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Free Printable Flashcards: Butterfly Identification Cards

May 13, 2019 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

Hi everyone! I’m thrilled to share a new set of free printable flashcards with you (finally!).

We’ve been talking about spring for the past few weeks, but summer is around the corner and that means butterflies!

I’m not the biggest fan of bugs in general, but butterflies hold a special place in my heart. They’re beautiful, but they’re also incredible!

They go through the most amazing transformation known to scientists: the metamorphosis from a caterpillar to a butterfly. Any creature that can do something like that is amazing in my book.

Today, I’m sharing a new set of flashcards: Butterfly Identification Cards!

These are perfect for learning to spot butterflies that live in your area!

If you love these, don’t miss our easy Toilet Roll Butterfly Craft for kids! And add our list of lovely children’s books about butterflies to your kids’ reading list!

Free Printable Flashcards: Butterfly Identification Cards

To use these butterfly identification cards, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links are provided here for convenience. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Printer (with ink)
Printer paper
Scissors
Laminator (for keeping the cards durable)

These colorful butterfly flashcards can help kids (and adults) learn to identify eight butterfly species, including:

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Green Birdwing
Peacock Swallowtail
Theseus Morpho
Malabar Banded Peacock
Monarch Butterfly
Common Buckeye
Peleides Blue Morpho

These would be wonderful for a spring nature walk!

Put all of the cards on a ring and take them with you to see how many different species you spot in your neighborhood!

Scroll down to get your free butterfly identification cards!

Don’t miss these other spring learning ideas for kids!

Get more spring fun on my Spring Activities for Kids Pinterest board!

To get your copy of our free butterfly identification cards, sign up for our email newsletter! You’ll receive these, and lots of other printables, in our exclusive Subscriber Library!

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Summer Printable Sight Word Flashcards

May 9, 2019 by Selena Robinson 3 Comments

Summer’s on its way!

And it’s a great time to start thinking about summer learning plans, especially if you follow a traditional year and take the summer off.

Unfortunately, over the summer kids can start to slack off a bit and forget what they learned during the previous year. But that doesn’t have to be the case!

Get your early learners off to a great reading start with a new set of free printable flashcards: summer printable sight word flashcards!

Printable Summer Sight Words Learning Cards

These are designed to help little ones get into the sunny reading mood!

Plus, these are a sneak peek into our year-long sight word learning cards set!

Summer Themed Sight Words Literacy Cards

Read on to see how to get these summer sight words cards – free!

If you enjoy these, be sure to check out more summer learning fun with our list of summer books for kids and summer printables for kids to use during school break!

Use these printable summer sight words cards to help early learners practice reading fluency!

Summer Printable Sight Word Flashcards for Kids

To use these summer printable sight word flashcards, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links are listed below. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

In this set of flashcards, kids can learn the following summer-themed sight words:

Ball
Boat
Chair
Morning
Sun
Fish
Tree
And Water!

Printable Summer Sight Word Flashcards for Kids

You’ll find one set of cards with words and pictures and one with just pictures for memory skill-building.

Summer Themed Sight Words Learning Cards

Printed and blank sight word labels are also included.

There’s also a set of picture matching cards and picture labels too!

How to Use Summer Sight Word Flashcards with Students

To use these summer sight words learning cards, try some of these suggestions.

Review all of the flashcards with students. Make sure to talk about each picture before introducing the sight word.

Summer Sight Word Flashcards for Early Readers

After students have reviewed the sight words, introduce the word labeling cards and labels.

You can use these as a cut and paste activity. Or you can laminate them and add hook and loop adhesive coins to reuse the cards at centers.

Using Summer Sight Words Labeling Cards with Students

You might also find it helpful to keep the flashcards nearby so students can self-check their answers.

Students who are already writing can even use dry erase markers to label the laminated cards for themselves!

If you have pre-readers or ELL students in your class, the picture matching cards are a gentle introduction to reading.

Let students review the pictures and then use the flashcards to guide them in matching the cards and images with the right words.

