from it never to return. It should be a skill we come back to time and time again. In order to do just that, I have made a fall summarizing activity sheet that can be used with any book or story.  It's a free activity and can be found in my Teachers pay Teachers store by clicking the link below.    Free Fall Summarizing Activity  

   

Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.

We appreciate you 'liking' us on facebook, tweeting about us, or pinning us on Pinterest.

For more fun and creative ideas for the classroom, click the above picture to go to my store.

If you are a teacher and you like what you see, please visit often.

 

Fun Fall Preschool Activities and Treats

Yesterday my son had a little Halloween party at his church preschool.  The room mom did a great job of putting together  a fall activity that I thought was perfect for preschoolers or even kindergartners. The finished product turned out so cute, so I thought I would share.   It was a little water bottle jack-o-lantern. It was made using a small water bottle (the more rounded kind), a piece of orange construction paper, some black face pieces that were already cut out, and a green cap for the top.  All the kids really had to do was tear the paper into small pieces, kind of give them a crumpled look, and stick them on the bottle.  Once the bottle was filled up, they screwed the top on and stuck the eyes and mouth on.  Those pieces had little sticky pads on the back which worked well.  The craft was such a great idea for little hands. Here are some pictures.

In addition to the fun water bottle jack-o-lantern craft, they enjoyed a few fall themed treats.  One was rice krispy candy corn on a stick.  The other were cute little acorns.  The acorns were so cute and would be fun for any adult to serve at a party too.  They were made using a Hershey Kiss, a small Vanilla Wafer, melted chocolate to stick everything together, and top it off with a small peanut butter chip.  Adorable!!  Here are some pics to share.

Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.

We appreciate you 'liking' us on facebook, tweeting about us, or pinning us on Pinterest.

For more fun and creative ideas for the classroom, click the above picture to go to my store.

If you are a teacher and you like what you see, please visit often.

Constitution Day Reading Activity

September 17 is Constitution Day.  Did you know that if you are a public school educator then you are required by law to touch on the Constitution in your classroom? The act states..
 "all publicly funded educational institutions provide educational programming on the history of the American Constitution on that day.". 
So, with that said, I have put together an easy print and go poster that is a perfect way to help your students understand how the Constitution came about and how it affects our country today.  Because I have highlighted vocabulary, this would be a great time to discuss some of the government related terms.  For example, delegates, Articles of Confederation, and branches of government.  If you wanted to elaborate further on the Constitution, you could then do a follow-up activity or maybe show a Brainpop or other video, or maybe even do a writing activity.  Have fun sharing with your students this very important document.  Get all of the details by clicking the link below.  

Constitution Day Reading Activity

Share the Sweetness!

Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.

FREE Birthday Pencil Toppers

I don't do a whole lot for my kids' birthdays, typically just a pencil and a birthday card....maybe a piece of candy.  I have found in the past that they just want to be recognized on their birthday, and something simple can be all it takes to bring a smile to their face.  I made these birthday pencil toppers that you may like.  Just print them off, laminate, and tape to a pencil.  Get them all ready at the beginning of the year and then all you have to do is grab one from the can on their birthday. I cut around mine using pinking shears. I have also included a style that could work for a button instead of a pencil topper. It says, "It's my birthday."  After you laminate those, just hot glue a metal  button backing that you can get in the jewelry section of Wal-Mart or a craft store like Hobby Lobby.  Enjoy!

As always, I love comments, so say hello sometimes when you stop by. :-)

Free Happy Birthday Pencil Toppers

Feel free to pin.  Just hover over the image.
The can above is a soup can that I spray painted. 
The pencils came from the Dollar Spot at Target.

Share the Sweetness!

Don't forget click and read my blog post 

Self-care tips for teachers' mental health

February Writing Activity

Right now my students are working to finish up a writing we started on Valentine's Day. When I came up with this writing idea called, "The Place I Love", I was trying to come up with something that was love related since it was Valentine's Day, but I didn't want it to be all lovey dovey or for it to be about loving someone. I feel like the kids do lots of other writings like that as far as "I love you because.....". So, I decided that we all have special places we love, and this would be a great way to get to know my kids.

By the way,  this writing activity could really be used any time of the year since it is not really Valentine themed. It's simply about loving a special place. As an after thought, I realized it would work well with Patricia MacLachlan's book, All the Places to Love.

So, what's the place I love?  Well, I decided I wanted my students to realize that the place to love didn't really have to be a place that was special to anyone else.  It could be as simple as your yard or as big as a city as long as they could give evidence as to why it was the place they loved.  For my place, I chose ..............My CAR!.....yep, I told them that after I drop my little guy off at school in the morning, I have a 30 minute drive to work.  One of my kids yelled out, "You like the peace and quiet, don't you?"  I said, "Yep!  You guessed it."  It can be so peaceful with my coffee, no bickering teenagers, no demanding toddler, no teaching of 25 kids.... just me and some quiet music and my coffee.  They thought it was pretty funny when I described the place I love..... sad to say, it is quite dirty right now with a few sippy cups, a couple of pacifiers tossed here and there, a coffee mug or two, and whatever else a busy working mom of three has in her car.  I am sure you can relate.

