Does anyone else think learning about parts of speech is fun?
If not, it’s possible that it’s just me.
When I learned about them years (and years) ago in school, I thought it was so neat that the words I read and used everyday had different functions.
If your students aren’t quite as thrilled about the parts of speech as I was, this pizza-themed adjective sorting activity is fun way to practice recognizing describing words!
If you’re reading a pizza-themed book with your class, this is a wonderful way to weave in some basic ELA practice.
Plus, it has a hands-on component that younger students will love!
Read on to see how to get your copy of this ELA activity – free!
To use this pizza-themed adjective sorting activity, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)
This ELA lesson lets students practice spotting and using descriptive words to describe everyone’s favorite food – pizza!
It’s designed as a one-time cut and paste activity, but you can easily adapt it for repeated use at centers.
Instructions are included on the activity, so you can just print and then hand them out to students.
They can look for the adjectives, cut them out, and then paste them onto the pizza as mushroom and pepperoni “toppings”.
Turn this into a reusable activity by laminating the pages. Then cut them out and let students use them again and again.
This would also make a great take-home activity for practicing parts of speech.
Students can assemble their pizzas at home and then bring them in the next day!
Scroll down to get your copy of this free Pizza Adjective Sorting Activity!
Try some of these other ELA learning ideas for early elementary!
To get your copy of this Adjective Pizza activity, click the image or the link below to grab it as a free download from my Teachers Pay Teachers store!
Winter is quickly approaching and it’s the time of year for…baking!
At least for me.
Whenever it gets cold outside, I’m ready to start baking cookies, cupcakes, muffins, and whatever else I can think of.
Of course, I also have the problem of eating them all, but that’s another story.
To keep early learners practicing their alphabet recognition skills over the winter, I thought it would be fun to share a set of cupcake and cookie alphabet worksheets!
These are filled with ways to practice letter recognition that are fun for little ones!
They’d be excellent for literacy centers or take-home packets over winter break in preschool or kindergarten too.
Read on to see how to get your copy of each – free!
Sweet Treats! Cupcake and Cookie Alphabet Worksheets
To use these cupcake and cookie alphabet worksheets, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)
Laminator (good if using these at literacy centers)
Each of these alphabet worksheet packs includes six activities.
First, students will fill in the missing letters to complete the entire alphabet.
Then, they can use crayons to complete the color by alphabet worksheet. The cookie worksheet set features a cookie-themed color by alphabet page.
The cupcake worksheet set has a cupcake-themed activity instead.
They can also cut out matching lowercase letters to glue next to the correct uppercase letters.
Plus, a tracing page for the entire alphabet is included.
The alphabet maze lets students find their way to the finish by following the uppercase and lowercase letter A.
Finally, they can use the letters they’ve practiced to write their name in several colors.
If you’re using a cupcake or cookie theme at any point this school year, these would be a perfect match!
If you plan to use these alphabet worksheets at literacy centers, be sure to laminate them first. Then students can reuse them with dry erase markers or crayons.
See this product in action in the video below!
Scroll down to get your cupcake and cookie alphabet worksheets – free!
Take a look at some of these other early literacy learning ideas!
To get your copy of our Sweet Treats! Printable Alphabet Worksheets, just sign up for our email newsletter! (It’s free.)
Get started by enrolling with the widget below.
After signing up, you’ll receive a welcome email with instructions on how to access the Subscriber Library where you’ll find these cupcake and cookie alphabet worksheets – plus lots more!
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To play this printable woodland animals board game, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)
Game pieces (I used hedgehog mini erasers I got from Target, but you can use buttons, coins, counting bears, or any small manipulative.)
There are two styles of game boards: one with full color and one with white backgrounds.
Use either or both!
The game also includes a printable die.
After using scissors to cut it out, fold it along the lines and attach with double-sided tape.
You could also use glue or regular tape around the outside, but I find double-sided tape to be the easiest.
Then place the game pieces at the start and you’re ready to play!
Kids can roll the die to move their game piece along the board, moving to whichever animal they roll.
The first one to the finish wins!
***IMPORTANT*** If you are using a Mac, you will need to save this file as an image before you try to print it. Otherwise, the game board pictures will print with black backgrounds.
To do this, open the file in Preview (the default option for PDFs), then click “export”.
Change the option from “PDF” to “JPEG”.
Then click “save”.
Open the image and click “Print”.
You’ll be good to go!
See this game in action below!
Scroll down to get your copy of this printable woodland animals board game – free!
Take a look at these other fall activities for kids!
To get your copy of this printable forest animals game, click the image or the link below to download it directly to your computer!
