But this is the first year I can recall when I truly do not know where the summer went. I blinked and it was August.

Ready or not, the new school year is upon us. Which made me think of these Spanish school vocabulary flashcards!

These would be a great way to welcome early and ELL learners to the classroom.

Use them at centers, in morning tubs, in small groups, and more!

Read on to see how to get your set.

And, for more Spanish vocabulary building, take a look at our ¡Los Verbos! Spanish Verb Learning Cards too!

¡La Escuela! Spanish School Vocabulary Flashcards

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

• Printer (with ink)
• Printer paper or cardstock
• Scissors
• Laminator (optional)
• Colored pencils (optional)
• Dry erase markers (optional)

This learning card set features flashcards for 12 Spanish and English school related words.

There are also picture labeling cards and word labels in both English and Spanish.

The cards are designed to be printed dual-sided.

That way, you can have English on one side and Spanish on the other!

A full blackline version and a pronunciation key are included as well!

How to Use the Spanish School Word Learning Cards

There are several ways to use these with students.

Break out the flashcards to teach learners each word. You might decide to start with whichever language your students are most comfortable.

As they build fluency, introduce some of the words in the second language.

Let students color the blackline version of the cards for themselves!

Put the English and Spanish flashcards on a ring for use at centers.

And, be sure to use the labels and labeling cards for a hands-on activity that will build literacy skills.

Scroll down to get your Spanish school vocabulary flashcards!

Try some of these other Spanish literacy activities!

To get your copy of these Spanish school word learning cards, visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store or check them out below!

The post La Escuela! Spanish School Vocabulary Flashcards appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.

I just watched a video of how they do it.

They actually form circular bands around the youngest and stand with their backs facing out towards the cold.

But they rotate the bands around so that everyone has a chance to be warm in the center. Neat, right?

There’s a lot more to learn about penguins with kids. Which is where this penguin life cycle sequencing activity can help!

This hands-on animal science activity is great for teaching early elementary students about life cycles during winter.

Keep reading to see how to get your copy.

Be sure to check out our list of fun penguin books for kids to read too!

Penguin Life Cycle Sequencing Activity for Kids

To use this penguin life cycle sequencing activity, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links are listed below. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

• Printer (with ink)
• Printer paper
• Child-safe scissors
• Glue stick
• Laminator (optional)
• Hook and loop adhesive coins (optional)
• Dry erase markers (optional)
• Colored pencils (optional)

This resource includes a completed penguin life cycle sequencing mat.

Once students have learned the primary life stages of a penguin, they can practice remembering the steps on their own.

There are a blank penguin life cycle mat and a blank penguin life cycle mat with writing lines.

Students who are already writing can practice writing out the life cycle stage names.

There are penguin life cycle stage circles to cut out and place in the correct order on the sequencing activity mat.

For students who are not yet reading, there are picture life stage circles that show the stages without words.

And a full blackline version is included!

How to Use the Penguin Life Cycle Sequencing Activity

When you’re ready to use this penguin life cycle lesson with your students, you have several options.

Hand out the circle cards and blank mat and let kids cut the circles out and glue them in the right sequence.

You can print the entire resource at half-size and laminate it.

It makes a great addition to morning tubs!

If you decide to laminate the life cycle labeling mat, students can use dry erase marker to write and wipe the life cycle stage names.

Turn this lesson into a reusable science center activity!

Just add hook and loop adhesive coins on the back of the circles and on the blank circles on the mat.

Students can practice placing the circles in the correct order and then try again another time.

You can assign the blackline version as a take-home assignment.

Children can color the mat and circles and order them correctly before bringing them back to class.

Get a look at this resource in the video below!

Scroll down to get your copy of this penguin life cycle sequencing activity!

Take a look at some of these other early science learning ideas!

The post Penguin Life Cycle Sequencing Activity for Kids appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.

Early elementary grades are some of the most critical times for developing language arts skills.

Kids are learning how to read fluently, how to identify parts of speech, and how to create clear sentences on their own.

As part of second grade language arts standards, children often learn how to form and use both singular and plural nouns.

And that’s why I wanted to share a simple language arts lesson: a printable noun practice for second grade activity with a fun back-to-school theme!

This simple cut and paste activity is perfect for early grades.

And you can work on the singular and plural nouns and then add in collective nouns when your students are ready.

Read on to see how to get your copy.

And don’t miss our complete ELA lesson Construction Contractions for even more early grades language arts learning!