Matching Summer Sight Words PIcture Cards

Scroll down to get your free summer printable sight word flashcards!

Check out more summer learning ideas for kids below!

Share some of these lovely beach books for kids this summer!

Make this easy sea animal suncatcher craft for a simple summer art project this year!

Use this Summer Color by Shape activity to help early learners practice recognizing shapes with a fun art twist!

Using Summer SIght Word Flashcards at Literacy Centers

To get your set of summer-themed sight words learning cards, click the image or the link below to have them sent directly to your inbox!

You’ll also get our weekly newsletter – coming this Sunday!

Click here to get your printable resource

>>> Summer Sight Words Learning Cards <<<

Ready to check out our year-long sight words learning cards set? Take a look at the full resource below!

20 Fun Books about Ice Cream for Kids

May 8, 2019 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

We’ve been featuring a lot of summer fun lately – and what says “Summer” better than ice cream?

Nothing.

Nothing says “Summer” better than ice cream.

It’s true that ice cream is a favorite with kids everywhere, but it’s also an opportunity to learn! It’s just a super fun subject to learn about.

To make your summer reading a blast, check out our list of books about ice cream for kids to find some great ice cream-themed stories to read with your children!

These are so fun for summer reading!

Turn ice cream into an educational opportunity with our printable ice cream shape sorting activity!

And for more ways to make this summer an awesome one with the kids, try this list of 50 summer crafts you can make!

20 Fun Books about Ice Cream for Kids

This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.

1.Ice Cream: The Full Scoop by Gail Gibbons

2.Ice Cream Summer by Peter Sis

3.Splat the Cat: I Scream for Ice Cream by Rob Scotton

4.Should I Share My Ice Cream? (An Elephant and Piggie Book) by Mo Willems

5.Stick Dog Dreams of Ice Cream by Tom Watson

6.Curious George and the Ice Cream Surprise by H.A. Rey

7.The Ice Cream King by Steve Metzger

8.Ice Cream for Breakfast (Richard Scarry’s Great Big Schoolhouse) by Erica Farber and Huck Scarry

9.Wemberly’s Ice Cream Star by Kevin Henkes

10.Curious About Ice Cream by Smithsonian

11. Isaac’s Ice Cream Tree by Angela Henderson

12. Wemberly’s Ice Cream Star by Kevin Henkes

13. Milk to Ice Cream (Rookie Read-About Science) by Lisa M. Herrington

14. The Scoop About Ice Cream (History of Fun Stuff) by Bonnie Williams

15. The Ice Cream Shop: A Steve and Wessley Reader by Jennifer E. Morris

16. Ice Cream Cones for Sale by Elaine Greenstein

17. The Ice Cream Mystery (The Boxcar Children Mysteries) by Gertrude Chandler Warner

18. Gorilla Loves Vanilla! by Chae Strathie

19. Is It Warm Enough for Ice Cream? by DK Publishing/a>

20. Dragons Love Ice Cream by Brett Fowler

Did you love these fun books about ice cream for kids? Don’t miss these other ice cream activities!

For more tips to make your kids into readers, check out my Reading for Kids board on Pinterest!

This post is part of The Massive Guide to Homeschool Reading Lists by iHomeschool Network! Click over to read tons of awesome booklists shared by my fellow homeschooling bloggers!

Coffee Filter Crafts for Kids: Coffee Filter Crab Craft

May 6, 2019 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

Summer is almost here! And that means only one thing: It’s time to head back to the beach.

The beach is basically my second home. If I could spend the rest of my life on the sand, I’d be happy.

I even love beach creatures, like crabs. They’re very closely related to spiders, so they’re kind of like sandy arachnids, but I’m willing to overlook that.

As part of our series of coffee filter crafts for kids, I thought it would be fun to make a super easy coffee filter crab craft!

This is a perfect summer craft for little hands! You’ll only need a few supplies and a few minutes to make it.