So, what's a place you love?

Get all of the details by clicking the link below.

The Place I Love Writing Activity

Share the Sweetness!

Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.

We appreciate you 'liking' us on facebook, tweeting about us, or pinning us on Pinterest.

For more fun and creative ideas for the classroom, click the above picture to go to my store

Valentines for the Teacher

Valentines Thank You for the Teacher

When my daughter saw all of the stuff I got from my students for Valentine's Day, she said, "They must think you are a great teacher!" When I saw all of the chocolate I got, I said, "They must want me to gain a hundred pounds!".... WOW!   I am so blessed to have such wonderful parents and students, and they really show their appreciation for me and the hard work I do as a teacher. I have worked in places before where I had to buy everything down to the pencils and paper, so to get a hot Starbucks delivered on Valentine's Day along with a message, "We love you a Latte,"  in addition to being gifted with all of the chocolate, teddy bears, mugs, and Starbucks gift cards, I would say I was in Valentine heaven.  It was a great day. Check it out.

Click to enlarge.

Oh, and if you missed my face book post about my flower delivery from my husband, you can get the scoop by clicking the image below.  The flowers that were delivered came in a pretty box and were packed so nicely, and then when you pulled out the flowers, it was like, "You have got to be kidding!"....   I felt bad thinking that, but for Valentine's Day, don't florists prepare and know they need to send their best products.  I mean, I would have been okay not even getting anything, but this is their business, and they it seems like Valentine's is the day they are either going to gain or lose a customer.  My husband ended up pulling up a picture of what he ordered, and O-M-G.....  these flowers look like they pulled them from the dumpster compared to the picture he saw when he ordered.  Crazy!

 

Click to enlarge

Share the Sweetness!

Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.

We appreciate you 'liking' us on facebook, tweeting about us, or pinning us on Pinterest.

For more fun and creative ideas for the classroom, click the above picture to go to my store

The Polar Express Christmas Activity

Fun Polar Express Activity

If you like the book The Polar Express, then you are sure to love this activity.....

By the time kids get to 4th grade, some are wavering on the Santa thing.  I always like to do a special little activity to get them pondering the magic of Santa.  The afternoon before our Christmas break starts, I put little silver bells in the back of each of their desks.  Then the next day I read them a couple of my favorite Christmas books, one of which is the book The Polar Express.  A short time later, I have the kids clean out their desks (I do this at the end of each 9 week period),  and you guessed it, they find the silver bells.  My fourth graders always love this!  I hear one of them say, "I found a bell in my desk!".... a few seconds later, "I found one too!"... Before you know it, they are all ringing silver bells and saying things like, "It's the first gift of Christmas!"  This year no one even questioned where they came from.  It is such a fun Christmas activity!

 

 

Share the Sweetness!

Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.

We appreciate you 'liking' us on facebook, tweeting about us, or pinning us on Pinterest.

For more fun and creative ideas for the classroom, click the above picture to go to my store

 

Free Christmas Activities

Christmas Word Recognition

Life has been so incredibly busy for me! 
I'm sure your life is just the same.

 

By the time I get home from my teaching, get the teenagers to where ever they need to go, find something to eat for dinner, go to sports events, make sure homework is done, get the toddler bathed and ready for bed, I can sometimes find the time to make a custom lesson or two for my fourth graders.  As far as blogging though, that has taken the back burner.  I have not made it a priority.

 

So, here I am on Thanksgiving break squeezing in a blog post.  And guess what?  You get some free Christmas activities out of this post.  You can't beat free, right? 

 

This is a Christmas activity for the younger kids.  Sometimes I will make something cute for my k-1 friends even though I won't be able to  use it in the classroom.  In this activity, the kids cut out words to glue down and label the picture.  They can then color it.  This will make for a cute center as it gets closer to the holiday break.  You can download this from my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

 

Christmas Activity - Word Recognition

 

 

This next activity I made for my fourth graders.  One of the fourth grade common core objectives is to form and use prepositional phrases.  This is a Christmas themed slide show to introduce the topic to my students.  I hope you can find a way to use it in your classroom.

 

Prepositional Phrase Christmas Activity

 

 

 

If you are interested, I also made an I Have Who Has activity for prepositional phrases.  It goes along with the slide show.  It is Christmas themed.  Get all of the details by clicking the link below.

 

I Have Who Has Prepositional Phrases 

 

  

 

Share the Sweetness!

Thank you for helping to spread the word about Classroom Confections.

We appreciate you 'liking' us on facebook, tweeting about us, or pinning us on Pinterest.

For more fun and creative ideas for the classroom, click the above picture to go to my store