Hands On Learning Fun

Black Friday Cyber Monday 50% Off Sale

2010-11-26T18:37:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend Sale
I'm having a great sale in my Etsy and Artfire Shops.
50% off every item.
Artfire items are already marked 50% off.
Use this code for my Etsy shop:
CYBERMONDAYSALE
Happy shopping!
Pam

Froggy Fun Printable Thematic Unit

2010-04-15T14:11:00.036-04:00

Here are some pics of my new Frog Unit.

It has lots of hands on learning activities

This is my Feed the Frog Game:

It's great hands on fun and focuses on counting 1-5.

Players each receive 20 flies.

Take turns turning over a card and "feed" the frog the correct amount of flies.
First player to feed the frog all of their flies wins!

Interactive Five Speckled Frogs Book

I love this book! Another cute way to reinforce numbers 1-5 and the concept of taking one away.

Frog Letter Sort

Reinforces recognition of uppercase/lowercase letters. Place the frog on the matching lilly pad.

You can also use the frog cards for putting the letters of the alphabet in the correct order.

Or, put 6-8 letters in order in a row. Remove 2 cards and have student find the missing letter.

Frog Life Cycle

This set contains a cute life cycle puzzle as well as sequencing cards. I found the plastic life cycle frogs at Oriental Trading.

Clothespin Color Word Match

Fun way to reinforce color word recognition.

Ribbit! Ribbit! Math Story Problems

Great hands on way to learn addition and subtraction!

This set is also available ready made in my Ebay shop.

If I don't have one available - just email me and I will be happy to make one for you.

Enjoy!
Pam

Here are some other great frog items:

Spring Is Here! Literacy and Math Centers Using Plastic Easter Eggs

2010-03-24T17:39:00.000-04:00

I love Spring!

I have found that kids love plastic easter eggs, so I use them often during this time of the year.

I find most of my props at the dollar store and Oriental Trading. Here are some of my favorite egg activities:

Beginning Sound Egg Sort

It's easy to make! Get 26 plastic eggs and with a black sharpie marker write an uppercase/lowercase letter on each one. If you like, you can put the lowercase on one part and the uppercase on the other and you have a nice letter recognition activity. Next find an object that begins with each letter sound.

Here is what I use:

A apple

B baseball

C coin

D dolphin

E easter egg

F fly

G ghost

H heart

I igloo

J jack o lantern

K kite

L ladybug

M marble

N nickel

O octopus

P pumpkin

Q quarter

R rat

S snake

T tooth

U umbrella

V vulture

W wagon

X xylophone

Y yoyo

Z zebra

I try to use as many actual objects as I can. Mini erasers and the plastic toys you find at the dollar shop work well or you can use clipart. I found the container at the dollar store. This is a fun activity. Perfect for home or school. Place the objects in a bowl and have your child put each object in the correct egg. Another fun activity is mixing the eggs up and putting them in alphabetical order. Or lay eggs out in ABC order and randomly remove 8 of them. Find the missing eggs and put in the correct spot.

Five Little Eggs Interactive Book

Children love this book! I found the large plastic egg at the dollar store and filled each one with a fuzzy chick. As you read the book, student will find the correct color egg and "hatch" the chick! This is always a hit!

Egg, Egg, What Will You Be?

This book is part of my Extraordinary Egg Unit. Skills: science - what hatches from eggs?, days of the week, sequencing, color recognition, and more! On each day, an egg hatches - what will it be? Hands On Learning Fun!

What are your favorite egg activities? I'd love to hear from you!
Enjoy!
Pam

Today Only: 30% off all items in my Etsy and Artfire Shop!!!!!

2010-03-17T07:33:00.000-04:00

Today Only:
30% off all items in my Artfire and Etsy Shops

To receive discount email me and let me know which items you would like to purchase and I will set up a private listing for you. Or in the notes to seller put: Happy St. Patrick's Day and I will refund your 30% discount.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Pam

St. Patrick's Day Printable Literacy and Math Activities

2010-03-14T10:57:00.001-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
I've created some fun hands on learning St. Patrick's Day activities, including a cute freebie.

Clover Shamrock Sort

This activity is great for circle time. Arrange children in a circle and give each child a clover card.
Sing the cute song, inserting a beginning sound letter. When you stop, children turn over their cards and whoever has the matching beginning sound, shows their card. You can also use as a table activity, matching uppercase to lowercase or the picture to the matching letter.

Luck of the Irish Math Game

Luck of the Irish Math Game
Skill: Adding up to 20
49 game cards with addition problems
4 Luck of the Irish Wild Cards
Direction Card

Have fun while learning or reinforcing your addition facts!
Deal cards to players face down.
Turn over a card.
Solve the addition problem.
Player with highest sum wins the cards.
Turn over a wild card and automatically win cards.
Tie? Place two cards face down and turn over third card.
Highest sum wins all of the cards!

Created By: Hands On Learning Fun
Grahpics By: www.digiscrapkits.com

Shamrock Math Fun

10 pages
4 addition problem blacklines with fun letter code problems
4 subtraction problem blacklines with fun letter code problems
2 pages of shamrock counters for a hands on fun!

Please convo me with any questions
Graphics By: www.digiscrapkits.com

Shamrock Bingo

Cute freebie! Just click on the above link and you can download 4 bingo boards with calling cards!

Need more boards? I have a classroom set available with 30 boards in my Etsy Shop

Blog Special: All of my St. Patrick's Day items in my Etsy shop are 1/2 price for all of my blog readers. Just convo me saying you are a blog reader and you will save 50% off all of my St. Patrick's Day items!
Enjoy!
Pam

Valentine Memory Game

2010-01-30T09:08:00.000-05:00

Hi all!
I just downloaded a cute Valentine Memory Game on Scribd
It is also the calling cards for my Valentine Bingo Game available in my Etsy shop. I have quite a few Valentine activities available, so be sure and browse my shop!
Enjoy!
Pam

A Different Kind of Giveaway

2010-01-14T20:22:00.001-05:00

Here is a different kind of giveaway: Confessions of a Pioneer Woman is a wonderful blog full of tasty recipes and fun giveaways. But, this giveaway is the best of all.

From Pioneer Woman's Blog:

There’s not a person alive who doesn’t have Haiti on his mind today, and I encourage all of you to research the very best charities and aid organizations—those whose funds will go directly to help the people who need it—and give as your situation allows.
Today I’m having a different kind of giveaway here on Pioneer Woman. Rather than give away Amazon gift cards or an iPod or shiatsu massagers, I’m giving away two (2) $500 donations to the Haitian-related charity of the winners’ choice.
Click here for her post: A Different Kind of Giveaway
Pam

Enter to win great cookbook: The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook

2010-01-04T19:41:00.000-05:00

Hi all,
Here's a great giveaway from$5 dollar dinner mom. She has a great blog - I love making her recipes and best of all they are all under $5 for a family of four! The giveaway ends tonight so don't delay and
enter now and you might win her cookbook!

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-26T07:54:00.000-05:00

I'm officially on vacation!
Our entire family is heading to Tampa, hopping on a 5 day cruise to Mexico.

My shops will reopen January 4th.

Happy Holidays!
Pam

Cute Rudolph! Rudolph! Book for You to Enjoy

2009-12-17T17:29:00.002-05:00

Happy Holidays!

This month has flown by! I've been really busy creating lots of fun hands on holiday and winter activities.

I had a request for a black/white version of my Rudolph! Rudolph! Book and I thought I would pass it on to you. I put it on Scribd - just click here for Rudolph! Rudolph!

I've had so many requests for Bible Activities that I've decided to take the plunge. I just finished my first unit: Jesus is Born My next unit will be Noah's Ark.

Enjoy!
Pam

Turkey Cupcakes

2009-11-12T10:03:00.000-05:00

I saw this on the Today Show and thought they were really cute!

Photo courtesy of Sharon Bowers

Turkey Cupcakes

Packaged cookies, candy corn and a little frosting are the key to creating fun turkeys to top a cupcake. If you put the pupils down low on your marshmallow eyes, your turkey will look appropriately worried as any turkey would before he’s about to be eaten!