Back to School Noun Practice for Second Grade Activity

To use this singular and plural noun practice for second grade activity, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

• Printer (with ink)
• Printer Paper
• Child-safe scissors
• Glue stick
• Pencils

This noun sorting practice lesson is a cut and paste activity featuring singular nouns, plural nouns, and collective nouns.

Collective nouns are nouns that look like singular nouns but refer to a group, such as “team”, “group”, “class”, etc. 

Learning to distinguish between these types of nouns is a critical language arts skill for second grade.

Once kids decide which picture goes with which noun, they glue them into the box below.

Use the noun writing worksheets for reinforcement after the hands-on activity.

These also give students a chance to practice writing and spelling plural nouns and collective nouns correctly.

You can also send these writing activities home as an independent practice activity.

Get a look at this resource in action below!

Scroll down to get your copy of our Back to School Noun Practice for Second Grade activity!

Don’t miss these other ELA resources for early grades!

Want more early grade back to school learning fun? Get a look at these resources from my fellow bloggers!

Melting Crayons Science Experiment from Creative Family Fun

Free Addition Facts Game from Life Over C’s

Number Ordering Activity 0-999 from Sallie Borrink Learning

Interest Based Learning Project from Still Playing School

What I Love About School Art Project from Planet Smarty Pants

All About Me Flag Project from School Time Snippets

{Free!} Getting to Know You Back to School Game from Preschool Powol Packets

FREE All About Me Worksheets (Lego style) from 123 Homeschool 4 Me

Me Llamo – Simple Spanish Game from Rainy Day Mum

Setting up a homework station from Crafty kids at home

The post Back to School Noun Practice for Second Grade appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.

Teaching literacy in early grades is just plain fun. And literacy centers make it even more enjoyable – for us and our students.

More and more early learners are working on learning Spanish. Which is a great thing.

Learning how to use more than one language is fantastic for brain development, social skills, and creative thought – particularly for early grades!

And that’s why I’m excited to share this printable Spanish alphabet literacy center for kindergarten and first grade!

This huge resource is an awesome start to teaching children the Spanish alphabet and common Spanish words!

And if you’re working with ESL students, this is also a wonderful way to practice early literacy skills.

Read on to see how to get your copy (and a free sample)!

Need more ideas for teaching Spanish? Don’t miss our list of books for learning Spanish in early grades!

El Alfabeto Spanish Alphabet Literacy Center for Kids

To use this Spanish alphabet literacy center, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

• Printer (with ink)
• Printer paper
• Scissors
• Glue sticks
• Laminator (optional)
• Pencils
• Crayons or markers
• Hook and loop sticky dots (optional)
• Dry erase markers (optional)

This resource is jam-packed with hands-on Spanish alphabet literacy activities.

And I mean, packed.

This early literacy resource includes two sets of color Spanish alphabet word flashcards (plus line art versions).

The first set features words and pictures, while the second features pictures and a blank rectangle.

Students can cut and paste the alphabet word labels onto the cards. Or you can use hook and loop dots to make them into a reusable activity.

There’s a cut and paste alphabet word worksheet (with a line art version).

And an answer key for this and each activity too!

After learning how to pronounce each word, help your students review beginning sounds with two pages of match the letter sound worksheets.

Line art versions of these are included too.

Plus, there are seven pages of read, trace, and write worksheets to help students practice writing and reading each Spanish word.

And a line art version if you need to save on ink!

Want to use all of the review activities at centers? Simply laminate each page and let students complete them with dry erase markers.

Get a look at some of this Spanish literacy center in action in the video below!

Spanish Alphabet Pronunciation Chart for Kids

This Spanish early literacy center also includes a pronunciation chart for each of the Spanish words in the resource.

This is so handy if you need to help your students isolate the syllables in each word.

A color and line art version is included. And, even better, you can get this pronunciation chart free!

Keep reading for details.

Scroll down to get your ¡El Alfabeto! Spanish Alphabet Literacy Center!

Want to learn more Spanish with kids? Try these resources!

To get your copy of this Spanish Alphabet Pronunciation Chart for kids free, click the image or the link below to have it sent directly to your inbox!

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

>>> Spanish Alphabet Pronunciation Chart <<<

The post ¡El Alfabeto! Spanish Alphabet Literacy Center for Kids appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.

I don’t know what it is about flashcards, but my kids absolutely love them.

They’ll collect them, lay them out on the table, pass them around, look at them, and toss them in the air for hours.

Not sure the tossing actually counts as learning, but it’s…something.

Since shapes are one of the primary concepts to teach early learners, I thought a set of free printable flashcards shape cards would be awesome to share with all of you!

