Friday, February 24, 2012

Preschool Phonics



Animal Talk:
A way to learn letter sounds.

The following activities are meant to be a fun way to learn letter sounds. From birth our children are subjected to the sounds that animals make. From their little stuffed animals to adults pointing at pictures or real -life animals and imitating the sounds they make.  Animal sounds are among the first "words" that a baby speaks.
Learning that letters make sounds is hard to grasp when you can't "hear" the letters speak.  That is why I created these cards and the following activities . These activities should help  beginning readers to understand letters have sounds like animals have sounds.  The child does not need to know the names of the letters to play these games, so you could do these activities with the very young. It is not important at this stage of learning to have a goal of mastery, Only a basic understanding, preparatory to beginning reading skills (although, these could also be used as a review game for children who have already begun other phonic and beginning reading programs or lessons). I recommend using only one or two letter cards in the activities at a time until the child can handle more. A good place to start is the letters in their name.


Next you will want to get these adorable Animal Talk cards:











If you don't have lower-case alphabet cards, or you are like me and like things to match, you will want to get these next:

Lower-case alphabet cards





Aren't you glad I learned how to share files? 

Happy Day!

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Wildlife Word Work & More!

Here I am again.....it is "quiet time" at my house. I have a few promised uninterrupted moments, where I get to do what I want....and my only response to interruptions is: "It is quiet time", translation: go back to your quiet area. I used be really good about having the Kiddos all have this time everyday, it has been harder as they get older and I have less that nap no more nappers. (sigh) But I have recently been trying to take back that quiet time. We all need it.

So without further ramblings here is what I am going to share with you today:

I created these Wildlife themed worksheets for my 5th grader.


This is the Vocabulary Worksheet:


These are story map worksheets:


I printed these front to back....


Next up...........
Blank cards for word wall or games and punctuation helpers!






The 
Bonus
for today:



This is a list of vocabulary helpers. Words that give movement and direction to sentences.


Get wild about Words!

That concludes my Word Work series for now. I am sure there is more to come in the future!

Happy Day!


Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Word Work Freebies

Okay...I have about 20 minutes. So I can sit here and post the next round of worksheets I told you about it my post yesterday.


I created these worksheets for my first grader, but they could easily be used from kindergarten to third grade.


I got the idea to have a space for a drawing on their vocabulary sheets from some other worksheets I saw on pinterest. I am glad I was finally able to implement at least one of the great ideas I have pinned!


Here are the blank word wall or flash cards to go along with this theme:

We use these on our Word Worm Wall and as flashcards or game cards.


Enjoy swimming with words Under the Sea!

*Bonus*

The first set of vocabulary worksheets I made were the Pirate themed Word Work pages. That was before I planned on making something for all of my kiddos to have a Word Work workbook. Originally it was just going to be a worksheet on it's own and used when needed. Now I have turned it all into a weekly program that we are going to use (more on that in the future). So here is the Cover for the Pirate themed pages.




Next up will be the pages I made for my oldest who is 10. I have included a few extra things in hers to help with her grammar lessons.

(If you don't want to wait....look for me at hslaunch.....I have already shared the files there.....the link is on my left side bar)

Happy Day!

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

My BIG word PROJECT

Our Word Wall

Whew! I feel like I have been working on this project for months when in reality it has only been a couple of weeks, but it was in my thoughts some time before I actually began.

In our home we have more beginning readers than advanced readers. Actually we only have one advanced reader, and that is my oldest kiddo: Lyllian. She doesn't even need to be told to read during the day, because she always picks up a book at some point. Since I have so many in the beginning stages I have been trying to come up with a way to display the words they are working on, but still be able to separate their reading levels. After some internet searching I finally came up with our customized version of a word wall (pictured above). I have labeled it "The Word Worm Wall", and used several cute worms/bookworm clipart to decorate it. I was going to try to make it fancier (i.e. magnetic, velcro...something) but ended up going for simple: a poster paper glued to a piece of cardboard box (we have plenty of those around). Then I decided on the categories I wanted to display for them, and how I could also put something up for my advanced reader so that she wouldn't feel left out. I decided on these: (from left to right) Sight Words, Build a Sentence (tips for checking: capitals, spacing, punctuation and also commonly misspelled words), Letter Sounds (for phonics lessons), New Words to learn (Vocabulary), and Parts of Speech (yes... I spelled "speech" wrong on my poster. Everybody makes mistakes I will change it before they notice I promise! ).

This was being created at the same time that I created the Pirate Word Work activities and word cards for my son. Boy O Boy did that open up a flood! It inspired me to create similar activities for my girls...each with a different theme (of course) and make it into our own tailored Word Work curriculum. This also allows each to know which "word cards" belong to them on The Word Worm Wall. 

When God sends me blessings in the form of inspiration on how to teach my Kiddos....I just can't stop until I get it done! I spent many late nights either working or laying awake thinking about working!