Autumn Addition! Fall Color by Addition Worksheets
To use these printable fall color by addition worksheets, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)
This product includes five different fall-themed color by addition printables.
Since each page includes addition problems with sums up to 20, this is best suited for first and second grade students.
As students examine each addition problem, they can use the color code at the bottom to fill in each picture.
A color answer key is also included for easy grading!
This would make an excellent resource for math centers!
Or you could hand it out to students for in-class work or send it home to use as homework or for distance learning.
Get a look at this product in action in the video below!
Scroll down to get your set of these Autumn Addition worksheets – free!
Try more fun fall learning ideas for kids!
To get your set of free Fall Color by Addition worksheets, just sign up for our email newsletter!
You’ll get the link to these printables inside your welcome email!
Just use the widget below to get started.
Note: If you don’t see the email after subscribing, check your spam folder. If you still don’t see it, send me an email at selena@lookwerelearning.com.
To use the printable acorn Spanish counting to 10 cards, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)
Until a couple of years ago, we had a massive oak tree in our front yard.
And I mean – massive.
Every year, the yard would be covered with fallen oak leaves and acorns.
Walking through the yard, the kids would always pick up the acorns and play with them.
We noticed that acorns look the same from far away. But when you examine them up close, you can see differences in them – colors, shapes, weight, and sizes.
So I thought acorns would make another excellent theme for visual discrimination in these acorn same or different worksheets!
This same or different activity is an excellent resource for early fall centers! Or you could use them as a one-time lesson with no prep at all.
To use these printable acorn same or different worksheets, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)
Working with cutting practice can be a little bit boring for little ones.
After all, what’s fun about just tracing lines up and down a page with a pair of scissors?
Which is why it’s fun to add themes to scissor cutting practice!
Kids may not like the idea of “practicing” but they will love putting apples in the apple basket when they use these preschool apple cutting practice worksheets!
With our little one, all I had to do was hand her the printables and say “See if you can use the scissors to get the apple to the basket” and she was off!
To use these printable apple cutting practice worksheets, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)
And that means it’s a great time to break out some classic kids’ books about fall.
One of our favorites is “When the Leaf Blew In”, a sweet sequencing story that describes how one leaf blowing into a barn set off a chain reaction that involved all the animals on the farm.
So to extend this story, we whipped up some fun When the Leaf Blew In printables for early learners!
Read on to see how to get your copy of these early learning printables for preschool and kindergarten!
To use these When the Leaf Blew In printables, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links are included in this post. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)
Be sure to let them take time to look at the pictures. (They’ll be helpful hints for the activities.)
Kids can practice counting by ten with these leaf counting by ten flashcards!
They can trace the path of the leaf as it blew through the barn!
They can also practice handwriting by tracing simple words from the story.
And, since the leaf disrupted the day of so many different farm animals, kids can match up the animals with the order in which they appeared in the story.
Be sure to use the answer key to check your child’s responses!
Scroll down to get your copy of our When the Leaf Blew In printables!
Check out these other fall learning activities!
To get your copy of The Blowing Leaf Storybook Extension, click the image or the link below to visit my Teachers Pay Teachers Store!
You know how you can tell that preschoolers are ready to learn to tell items apart by appearance?
They say things like “I don’t want that one! I want THAT ONE!”
Learning how to tell items that are similar apart from those that are different is an important skill for preschoolers to develop and these fun apple matching worksheets can help!
These preschool printables feature a fun apple theme that is perfect for back to school and fall learning!
To use these same or different leaf worksheets with early learners, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)
This product includes two sets of visual discrimination worksheets: one set in color and another in line art.
A full answer key is also included, along with instructions.
Whenever I print a line art version, I always use colorful Astrobright paper. Especially if I can find a color that matches my theme.
You can print and go with these. No prep required!
Simply hand them out for students and help the kids practice looking for and spotting the differences in detail on each page.
Want to use this as a reusable center activity? Keep reading!
Fall Leaf Visual Discrimination Early Center Activity
You can make these leaf same and different worksheets into a reusable activity in just a couple of steps.
Simply print the pages at half size (two to a page) and laminate them.
After cutting the pages apart, use a hole punch to put a hole in the top left corner of each one.
Connect them with a brass paper fastener and you’re done!
Students can use a dry erase marker or dry erase crayon to complete each page.
Wipe them clean afterward and use them again and again!
Take a look at the video below to see this resource in use!
Scroll down to get your set of these printable same or different leaf worksheets!
Try some of these other leaf-themed early learning ideas!
To get your copy of these Leaf Look Alikes! Leaf Same or Different Worksheets, click the image or the link below to visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store!
Preserve leaves with preschoolers to see how leaves change after falling off trees. This is also good for exploring why leaves need tree roots to live.
