You will need a bag of Hershey Kisses for these gems… I know, I use food a lot in my freebies and many schools say no to food… good things is you can modify and instead of Hershey kisses use another shape to do these activities.

Or you can tweak these activities to match the standards you are working on.

The first activity is a CVC reading matching activity. The student reads the word and matches the picture to the correct word. Print the file and glue the pictures to seven kisses.

The second activity is math fun. The student solves the problem on the kiss and then covers the answer.

In this picture you see 3+3 and the student would need to cover six.

You can download the printable for both of these activities by clicking here.

You might want to check out:

Need some new ideas for hosting successful classroom celebrations?  This 416 page digital book has you covered! Includes 61 ad-free articles from Organized Classroom, including holidays such as:

• Groundhog Day
• Winter
• Black History
• Valentines Day
• St. Patricks Day
• Earth Day
• Spring
• Mothers Day
• Memorial Day
• Summer
• Independence Day
• Fall
• Halloween
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas

…and even more!

Now available in our Shop!  And the second copy to share with a friend is half price!

See it HERE.

Besides my ideas, I have seen a few free fun ideas around the web, that you may like to try and use on Tuesday…

1. Tot School uses the colorful dot stickers you can get at the store to make a matching game. (Click here to learn more)!

2. I LOVE this idea from Reading Confetti – It’s a number hunt. (Click Here to Learn More)

3. This idea uses more candy than just a kiss… but oh, what fun this would be for a VDAY party! I love it! It is a Minute to Win It Game from Stacy. (click here to learn more)!

So did this post get you thinking about all the learning fun that can be had with a Hershey Kiss??? I hope it got your wheels turning!

Thanks for reading… See you in March!

Colleen Gallagher

The post Kisses=’s Learning appeared first on Organized Classroom.

Celebrating Valentine’s Day in the classroom allows students to learn about love, kindness, and empathy towards others. It also provides an opportunity for them to express their creativity and engage in activities that promote social interaction.

Valentine’s Day Games and Activities for Your Classroom

Games and activities are a great way to keep students engaged and entertained during a Valentine’s Day party. There are plenty of fun and educational games that you can incorporate into your lesson plans. For example, you can organize a Valentine’s Day-themed scavenger hunt where students have to find hidden hearts or love-themed objects around the classroom.

Another idea is to play a game of “Valentine’s Day Bingo” where students have to match words or pictures associated with love and friendship. This not only promotes vocabulary development but also encourages social interaction among students.

Inviting Parents and Volunteers to Your Valentine’s Day Party

Involving parents and volunteers in your Valentine’s Day party can make it even more special for your students.

Send out invitations to parents, inviting them to join in the celebration. You can also ask for volunteers to help with various activities such as crafts, games, or serving food.

To encourage parent and volunteer involvement, consider assigning specific tasks or roles to each person. This will ensure that everyone feels included and valued during the party.

DIY Valentine’s Day Treat Party Bags

This video explains how to create a simple decorated paper treat bag for a classroom Valentine’s Party that even talks about using symmetry.

Then, it explains an organized way to pass out the items without shedding tears or creating classroom chaos. Valentine’s Day has never been so simple!

Prefer to read the transcript?

Transcript

“Hi, everyone! Charity Preston here from The Organized Classroom Blog.

For today’s tip, I’m going to kind of go through some things for my elementary teachers with Valentine’s parties.

Now I know it gets kind of crazy with Valentine’s parties and there are messes and smushed cupcakes on the floor, and kids are going crazy and trying to deliver valentines to everyone.

So I have a pretty simple way of managing a Valentine’s party that’s not as much work for you. It’s even less work if you have a parent that helps you with these steps or comes up with the game as well to do some time fillers.

The first thing we’re going to do is create Valentine’s Day bags.

Grab a basic paper bag. You can use white craft bags or you can use different colored ones. These are really cheap.

You want to make sure the student’s name is on it. For that they can use crayons, colored, pencils, markers, or a regular pencil, but it’s not going to show up as well on the bag as well.

They will set it right on top of their desk when their name is completed.

Then you’re going to make sure that they have glue. I prefer glue sticks (over white glue) and scissors for each student at their desk.

