Election Day!

In less than a week our country will elect its newest President!

And this year's election has caught more media attention than ever before...

Children appear to be more aware of who the candidates are than I have ever witnessed in the past.

I feel it is important to teach them about Election Day and what it means to have the right to vote even at an early age.

Every year I conduct an election in my classroom but it is usually to vote on something that has an immediate 'reward'- certain snack, special activity, a privilege, etc.  BUT after the day is over the 'impact' of what was decided upon does not really stick and there is no 'long term' reminder of what our vote got us.

So this year I really tried to think about what I could do in my kindergarten classroom to show students the impact a vote/decision has long term....

...and then it came to me!

We hadn't started our 'take home reading buddy' program yet this year...

THIS would be perfect!

Students will vote on which animal they want to be the 'take home buddy' for the year.

They will be reminded of the outcome of the vote each week...the other 'candidates' will slip away and never be seen, but the winner will be a part of our classroom, and fun at home, for the remainder of the year!

So I rummaged through my cabinets and collected books and such that each 'candidate' had used in the past when the were the take-home buddy.

I made a 'ballot'...

...and thought about what each 'candidate' would 'say' to persuade the 'voters' to pick them!

You have the very famous Pete the Cat...

The classic Clifford the Big Red Dog...

And the oh so adorable Cookie Mouse...

Students will have to really think hard about which 'candidate' is going to make the best 'take home reading buddy' for the year!

Each 'candidate' has some really good points as to why s/he should be picked...

Will students go with the popular favorite?  A fun puppet to play with?  The less popular, yet cutest?

Only time will tell!

In the meantime I am waiting on all these permission slips to come back to me...

I have done take-home reading buddies in the past (you can read about Pete the Cat one HERE) and know that the stuffed animals and books that go into them are doomed destined to take a beating!  Thankfully, Kohl's Cares for Kids program has stuffed animals 4 times a year for only $5 each...as well as books that go with them...so I don't mind using them!

But in any case, I do emphasize that the children need to be responsible and will only send home with kids whose parents have filled out the permission slip.

**If I don't get slips back, I do let those children have a day in the classroom with the special friend so that they don't feel left out!**

And then on Monday we will go into our secret 'voting booth'...

...and will have to make the important decision that will impact who stays around in our classroom ALL YEAR LONG!

They will mark their choice and then fold it and drop it in the SUPER OFFICIAL ballot box...aka...

...last night's dinner box 'up-cycled' into a ballot box!

I will take all the ballots out, we will tally the results and the winner will be announced with fanfare and zest! 

The kids will wear this badge home:

to hopefully spark some discussions about what we did in class and also remind parents to vote!

On Wednesday (our schools are closed to students on Election Day) our new 'take-home reading buddy' will be sworn in and s/he will begin their adventures with families beginning on Thursday!

The take-home buddy will be placed in a special mini backpack filled with his/her special books & a notebook to chart adventures!

Each Monday s/he will return and we will read about what s/he did that weekend!  S/he will come home with me to 'take a bath' and be all prepped and ready for his/her new adventure the following weekend!

*************************

If you think this is something you would like to do with your class, download the FREE template HERE!

The images I used are from Google Images and I do not own them, nor did I purchase them for commercial use, so I am giving you a blank editable template (one or '2' choices, one for '3' choices).

Simply add text boxes or pictures to suit it to fit your needs.

I also included a blank 'Vote For...' poster that you can use to make for your 'candidates!'

************************

Still need some poems/songs, activities, books or more for Election Day?

Check out this video of 4 of my Election Day Resources:

You can find them ALL by clicking HERE

Stay tuned to find out which 'candidate' won our classroom election!

Until next post,

Pumpkin Pie In A Bag!

***This is a re-post of a blog post I did on The Primary Pack back in 2014.  Since I no longer blog at that site, I thought I would share this post with my readers.***

Happy Fall Y'all!

