One of my favorite games as a child was Skip-Bo. I still play this game with my daughter, although it is not quite as memorable as it was when I was little. I was rummaging through our game closet, and discovered lots of old games that I could use for math centers for Kindergarten. Skip Bo was added to this pile. Skip Bo is perfect for little learners because the deck of cards has a lot of numbered sets 1-12, which is just about where our number recognition is at the beginning of school. The cards are thick and durable, which saves me time because no lamination is needed. Here are the activities that I thought of that Skip-Bo could be used for.

 Ordering Numbers-Place a deck of cards on the students' desks first thing in the morning with the numbers 1-12 all mixed up. The students practice ordering the numbers from 1-12. It is very surprising how difficult this can be for some students at the beginning of the year.

It is time to set up those September centers! One of my favorite units to teach during September is apples.  I like to set up apple themed math and literacy centers around the middle of September. Here is what I have so far!

                                

Apple Clothespin Clip It- Students clip the correct number of clothespins to apple cutouts. I have these apples to 20, but many of my students won't be ready for teen numbers. That is what I love about center time. You can differentiate for your different leveled learners.

                                              

Apple Themed Roll & Cover- All of my kids love roll and cover! Students roll two dice, 

count the dots, and then color an apple with the matching number. The first student to have all apples colored is the winner. Simple!

If you would like my apple centers, you can grab them in my TPT store. They are just 2.00. Enjoy!

CLICK HERE TO GET THEM!

September is here! When I make my plans for September, they always include apples. Apple science, apple math, AND apple reading and writing! I created some sight word poems that are apple themed to use during my shared reading block. You are welcome to use these in your own classroom! Sometimes we do our shared reading using a poem on chart paper, sometimes we use the projector, and sometimes we put the poems together in a pocket chart.

We then added an "apples are" anchor chart to go along with the poem. We wrote "apples are" sentences, and describing words. We highlighted the word "are" in our sentences.

Sometimes we use pocket chart poems after we have learned a poem whole group. I mix up the cards and the kids help me put it together. Sometimes, I take only a few words out, and the kids help me fill in the blanks. These pocket chart poems are perfect for teaching your kids about directionality, punctuation, rhyming words, using context clues, and more! You can get my apple pocket chart poems in my TPT store by clicking HERE!

Are you looking for a new way to introduce your letter of the week? One of my weekly routines, at the beginning of the school year,  includes introducing a new alphabet poem.  I will write the poem on chart paper, or use a pocket chart version that I created. On Monday of each week, I will introduce the poem, and we will use it throughout the entire week. We will chant the poem daily, and my kinders will echo me. Along with chanting the poem, I will let the kids help me highlight the poem's focus letter throughout the poem. They love to "share the pen" with me. In addition to chanting the poem, and highlighting the letter of the week, we will also focus on tracking print. I use a pointer, or my finger, to follow along each word as I read the poem to the kids. This is a perfect way to teach directionality, tracking print, and other pre-reading skills. Did I mention that these poems are also perfect for practicing rhyming!

After a few days of using the poem, we add other words that begin with the focus letter to the bottom of the anchor chart. The kids help me come up with the words, and I then draw and label them. We also go back and label the pictures throughout the anchor chart. 

After using the poem throughout the week, I hang the poem in our classroom to display for future use. The kids may use the poem anchor chart for finding known words, sight word identification, and for their writing.

“I Don’t Know Why I Moved My Clip”

I created this clip chart to use as a tool to monitor classroom behavior. In the past, I used a traditional clip chart, but honestly I just couldn’t seem to remember why my kids moved their clips at the end of the day.  I was mentally exhausted, and when I asked them why they moved their clip, I kept getting the same answer- “I DON’T KNOW.” This was my solution to that problem. Now I can quickly glance at the chart to see what issues my kinders have throughout the day. If my students have several clips on the chart with their name on them, then I make parent contact through a written note at the end of the day.

You can also use this clip chart alongside a traditional color coded clip chart. Your students can place his or her clip on the traditional color chart, and then also place a clip on the behavior on this clip chart. You choose what works in your classroom.

Write students' names on clothespins. As your students have behavior issues throughout the day, they place their clip on the specific behavior. If they have multiple behavior issues, you may need to add extra clips for certain students. Use this chart as a visual reminder for your class, to document behavior at the end of the day, or as a way to monitor consequences.