Funny Pumpkin Wallpaper Screensaver

I added some sweet pumpkin goodness to my teacher home office today! 

If you have not noticed, I am rather partial to creating a space where I love to be.


I've printed and hung pennants from my printable pumpkin banner packet and made a digital wallpaper for my screens - computer and phone. 

I'd love to share this pumpkin screensaver with you. Simply download the images from google drive from the links below. Store them on your camera roll and choose them for your screen saver and/or wallpaper!

Find it over on the website page! 



{These are for your personal use only and cannot be redistributed or shared}

I am off to delight in my freshly updated space and get creative!

Have a lovely day sweet friends.

- Mel x
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Big Shape Tracing Revision

tracing worksheet freebie

Our A-Z Big Shape Tracing packet has doubled in size. This favorite now offers two tracing picture pages for every letter of the alphabet!

Making, tracing and creating big shapes should always come before the fine work of letter writing. 

Our printables will help your transition from big arm movement activities like:
  • painting on a wall with water
  • creating big chalk drawings on the pavement
  • giant easel painting
to letter writing, through 2 transitional steps - 
  1. tracing big shapes on paper 
  2. learning pattern lines to help with letter formation.
Ask your learners to trace the dark dashed line of the big shape first and then the internal pattern lines. Perhaps they could use a different color for each.


A to Z Big Shape Tracing From the Pond

In the newly revised version, I've included a page that you can use to turn your worksheets into a work-booklet. Everyone loves a work-booklet - they make for wonderful memories to flip back through in a few years time!

Tracing for Kindergarten
Every letter now has two pictures - for 'c' I've included cactus and carrot.
Alphabet Tracing Pictures
These pages integrate beautifully with your letter and alphabet learning too! 
Tracing Pages

My little man Sam was eager to try this activity when he spied me prepping these samples. Lucky I had anticipated this and printed 2 copies.
We used watercolours and crayon - but you could use pencils, markers or even glitter pens! 

tracing and painting
This pumpkin page is a free sample over on a past blog post.
big shape tracing worksheets
Students can color the title letters or trace in them for writing practice.
Handwriting Patterns
The pages completed with bright paint or pencils will make for a beautiful display of student work too.
Tracing Pages

Hop over to our TpT store to find this pumpkin page FREE!

Fall Match - an Alphabet Game

Hop over to my TpT store to find this printable alphabet game that also helps visual discrimination!


It is a game or center ideal for a small group or pair of players.

Students take a game mat and look at the pictures and letters. They find cards that match and place them over the top.


Alternatively, students could take turns to see which player finishes their board first.


Lots of great learning fun! 

This game is perfect to play when your students are first learning to read and need visual discrimination practice.

alphabet game


Free Fall Match Activity Page

I'd love to share this activity page with you today. Have your students 
  • look at the picture in the box to the left, 
  • ask them to look at each picture across the line left to righ
  • ask them to find the match and circle it
  • after, they can color all the pictures
It's here in Google Drive for you!



Thank you so much for stopping by today friends, find more resources for autumn/fall HERE and more activities for visual discrimination HERE.

Printable Bulletin Board Letters

We want to help you make your bulletin board, hallway and classroom displays easier to create with some versatile printable classroom letters.



Use this set of cute printable letters and numbers to DIY any classroom display - you can even involve your creative little learners by having them color, paint or crayon them. Use them any time of year on any bulletin board.

What is included in this printable bulletin board letter set?

  • upper and lower case letters A-Z
  • numbers 0-9
Printable Bright Bulletin Board Letters For The Classroom

How to prep bulletin board letters

  • write the message you want on paper
  • identify the pages (letters) needed using our  'quick print guide'
  • print the bulletin board letters you need using white or bright paper
  • cut the letters
  • laminate if desired
  • display them using a board, line or window!
DIY Bulletin Board Letters for the Classroom

Tips and tricks for bulletin board letters

  • select 'print as image' from your printer settings
  • select 'fit to page' to make sure they fit on your chosen paper
  • store any leftover letters in an alphabet file or folder for future use
Copy Bulletin Board Letters On White Paper

Choose from our hugs range of bulletin board letters

We have a huge and growing collection of letters to choose from in our printables collection. Bright and happy letters, subtle, pastel and pretty. Letters for the traditional classroom and letters for the modern chic classroom! Especially this free set of lettering for the classroom that can be printed on any color paper that fits with your existing class theme or decor. 

Browse our collection on our category page on the website!

Free Classroom Letters for Boards

Download your free printable bulletin board letters

Hop over to our TpT store to find this printable file. While you are there, be sure to follow us so you never miss a new release or special freebie.

Free Bulletin Board Letters for the Classroom

Make your bulletin boards super cute

If you just love making your displays cohesive, bright and inviting for your learners you will find our bright printable letter and number packs very useful. They are also in our TpT store, ready and waiting for your next gorgeous classroom display!



If you are looking for ideas for a welcome display for classroom doors, windows, hallways or bulletin boards, check out this post on the blog: Welcome.