Get the recipe at iVillage

I never realized the cute desserts you can make with Nutter Butter Cookies. My Ghost Cookies were a big hit and I have enough leftover to make these!
What are you making for Thanksgiving?

Mr. Munchy Crunchy Gets a Face Lift!

2009-11-03T15:16:00.000-05:00

I've had quite a few people ask me to create a seasonal Mr. Munchy Crunchy. Mr. Munchy Crunchy is very hungry and loves to eat beginning sounds! Over the years, Mr. Munchy Crunchy has had quite a few different looks, but it has been awhile since I've created a new look.
After spending the day with my trusty glue gun, I came up with 4 new looks:

Scarecrow Mr. Munchy Crunchy

Hoot! Hoot! Mr. Munchy Crunchy

Mr. Gobble Gobble Munchy Crunchy

Mr. Rudolph Munchy Crunchy

Sooooooo - what do you think?
Any ideas for future Mr. Munchy Crunchies?
Maybe a snowman or penguin?
Leave a comment (just click on the link at the end of this post that says comments) and let me know what you think.
Pam

Another Great Giveaway from $5 Dinners

2009-11-03T06:32:00.000-05:00

Land of Nod - Breakfast in Bed Play Set Giveaway

Wouldn’t it be nice to wake up, snuggle with your little one for a bit, and then request a breakfast in bed????
With this adorable breakfast in bed play set from Land of Nod, you can do just that! And maybe even catch another 2 or 3 minutes of sleep while little feet patter off to prepare your breakfast!
This week $5 Dinners is giving away 1 Breakfast in Bed Play Set from Land of Nod. Entry details HERE
Giveaway ends tonight, so don't delay and enter today!
Pam

Curious Chef Giveaway from $5 Dinners

2009-11-03T06:21:00.001-05:00

Check out this great giveaway - but hurry it ends today!

These Curious Chef products are perfect for little hands. Easy to hold. Easy to manipulate. And easy to keep track of and organized (with their distinct design and colors!). They have been a fantastic addition to our playroom kitchen and real kitchen too!

This week $5 Dinners is giving away the 27 piece Build-A-Kitchen Set and the 6 piece Cookie Set to 1 lucky winner. Entry Details HERE

Good Luck!
Pam

Thanksgiving Crafts

2009-11-02T09:57:00.001-05:00

Here are some cute turkey crafts:

Paper Bag Turkey from free kids crafts

Paper Plate Turkey from Danielle's Place

Turkey Wreath from DLTK

Last but not least, this cute crow!

paper cup crow from free kids crafts

Remember, all it takes is a comment and you will receive my Mrs. Wishy Washy File Folder Game.

Enjoy!
Pam

Halloween Goodies: Cute and Easy Recipes to Make

2009-10-30T11:31:00.000-04:00

I was looking online for a cute easy Halloween recipe to make. I found quite a few at Taste of Home.

I'm going to make these Ghost Cookies:

They look really easy to make and how can you go wrong with peanut butter and chocolate!

Ghost Cookies

Ingredients:

1 pound white candy coating, coarsely chopped

1 package Nutter Butter Cookies

Miniature Chocolate Chips

Directions:
Melt candy coating in microwave, stirring occasionally

Dip cookies into coating covering completely.

Place on wax paper

Use a pastry brush to smooth out where your fingers touched.

While cookie is still warm, place 2 chips for eyes.

Allow to set and store in airtight container

Yield: 3 dozen cookies

Here are a few other recipes I found:

Marshmallow Witches

Halloween Cat Cookies

Photos courtesy of Taste of Home

What Halloween goodies are you going to make?

Pam

Mrs. Wishy Washy Extension Activities

2009-10-29T15:14:00.008-04:00

I'm slowly going through my boxes and boxes of teaching material, I have accumulated over the years. This week, I found my Mrs. Wishy Washy Activities. It's funny, how every time I open a box, memories flood over me. Memories of past students, the funny things they would say, how their eyes lit up with joy over a particular activity or the occasional total flop. I always loved teaching Mrs. Wishy Washy - it was a guaranteed winner with the kids.

Here are some of my favorite resources online:

Virtual Vine has lots of great ideas and this printable

More fun printables from LoveTwoTeach

Online Game: Barnyard Match Up

Free Lapbook from HomeschoolShare

Cute reenactment video from Kindergarten Tales

Here are some pics of my activities:

I'm listing all of my Wishy Washy activities on Ebay for the low start price of .99, so if you want to purchase some ready made materials along with a Wishy Washy book, now is a good time.

Mrs. Wishy Washy's Tub

Mrs. Wishy Washy

Wishy Washy Day

All of these activities are available via email in my Artfire Shop. I still have another box of Mrs. Wishy Washy material to go through and will be listing it later this week, so check back.
As a special treat, leave a comment about Mrs. Wishy Washy along with your email and I will send you my Wishy Washy Barnyard Fun File Folder Game pictured above free!!!!
Pam

2009-10-12T10:03:00.006-04:00

Hi all,

My father passed away several years ago after a fierce battle with Cancer. I was able to care for him in my home and the experience left no doubt of what a horrific disease Cancer is.

In June, my cousin Eric, was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. He was 55 years old and had never missed a day of work. Eric fought long and hard, but Cancer won. We held his service Saturday.

Here is his story: Eric Emshoff

Pam

Summer Giveaway: My Huge 700 Page Literacy Cd

2009-07-15T19:37:00.012-04:00

Hi all,

I've decided to have a great summer giveaway - my huge literacy Cd containing over 700 pages of hands on learning fun activities! These activities range in level from preschool - first grade, with the majority Kindergarten level.

It's easy to enter: Comments - Comments - Comments! Every comment earns you one entry. Blog about my giveaway and earn 3 entries!!!! Leave a comment with the link. If you don't have a blog - send a email to your friends and copy me - handsonlearningfun@live.com

Visit one or all of my shops - just click on the shops in the left sidebar and comment on what you like. Comment on what you would like to see, share some of your great teaching ideas, comment on topics you would like for me to talk about - following me will also earn you one entry. I will announce the winner of my giveaway on August 15th.

Here are the units on my CD:

ABC Beginning Sound Wheels

5 Little Apples

5 Red Apples

26 Blend Sound Wheels

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Unit

Commotion in the Ocean Unit

Cookie's Week

Counting Math Boards -

Apples

Dental Unit

Farm Unit

Frog Unit

Gingerbread Unit

Goodnight Gorilla

Groundhog Day Unit

Jacket in the Snow

Ladybug Unit

Mitten Unit

Mouse Cookie Unit

Fall Unit

Old Lady Who Swallowed... Unit

Pig a Pancake

President's Day Unit

Rumble in the Jungle Unit

Thanksgiving Unit

Winter Unit

Winter Bingo

Good Luck!
Pam

New Literacy Bag: Letter Treasures

2009-07-10T07:33:00.011-04:00

Hi all!
I've been busy organizing a huge garage sale I'm having Saturday, so I haven't listed as many new items as I had originally planned. Life has a way of getting in the way of Ebay!

I am really happy with my new Letter Treasures Bag. This set contains over 175 objects and a CD containing 26 sorting mats, large letters with pictures to sort, 1/2 page letters to put in centers with objects beginning with each letter - list included - kids love pasting the objects on the letters! and sorting cards for each object!

It's a great way to teach letter recognition and beginning sounds. Perfect for parents, homeschool, preschool, kindergarten, autism and special ed - any hands on visual multisensory learner!

Today is the first Friday of the month and for all of you wonderful followers, I will send a cute freebie later today. Tomorrow, I am announcing a new giveaway, I think it will be my Literacy Cd - over 700 pages of activities!!!!!! Remember, your comments are your entries for my giveaways.

Well, back to the garage for me - have a great day!
Pam

Happy 4th of July! Free Ebook and Lapbook Ideas

2009-06-29T21:48:00.004-04:00

Hi all!

Can you believe the 4th of July is right around the corner? Summer is flying by!

Here is a neat ebook from FAVECRAFTS . Just click on the download and you are set!

It contains over 60 pages of crafts and recipes.

My students and I had so much fun making our Whale Lapbook, that we are working on a 4th of July one.

