LITTLE JOE CHICKAPIG Writing Craftivity {freebie!}

Hey y'all I'm back with more LITTLE JOE CHICKAPIG talk! If you read my blog post last week then you know about this "treasure" that I stumbled upon at Target. If you missed that post, then just sit back, watch this quick little video introduction and then let me tell you a little bit about it... 

Last week I found the most amazing resource for teaching young children the importance of following your dreams... LITTLE JOE CHICKAPIG: A Story About Following Your Dreams! It was released earlier this month & is sold exclusively at Target right now.  It is so stinkin' cute!! ...and that plush CHICKAPIG toy...irrisistable!!! Omigoodness!

Soooo...just what is a CHICKAPIG??? Hmmm...CHICK---A---PIG?? That's exactly what I was thinking when I spotted this thing perched up on that shelf in Target the other night. Then I opened up the book and... Ta Da!!!...my question was answered.

(image via Target website)

I LOVE LOVE  LOVE it! What a cute and unique little dude! ...the perfect character for this story. This adorable rhyming book is written by Brian Calhoun and illustrated by Pat Bradley and Brian Calhoun. In addition to being the author of this book, Brian Calhoun is also a well-respected custom guitar maker. He has apparently made guitar for famous stars, including Keith Urban, Jason Mraz & Dave Matthews just to name a few! WOW!!! He sure knows how to follow his dreams-from guitar maker to children's book author! Rock on Brian!!!

LITTLE JOE CHICKAPIG  has a very clear message that ALL children need to hear: Follow your dreams, whatever they may be. (And, as adults, I think its important for us to be reminded of this from time to time also.) As C.S. Lewis said, You are never too old to set a new goal, or to dream a new dream. Some days I'm still trying to decided what I want to be when I grow up! lol ;) As a teacher, I believe that instilling courage & confidence in my students gives them the power to accomplish anything that they set their mind to in this big 'ole world.

What message can kiddos get from this book?
1. Follow your dreams.
2. Have courage to try new things.
3. Listen to advice from your parents, teachers & other grown ups in your life.
4. Work hard.
5. Never give up.

I am so in love with this book & the message that it sends! I really wanted to find a way to extend my students' learning so I decided to create a few extension resources to compliment the story of  LITTLE JOE CHICKAPIG. I made several versions of  "Follow Your Dreams" writing prompt to match your students' writing levels. This writing craftivity can be easily differentiated for kinders, firsties or 2nd graders.

Click on the book to check out this resource!

I used the beginning writer version with my kinders.  Here is the finished work from one of my littles...

Just in case you're wondering, this kinder wrote: I want to drive a big monster truck and go to the Monster Jam. This sweet little guy has come so far with his writing this year and all he ever talks about OR writes about OR draws about is monster trucks! I was definitely not surprised to see this was his dream! So darn cute!!
This book is truly one of my favs! I highly recommend that y'all get out and make that Target run & grab yourself a copy!  And don't forget to always FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS!

P.S. Be sure to look for the little cow on each page of the book!

Big Red Barn {Pocket Chart Poem Kit}

Happy Wednesday! I just finished up this little Pocket Chart Poem Kit just in time for our farm theme next week! This poem does a great job of promoting those super important phonemic awareness skills with your kiddos! Not only does this include the pocket chart version of the poem but also poems for your poetry notebooks.

Click on the pictures to check it out!

 Poetry Notebook: glue in poem & illustrate

Check out this reproducible mini-book! My kiddos love this!

There are also a couple of sorting reproducibles included! 

Introducing... Little Joe Chickapig!

Oh my goodness y'all! Look what I found at Target tonight!!! Ahhhhh! I just can't take all the cuteness!

My kiddos wanted to go browse in the book section when we made a quick run to Target. And by quick I mean that I squeezed in time to grab a quick drink at Starbucks AND wander aimlessly through the Dollar Spot shelves AND all those cute spring purses.... well... you get the picture-it was a typical Target trip...just shopping for all the things we don't need. LOL Anyway back to this stinkin' adorable book... That CHICKAPIG stuffed animal caught my eye instantly! Ohhhhh it's just so cute but "What the heck is a Chickapig?" is what I was wondering. So I grabbed the book and mystery solved!

This is a story about following your dreams. The pictures are absolutely adorable & I know my kinders are going to love the rhyming text. I highly recommend this little treasure that I stumbled upon tonight! {*This is not a paid endorsement-I just really love this book!}
Be sure to check back soon-I've started creating a few reproducibles and writing prompts to go along with Little Joe Chickapig!

Hope you enjoy survive the rest of this full moon week! :)

What Hatches? {FREEBIE}

Happy Spring y'all! I don't know about you guys BUT I am so ready to kiss winter goodbye! My kiddos are absolutely the best but... they have been a little stir crazy lately because of all of the indoor recesses that we have had. {By the way, I am still mad at that groundhog! He was WRONG! LOL} Anyway the reason for my post today is to let you know that I've posted a little sentence writing FREEBIE for y'all to celebrate the beginning of springtime! Woohoo!! Just hop on over to my little TpT shop & download! Check it out...

Be sure to check out some of my other products like "What's Hatchin' Chick?" or "Big Chickens Writing Craftivity"! Please be sure to leave me feedback after your free download.

 Hope you love it-Happy Spring!

Lil Leprechaun Cuties [JUST UPDATED]

I'm back for one more quick post tonight to let y'all know that I've just done updated some of the graphics on my "Lil Leprechaun Cuties" writing craftivity & data collection pack. I'm super excited for that tricky little leprechaun to visit my classroom next week. If you're looking for a fun writing craftivity for your kiddos, check this out!

 [If you have already purchased this pack please head back over to my little TpT shop to download the new updated version.]

Happy Leprechaun hunting!!!

That Crazy Cat Writing Craftivity!

 Hey y'all! Just had to share a few more pics of my Read Across America Week...
These little Seussy kiddos turned out so stinkin' cute! I just love reading why the students would OR would not like that crazy cat to come to their house. One of my sweet littles wrote "Yes cuz I would say take my brother away in the Thing box." LOL

 Click on the pictures to check out everything that's included in  THAT CRAZY CAT Writing Craftivity. I would love to hear what your sweet littles have to say about that crazy cat visiting their house!

Happy Read Across America Week!