Back to School Party

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Back to School Party Ideas

Have you ever had a Back to School Party? It’s a fun way to motivate children and get into the back to school mood and routine. Trying to get them back into the routine of waking up early and getting them on top of their purple mattress before it’s too late in the evening after a summer of this being relaxed can be hard so why not motivate your kids to get back into the routine with a party? Teachers can have this party on Back to School Night or after a long holiday break. Parents can have this party before the beginning of the school year, at the end of the first week of school or after any long holiday break. As long as the children have all their stationery such as pens, notebooks and pencils ready for when they start the new school term, a back to school party is a great idea. It can be as simple as cookies and juice box. If you add a banner and party labels, it makes it extra special.

To prepare for the party, all you need is:

  1. Any school items already at hand
  2. A few printables to label and decorate the room or table
  3. If you’re inviting lots of guests, why not get some wholesale school snacks as well as some apples, cookies, cupcakes, popcorn and candy

The following are photos of our Back to School Party

Here’s a close-up of our table.

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This is our full table. It’s simple but very inviting.

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Our back to school banner has a bright polka dot background.

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A little student gift.

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Name tents with their names in big, bold letters.

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Display their school supplies in caddies. These containers are from Michaels.

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Find some other cute containers to hold your pencils and treats.

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The cookies and cupcakes were a hit!

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We used special containers and straws for our milk. Cafeteria milk boxes are also a great choice.

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Our cupcakes had special messages to get them into that back to school spirit.

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And, here’s one happy girl ready for school. She must be thinking about the amazing field trips that she’ll be going on this year. I have heard wonderful things about the trips offered by Allnatt.

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Simpler Ideas for Back to School Night

Teachers, your room is already decorated with all the supplies and bulletin boards. You can add this Back to School banner to welcome parents, if you want. After you place student folders and work samples on their desks, you can add a special treat on top. It could be anything like, a cookie, an apple, a small popcorn bag or a writing object with a gift tag.

Here are some examples:

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These Back to School Party printables are available for download. It includes this bright colors set and another primary colors set. It is in English but includes FREE Spanish printables.

back to school decor pack by lidia barbosa in primary colors

You can download the complete file from my Kinder Alphabet teacher store.

Filed Under: Back to School

Kindergarten “I can” Common Core Posters

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The Kindergarten “I can” Common Core Posters are a great way to display the learning objectives in your classroom. My original “I can” posters have been updated with new graphics and labeled as the “STRIPES” edition. If you own a copy, make sure to go back and download the new file. I also uploaded the BUNDLE of language arts and math posters in my shop.

The STRIPES edition of the Kindergarten Common Core Standards

This file has been updated with matching backgrounds for a more consistent look. Each language arts category is represented by a different graphic and background. There are very few math posters, so they all have the same background and graphic. Click on this cover to take a closer look.

Kindergarten I can Common Core Posters stripes

 

The Polka Dots edition of the Kindergarten Common Core Standards

I had a request for these posters in primary colors. This document has an entire new set of graphics and backgrounds. It also includes the Language Arts and Math standards. Click on the picture to take a closer look.

Kindergarten I can Common Core Posters polka

 

The PHOTOS edition of the Kindergarten Common Core Standards

This edition of the posters includes photos of real kids dressed as a super hero. This will help students relate to the posters. This file only includes the kid graphic and no background so that you may save ink. It gives us a more simple and clean look that can also be printed in black and white or gray scale. Click on the picture to take a closer look.

 

Kindergarten I can Common Core Posters photo

 

Kindergarten Common Core Standards included are:

*Kindergarten: Reading Literature

*Kindergarten: Reading Informational Text

*Kindergarten: Foundational Skills

*Kindergarten: Writing

*Kindergarten: Speaking and Listening

*Kindergarten: Language

*Kindergarten: Counting and Cardinality

*Kindergarten: Operations and Algebraic Thinking

*Kindergarten: Numbers and Operations in Base Ten

*Kindergarten: Measurement and Data

*Kindergarten: Geometry

 

 

 

Filed Under: Kindergarten Resources

Back to School Books for Kindergarten

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Here are some popular back to school books for kindergarten. I love it when our school library has multiple copies of these books so that there’s always enough for several teachers. You can also get them from Scholastic when they go on sale, from Amazon, or online at Target (and you can check out Raise to see if there are any extra savings to be had at Target).

Books for the First Day of School

My favorite book for the first day of kindergarten is The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn. Students are always nervous and scared on the very first day of school. Starting daycare Castle Rock CO or a daycare local to you, is always nerve-wracking for children, it’s a new time and they want to feel at home. This story helps them get rid of their nerves a little at a time. I just keep reminding them to place their hands on their cheeks throughout the day, and all of a sudden, I see a new smile on their faces. I love this book!

The Kissing Hand book for Kindergarten

Leo the Late Bloomer is my favorite for pre-k. This story helps students understand that we come to school to learn new things. Some will learn a little quicker and others will take a little more time… and it’s OK!!!! All we have to do is TRY our best.

