Are These The Top 4 Skills Your Class Will Master This January AND What About Their Teacher?

These 4 skill sets are on  SALE for the New Year...

Phonics, sight words, writing, & math:

My favorite 3 Language Arts sets, plus my huge Numbers 1-10 set, are all on sale right now and through this New Year weekend! What a great way to welcome in 2017 and be ready for your "Littles" when school resumes in Jan.

January is the perfect time to focus on foundational Language Arts skills AND to review the numbers 1-10 before moving on to those tricky teens. Help your students to develop true conceptual understanding and build a firm foundation for the numbers 1-10. That will make the teens easier to understand.

1. All About Numbers 1-10: You get all of this for each number 1-10! The different templates allow you to differentiate and focus on specific skills. Great for RTI too.

2. Seasonal Journal Pages with Rubrics: You get the basic "pencil" rubric plus four additional templates, one for each season. Your students will love returning to school to a new "winter" journal. You can copy & bind these into a daily journal or use them one-at-a-time as needed.

3. Sight Word Pocket-Lockets: This makes a FUN small group lesson and can also be used to create an independent center. Just copy on colored construction paper, add scissors, glue, and some yarn to help your students create a pocket watch or a locket to wear home.

4. Alphabet Picture Cards and a template for a cute alphabet book: You can do one a week or one a day. Each page reinforces initial consonant and short vowel sounds.

Have you thought of attending a conference this January?

I'll be presenting at the PK1 Conference in Santa Clara, CA on Jan. 14 & 15.

You can read about all of the speakers and sessions by 

CLICKING HERE. 

Click the image.

And if you're on the East coast, you can catch me at
The SDE Conference for Tennessee Pre-K Teachers by
CLICKING HERE.

CLICK THE IMAGE.

I hope you enjoy the sale and have a wonderful New Year!
See you all in 2017!

It's a Holiday 3-day sale! Just for YOU!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays To You!

This Christmas, we cut down a real "Charlie Brown" tree from our property
 and I wrapped all of the gifts in brown paper & tied them up with string.
The chalkboard stocking tags were a great touch!

My ENTIRE TpT Store is ON SALE!

So, shop 'til you drop while all cozy in your PJs by the fire.

Here is the link to my store:

CLICK HERE

Enjoy a quiet moment and take some time to reflect on the past year. 

Wishing you all a very, merry season filled with love, joy, and especially good health.

Love,

Palma

Do you shop on Amazon? Win-Win Ideas For Your Students, Kindergarten, & YOU!

This is how you can make a difference this year:

If you are shopping on Amazon.com, you can make a huge difference in the world of kindergarten by clicking on the Amazon link on the California Kindergarten Association's homepage first!

Click the image above.

This idea will benefit you AND your students:

Attend the PK1 Conference in Santa Clara, CA this January and discover new ideas, techniques, and products to use with your students. Most of all, you will leave with a new sense of inspiration, motivation, and determination to make the rest of this school year the best one ever!

Click the image. 

Registration is filling up, so click on the brochure and check out all of the amazing sessions.

I'll be there presenting on ways to incorporate "play" in your busy day and how to teach phonics and phonemic awareness through the world of nursery rhymes. 

Happy Holidays to you all!

Which "Show & Tell" Apron Would YOU Like?

Because, I'm giving one away!

Enter to win a "Show & Tell" apron through the Rafflecopter below. The FUN begins on Dec. 10. 

Click the apron to see their entire site. 

It's super easy to enter and you can earn EXTRA ENTRIES by tagging and sharing KFUNdamental's Facebook post about this Rafflecopter DAILY! 

While you are waiting for the Rafflecopter to end, have fun looking at all of the different Show & Tell aprons that are available on their website:  CLICK HERE to see the site. 

Good luck!  I'll announce the winners here and on KFUNdamental's Facebook page once the Rafflecopter is over. 

THIS RAFFLECOPTER STARTS ON DEC. 10:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanksgiving is over, but you can still...

... use it to teach sight words and numerals!

Here are 3 ways to transition from Nov. to Dec.

#1. Thanksgiving Sight Words & Numerals:

1. Give each child a lined card with the word "see" on it and the numerals 1-5.

2. Give each child a copy of my Thanksgiving Counting Book.

Click the image to see this book. 

3. Students fill in the word "see" on each page, count the objects, and fill in the correct numerals.

This is a GREAT book to take home and read to their family too!

But That's Not All:

No, that's not all. 

#2.  I also made a Christmas Counting Book: 

Click the image to see this book. 

This book is filled with sight words for your students to learn and read as they count the objects and fill in the numerals 1-10. 

BONUS: Did I mention that ALL of the products in my TpT store are on sale through Nov. 29 and if you use the code CYBER2016, you can even save an extra 10% which will bring your savings to 28%!

#3.  Seasonal Writing Prompts:

Now that your students have just experienced Thanksgiving, you might also like to use the Thanksgiving writing prompt included in my Month-to-Month Writing pack. 

