Dollar Tree Find #3 {of 7} - Who Needs Whiteboards When You Can Have...

BLACKBOARDS!

When I saw these at Dollar Tree I HOPED that they would actually be cool, and they ARE!  Each wipe off blackboard comes with a NEON marker with eraser lid {if you run out you can get more here: neon whiteboard markers}. 

As you can imagine you can do TONS of activities with these things.  If you only get a handful, you could use them at the Teacher Table or in Centers/Work Stations.  You could also get a class set and use them to vote, respond to questions, illustrate, etc... 

My personal Smart Tarts were totally excited to get to it.  First, they just wrote what they wanted and explored with how their writing would look.

AND THEY ERASE CLEAN!!

After that, I dictated words for Violet to spell and Mal peeked and tried to follow her lead.

Next I gave her the word, "cat" and asked her to write a list of as many rhyming words that she could think of.  

The marker's quality for being a dollar product was really good.  They are also more vibrant than I hoped.  I was pleasantly surprised.  I also LOVE that it's magnetic on the back.

 

Mallon LOVES tornadoes, so I had him write the letter that tornado starts with and the he drew a "twista" next to it.

Hope you enjoyed this find and I'll see ya tomorrow for yet another goodie!!

Dollar Tree Find #2 {of 7} - COASTERS & PLASTIC FROGS!

Okay... those are actually 2 finds, and they don't seem to go together, but THEY DO!

When I saw these coasters I was immediately drawn to them because of their bright colors AND they are the same colors as my classroom.  {P.S. They also came in red & orange} Then, I thought ... ," I bet I could do something with those bad boys!"

I realized that the backside of them was blank, so they would easily turn into a game.  You could play memory or what I call, "Read It, Keep It." I play RIKI at the Teacher Table and when my Smart Tarts are able to read a word that they turned over, they get to keep it in their stack.  The player with the most at the end of game WINS!

Memory Game

Read It, Keep It

 As I was walking through the aisles, I came across these fun jumping frog party favors and thought, "Hmmmm.... maybe these aren't just coasters.... maybe they're LILYPADS!!" {YES, I have a child's mind!}  So, that's the game that I want to focus on.  Let's call it, "Who needs leapin' lizards, we got frogs!"  Nah... no good.  How about "Sight Word Hop?"  Oh well, it'll come to me, but let's get on with the game. {If you have a good name for this game shoot it in the comments below ⬇⬇⬇}

First, write sight words on the top of each coaster {you may even be able to use Vis-A-Vis to change up the game each time b/c they tops of the coasters are slick!}

Smart Tarts take turns jumping their frogs.  If their frog lands on a lily pad, they can take the lily pad IF they can read the word {or number or shape or sentences or....} that is on it.  Then it is the next player's turn.  If the frog lands upside down on the lily pad, that's okay... just as long as it is on the lily pad.  You can determine what rules work best for your class.  This not only builds reading skills, but FINE MOTOR SKILLS to boot! The person with the most lily pads at the end WINS!

I like how this guy is bumpy!

BONUS GAME: If you write more difficult words on the backside, you could add a rule that if they can read that word they get a bonus jump.

**MY 2 CENTS** I would play this a couple times at my Teacher Table before moving it to a center to make sure they understand how to play.

SPEAKING OF FROGS ... Have you seen my Froggy Bundle?

Check it out HERE.

Come back tomorrow for my next find! WOOHOO!

Dollar Tree Find #1 {of 7} - STICKER STORIES!

Dollar Tree Find #1 - Stickers!!

Do you have miscellaneous stickers laying around your classroom or home?  What about those stickers that come in the mail.... HOLD ON TO THEM!  Have you heard of sticker stories??  It is an easy and fun way to get little Smart Tarts' creative juices flowing while illustrating the backdrop and writing an innovative story.  I found these cute animal stickers at Dollar Tree.

The hum drum: {Smart Tart}"I don't know what to write about!" or {Teacher} "What writing prompt should I give them today?" is removed.... and all it starts with is a sticker!  Not just ANY sticker, but a sticker that the STUDENT aka Smart Tart chooses.  :)  It gives them a little bit of power. Think of all the choices: cartoon characters, superheroes, animals, shapes, cars & trucks, fruits and veggies... Yadda, Yadda, Yadda {or as my son says, "Yadi, Yadi, Yadi!}

Here are a couple of shots of my very own Smart Tart, Violet, selecting, illustrating and writing her personal sticker story about an elephant lost in the desert.  Enjoy!

  

 

 

Come back tomorrow for my next Dollar Tree find!