May is here! And I have our NEW May Joke of the Day 2nd Edition ready to share with you!

May Joke of the Day 2nd Edition

Have you been following along each day as I share a different joke of the day on Facebook?

Since this is the second edition, there are all new jokes this month! You’ll find some silly summer jokes and some fun animal jokes this month. Each month, I also turn them into a printable so you can easily print them out and have the page handy all month to share with your class or family at home.

These jokes are a simple, fun way to connect with your students and make them laugh. This month we have fun jokes that are sure to make your little ones giggle and maybe get some eye rolls.

Sharing humor can foster a positive, lighthearted environment, whether at home, in the classroom, or among friends. It sets a cheerful tone for the day.

Share the jokes with your class during your morning meeting, getting ready to go to lunch, or when you are packing up for the day before you go home.

I made the joke of the day printable available to print in both color and black and white.

You can download the Mayl Joke of the Day 2nd Edition printable by clicking the green box below.

In case you missed the first edition of the Mayl Joke of the Day printable, you can find that here.

I hope your kiddos will enjoy this new set of jokes just as much as the first!

See you next time!

Jenette

The post May Joke Of the Day 2nd Edition appeared first on Primary Playground.

The end of the school year can be such a mix of emotions. Some kids are super excited to finish the school year, to do fun activities, and to have more time with family. Some kids may be sad, They’ll miss their teacher and classmates. They may feel emotional about leaving a familiar routine or classroom. And some may be anxious or nervous. They’re unsure about what the next grade will be like. Change can feel scary, especially if they don’t know their next teacher or classmates yet.

I’ve gathered my favorite books for the end of the school year, so hopefully you can find a few that you’d like to share with your class during the last couple of weeks of school that cover a lot of the feelings that they may have about the end of the school year.

Books for the End of the School Year

A Letter From Your Teacher: On the Last Day of School 

Through a letter written from the teacher’s point of view, the class is invited to reflect back on memories made, connections formed, and challenges met. The letter expresses how proud their teacher is of them, and how much they will be missed. Students will also leave on that last day knowing that their teacher is cheering them on for all of the exciting things to come in the future.

Last Day Blues

What do teachers do for summer vacation? 

Mrs. Hartwell’s students worry that their teacher will miss them while they are gone for the summer. The class comes up with a way to make sure Mrs. Hartwell won’t be too sad. But Mrs. Hartwell and the other teachers have some plans of their own.

The Smart Cookie

This cookie has never felt like a smart cookie no matter how hard she tries, especially in comparison to all the clever cupcakes and brilliant rolls in the bakery. Will a dash of creativity and a sprinkle of confidence be enough to help her learn that perfect scores and having all the answers aren’t the only ingredients for intelligence?

A great book to acknowledge how much your students have learned this year!

I also have a fun FREE printable smart cookie hat that you can have your students make after you read the book! You can grab that here.

And a snack idea along with a free printable to go along with the book here.

I Wish You More

“I Wish You More” is a collection of sweet, opposites-based wishes shared from one person to another—possibly a parent, teacher, or friend to a child. Each page offers a new wish that’s full of optimism, kindness, and love. The phrases are simple but deeply meaningful.

The Night Before Summer Vacation

This fun, rhyming picture book is a playful take on The Night Before Christmas, but instead of getting ready for Santa, a family is getting ready for their big summer trip!

The story follows a young girl as she and her family pack for their vacation. Chaos and excitement take over the night before they leave—there are sleeping bags to roll, swimsuits to pack, and even the family dog tries to sneak into the luggage!

Of course, just like in real life, something goes hilariously wrong… they accidentally leave something important behind! But in the end, they fix the problem and finally hit the road, ready for a summer full of adventure.

I Am Glad I Was Your Teacher

This is a s a heartfelt picture book that serves as a loving farewell from a teacher to their students. It’s written in a gentle, poetic voice, celebrating all the little moments shared throughout the school year—learning, laughing, growing, and even the tough stuff.

The teacher expresses how proud and grateful they are to have taught the student, recognizing how special each child is. It’s emotional, uplifting, and full of appreciation for the unique bond between teacher and student.

Our Tree Named Steve

Our Tree Named Steve is a touching story told through a letter from a father to his children, remembering a special tree—Steve—that stood in their yard. Steve wasn’t just a tree; he was part of the family’s everyday life and memories. From swinging on him to picnicking under him, Steve quietly watched the family grow. When a storm knocks Steve down, the family is sad, but they’ll always treasure the love and memories they shared with him.

This one will definitely make you tear up at the end!

Memory Jars

Memory Jars is about a young girl named Freda who loves eating her grandma’s homemade preserved blueberries. When she finds out that preserving fruit helps it last forever, she has an idea: why stop at blueberries?

Freda decides to start preserving everything she loves so she can keep it forever—her favorite cookies, special moments, even her best friend! She starts filling jars with all kinds of memories and things she doesn’t want to lose.

But as her collection grows, she begins to realize that maybe some things are special because they don’t last forever. In the end, Freda learns an important lesson about holding on to memories without trying to freeze time.

No More Pencils, No More Books, No More Teachers Dirty Looks

It’s the last day of school!

Gilbert is excited about summer vacation. First, there’s a class party, and Mrs. Byrd will give out the end-of-the-year awards. But will Gilbert even get one? Patty’s the best speller. Philip’s the best reader. What is Gilbert best at?

Miss Maple’s Seeds

What happens to seeds that don’t sprout? Fortunately, they have Miss Maple to look after them. Every year, she rescues orphan seeds, taking them to her cozy maple tree house. All winter long, she nurtures them and teaches them the ways of seeds and the paths by which they might find their new homes. And come spring, she sends them off to take root out in the wide world and to sprout into the wonderful plants she knows they’ll become. 

Weslandia

Now that school is over, Wesley needs a summer project. He’s learned that each civilization needs a staple food crop, so he decides to sow a garden and start his own — civilization, that is. He turns over a plot of earth, and plants begin to grow. They soon tower above him and bear a curious-looking fruit. As Wesley experiments, he finds that the plant will provide food, clothing, shelter, and even recreation. It isn’t long before his neighbors and classmates develop more than an idle curiosity about Wesley — and exactly how he is spending his summer vacation.

