October Alphabet fun!

Happy Fall!!!  I am so excited for cooler weather, leggings, hooded sweatshirts, and carving pumpkins.  Oh, and The Little Old Lady who wasn't afraid of Anything!  October can lead to so many fun activities that really grab our kiddos attention.  I wanted to share some of the alphabet games I play with both my preschoolers and K-2 kids to keep them engaged and learning in October.

1. Alphabet Bats

My student love these bats!!  They are paper bats on a clothes pin.  Each bat has a letter on it.  The kids pick a bat out of the bag, read then letter and hang it on the string.  Letter practice and fine motor all in one!

2. Alphabet Scarecrows

These scarecrows are so much fun and can be used in a variety of ways.  Students can practice saying the letters, handing you the correct letter, matching the upper and lowercase letters and the list goes on. I got these scarecrows for free from Make Learning Fun. 

3. Pumpkin, Pumpkin

This is very similar to books I use later in the year (Valentine, Valentine and Farmer, Farmer) however, instead of using a book I use a plastic pumpkin or a pumpkin cut out.  I put letters/numbers (cards, magnetic, etc) inside the pumpkin.  The students then take turns pulling out a letter and saying what it is.  Sometimes I will throw in a few distractor items like a spider or finger (Pretend of course!). 

4. Spider Webs

This is one of my favorite activities and I pull it out multiple times a year.  I have used black paper plates (from the dollar store) and a silver permanent marker to make spider webs.  Each web is programmed with a letter, number, shape, etc.  (I think I may make a few with sight words this year).  I then spread the plates on the floor and the students place spiders( I use these that I bought on Amazon) on the letter I call out.  You can see more about this activity by checking out this post. 

*This post contains an affiliate link for Amazon.

Intervention Binders

Last year I bought a Math intervention binder off of TpT.  While it is totally awesome, it did not suit all of my needs or my students' needs.  So, I came up with my own.  These were super easy to put together once I came up with what I was going to do.  I simply decide on the topic of the binder, then add various practice sheets and games about that topic.

I have several binders set up: alphabet, shapes, math, numbers, comprehension, number tracing, and letter tracing.  You have seen pictures of the number and letter binders before when I talked about my inclusion box.  Some pages I have made myself (such as the letter and number tracing pages), but  I use a lot of pages by the Moffat Girls and then other various sheets I have.  I like the Moffat girls because it is more than just tracing or writing.  Annie Moffat includes a lot of games and activities in her No Prep packs.  I put each sheet in a page protector so the sheets can be re-used.  Each binder is organized a bit differently.  The alphabet binder is more of a mix, where the shapes binder is organized by shape.  I also add a zipper pouch or resealable bag (just put duct tape on the edge to make it durable before you hole punch it) to the front that I can store dry erase markers, an eraser, dice for games, game markers, etc in.

 Now, we just grab a binder and use it to practice these skill at any time.  I find this great for when we have an extra 5 minutes or I end up with an extra person that can work with someone individually.   The kids think it is neat because they can write on the page protector and it just wipes off.

Just an extra note that the Learning Ahoy caddy next to all the binders holds clipboards, extra markers, erasers, etc.

Alphabet Fun!: Part 2

I am knee deep in the alphabet right now and I wanted to share some of the activities that we are working on.  My students have moved on from learning the uppercase letters to now focusing on the lowercase letters and matching upper to lowercase letters.

Letter Match:

I introduced this activity last week and my student caught on really well.  I start by only giving him 3 choices.  As students become more confident I give more choices.  I put the cards that need to do cards in one basket and as the student matches the letter they then move to the card to the other basket.   To make this activity I made the board out of cardboard, styrofoam containers, and Velcro.  I then printed out and laminated the cards and then added velcro.   You can find a few more details and the cards (a freebie) for this activity by going to this blog post.

Alphabet Sensory Bag:

I made this bag using my Food Saver, hair gel, food coloring, and letter beads (You can find out more about how I make these in my http://www.learningahoy.com/2016/11/multi-sensory-learning.html.  I put one of each letter in the bag.  The student then needs to find a letter and color in the matching letter (upper or lowercase) in the same color as the letter is (if they are ready for this, otherwise, they just color the letter).  I use various sheets for the matching part that I get from Make Learning Fun.  

Erasers and the Alphabet:

This activity I learned about from one of my fabulous co-teachers.  To play, use seasonal or fun erasers (in this picture we are using snowflakes) and then a fun alphabet board.  Again, I get these from Make Learning Fun.  I vary the board by time of year, do upper or lowercase, and change the order the letters are in.  The teacher can call out a letter, letter sound, or show a letter and students have to find the matching letter.  Students can also play this in pairs.  My students love to be the "teacher" during this activity.     

