Kindergarten Apple Mania Part 3

Well, we're finally done with our apple theme!  (We were actually done almost a week ago, but I've been very slow in getting this post up.)  Thanks to a nasty little virus that circulated through the whole family, we lost a couple days of school and didn't complete all of the apple activities I'd had planned, but it's time to move on.  Here's a look at some of the fun we had:

This cut-and-paste apple tree sequencing activity is from the FREE 20-page Applelicious Activities packet by Sarah Paul.  As you can see in our other Kindergarten Apple Mania posts, we had a blast with this packet. 

These apple tree ten frame mats are from the Applelicious Ten Frame Activities pack by Teaching With Nancy.  The pack includes mats for numbers 1-10, a mat with no number, and sheet of apple counters.  (Colby loves his magnetic bingo counters, so that's what we used.)  We also used these last week.

These awesome clip cards are also from Applelicious Ten Frame Activities.

Colby is just getting the hang of ten frames, and really likes clip cards, so this activity was perfect for him.

I downloaded the free template for this apple addition craftivity from Fun, Fabulous Firsties!  Click the link to check out the blog post and download a copy.

I wanted to use red pom-poms or buttons for the apples, but Colby insisted on using leftover punched apples from our earlier patterning activity. Whatever works! 

This is A Bushel of Numbers, a fantastic and FREE activity from Teaching with Nancy.

Colban matched the ten-frame bushel to the corresponding apples.  One set of apples has the numeral, another has the number of seeds, and a third has tally marks.

To visit Teaching With Nancy and get your own copy, click here.

And another great activity from Teaching With Nancy's Applelicious Ten Frame Activities!

The pack has 46 pages of super-cute apple-themed ten frame activities and worksheets, and it's only $3.50!  (At the time of this posting, it's on sale for $2.80!  Go get a copy!!)  Check out the pack here.

This drawing and counting activity is from Miss Kindergarten Love's Print and Go! Printables For Fall packet.  This is the first activity we've done using dice, and Colban had a lot of fun.

This cut-and-paste apple counting activity is also from Print and Go! Printables for Fall. We've used lots of other sheets from this packet, and will be using more as autumn continues!

After cutting and gluing, Colby colored the apples.  He was so happy with the finished product!

For loads of apple, pumpkin, and other autumn-themed freebies on all grade levels, check out our Pinterest Board, FREE Autumn Printables {Educational}.  

For more of the apple activities we did this year, visit our other blog posts:

Kindergarten Apple Mania Part 1

Kindergarten Apple Mania Part 2

TpT stores and blogs mentioned in this post:

Miss Kindergarten Love

Teaching With Nancy (TpT shop)

Teaching With Nancy (blog)

Fun! Fabulous! Firsties!

Sarah Paul

Matter Flaps and Foldables

Hunter has recently completed a couple of very cool projects to review his study of matter:

This flip-flap book from Simply Skilled in Second was a lot of fun, and a fantastic way to review the three states of matter that we've studied so far!  It's recommended for grades 2-5.

Here's a look at the completed book.  

Underneath each flap there's space for information.  This flap asks "What is matter?" and "What are the three states of matter?"  (I asked Hunter if he remembered how many states of matter there are, and he promptly answered "five".  I was surprised considering we only went over this once, quite a long time ago!)

This flap has an awesome flask on which to label the states of matter.

On this flap, Hunter wrote about the properties of a gas and drew four examples, as well as illustrations of the particles in a solid, a liquid, and a gas.

Here he wrote about the properties of a liquid and drew examples, and also an explanation and illustration of how a liquid can change it state.

On the final page, he did the same for solids.  

I loved this resource.  Not only is it an impressive-looking finished product that my son is very proud of, it's packed with great information and opportunities for Hunter to really show what he knows.  (Check it out here!)

Another great activity he completed was this States of Matter lapbook from Lita Lita:

I liked that it shows so clearly how one state of matter can change to another, and reviews the associated vocabulary.  It really helped Hunter commit some of the tougher words to memory.

Each miniature flap book opens up into thirds.  Underneath the first flap are an example of a solid, liquid, or gas, and a place for the child to illustrate the particles.

Underneath that flap are some notes about the properties, and another example.

This product came with options to differentiate and make it a little more challenging, as well as a Spanish version!  Take a look!

