I'm back!! Did you miss me? (And I have a great giveaway!)

Hello, everyone!  If you are a regular reader of this blog you probably noticed that I've taken nearly three months off from writing posts.  I don't teach during the summer so there is not always a lot to write about!!  I also spend my whole summer catching up on things at home and hanging out with my two little boys.  This summer I DID spend a TON of time getting things planned for the upcoming school year........so I have a lot to share with you on that very soon.

First of all, however, I wanted to tell you about a great new website that I just became aware of called ABC Twiggles.  It was created by the founders of Kidssoup and I LOVE Kidssoup.  I have previewed their Letter A activities (which are free to download and review) and there is SO much good stuff there.  I love the fact that everything is already created and ready to be printed off and used.  I end up creating a lot of my own materials because I can't always find things formatted or made the way I like.  I really like the way they have put together their materials.  I am planning to download and print a bunch of things and I will blog about how I plan to use them in the classroom.

 

Here's the best news..........the great folks at ABC Twiggles are offering a FREE MEMBERSHIP to two of my blog readers!  Isn't that awesome?  To be eligible for this giveaway, please head over to ABC Twiggles and check out their free Letter A materials.  Then click back over here and leave me a comment telling what you like about what they have to offer.  I will accept comments until midnight on Monday, August 17th.  Then I'll randomly choose two people to receive the free memberships.  Also, if you don't win but really love their materials..........their subscription prices are VERY reasonable.  I can't wait to hear from all of you!  I've missed this blog and am excited to get going again.  Talk to you SOON!

Comments

[Julia Caywood]

Wow, I love this site. Thanks for introducing me to it. I think it's wonderful how they have split up the letters into various multi-seneory lessons. This will help provide each child with a way to "connect" with the lesson. I also love how the site includes craft ideas and file folder games for the letter. So much great information.

[Isabel Z]

It's good to have you back for I so enjoy reading your blog. After 16 years of being at home with my children I am heading back to the classroom not as a second/fifth grade teacher but as a preschool teacher in the 4 year old 5 day a week class. Even though it is not a Montessori school I believe that many of the activities that you share with us are beneficial to the students development so reading your blog inspires me. What I like about ABC Twiggles is that there is a variety of activities that not just focused on paper/pencil. I also like that everything is in one spot and convenient to use. Thanks so much for the chance and for spotlighting them.

[Valerie Miller]

I would do love to have this curriculm for my twin daughters. I love the printable book...the girls love to "read" their own little books and would love these too! Thanks for the chance to win!

[Melissa Maloof]

I love that they give you a full lesson plan for each letter. It would be perfect to add to my current preschool curriculum.

[Lindsay Pryor]

YAY! I live for your blog! ABC Twiggles looks fantastic... everything is all in one place! I love that the activities are multi-sensory- so I can use them with ALL of my kids..and share them with the special needs pre-school across the hall.

[Deanna K]

Thanks so much for the giveaway!
I have missed your postings.
It would be great to win the membership to the ABC Twiggles site! It looks like my kids could learn so much from there!

[Kenzi]

I love ABC Twiggles. I have been eyeing it since KidSoup introduced it. My favorite parts are the Letter Introduction section, the folder games, and the crafts.

[Mandy Maple]

so good to see you back! i just love your ideas of what you are doing in your classroom. i just started preschool with my daughter at home this year and the abc twiggles site looks neat. i love how they teach the letter by using your senses!

[Priscila]

I love that the program includes all the senses to teach a specific thing. With this, more kids can beneffit because it appeals to various leraning styles and not only traditioanl ones.

[jamie]

oh yay, i thought i missed the giveaway! i still headed over to see what this was all about and i love it! i am going to do pre-k with both my boys this year and i am exhausted from designing activities from scratch. i feel like i'm all over the place, clicking and printing into the wee hours night after night. i love that ABC Twiggles covers about everything I have been trying to encompass, hands-on, worksheets, writing, reading, math, science, units, everything! having it all in one place would save me so much time and frustration!

thanks for the chance to win. and thank you for coming back with all your great ideas! you really got me started with montessori last year and we love it.

[Miss Balue]

It looks great I will have to try it out for sure Thanks for the info!!!

[Liesl]

I'm glad to see that you're back. You share such inspiring activities!