Here are some links:

Lapbook Lessons has some great ideas

ScrapbookScrapbook WOW! I'm in scrapbook heaven! This site has tons of free printables. Perfect for scrapbooking or lapbooking!

and last but not least Homeschooloing4Free has some great links for 4th of July!

Have a safe and happy 4th of July!

Pam

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly Literacy Bag

2009-06-27T11:51:00.007-04:00

I've been busy reopening my Ebay Shop and adding new items. I recently added There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed...Literacy Bag. These books are always a hit with children and I made story cards and props to go with 9 books. Here is a picture of my hand painted canvas bag - I wasn't sure if I would be able to paint the Old Lady, but I'm happy with how it turned out:

The literacy bag includes a CD with all of the activities. My kids love "feeding" the old lady. I made objects from each of the books to go with my Old Lady. The Old Lady is really cute and the graphic is from Original Country Clipart by Lisa. Here's a picture of my Old Lady:

Awhile back I stumbled on a great deal on Amazon. They priced some great Child's Play Storysacks at a steal. I bought 10 of them before they raised the price back to $65. I've got a few left and you can buy them for $25 in my Ebay shop if you get it with the opening bid. The set comes with a really cute stuffed old lady and bean filled objects to feed her from the Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly book - the book and everything pictured is included too! Here is a picture:

I'd love to hear your teaching ideas for the Old Lady Books - feel free to comment away!
Pam

Creating Lapbooks: Killer Whales Unit

2009-06-24T09:14:00.003-04:00

Hi all!
I've had a great couple of weeks, getting used to the idea that I'm actually retired! I traveled for a few weeks and then I tackled my workroom and garage! I've got so much teaching material - my garage was full of boxes - that I felt I needed to get organized before I start working.

I will be listing lots of teaching materials over the next few weeks, so be sure and check out my Ebay Shop. I'm also weeding out my cookbooks, so if you like to cook I've got Southern Living and Taste of Home Annual Cookbooks up for auction.

Now to my latest find. I recently discovered Lapbooks and I absolutely love them! What a great way to teach a unit! I tutor and I'm always looking for ways to keep my students excited and happy to see me. I often tutor 2 hours at a time and I really have to keep creative to keep my 6 year old students on task.

Last week, I decided to see if a lapbook would be interesting. WOW!!!! Talk about success.
In fact, she was so excited about her Killer Whale Lapbook, that her mom scheduled extra sessions, so that we could complete it! One of our favorite activities was measuring string the length of assorted whales. We had so much fun estimating how much 80 feet looked like then actually measuring! As a added plus - I was excited and engaged and looking forward to tutoring!

There are several great websites that offer free lapbooks and some great pictures of the finished product, so that you can figure out what you're doing!

Here is a great video of a Whale Lapbook:

Here are some great links for Whale Lapbooks:
Killer Whale Lapbook by Lapbook Lessons - you have to register but it's free!
Simple Lapbooks Blog - great pictures of a completed Whale Lapbook
Dolphin Lapbook by Homeschool Share = wonderful website
Whale Lapbook by 1+1+1=1
Great list of lapbook links from 1+1+1=1

I'd love your comments. Anyone lapbook? Have pictures to share?
Enjoy your day!
Pam

On Vacation! Friday Freebie Info

2009-06-04T09:31:00.004-04:00

School's out and I'm officially on vacation! I'm heading to the beach for a week so I'm sending my Friday Freebie out today, since I will be on the road early tomorrow. I'm hanging out with my daughter and we're going to Charleston, SC for a few days visiting family then heading to Hunting Island to camp and finally spending a few days in Beaufort, SC. I am really looking forward to spending time with my family!

I will be back June 13th and plan to jump right in creating new literacy units.

I have several in the works:

The Kissing Hand

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Chicka 1 2 3

Back to School

Apples

Fall Fun

My next giveaway will begin when I return.

Remember, you earn entries by leaving comments.

This month's freebie is a cute butterfly puzzle matching uppercase/lowercase letters.

If you are following and do not receive my freebie, please email me at handsonlearningfun@live.com and let me know the name you are following under and I will add you to my mailing list.

Have a great day!
Pam

WE HAVE A WINNER! CONGRATS CLEMENCIA!

2009-05-18T18:27:00.002-04:00

Hi all,
Sorry I haven't posted much lately. I always forget how hectic the end of the school year is.
I should be back on track in a week or two.
Now for the important news:
We have a winner!
Clemencia you have won my Apple Literacy Bag!
Please email me with your address and I will drop it in the mail for you.
Remember, to enter my giveaways you need to leave comments and/or spread the news.
Congratulations!
Pam

Manic Monday Giveaway: Apple Literacy Bag!!!!

2009-05-04T20:27:00.006-04:00

You will receive:
Apples Literacy Bag

Hand Painted Canvas Bag

with CD containing over a dozen activities:

Sample of Activities:

Apple Tree Counting Mats 1 - 10

Five Little Apples - interactive book

How to Eat a Apple Sequence Cards

From Seed to Apple Sequence Cards

Apple Sorting Mat - Beginning Sounds

Blacklines for letter A recognition

Recipes

Crafts

and more!

How to Enter:

First, you need to follow my blog

Your comments will earn you entries!

Every comment will earn you one entry - you may comment on any or all of my posts during May 4 - 16

Visit any of my shops (links are on the left sidebar) and comment on a favorite item - 2 entries

Add my Etsy shop to your favorites - 2 entries

Blog about my giveaway and leave a comment with link - 3 entries

Send a email to your friends telling them about my giveaway and copy me - 3 entries

Giveaway will run from today - May 4th - May 16th

Winner announced on Sunday, May 17th

Have fun!
Pam

Great Sites to Save $$$$$ On Groceries

2009-05-04T16:01:00.006-04:00

I recently found a great blog: $5 Dinners
I never realized there was so much great information on saving money.

When my kids were small, I clipped coupons and often made meals a week at a time to save money. One of my favorite cookbooks was: Monday to Friday Cookbook.

As they grew older, I slowly grew out of the habit.

Now, I have 2 kids in college and am once again looking for ways to save money.

Living as Mom is based in Atlanta and has great advice on how to save money. I never knew you could save so much at CVS!

Here are some great coupon sites:

Coupons.com

Cellfire you can load coupons directly to your kroger card - I love it!

FreeStuff4Free

I try to eat as much unprocessed organic food as possible. Here is a site for organic coupons:

Mambo Sprouts

Once a Month Mom has an entire month's worth of meals planned for you - everything you need!

Mommy Snacks - has great ways to save at Target, Kroger, and Walmart

Anyone else looking for ways to save money?

I'd love to hear how you have save!
Pam

Hands On Learning Fun Blog Updates

2009-05-04T14:48:00.006-04:00

I LOVE YOUR COMMENTS!!!!!!!

I've spent quite a bit of time thinking about how to make my blog more interactive. I want to keep it fresh and up to date, without posting just to be posting. I've enjoyed getting the hang of blogging and thank goodness - I'm getting quicker!

So, I'm going to tweak a few things, keeping it fun and making sure it's not tooooo time consuming for me!

Most of my posts follow some sort of theme and I will continue following that format.

Instead of posting every day, I will introduce a topic with my ideas and hopefully your comments will help guide my future posts - keeping the topics fresh and fun.

I would love to hear your ideas on current topics as well as ideas for future ones. What you've done in the past, favorite books, educational activities, etc. Have a great craft? Email me a picture and I will be happy to post it.

Have a funny to share? Kids can say the funniest things. We all need a laugh - let's share them!

Looking for a great recipe? Or ways to save money? Leave a comment.

Looking for ideas? Leave a comment and we can all share our ideas and expertise.

It's really easy to leave a comment. At the end of every post, you will see comments. Just click on it and a new box will open up and type away! Find a really great coupon or giveaway? Leave a comment and let us know!

Later today, I will post my new giveaway. The guidelines have changed (remember it's work in progress!), so be sure and read the entry rules.

I've also stumbled across some great blogs that help me save money with coupons and groceries. I will share them later this evening.

To make it easy to remember, you can sign up for email updates. You will receive via email new posts and you can click on the link and comment away!

Happy Monday!
Pam

Teacher Appreciation Week: What is a Teacher?

