All grown-up!

Pin It Note: I know some of my pictures aren't rotated correctly... no matter what I did they wouldn't rotate. Sorry, but tilt your head!

My niece is going to kindergarten in August. Crazy... it doesn't seem like that long ago I was holding her at the hospital or wearing pigtails.

Anyway, the other night while she was getting ready to go to bed she was showing off all of her reading skills. She was so into that she didn't want to go to bed, which of course isn't in the least a stalling technique, simply the mark of a young genius. So what does an English teacher who loves her niece and just happens to have a lot of time on her hands because her house still hasn't closed do? Make reading activities of course!

First up, my basically free "Reading Slider". First the supplies:
Paint samples in 3 colors, get the long ones
1 larger "fat" paint sample
Exacto knife
Sharpie
Scissors


1) Cut the colored paint strips in half (you don't really have to do this, but I felt guilty about taking the paint samples, so I tried to conserve).
2) Place beginning letters on one color, vowels on another, and ending consonants on a third. You can find the best letters to use by visiting sites like this.

3) Use an exacto knife to cut small slits in the "fat" sample, make sure they're large enough so you can weave your letters in. You could even laminate these pieces to make them more durable. I chose to make 4 slits so she has room to grow. Check out the pictures to get an idea of what I mean.

Level 1 - CVC Construction.

Level 2 - CCVC Construction, blending beginning sounds.

Level 3 - CVCC Construction, Blending ending sounds

Level 4 - CVVC Construction, Vowel blends

4) Teach the child how to use it to practice their mad skills.


The other project I did, the "Beginning Sound Exchange" was her favorite. It was also very budget friendly! Here are the supplies:
1) Markers
2) Word families site
3) Scissors
4) Spiral Bound Index Cards (I used these from Wal-Mart for $1.24)

1) Choose a few word families that you'd like to use and the words you would like to use. I used "an", "ap", "at", "ed", and "ip". I went with pretty simple ones for her to start with, but I also wanted to vary the ending consonant to give her more practice.

2) Give each section a heading card to keep them all separate and attach a "tab" (I used extra index card paper) to the title page. Cover the entire tab with tape to make it durable.

3) Count the number of index cards needed for the word family and make a slice 1/3 of the way through each card. Then, remove the large section from all but one card. This sounds confusing, but really isn't. Just write the beginning sound on the smaller, 1/3 portion. Only one piece should have the family's ending, like "an".

See how you can flip through the beginning letters without touching the word family part/

4) Repeat this step for all of the word families.

5) Then you can decorate/laminate the booklet. Next time, I'll reinforce the perforation to make sure it lasts.


I gave her all of the reading supplies in a decorate pencil pouch so she can have it all organized so her mom doesn't have to clean up paint samples and index cards for car trips or in the house.

I don't have a picture/video of her using it, but trust me, she was all about the "Beginning Sound Exchange" booklet. The "Reading Slider" takes a little more time and practice to figure out, and the skill is a little more advanced because she has to create the words, not just read them. Happy reading!!