These are an excellent resource for preschoolers and kindergartners who are learning shapes.

If you want to get an early start on this concept, you could even use these with toddlers!

Read on to see how to grab your set of printable shape flashcards – free!

And, while you’re here, don’t miss some of our other printable flashcards, including color flashcards and counting flashcards for kids!

How Do I Print The Printable Shape Flashcards?

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

• Printer (with ink)
• Printer paper
• Scissors
• Laminator ( good if you want to reuse the cards later)

The set includes 16 flashcards for the following shapes:

• Square
• Circle
• Triangle
• Rectangle
• Star
• Heart
• Diamond
• Oval

One set of eight flashcards includes both the shape names and pictures. The second set features only the shapes.

A line art version is included if you need to save on ink! (And who doesn’t?)

When printing, you can decide how many sets you want at the moment.

Print the color set with names if you’re just starting to cover shapes for the first time.

You might want to come back and print the other sets for review afterward.

How Can I Use Shape Flashcards for Learning?

There are a few ways you can use these flashcards with early learners.

For toddlers, you can laminate them (trust me on this) and put them on an O ring.

They make a great addition to a busy bag!

For preschoolers, you can start talking about the shapes and their names.

Use the cards without names to help them review each shape.

You can also talk about the differences in color. Ask questions such as “Which shape is red?” or “Which shape is yellow?”

Or you can print the line art version and let the kids color the shapes!

For kindergartners, take the activity a little further by talking about the sides each shape has.

They’ll notice right away that the circle and oval are the exceptions – having no sides at all.

You might also place the cards on a ring and let students walk around the classroom, the outdoors, or even their home to spot similar shapes around them!

Get a look at these shape identification flashcards in action in the video below!

Scroll down to get your free printable shape flashcards!

More Resources for Learning Shapes

To make learning about shapes even more fun, try these activities and books for little learners!

Shape Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

1. Free Shape Playdough Mats – 3 Dinosaurs
2. Contact Paper Shape Art – Mess for Less
3. Stars Preschool Shapes – 3 Boys and a Dog
4. Guess the Shapes Activity and Cutting Practice – Artsy Momma

Books for Teaching Shapes

1. My Very First Book of Shapes – Eric Carle
2. A Circle Here, A Square There: My Shapes Book – David Diehl
3. Shapes, Shapes, Shapes – Tana Hoban
4. When a Line Bends . . . A Shape Begins – Rhonda Gowler Greene

If you love these, be sure to see our other printable flashcards!

To grab your free set of Free Printable Flashcards: Shape Flashcards, just click the image or the link below!

You’ll receive them in your inbox in a few minutes. And you’ll get our weekly newsletter too!

>>> Shape Identification Flashcards <<<

The post Free Printable Flashcards: Shape Flashcards appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.

Ruby Bridges has always been an interesting history figure to me. 

She was such a young girl when she made history and she managed to handle it with grace and class. 

Naturally, I wanted my children to learn about Ruby Bridges but I also like to share her story with my students.

And that’s why this mini Ruby Bridges history lesson is one I’m excited to share with all of you!

This is a fantastic history activity for early elementary grades! 

It’s a great fit for Black History Month, but you could really use it any time of the year, because it’s also American history.

And it’s so easy for early grade students to relate to her experience as well.

Plus, this activity is now available as a digital Black history lesson too!

Read on to see how to pick up your copy.

And, for more black history resources, take a look at our list of 20 Books about African-American Inventors and Scientists!

Elementary Ruby Bridges History Lesson for Kids

To use this Ruby Bridges history lesson for kids, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

• Printer (with ink)
• Printer Paper
• Pencils

The printable Ruby Bridges mini black history lesson includes the following:

• A two-page Ruby Bridges biography
• A page of Fill-In-the-Blank biography review questions
• A Ruby Bridges word unscramble activity
• A Ruby Bridges history timeline sequencing activity

A full answer key and a teaching script are also included!

The biography comes with a blackline version as well.

Digital Ruby Bridges History Lesson

Are you using virtual or distance learning with your students this year?

This Black history lesson is also available as a digital activity for use with Google Slides!

The digital Ruby Bridges history activity includes:

• A five-slide biography
• A two-slide fill in the blank review
• A two-slide word unscramble activity
• And a history sequencing activity for students!

A complete answer key is also available for easy peasy grading.

Read the biography in class with students and then let them complete the review activities on their own!

How to Teach Elementary Students about Ruby Bridges

If you’re unsure how to introduce Ruby to your class, the teaching script offers a sample teaching script to try.