A Fine, Fine School

In the book, the principal  loves his school. He thinks it’s a “fine, fine school” with wonderful teachers, terrific students, and a lot of learning going on. He loves school so much that one day, he decides… there should be school on Saturdays!

Then he adds Sundays!
And then holidays!
And even summer vacation!

But as the school days pile up, one student, Tillie, starts to notice something important: with so much school, kids no longer have time to play, explore, or spend time with their families—or even teach their younger siblings things outside of class. So she bravely tells the principal.

And guess what? The principal listens! He realizes that learning happens in many ways, not just in classrooms, and decides to go back to regular school days. Everyone celebrates, and the school is still a fine, fine school—just with a better balance.

Mrs. Spritzer’s Garden

This is a gentle story about a caring teacher who tends to her “garden”—which is really her classroom full of students. Each year, she receives a new batch of “seeds” from the principal, and just like a gardener, she nurtures each one with love, patience, and care.

Some students grow quickly, others take more time, and each one blooms in their own special way. The story beautifully compares teaching to gardening, showing how important it is to help every child grow at their own pace.

Hope Is A Rainbow

Hope Is a Rainbow is a heartwarming picture book that explores the many shapes and feelings of hope. The story guides readers through moments of kindness, courage, joy, and love — showing how hope can shine through even in tough times.

Each page describes hope as something you can see, feel, and share—like a rainbow after a storm, a hug from a friend, or a dream you believe in. The message is simple but powerful: hope is always there, especially when we choose to look for it.

And Then Comes Summer

This book celebrates all the little signs that summer is approaching. With each page, the book paints a picture of the transition from school year to summer fun — from switching out boots for flip-flops, to hearing the jingle of the ice cream truck, to long bike rides and firefly-filled nights. A great read to transition from the end of the school year to summer.

Goodbye Spring, Hello Summer

A child takes a walk through nature, observing all the signs that spring is coming to an end and summer is beginning. As they wander through fields, forests, and neighborhoods, they greet the changing world around them, saying goodbye to cool breezes, blooming flowers, and migrating birds, and hello to warmer winds, growing vegetables, and buzzing bees. Each page highlights how plants, animals, and weather shift as one season fades and another begins.

If You Ever Want To Bring A Piano To The Beach, Don’t!

If your mom says to get ready to play at the beach, she means with a boat, a Frisbee, or a shovel. She is NOT talking about the piano. But Magnolia is a little girl with a big idea, determination, and one very heavy upright piano that, she insists, she needs to take with her. What’s the worst that can happen? In a riotous series of mishaps, Magnolia quickly learns that- not surprisingly–a piano doesn’t mix well with sand, sun, and seagulls!

I Knew You Could!

I Knew You Could! is an encouraging, rhyming picture book told by a wise little train. It offers heartfelt advice about life’s journey — the ups, the downs, the turns, and the choices we all face. With each page, the train reminds readers that they are strong, capable, and never alone.

Be You!

Be You! is a bright and inspiring picture book that encourages kids to embrace who they are and who they are becoming. Each page shares a powerful message—like “Be curious,” “Be brave,” and “Be your own work of art.” It celebrates individuality, creativity, and the beauty of being yourself.

Lizzie and the Last Day of School

Lizzie’s Last Day of School follows a young girl on her final day of first grade. She feels excited for summer but also a little sad to leave behind her classroom, teacher, and daily routine. Throughout the day, Lizzie reflects on all the things she’s learned and the fun she’s had. As a surprise, she leaves a special gift for her teacher—showing just how much the year meant to her.

Do Not Bring Your Dragon To The Last Day of School

In this hilarious story, kids are warned not to bring their dragons to the last day of school—because things might get a little wild! From disrupting classroom routines to causing chaos at the farewell party, dragons are just too big and fiery for such a special (and emotional) day. The book is full of silly rhymes, big laughs, and a sweet message about celebrating the end of the school year in the right way.

Hopefully you have been inspired with some new picture books to share with your class the last couple of weeks before the school year ends. Do you have any other favorites that you like to read to your class? Share with us below in the comments!

See you next time,

Jenette

The post Books for the End of the School Year appeared first on Primary Playground.

This Free Smart Cookie Hat is a fun activity for your students to make and wear to show what smart cookies they are! These hats are fun to make any time of the school year!

These hats would be great to make at the beginning of the school year while talking about the great new things they will be learning this school year. Or they can be made when a particular goal has been met during the year. Or they are fun to make at the end of the school year to celebrate what smart rookies they’ve become this school year!

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To Make the Smart Cookie Hat

To make the hats, have the students choose the cookie they’d like. I made one with a cookie and another with a cookie with a bow.

Have them color the hat and cut it out. Last, you’ll need to help them staple the headband strip to the hat and help measure it so it fits them. I’ve included an additional headband strip in it needs to be extended too.

You can download the smart cookie hat by clicking the green box below.

If you’re looking for some more great ideas to go along with the smart cookie theme I’ve got you covered! Have you seen the book called, The Smart Cookie?

The cookie in the story has never felt like a smart cookie no matter how hard she tries. Especially in comparison to all the clever cupcakes and brilliant rolls in the bakery. In the end, she is reminded that perfect scores and having all the answers aren’t the only ingredients for intelligence. Sometimes all you need is a sprinkle of confidence and some creativity. 

Come and check out the snack idea and grab the FREE printable to go along with the book here.

And this Smart Cookie Craft With Writing Prompts is a fun addition to the book too. It can be used both at the beginning of the school year or at the end of the year using the different writing prompts that are included.

And I also have these fun Smart Cookie Tags! Use them at the beginning of the school year at meet the teacher night, as a random surprise because the student has been working so hard, during testing, or at the end of the school year. The possibilities are endless! You can grab the smart cookie tags for FREE here.

I hope you have fun celebrating your smart cookies in your classroom!

See you next time!

Jenette

The post Free Smart Cookie Hat appeared first on Primary Playground.

Are you thinking about having a camping-themed day at the end of the school year? I’ve gathered a ton of great Camping Themed Day Ideas to make it easy to plan your day!

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this article (and most) on primary playground, does contain affiliate links that we do earn a commission off of.  clicking these links does not cost you any extra but helps our website to keep great articles and freebies like this coming your way.