Trace Letters:

I shared in my inclusion box post about my binder and dry erase markers that students use to practice tracing letters.  This is great to work on proper pencil grasp, letter formation, and fine motor skills.  I printed out the letters one to page and then put them in page protectors.  I then just use a zipper pouch in the front to add a few markers to choose from and an eraser. 

You can find other alphabet ideas by checking out all of my blog posts about the ABCs or checking out my Alphabet Activities Pinterest board.  

Alphabet Fun!!

It seems every year I have at least one student focusing on the alphabet.  Sometimes, I am teaching preschool so it is natural to fit into the curriculum and same with kindergarten.  Other years I have 2nd graders, who I have to sneak the learning in on.  This year.... I have both.  I am working with kindergartners and 2nd graders.


I wanted to share just a few ideas that have worked great for me.  Some I have shared before, some are new.  I hope you can use a few and I would love the read about some of things you do, so please leave a few comments below!

So let's jump right in!!

Oh Pumpkin is a game I made a few years ago that is still going strong.  It is simple  to play and the kids love it! You print out the cards, laminate for durability and then put them into a basket (I try to use something seasonal to add to the fun factor).  The kids take turns drawing out one card at a time.  I differentiate by having some kids say just the letter, some kids say the sounds, some even give me a word that starts with that letter.  Then the student passes the basket.  If the student gets "Oh Pumpkin!" They have to put all of their cards back.  This game has been a hit with my kindergarten students this year and I have tied it into our social skills learning by having the kids say to the person before them "May I have the basket, please?".   If you like this game, there is another version here that was requested by some of my paraprofessionals a few years ago.



An activity that I am doing this year that is also with one of my kindergarteners centers around whatever the theme is for the week.  When I took these pictures, our theme was bats.  I printed out a clipart picture of a bat on card stock and cut it out.  On day one, I had my student punch holes around it.  Day 2, he had to lace it.  Day 3, I wrote letters on the bat and he had to match the round stickers with the same letter to the letter on the bat.  This worked out great and I have continued to do this with other shapes. You could also write numbers, shapes, or really anything on the object to have the student match.  It all depends on your needs.

With my 2nd graders I had to sneak in the learning a bit.  I took these spider webs that I made last year and put them on the ground.  I then gave each student a fake spider.  I called out a letter sound and they had to be the first to find the letter and put their spider on the web.  I had strict rules on no pushing or shoving.  You would have thought that I was giving the winner a free trip to Disney World. The kids loved it and have asked to play again.

This next activity is just a simple ball that was on the giveaway table a few years ago.  You could do the same thing with any ball, you would just need to write your own letters on it.  I have used this ball with one student up to 5.  We toss the ball back and forth and where ever your right thumb lands you need to use that letter.  I differentiate by having a student name the letter, sound, or word that starts with that sound.  This is another activity that spans the grade levels.

I hope this gave you some ideas that you can use in your classroom!!

Wheels on the bus! (freebie)

Well we are getting ready to roll into week 3 of school, so I thought maybe I should share what we did our first week!

This year I am back to teaching K-2 1/2 day and preschool 1/2 day.  That means you may see more preschool posts since I do not have a self contained K-2 class this year.  We started off the year in Preschool talking about the Wheels on the Bus. This turned out to be a great opener because the kids all knew the song and could immediately relate as they rode the bus to school.  We read the book, Pete the Cat: Wheels on the bus.  Huge hit!  The kids are still reading it during "library" time.   To follow up on this book we painted buses.  Before we could paint the bus though, we talked about who rode the bus with Pete and who we ride the bus with.  The kids then drew in the bus driver. Then they drew themselves.  After the drawing was done, we painted.  Oh how they loved to paint!

Later in the week we read, Don't let the pigeon drive the bus.  This was another hit!  We made buses using different shapes.  I modeled, but the kids were able to put the windows, doors, and wheels wherever they though was appropriate.  I feel that kids should be able to express themselves through their art work and that everyone's final product does not have to look the same. I will say, all of the buses were different.  One is even upside down!  I added the kids pictures to the front of each bus as the driver with a sign on the wall that says "Don't let the Preschoolers Drive the bus!".


Once a week we have Talk & Stir with our speech therapist.  She does a "cooking" activity with the kids that goes along with our theme.  This week they did buses made out of graham crackers, Oreos, chex, and icing.  The kids said the buses were delicious!!

To round out our week, I taught the students a special version of Wheels on the Bus.  I am sure you have heard of this before, but if not, I will tell you it is a hit with all primary
 ages.  So here is how it goes (to the tune of the Wheels on the Bus)

The letter on the bus is A, A, A, 

A, A A,

A, A, A

The letter on the bus is A, A, A

All through the town.  

Cute, right?  You can change it up by changing the letter, changing it to shapes, numbers, or anything else you can get to fit in there.  I also do this song with sight words.  That is huge hit with my older kids.  I have a book with the words one to a page and we read the word, then sing the song. 