Read the biography together with your students. Be sure to stop and check for understanding during the reading.

Afterwards, you might choose to complete the fill-in-the-blank activity together. Then you can send the word unscramble and the timeline sequencing activities along as homework.

If you decide to send the biography as part of a take-home assignment, let students color Ruby as they read about her!

Use the enclosed answer key for simple grading!

Get a closer look at this resource in the video below.

Scroll down to get your copy of this print or digital Ruby Bridges History Lesson!

Don’t miss these other Black history learning ideas for students!

To get the digital Ruby Bridges History Activity for use with Google Slides, click the image or the link below to get it from my Teachers Pay Teachers store!

>>> Digital Ruby Bridges History Activity <<<

The post Ruby Goes to School! Mini Ruby Bridges History Lesson for Kids appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.

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!

And, for more ways to practice language arts in early grades, take a look at my Construction Contractions ELA unit!

Pizza Pie ELA! Adjective Sorting Activity

To use this pizza-themed adjective sorting activity, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

• Printer (with ink)
• Printer paper
• Child-safe scissors
• Glue stick
• Laminator (optional)

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!

>>> Pizza Pie ELA! Adjective Sorting Lesson <<<

The post Pizza Pie ELA! Adjective Sorting Activity appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.

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.

Read on to see how to get your set.

And, for more fun fall ideas for early ages, take a look at our list of preschool leaf science activities!

Acorns Alike! Acorn Same or Different Worksheets

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.)

• Printer (with ink)
• Printer paper
• Pencils
• Laminator (optional)
• Scissors (optional)
• Dry erase markers (optional)

This product includes:

• Two find the same acorns worksheets
• Two find the different acorn worksheets
• Two find the same acorns line art worksheets
• Two find the different acorn line art worksheets
• A full answer key
• And a set of instructions!

All of the acorns are the same size, so this is not a size discrimination lesson.

It’s a visual discrimination activity to help early learners practice spotting visual differences.

The acorns sport adorable fall-themed patterns to give little ones a bit of a challenge, especially since some of them feature the same colors.

Need to save on ink? A line art version is also included!

Use the answer key to grade submissions.

Or you can let students review the answer key for one of the pages before beginning to work on the remaining activities.

Planning to use this at centers?

Print the pages at half-size and laminate them. Then let students complete them with dry erase markers or crayons.

Wipe them clean afterward and you’re ready to start over the next day!

See this product in action in the video below!

Scroll down to get your copy of these Acorn Same or Different Worksheets!

Try some of these other fall early learning ideas!

To get your copy of Acorns Alike! Acorn Same or Different Activity, click the image or the link below to visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store!

>>> Acorn Same or Different Activity <<<

The post Acorns Alike! Acorn Same or Different Worksheets appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.

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!

If these worksheets go over well with your kids, be sure to try some of our other preschool worksheets and activities, including our racecar scissor skills printables or our apple preschool counting puzzles!

Apple Harvest! Apple Cutting Practice Worksheets

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

• Printer (with ink)
• Printer paper
• Child-safe scissors

Each of these scissor skills printables features a different dashed line for kids to cut.

One has a wavy line moving from left to right, and one has a wavy line moving from right to left.

A third has a straight line, and the last has an extra curvy line.

These would be a great fit for a preschool apple unit, but you could really use them any time of year.

Let the kids know it’s okay if the lines aren’t cut perfectly. After all, we’re learning, right?

Be sure to serve some fun apple snacks afterward!

Get a look at this product in action in the video below!

Scroll down to get your Apple Cutting Practice Worksheets for Kids!

Don’t miss these other apple-themed learning ideas for kids!

To get your copy of our free Apple Preschool Scissor Skills Worksheets, click the image below!

The post Apple Harvest! Apple Cutting Practice Worksheets appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.

Fall is just around the corner!

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!

And for more fall reading fun, check out our printable Fall Reading Journal kids can use this autumn!

When the Leaf Blew In Printables for Kids

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.)

• Printer (with ink)
• Printer Paper
• Pencils
• A copy of the book “When the Leaf Blew In” (optional)

This set of early learning printables includes:

• A printable picture and word matching activity
• A printable line tracing activity
• Counting by ten flashcards
• A printable word tracing activity
• A printable story sequencing activity
• And a full answer key!

Start by sharing the story with the kids.

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 students’ responses!

Scroll down to get your copy of our When the Leaf Blew In printables!

Check out these other fall learning activities!

 

 

 

The post When the Leaf Blew In Printables for Kids appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.