Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!  Who else has a sugar stomach from too many chocolates and candy hearts?  {don't let me be the only one raising my hand...}  This is a loooong post with a bunch of things we worked in for heart week, a freebie and a surprise at the end.  Let's get this party started!

{just for fun}

We made our little Valentine people again of course!

I've retyped the glyph & added a recording sheet to along with it.  After all, what's the point of a glyph if you don't read them to find information?!  {this is your freebie because I love you all!!}

{math centers}

I love scoop & count from Can Do Kinders.  I don't actually have my kids record but the practice with 10s frames is great.

My other favorite Valentine's Day math activity is from Lory's Page.  She works in sorting, graphing, counting, measuring, adding...you name it!  Fab fab fabulous.  And it keeps them thinking for quite a while!  ;)

Love this missing teen number activity from Kinder Hoppenings.  Awesome brain power happening while they count forward and back then forward again.

Thought the "I love you this much" measurement activity from Growing Kinders was so cute I had to make them myself.  We called it measuring hugs!

Aaaaand for some higher level thinking, we used Be Mine Boxes from The Inspired Apple.  I didn't have her adorable boxes so I just wrote numbers in the middle that each kid needed to work on.

{literacy}
Most of my literacy time is laid out for me with specific mini-lessons, independent reading time and a literacy curriculum.  This is new this year and it is a major struggle because I feel like I'm missing so many elements...but there just isn't time anymore to work it all in as the kids need it!  {ack!  Not stopping to vent, it's just hard teaching sometimes when you feel like your freedom of choice has been removed.}  But between my guided reading groups and writing time, I squeeeeeze in as much as I poss-ib-ly can!!

Love this ABC order activity from Finally in First.  Such cute little monsters!

Kinders can never have enough nonsense word blending practice and these monsters from The Art of Teaching were just as much of a hit.

Practice counting syllables with this cute freebie from Mrs. Ricca's Kindergarten.  My kids had so much fun with this we didn't get to the next activity until the next day!  They flipped it over and started making their own pictures on the back of cupid, flowers and chocolate!

This CVC game from A Differentiated Kindergarten is fabulous for medial vowel practice.  We didn't get to it this week but it's going to be at my game center {word work} next week.

For Valentine's day, Christmas and your other popular holidays, get these vocabulary cards from Kindergarten Smiles.  I laminated them and hang them on my writing center as we introduce new topics.  My kids love them and they're ridiculously helpful for my ESL students!!

And one of my favorites, Annie from The Moffatt Girls, put up this Color by Sight Word freebie.  If you like it {which I love for morning work as the kids are coming in} be sure to check out her other Color by Sight Word downloads!

{valentines for the kids}

I found this awesome silicone mold at Target for $1!  I bought it first, then looked up how to make heart crayons.  Luckily, it worked out.  ;)  I had my kids help me make naked crayons by taking off the paper.  I broke the big ones into little pieces and baked them at 230 for about 30 minutes.  I popped them in the fridge for about 20 minutes to cool and they were ready to come out!

I thought about making them more according to coordinating colors {reds and pinks together, etc} but thought it would be more fun to color crazy pictures with all the colors mixed together.

Bah HA!  That was a big fat lie!!!  I mixed all the colors together because it was a collection of left over crayons from various places in the classroom.  But if you bought it, the five year olds definitely will!  ;) They had a blast coloring "crazy pictures" while they ate their cookies and passed out their cards.

And I have never seen this before...one of my kids phonetically spelled each of his classmate's names on his treat bags.  Yes, I sent home a list!!  So funny...but he knew what each bag said so it worked for him!  Still cracks me up.  

{Bryan}

{Ethan & Jhonathan}

Is anybody still hanging in there for the surprise?!  Is your sugar coma gluing your eyes to the computer screen??  ;)  I know that most of the activities I shared with you today aren't mine and I'm trying to get some brand new things out to you...but I've been quite tired {and a little nauseous} every day after school, making it really hard to get anything done.  It's for good reason, though...

We are so so so excited.  I promise to keep posting as often as I can if you'll promise not to be away too long!  Happy day of love friends!