I checked out the ABC Twiggles website. I've always loved the quality of the materials at kidssoup and their new website is right on par! There are so many things they do well, but my daughter has always loved the letter fun type activities (follow the capital letter A, etc.)

Kind regards,
Liesl

[kathy Hauch]

I liked that you could print the letters in different print types. I am glad you are back because I missed using your website.

[Tracey]

Oh I am so happy to see you back ... your ideas are wonderful ... welcome back!!! I took some time off from posting myself. Thank you for posting this giveaway. I appreciate having the opportunity to win ... I would love to win the subscription to ABC Twiggles. I love the animated readers and how they highlight each word as it was read aloud. I also liked the fact that they allow the children to read it on their own or have the option of it being read aloud. The animations will definitely catch the attention of my little girl and would give us something else to do on the computer together (she currently uses Starfall). I also liked that the materials were organized, multi-sensory, and colorful. Another thing that caught my attention was that they offered materials for long and short vowels. I could definitely get some use out of this subscription. They have so many activities to offer for each letter (tasting, touching, etc.). My daughter LOVES learning sign language and I think that it was a great idea to include that on the alphabet posters. I could also use the ideas when go back to teaching. Sorry I tend to go on and on.
Thank you, Tracey
tlmswt2000(at)msn(dot)com

[Shannon]

I love this site! ABC Twiggle has adorable activities! I can't wait to use them and see how you are incorporating them into your classroom.

[Eileen Chua]

Hi,
I am new to your blog and learning alot from you.
I would like to thank you for your sharing and it really benfit me alot as i intend to homeschool my daughter cos the School fees in Singapore here is pretty expensive and i can't afford to go to work as nobody is taking care of my 2nd daughter (7 months). The ABC Twiggles is very good cos it explain very clearly and easy to follow and most important is their activity are easy for me to teach my elder daughter is not complex. I hope i am one of the winner for this.

Thank you
Eileen

[Jen]

I am so glad that you are back! I love that ABC Twiggles includes more than pencil and paper activities!

[Ami]

I am sooo glad you're back. I love your site - you come up with the best ideas! I am homeschooling pre-school this year with my son. ABC Twiggles would be a great help! I like that it's not all worksheets...there are crafts, snacks, etc.

[Kelly LoTempio]

I really like this program. It would be great to use with my Daughter who has Down syndrome, because it uses so many senses to teach easy letter. Thanks for the chance to win!

[Lisa]

So glad you're back!!! Hope all is well.
Lisa,in Ct.

[Mom2Five]

I love teaching my younger children the Montessori style. I've been reading your blog for about a year and got a Kidsoup membership last year upon your recommendation. I'd love the ABC Twiggles membership. Having everything ready to go - just printing it would be so nice. ...then I can use it the same way you post about here!
I am glad you are back. I use so many of your ideas in our homeschool and co-op group. I appreciate your blog posts and this great giveaway!
Thank you!!

[PJ]

ABC Twiggles seems like a really good program and all for a great price. I love the hands-on approach and that everything is right there all figured out for you. I especially love the folder games. My kids love those.

[Lizane]

So glad that you are back! My summer home work was called "My Montessori Journey 101" and I immensely enjoyed reading all your posts. I have so many ideas that I have started my own "My Montessori Journey" folder that I can take to school for creative inspiration.I looked at the ABC Twiggles website and will definitely be incorporating the Letter A ideas into my folder. Thank you for the info!

[Kelly LoTempio]

I love how ABC Twiggles does a multi-sensory approach. My daughter has Down syndrome and the more ways to teach it the better chance she has of getting it...thanks for the chance to win!

[Karen Ford]

Just found your site. Thank you for posting all of your insights and knowledge! Very inspirational and the ABC Twiggles will be fun for us to explore!

[Giovanna]

My little boy is a very curious, hands-on learner. I love how ABC Twiggles involvs all of the senses. What a great neat idea!

[Susan Hamer]

I am very familiar with this program! I borrowed it from a friend. Never owned it. The short story cards that associate a sound coming from the letter help the children remember the letter. Then they go and make a puppet after to help reinforce the sound that "apple annie" ants say a a a a a....it's very cute and the stories are very catchy. It's very similiar to "learning letters sounds" from Letter Factory DVD from Leapster.(the video) Those letters have a sound that they say from a short little movie clip.After the lesson you can review with the students what happened when apple annie says those ants what did they say?? and your kids will run to their cubby get their puppet and say a a a a! Hope this helps!