Camping Themed Day Ideas

• Get your kids excited for the day by having a campfire going on the smartboard as they come in. It’ll add to the fun atmosphere throughout the day.

• Have your students bring in blankets to put over their desks to make their own tents.
• Camping Read Alouds – You can find all of our favorite camping read aloud books here.

• Bring in mini flashlights or finger flashlights for reading time in their tents.
• Set up a camping-themed center rotation as part of your day. Students can go on a camping a-z scavenger hunt, do some marshmallow math, make a fun hat to wear, work on fine motor skills, and more! Get all of the details here.

• Do a drawing project on Art For Kids Hub. Here is a great one that we love for them to draw a campfire of their own. They have a couple of other cute ones too, like drawing a tent and a camper.

• Make a s’more snack! You can make these ahead of time and put them in baggies and use our cute s’more bag toppers that you can download for free here, or have them make the snack in class and put them in cups. Perfect to snack on while reading!

• Take a nature walk.
• Set up a scavenger hunt. You could bring the items in or print out pictures for the kids to find around the classroom or even the school. You can find the printable version of the scavenger hunt here.

• Give the students a tent stem bin. Have them create a tent out of the materials that you give them.
• Play camping bingo! Great way to learn camping vocabulary!

• Sing songs around the campfire. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, The Green Grass Grew All Around and Ants Go Marching are some of our favorites. You can find them all on YouTube to sing along to as well. Here’s another fun one we like from Kidboomers too!

• Make solar oven s’mores! Lots of great tutorials for these on Pinterest.
• Set up a real tent together as a class to have a real-life lesson.
• Learning how to tie a knot is another great life lesson and why they are so important when camping.
• Make bird feeders. Again, there are a ton of great tutorials for these on Pinterest depending on how much time you want to spend on them. Search Bird Feeder Crafts For Kids. You can always do a quick version by stringing Cheerios onto pipe cleaners and hang them around the school.
• Do a would you rather camp workout! Great brain break activity to get the kids moving today. Here’s another fun version we like too!

• Make friendship bracelets! Grab some elastic string and some pony beads to make simple bracelets. Great fine motor practice while having fun!
• Math Activity – have fun measuring things with marshmallows to practice non-standard measurement. Or practice counting with these marshmallow counting mats.
• Writing Activity/Craft- Make a s’more craft and then write about them.

• Reading Activity – Read the book, A Camping Spree With Mr. Magee, and then make a fun campfire snack to go along! You can download a free fun drawing activity to go along with the book too here.

• If you need a camping movie to watch sometime during the day, The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About Camping is a great option.

• Towards the end of the day, have the students write postcards home from “camp” telling their family or friends about the things that they have done throughout the day.

Phew! Hopefully, that gives you a bunch of fun new ideas for your next camping-themed day! Let us know in the comments below if you have any other fun camping day activities that you like to do with your class!

See you next time!

Jenette

The post Camping Themed Day Ideas appeared first on Primary Playground.

Wow, it’s already time for the May Joke Of The Day! I hope you and your class have enjoyed these fun jokes all year long. I still plan to make them for June and July for our friends still in school in June and they will also be lots of fun to share with summer camp kids too!

If you’re new to the jokes, each day I share a joke on my Facebook page. I also gather them all together into a printable so you can easily share them with your class each day.

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These jokes are a simple, fun way to connect with your students and make them laugh. This month, we have some silly ocean, beach and pirate jokes sure to make your little ones giggle and maybe get some eye rolls.

Share them during your morning meeting, getting ready to go to lunch, or when you are packing up for the day before you go home.

I made the joke of the day printable available to print in both color and black and white.

You can download the May Joke Of The Day free printable by clicking the green box below.

n case you’re missed any of the other months of jokes that I’ve shared, you can find them here. 

August

September

October

November

December

January

February

March

April

Make sure to come back next month to grab the June jokes! Let me know if your kids have a favorite joke this month! 

See you next time!

Jenette

The post May Joke Of The Day appeared first on Primary Playground.

Teacher appreciation day is quickly approaching and I was looking for a new idea to give my own kids’ teachers this year. Today, I’m sharing these Teacher Appreciation Day Cookie Tags as a fun, easy, and inexpensive gift idea.

Our family has enjoyed a new cookie shop that has opened near our home a few times over the last month called Crumbl. I thought these cookies would make a perfect little gift to bring to their teachers, because who doesn’t like a great cookie?!

Teacher Appreciation Day Cookie Tags

I made two different types of tags. For the first one, the supplies you’ll need are as follows

• Download and print the printable tag
• glue stick
• scissors
• cookie box to attach the tag to

You’ll just simply download and print the cookie tag. Cut them out and use a glue stick to glue them onto the cookie box. If you don’t have a cookie shop like this with boxes, you could always buy a container of cookies from the grocery store bakery and glue the tag onto that. Any cookies are always welcome!

Option number two.

The second option is for a gift card. You’ll simply download the printable tag and use some tape to keep the gift card attached. You could always cut a couple of little slits in the paper if you’re printing on cardstock to set the gift card in as well. The gift card could be for a cookie place but definitely does not have to be. How about their favorite coffee shop? Target, amazon?

Click the green box below to download the free printable cookie gift tags.

Let me know if you decide to use these fun tags as your gift this year for your kids. I’d love to have you tag me on Instagram or share on my Facebook page here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jenette

The post Teacher Appreciation Day Cookie Tags appeared first on Primary Playground.

Raise your hand if you love cookies! I sure do, they’re my favorite! Have you ever had a cookie-themed day with your students? Today I’m sharing some Cookie Taste Test Activities you can do to bring in the science and writing for the day.

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Taste Testing and the 5 Senses – Science, Writing and Math

The first activity is we’re going to describe cookies. Grab a pack of chocolate chip cookies from the store and give one to each student. Depending on your class I made 2 different printables for this activity.

The first is they can draw and or write in the boxes to describe their cookie when tasting it. Or you can bring in the 5 senses on option 2 and have them describe their cookie using the 5 senses, writing in their answer in a sentence.

Cookie Taste Test

And our second cookie tasting activity also has 2 options.

Option 1

We’re bringing math into this one! The first option is to find out what type of cookie is the class’s favorite. This one is a great option if you can’t actually have food in the classroom.