Then after that, you’re going to hand them two pieces of construction or colored copy paper.

Take whatever colors that you have leftover from whatever craft that you did. I would suggest not brown or black because it is Valentine’s Day after all, but the boys are probably not going to like the purples and pinks as much either.

Make them as colorful as you want. Mix them up. I don’t think I’d give the students a choice because that’s just going to take more time.

Make sure to explain that once those pieces are gone, that’s it. So hopefully they are more careful about their decoration option.

First, I model how to do some math crafting.

I fold the paper in half and have a good discussion about symmetry.

Teach them to cut out their ice cream cones out of their paper, and then they will have a heart. Then you can also, after you do that, show them again. Now you have two hearts!

Have them do the same. {PRO TIP: Need a free worksheet with lines already prepped? Download the handout below and print on various pastel colored copy papers to make it even easier!}

Then they can layer them, change the colors, do whatever they want and all they’re making our hearts for their bags.

Finally, glue them on the bags and let them dry overnight.

You might want to check out:

Need some new ideas for hosting successful classroom celebrations?  This 416 page digital book has you covered! Includes 61 ad-free articles from Organized Classroom, including holidays such as:

• Groundhog Day
• Winter
• Black History
• Valentines Day
• St. Patricks Day
• Earth Day
• Spring
• Mothers Day
• Memorial Day
• Summer
• Independence Day
• Fall
• Halloween
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas

…and even more!

Now available in our Shop!  And the second copy to share with a friend is half price!

See it HERE.

This is definitely a project that you have to plan at least one day in advance.

For the day of the party: Students come in and go through the day like normal. At the very end of the day, last half an hour of the day for example, you’re going to pass out the bags.

Have students open them up on top of their desk and give them each one piece of tape.

They’re going to tape their bag right on the edge of their desks, so that they’re hanging down off the desk.

Then after that, the students are going to get whatever treats that they brought in.

I like to tell my parents, that any party treats sent in should be individually wrapped.

And any Valentines that the students choose to bring in do not have personalized names on them. They just need to sign them with their own name and I send home the number of students we have in our classroom.

Once the bags are set and students have their valentines cards and treats in their hand, I have the students line up with me in a straight line.

I’m the leader of the line. And then we follow the leader.

I snake through all the desks as organized as I can from one side of the room to the other. They follow behind me dropping one treat and/or Valentine card in every single bag until we all get to the other side of the room.

Once we are finished, their bags hanging off their desk are completely full.

It’s not mad chaos with everyone, delivering, forgetting who they go gave one to who they did not give one to.

At that point, I have them go sit in their seats. They can go through the treat bag and pick one item out to enjoy and hang out.

You might even want to play some Valentines music.

This is the part where if you have a parent volunteer, they can pick the game and play a game with the students.

After that point, they can take their bag off their desk and take them right out the door with them as they pack up their belongings for dismissal.

So now you’re left with nothing on the floor. No crumbs. It hasn’t been chaos. Children aren’t crying because so-and-so got this, so-and-so got this, so-and-so didn’t get this one. They won’t know because they don’t know until they get at home, who has what and who it’s from.

It’s a nice little treat for them once they get home as well to go through their bag and see what they received.

I hope that’s helpful to you for Valentines day this year, and hopefully this saves some of the normal chaos in the classroom.

I hope you have a great rest of the week. Thanks, bye!”

Non-Food Treats for Your Students

While food is often associated with celebrations, it is important to consider non-food treats for students who may have allergies or dietary restrictions. There are plenty of creative and thoughtful gift ideas that aren’t food-related.

For example, you can provide each student with a small jar filled with heart-shaped erasers or stickers. Alternatively, you can give out personalized bookmarks or pencils with messages of love and encouragement.

To make these gifts special and personalized for each student, consider writing a short note or message to accompany the gift. This will show your students that you appreciate and value them individually.

Valentine’s Day is a wonderful opportunity to make your students feel loved and appreciated. By creating a fun and festive atmosphere in the classroom, involving students in crafts and activities, and providing thoughtful treats and gifts, you can ensure that your students have a memorable Valentine’s Day celebration.

Remember, it is not just about the decorations or the food; it is about fostering a sense of love, kindness, and friendship among your students.