2009-05-03T09:50:00.010-04:00

WHAT IS A TEACHER?
A teacher is someone
who sees each child

as a unique person
and encourages individual
talents and strengths.
A teacher looks beyond
each child's face
and sees inside their souls.
A teacher is someone
with a special touch
and a ready smile,
who takes the time to listen
to both sides
and always tries to be fair.
A teacher has a caring heart
that respects and understands.
A teacher is someone
who can look past disruption
and rebellion,
and recognize hurt and pain.
A teacher teaches the entire child,
and helps to build confidence
and raise self-esteem.
A teacher makes a difference
in each child's life,
and affects each family
and the future of us all.
by Barbara Cage

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week

I am offering a gift certificate good in any of my shops.

Certificates can be in any amount and personalized.

Email or convo me and mention you are a blog follower and you will receive a 10% discount for gift certificates up to $50

All gift certificates $50 or greater will receive

20% savings!
Just print certificate and you are set!

Each certificate has a code and can only be redeemed once.

This offer is only good during Teacher Appreciation Week

Here are some links for other ideas:

Volunteer Spot free ebook of ideas
All Star Activities Creative Teacher Gifts

Cute door decoration ideas from Skip to My Lou

Sunshine 4 Teachers

Enjoy!
Pam

Friday Freebie

2009-05-01T15:22:00.006-04:00

I took a personal day today and I was all excited. I was going to get caught up on my blog, vamp my shops, add new products..... instead I woke up feeling really really yucky!

So instead of having a productive day, I went to the doctor, got my prescriptions filled and collapsed on the couch! I will send Friday's Freebie tomorrow.

Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week, so I will be posting some ideas.

If anyone has a great idea of how to show your appreciation, leave a comment.

I'd love to hear your ideas both from teachers and parents.

Pam

WE HAVE A WINNER! CONGRATS SANDY!

2009-04-27T17:27:00.004-04:00

We have a winner!
sandy from The Adams Family Blog in PA
You have won Shawna's awesome giveaway!
Please email me with your mailing address at handsonlearningfun@live.com

Special thanks to Shawna of The Student Corner for providing such a wonderful giveaway.

The end of school is rapidly approaching and I'm a bit swamped, so I've decided to wait one week before announcing my next giveaway. I'm sponsoring it and I promise it will be worth the wait!
Happy Monday,
Pam

Lois Ehlert Activities for Planting a Rainbow & Growing Vegetable Soup

2009-04-26T13:58:00.004-04:00

Here are some great resources for Lois Ehlert's Planting a Rainbow:

I found this Groovy Rainbow Cupcake from Flickr: breeleed

I made a yellow cake mix (white also works, too) and then divided the batter into four bowls. Using Wilton icing colors, I dyed each bowl of batter with my favorite color. Just spoon each color into a lined cupcake tin and you're all set!

Makes and Takes has a great activity: planting a rainbow

Angelfire has some bloomin' good plant activities!

Virtual Vine has a neat rainbow unit

Growing Vegetable Soup Activities:

First School's Vegetable Basket Craft

Let's Read at Home

Family Literacy Guided Lesson

Cute video from Gardentime: Kids Seed Planting Projects

Enjoy!
Pam

Friday Freebie

2009-04-24T21:11:00.003-04:00

Woohoo! It's Friday!
I just sent this week's Freebie, so be sure and check your email.
If you are following and did not receive it, please send me a email with the name you are following under at handsonlearningfun@live.com and I will add you to my mailing list.

It's a really cute Animal Opposites Game.

Saturday, I will catch up on my posts. The end of school is rapidly approaching and keeping me very busy during the week.

Enjoy your weekend!
Pam

Planting & Gardening: My Favorite Books - Planting a Rainbow, Growing Vegetable Soup & The Tiny Seed Plus Activities

2009-04-21T21:29:00.013-04:00

Here are some of my favorite Planting and Gardening Activities:

My Favorite Books to Read:

The Tiny Seed By Eric Carle
Planting a Rainbow By Lois Ehlert
Growing Vegetable Soup By Lois Ehlert

If you haven't discovered Lois Ehlert, be sure and check her books out - she's awesome!

Tomorrow, I will list my favorite websites with fabulous activities to go along with these great books!

Cute Crafts:

Coffee Filter Flowers by Family Corner

Make a beautiful flower bouquet. These flowers are quick, easy, inexpensive and fun for all ages. Use your imagination to come up with your own varieties! For each flower you will need:
2 basket style drip coffee filters
Food coloring (2 colors)
Wooden skewer
Green construction paper
Clear tape
White glue
Green paint or marker

Scrunchy Blossoms By Kids Craft Weekly

Our scrunchy blossoms turned out so nicely that we have decided to keep them in a vase on the kitchen table. These blossoms are easy to make – younger kids with good fine motor skills should be able to manage quite easily. You will need• pink or white crepe paper• scissors• twigs• kids pvc glue and paintbrush1. Cut crepe paper into small pieces – we cut ours into roughly one inch squares.2. Scrunch a piece of crepe paper into a small tight ball. Dip it in glue and stick it to your twig. Keep going until your stick is in full bloom.

Build a Terrarium By Kids Gardening

Be sure and visit this great website:

My First Garden

a guide to the world of fun and clever gardening
Have Fun Planting!
Pam

Manic Monday Giveaway!!!!!

2009-04-19T10:29:00.013-04:00

Manic Monday Giveaway
Sponsored by my friend, Shawna Huggins

Shawna has a wonderful Etsy shop: The Student Corner

Shawna's Info:

Hi, my name is Shawna Huggins. I am a professional tutor . That means that I get to work with students of all ages (9 - 21) on academic subjects ranging from punctuation to physics, astronomy to ancient history, and geometry to game making, all in one day. I work out of my home and the students come to me because all my toys are here.

Currently, three of my students are participating in the Etsy store experience. We use Etsy to practice creative writing (product descriptions) and math (gee, what does net and gross mean, and what do you mean pay pal takes a percentage - what is percentage anyway?). It is amazing how quickly students learn decimals, multiplication, division, and percent when they have to use it to figure out how much of the sale they get to take home.

We are so happy to be participating in the Monday Madness Giveaway. All of the art in this store was made by Nalani, Age 13, Keelianna, Age 9, and Kyle, Age 13.
I live in Medford, Oregon with my husband, dog, and cat. We have a grown daughter living in Portland, Oregon. We laugh a lot and enjoy life.

Giveaway Info:

You may enter: April 20th - April 26th

Winners will be announced Sunday, April 27th

How to Enter:

Follow my blog - 1 entry

Visit Shawna's shop: The Student Corner and leave a comment about your favorite item - 1 entry

Visit my artfire shop: Hands On Learning Fun and leave a comment about your favorite item - 1 entry

Post about my giveaway on your blog and leave comment with link - 3 entries!

Send a email to your friends about the giveaway with a link to my blog and copy me: handsonlearningfun@live.com - 3 entries!

I love comments!!!! Comment throughout the week about my posts and receive 1 entry per day

You will receive 2 photo cards by Keelianna, age 9

Summer Time photo Card by Keelianna, Age 9

I love summer and sunflowers.

Hi, My name is Keelianna. I'm almost 9. I love to paint. When I was four I used to doodle. I still do. My doodles look much better now. So now you know me. Bye.This is a photo of Keelianna's original painting. It is glued to a 6.5 x 5 inch folded ivory card and comes with an envelope.Keelianna enjoys painting, reading, writing stories, and learning new things every day.

Happy Time photo card by Keelianna, Age 9.

I made this painting when I was very happy. It is a heart with wings and a halo.

Hi, My name is Keelianna. I'm almost 9. I love to paint. when I was four I used to doodle. I still do. My doodles look much better now. So now you know me. Bye.This is a photo of Keelianna's original painting. It is glued to a 6.5 x 5 folded ivory card and comes with an envelope. Keelianna enjoys painting, reading, writing stories, and learning how to borrow in subtraction.

Have a great week!
Pam

Manic Monday Giveaway Winner!!!!!!!

2009-04-19T09:04:00.004-04:00

We have a winner!

Melissa Tingle

You have won Teena's awesome giveaway!

Please email me with your mailing address at handsonlearningfun@live.com

I used random.org to choose our winner:

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 49

and Melissa won!

Check back tomorrow for my new giveaway - you're going to love it!

