Little Lamb Directed Drawing: A Simple Spring Art Lesson for Kindergarten

Spring is the perfect time for kindergarten to explore creativity with a simple, engaging, and skill-building art activity. Our Little Lamb Directed Drawing is designed for kindergarten teachers looking for a no-fuss, high-impact art lesson that blends drawing, handwriting, and early literacy. Plus, it’s just plain adorable!

Why You’ll Love This Little Lamb Drawing Activity

• Easy for Beginners – The drawing starts with a fluffy cloud shape, making it a great introduction to breaking down images into simple lines and curves.
• Handwriting & Fine Motor Fun – Instead of just coloring in the wool, students use small, controlled loopy scribbles to create texture. This technique strengthens pencil grip, encourages precision, and builds essential pre-writing skills.
• Literacy Integration – The letter L is for Little Lamb! This project naturally connects with phonics, letter formation, and word recognition. After drawing, have students brainstorm and list other L words or use the included writing pages to extend the lesson.
• Crayon Resist Magic – Want to add an extra layer of creativity? Use white crayon for the wooly loops and let students paint over with watercolors to reveal a beautiful resist effect! It’s a wonderful way to explore mixed media and get those “oohs” and “ahhs” in the classroom.

How to Use This Drawing in Your Classroom

• Morning Work or Centers – A calm, focused start to the day.
• Writing Extension – Add a sentence starter like “My little lamb is…”
• Spring or Farm Unit Art – Pair with a farm animal read-aloud for a cross-curricular lesson.
• Handwriting Warm-Up – Perfect for practicing loop strokes and grip control.

This drawing is included in our growing bundle of Directed Drawing Fun, meaning if you grab the bundle, you’ll also get future fun and creative step-by-step drawings.

Ready to bring this woolly wonder into your classroom? Find it here → Little Lamb Directed Drawing

Let’s get drawing! 🐑💛 Have you tried a directed drawing lesson with your students?

Connect with me on Facebook or Instagram and share your favorite tips!

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Directed Drawing

Owl’s Night Flight: A Fun Math Game for Fluency to 20

Owl is on a mission! As night falls, he spreads his wings and soars under the glow of the stars, searching for food. But there’s something special about these stars—they’re guiding him to stronger math skills! 

This simple and engaging math game helps students build fluency in adding 1-5 to any number without relying on counting. It’s perfect for small groups, math centers, or even a quick warm-up activity. Plus, it ties beautifully into your Math Kit play mats, or can be played with just a whiteboard!

How to Play: Owl’s Night Flight

• Choose a starting star number (anywhere from 1-120). This is Owl’s navigation point—his first star in the night sky. 🌟
• Roll a dice! 🎲 If you roll a 6, Owl scores a counter for his collection.
• If you roll a 1-5, add that number to the starting star and record the math fact. Example: If Owl starts on 16 and rolls a 3 → 16 + 3 = 19
• Keep playing to practice adding small numbers mentally—aiming to recall facts quickly without counting.

Need a little support? Use the branch frame for counting or visualize numbers in a structured way.

Math Talk & Error-Checking

Check Owl’s flight path! After students record their math facts, have them check each other’s work. Did Owl land on the correct number? If an answer doesn’t seem right, encourage discussion. "Did Owl overshoot his landing?" "Did he miscount a branch?"

Mistakes are a chance to learn—reinforcing accuracy, mental math confidence, and problem-solving.

Why This Game Works

• Builds fluency with small number additions
• Encourages mental math thinking (without always counting)
• Provides a quick-check routine for peer feedback
• Flexible for different learning environments

This whimsical yet effective math activity fits seamlessly into your Math Kit bundle resources. Whether your students are soaring like an owl or navigating their number path, they’re building the skills they need to confidently add within 20! 🦉

Try it out and let me know—how is your class making math take flight?

No Play Mats? No Problem!

This game works just as well without printed materials! Simply write a series of numbers on a whiteboard, choose a starting point, and roll the dice to add on. Same game, same fun, same learning!

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Addition, Math Kit

Fold, Create, and Play! Simple Shape Puppies for Kindergarten

Shape Puppies – A Simple & Fun Paper Folding Craft for Kindergarten

Looking for a fun and easy fine motor activity for your kindergarten class? Meet Shape Puppies—a super simple paper folding craft that helps little hands practice precision and creativity! With just two squares of colored paper, students can create adorable folded puppies while strengthening their fine motor skills and exploring shapes.

Watch the Easiest Paper Folding Steps Ever!

I've shared a quick REEL over on Instagram showing how to fold these cute puppies step by step! Here’s a breakdown of how to make them:

How to Make a Shape Puppy

• Step 1: Take a square of paper and fold it in half diagonally to make a triangle—this will be the head.
• Step 2: Fold three corners down to form floppy ears.
• Step 3: Fold the back corner up slightly to make a little chin.
• Step 4: Take a second square of paper and let students freely fold it twice to create a boxy body/tail—this is an open-ended step that encourages creativity!