(I always wanted an excuse to say that!  As a NY gal, we never say 'y'all!')

It's Jenn from Crayons & Cuties In Kindergarten!

Today marks the first FULL day of Fall, so I thought it would be fun to 'serve up' an easy fall 'treat' that you can make with your students!

You may have read about it on my blog last October...if so...sorry for the 'repost!'

If not, grab some pumpkin, graham crackers and pudding...we're about to fill our bellies!

This is a perfect, easy, no-cook way to bring some 'pumpkin pie' into your classroom this fall, that also has your children be active participants in the process!

So here is your ingredient list & recipe:

I doubled this recipe last year because I had 17 kids.  This year I have 21...I guess I am going to have to go for triple...or smaller portions!

Before you get started here are some things to have ready:

*DOUBLE bag and use a good quality bag (freezer style would be best) for the cracker smashing and filling squeezing!  You will THANK me for this tip!

*Don't forget a can opener or open the pumpkin at home and scoop it into another container!  Nothing like 20+ eyes staring at you and a can with no way to open it!

*Have a tray...it will catch any crumbs that escape from a popped bag!

The How-To:

I started by having my kids take turn smashing the crackers!  You could easily do this step at home but denying them the chance to unleash some pent-up kid energy would be mean!

We used a meat tenderizer...a rolling pin would work as well!

Next you will measure out the pudding and milk into bags.  If making a double batch, use 2 bags...believe me...trying to conserve in one winds up making a HUGE mess!

Once the pudding and milk are in the bags, release as much air as you can and seal them tight.

Pass them around to be kneaded:

Once kneaded (it will begin to get thick), add the pumpkin:

 Seal them back up again and pass around for another round of kneading!

Once it looks like this, your filling is ready!

 

If you are a multi-tasker like me, you will appreciate this!

While they are kneading, 'sneak' to the table and put 2T of the crumbs into each cup:

Then snip the end of the bag and use it as a 'pastry bag' to fill up the cups.

(This could get messy!)

Here are all the cups filled with pumpkin pie!

The next part is optional, but no pie is complete without...

WHIPPED CREAM!

(Thank you Reddi-Whip for being so convenient!)

To make it even more 'authentic' and festive, I also like to sprinkle a bit of pumpkin pie spice on top:

And with your extra filling, don't forget to make some 'grown-up' size portions to bribe, butter, sweeten distribute to secretaries, administrators and custodians:

Now if you are going to a fall party this year and wanted to bring a tasty treat, this can also be made as a 'dip'!  Simply make the filling and scoop it into a bowl.  Add some whipped cream and spice on top and then have graham crackers around the side of the bowl for dipping!

If you are looking for some fun pumpkin crafts and activities to do with your class, 

be sure to check out this post:

Wishing you a fall filled with colorful leaves, crisp apples, cozy sweaters, football wins, yummy pies and pumpkin lattes!

Until next post,

Freaky Friday Dollar Deals...Week 5 & A Giveaway!

Time sure flies when you're having fun....

It's hard to believe tomorrow is the FINAL week of Freaky Friday for 2016!

We're all hoping you found lots of great deals each week and will be ghoulishly happy with what we have to offer this week!

If you are new to 'Freaky Friday' here is how it works!

40+ Teacher Authors have teamed up to bring you a dollar deal each Friday in October.

The deal is good for ONE DAY ONLY, so you'll want to set a reminder not to miss out tomorrow!

To find all the deals simply:

1. Click this image:

It will bring you directly the the list of deals being offered on Teachers Pay Teachers!

2. Use the linky at the bottom of this post to find the participating stores.  You can click the first image in the linky to find ALL THE DEALS for the week or click each individual seller's picture to find what they are discounting for the day!

Some sellers are using the hashtag:

#freakyfridaypegs

on Instagram to link their products, but you won't find them all this way.