Special thanks to Teena of Teena's Teacher Tidbits for providing such a wonderful giveaway.
Enjoy your Sunday,

Pam

Free Food Giveaway: Don't Delay Enter Today!

2009-04-18T21:45:00.003-04:00

FREE food Giveaway!
How many of you would love to have a year of free meals? I know I would.Well, Joan of Joan of all trades is having this amazing giveaway. You really should check it out. Meals have been designed by two chefs that created A Flash in the Pan.

A Flash in the Pan is the answer to "What's for Dinner?"

Every Friday, they provide a weeks worth of menus complete with shopping list!

You need to enter by April 20th, so enter now!
Pam

Friday Freebie

2009-04-17T10:37:00.005-04:00

What a busy week!

Today's Friday Freebie is from a great website: Carl's Corner by Cherry Carl.

Cherry has created a wonderful website full of educational resources:

Games

Books

Sight Word Activities

Alphabet

Phonics

Poetry

Themes/Holidays

Word Families

and more!

You can also purchase CD's of her work at the Corner Store

Proceeds from the sales of this CD are dedicated to establishing and maintaining a scholarship fund and to support the growth of literacy for children and teachers.

Today, I'm emailing a really cute book about frogs by Cherry Carl.

Enjoy browsing Carl's Corner and have a wonderful weekend!

The adorable frogs are by Graphics ©Scrappin Doodles

Be sure and check this great website out!

Enjoy your weekend - it's sunny and warm here in Atlanta and I am going to Pikes Nursery to buy lots of plants for my deck and front porch.

Pam

Two Days Left To Enter Teena's Giveaway!

2009-04-16T22:37:00.002-04:00

Don't delay - earn extra entries!!!!!
Help spread the word and gain extra entries

Blog about the giveaway or send a email to your contacts with a copy to me at handsonlearningfun@live.com

Entries accepted through Saturday

Winner announced Sunday.

Good Luck!

Terrific Tuesday & Wonderful Website Wednesday: Starfall

2009-04-15T19:33:00.003-04:00

Hi Everyone!
What a busy week! I had a wonderful Spring break last week and my kids came home at the last minute for Easter, so after dashing to the grocery store, we had a really nice Easter Feast. Now, I'm back at school and of course, I waited until the last minute to finish my taxes, plus filling all of my orders, sooooooo it's been crazy around here!

Today, I'm going to feature one of my favorite websites: Starfall
Teachers around the world use Starfall.com and Starfall high-quality educational products as an inexpensive way to make the classroom more fun and inspire a love of reading and writing. Parents use Starfall to prepare their children for school, and to support them once they are there. Starfall is an educational alternative to other entertainment choices for children.
Primarily designed for first grade, Starfall is also useful for pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and second grade. Starfall is perfect for home schooling.

Be sure and check out their cute story: Earth Day Have fun exploring this terrific website.

Pam

Manic Monday Giveaway!!!!!

2009-04-13T23:36:00.003-04:00

Enter to win the following fabulous prize:

Sweet Treats Math Pack

You will receive:
Sweet Sums - addition up to 10 clothespin clip cards
Pattern Pack - various patterns to create and blank cards to write your own
Popsicle Puzzles - number sets & number words 0-15
Easy storage in laminated/ labeled white envelopes.
Sweet Treats Math Pack will arrive on your doorstep complete and ready to go!

How To Enter:You will receive one entry for each of the following:
Follow my blog - please email me and let me know the name you are following under, so that I can add you to my Freebie Friday mailing list
Visit Teena's Teacher Tidbits Etsy Shop and comment on your favorite item
Visit Hands On Learning Fun Etsy Shop and comment on your favorite item
Post about giveaway on your blog and leave a comment with the link - 3 extra entries !!!!
Don't have a blog? Email your friends with a link to my blog and tell them to follow! Copy me on the email - 3 extra entries!!!!

Giveaway Dates: April 6th - April 18th
Winner will be announced on Sunday, April 19th

Good Luck!

Pam

Hands On Learning Fun Artfire Shop

2009-04-12T12:58:00.004-04:00

I have a new Hands On Learning Shop at Artfire. I'm still in the process of listing items and if you don't see what you're looking for, please email me and I will be happy to list it for you.

Here's the thing about Artfire - NO FEES!!!!!! Artfire only charges a small monthly fee - no listing fee, no final value fee, which means lower prices for you - anywhere from 10% - 15% less!!!

So, if you get a few moments, visit my shop and let me know what you think.

Thanks,

Pam

Earth Day Printable Math Activities

2009-04-11T08:57:00.008-04:00

Earth Day is right around the corner!

Check out my new Earth Day Math Printable Activity Packet with over 20 pages of fun hands on activities!

You will receive via email in PDF Format:

Really cute math counters from Scrappin Doodles that can be used with all of these activities:

Let's Count - 10 math boards numbered 1 - 10 - place the correct number of objects on each board

Math Counting Boards - 2 boards with numbers 1- 10 number word recognition

Math Counting Boards - Counting objects up to 10

Earth Day Patterns - AB, ABC, AABB patterns included

Graphing Activity - graph the objects then answer the questions

Graphing Question Sheet - answer each question using the number markers

Enjoy!
Pam

Friday Freebie: Spring Bingo

2009-04-10T16:59:00.006-04:00

Hi all!
Today I'm sending all of my followers a really cute Spring Bingo Game featuring awesome graphics from Scrappin Doodles Creative clip art, web sets, printables, and more!

For the love of computer crafting. Be sure and check out her great website.

I love bingo and even more importantly KIDS LOVE bingo!

So enjoy this great holiday weekend and have fun playing my Spring Bingo.

If you are a follower and do not receive your bingo game, please email me at handsonlearningfun@live.com and I will add your email to my mailing list. Please let me know what name you are following under.

Thanks,

Pam

Thrifty Thursday: Recycle Reduce Reuse

2009-04-09T10:40:00.013-04:00

Here are some of my favorite Earth Day Finds:

Cute games for kids to play online:

Ollie's Super Hero Sorting Game

Energy Saving Game

Recycling Activities:

Quick Lesson in Recycling from PlanetPals

Planetpals recycling printout

Composting Tips:

Compost

How to Build a Compost

Etsy Finds:

Great finds that are good for our Earth!

Earth Day Tote Gue rilla Sewing Pattern

Show the Earth you care for it by not using plastic (or paper) bags at the grocery store by bringing your own!This pattern is ideal for the beginner and intermediate sewer in mind. you can customize it to be bigger have a longer handle drop or whatever you choose its your bag!The pattern includes color pictures, instructions as well aspattern piece dimensions.

Easy Crochet Soda Pull Tab Hobo Bag Pattern for Beginners PDF File Eco Friendly

This awesome Hobo Bag can be easily made by crochet beginners. Only basic crochet experience required such as single crochet.

pink gingham and flowers reusable sandwich wrapper (pink buttons)

you pack a sandwich for lunch on a regular or at least semi-regular basis and you use a disposable plastic sandwich bag and you feel a little guilty about it every time. you try to wash out those ziplock bags and reuse them, but it doesnt always work out that way, because a gob of peanut butter gets stuck in a corner or you just plain dont feel like it. get one of these instead! it's way more pretty and way more cool and way easier.you wrap your sandwich up like you're swaddling it in a blanket or tucking it into an envelope. there's a hook and eye on the inside closures to keep it snug and then the other part is adjustable -- fold the flaps to fit your sandwich. and wrap the elastic over the buttons to keep it closed. at lunch time, you've got a placemat on which to rest your sammy between bites. when you're finished, wipe it off with a damp cloth (or all out wash it in the sink if your sandwich was really messy) and it's ready to be used again the next day. awesome, right?

3 Sisters Reversible Ba g PDF Pattern

****3 SISTERS BAG****The same pattern done in three different sizes. You choose who you are and make it up. This is a tutorial style pattern. There are pictures along with the directions to help you along. The pattern includes:* Instructions for each bag* 3 different sizes for pockets* Strap ribbon for tying on handle or for rolling the bag* Pictures for help* Measurements, fabric needed, and cut list* Totally reversible* Fully lined* Extra Wide handles

Enjoy your day!
Pam

Wonderful Web Wednesday: Insect Lore

2009-04-08T07:58:00.009-04:00

Have you heard of Insect Lore?