You get loads of other prompts that integrate science, social studies, and math with language arts. 

The Thanksgiving page looks like this:

Click the image to see the entire set of writing prompts. 

And the December page looks like this:

Click the image to see the entire set of writing prompts. 

And you can also make an entire math lesson around this question with my Class Graph Icons:  (So, I guess that's really 4 ideas!)

Click the image to see the set of icons. 

So have fun as you transition from Nov. to Dec. and remember to keep the FUN in the Fundamentals!  

Visit my Pre-K/T.K./Kindergarten blog:  JUST CLICK HERE

Trust Me, I Just Don't Need Another Mug!

This Idea Is Just Too Good!

So, how many teacher coffee mugs do you own? And I bet you just don't need another, right?

Try this idea to help make this holiday season the best for you AND your students:

My Big Idea:

I ask my room mom to send home a note to my students' parents telling them that instead of going through all of the fuss of shopping for a holiday present for their child's teacher, all they need to do this year is help send their child's teacher to an SDE Conference which will directly impact their child's education in a positive way! 

The letter should simply request that they send your room mother any amount of money to cover the cost of a one or two day conference. A typical donation of $10 each for a class of 26 students pays for  an entire day of learning for the teacher. You might also want to see if your PTA will sponsor the second day.

Upcoming Conferences:

Click the image for more info.

Here is a conference scheduled for Dec 8-9 in Hot Springs, Arkansas that has a fabulous line-up of presenters:

Julie Lee

Julie has been a kindergarten teacher for 10 years. Her creative approach to teaching inspires hands on lessons that are kid friendly, engaging, and fun, and she enjoys creating unique activities that reach students on multiple levels. Julie is the author of the blog Mrs. Lee's KinderKids, where she loves sharing innovative teaching ideas with other teachers. 

Palma Lindsay

Palma is a kindergarten teacher who has stayed on the cutting-edge of educational research and technology throughout her 37-year classroom career. She has taught grades K through 8, serves as a mentor to new teachers, and shares her fun ideas in her innovative blog, "KFUNdamentals." Her sessions are jam-packed with new and fresh ways to keep the FUN in the FUNdamentals. 

Pat Pavelka

Pat is an exciting classroom innovator and speaker with more than 35 years of experience as a teacher and national education consultant. She consistently earns high marks for her creative strategies, straight-forward style, and real-life answers to challenging issues. Pat is also the author of a variety of popular professional books, including "Reading Standards for Literature," available in three volumes: K, 1, and 2. 

Crystal Radke

Crystal Radke is a Texas educator with a degree in Early Childhood Education. She has worn many hats in private and public education for the past 12 years but has taught kindergarten for the last seven, which is where her heart is. She enjoys developing curriculum to keep learning and fun alive in the early childhood classroom. She is the author of the blog, Kreative in Kinder. 

Greg Smedley-Warren

Greg has been a teacher for 10 years, and the last seven years he has spent in his favorite place—the kindergarten classroom. Previously, he taught for two years in Ecuador where he was named Outstanding Future Educator. He shares with teachers tons of ideas for making the classroom experience bright, happy, and hands-on for little ones in his blog, "The Kindergarten Smorgasboard." 

Watch Video

Dan St. Romain

Dan is a national educational consultant who is passionate about helping educators shift their perspective on behavior and the best ways to provide support given the challenges posed in today's classroom. He presents on topics impacting school climate, brain-based instruction, developmentally appropriate educational practices and presentation skills. Currently, as a behavior consultant for a school district, he works directly with students and supports staff. He is author of the books "Ten Simple Songs for Better Behavior in the Classroom" and "How Are You Feelin', Juan Pablo Chameleon?"

I hope you have a 

GREAT Thanksgiving 

and that you get to attend an 

SDE Conference soon!

November FUN!

Nov. Fun:

Start off with this fun counting book that is great for introducing your students to the academic vocabulary associated with Thanksgiving. CLICK HERE

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Thanksgiving-Counting-Book-Sight-word-see-s-Pre-K-TK-K-Sp-Ed-Gen-Ed-988710 

I use these calendar templates with my TK and K students.

Each month, my class makes a calendar.  They trace the dotted font, create an AB color pattern on the dates, and create a FUN calendar topper.

The pumpkin spice is drying on the 3 blobs of glue at the top of the pie.

This month, we made a pumpkin pie to go on the top half of our calendar.  The FUN part was when we sprinkled Pumpkin Spice on the pie. 

We just placed 3 dots of glue on the pie vents and sprinkles some Pumpkin Spice on the glue so our pumpkin pie will smell spicy when we take it home.

You can find my calendar templates by clicking RIGHT HERE.  You get a set with some numbers in a dotted font (the amount of numbers in a dotted font increases each month) and a set with blank date boxes.  

Click the calendar.

Click the calendar.

Find some more FUN on my:

Facebook page

Pinterest Boards

TPT Store

This is PERFECT for Halloween Week!