If you like this easy summer craft, don’t miss our roundup of 40 simple summer crafts for kids! They’re wonderful for filling up those long summer afternoons!

Coffee Filter Crafts for Kids: Coffee Filter Crab Craft

To make this easy coffee filter crab craft, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

The good thing about making this easy crab craft is that you really only need about 10 or 15 minutes. So it’s perfect for little ones, who tend to have rather short attention spans.

Plus, you probably already have the supplies in your home!

Start by outlining the crab’s eyes with black crayon. Then color the rest of the coffee filter bright orange. I actually used a red orange crayon here, but either red or orange would work as well.

Then add a simple smile and use a glue stick to glue the filter onto a piece of construction paper. Glue sticks work best with coffee filters, because they don’t leak through the filter.

Use the red orange crayon to add four legs on each side of the crab. Draw the top legs so that they are reaching upward.

Finally, use scissors to cut out circles from orange construction paper. Just cut out a small triangle to make the crab claws and glue them onto the end of the top legs.

Remember: If the kids are cutting out the circles, be sure they’re using child-safe scissors. They do the job just as well and you won’t have to worry about little hands getting hurt.

And we’re done!

Our little crab looks so happy lying in the sand!

Did you love this coffee filter crab craft? Check out these other easy crafts for kids!

See more easy ways to make things with kids on my Simple Crafts for Kids Pinterest board!

Printable Butterfly Counting Activity for Kids

May 2, 2019 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

Butterflies are flying all over our neighborhood these days. And it’s no wonder.

We’re right in the middle of spring and, down here, that means the typical six months of summer is on the way. Which means we’ll be seeing butterflies in the yard for weeks to come!

So I thought we’d try a fun, new early math activity – a butterfly counting activity for practicing number fluency from zero to ten!

This is such a cute idea for spring and summer learning. Plus, it’d make a wonderful busy bag for little hands.

Read on to see how to get your set. And, for more early math practice, take a look at our Colorful Birds Matching Activity too!

Butterfly Counting Activity for Kids

To use this butterfly counting activity, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Printer (with ink)
Printer Paper
Laminator (optional)
Scissors

To get started, simply print the butterfly counting mat and the sheet of butterflies and numbers zero to ten.

Then use a pair of scissors to cut out the butterfly cards and the number cards.

All you’ll have to do now is set up the activity by choosing a different number each time. Then your child can practice counting out the right number of butterflies.

Since the number cards go from zero all the way to ten, you can just swap out the cards and let the kids get to work!

Or you can teach the kids how to change the numbers on their own and then challenge themselves.

Make it into a shared activity by switching the roles. Let your child choose a number card and see if *you* can count out the right number of butterflies.

Hint: Get it wrong on purpose a few times and see if your child catches your mistake!

Scroll down to get your copy of our printable butterfly counting activity!

Stop by to see these other early math learning activities!

And see even more ways to make early education fun on my Learning for Little Ones Pinterest board!

To get your copy of our Butterfly Counting Activity, sign up for our email newsletter! This product, along with lots of other printables, is available for free in our Subscriber Library!

You’ll receive full access instructions in your confirmation email. Just use the widget below to get started!

NOTE: If you don’t see the welcome email in your inbox, check your spam folder. Sometimes it’s hiding in there. 🙂

Free Printable Flashcards: Counting Beach Balls

April 29, 2019 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

Summer is on the way! And I, for one, am thrilled.

Summer is my very favorite season. My very favorite.

I don’t care that it’s super hot down here in Georgia. I don’t care that the mosquitoes are out in full force.

The sun shines all day and (almost) all evening and that makes me happy.

Plus, we usually end up at the beach, which is my true birthplace, no matter what my birth certificate says.

So, in the spirit of summer, I thought I’d share a set of free printable flashcards counting to ten cards with beach balls!

Printable Beach Ball Counting to Ten Cards

These are so fun for little learners who are practicing counting to ten over the summer!

They’d also make wonderful additions to early math centers when school is starting.

See how to get your set of these counting to ten learning cards free!