Love bugs?

This is the shop for you!

The website is divided into 3 areas: Play Learn Shop

Save 5% Use coupon code "Web5" at checkout

Here are my fav's from each section:

Play

Check out today's BUG GIGGLE!

Shop

40th Anniversa ry Pla nt Lover's Bundle save 40%

See how roots form, sprout your own edible shoots, and help a prehistoric plant pop back to life, and learn all about it with a fantastic fact-filled book. Save 32% with this 40th anniversary bundle!

Root-Vue Farm - regularly $29.99
Amazing Dinosaur Plant - regularly $6.99

How a Plant Grows book - regularly $5.99

Grow & Gobble Seed Sprout Kit - regularly $19.99
Regularly $63, only $40 for our 40th anniversary!

Beetle Barn - Look what’s growing on the farm! Follow the lifecycle of the mealworm with this easy-to-raise easy-to-do kit. Just mail away for the larvae and discover insect metamorphosis first hand! Move your Darkling Beetle larvae during each stage of their lifecycle in the fun and functional tri-chambered "Barn" habitat. The silo features a super magnifier for insect observation. A great kit for the classroom, home or home school.

Butterfly Garden - shipped with live butterfly culture
Raise 3 to 5 Painted Lady butterflies while learning all about metamorphosis. See the caterpillars' transition as they mature, change into chrysalides, and finally emerge as Painted Lady butterflies! The butterflies' development takes approximately three weeks, and they're absolutely safe to release into the environment.Includes colorful pop-up habitat suitable for hanging or free-standing on a countertop, one cup containing 3 to 5 butterfly larvae with special food, feeding kit and complete instructions.

Learn:

Praying Mantis Ice Cream - Here's a simple recipe for making some home-made ice cream, using just a few household items, and without an ice cream maker! Actually, the ice cream maker will be you! And, in case you were wondering, no praying mantises are required - we're just going to make yummy green ice cream and pretend it's mantis-flavored.

Make Your Own Mealworm Habitat - explains how to make a mealworm experiment container

Insecltorepedia - lots of info about insects

Enjoy!
Pam

Terrific Tuesday Earth Day Crafts

2009-04-07T07:36:00.006-04:00

Earth Day Crafts
from Making Friends.com

Litter Bug

Materials:

Trash (Newspaper, String, Straws, Bottle Tops, Caps)

Tacky Glue or low temp glue gun

Crumple up a piece of newspaper. Wrap another piece around it. Wrap with string and tie off to hold newspaper in a ball. Add straws, bottle tops, caps... anything to make it look like a litter bug.

Coffee Filter Earth

Materials:

Coffee Filter

Blue and Green Food Coloring

Directions:
Scatter approximately 4 drops of green food coloring and 5 drops of blue food coloring in the bottom of a coffee filter using the Earth pattern as a guide. Color should spread out to fill the entire bottom. Let dry. Cut out the bottom. Tape or hang in window.

Melted Crayon Earth

Materials:

Wax Paper
Blue and Green Crayon Shavings

Adult with warm iron

Place a piece of wax paper over Earth pattern. Sprinkle crayon shavings (sparingly!) on wax paper following the design on the download. Place another piece of wax paper on top of shavings and a blank sheet of paper or a cloth over that. Gently press down with a warm iron. Crayon will melt quickly. Cut wax paper into a circle around the design. Tape or hang in window.

Rainstick

Materials:
Cardboard Tube
Tinfoil
Cardboard for end caps
Popcorn Kernels
Hot Glue Gun
Markers
Scissors

Trace around end of tube onto a piece of cardboard. Cut out. Glue one of these onto one end for a cap. Tightly roll pieces of tinfoil into a long snake about twice as long as your tube and about 1/2" in diameter. Push tinfoil snake into tube zigzagging it back and forth to fit. Pour 1/2 cup of pop corn kernels into tube. Cap off remaining end.
Decorated with markers.
To play: turn stick back and forth. Popcorn kernels will cascade over tinfoil sounding like a gentle rain

Enjoy!

Pam

Manic Monday Giveaway!!!!

2009-04-06T11:06:00.006-04:00

Teena's Teacher Tidbits Giveaway:

Sweet Treats Math Pack

Teena is a great friend and you will love her educational games!

You will receive:

Sweet Sums - addition up to 10 clothespin clip cards

Pattern Pack - various patterns to create and blank cards to write your own

Popsicle Puzzles - number sets & number words 0-15

Easy storage in laminated/ labeled white envelopes.

Sweet Treats Math Pack will arrive on your doorstep complete and ready to go!

How To Enter:
You will receive one entry for each of the following:

Follow my blog - please email me and let me know the name you are following under, so that I can add you to my Freebie Friday mailing list

Visit Teena's Teacher Tidbits Etsy Shop and comment on your favorite item

Visit Hands On Learning Fun Etsy Shop and comment on your favorite item

Post about giveaway on your blog and leave a comment with the link - 3 extra entries !!!!

Don't have a blog? Email your friends with a link to my blog and tell them to follow! Copy me on the email - 3 extra entries!!!!

Tell Me a Little About Yourself:

Hello everyone. My name is Teena Fisher. I live in Port Jervis, NY with Blake, my husband of 12 1/2 years, and my 6 year old daughter. Victoria will be joined mid August by a little sister -- name yet to be known :-). Education is in my blood. Although, I am not formally in the classroom, I take every opportunity to be involved in the education of children. Currently, I volunteer at least twice a week in my daughter's classroom and run a Daisy troop.

Before children, I taught first grade for 3 years. The excitement in the children's eyes when they got it -- well that is my absolute favorite part of teaching!
Once that beautiful little girl was placed in my arms - I couldn't leave her. I became a full-time stay at home mom until she was almost 2. I then got the best of both worlds. My former principal offered me an opportunity I couldn't resist - teaching title one math for 5th & 6th grade and 1st & 2nd grade reading. I got to be home most of the day and enjoy teaching.

When my little school closed -- I needed a creative outlet. That's when I turned to creating learning centers. I had always made most of my materials - so it wasn't new to me. Two years later I'm happy to be doing what I'm doing, while enjoying all the benefits of being home with my daughter!

Here are some samples of Teena's amazing activities:

Giveaway Dates: April 6th - April 18th

Winner will be announced on Sunday, April 19th
Good Luck!
Pam

Hands On Learning Fun Commotion in the Ocean Literacy Bag

2009-04-05T13:32:00.012-04:00

Commotion in the Ocean Literacy Bag

This is a great thematic unit based on Andreae Giles book:

Commotion in the Ocean

I also have a great Rumble in the Jungle Literacy Bag, which will be listed later today.

I'm offering this set in 3 different formats:

PDF F o rmat: For those of you who don't mind printing, cutting and assembling

Literacy Bag with Sink Float Objects and a CD containing all activities in PDF Format

Literacy Bag with activities printed, cut and laminated - ready to go!

Like to bid?: Complete Literacy Bag and Literacy Bag with CD

Activities Included:

Story Cards
Counting by 10's
Five Little Sea Animals Poetry Activity
Sink or Float? Science Center
3 Math Worksheets with ocean counters
What's For Dinner? Activity
Land or Sea? Classification activity
Activity Sheet listing ways to use the above activities as well as cooking, music, suggested reading, art, and math activities.

Enjoy your weekend!
Pam

Friday Freebie: The Grouchy Ladybug Story Props

2009-04-03T18:21:00.004-04:00

Happy Friday!!

Today I am sending all of my followers story props for the wonderful book,

The Grouchy Ladybug, by Eric Carle

You can use the story props in a variety of ways:

As you read story, choose the correct prop and place it on the page

You can attach craft sticks to the props and use them to act out the story

Sequencing and reading comprehension

If you are reading to a group, each child can have his/her own prop and hold it up at the appropriate time

You can use Velcoins and attach them to the book

Vicki Blackwell has a great Grouchy Ladybug site with lots of free printables.

Here is her ladybug clock and a great ladybug glyph

Enchanted Learning has many ladybug activities: costume, life cycle, egg carton ladybug, puppet, printable books and more!