The cookie options are chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, sugar cookies, and oatmeal cookies. You’ll have each of the students ask their classmates which cookie is their favorite.

Depending on their answer they will fill in the matching box on the graph using the correct color. In the end, they can total up the columns and write in the numbers to determine which cookie is the class favorite!

Option 2

And the second option is to pick up 3 bags of cookies from the store. You’ll want to grab a sandwich cookie, an animal cookie and a chocolate chip cookie. Start by giving each student one of each of the cookies and decide which one they like the best.

Next, you’ll have each of the students ask their classmates which cookie is their favorite. Depending on their answer they will fill in the matching box on the graph using the correct color. In the end, they can total up the columns and write in the numbers to determine which cookie is the class favorite!

Lots of great learning going on in these activities with a yummy twist!

Click the green box below to download all of these fun activities altogether.

If you’re looking for some more great cookie ideas to make it a whole cookie-themed day, we have gathered a bunch of fun ideas here.

Do you have any other fun ideas you would add? I hope you have a fantastic time with your students learning, creating special memories, and eating cookies!

See you next time!

Jenette

The post Cookie Taste Test Activities appeared first on Primary Playground.

Are you looking for a fun-themed day for the end of the school year? I’ve gathered a bunch of End Of The Year Cookie Themed Day Ideas for you to do with your class. In this post, I’m sharing a few NEW free cookie printables too! We’ll be doing taste tests and using our 5 senses!

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Taste Testing and the 5 Senses – Science, Writing and Math

Raise your hand if you love cookies! I sure do, they’re my favorite! On your cookie-themed day, you MUST do a cookie taste test activity! We are bringing in the science, writing, and math for the day with these activities.

The first activity is we’re going to describe cookies. Grab a pack of chocolate chip cookies from the store and give one to each student. Depending on your class I made 2 different printables for this activity. The first is they can draw and or write in the boxes to describe their cookie when tasting it. Or you can bring in the 5 senses on the 2 option and have them describe their cookie that way writing in their answer in a sentence.

And our second cookie tasting activity also has 2 options. We’re bringing math into this one! The first option is to pick up 3 bags of cookies from the store and do a taste test between the 3 cookies and graph the results of which cookie each student liked the best. And the second option is to find out what type of cookie is the class’s favorite. This one is a great option if you can’t actually have food in the classroom. Click here to download all of these fun activities altogether.

Books and Activities

We have some great activities to go along with some great cookie books too so let’s check it out!

First, we’ll start off with some great cookie read-alouds. We share 7 of our favorites in this blog post here.

To go along with one of our favorite books, If You Give A Mouse A Cookie, we have this fun hat for your students to make. Click here to download it for free.

Or if you want to get crafty, we have this Mouse Craft With Writing Prompts. Also perfect to go along with the book!

Did you know they also have an If You Give A Mouse Cookie tv show?! It’s super cute and has a few seasons now too. It’s free to watch on Amazon if you have Prime. Click here to check it out now.

And then we also have a literacy snack idea and free printable to go along with the book The Doorbell Rang. Click here to seethe snack idea and grab the free printable to go along with the book.

Math and Literacy Center Ideas

As part of your cookie day, why not set up a fun rotation of cookie centers! We have Milk and Cookie Counting Mats to help the students practice counting. We have Milk and Cookie Addition Mats to work on addition facts. For these, we love using Cookie Crisp cereal as the counters!

And we have out Milk and Cookie Real and Nonsense Word sort. This one is extra fun in class if you attach magnets to the back of the cookie and have them use a cookie sheet for the sorting activity!

We also have these free cookie counting puzzles to add to your center rotation too! Click here to download them for free.

Cooking Class

And last, we have our Cookie Class How To Make Chocolate Chip Cookies. Cooking class is a fun way to incorporate many different learning standards. In this pack, the students are learning writing, sequencing, retelling, life skills, and much more. It’s a great hands-on activity to get the students excited to learn. Click here to check it out now.

What other kind of cookie activity ideas do you have for your cookie-themed day? Share with us below!

See you next time!

Jenette

The post End Of The Year Cookie Themed Day Ideas appeared first on Primary Playground.

Do you need a fun idea for the last week or day of school? Your class will have a fun time playing this Free End Of The Year Classmates Bingo!

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The bingo card is full of fun questions about their classmates. Things such as someone that has two pets, someone that is left-handed to someone that is going to summer camp.

End Of The Year Classmates Bingo

I made two different versions. The first option has lines in each bingo square for the students to walk around and ask their classmates the questions.

They can fill in the classmate’s name on the line when they find someone who meets the prompt in the box. You can have them just fill in a row for bingo or you can take it further and do a fun different bingo shape or even a blackout!

The second option bingo card has only the prompt in each square. For this version, you can play as a whole class. You can ask the prompt to the whole class and have them raise their hand if it’s them.

As a class, you can see if you can fill in the entire bingo card by finding a classmate that meets each prompt. It’s such a fun community-building activity.

I’ve made each of the two versions available to print in both color and black and white.

You can download the Free End Of The Year Classmates Bingo from my TeachersPayTeachers store by clicking the green box below.

If you need another fun activity for the last day of school, I have this fun End Of School Year Scavenger Hunt! Just another fun activity to keep the kids busy during the last bit of time you have left with them.

You can click the scavenger hunt image, save it and print it for your students to do, or even put it up on the smartboard and do it as a class. If you would like the printable version of the scavenger hunt, you can find that here.

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What are some of the fun activities you like to do with your class on the last day of school?

See you next time!

Jenette

The post Free End Of The Year Classmates Bingo appeared first on Primary Playground.

Are you looking for some great picture books about camping? How about a camping theme day?! I’m sharing The Best Camping Read-Alouds with you today!

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this article (and most) on primary playground, does contain affiliate links that we do earn a commission off of.  clicking these links does not cost you any extra but helps our website to keep great articles and freebies like this coming your way.

Fatima’s Great Outdoors by Ambreen Tariq 

In this book, an immigrant family embarks on their first camping trip in the Midwest. After a not-so-great week at school, Fatima is excited to go on her first camping trip.

A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee by Chris Van Dusen

Mr. Magee and his trusty dog, Dee, are enjoying a peaceful camping trip when all of a sudden they find themselves plunging down a mountain and teetering on the edge of a huge waterfall! How will they find their way out of this slippery situation?