Kindergarten Apple Mania Part 2

The apple fun continues!  I was aiming for two weeks worth of apple activities to supplement our regular curriculum, but I ended up with three!  I wasn't able to get pictures of everything as we did it, but I did my best!  Here's a peek at our second week of apples:

Colban predicted that an apple would float if he put it in the water.  We tested his prediction, and recorded the results on this worksheet:

He drew a picture of his apple,

and then we measured it with a piece of ribbon. As you can see, he really enjoyed this activity!

He measured the length of the ribbon with unifix cubes,

and recorded his findings on the worksheet.

Finally, we weighed the apple using a pan balance and bear counters:

It ended up taking 48 bears to match the weight of the apple.  We only had 50 bears to work with; I was starting to worry that we wouldn't have enough!  Colban recorded his results:

All of the above activity sheets (and a whole lot more!) are from Sarah Paul's awesome, FREE Apple-licious Activities Pack.

We read Ten Apples Up On Top!

Then we did this great, FREE Ten Frame Apples Up On Top activity from Amber Monroe!

Colby used Q-tips and poster paint to complete the accompanying worksheet.  He had a blast!  Click the link above to grab a copy of this activity.

These cut-and-paste patterning pages are from First Grade Parade.  They're part of an AMAZING 35-page freebie pack.  To see more of the activities and download a copy, check out her blog post here!

A peek at a couple of the patterns Colby has completed thus far.

We did this super cute apple-themed Count the Room activity from Differentiation Station.  Can you believe it's free?!

These beautiful ten frame math mats are from the Applelicious Ten Frame Activities pack from Teaching With Nancy.  

I'm so happy with this purchase!  There are so many activities in the (very inexpensive) packet, and Colby has enjoyed all of them.

Check out Kindergarten Apple Mania Part 1!

Check out Kindergarten Apple Mania Part 3!

For more free apple-themed activities and printables, try my Pinterest board:

Free Autumn Printables {Educational}

Blogs and TpT stores included in this post:

Teaching With Nancy

Differentiation Station

Sarah Paul

The First Grade Parade

Amber Monroe

For the bear counters we used:

50 Counting Bears with 5 Cups

Kindergarten Apple Mania Part 1

It's that time of year!  We love apple season.  Here are a few of the ways we've brought apples into our classroom:

These super-cute ten frame clip cards are one of the activities from Applelicious Ten Frame Activities.  I love this packet! It's exactly what I was looking for, and so inexpensive.  We'll be doing a lot more with it next week.

This apple patterning activity is a freebie from Made in 1st Grade.  Click the link to check out their blog and grab a copy, along with some other great apple freebies!  The free download includes another sheet with the apples already drawn for the student to color, or you could have your child draw their own apples.  I used an apple-shaped punch to make red, yellow, and green apples for Colby to pattern with.

These FREE apple counting mats are from Kindergarten Lifestyle.  What a fun activity!  Apple counters in three colors are included; the counting mats are for numbers 1-10.

This cut-n-paste apple order activity is a two-page freebie from Nicole at Rowdy in Room 300.  The first page covers numbers 1-5, and the second page is 6-10.  Colban was really proud of himself for completing both pages correctly without any help!

And of course my little nugget is on board for anything involving bingo markers!  This "A is for Apple" Do-A-Dot/Tracing page is from the FREE A is for Apple Tot & Preschool Pack by All Our Days.  

Another great freebie from Kindergarten Lifestyle!  This Apple Five Senses activity was lots of fun!  Colby examined an apple using his five senses, and recorded his observations (with a little help) on the corresponding worksheets.  As you can see, the "Taste" worksheet was his favorite!

Okay, this one has nothing to do with apples!  Colby also completed his project for the Letter M last week.  Isn't it cute?  He wanted a "big, fat mouse!", so I made the fattest "M" that I could!  

And of course, we read some apple books!  

Ten Red Apples, by Pat Hutchins.
This one is great for kiddos that are learning to count, add, or subtract numbers 1-10!

Apples, Apples Everywhere!: Learning About Apple Harvests, by Robin Koontz.
 I love the illustrations in this book!  It's a great introduction to apple harvesting, and how apples are used.

The Apple Pie Tree, by Zoe Hall.
A cute story with fun illustrations, and a great way to learn about the seasonal cycle of an apple tree!

More apple links and activities on the way!

(Kindergarten Apple Mania Part 2 is now up - check out our 2nd week of apple fun!)

(And finally, Kindergarten Apple Mania Part 3!)