Telling Time Mathtivity

telling time craft

Telling Time Math Craft

Learning how to tell the time can be a long process. Teaching it requires bucket loads of patience. My best advice is to plan for many, many lessons. And add a lot of fun!

 Combine a lesson on time {analog clock} with craft and creativity with  my clock flower mathtivity!

Flower Clock Classroom Display


They look gorgeous up on display - create a garden of time! Perhaps you may like to plan to complete this activity over several sessions so that your little learners can get your support and patience. 



This packet will provide you with template pieces to make a cute 'flower clock' to help your students explore and understand the hour and minute hand.


They will draw the numbers on the clock and create a time to record on the leaves.  

A 'completed' clock face is provided should you wish to omit the cut and glue component. 

These pieces can be printed on color paper, or print them on white paper and ask your students to shade them



Find the printable pages for this activity (which makes a pretty amazing bulletin board display) over in my TpT store!

More Ideas for Telling Time

If you're looking for more ideas for helping students learn to tell the time, take a peek at these:

No prep ideas for learning about time

  • ask students to compare an hour in the classroom to an hour at break/play - make a list of what they do and how they spend their time
  • make a list of things that take an hour to complete
  • set an alarm for an hour, ask students to raise their hand or signal when they think the hour is up
  • make a class book of drawings or sentences of familiar events and experiences that take an hour
  • complete a class activity that takes an hour
  • talk about things that take longer than an hour

Alphabet Directed Drawing


We love directed drawing and our very popular Alphabet Directed Drawing will help you integrate 'alphabet' and letter themed learning with writing and art.

Updated Packet

Our Alphabet Directed Drawing packet has doubled in size and value!


Why Directed Drawing?

Directed drawing allows young students to feel successful on their journey learning to draw and helps to motivate their writing.
Quite often teaching children to draw will be a springboard to enthusiastic attempts to write and engage in more paper based communication.

What is included in our packets

For each drawing in our directed drawing packets, you can select from one of 4 projects:
  1. The Classic Directed Drawing has the steps and room provided for students to simply draw, following the steps.
  2. Big Draw provides the steps on one page, and a page sized, bordered worksheet for students to create a large artwork. 
  3. Draw and Write has a blank space for students to draw (using the separate page of steps) and a few lines to write a sentence or two. 
  4. The "Read, Draw, Write" style worksheet encourages students to read the word in the word bank, follow the directed steps to draw a picture (and they may add additional drawings) and then lines are provided for students to write about their picture or the topic. In this alphabet version, the word bank is just one word.






If you pop back to this post, you can snag a free sample to try with your kiddos!

Thank you so much for stopping by - have a lovely day!

Stop! Before you Laminate...

I've been prepping some math games, centers and activities from our newly listed Numbers to 30 Ultimate Pack. I want to share some tips for you to consider the next time you have sit down to laminate.


Most of my 'print and play' games come with a few standard page types.

1. File Cover 
(not necessary to print, loaded with color)

2. Game cards and Mats 
(optimal use of color, easy-cut pieces where possible)

4. Game Instructions
(step by step, how to play the game in detail)

4. Recording or Follow-up Worksheet
(this gives your fast-finishing kids something to do while other groups are still working)

5. Cover Page
(quick overview of content and focus, minimal color)



Before you start to laminate - I suggest isolating these 3 pages:

1. Cover Page
2. Game Instructions
3. Worksheet


Place the worksheet behind the cover page and laminate back-to-back. This becomes your master copy. It is secured with the details of the activity and will not be lost. 


I suggest laminating the page as a whole and then cutting - but I know that some teachers prefer to cut first and then laminate. Where possible I use 'shared cutting lines' to minimise the cutting strokes you need to make when prepping the pieces. 


Always check the setting buttons on your laminator to make sure you have selected the temperature that is optimal for the thickness of your laminate.


I place 
  • game cards, 
  • instructions, 
  • multiple copies of the worksheet on paper
  • cover page / worksheet master copy
together in a clear plastic document wallet. The ones I use are called Compact Wallets - they do not have buttons, zippers or clasps and I can fit A LOT of them in my filing cabinet because they sit flush next to each other.


Having a little system like this makes your prep more streamlined and your teaching more organized and efficient. 




Thank you so much for stopping by today friends! Take care and happy laminating! 

- Mel x

Apple Writing Paper Printables


A few years back I shared some apple writing paper for you to use in the classroom or at home. You can utilise them in any writing activity and I've included a few styles to choose from.



You can ask your students to use pencils, crayons or markers to decorate!

Tell your students to use the darker solid line to focus the base of their letters on.

The file now includes 3 papers (originally 2) - so head over to TpT and re-download if it is still something you can use!



Thanks so much for all your support friends, I appreciate you so much!

Apple Emergent Reader

An apple themed emergent reader was added to the big bundle today!



Simply print and copy the pages in this file to create little emergent readers for your students.

Students will need to read the text on each page and then cut/glue the matching picture. 








The pictures are on a separate worksheet and students can color them, easily cut the rectangle around each picture and paste it into position on the page.

It is also in our TpT store as an individual listing. 



Find more Apple Classroom Ideas here on the blog!