Now I get to share these blessings with you!

I don't think I will be able to get it all in this one post. But I will begin now and hopefully post the rest throughout the week. 
(If you don't want to wait you can go to hslaunch, the link is on my left side bar, and find my freebies there!)


Warning: I am not perfect (as seen above with my spelling errors). I try to proof read and give correct information, but sometimes I get it wrong. So if you find mistakes...just ignore it  or send me a kind note so I can fix it. Also, I am no perfectionist and there are a lot of crooked and uneven things in my work. There comes a point when I say "That's good enough". If it will get the point across and looks appealing, I call it good. After-all, I have made these primarily for my family, but choose to share them. If you do like what you see-EXCELLENT- save it or print it for use in your home or classroom!


First up is.....(drum roll please)......................


The cutest preschool worksheets EVER! (okay, I have seen many cute things out there....probably on your blog.)



My little preschool girl is the girliest of girls if you have one of these then I am sure they would love for you to make them a workbook with these pages.  


I have printed off several of these pages (front to back) that she will use each week to practice the letter we are on. Currently I am starting with only the letters in her name. She is so excited to be learning to write her name! I am focused more on letter recognition and being able to write it. We are going over the letter sounds too, but not too focused. I just want her to begin to understand the importance of letters. Once she has that we will be moving into our phonics program. 

Since she is learning her name I made this page to go in the workbook as well:


Download these worksheets here for FREE!

For extra practice and games I made these little blank cards to match:

Download these blank cards here  for FREE!

These are for writing letters, words, or numbers on as needed for flashcards and learning games. So far I have just made some with the letters of her name on them. Since there are two of each picture card I made two of each letter in her name (she has 6 letters in her name so it worked perfectly). We laminated them and she cut them apart. Now she can play: 
Memory Match- turn over one card at a time to find all the matches
Letter Search #1- Scramble up the cards face up. I ask her to find a letter.
or

Letter Search #2 - Use an alphabet strip or poster (we used our strips that came with Happy Phonics)
Mix up the cards and place them face down. Have her draw a card, identify the letter, find it on the strip (or poster), and then place a marker to cover it up (we were using some little Easter erasers). I had all of her card in the pile so there were of each letter. She had to find the matching lower-case letter when it was drawn the first time, and then when the same letter was drawn she had to find the matching capital letter.

I would love to hear about what kinds of "name games' you play with your girly girl!

Bonus
To help us remember what she needs to practice everyday I created this Daily worksheet to put in her work binder. I have just slipped it into a page protector so that I can write the letter of the week in the box. I wrote her name at the top so she can see it everyday, and use it as a model to spell it with her letter cards.

You can get it here for FREE!


And that's all Folks!
Well, at least for today. I have two more Word Work themes to share with you. One is geared toward 1-2 grade and the other toward 5-6 grade. Plus a few extras. I already shared the 2-3 grade level with the Pirate Word Work in an earlier post (go here to read about it in the posting and get the links for downloading). One of the extras is a cover page for the Pirate Word Work!


Have you created something super special for your preschool girly girl? Leave me a comment and tell me about it or give share the link!

Happy Day!





Wednesday, February 15, 2012

My list keeps GROWING!

Just a quick pick me up for anyone else who might be feeling like me today.....


I love Hilary Weeks and her humorous "Mom" songs. She sings the truth! And her music gives me comfort on days like this.

My head is so FULL of all of theses things that I need to do and that I want to do. I keep getting blessed with fabulous ideas....but am having a hard time with time management!


Do you ever feel like this? What do you do to slow back down and stay focused?

Happy Day!

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Ahoy Matey!

Who doesn't love pretending to be a Pirate?

My Kiddos are always having fun with it. Especially when we go down to our park that has a ship themed playground!

My son struggles with spelling and phonics. I have been working on making some activities to enrich his spelling and phonics programs so he can get more exposure. My grand plan is to make a fabulous word wall (or something like) so I can post up the words he is struggling with.

I was inspired when I came across some other freebies themed with pirates, to make a little something of our own to add.








I am so happy that I have finally taken the time to learn how to share some of our creations with you! I hope you enjoy them. Please remember that these are for your personal and classroom use only. Thank You!

Here are some links to some other great pirate themed freebies!







For this one, I have just linked to her blog. You might have to do some searching to find it. She has just recently moved over to members only website....but membership is free and the printables are still free! Lots of great finds from Enchanted Homeschooling Mom!



The Following are NOT free, but still very affordable!



($1.00 download at Currclick)



($1.99 download at Currclick)


Happy Day Matey!




Monday, February 13, 2012

Valentine Activity

I created this little activity for my Kiddos today. Thought I would share.



There are lots of little hands around here that need to be kept busy. I am always saving containers and trying to find a use for them. Today it was a peanut butter jar that inspired me. Enjoy!