And, for more summer learning, don’t miss our roundup of 40 fun learning activities for summer!

These printable beach ball counting cards are so much fun for practicing counting over summer!

Free Printable Flashcards: Counting Beach Balls

To use this set of free printable flashcards: counting beach balls, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Beach Ball Counting Flashcards for Early Learners

This set of printable counting flashcards includes ten cards that show both the number word and the corresponding number of beach balls.

Plus, there’s a set of cards with the beach balls and blank label spaces.

Students can use the enclosed number word labels to match up the amount of objects with the correct number word.

How to Use Counting Cards with Early Learners

There are a lot of ways to use these with students!

Place the number word and object cards on a ring. Add them to morning tubs for quick counting practice!

Laminate the number word labels and add sticky hook and loop dots to make a reusable activity.

This would be perfect for centers!

Let the kids get a little coloring practice by using the line art version. Students can color in the number of beach balls that matches each number word.

Assign these as a homework activity!

Let students take a line art version home and color in the beach balls. Then they can cut and paste the correct number word label on each card!

Get a look at the printable beach ball counting flashcards in action below!

See the counting to ten learning cards in the video below!

Want more counting flashcards? Stop by 3 Boys and a Dog to pick up a set of adorable ocean animal counting flashcards!

Scroll down to get your copy of our free printable flashcards: Counting Beach Balls!

Take a look at these other early learning activities for kids!

Help kids learn about the members of our solar system with these printable solar system flashcards! These would be wonderful for a space unit study!

Work on color recognition with this cute bird-themed color matching activity for kids! So simple for an early learning activity!

Pick up the printable or digital version of these ladybug number word puzzles to teach early counting skills!

To get your copy of our free printable flashcards: Counting Beach Balls learning cards, click the image or the link below to have them sent directly to your inbox!

You’ll also get our weekly newsletter – this Sunday!

>>> Beach Ball Counting to Ten Cards <<<

DIY Glitter Mermaid Slime

April 25, 2019 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

My kids love, absolutely love playing with slime. Judging by the most popular YouTube videos for kids, they’re not alone.

Making slime is one of the most popular activities for kids these days. There are so many great slime recipes to try. But, since we’re slowly coming into summer (yay!), I thought it would be fun to share a super easy DIY Glitter Mermaid Slime!

This is such a fun activity to try during the warmer months!

Read on to get the full project directions and printable instructions! And, there’s a super cute printable below for turning this Mermaid Slime into adorable party favors.

Want to have more fun with slime? Don’t miss our roundup of 50 unique slime recipes for kids to make!

DIY Glitter Mermaid Slime for Kids

To make this DIY Glitter Mermaid Slime, you’ll need the following:

Clear glue
Food coloring
Colored glitter
Baking soda
Contact lens solution

Start by pouring the clear glue into a bowl.

Then add a few drops of food coloring. (Choose a color that matches the mermaid theme.)

Add a good amount of matching colored glitter and stir it well.

Then add baking soda and contact lens solution (that’s what turns the mixture into slime).

And you’re done! It really only takes a few minutes from beginning to end.

Make as many mermaid-themed colors as you like!

DIY Mermaid Glitter Slime Party Favors

If you’re throwing a mermaid-themed kids’ party, you can even turn this Glitter Slime into cute goodie bag prizes!

Just pour the slime into empty baby food jars and tie ribbon around the neck of each jar.

Grab these adorable mermaid toppers to glue onto the jar lids.

And you’re done!

Since this slime lasts a very long time when it’s stored in an airtight container, it’s a wonderful party favor for kids to take home.

Get these adorable mermaid slime printable topper labels by clicking the image below!

DIY Glitter Mermaid Slime Instructions

Now….for the printable Glitter Mermaid Slime instructions!

The full ingredients and instructions are below. And you can even print them for your convenience!

DIY Glitter Mermaid Slime

This fun glitter mermaid slime is perfect for ocean-themed sensory play!