Need a symmetry worksheet to make cutting those treat bag hearts out even easier? I’ve got you covered!

Enjoy and make sure to like us on facebook for more great tips and videos!

~Charity

The post Easy Valentine’s Day Party Ideas appeared first on Organized Classroom.

First up, I saw these super cute Valentine’s Day dice in the Target Dollar Spot {where else?}.

Now, print your freebie file below, which includes creating 2-digit, 3-digit, and 4-digit numbers.  It also includes a page for each of those for creating the largest number and one for creating the smallest number.

You might also enjoy:

Math Games Bundle

6 math products that will be perfect for students in grades K-6!

See it HERE.

You can feel free to print off a paper for each student OR you can save some paper (and have an annual resource) by setting it up a little differently:

1.  Run several sets of each page on white cardstock and laminate.  Use a dry erase marker to play.

2.  Place the pages inside a sheet protector.  Use a dry erase marker to play.

3.  This was my choice this go around:  I found a stack of old transparencies that I don’t need anymore. 

I grabbed one, along with a dry erase marker and eraser.  They write on and wipe off super clean and can be used for any paper! 

One quick tip:  if you don’t want the page to move when the students are writing on them, place a paper clip at the top to hold the paper and the transparency together. 

Another alternative would be to place both the transparency and the paper in a sturdy clipboard to keep it static as well.

That’s it!  Have the students break into groups randomly (or by ability level if you are differentiating) and grab their papers and dice. 

They will have fun creating numbers that are larger or smaller than one another – and will like the fun Valentine monsters in the process.

Click here to email your freebie

What kind of place value games do you play in the classroom?  We would love to hear in the comments below!

PS – if you need a way to keep the jumbo dice quiet when they are rolling, make sure to check out THIS BLOG POST.

~Charity

The post Loving A Quick Place Value Dice Freebie appeared first on Organized Classroom.

How to Use Your Calendar Pieces:

Here’s a quick list for using your shiny new free printable pieces that includes a February Header, Numbers 1-29, and an extra blank piece to write whatever you like on it.

1. The obvious:  As inserts in your classroom wall calendar
2. Students can play “War” with the cards
3. Pick a number of the day and have students share different ways to “say” it (for example 25 could be 20+5, 10+5+5+5, 5×5, XXV, tally marks, word form, etc.)
4. At a math center, have the student pick 2 cards and make a story problem using those 2 numbers – along with the correct answer
5. At a spelling center, have students spell out the numbers in word form
6. Students could use the cards and put them in alphabetical order by their word form
7. Play a math game where the small group turns over 3 cards and works to put them in place value order to see if they can make the highest number from the cards they pulled (example:  2,7,1 = 721).  And the lowest (example:  127)
8. Have the students place the cards in a calendar pocket chart and check for accuracy

I am sure there are tons more ideas, but those were just a few from the top of my head.

Enjoy your free handout – make sure to grab it below.

I would love to hear how you could use it in your classroom too!

Feel free to leave me a comment below to add to our list.

~Charity

The post February Lovely Calendar Pieces Freebie appeared first on Organized Classroom.

My freebie is February Journal Prompts!  Perfect for the grade 2-5 classroom! 

Either print off the pages, and display under an overhead/document camera, or import to an interactive whiteboard!

Great for morning work, those few extra minutes of writing, or as a center.  Include some discussions in partners for some classbuilding exercises! 

The list is endless!  Each page is already labeled with the date so they can be used from year to year!

You might want to check out:

Need some new ideas for hosting successful classroom celebrations?  This 416 page digital book has you covered! Includes 61 ad-free articles from Organized Classroom, including holidays such as:

• Groundhog Day
• Winter
• Black History
• Valentines Day
• St. Patricks Day
• Earth Day
• Spring
• Mothers Day
• Memorial Day
• Summer
• Independence Day
• Fall
• Halloween
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas

…and even more!

Now available in our Shop!  And the second copy to share with a friend is half price!

See it HERE.

Have fun and enjoy! What would you use this resource for in your classroom? We would love to hear your ideas in a comment below.

~Charity

The post Love Is Writing appeared first on Organized Classroom.