Show preschoolers how to make scientific observations with this leaf shapes examination activity! Little ones can collect leaves and compare them with others.
Preschoolers absolutely love playing with puzzles.
My four-year-old asks to do a puzzle almost every single day. The same one. Over and over again.
But that’s a good thing!
It means that kids are remembering how the pieces fit together to make a complete picture and solving them more quickly each time.
Since we’ve been working on recognizing one-to-one correspondence and counting individual items, I thought we’d turn that skill into a hands-on activity with these Apple Preschool Counting Puzzles!
I was hoping that my little one would like this activity and she loved it!
Read on to see how to share this hands-on counting lesson with your students!
To use these preschool counting puzzles, you’ll need the following supplies: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)
Apple Shapes! Printable Apple Shape Tracing Activity
To use this printable apple shape tracing activity, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)
To use the printable apple life cycle sequencing activity, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)
Well, the year 2020 has brought more than its share of surprises.
We were homeschoolers for ten years (not counting a five-month break) and last year I finally decided to let my kids attend public school.
After seven months, they were home again – suddenly. And now we’re back to homeschooling again too (like many of you).
If you’re unsure what to do with your kids, how to arrange their days, or what resources to use, I hope that reading our 2020 homeschool curriculum plan will help.
These are resources especially for the grades we’re teaching this year: third grade, sixth grade, and seventh grade. But you can use this as a framework for building your own plan too.
(This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)
Fair warning: This looks like a lot of work. But it’s not.
As you read, you’ll see that I reuse multiple resources for each child and several of these resources are free or inexpensive.
I do believe, though, in investing in the subjects that matter the most for our family’s goals. In our experience, that always turns out to be worthwhile.
By the way, if you’re unsure what to teach and when, I cannot recommend the book Home Learning Year by Year enough.
It breaks down each grade level subject and lists specific concepts to cover, with curriculum recommendations.
Our 2020 3rd Grade Homeschool Curriculum
Math – We’re using Teaching Textbooks this year for all three of our children. (Look for an in-depth review of TT later this year!)
Social Studies – Social Studies is a bit harder to recommend, because we’re using the Usborne Time Traveler book.
(Note: I’m not an Usborne consultant. We received almost all of our Usborne books when we used BookShark curriculum last year.)
I looked around on Amazon and the Time Traveler book is super expensive these days. So if you’re looking for a more affordable resource, try the Usborne First Encyclopedia of History instead.
Our 2020 6th Grade Homeschool Curriculum
Math – For my middle schoolers, we’re also using Teaching Textbooks. But I’m adding another resource for each child.
Here’s why I like ArgoPrep: Their books come with free video explanations of each exercise. If you visit the website, you can choose your math or ELA book and then watch the instructors explain each exercise.
No more grading!
Science – While my third grader loves STEM, my sixth grader is a STEM super fan. All he’s ever wanted to do is build and design things.
I attended a STEM educator conference over the summer and one of the presenters recommended Instructables for Teachers. It’s incredible and free, especially if you are not STEM-inclined (like me).
It’s separated by grade level and the full instructions and supplies for each project are clearly listed. You can easily scan to see which projects you can complete with your kids before getting started.
Now that we’re living in unusual circumstances in our country, I wanted to help my son learn about the food insecurity people in other regions face everyday.
We’ll also be learning about the culture of each country and some of its history as we go along.
Our 2020 7th Grade Homeschool Curriculum
Math – Teaching Textbooks again, plus Everything You Need to Ace Math in One Big Fat Notebook.
My seventh grader loves to draw, so we’re also using The Cartoon Guide to Algebra. It’s a really fun book and does a great job at illustrating some of the algebraic concepts that seem abstract.
At this age, I start to let my kids have some say in their interests and my seventh grader is not interested in hands-on experiments. So videos it is!
Social studies – Our seventh grader will also be working with Hungry Planet, along with our sixth grader. Two for one!
What about Our Homeschool Electives?
We’re only working with one elective this year: how to play piano.
We got a keyboard from a friend and I bought the Alfred All-In-One Piano Course. Since our kids are a bit older, I decided to go with the adult version. But if I had younger children, the Basic Piano Course would be a better fit.
Whew! It looks like a lot on the page, but it’s really simple and streamlined.
Want to see some of our school year in action? Follow me on Instagram! We’re starting our school year on August 24.
A copy of our Apple CVC Word Cards (link at the bottom of post)
It only takes a few minutes to set up this literacy activity.
Start by cutting apart the Apple CVC word cards.
Afterwards, pull out a few pipe cleaners and let students find the matching lacing letters for each word.