It’s a fun book with a lot of adventure that keeps the students engaged.

We have a fun literacy snack idea and free printable to go along with the book too! You can check it out here. The snack would work for any of these books too!

The Camping Trip by Jennifer K. Mann

Ernestine has never been camping before, but she’s sure it will be lots of fun . . . won’t it? This is a great story about a girl’s first experience with the great outdoors. This has become one of my favorite books!

In the book, Ernestine gets to make her very first s’more. Here is a great hands-on sequencing activity that you can tie into the book! Click here to check it out now.

Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping by Melanie Watt 

Scaredy Squirrel is cool with camping . . . as long as he can do it from his couch! Who wants to deal with mosquitos, dirt, and wild animals when he can experience nature on his brand-new TV?

Luckily, Scaredy’s always got a plan. And he doesn’t realize he might just explore the great outdoors along the way.

Your little learners will see Scaredy face his fears in the silliest of ways, they gain perspective and courage, empowering them to tackle their own worries with a big smile.

When We Go Camping by Margriet Ruurs

This is a wonderful calm book and relaxing book that takes you on a journey on a typical day of camping with a family. From swimming in the chilly lake, picking berries, taking a hike, to catching a fish for dinner,

While you’re reading your camping books, it’s the perfect time for your little learners to enjoy a s’more snack!

Click here to grab the free printable bag toppers and get the recipe for our s’mores snack!

Llama Llama Loves Camping by Anna Dewdney

In this book, Llama Llama and his friends go on a camping trip. Euclid is not so sure he’s going to have a good time when he realizes he won’t be able to use any fancy gadgets. This is a great book to help some of those kiddos that maybe enjoy a bit too much screen time realize there is more to life than a screen.

Oliver and Hope’s Adventure Under the Stars by Meg Cadts 

In this book, the friends spend the night discovering the beauty of Mother Nature and playing silly games that make the shadows a little less scary and the camping adventure a whole lot more fun.

The detailed illustrations allow your little learners to take a front-row seat with these friends around the campfire, have some fun, and be inspired by their limitless imagination. 

Our camping counting mats would go perfectly with this book too! Little learners can practice counting and number sense by counting stars in the night sky. Click here to check it out now.

Curious George Goes Camping by Margret Rey

Curious George books are always entertaining. Follow the mischievous monkey on a silly chain of events that will keep your little learners giggling.

Flashlight by Lizi Boyd

The inside of a tent is cozy by what is going on outside? This book using a flashlight beam to reveal that there is magic in the darkness. We just have to look for it.

Gather Round by David Covell

 A girl and her father build a campfire together to keep the cold at bay. But as they welcome passing travelers – from musicians to animals – they create a community, fostered by a crackling fire and its comforting warmth.

And after reading some or all of these camping stories, your little learners will have learned a bunch of new vocabulary words. Our camping bingo is a fun way to go back and review a bunch of the new items and vocabulary they may have learned! Click here to check it out now.

THIS ACTIVITY WORKS WELL WITH

Do you have any other fun camping books that you would add to our list? Let us know below in the comments!

See you next time!

Jenette

The post The Best Camping Read-Alouds appeared first on Primary Playground.

Are you looking for an easy, quick, and inexpensive gift idea for Mother’s Day? I am sharing how to make this Cupcake Flower Mother’s Day Craft with supplies you probably already have on hand!

THIS ACTIVITY WORKS WELL WITH

This article (and most) on primary playground, does contain affiliate links that we do earn a commission off of.  clicking these links does not cost you any extra but helps our website to keep great articles and freebies like this coming your way.

Supplies Needed Per Student

1 piece of construction paper or card stock

2 cupcake liners

Scissors, glue stick, and crayons

Smal picture of each student. – You know the extra little strip with a couple of each student’s pictures you get after picture day? These work perfectly for that!

Download and print the free pages at the bottom of the post

To Make the Cupcake Flower Craft

This Cupcake Flower Mother’s Day Craft is super simple and quick to put together. Have each student start by coloring in their leaves, stem, and Mother’s Day page and write in their name. Have them then cut out those pieces.

Next, have the students use a glue stick to glue their picture to the center of one of the cupcake liners. Next, have them use the glue stick to put glue inside the bottom of the second cupcake liner and place the liner with the picture inside, inside of the second liner, pressing down to make sure the glue holds.

Last, the students can attach all of the pieces to their construction/cardstock paper. They can choose to put the Happy Mother’s Day part above or below the flower. Encourage them to draw in more if they’d like to add and turn it into the pretty flower scene. Aren’t they cute?!

Alternative Option

This can also be used as a card too. For this option, you won’t use the Happy Mother’s Day part, you’ll just have them make the flower on the front of the card. It fits perfectly when you fold a piece of construction paper/card stock in half.

Click the green box below to download the printable stem, leaves, and Happy Mother’s Day printable.

If you’re looking for another little fun item to add to your gift, we also have our All About My Book that would be perfect! They can color and fill in all of the pages and turns into an adorable gift for moms! It includes aunts and grandma’s too! Click here to check it out now.

Or our flower bouquet is a fun way to package up a small Mother’s Day gift. These look adorable glued or taped to a lunch sack. A perfect homemade gift bag to give all your goodies to your mom! Click here to check it out now.

Do you have any fun ways that you like to celebrate Moms in your classroom? We’d love for you to share with us below!

See you next time!

Jenette

The post Cupcake Flower Mother’s Day Craft appeared first on Primary Playground.

Need a fun way to practice counting and using ten frames? I am sharing two fun activities with you today to help build these skills with this Free Printable Ten Frame Practice.

These resources work well with these activities.

The Setup

For these two activities, you’ll just need the Free Printable Ten Frame Practice download available at the bottom of this post, and you will also need some type of manipulative, pom pom, or some play-doh to use as counters. Play-doh is always a fun option as they can roll it into balls and use them to count. Below we used glass beads that we found at DollarTree.

To play

To play the first game, you will only need the larger empty ten-frame card and the bubble numbers. You will also need some type of manipulative, pom pom, or some play-doh.

Have the student choose one of the bubble numbers and then they will fill in the ten frames with the appropriate number of bubbles. This is a great way for the kids to work on counting, one-to-one correspondence, and even decomposing numbers.