Our guest post from Colleen today has some great ideas for your next Valentine’s Day celebration!

Happy to be back here at the OCB… Since everyone loves a freebie, I thought I would stick with that theme and keep them coming. Starting with this post!

Hey, I just want you to smile (let’s see if these printables will do the trick…) and feel like you can check a few things off your to-do list.

I figured I would share two “lovely” printables with you that should come in handy in the lovely month of February and Valentines.

They both involve some yummy treats! They should make life a little easier for you too.

You might want to check out:

Need some new ideas for hosting successful classroom celebrations?  This 416 page digital book has you covered! Includes 61 ad-free articles from Organized Classroom, including holidays such as:

• Groundhog Day
• Winter
• Black History
• Valentines Day
• St. Patricks Day
• Earth Day
• Spring
• Mothers Day
• Memorial Day
• Summer
• Independence Day
• Fall
• Halloween
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas

…and even more!

Now available in our Shop!  And the second copy to share with a friend is half price!

See it HERE.

Sweethearts Having Fun with Sweet-Tarts

The first is a student activity.  Click HERE to grab the printable worksheet shown below.

You will need the printable and a large pack of Sweethearts Sweet-tarts.

You can get the valentine packs that come in a large bag with 44 pouches inside. You will need to give each student two packs.

Another option is a box of conversation candy hearts.

Have them open the packs and lay them on the given printable to form a graph. You can choose to have them color in the data on the blank graph if you prefer.  Then the students answer questions about their bags of candy.

Finally they compare their graphs with another classmate! Lots of fun with Valentine math and reading activities going on for elementary students.

Now, if you teach Kindergarten or preschool, perhaps you need a slight modification in your activity choice.  Here are a couple options:

1. Download these FREE printable hearts
2. Cut out and laminate.  Place in a clear plastic jar.  Even a baggie would work.
3. Then, ask students to guess how many hearts are in the jar.  On the day of your classroom party, announce how many hearts are in the jar answer and award a small prize to the student would guessed the closest.
4. After that, remove the hearts and pass out a handful to each child.  Have the children see if they can match to another partner.
5. Or allow them to explore patterns in the hearts they were given.

Lots of fun choices for students of all ages!

Teacher Valentine Printables

Here is a cute valentine that the teacher can give to the students.

All you will need is the printable and mini M&M’s. Print on cardstock and cut out. Fold in the middle.

Place the M&M’s inside and you are done!

Ta-da, you have a great treat for your class!

You can even write a personal note inside. Click here to download this marvelous and  magnificent Valentine’s Day Treat for your students.

Now look at that, you already have a V-Day lesson planned and your Valentine’s Day treat for your students ready to go!

YOU ROCK! Did you smile?

Thanks for reading!

The post Lovely Valentines Printables appeared first on Organized Classroom.

A snowstorm locked us in for a couple days, a part on our tractor snowblower broke (we have a 100 yard driveway), and there was no milk or bread to be found in the entire county.

But – my pain is your gain as I whipped up a fun little freebie for you! Yay!

With routine comes lesson planning, and looking ahead at the calendar.  And I suddenly realized that Valentines Day is almost upon us!  Yikes! 

In the past, I have shared some fun Valentines activities for students with you, such as Easy Valentines Party Ideas,  Loving A Quick Place Value Dice Freebie, and Easy and Economical Valentines for Students. 

But this year, I wanted to focus on your TEAMIES!

If anyone should be rewarded for being there for you, usually it is your grade level team!  And if you don’t have a team, I am positive there is a staff member or two that helps you out when times get tough. 

Let’s thank those friends with a simple – and inexpensive – treat for the holiday!

You might want to check out:

Need some new ideas for staff morale in your school? This 111 page digital book has you covered!

Includes 15 articles from Organized Classroom, including topics such as:
-Work/Life Balance Tools
-Top 10 Survival Tips for New Teachers
-Several Fun (and Easy) Gifts for Your Colleagues
-Teacher Appreciation Ideas
-Staff Celebration Suggestions
…and even more!

Now available in our Shop!  And the second copy to share with a friend is half price!

See it HERE.