They can pull a CVC word card and then lace the letters onto pipe cleaners to spell out each word.
After students are comfortable spelling out the words, use different color lacing letters to highlight separate phonetic sounds.
Isolate the vowel sound by using a certain color for the middle vowel letters.
Then practice identifying beginning and ending sounds with different color letters too!
This is a fantastic way to incorporate fine motor skills along with literacy in a fun fall theme!
Scroll down to get your set of apple CVC word cards for use with this literacy activity!
Try some of these other apple learning ideas for early grades!
To get your set of Apple CVC Word cards for this Apple CVC Word Literacy Activity, click the image or the link below to download them directly to your computer!
We’re going to get through this in four steps (five, if you want).
That’s it. That’s all.
You can do this.
Step 1: Look at your state requirements.
Before you do anything, and I mean anything, find out what your state (or province) requires homeschoolers to do.
If you search “(state) homeschool requirements”, look for an internet search result from the actual department of education for your state. Then read the list of regulations.
Some states are very hands-off and require almost no paperwork or specific standards, but others are very detailed and require regular evaluations and check-ins by parents.
Use those regulations as your homeschooling framework.
Step 2: Choose a math program.
After you read your state’s requirements, start selecting how you will teach each subject, especially the core subjects such as math and English Language Arts (ELA).
Fair warning: There are a ton of math programs out there. A TON.
Don’t get caught up trying to read through each one and compare them. Start with Khan Academy (it’s free!) and let your child start working through that from the very beginning.
You’ll get a good sense of where he or she needs to improve as they go along.
You’ll also see what they like and don’t like about that program, which will give you a good idea of how to choose something different, if you choose.
If you just want to keep moving for now, check your child’s appropriate grade level on Khan Academy and then buy a grade-level math workbook. Done.
Step 3: Choose an ELA program.
Once you get math going, find a way to teach ELA.
Khan Academy has some courses for this too, but they’re still working on them.
I generally use a grade-level workbook for ELA and then add a lot of books to read and discuss together through the year. (Look for my specific homeschool choices for this year coming soon!)
Step 4: Choose a way to learn science and social studies.
Okay. The biggies are done. Now it’s time to move on to the other subjects.
Science is actually pretty simple these days. Find a great and reputable kids’ science YouTube channel and off you go. Pick up a book with easy experiments to try if you like.
You can do the same with social studies. With younger kids, find an excellent world travel channel and learn about a new country each week.
For older kids, focus on historical events and their impact on society. (Further down, there are a few recommendations you can try for this.)
Step 5: Pick an elective or two (if you want.)
That’s basically a school day.
If you do math and ELA four days a week, plus science and social studies two days each, you’ve covered all the basics.
Want to add an elective? Great! There are plenty of those out there for free too, including art, music, American Sign Language (which I teach!), and more.
A simple internet search will point you in the right direction.
Pat yourself on the back. You’re ready to go. Really.
Is All-In-One Homeschool Curriculum Good for First Time Homeschoolers?
You might be wondering why I didn’t mention any all-in-one boxed curriculum choices in the steps above.
Well, here’s why.
I have used several through the years. (BookShark was our absolute favorite.)
In fact, I was homeschooled myself from sixth grade onward with a boxed curriculum.
Here’s the thing about all-in-one-programs (at least in my experience):
They tend to fit well in some subjects and not at all in others. All of my kids were at different grade levels in each subject. They tended to need a grade-level math but an advanced ELA program or vice versa.
So I always ended up with materials I paid for, but couldn’t use. Boo.
Also – I found the big box a little overwhelming, especially when I was just starting out.
But you might be different. So, after you’ve gotten into a good routine, feel free to take a look at a few (especially BookShark).
Easy Homeschool Options for First Time Homeschoolers
Whew! I’ve said a lot here, but I can’t let you go without sharing a few good resources that will help you get started if you’re first time homeschooling. These are all excellent and, even better, free.
Looking for some fun and engaging apple preschool books to share with early learners?
You’ve come to the right place!
Below, I’ve listed 20 preschool apple book selections that are sure to make an upcoming apple or fall unit into a learning activity your students will love!
These are filled with lovely illustrations and simple stories that make them a perfect fit for preschool classrooms.
If you’re homeschooling preschool-aged children, these are also great to add to your library reading list or your home library.
We’ve always used lots of picture books during the preschool years. And, since apples are such a popular early childhood theme, we’ve shared some of these during preschool as well.
If you love any of these in particular or your class loves one or two, let me know which ones!
This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.
With plenty of apple activities, these apple preschool books, and a fun apple preschool snack, you can put together a preschool apple unit your students will love.
Take a look at these other apple early learning ideas!
