ABC Baseball

Here's a really fun game you can play at the end of the year with your preschoolers, or any time of the year with older students (the big Kindergarteners!). When I taught Kindergarten, I used to play this game with one of my grade level teachers, and our classes loved the friendly competition, socialization, and added physical activity during the school day.

We all know that if there is a way to make a game out of learning, your students will buy into it---creating a highly engaged group of students with a high interest activity. All you need is the baseball letter match game (which is a complete set of upper and lowercase letters), a dry erase board & marker (or something to keep score), bases/home plate and an excited group of students!

ENTER FOR A GIVE-A-WAY ON MY TEACHER'S NOTEBOOK SHOP!

Starts May 31, 2012 and ENDS at midnight!

10 LUCKY WINNERS WILL RECEIVE THIS PRINTABLE----FREE!!!



Click Photo



So....once you have printed the baseballs, you will want to put a number (1, 2, or 3--to represent the value and what base they could run to) on the back BEFORE you laminate. It's up to you, but I put a 1 on easy letters, a 2 on more difficult letters, and a 3 on the letters that are typically most difficult for students to identify. Then, laminate & cut out.

Now, you are ready to take your students to the gym or outside for a game of ABC baseball! I found some great bases and a home plate at the Dollar Tree, but I've only seen them there twice in the Spring over the paste few years. You could always make your own, or borrow from your P.E. teacher!

Set up your bases and divide your class into 2 teams, or bring another class to play against you! You will not need any players in the field. Simply have your students sit on the baseline until it is their turn to "bat" (no bat needed, though!). The teacher is the pitcher! :)

Have your baseballs in hand, and call one student up to bat. They stand at home plate and you tell them if it's a single (1--1st base), a double (2--2nd base), or a triple hit (3---3rd base). Then, "pitch" the ball (show them the ball with the letter on it). If they identify it, they run to their designated base. Next batter, do it all again. Every time a player crosses home plate, make a tally mark for a run for your team.

The team with the most runs at the end is the winning team!!

Shake it up! How to vary the game depending on each child's needs. When you pitch you can:

* show only uppercase

* show only lowercase

* mix it: sometimes show a capital letter, sometimes show a lowercase letter 

* ask for letter sound

* ask for a word that starts with that letter

* ask for a word that ends with that letter

* only use the letters in the child's first name



I hope this game is a HOME RUN for your class!

Have FUN!

Flower Power!

Here's a really versatile game that you can use this spring (or anytime, really) for working with letters/numbers for your Pre-K and Kindergarten friends! I saw this game somewhere---perhaps a teacher resource book, another teacher in our district, or from a website or blog. I really cannot remember where it came from....but I remembered the activity and wanted one of my own! If you can tell me where this activity/idea originated, I'd love to give that person/company credit.

Visit Home Depot and purchase 26 mini-terra cotta pots (approx. 3"), for just under $1.00 each!

Fill the pot with rice or dry beans (such as kidney beans or the like). 

Place a velcro dot on the front of the pot and PRINT all pages for a variety of ways to play the game! Want a less expensive way to play the game? Terra cotta pot work mats are provided for you! You can just print them instead of buying them.  

Here are all the ways to play!! 

Got some velcro dots? hot glue? popcicle/craft sticks? card stock for printing? laminator heated up? Now grab your car keys and head to Home Depot! You will be well on your way to making this fun game. 

Here's a Flower Power Addition and Subtraction FREEBIE!! 

Oh the power of flowers!! ENJOY! 

Do the Dragonfly Drop!

I honestly can't make my brain think or do one. more. thing. tonight! I certainly, can't bring myself to write anything substantial---lots to say, but little motivation. The first day back from spring break is exhausting---plus I had a grade level meeting after school from 4-5pm, then grocery shopping with all 3 of my little loves, then home to make dinner, snuggle, read books and tuck in the little loves of my life!! The husband is out of town, so I am single mom-ing it until he returns. 'Nuff said!  I know you understand exactly how I feel! 


Regardless, I managed to get one game out out of my tired brain tonight and out there on my TN shop for you to to pick up! And now, G'night! :) 

Looking for fun springtime fact family games? Here's a new one! 

Click HERE to grab it! 

Springtime...or Anytime Sorting!

Little people love hands on learning....we all know that! I am always looking for cute, and inexpensive ways to make a quality activity that occupies little hands, and engages little minds to the fullest. Besides the Dollar Tree, Michael's Craft Store would be my next favorite place to gather items for my classroom. Often, I can find many things under $5.00 - and even in the dollar bins. The closest Michael's craft store is 45 minutes away from me (notice I charted the distance in minutes, not miles---a Michigander for sure!)---so I always make the most out of every trip.

I found these great little boxes (unpainted) for $1.00. It took very little paint to make them bright cheerful colors. Just a couple of aisles over, I found great little wooden pieces in a variety of types (trees, umbrellas, cars, animals, etc.)---already painted for about .25 each! The larger ones were just a tad more. A steal of a deal that I could not pass up. I knew my students would love them!

So----immediately, I thought----SORTING! 

These are just a few of the sorting pieces---I have lots for students to use.

I used wood glue to attach the larger wooden pieces to the front of the boxes. The smaller wooden pieces did not need any extra work from me! Perfect!

I found a little flower box that holds all the small wooden sorting pieces - and this activity stays at my math center all the time. Students come back to it time and time again---and it's such an easy visual for me to walk by and see if pieces are getting dropped in the correct boxes while students use this at free choice time. If not, I can pop over and offer a little assistance right away.

I hope you have found this activity useful, and an inexpensive way to add a FUN fine motor/visual discrimination activity to your math center! You could also make this a beginning sound sort for your ABC Center! There were many more types of wooden pieces available.

What is YOUR favorite teaching materials to pick up from your local craft store?

Drop me a comment, I'd love to know!