After reading, make a really cute ladybug windsock:

Construction paper as follows:
two 10" red circles (body)
two 10" black circles (body)
two 4 1/2" x 6" strips of black (dots)
two 6" black circles (head)
four 3" x 4" strips of black (antennae)
four 2" black circles (eyes)
four 3" yellow circles (eyes)
one 9" x12" sheet of black
Other supplies:
six 2 foot black crepe-paper streamers
4 foot length of yarn for hanging
hole puncher
scissors
glue

To make two bodies:
Cut a pie wedge from one red circle.
Glue the red circle on top of the 10" black circle.
Cut several small circles from a 4 1/2" x 6" strip of black paper. Glue these cutouts to the red circle.
Repeat steps one through three for the second body.
To make two heads:
Stack together two 3" x 4" strips of black paper and cut out two antennae shapes.
Glue the antennae strips to a six-inch black circle.
For eyes, glue two of the 2" black circles to two yellow circles.
Glue the resulting eyes on the ladybug's head.
Repeat steps one through four to make the second head.
To complete the project:
Glue each completed head to a completed body.
Glue the six crepe-paper streamers to a long edge of the 9" x 12" sheet of black paper: then roll the paper into a cylinder and glue.
Glue the cylinder between the two ladybug projects.
Punch two holes near the top and on opposite sides of the cylinder. Thread one yarn end through the holes and knot it so that one end of the yarn can be used to suspend the project.
Center the yarn between the antennae and glue the top part of each pair of eyes together

If you don't receive your Friday Freebie via email, please email me at handsonlearningfun@live.com and let me know what name you are following under and I will add you to my mailing list.

I would love to hear from you, so as a little incentive - leave a comment and you will receive an extra entry to my current giveaway, which I am announcing Monday.

Happy Friday!
Pam

Thrifty Thursday: Spring Easter Paper Plate Crafts

2009-04-02T19:57:00.008-04:00

I always keep paper plates handy, they are perfect for craft projects.

Here are some of my favorite Spring Easter Paper Plate Crafts:

Paper Plate Bunny

Cute Bunny Face

Cute Handprint Duck Activity

And of course, everyone needs a Easter Bonnet!!

This one is from: best kids booksite

and the one below: Kinderart

Tomorrow is Freebie Friday. I'm still missing a few emails so if you are a follower and do not receive my Freebie Friday - I will post when I send it, please email me and let me know the name you are following under and I will add your email to my list.

Enjoy!

Pam

Wednesday Wonderful Website: KizClub

2009-04-01T20:10:00.007-04:00

KizClub provides lots of educational activities in language arts for preschool and elementary age children:

1. ABC'S

2. PHONICS

3. TOPICS

4. CRAFTS

5. STORY PATTERNS

6. NURSERY RHYMES

7. FLASHCARDS

8. TEACHING EXTRAS

Here are some cute Easter Spring Activities:

Easter Bunny Basket

Spring is Here!
Easter Egg Match
Spring is Here! Story Props

Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! Story Props

Have fun exploring this great children's educational website!
Pam

Drumroll Please: My First Giveaway Winner: Kati from Country Girl, City Life

2009-04-01T16:38:00.004-04:00

Yeah! We have a winner!

Kati from Country Girl, City Life is the winner of my first giveaway!

Congratulations Kati!!!!!!!!!

Kati you have won my super cute Ladybug Literacy Bag.

Please send me a email with your name and address and I will drop it in the mail for you.

I have had so much fun making new blogger friends and reading your comments. Please keep those great comments coming!

Best of all - I will announce another fabulous giveaway on Monday, so be sure and check back.

Stop by Country Girl, City Life and congratulate Kati on her win!

Pam

Terrific Tuesday Free Easter Printables!

2009-03-31T19:25:00.004-04:00

I love finding free printables online. Here are some of my favorite Easter printables from

MES - English Be sure and explore this website. You will find so many free printable flash cards and activities!

Easter Bingo Cards

Bunnyland Game with playing cards

I like to use mini erasers for markers, but you can use most anything.

Here is a Easter Book to color: CLICK HERE

There's more: Stickers, Sticker Charts, Bookmarks, Awards!

Here are some cute printable Easter Cards from 123 print.com

Check out a free downloadable song from Dream English

Last but not least, 9 cute Spring Cooking Activities. CLICK HERE

You still have time to enter my Ladybug Literacy Bag Giveaway. Winner will be announced tomorrow!
Have fun exploring MES-English!

Pam

Today is the Last Day to Enter My Giveaway

2009-03-31T06:34:00.003-04:00

Good Morning!
Today is the last day to enter my very first giveaway:

Ladybug Literacy Bag

So, don't delay - follow me today!

Check back this evening for my Terrific Tuesday post. I'm so happy I finally took the plunge into blogging. I can definitely see how it can become a bit addicting! I love hearing from all of you, so please comment away. If you have a special request or would like a specific activity, please let me know.
Have a Terrific Tuesday!
Pam

Only a Few Days Left To Enter My First Giveaway!

2009-03-29T17:09:00.005-04:00

Manic Monday Giveaway:
Ladybug Literacy Bag!

How to enter:
Follow my blog and you will automatically receive 1entry
Post a blurb on your blog with a link back to my giveaway = 2 entries - please leave a comment and let me know
Visit my Etsy shop and leave a comment about your favorite item = 1 entry
Winner will be announced on April Fool's Day.So please help me spread the word!!!

Winner will receive:
Ladybug Spring Literacy Bag
containing the following items:
Handpainted Ladybug Canvas Bag
Ladybug's Birthday: Softcover Scholastic Book
Ladybug Beginning Sound Sort: Mat with the word Ladybug and 21 picture cards
Five Little Ladybugs Interactive Book
Small, Medium, or Large Ladybugs
Leaping Ladybugs!
Roll a Ladybug Game
Ladybug Life Cycle Sequence Cards
Summary Sheet
This is one of my favorite literacy bags and is always a hit!

Deadline to enter is March 31st.
Winner announced April 1st.

Pam

Egg, Egg, What Will You Be? New Literacy Unit

2009-03-28T18:05:00.009-04:00

Check out my newest Spring activity!

Egg, Egg, What Will You Be? Literacy Center

I just finished this activity and I can't wait to show it to my kiddos. You can't go wrong with plastic eggs, kids love opening them and finding out what's inside!

I created this interactive book to reinforce color recognition, ordinal numbers, reading comprehension and FUN! If you would like more info check out my listings:

I have this item listed for auction in my Ebay shop: CLICK HERE

and my Etsy shop for those that like to buy it now: CLICK HERE

Don't forget to enter my March Giveaway: CLICK HERE

Enjoy your weekend!
Pam

Here it is - My Friday Freebie Activity

2009-03-27T20:03:00.006-04:00

Woo Hoo! I never expected to have 38 followers in one week! I am so happy that I decided to give all of my followers an extra special Friday Freebie. I love caterpillars and my favorite caterpillar book is Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

As soon as I post this I'm going to send all of my followers my

Caterpillar Literacy Unit. Does anyone remember McDonald's Teenie Beanie Babies?
They had a cute inchworm that goes perfectly with this activity. But no worries if you don't have "Inch". It's really easy to make a cute pom pom caterpillar. Check out the two pictures and craft away! The blue and green one is from 123child and the pink one is from DLTK.

I was able to find emails for most of my followers, but I'm still missing 12 emails, so if you do not receive this great activity, please email me at: handsonlearningfun@live.com and tell me the name you are following under and I will be happy to send you the file.

I LOVE your comments, so let me know how your kiddos like feeding the caterpillar.

Freebie Friday: Help! How do I figure out where to email it to????

2009-03-27T18:33:00.003-04:00

Hi all,
I need some advice. I'm new to blogging and I thought I could just click on your follower pic and your email would pop up. But when I got around to clicking, no email! So, I'm not sure where to email your Freebie Friday Activity.

I swear I've seen a Newsletter Link on some other blogs, but I cannot figure out how to do it.
For now, if you are following me, please email me at handsonlearningfun@live.com and be sure and tell me the name you are following under, so that I can keep track and make sure I don't leave anyone out.

If anyone can recommend the best (easiest) way for me to obtain my followers emails, please let me know.
Thanks,
Pam

Freebie Friday is Here!