Print two of the Valentine Shake and Find game board. Cut apart the pictures of one and place in a clear lidded container. I taped some pennies to the backs of some of my pictures to add weight because they were all wanting to stay in the same place. Then fill the container with rice, beans, sand or whatever else you can think of. I used rice for this one, and we even colored it by mixing in a couple of drops of red food coloring! Now we have fun red and pink rice!


Have student Shake the container and Find the pictures. When they find a match, have them put something on the game board. Tomorrow I am going to set out a bowl of heart candies for them to use. How ever many pictures they find is how many they will get to eat! 

If you would like further instruction and ideas go here for my Shake and Find Instructions.

Happy Day!

p.s. I am new at sharing documents....so please tell me if my method did not work out! I will try and get it to you another way if it doesn't! Also please respect that I have made this for personal or classroom use only. Thank You!


What's your Name?


Did you know that today is "Change your Name day"? 


In honor of this the Kiddos and I have changed our names.

Mrs. Giggle-pants 

 I have five children named: 
Dr. Rock, Ling, Crayon Ella, Kayla-Lisa, and Juicey. 




We are all wearing paperclip necklaces  and when we get a name wrong we have to give them a paperclip. At the end of the day, the one with the most WINS!

So far my name is most often mistaken....saying Mommy is a habit that is hard to break! I think after lunch I will have to give away 2 paperclips when I get a name wrong. This should even things up better.

FUN FUN FUN!

Did you get a new name today?

Happy Day!
P.S. It is a GREAT day to read the classic story Rumplestiltskin!

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Remodeled and freshened up

Yes 
I have been sitting here all day just like I said in my earlier post. 

I feel good about all that I have accomplished. (even if there is a permanent bum mark on my seat!) There are several changes on my blog that I am sure you can notice right away. 

The Header and Background:  I wasn't planning on changing all that....but then I remembered that the other day while I was blog surfing I cam across someone who had the exact same theme going on, which I am sure there are many more that are duplicated.....but I wanted to be different. So I changed the background and then made my own Header. That took most of my time. 

The Layout: I wanted to balance things out a bit. That is all.

The Page Bar: This is not finished....but it is actually useful now, compared to before when I had pages with nothing in them. I hope to fill them up more as time progresses. I am using them as deeper insights to each subject of study that we use in our homeschooling. There are a few more Pages still under drafting, but this is a start!

Side Bar Topics: I moved, deleted and added things to the side bars. Feel free to Explore!

Other: I made you a cute little Welcome sign. I was going to try and figure out how to add other fancy things....but gave up. Some other day maybe.

And now you are thinking "Gee she is really obsessed with her blog"

Perhaps. 
But I have to compete with all of the other cute blogs out their....and that requires effort!

Still to come is for me to figure out how to best share some of my creations for your printing pleasure.
Maybe tomorrow.

The phone is going to ring any moment, and it is going to be my Hubby telling me he is on his way home. So that means I have approximately 30 minutes to zoom around getting things in order and starting dinner...so he won't see how much of a slacker I have been today!

Happy Day!

Taking a ME day---sort of

Do you ever have those days where you just can't get the energy needed to teach?

I am having one of those days.

We studied our scriptures...and some have done their other independent lessons.....

Now  I declare today to be a develop-a-talent-to-entertain-yourself-day. 


I have already been told 3 times in the past hour "I don't know what to do.". Clearly this is an area of study that needs practice!

I know what I am going to do today. I am going to sit here on this computer and let it suck me in, while the house falls to rubble behind me, until I can update this blog the way I would like it to be. I really want to be able to post on a more on regular basis...but I need to make it easier on myself..and that is going to take a bit of a blog makeover.

So if you are reading this today, be warned.......Happy Day Homeschooling is being Remodeled.

Happy Day!

Friday, February 3, 2012

Ready, Set, PRINT!

A note to fellow homeschool and teacher blogs:

Please stop giving me so many great ideas! I have file after file of free downloads (thanks to you). So many things to print and create fun for my Kiddos! Do you not realize that my printer is on the edge of being worn out?? It is so frustrating to have so many great things that I want to print, but can't because my printer has brain damage!


This winter has created blogging monsters setting traps wherever I go to ensnare me into their net of creative goodies.....I just can't stop myself. I am addicted to finding free printables and fabulous ideas! Each time I read someone's blog I have to click on a great link they have, then I find another great link, and it is never ending! 


I don't even have time to share all of my great finds. Watch out because one of these days I will catch up and I will get these activities printed and get pictures of us using them and then I will write a a post full of creative goodies for you to be trapped in with the never ending clicking, downloading, printing tunnel vision. Mwwuuhahahaha!


But until then keep a close eye on my Button Collection.......it seems to be growing almost daily (along with my pinterest boards).




Happy Day!