Product Swap and a Giveaway

I LOVE blogging!  Since I started blogging, I have met some of the most amazing teachers from all over the world.  I want to share an amazing teacher and blogger with all of you.  Mandy is a special ed teacher in Canada.  She teaches children with severe physical and/or speech impairments.  Her blog is always full of wonderful ideas that are practical and helpful in the classroom.  She also creates some amazing materials that you can use in your classroom.  I hope you will check out her blog and her store.  She offers several freebies you can use in your classroom.

I had the privilege to check out her Pet Literacy Workstation Activities.  This file is amazing and I am so excited to share with you what I like about it.  First, it has everything you need to make the workstations except an envelope/folder to store it in.  Simple print out all of the pages, laminate, and cut, and you are ready to go with these workstations.  I love that she included cute title cards with the directions written in simple language.  There were 5 activities included in this file.

1.  Alphabet Match:  Students match the uppercase letter with the lowercase letter.  I love the cute fish graphics.  They are brightly colored and the kids will love the pieces.

2.  Alphabet Sort:  This is one of my favorite activities in the set.  Students take the food pieces and "feed" the animals by choosing the food with the same letters that are on the animal's cage.  There are food pieces with different letters so the students really have to look at the letters and decide if it matches or not.

3.  Feed the Pets:  This is a great activity for sorting words by word families.  Students feed the animals by giving them food with words that are from the same word family.  This workstation also has a recording sheet for the students to write the words with the correct family.  You can even laminate the recording sheet and allow the students to use markers.

4.  Alphabet Order:  Students practice letter order by putting the hamsters in the empty wheels where they belong.  

5.  Making Words:  This workstation is more difficult.  Students make words by changing the beginning sound.  Students have to read the word and decide if it is a real word.  There is also a recording sheet included.

6.  Word Wall Cards:  This would make a great display in your classroom.  Students can refer to it to help with labeling and any writing activity they may do.  Mandy also gives a great idea of making 2 copies of the words and playing games with them such as Memory.  

This set of workstations was so much fun for me, I can't wait for my kiddos to use them.  I know they will love them even more than I do!

And now for the giveaway!!!

Please check out Mandy's blog.  You will find many wonderful tips and classroom materials.  She is also sharing her opinion of one of my products on her blog.  Hop over to her blog to see what she is reviewing then come back here and leave me a comment about it.  I will select at least one (maybe more depending on number of comments!) person to receive the same product that Mandy is reviewing for FREE!  You can earn an additional chance of winning by pinning the item.  (Please leave the link to your pin in a separate comment.)  I will select the winning comment Monday morning.

Blog Mixer Linky Party

Oh the Places You'll Go with the blogs you know!  Yearn to Learn is having a seek and find Blog Mixer Linky party. Let's have some fun spotlighting each other.

In your link up find the following:

1.  A blogger who is a "New Kid on the Blog"
(Let's say someone who has blogged 2 months or less and has less than 200 followers)

2.  Post a blogger in your same grade level

3.  Post a blogger in a different grade level

4.  It's all about the button. Find a cute blog button and post it.


Here's my list:


1.  New Kid Blogger is Teacher Tam's Educational Adventures.  She just started her blog this week.  Hop over and check it out!

2.  A Special Kind of Class is also a special education teacher.  She teaches students with severe physical and/or speech disabilities. 

3.  I love From the Pond's blog. It is full of ideas to use in your classroom.  She also posts tons to teaching materials to share with other teachers.
  


4.  There are so many creative teachers out there who have designed their own buttons.  It was really hard to pick just one!  The cutest button goes to Extra Special Teaching.  (I had to pick another special ed teacher.  There aren't many of us out there!)  I do love the bright colors and the puzzle piece.  It seems like we are always picking up the pieces and putting them back together in special ed.