The second game for the students to play is a matching game. You will need each of the smaller ten frame cards and the bubble numbers for this game.

Have the students layout each of the ten frame cards. They can then match the correct number bubble to the matching ten frames.

You can download the Free Printable Ten Frame Practice activities by clicking the green box below.

What other ways do you like to have your students practice ten frames?

See you next time!

Jenette

The post Free Printable Ten Frame Practice appeared first on Primary Playground.

It’s always nice to send your students off at the end of the school year with something small to celebrate the end of the school year. Books are always a favorite option for me. Add in a Have A Beary Good Summer Snack Bag and a Summer Reading Bingo and you’ve got yourself an inexpensive gift.

this article (and most) on primary playground, does contain affiliate links that we do earn a commission off of.  clicking these links does not cost you any extra but helps our website to keep great articles and freebies like this coming your way.

Today I’m sharing with you how to put together the Have A Beary Good Summer Snack Bags.

Supplies you’ll need

Download and print the Have A Beary Good Summer Snack Bag Topper at the bottom of this post

scissors

stapler

snack bags

Teddy Grahams individual bags or boxes depending on how many you’ll be making – I was able to make 7 bags from one box of the Teddy Grahams

To Assemble

If you’re using the individual bags of Teddy Grahams, you’ll just print off the toppers, but them out and staple them on.

If you are using boxes of Teddy Grahams, you’ll want to fill the snack bags with the Teddy Grahams. Again, I was able to get 7 bags from each box. Download, print and cut out the bag toppers and simply staple them onto the bags.

Such an easy but meaningful special treat to wish your students a happy summer!

You can download the Have A Beary Good Summer Snack Bag Topper by clicking the green box below.

What are some of your favorite end of the year gift for your students?

See you next time!

Jenette

The post Have A Beary Good Summer Snack Bag Topper appeared first on Primary Playground.

I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for more screen-free ideas. I made a whole list of ideas and turned them into a Screen-Free Bingo sheet to make it more fun!

These resources work well with this article.

Bingo cards are my jam and this one is packed full of fun ideas to keep the kids busy and learning. It has everything from working on a puzzle to building a fort. This is perfect to use during distance learning or over summer break.

The kids won’t realize it but these activities work on math and literacy skills, fine and gross motor skills, life skills, using their imagination and so much more.

This would make a great addition to your send home end of the year packets with your kiddos. I’m sure your parents will love having additional screen-free ideas to do with their kids.

You can download the Screen-Free Bingo by clicking the green box below.

Do you have any other fun screen-free ideas? We may even be able to come up with a second version!

If you’re looking for more ways to motivate kids to keep learning, we also have our Summer Reading Bingo here and our Math Bingo here.

See you next time!

Jenette

The post Screen-Free Bingo appeared first on Primary Playground.

If you’ve been around a while, you know that I love making games to help kids learn. I have a reading bingo and a summer reading bingo that I’ve shared before. So it was time for a Free Printable Math Bingo!

These resources work well with this article.

This Free Printable Math Bingo is full of fun math activities to keep your kids thinking. From making patterns to counting things around the house to playing math memory with a deck of cards.

This would make a great addition to a summer review packet to give your kids or even as part of an end of the year gift. Print out the bingo card, grab decks of cards, and a few packs of dice from the Dollar Store to make an inexpensive educational gift to give to your students.

You could even tell them that if they complete all of the items on the board over the summer and bring it back to you, you’ll give them a prize.

Click the big green box below to download the math bingo.

If your students like this math bingo, they may also like this screen-free bingo too! You can hop over and grab that one here for free.

I hope this helps those little ones learn to love math by making it fun!

See you next time!

jenette

The post Free Printable Math Bingo appeared first on Primary Playground.

Updated for 2022 for you to use!

Mother’s Day is looking a little different this year that’s for sure. I saw this and shared it this past weekend and thought it was so true!

Think about how many moms out there only get a gift from their kids because they made it at school? So I’ve made a Free Printable Mother’s Day Photo Gift that you can help make for your kids so they have something to share with their mom’s on Mother’s Day this year.

I’m sure you have some great photos of the kids throughout the school year so just simply add one in for reach student and you’re ready to send it! Pop it in the mail and the students will have something special to give to mom on Mother’s Day.

In order to add the picture, you must have PowerPoint to open and add the picture. I added in options for preschool, kindergarten, first grade, Mother’s Day 2020 Quarantine, and just a Mother’s Day. I’ve also added Mum and a blank hearts page that can be used for grandmas, aunts, foster moms, etc. It’s also in both color and black and white in case you want your students to be able to color it before they give it to their mom.

Click the green box below to download. AGAIN, you MUST have PowerPoint in order to use this.

If you’re looking for something more to send for the kids to give to their moms our All About My Book would be perfect! They can color and fill in all of the pages and turns into an adorable gift for moms! It includes aunts and grandma’s too!

You can find it here on Primary Playground and here on TeachersPayTeachers.

Or our flower bouquet would be an easy one for them too! Send them the black and white copy, have them color and cut it out. And it looks adorable glued or taped to a lunch sack. A perfect homemade gift bag to give all your goodies to your mom!

You can find it here on Primary Playground and here on TeachersPayTeachers.

I hope these help your students celebrate their moms!

See you next time!

Jenette

The post Free Printable Mother’ Day Photo Gift appeared first on Primary Playground.

Teacher appreciation day is right around the corner so I’m sharing with you a quick and easy, nacho average appreciation gift idea they will LOVE!

There are two different printables to choose from. The first one is a printable tag to print out. Simply attach it to a bag of tortilla chips and add a jar of salsa and you’re all set!

THIS ACTIVITY WORKS WELL WITH

Or take it a bit further and make it into a gift basket as we did below for our principal during principal appreciation week.

We used tortilla chips, a jar of salsa, some nacho cheese sauce, a little cactus I found at World Market Place, and a gift card to a Mexican restaurant for lunch.

The second option is to use it as a gift card holder and attach a gift card to their favorite Mexican food restaurant.

Over time I’ve gotten several different requests to add more staff options. Now you can choose to use these for teachers, principals, staff, bus drivers, room moms, school board members, administrators, secretaries, nurses, and paraprofessionals. They are all available in the same file that you can download below from my TeachersPayTeachers store. Click the green box below to grab the Nacho Average Appreciation Gift.