Leo the Late Bloomer book for Kindergarten

Back to School books for Kindergarten

Books about School for Kindergarten

These Back to School books include:

1. The Kissing Hand

2. Leo the Late Bloomer

3. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

4. First Day Jitters

5. Crisanthemum

6. Froggy Goes to School

7. The Night Before Kindergarten

8. Mommy in My Pocket

9. Clifford’s First School Day

10. Wemberly Worried

11. Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten

12. David Goes to School

13. Pete the Cat

Back to School Books in Spanish

Spanish Books about School for Kindergarten

The Spanish Back to School Books include (Libros acerca de la escuela):

1. Un Beso en Mi Mano

2. Leo, el retoño tardia

3. Chica Chica Bum Bum

4. ¡Que nervios!

5. Froggy Va a La Escuela

6. Crisantemo

7. Clifford Va la La Escuela

8. Si Llevas un Ratón a La Escuela

9. Splat, el Gato

Filed Under: Back to School

I Have… Who Has- A Blog Hop Game

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I Have Who Has with Freebielicious

Do your students like to play the game of I Have… Who Has? It’s a fun guessing game, isn’t it? Well, this is the Back to School edition by our Freebielicious Authors.

Make sure to complete the blog hop to learn a little about our Freebielicious friends.

Did you see Kreative in Kinder’s clue?

Who Has Card about Kinder Alphabet

Yes. That’s me! I Love pink and have spoken Spanish my entire life. You have probably noticed some of my Spanish resources on TPT.

Also, I love to make learning fun and came up with these Phonics Crowns. It’s a great way to display what students are learning in the classroom. You know how parents ask their kids, “What did you learn in school, today?” and kids usually shrug their shoulders and say “I don’t know”? Well, when kids WEAR THEIR LEARNING on a crown, parents are open to a whole new conversation about school without playing the guessing game ANYMORE. I love it!

 

Here are some of the crowns that I have in my store.

alphabet crowns for beginning sounds pics

 

thematic crowns fall leaves pic

 

pumkin thematic units crowns for kindergarten

 

cvc crowns sample pic

 

This is my crown collection, so far. I have crowns in English and Spanish 🙂

Phonics Crowns Collage

They are all on sale Monday and Tuesday for the Teachers Pay Teachers Back to School SALE! You will have to use promo code: BTS15 to get the full discount.

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This is the end of the blog hop! Hope you enjoyed it 🙂

Now, head on back to the Freebielicious blog if you have not gone through the entire hop yet.

 

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There, you will be on your way to find out the answer to the first clue.

 sharing kindergarten who has copy

Filed Under: Back to School

Easy DIY Silhouette on PowerPoint- for Mother’s Day

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Are you looking for a Quick and Easy Mother’s Day gift idea in addition to the personalized mothers day gifts and everything else you’ve already got sorted for Sunday? How about a silhouette WITHOUT the projector? I wish that I would have figured this one out years ago! Using the projector is very time-consuming, but not if you do it like this. This is a very simple tutorial on making silhouettes on Microsoft PowerPoint. I am so excited to share this tutorial with you. After this tutorial, I hope you will find using powerpoint fun! Just follow these simple steps. I did try to include as much detail as possible, but once you make your first one, you will see how easy and quick this is.

1. Take the picture.

I used an iPad to take student pictures. First, I took pictures inside, but it created a shadow effects in the background. This picture was taken outside against a contrasting background. If the background blends in to the students hair, skin or clothes, you will have trouble removing the background correctly. It will take part of the child’s blended parts away.

2. Upload the pictures to your computer.

Connect your device to to the computer or upload them via Dropbox.

3. Drag the child’s photo into a PowerPoint document.

I used the horizontal orientation so that I can add two students on one page.

4. Remove the background.

Click on the picture to select it. Click on the FORMAT PICTURE tab. Then, click on the REMOVE BACKGROUND icon. That will automatically convert the background to purple and put a box around the child. Make sure to drag the box to make it bigger or smaller, if you notice that any parts are missing. Things to look for are the shape of the nose, mouth, eye lashes and forehead because these are the parts that might blend in to the background. If nothing is missing, click outside the photo so that the background is removed.

This is what the photo looks like as soon as you click out of the photo. The background is totally removed!

5. Convert the photo into a black image.

To convert the color photo into a silhouette, you need to right-click on the photo to select it. This is the pop-up box that you will see. Click on the FORMAT PICTURE option.

You will get this pop-up box. You simply move the BRIGHTNESS slider all the way to the left. This will make your image BLACK!

6. Crop your silhouette or leave it as is.

If you prefer a close-up of the head, crop your picture. Do this by going back to the FORMAT PICTURE tab and select the CROP option. Then, just drag the corners to select the part of the photo that you want.