That’s it! Two squares, a few simple folds, and you have an adorable puppy! 🎉

Make It Your Own!

After folding, encourage students to personalize their puppies:

• Add scrap paper spots for a fun patterned look.
• Draw eyes, a nose, and a tiny tongue.
• Give your puppy a cute name and share a story about its adventures!
• Extend the Learning with Writing Activities

After crafting their Shape Puppies, students can:

• Write a story about their new pet—where does it live? What does it love to do?
• Make a list of dog-related words (bark, leash, tail, fetch, etc.).
• Write a step-by-step procedure on how to take a dog for a walk.
• Describe their puppy using adjectives like fluffy, bouncy, or sleepy!

More Shape & Craft Activities You’ll Love!

If your students enjoyed making Shape Puppies, here are more fun activities to try:

• Cut & Paste Shape Crafts – Explore more hands-on shape fun with these easy cut-and-paste activities! Check them out here.
• Free Shape Dog Math Craft – Practice shapes and counting with this FREE printable Shape Dog activity! Grab it here!

I’d love to see your students’ Shape Puppies! Tag me on Instagram (@fromthepond)! 🐶✨

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Paper Folding Craft, pets

Build a Bunny: A Fun and Creative Shape Activity for Math Centers

Build a Bunny: A Fun and Engaging Math Center Activity for Spring!

Spring is the perfect time to bring a little extra creativity into your math centers, and our Build a Bunny Pattern Block Activity Cards are just the thing to hop into learning! This low-prep, high-engagement activity is designed to help young learners strengthen their visual-spatial skills, shape recognition, and problem-solving abilities—all while having fun with pattern blocks.

Why You’ll Love the Build a Bunny Math Activity

Fast and Easy to Prep

Teachers are busy, and this activity is ready to go in just a few steps. Simply print the pattern block task cards, laminate for durability (if desired), and set them out with pattern blocks. No complicated setup—just grab and go!

Boosts Shape and Visual-Spatial Learning

Working with pattern blocks encourages students to analyze shapes, identify patterns, and manipulate pieces to fit together. As they build their bunny, they’re developing important foundational skills in geometry and spatial awareness.

Encourages Creativity and Cooperative Learning

Beyond math skills, these bunny shape-building cards invite students to be creative! 

They can:

• Extend the design by adding their own details to the bunny.
• Use extra pattern blocks to create a background or a home for their bunny.
• Collaborate with friends and discuss strategies for completing the task.

This makes it a perfect math center activity where students can engage in math talk, explain their thinking, and work together.

Versatile for Various Learning Situations

Use these bunny-themed pattern block cards for:

• Morning activities to ease into the day with hands-on learning.
• Math centers where students can explore and problem-solve.
• Fast finisher work so students stay engaged when done with other tasks.
• Small group instruction for guided shape and spatial skill practice.

Extend the Learning with Writing and Storytelling

Once students have built their bunny, why stop there? Turn the activity into a creative writing opportunity!Ask students to write a short story about their bunny’s adventure.

• Have them describe their bunny’s home or what it eats.
• Encourage oral storytelling for younger learners—where they explain their bunny’s name and what it loves to do!
• This seamless math-to-literacy connection makes the activity even more valuable in the classroom.

Try More Pattern Block Fun!

If you love the Build a Bunny activity, you’ll enjoy exploring even more pattern block challenges! Check out our full collection of Pattern Block Activities here.

Get ready to watch creativity and math skills flourish as your students build, explore, and learn with this adorable bunny-themed activity!

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pattern blocks, Spring

Muffin Math Magic! Playful Counting & Addition with Hands-On Fun

Muffin Math Mix-Up! Playful Counting and Addition with Muffin Play Mats

Math time can be deliciously fun when you bring playful stories and hands-on activities to the table! With Muffin Math Play Mats, counting, addition, and number sense become an interactive adventure—low-prep, engaging, and perfect for small group math time.

The Power of Math Play (and Why It's So Easy!)

When math is woven into a playful context, children build confidence, problem-solving skills, and a love for numbers. The best part? Once you have a math kit set up with printable play mats, counting frames, and simple equipment like counters, dice, and dry-erase markers, you can mix and match math activities with little prep!



These Muffin Math Play Mats can be used in so many ways—counting, grouping, addition, subtraction, and more! Plus, the playful rhyme Muffin Math Mix-Up sets the stage for an engaging learning experience:

Fruit in the muffins,
And some on top.
Mix, bake, cool—
Count in __’s—don’t stop!

3 Quick & Easy Muffin Math Games

Muffin Mix & Match

• What You Need: Muffin Play Mats, fruit counters (or any small objects), and dice.
• How to Play: Roll the dice to see how many muffins get fruit toppings! Students count and match counters to the muffins on the mat, reinforcing one-to-one correspondence and counting strategies.