If you’re looking to add even more fun, we have appreciation day books that you can have your class make for your special recipient.

We have books for everyone! Check out the list below.

• Nacho Average Teacher
• Nacho Average Principal
• Nacho Average Assistant Principal
• School Social Worker
• Custodian
• Paraprofessional
• Volunteer
• Administrative Professional-Secretary
• Counselor
• Librarian
• Nurse
• School Lunch Hero
• Teachers Aide
• Student Teacher

What is your favorite way to show your appreciation for people at your school?

Thanks for stopping by!

Jenette

The post Nacho Average Appreciation Gift appeared first on Primary Playground.

Cinco de Mayo is quickly approaching so I thought I’d share a free printable Cinco de Mayo word search with you!

This article (and most) on Primary Playground, does contain affiliate links that we do earn a commission off of.  Clicking these links does not cost you any extra but helps our website to keep great articles and freebies like this coming your way.

About Cinco de Mayo

In case you’re not familiar with Cinco de Mayo, it was originally established to celebrate the victory of the Mexican army over the French at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. As with many holidays, this one has evolved over time and has now become a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage.

Books about Mexican culture

Here are some of our favorite books to help learn about this day.

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with the Mexican Hat Dance

It’s a book about students practicing the Mexican dance and trying their best not to step on the hat. The book includes an informative section about Cinco de Mayo.

Cinco De Mouse-O! (Adventures of Mouse)

This book does a great job of incorporating the traditions of Cinco de Mayo into a cute story about a mouse. The students especially love the illustrations in this book.

Cinco de Mayo (Holidays in Rhythm and Rhyme)

Cinco de Mayo, or the Fifth of May, honors an important battle fought by the Mexican army in 1862. On this day, people celebrate with Mexican food, music, and dancing. Sing along as you explore Holidays in Rhythm and Rhyme in this book.

P is for Pinata: A Mexico Alphabet

This is not necessarily a Cinco de Mayo book, but it does have many great Mexican words that are helpful in teaching more about their culture. The artwork is beautiful in this book!

After reading some of these books with the class, you may want to add in this interactive fill in the blank book about Cinco de Mayo. 

Free Printable Cinco de Mayo Word Search

After learning all about Cinco de Mayo and the Mexican culture, your students will love looking for a lot of those same words they just learned about in this Cinco de Mayo word search.

You can download the Free Printable Cinco de Mayo Word Search from my TeachersPayTeachers store below.

Do you have any fun ways to teach your students about Cinco de Mayo?

Thanks for stopping by!

Jenette

The post Free Printable Cinco de Mayo Word Search appeared first on Primary Playground.

Today I’m sharing another fun little treat idea with a free printable appreciation tag to go along with it. There are so many important people that help us each day at school and this is a great inexpensive way to let them know how much you appreciate them.

THIS ACTIVITY WORKS WELL WITH

This would work great to give to your teammates, volunteers, para’s, staff, or really anyone on campus!

Free Printable Appreciation Tag

Simply, download the appreciation tag at the bottom of the post, cut them out, and staple them onto a bag of animal crackers or cookies.

A great little pick me up for anyone!

You can download the free printable from my TeachersPayTeachers store below.

If you’re looking for even more appreciation ideas, you may like our Nacho Average Gift Tags too. You can check those out and download them here.

What is your favorite way to show people that you appreciate everything that they do?

See you next time!

Jenette

The post Free Printable Appreciation Tag appeared first on Primary Playground.

Butterflies are one of my favorite spring activities! So for this week’s Literacy Snack Butterfly Read Aloud, I’m sharing one of the books about butterflies that is part of my butterfly book study.  We are reading Velma Gratch & the way cool butterfly, by Alan Madison and Kevin Hawkes.

“It’s hard to be Velma, the littlest Gratch, entering the first grade. That’s because everyone has marvelous memories of her two older sisters, who were practically perfect first graders. Poor Velma—people can barely remember her name. But all that changes on a class trip to the magnificent Butterfly Conservatory—a place neither of her sisters has ever been. When a monarch roosts on Velma’s finger and won’t budge for days . . . well, no one will forget Velma ever again.” -amazon

Not only is this a wonderful book about butterflies, but it also is a great story about how to be different and how to stand out the right way. The illustrations are a lot of fun too!

So for our literacy snack this week, we are of course making butterflies!

THIS ACTIVITY WORKS WELL WITH

Ingredients

Each student will need

1  pretzel stick

2 thin slices of oranges

5 blueberries

Assemble

To make the butterfly, first have the students carefully cut their orange slices in half, using a plastic knife. Or you can skip this step and have all the orange slices up in half already, depending on your class ability. Next, have the students make a vertical line with their blueberries. Carefully place the orange slices next to the blueberries as the butterflies 4 wings. Last, break the pretzel stick in half and add on as the antennae.

Free Printable

While your students are enjoying their butterfly snack, I’m sharing a free printable from my butterfly book study for them to work on. The students will cut and glue the pictures in the correct order of the butterflies’ life cycle, or metamorphosis.

You can download the Literacy Snack Butterfly Read Aloud free printable from my teacherspayteachers store below.

If you enjoyed this activity, make sure to check out my butterfly book study that goes along with 4 butterfly books. It’s loaded with vocabulary, sequencing activities, centers, and games.

I hope your students enjoyed making their butterfly snacks this week!

See you next time!

Jenette

The post Literacy Snack Butterfly Read Aloud appeared first on Primary Playground.

For the end of the year, I wanted to tie in our literacy snacks that we’ve been having each week. What better way to end our series for the year than to have a secret pizza party!

This and many articles on Primary Playground contain Amazon affiliate links.  These links make shopping easier for you, don’t cost you to use them, and help us to keep these great articles like these coming your way.

So for this week’s snack, we’re reading, Secret Pizza Party by Adam Rubin.

This book is by the same author as Dragon’s Love Tacos so I’m sure you can relate that it’s a silly story all about how the raccoon wants to sneak some pizza, so he plans an elaborate secret pizza party.

So for this week’s snack, we’re having a pizza party!