7. Resize your photo.

I added a clear 5 by 7 rectangle shape behind the photo. This is very helpful when resizing the silhouette and for cutting the picture out for a 5 by 7 frame.

8. You’re done!

Do the same for another photo on the same page. You see the 5 by 7 inch frame around each photo? This makes it much easier to cut.

This might seem like a long process, but it’s not. I just gave you the little details to make it easier for those who might be new to PowerPoint. It’s so simple. You can take all the pictures at school and take them home to finish them on the computer. You can print on card stock for durability, but it is not necessary if you plan to put them in cheap picture frames.

Pin it for later!

Enjoy!

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Teacher Appreciation Sale

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We are having a Teacher Appreciation Sale on Teachers Pay Teachers! 
The sale will be from Tuesday, May 5th to Wednesday, May 6th. Everything in my store is 20% off during the sale. If you use promo code THANKYOU at check out, TPT will give you an extra 10% off. This will give you up to 28% off on your purchases.

Check out my Monthly Journal Prompts. 

The Journal Prompts are differentiated for three writing levels and include an illustrated word bank.

Find the English bundle here.
Find the Spanish Journal Prompts here.

You might also like to take a look at my Phonics Crowns here. They are available in English and Spanish. Make sure that you purchase the correct language for your classroom. Just double check the product title and book cover because digital products are not refundable.

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21 Books for Mother’s Day

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Are you looking for books for your Mother’s Day unit? Here are some titles that you might find in your school’s library. My favorites are Love You Forever and The Kissing Hand, but the other books are fun to read as well. 

This collection includes the following books:

1.  Olivia A Sweet Surprise for Mom
2.  Love You Forever
3.  The Night Before Mother’s Day
4.  Mama, Do You Love Me?
5.  Is Your Mama A Llama?
6.  Just Shopping With Mom
7.  The Kissing Hand
8.  Just Me and My Mom
9.  Pinkalicious Mother’s Day Surprise
10. Where’s My Mom?
11. Mother’s Day
12. Fancy Nancy’s Fabulous Mother’s Day Brunch
13. Guess How Much I Love You
14. Me and My Mom!
15. Mother’s Day Surprise
16. Happy Mother’s Day
17. I Love You, Mom
18. Clifford’s Happy Mother’s Day
19. I Love You, Little One
20. The Berenstain Bears We Love Our Mom
21. I Love You to the Moon and Back

Did I miss any? Which one is YOUR favorite Mother’s Day book?

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FREE February Journal Prompts

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I have some Journal Prompts for Beginning and Struggling writers. This is a sampler pack of my February themes pack. This download includes a journal prompt sampler for Valentine’s Day and Groundhog’s Day.

Valentine’s Day Journal Prompts Sample

Groundhog’s Day Journal Prompts Sample

Full version of the February Journal Prompts 

The full version includes thematic prompts for Valentine’s Day, Groundhog’s Day, President’s Day, and Healthy Teeth. If you enjoy the sampler, you can download the entire February Journal Prompts packet here 🙂
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How to Make Snow

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Making snow is so much fun!

How to make SNOW

You only need TWO ingredients.
1. Baking Soda
2. White Conditioner
You just have to play around with the amounts. First, we poured out some baking soda into a round pan. Then, we added a little conditioner at a time. Too much conditioner will make your snow look like whipped cream.

Describe the snow

As the student begins to mix the ingredients, they can describe how it feels. Some words that you might hear are soft, cold, powdery and sticky. This diy SNOW feels sticky when you are mixing the conditioner into the baking soda. Your fingers will be a little sticky so make sure to wash hands with water and soap when you are done.


Beginning Sounds

We had fun naming and adding things that begin with the letter Ss.
Ss is for snow.
Ss is for snowflake.
Ss is for stocking.
Ss is for star.
Ss is for sparkle.We added colorful glitter to make the snow sparkle.
Ss is for snowball.
Ss is for snowman.


How to make snowballs

We finally made snowballs by grabbing a handful of snow and shaping it into a ball. It was so easy. 
Now, you are ready to make a snowman with this diy snow. Make the snowballs and add a hat, eyes, nose and a mouth. So much fun!
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The Mitten FREEBIE and Favorite Winter Books

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I love the book, THE MITTEN. It’s about a little boy who goes out to play in the snow and loses his mitten. While the mitten sits on the snow, a few fury friends find it and use it as shelter to stay warm on a cold and snowy day. I made a FREE emergent booklet back in 2013. I hope that you are able to use it with your young learners.

The Mitten Printables

Here’s a sample of The Mitten printables from the packet. This reader can be used for sequencing and retelling the familiar story of The Mitten. Also available in Spanish on my Bilingual Kinder Alphabet blog.

How to use:

*The students will name each animal as they do a picture walk of this booklet.
*The students will read the sentence.
*The students will write the missing word.
*The students will read the completed sentence.
*After every page is done, students will read the completed booklet.

Other Winter Books

Here are some other winter books that you may want to add to your winter unit.

Amazon.com Widgets

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