Skip Counting Muffins

• What You Need: Muffin Play Mats, number tiles, and a chosen skip-counting pattern (e.g., 2s, 5s, 10s).
• How to Play: Place a number in the rhyme’s blank space: “Count in 2’s—don’t stop!”
• Students skip count aloud as they add toppings to each muffin, building number fluency.

Muffin Math Café

• What You Need: Muffin Play Mats, a “menu” with different muffin orders (e.g., “2 blueberry muffins + 3 banana muffins = ?”), counters, and a recording sheet.
• How to Play: Students act as bakers, solving simple addition problems by filling muffin trays and writing equations.

Ready to Bake Up Some Math Fun?

With low-prep printable play mats, a few simple materials, and playful storytelling, math time transforms into a hands-on adventure! Grab the Muffin Math Play Mats here and watch your students mix, bake, and count their way to stronger number sense!

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Swim Together, Learn Together! A Bright & Happy Classroom Display Idea

Little Fish, Big Dreams: A Bright & Joyful Classroom Display for Community & Growth

Together, We Learn & Grow!

The magic of a kindergarten or first-grade classroom is in how students move, learn, and explore together—darting from one idea to the next, gathering in little groups, and supporting each other along the way.

That’s the inspiration behind my new Little Fish, Big Dreams Bulletin Board & Classroom Door Display! This vibrant ocean-themed set helps students see themselves as part of something bigger, while giving teachers a flexible, easy-to-use classroom decor piece that builds a welcoming, joyful space.

Why a Classroom Community Display?

A classroom isn’t just a place to learn—it’s a place to belong.

From the moment students see their name on a fish, a bubble, or a heart, they feel included and connected. And just like a school of fish, classrooms thrive when students move, grow, and learn together!

This display helps:

• Create a welcoming classroom environment from Day One.
• Celebrate every student’s name & presence in the space.
• Encourage a sense of belonging & teamwork.
• Reinforce a classroom culture of kindness, growth, and exploration.

It’s more than decoration—it’s a visual representation of togetherness!

What’s Included in This Set?

This display pack has everything you need to create a bold, beautiful focal point for your classroom.

You’ll get:

• Underwater Schoolhouse – The heart of the display! Use the large or small version to represent your classroom community.
• 12 Fish Name Tags – 6 vibrant colors, with left and right-facing fish (because not all fish should swim the same way!).
• 6 Water Bubble Name Tags – Soft blue shades to mix things up!
• 3 Heart Name Tags – Because there’s always room for a little extra heart.
• 6 Motivational Word Ovals – Splash, Grow, Explore, Shine, Learning as We Go, Learning Together!
• Customizable Word Cards & Ovals – Blank versions to write or type your own focus words.
• Heart Bubble & Seaweed Accents – Add ocean magic and movement to your display.
• Sky Elements – 2 cloud cutouts, because even an underwater school can dream of the sky!
• Letters to Spell "Little Fish, Big Dreams!" – Ready to cut and arrange OR use the pre-made word cards for a faster setup.
• Print & Personalize: Editable PowerPoint templates let you type student names & customize headers before printing, or you can print and handwrite them for a personal touch!

How to Use This Display

This set is incredibly versatile! Use it in different ways throughout the year:

• Back-to-School Classroom Welcome – Display every student’s name on a fish, bubble, or heart to greet them!
• Positive Mindset Board – Have students write a dream, goal, or word of encouragement on their fish.
• Classroom Jobs Board – Assign classroom responsibilities with name-tagged fish.
• Reading Corner Theme – Pair this display with books about teamwork, ocean life, or big dreams! (Swimmy, The Rainbow Fish, The Pout-Pout Fish).
• Birthday Board – Group students by birth month using fish & bubbles!
• Student Work Display – Let fish swim across a bulletin board showcasing their art, writing, or projects.

The modular pieces make it perfect for a door, bulletin board, learning center, cubby labels, or even folder covers!

Easy Setup – Print, Cut, Display!

Teachers have a million things to do, so this display is designed to be quick & easy!

• Print in full color OR let students color their own fish for a personal touch.
• Use tape, Velcro dots, or sticky tack for easy adjustments throughout the year.
• Arrange fish in pods or waves for movement and flow!
• Laminate pieces for long-lasting, reusable decor!

Ready to Bring This to Your Classroom?

This Little Fish, Big Dreams Bulletin Board & Classroom Display is now available in my TPT store! It’s a print-and-go, stress-free way to build classroom community while adding a splash of color and joy to your space.

Grab it here on TPT!

I’d LOVE to see how you use this in your classroom! Tag me on Instagram - @fromthepond

Here’s to a year of friendship, growth, and BIG dreams!

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Bulletin Board, Door Displays