It's Halloween Week! Keep the "calm" with these ideas:

I created this cute little Halloween book that your students can make on Monday or even after Halloween!

This cute project is written in the the same pattern as Brown Bear and reinforces recognizing and writing color words.

It's filled with loads of cute Halloween "characters" who end up at a Halloween party.

It begins with the black cat who sees an orange pumpkin, who sees a white ghost....

There are several "characters" and each one is a different color.

The last page says, "I see a Halloween party!  That's what I see!"  All of the characters are printed on the lat page!

This would be a great project for this week or it can be a cute gift to give to your students for Halloween.  Here is the link to the:   Halloween Story.

Speaking of Halloween gifts.  I think the kids will be getting enough candy and don't need any more from me, so I always give students a toothbrush for Halloween.  I know it sounds strange, but I try to get really cute ones and the kids LOVE them!  After our costume parade and witch's brew (room temperature apple juice poured over dry ice that is encased in a cheesecloth bag so the pieces don't break off and get into the kids' cups), we sit at our tables and complete the Halloween Story book.  :)

So here is your question:  What do you give your students for Halloween?

**************************

Palma :)

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And, for $40 off of your 1st year on ESGI, use the code KFUN at esgisoftware.com when signing up for your 60 day FREE trial!

Black Cat, What Do You See???

I See A Yellow Moon Looking At Me!!!

Click & Grab

Your students will love learning the color words as they complete this cute Halloween book. 

Copy the color word & color the cat to match. 

They WRITE the color word and then color the character to match the color word on each page.

Click the image to get this book. 

The story ends with a Halloween party!

Click & grab. 

Students color the characters to match the colors in the story. 

They love to go back and check to see which color each character was. 

You might also like the Thanksgiving and Christmas versions or my "Come to My Party" book where you can make it fit any theme.

For example: Use the characters of any book to fill in the blanks on the pages. 

This one is a counting book. Click the image to grab it.

Click the image to grab this Christmas counting book.

Click the image to grab this book about characters.You can customize it to fit any theme. 

I Confess... I Teach Shopping...

... because there is just so much to learn from shopping!

Seriously, there is adding, subtracting, sorting, counting, and tons of problem solving! That's why I think we should all set up a different store each month in our classrooms. Here is my latest store,  a Donut Shop!

Think Outside The Donut Box:

Wouldn't you love to have this in your classroom?

These treats look so real.

I like to browse through the Oriental Trading Company catalog and pick out items that relate to one theme. The people at Oriental Trading Company let me shop for new items for a classroom store. 

This is what I got:

Click to see where I got these. 

I set up a donut shop in my friend's classroom and I introduced the center to her kindergarten students just like I did in my own classroom. I called up 3 students at a time and asked one to be the clerk an two to be the customers. 

I set this up in front of a small bookcase in the home center, but you can also use a single desk.

This is what the back of the bookcase looked like. 

The clerk put on a donut shop cap and, without any prompting from me, asked, "May I help you?" 

  

Since the children decided that everything in the shop 

was 1 cent, that made adding things up easy. 

I folded the box these treats came in to create a display box. 

As the first child asked for treats, the clerk asked it if was "to go" so the treats could be packed in one of the cute carry out boxes or bags. 

If the donuts were to be eaten here, they were served up on a donut plate. Before we began, we discussed how we were going to pretend to eat the donuts, but that we wouldn't really taste them. 

After each child "bought" some treats using plastic coins, they got to have a turn being the clerk. The 1st thing the clerk needs to do is stock the shelves and they do that with the items they purchased. 

These kids were counting, adding, problem solving,
and using their oral language skills to communicate. 

I was also able to get a cute game from Oriental Tracing Company. It was a lot like Twister, but with a donut theme. 

You could add letters, numbers, or even sight words to these donuts.

We are going to add laminated numbers to the donuts on the spinner so the children can toss a beanbag to the matching number and show it on their Rekenreks. 

Rekenreks are cute counting racks that help children to instantly recognize (or subitize) because they have 5 red beads and 5 white beads so it's easy to recognize amounts such as 6 because you instantly see all 5 red beads and 1 white. 

You can make one row or two.
The pumpkin represents 19.
  10 on the top row and 9 on the bottom.
Click on the Rekenreks to see how to make these with your students. 

Oriental Trading Company also sent me some cute Fun Foam flowers and pony beads so we can make cute Rekenreks and use them as we spin the spinner. You can also use the numbers from 0-5 to create sums with your Rekenreks. 

Did you know that Oriental Trading Company has a TEACHER SUPPLY PAGE? 

Well, they do and it's filled with so many wonderful classroom supplies at terrific prices. CLICK HERE to see for yourself.

 

Click the image to see the entire TEACHER SUPPLY PAGE. 

Do YOU have any shopping ideas?

Browse the Oriental Trading catalog and think up new stores you might like to set up in your classroom. You can even set up a pet shop with little stuffed animals, a restaurant, or even a Halloween shop! Leave YOUR ideas in the comments.