Blogs and TpT stores included in this post:

Teaching With Nancy

Made For 1st Grade

Kindergarten Lifestyle

Rowdy in Room 300

All Our Days

Rotation vs. Revolution

The next topic in Hunter's interactive geography notebook is the Earth's rotation on its axis and revolution around the Sun.  We touched on this in second grade, and will visit it again in much more depth in future earth science classes, but I felt it was an important concept to review in geography this year as it is crucial to understanding concepts like climate and biomes.  

Here's the 2-page spread we created to help solidify Hunter's understanding of rotation vs. revolution:

It's a mishmash of ideas from Pinterest, including this anchor chart.  

Here's a better look at the Rotation page:

After adding the title, Hunter glued on the picture of the Earth tilted on its axis.  When the glue was dry, he used a fine point marker to add lines indicating rotation.  (We sketched these lines with a pencil first, to avoid making mistakes in ink!)  Finally, he added his notes.

The Revolution page was a little more complicated:

First, he cut out the Sun and the Earth.  Next, we measured out a rectangle of cardstock in a length that suited our page.  He glued the Earth to one end of the piece of cardstock, then punched a hole in the other end and added a reinforcement sticker.  Using a brad, we poked a hole through the center of the Sun, passed it through the hole in our cardstock strip, then used the brad to secure them both to the notebook page.  Careful not to fasten it too tightly, or you won't be able to move the Earth.

When this was finished, Hunter added his notes to the page.

For a free download of the graphics we used to create these pages, click here.  Three different sizes are included to accommodate different notebook sizes, or if you'd like room for more content on the page. 

Happy Homeschooling! 

Interactive Geography Notebook

In addition to many, many, many other things, Hunter worked on his interactive geography notebook this week.  The results were pretty cool!

This activity was inspired by this post at layers-of-learning.com.  I adapted the idea to meet our needs and the topics we were covering.  We learned about latitude, longitude, the Equator, and the Prime Meridian. 

•  First, I had Hunter draw a star on the map to mark where we live.  
• Then he traced the lines of latitude with a fine-point marker (only every other line so the map wouldn't look too cluttered).  
• Next, he traced the lines of longitude in another color (again, only every other line).  
• Finally, we cut two lengths of sparkly leftover Christmas ribbon, in gold and silver, to glue over the Equator and Prime Meridian.

Here's a closer look:

To download the free world map from Layers of Learning, click here.

During our next geography class, we discussed how the Equator divides the Earth into two hemispheres, the Northern and Southern.  Likewise, the Prime Meridian and its opposite, the 180th meridian, divide the Earth into Eastern and Western hemispheres.  After studying the hemispheres, we completed this notebook page:

Hunter wrote a simple definition underneath each flap.  For example, under "Northern Hemisphere" he wrote: 'The half of the Earth that lies north of the Equator'.

If you'd like a copy of the flaps, click HERE.

I hope you find them useful!

More resources and links:

A YouTube video on the Earth's hemispheres

Free online latitude/longitude game for kids

Educational YouTube video on latitude/longitude

Another YouTube video on latitude/longitude

Kindergarten Activities

Well, folks, I do believe I'm getting the hang of this!  We seem to be settling into our routine.  This week went very well, with a lot fewer bumps in the road.  The novelty of school seems to wearing off a bit for Colban, which is actually a relief.  He is now pretty content to complete the work I have planned for him, though I'm making sure I have plenty of extra activities prepped in case he requests some.  I didn't take many pictures this week, but here a couple of the highlights:

Colban loves bingo markers!  The activity pictured is a sheet from 

Highlight-A-Letter! {Letter Identification},

a great 54-page freebie from Babbling Abby.

That's a proud little nugget right there!

Colby is holding his Name in a Ten Frame project, a really fun freebie

from Sam Nowak.  Highly recommended!

Here's a closer look:

Here's Colby with his watermelon math sentence activity!

We kept it simple, but you can use more colors for the "seeds" to make it more challenging.

Get a copy of this Watermelon Math Freebie from First Grade Blue Skies.

As you can see, we had a blast this week!

For more kindergarten ideas, check out my Pinterest board, Homeschool: PreK & Kindergarten.

Babbling Abby's TpT Store

Babbling Abby's blog

Sam Nowak's TpT Store

Sam Nowak's blog

First Grade Blue Skies TpT Store

First Grade Blue Skies blog