Ingredients

6 oz clear glue
3 to 4 drops food coloring
1 to 2 tbsp colored glitter
1/2 tbsp baking soda
1 tsp contact lens solution

Instructions

Pour the clear glue into a mixing bowl.
Add a few drops of food coloring to the bowl. Start with one or two drops and add more as desired.
Add the glitter and mix well.
Add the baking soda and contact lens solution. Stir to combine. When the slime starts to pull away from the bowl, you'll know it's done.
Store in an airtight container.

Did you love making this DIY Glitter Mermaid Slime with your kids? Share how yours turned out in the comments!

Take a look at these other fun activities to share with your kids this summer!

And see more ways to have some sensory fun with the kids on my Sensory Play Pinterest board!

Phonics Fun! Printable Phonics Flashcards for Kids

April 22, 2019 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Phonics are kind of a controversial topic in education these days. Some kids learn to read without ever practicing phonics, but some benefit by learning to master common phonics skills.

Personally, I’m for whatever helps a child learn to read.

Some of my kids took to reading right away. Others learned beginning sounds, digraphs, and suffixes before learning to read fluently.

So I thought these printable phonics flashcards might be useful to some of you as well!

These would be excellent for literacy centers, phonics reviews, and even “I Have, Who Has?” games! Plus, you can print them once and then use them over and over again.

Find out how to get your set of phonics flashcards for kids below! And, for more fun with early literacy, check out our Rhyming Word Puzzles!

Phonics Fun! Printable Phonics Flashcards for Kids

To use these printable phonics flashcards, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Printer (with ink)
Printer Paper
Scissors
Laminator (Useful if you plan to reuse the cards)

These printable phonics flashcards for kids include a complete set of vowel flashcards, featuring letters and pictures that have the correct beginning sound for each letter.

Long and short vowel sounds are included.

So, for letter A, there are two flashcards: one featuring a picture of an acorn (for long A) and another featuring a picture of an alligator (for short A).

Consonant sounds are included in this set of printable phonics flashcards too!

Letters that have more than one sound, such as G, have a flashcard for each type of sound: hard and soft.

In the example of G, one flashcard shows a picture of grapes (for hard G) and another shows a picture of a gingerbread man (for soft G).

Even tricky letters like X are included! One flashcard shows a word that begins with X (“xylophone”) and another shows a word that ends with the X sound (“fox”).

Color and line art versions of all the flashcards are included as well!

Scroll down to get your copy of our printable phonics flashcards!

Stop by and see these other early literacy learning ideas!

To get your copy of these Phonics Fun flashcards, check out the details below!

Revving Racecar Scissor Skills Printables for Kids

April 18, 2019 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

Little Miss has been racing her way through all of her preschool lessons. She absolutely cannot wait for kindergarten this fall.

Remember when you were young enough to actually be excited about doing harder work like the “big kids”? Yeah, I don’t either.

Anyway, she’s mastered her letters, numbers, shapes, and counting, so we’ve been working on a lot of fine motor skills. And that includes learning how to use scissors.

Printable Racecar Cutting Practice Worksheets

With my oldest child, I put off scissor skills for way too long, so this time around, we got started with safety scissors as soon as possible. She loves it!

Racecar Scissor Skills Preschool Printables

Since she’s such a little firecracker about getting her schoolwork done, I knew she’d love these racecar scissor skills printables! These are super fun for little racers!

Read on to see how to get your set – free!

And if you love these, check out our Colorful Cars Basic Math Pattern Clip Cards! They’re great for building early math skills with preschoolers and kindergartners.

Practice cutting on the lines with these fun racecar themed scissor skills practice worksheets!

Racecar Scissor Skills Printables for Kids

To use these scissor skills printables, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links are listed below. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

This printable scissor skills pack includes three worksheets:

Racecar Themed Cutting Practice Worksheets

One with a pink racecar and straight cutting lines…

Racecar Cutting Practice Worksheets for Preschool

One with a blue racecar and curved cutting lines…

Racecar Scissor Skills Practice for Preschool

And one with a yellow racecar and wavy cutting lines.