2009-03-27T06:37:00.003-04:00

Good Morning!
Freebie Friday is here! Tonight, I will send all of my followers an Spring Activity via email.
If your email is not accessible in your profile please email me at: handsonlearningfun@live.com
It's not too late to sign up and there is still time to enter my Ladybug Literacy Bag Giveaway - CLICK HERE

I love your comments! Please comment away and if you have any suggestions or special requests, let me know.
Enjoy your Friday!
Pam

Keep an Eye on my Etsy Shop: My 100th Sale Will Receive a Great Gift!

2009-03-26T18:42:00.002-04:00

I just realized that I'm really getting close to making 100 sales on Etsy.
I currently have 84 sales and I'm offering a great 100 Sale Giveaway.
The lucky person who is my 100th sale will receive absolutely free of charge my Literacy Cd. It contains over 700 pages of activities and is worth $49.99!
So, check out my shop over the next week or so and keep an eye on my sales.
You might be the lucky winner!

Thrifty Thursday: Recycle Your Egg Cartons into Spring Crafts

2009-03-26T17:39:00.011-04:00

I love using egg cartons for art projects. Here are a few of my favorite Spring Easter Egg Carton Crafts. The first one is the most complicated, but sooooo cute!

Bunnies and Chicks

By Robin Rivers

Here's what you need:

1 cardboard egg carton cut up into individual egg cups (leave the backs and the sides on so that you have a place to attach ribbon)

Cotton balls or pompoms in pink, white, yellow or whatever color

sounds fun (enough for two on each creature) plus little ones for

the bunny’s nose and tail.

Ribbon in Spring colors (I used 7 to 10 inches on each side of the cup to tie together. So, it’s a fair bit of ribbon. Thrifting is a great way to score this)

Google eyes (two per creature)

A hole punch

Craft Glue (a hot glue gun works best for attaching the eyes if you are making these for a toddler or preschooler since they are a choking hazard and you want them attached as solidly as possible. DON’T use the glue gun with a toddler or preschooler around.)

Craft paper for bunny ears and the chick’s beak.

Scissors

Egg Carton Caterpillar

By Enchanted Learning

Separate 4, 5, or 6 cups from an egg carton.
Using the point of a scissors, an adult should make 2 small holes at one end for the antennae.
Insert pipe cleaners for the antennae.
Add eyes, a mouth, and decorate.

Egg Carton Ladybug
By Enchanted Learning

Separate one cup from an egg carton.
Using markers or tempera paint, children can color or paint the egg carton cup red. Then, using black marker or paint, color in the head, and make spots on the body.
Using the point of a scissors, an adult should make 6 small holes (3 on each side) at the base of the cup (these will be for the legs). Make 2 small holes (for antennae) where the top of the head will be.

Insert a black pipe cleaner into each a side hole and out the other side for the legs. Use half a pipe cleaner for the antennae.
Glue on googly eyes or paint on white eyes.

Have fun!

Let me know how they turn out!
Pam

Two Awesome Children's Educational Websites: Poisson Rouge & StoryPlace

2009-03-25T16:08:00.007-04:00

Poisson Rouge - Red Fish Soup - Games For Children
There are over 200 activities on this wonderful site created by Patric Turner and Edith Furon.
The alphabet is offered in 3 languages: English, French, and Spanish.
Every time I visit this site I find new activities. There are no instructions, just click on the pictures and have fun! If you would like a written explanation just click on the user guide and it will guide you through each activity, but you will find that children are very adept at finding all of the activities and figuring out how they work!

StoryPlace Pre-School Library
The StoryPlace Pre-school Library is full of great activities for you to explore. Choose a theme and start the fun! There are 15 different themes and each theme has the following activities:
Online story
Online activity
Take home activity
Suggested Reading
Parent's Activity

StoryPlace also has an Elementary Library for older children.
This section contains the following activities:
Topsy Turvy Tale
Print-Out Activity
Suggested Reading

Enjoy exploring these great websites and leave me a comment and let me know what you think.
Don't forget to follow me and you will be automatically entered in my giveaways and Friday Freebies. CLICK HERE to read more.
Pam

Kids Spring Crafts and Cooking: Caterpillar Craft and Kite in the Clouds Recipe

2009-03-24T21:09:00.028-04:00

Caterpillar Craft

From Kids Craft.com

Here's what you'll need...
• Construction paper

• Scissors
• Pipe cleaner

• Marker

• Pen or pencil

Here's how you make it...
1. Cut different colored circles out of construction paper. Cut as many as you'd like, the more you cut the more colorful and long your caterpillar will be.

2. Using a pen or pencil, punch holes in the center of each circle and

tread onto a pipe cleaner.

Repeat until you have made your caterpillar as long as

you would like it.

3. Fold the pipe cleaner on either end to secure the circles and draw on two eyes.

My kids love this craft! It's a fun way to talk about patterns.
I make 3 samples:

random colored caterpillar

AB pattern caterpillar ( green yellow green yellow)
ABC pattern caterpillar (green yellow orange green yellow orange)

Kite in the Clouds Recipe

Ingredients:

1 box of blue jello - already prepared

1 can of whipped cream
1/2 fruit roll up per child cut into the shape of a kite

clear cup

straw

Directions:
Fill up cup 2/3 full with your jello. What color is the jello?
Look outside - what does the color of the jello remind you of?

The blue jello represents the sky.

I usually sneak in a math lesson - Put 6 spoonfuls of jello in your cup

Then the best part of this recipe - Fill the cup up with whipped cream.

WOW! What a hit!
My kids loved squirting the whipped cream!

Place your straw with your kite in your clouds and Voila!
You have a beautiful kite flying high in the sky in the clouds!

Best of all - it's quite tasty!

I love cooking with kids. I've never met a child that didn't like to measure, stir, and eat!
I always make sure that I have everything handy and ready to go, I usually cook with 8 - 10 children at a time and if you have to go look for an item - it can get really messy! When choosing recipes, I try to pick ingredients that the majority will like - I hate to waste food.

Most importantly, keep it simple!

I hope you enjoy these activities, click on comments and let me know!
Pam

Manic Monday Giveaway!!!!

2009-03-23T17:01:00.007-04:00

Hands On Learning Fun

March Giveaway

How to enter:

Follow my blog and you will automatically receive 1entry

Post a blurb on your blog with a link back to my giveaway = 2 entries - please leave a comment and let me know

Visit my Etsy shop and leave a comment about your favorite item = 1 entry

Since I'm brand new at blogging and as I'm writing this post I only have one follower :(

I'm going to run this giveaway until the end of March.

Winner will be announced on April Fool's Day.
So please help me spread the word!!!

Winner will receive:

Ladybug Spring Literacy Bag

containing the following items:

Handpainted Ladybug Canvas Bag
Ladybug's Birthday: Softcover Scholastic Book

Ladybug Beginning Sound Sort: Mat with the word Ladybug and 21 picture cards

Five Little Ladybugs Interactive Book

Small, Medium, or Large Ladybugs

Leaping Ladybugs!

Roll a Ladybug Game

Ladybug Life Cycle Sequence Cards

Summary Sheet

This is one of my favorite literacy bags and is always a hit!

Leave a comment and let me know what you think
Check back tomorrow for Terrific Tuesday

Pam

Hands On Learning Blogging Fun!

2009-03-22T17:49:00.004-04:00

Welcome to Hands On Learning Fun!

I've decided to take the plunge into blogging!

I love creating educational items and am excited to share some of my creations with you.
Be sure and follow my blog and you will automatically receive one entry in my giveaways and receive my Friday freebies.

Here is my posting schedule:

Manic Monday Giveaway: featuring a current giveaway of mine or from a favorite blog

Terrific Tuesday: featuring ideas for making life easier: organizational, behavior management, tried and true activities, art and cooking projects, anything that makes life easier for a parent or teacher

Website Wednesday: I will feature a favorite website loaded with educational activities and printables

Thrifty Thursday: featuring educational items you can make yourself and save $$$$

Freebie Friday: every follower will receive via email a cute educational activity in PDF Format

Check back tomorrow, as I will be listing my very first giveaway - it's a good one!

I look forward to hearing from you!
Pam