What better way to kick this off than to offer YOU a giveaway AND build my followers!
I just added 2 new items to my TpT store and I wanted to give you a little background about the activity that it involves!
Have you ever heard of Pokey Pins? I, in no way shape or form, invented this activity. I have simply evolved it to fit my literacy program AND also to try to get the long, lost skill of fine motoring back into the kindergarten classroom. Everyone's standards have steadily risen over the course of the last 10 years (that I have personally witnessed) and the kindergarten classroom has slowly evolved into the "new 1st grade". It is no longer focussed on the importance of social skills, cooperative learning, learning through play and developing fine motor skills. Now, they must be reading (stories) and writing (sentences) by the end of their first year of school.
So, knowing what I know about about the needs of kinders, I designed these Pokey Pin sets (originally introduced to me by 2 former student teachers who were very aware of children's developmental needs--thank you Kimberly Dean and Malinda Merrill).
Students are fascinated by the results and they LOVE doing this center. As Amy McElveen says to her students, it is just like creating your own "light bright". Your students go from this:
To this:
....simply by having students use push pins (or "pokey pins") on my activity sheets. So, they are using their hand muscles to build strength AND working on their alphabet and/or sight words required by the "program" (which happens to be Treasures for me).
There are many great advantages to this center:
*it is EASY to set up and prepare
*you need LIMITED materials
(construction paper, push pins, and an eraser to poke the pins in when not in use)
*most children LOVE this center
*it is a quiet activity that relaxes children
(in my experience, ADD and ADHD students are completely
engaged in this activity and ask for it over and over)
*it is INDEPENDENT and BENEFICIAL
- so you can pull small groups
*it is easily adapted to different skill levels
So here are my 2 NEW products I just recently posted at TpT:
This is set 2, which has a simple picture for every letter of the alphabet along with the correlating word and includes 1 center for 26 weeks of the year!
This set has 29 weeks worth of HFW that follow the kindergarten Treasures Reading Series sequence of words. However, they are common kindergarten words, so the set is appropriate for any kinder classroom.
I love this idea! Thank you so much for sharing! I blogged about you! :)
ReplyDeletehttp://allytymom.blogspot.com/
My email address is
cener@sbcglobal.net! :)
What a fabulous idea! I blogged about you
ReplyDeletehttp://gonnasetthiscircusdown.blogspot.com/2011/06/mrs-miners-kindergarten-monkey-business.html
Like I said great to see a Treasures Reading Blogger!
Glad I found you :)
luvzenkm2 at gmail dot com
Thanks so much!
Krissy,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great blog. The pokey pin idea is super. Thanks for posting it and for offering to help us get started.
Terry
CA
I commented on fb but I don't know how to "show" you that I did! LOL In 5 min. I had several of my fellow teachers comment, so I am sure you will hear from them soon!! My email is manateach24@gmail.com. If there is a problem, let me know.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a blog or facebook page & consider myself a "blog stocker". That being said, I agree with you 100% that with the new academic standards of today, we are leaving out many of the skills that students would have participated in 10 years ago. I love your push pin idea and can't wait to use it with my next class. Thank you for sharing the wonderful idea.
ReplyDeleteMy name is Retha Buente and I teach in Evansville, IN. I read about you on HeidiSongs. What a great idea! I love that we are getting fine motor skills back into Kindergarten. The kids really need those. looking forward to trying these in my classroom in August. I "liked" you on Facebook. My email is retha.buente@evsc.k12.in.us.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! I teach kindergarten and am often on the web searching for ideas, but have never seen this idea before! I have liked you on FB and shared with my colleagues. Thanks for the chance!
ReplyDeletesarah.hartland@gmail.com
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWOW :) What a fun and functional idea for fine motor development!! Thanks for sharing such a wonderful idea!!
ReplyDeletelsifferman@mckinneyisd.net
I hit "like" on facebook, nd would love a set of your pokey pin ideas!! I actually DO have a VERY OLD lite brite set in my classroom!! I have made words with the blank refill pages, but they get quite expensive!!
ReplyDeleteThis center would be GREAT for those who are "waiting patiently" for the lite brite center!! =-) Oh, I also have an electric tyewriter in my writing center that they also LOVE!! =-)
My e-mail address is noclue1122@bellsouth.net
I teach Kindergarten in Jacksonville, FL...Thanks for your WONDERFUL blog and facebook page!!!
This is an idea that I was shown a few months ago & was getting ready to create a bunch. Your sets would really help. Plus now I have a new facebook page I "like" and can get great ideas from. Thanks.
ReplyDeletemy email is mdkleier@spsmail.org, & my facebook is mdkleier, just incase you need to check likes.
I would LOVE to hve the pokey pin set!. I 'liked' you on facebook with a comment and am a follower of your blog.
ReplyDeletemy email is jeannalea@hotmail.com
Thanks for your wonderful ideas!!!
Hi!
ReplyDeleteCan I still get your freebie? I absolutely LOVE your ideas and blog!!!! I'm going to be using the Pokey Pins in my class this year! I liked you on Facebook! My nickname is ereichert. Thanks! Email address is Erin082500@aol.com. You rock!
Erin Reichert