We have been using this song to review while waiting for the bus.  To make it work, I whipped up these buses that are programmed with letters, shapes,and numbers.  As we introduce each concept, we add it to the ring. Then we can easily grab the ring and review.  You can get your copy by going to my TpT store.  While you are there, be sure to follow me so you never miss another update and leave feedback so I know what you think!

Happy November (freebie!!!)

Can you believe it is November 1st already?!?  This school year is flying by.....

Yesterday, my son's kindergarten teacher asked me if I have a recording sheet for one of my Thanksgiving Hidden Letters. That in turn prompted me to update that particular product.  So here it is, still a freebie, but now with a recording sheet and updated directions.

To use this, students simply use a magnifying glass to find the letters hidden in the picture.  They then use a highlighter to mark off the letters on their recording sheet.


I hope you can use Thanksgiving Hidden Letters this month in centers!  Please leave a comment here if you download.  I love to know how you use it or your thoughts about it.

I originally posted this product back in 2011 at this blog post.  Shhh!!! You can find some more freebies on that post.

Getting Festive for Fall with the VA Bloggers

So how has the hop been treating you so far?  I love blog hops.  I get to check out new blogs and get lots of new ideas.

Fall if my favorite season.  Partly because I grew up on a pumpkin and Christmas tree farm in NJ that had the Application Mountains in our backyard.  The fall view was always gorgeous. Now that I have moved down here to VA I don't get to see as much of the beautiful changing colors, but I do enjoy the weather.








In my classroom we are busy talking about community helpers, fire safety, and my favorite PUMPKINS!  We have been playing one of my favorite letter games called Oh Pumpkin.  It is a forever freebie in my store so if you have not downloaded it already, what are you waiting for?










There seems to be a lot of Halloween themed freebies going around right now so I thought I would make my freebie Thanksgiving/November themed.  This will give you ahead start on planning for next month.  This is a color by word activity that works on different sight words.  It is free for this hop ONLY!!! It will go to paid item on Monday so get while it is free!!  Click here to get Thanksgiving Color By Code: Sight Word.

I hope you enjoy the rest of the hop.  Now it is time to head on over to The Techie Teacher to see what Julie is cooking up!

New work boxes/tasks!: Letter Match

I have 3 new work tasks to share, but  spreading them out over 3 posts so I can build suspense (dun, dun, dun!).

The first one is a new uppercase and lowercase match I made.  What I love about this is I can use the same "Velcro board"  for different tasks.  For example I also made cards with various amounts of objects and students have to match the number. Of course I forgot to take pictures of that on!

So to make this, first I made the cards.  (If you would like them, leave me a comment! go to this link! ) then I took a side off of a box.  I used glue dots to attach 2 styrofoam containers to the end of the cardboard.  I then added Velcro strips.   

The student I am using this with picked up on it really quickly.  I am looking forward to figuring out other ways to use this board. Any suggestions appreciated!**Update:  The use of this board has been fantastic!! I have made additional cards to work on numbers, shapes, etc.  I ended up making a board for each of my students and then color coding cards so that it would be easy to identify the skill being work on**

I am linking this post up with Autism Classroom News and Work Basket Wednesday.  I am super excited about this linky and hoping to get a lot of new ideas!!  Head over and check it out!!

Alphabet review

B received these neat Melissa and Doug flash cards for Christmas and I just had to share them!  They are called Melissa & Doug Water Wow Activity Book - Alphabet  After looking at Amazon, I realized there a bunch of them and right now they are an add one (in other words cheap if you are buying something else).
There are Numbers, Animals, and Vehicles in addition to the alphabet cards.

The cards come with a ring to store them on and a little case for the water pen that also hooks to the ring.  To use the cards you fill the pen with water and "paint" on the cards to reveal the picture and trace the letter.  When the card dries you can do it again!  I think this would be a great activity to use in preschool or with K-2 kids to review their alphabet.  Once B outgrows these flash cards they will definitely be moving to my classroom.

Monster Freebies!

I did a quick update to my Monster freebies from last October.  Now they are updates and all in one easy download from Google Docs.  Use these to practice numbers 1 -12, letters A-Z and some basic sight words.   Let me know if you like them and how you use them as I may make more (which will also be free)!

Click on the picture or here to get your copy.  Enjoy!!












I am linking up with Maniac Monday   & Freebie Friday for this post.  Check it out for more freebies!!

Pumpkin Alphabet freebie!!!

Yesterday I whipped up this new alphabet game and decided that it would make a great freebie.  You can download it from my TPT store. Click on the picture to get your copy!  Please leave feedback and/or a comment below.  I love to know if it is useful and how you use it in your classroom.

I am linking up with Manic Monday at Classroom Freebies and Freebie Friday s at TBA.  If you love freebie like I do, it is definitely something to check out!