Preschool Racecar Cutting Practice Sheets

You may find it best to start with the straight line practice sheet and then gradually introduce the wavy and curved line practice once your learners are ready.

Using Racecar Scissor Skills Printables with Preschoolers

All you need to do is find a willing preschooler who’s ready to try these out!

Since this wasn’t Piglet’s first time using scissors, she didn’t need a lot of assistance, especially with the straight lined worksheet.

Racecar Scissor Skills Printables for Kids

But I did keep an eye on her – just to be safe.

The wavy lines and curved lines gave her a little trouble (mostly because she didn’t want to cut the racecars themselves), but once she got the hang of it, it was full steam ahead!

Free Racecar Scissor Skills Printables for Kids

Scroll down to get your free Racecar Scissor Skills Printables!

Stop by to check out these other fun preschool activities!

Make this simple toilet paper roll racecar craft with little ones for a quick transportation craft!

Get some early math practice with little ones and make this simple shape train craft!

Get ready for back to school with this super cute paper school bus craft for kids! So easy to make, even for little ones!

Racecar Scissor Skills Worksheets for Kids

To get these racecar-themed scissor skills worksheets sent directly to your inbox, just click the image or the link below!

You’ll also get our weekly newsletter this Sunday!

>>> Racecar Cutting Practice Worksheets <<<

Preschool Worksheets: Big and Small Worksheets for Preschool

April 15, 2019 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

I remember the first time Piglet showed that she was starting to notice differences in sizes. She said “Wow! Mommy! Your hand is much more huger than mine!” *giggle*

Since she has older siblings, she seemed to become aware of the differences between bigger and smaller pretty quickly.

After all, she wasn’t able to do a lot of things her brothers and sisters could because they were “bigger” than her.

To reinforce the idea of size differentiation, I decided to try some big and small worksheets for preschool. And I thought why not add a cute cupcake theme and make them free while I was at it!

I’ve been on a bit of a cupcake roll lately, so if you want to build a quick unit for your preschooler, add these worksheets for preschoolers to our cupcake letter matching activity and our cupcake playdough mats!

Plus, see our other preschool worksheets and activities for kids!

Cupcake Big and Small Worksheets for Preschool

To use these cupcake big and small worksheets, you’ll need the following supplies: (Affiliate links are listed below. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

These printables focus on helping preschoolers learn the difference between items that are “biggest” and those that are “smallest”.

Kids can practice finding the cupcakes that are biggest on one worksheet.

A second worksheet helps them practice finding the smallest cupcake in each row.

I didn’t want to do biggest and smallest on the same worksheet, because that could be a little confusing, especially for young learners.

A complete answer key is included. And, if you use the line art version, you can let the kids color in their cupcakes afterwards.

Scroll down to get your copy of our Cupcake Big and Small Preschool Worksheets!

Try these other fun preschool activities!

To get your copy of our Cupcake Big and Small Preschool Worksheets, click the image or the link below to visit our Store!

Free Printable Flashcards: Butterfly Identification Cards

Summer Printable Sight Word Flashcards for Kids

How to Use Summer Sight Word Flashcards with Students

20 Fun Books about Ice Cream for Kids

Coffee Filter Crafts for Kids: Coffee Filter Crab Craft

Butterfly Counting Activity for Kids

Free Printable Flashcards: Counting Beach Balls

How to Use Counting Cards with Early Learners

DIY Glitter Mermaid Slime for Kids

DIY Mermaid Glitter Slime Party Favors

DIY Glitter Mermaid Slime Instructions

DIY Glitter Mermaid Slime

Ingredients

Instructions

Phonics Fun! Printable Phonics Flashcards for Kids

Racecar Scissor Skills Printables for Kids

Using Racecar Scissor Skills Printables with Preschoolers

Cupcake Big and Small Worksheets for Preschool

>>> Big and Small Worksheets for Preschool <<<