Ingredients

one of two slices of pizza per student – you can ask to have the pizza cut into 10 slices instead of 8 so the slices are smaller for the students too

We officially had a end of the year pizza party! We brought in a few pizzas to surprise the kids and invited them to the secret pizza party after reading the book.

I created a free printable for the students to work on as we were getting the last couple things ready for the pizza to arrive. The students will get to draw a picture and write about what they think the raccoons favorite type of pizza is.

Click below to download the free printable from my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

It’s such a fun way to end our literacy snack time for the year. You could even have the kids work on making special pizza party decorations. I hope you and your class enjoyed all of the fun we’ve had during our literacy snack time throughout the year. We’ll be back after a summer break of the snack ideas and ready to go again with all new books and snacks at back to school time.

See you next time!

Jenette

The post Literacy Snack Idea Pizza + Free Printable appeared first on Primary Playground.

This is a great time of year to learn about the ocean and all of the fun creatures you can find there. For this week’s Literacy Snack Ocean Read Aloud we’re exploring the ocean and the creatures you can find there. We’re reading, Commotion in the Ocean, by Giles Andreae.

This is such a fun, bright and colorful book to share with the kids. Each page gives a few sentences about different creatures you can find in the ocean from octopus to sharks to jellyfish.

Speaking of jellyfish, that is our fun snack we’ll be making this week to go along with the book.

THIS ACTIVITY WORKS WELL WITH

Ingredients

each student will need

a half of a slice of an orange

2 candy eyes

half of a mozzarella cheese stick-string cheese

four blueberries

Assemble

These jellyfish will come together very quickly for the kids. Simply place the half orange slice on a napkin and add the candy eyes. Last to make the jellyfish tentacles, have the students peel apart their string cheese and add them below the orange slice.  They can add the blueberries above the jellyfish so it looks like there are little bubbles underwater.

Free Printable

While the students are enjoying their jellyfish snack, I created a free printable for them to work on. They get to go on their own ocean adventure and draw in all of the ocean creatures they’d like to see.

You can download the Literacy Snack Ocean Read Aloud free printable from my teacherspayteachers store below.

Learning about ocean animals is such a fun time in the classroom. I hope the kids enjoy the book and their jellyfish snack!

See you next time!

Jenette

The post Literacy Snack Ocean Read Aloud appeared first on Primary Playground.

this article (and most) on primary playground, does contain affiliate links that we do earn a commission off of.  clicking these links does not cost you any extra but helps our website to keep great articles and freebies like this coming your way.

The end of the school year is creeping up fast! We’re headed on our last field trip of the year this Friday. I wanted to tie in our literacy snack idea this week, so for our Literacy Snack Lion Read Aloud we’re reading, The Gingerbread Man Loose At The Zoo, by Laura Murray.

The class goes on a field trip to the zoo and they  get to solve riddles on a WILD scavenger hunt. They meet giraffes, monkeys, and even a fox. But a zoo full of critters is a tricky place for a tasty cookie—even a very fast one—and the Gingerbread Man ends up separated from his friends. He needs to solve all of the riddles to catch up with his class and help someone else who is lost.

I took a poll of the kids favorite animal at the zoo and a lion was the top choice, so that is what our snack is that we’re making this week.

THIS ACTIVITY WORKS WELL WITH

Ingredients

each student will need

1 slice of wheat bread

1 blueberry

2 candy eyes

1 cutie orange

4 pieces of shredded cheese

Optional – gingerbread cookie to go with the story. Pepperage Farms makes them year round.

1 circle cookie cutter for the class to share

Assemble

To make the lion snacks, first have the kids take turns using the cookie cutter to make a circle from their piece of bread. This will be the lions head. Next, they can peel the orange, and place it around the head as it’s hair, or mane. Add the blueberry on as his nose, the cheese as his whiskers and the candy eyes. Isn’t he cute?!

Free Printable

While the students are enjoying their snacks, I made a free printable for them to work on. I created a new little riddle that the kids can read and guess the animal like in the story. They can then draw a picture of it.

You can download the Literacy Snack Lion Read Aloud free printable from my Teachers Pay Teachers store below.

If you’re looking for another great zoo read aloud, you might like Zoo Day. You can read about it, get the snack idea and grab the printable to go along with the book here.

If you have some extra time after you return from your zoo field trip, your students will LOVE playing this zoo bingo!

And have you been using any of our scavenger hunts? Here’s a fun one for the zoo to take on your field trip with your class. Similar to in the read aloud! You can find all of the other scavenger hunts I’ve shared here.

I hope your class enjoys their lion snack!

See you next time!

Jenette

The post Literacy Snack Lion Read Aloud appeared first on Primary Playground.

One of my favorite themes to incorporate at the end of the school year is camping! We do all kinds of fun camping theme activities over a few days and at the end of the week, everyone brings in a pillow and blanket and we have a reading campout.

I made these fun free printable s’more bag toppers that say, Let’s Read S’More! to go with a fun s’more mix for the kiddos to enjoy during their reading campout.

THIS ACTIVITY WORKS WELL WITH

Ingredients

Honey graham cereal

Mini marshmallows

Chocolate chips

Snack Bags

Free printable – at the bottom of the post

Free Printable S’more Bag Topper

To make the mix, just simply put some of each of the ingredients into the bag making it into a yummy s’mores mix. Print and cut out the bag toppers, staple them on and you’re good to go!

They are a perfect snack during your reading campout, or would be a fantastic treat to send the kiddos off with on the last day of school along with a book to encourage them to read over the summer!

You can download the free printable s’more bag topper from my teacherspayteachers store by clicking the green box below.

If you’re looking for some fun camping activities to add to your week I have some fun options for you!

First, if you need some fun camping books to read while having the special s’mores snack, I’ve gathered all of my favorites here.

My kids are obsessed with bingo so we play our camping bingo every chance we get!

Making a s’more craft and writing about them is always a favorite.

Cooking class how to make a s’more is a super fun way to get in some sequencing and writing practice. Making their own paper s’mores make it even more fun!

And you can’t go wrong with the camping activities pack that covers all kinds of fun things from word search to math practice, writing, and vocabulary.

What other types of activities do you like to do for your camping-themed days?

I hope your kiddos enjoy the s’more snack mix!

See you next time!

Jenette

The post Free Printable S’more Bag Topper appeared first on Primary Playground.