What could be a better gift for a colleague than pencils?!  {Don’t answer that – I know massages, alcohol, and Starbucks might play in to your answer.  But. let’s pretend you said pencils – hahahaa!}

Make a fun pencil “bouquet” by grabbing some #2s, a plain container, and some washi tape!

For this one, I simply cut triangles out of the decorative washi tape and formed them like a banner around the jar.  Toss in your pre-sharpened pencils and add a fun gift tag.  Leave on a friend’s desk before school and have fun watching her (or him) guess who the secret Valentine was all day long.

Another option?  This time I grabbed a frosted plastic cup to use as my holder.  The circles were a bit trickier.

Here’s how:

1.  Place several strips of washi tape on a sheet of wax paper.

2.  Use a scrapbook paper punch to punch out the circles

3.  Peel the wax paper backing off and apply to the container!  I have to be honest and tell you that it was tough trying to get that wax paper backing off.  Also, if you overlap the tapes a little more, they won’t come apart when you do get the backing off.  Definitely practice on something else first until you get the hang of it.

Of course, you don’t have to go this route and can make it even easier by stopping by the Target Dollar Spot and pick up a fun Valentines themed metal bucket for your pencils (I noticed them there this morning). 

I just like the personal touch of creating a little something by hand.  Even if you simply send a nice email to a team member, that in itself will be a pleasant surprise for celebrating the holiday!

Do you have something else you like to do for the staff on holidays? 

I would love to hear in the comments below and/or even post a picture on our Facebook fan page wall or use the hashtag #theocblog to show me on Instagram!

Need some cute gift tags to finish off your gift? Grab the freebie 4-pack below!

Happy Valentines to my fans – I so appreciate you more than you realize!

~Charity

The post Sweet Treats for Your Team appeared first on Organized Classroom.

As a parent, trying to find something that is not candy-related for my little one’s preK classroom can also be a challenge.  Maybe these will be helpful to us all!

They can be customized to work for your classroom’s needs! 

I created 2 different tags so you have options!

You will need the supplies below, give or take a few items depending on which tag and crayon display you decide to choose.

For the first option, I simply cut a horizontal line across the sheet of cardstock to cut off one of the tags as shown below.  One side is the gift tag, and the other includes a free homework pass!  Nothing more economical than free!

After cutting it, fold in the middle with the writing facing outwards.  Then hole punch the open side.

Use some ribbon, twine, or whatever you have that is handy to attach the Valentine to a box of crayons.

These just happen to be a box I had left over from the back to school sales, but even smaller boxes of 8 crayons would serve the same purpose if you are looking to save even more.

For the second choice, the tags are round. 

With these ones, you will need to print pages 2 and 3 of the download back to back. 

I printed mine out in both a cream color and in purple cardstock to see which I liked better.  Feel free to experiment with different colors. 

Then, I simply used a 3-inch scalloped scrapbook paper punch to cut my tags out.

Last – use a regular hole punch to place a hole near the top of the tag. 

Instead of an entire box this time, I grabbed a few crayons from the box (more savings if you choose this route) and I used curling ribbon that I had laying around after Christmas to tie around the bundle snuggly with the tag attached. 

Keep in mind that the real gift will be the homework pass on the back, and not necessarily the crayons.

Of course, if you have younger students, or are a parent, you will choose to leave off the homework pass section all together and just go with the crayons. 

You could pair them with a little Valentines themed notepad of paper and you are all set with a fun and sugar-free treat that the kids will love!

You might want to check out:

Need some new ideas for hosting successful classroom celebrations?  This 416 page digital book has you covered! Includes 61 ad-free articles from Organized Classroom, including holidays such as:

• Groundhog Day
• Winter
• Black History
• Valentines Day
• St. Patricks Day
• Earth Day
• Spring
• Mothers Day
• Memorial Day
• Summer
• Independence Day
• Fall
• Halloween
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas

…and even more!

Now available in our Shop!  And the second copy to share with a friend is half price!

See it HERE.

What else have you all come up with for inexpensive gifts for holidays for your students?  I know we would all love to hear in the comments below.  There are never enough good ideas.

Hope you love them as much as I did making them!

~Charity

The post Easy and Economical Valentines for Students appeared first on Organized Classroom.