This week not only am I offering a dollar deal, but I am also hosting a giveaway to go with it:

(Rafflecopter Entry and Details at the bottom of the post)

I was so excited to see this book listed in the Scholastic Reading Club October flyers!  I quickly purchased it and made my latest 'Old Lady' pack to go with it...and that is what I am offering for $1 this week:

Old Lady Who Swallowed A Turkey Listening Response, Reader & Sequencing!

If you are working on retelling and sequencing a story, this pack comes with all of these printables to aid your instruction:

Here's a closer look at each component:

This pack is also included in my money saving Old Lady Stories Bundle

which also includes BUNDLE EXCLUSIVE retelling bags that you cannot get in the individual packs alone.

If you will be reading multiple 'old lady' stories during the year, the bundle is something you might want to consider adding to your wishlist!  

**I will also be discounting the price of the bundle on Friday for those wishing to purchase it now!**

Thanksgiving is less than a month away and your students are bound to LOVE this book!

Want to win a copy for your classroom library?

You can enter via this rafflecopter!

***Please note: The winner will be notified by me to provide his/her address to have the book sent to them directly from Amazon.  Open to residents where Amazon (US) ships.  Entrants must be 18 years of age.  Purchase of 'Old Lady Swallowed A Turkey' pack is not required to enter.***

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Are you ready to find all the deals for the FINAL week of Freaky Friday?

An InLinkz Link-up

We sure hope you have enjoyed the weekly dollar deals this October!

This group has decided this is an annual event we will host, so please be sure to be on the lookout again next October when Freaky Friday returns for it's 4th year!

Until next post,

Haunted House Writing Fun!

Did you grab those cute spooky haunted house shape books from Target Dollar Spot?

I thought they would be the perfect opportunity for my kindergarteners to practice using sight words we have learned and how to construct a sentence!

My boys saw me making a sample and decided they wanted to make one too, so they got to work!

I created 2 versions because I have some students who might be able to handle 'sound spelling'

But most of my students will be using the word/picture strips so that the focus is on practicing sight words we have learned, finger spacing between words and constructing a sentence.

If you didn't grab them, you could always find a silhouette of a haunted house on Google Images and make multiple copies to staple together into a book form!

After reading a few 'haunted house' books you could use interactive writing to generate a list of what 'creatures' or objects may be in a haunted house.

Then have your students cut out the cover label and word/picture strips and/or large picture cards.

Here are 2 books I plan on using with my students.   I have read them to my boys and they love them!

Glue the cover label to the cover of the shape book and have them write their name on the line

(My son decided he wanted to add 'spooky' to the title!)

I included this as a 'title page' so to speak...

Write the sentence, glue the word/picture strip and then draw a picture to match.

Or have them use the large pictures and write their sentence to match

They could even use both the word/picture strips and the large pictures if you didn't want them to illustrate it on their own!

Working on 'speech bubbles?'  They can have their characters make a 'spooky' noise on each page!

If you students are up to the challenge, have them add their own creative spin on the extra pages (or throughout the book!)

So here are the options to offer your students with these books:

Just click the picture below to grab your free download!

(download does not include shape books)

But before you go....be sure to stop by on Thursday 10/27!  I am hosting a giveaway for this book:

It goes perfect with the Freaky Friday Week 5 DOLLAR DEAL I will be offering THIS FRIDAY, 10/28- Old Lady That Swallowed A Turkey Listening Response, Sequencing & Reader pack!

You get everything in this picture PLUS color versions of the reader and word/picture cards ALL FOR $1- but it's for ONE DAY ONLY- so you don't want to miss out!

In addition to my pack, there will be 40 other $1 deals for the final week of Freaky Friday 2016!

You can read more about this pack and how to find the $1 deal on this blog post that goes live at midnight on Thursday!

Have fun making some spook-tacular haunted houses and hope you stop by on Thursday to enter to win the free book (entry ends Saturday at 11:59pm) and Friday to grab your $1 deals!

Until next post,