[Tammy Garbarino]

What a thorough job of exploring the letter A and we love file folder games. We would love to win, thanks for a great giveaway and we are glad you are back.

[Leptir]

Hi Laura! I'm so glad you're back!!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE all activities from ABC Twiggles. It's great to find something like this site because here, in Croatia, we don't have much resources for teaching English language in kindergartens.
Thanks for opportunity to win the membership.

Nataša
http://leptir-mojpribor.blogspot.com/

[Terry]

I love your site and Kidsoup...I am a member because you recommended it! I also love Prekinders..it is a great site that is free. I have used a lot of their ideas. I am very "hands on" and try not to go over board on the paperwork.

[Gigi]

Yes I missed you!! I went over your old posts these summer!!
Regarding ABC Twiggles, I love the Links to Letter Themes and the Folder Games. My kids love folder games!

[Deb]

I am thrilled to see that you are back! Your site always gets my creative juices flowing! It's truly my favorite to read! I headed over to ABC Twiggles to check it out. I am always on the lookout for new resources out there. The materials would be great to print and send home with parents for additional practice at home. I also love that it isn't all worksheet type activities.

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1199218757]

Welcome back - I have missed reading your great ideas! You haven't disappointed with introducing us to this new website. It has everything that could possibly be needed to teach letters and letter sounds! Thank you again! Kentucky Deb

[LeeAnna Lutz]

Welcome back! I would love to have the summer off to plan. I love kids soup and all the wonderful things we can access from there. This ABC twiggles seems great. I will be using so many of the integrated materials and will be recommending this sight to my daughter in law for my grandbabies.

[cheryl]

ABC Twiggles is an awesome site! I feel that young preschoolers would really enjoy the activities and that it would help them to really learn their letters and sounds!

[Kori Ireland]

I LOVE this, it is very neat and well done. And the membership is extremely reasonable. I* was very surprised at that! Thanks for introducing this.

[Theresa]

I loved the site - it was full of multi-sensory activities, games, books, folder games and more that my 3 yr. old son would love! Thank you!

[Jenna Dean]

I like that they have a variety of things to choose from. Cute crafts, cute practice pages and lots of good interactive ideas!

[... and baby makes five!]

I love how straight forward the ideas are presented and so complete!

[Angela]

So glad you are back! I really liked the coloring page with the rockets and the planets! My kids are obsessed with space at the moment, so I know that will be a big hit!

[Becky]

I really enjoyed looking through the site. I was greatly impressed with the number and variety of activities. My daughter (4) enjoyed the online story.
boernerb (at)fuse (dot) net

[Molly]

I checked out the ABCtwiggles site and loved everything they offer. I especially like the sensory approach to learning about a letter. Great ideas for all kinds of learners!

[Julie]

I love how they have different activities for each letter like movement and taste!

[Sharon]

I'm glad you are back...I just get so inspired by your blog. I checked out ABC Twiggles and they certainly have done a pretty thorough job. Many of the worksheets could be printed out and laminated so they are very useable. I like the tongue twisters and the letter crafts that use the letter to make a word/picture. I really liked that they have linked online music for the songs they are using. I think that apple swan snack could be used as a practical life activity. The gross motor activities could be used outside during games times. Lots of very useful worksheets/ideas and for a very low price.

Blessings,
Sharon Spry
Tree House Preschool Daycare
Huntsville, Ontario

[Iamcimbria]

What a lot of fun activities. I think I would definitely have to be careful not to overdo the worksheets with the children but it is a great resource. I am always on the lookout for fresh new sites. Thanks so much.

[Julia]

First, welcome back! I'm looking forward to adding more Montessori inspired activites this year to my preschool program. Second...LOVE that site and love all the prewriting activites. I'm not a worksheet fan (they do have their place) and the interactive type activities are perfect for exposing the Littles to letters and their sounds.

[Jennifer]

I love the Kiddsoup website thanks for the info on the Alphabet part. I would love a free membership! Thanks for the chance to win.

[Debbie Henry]

Yes! You were greatly missed! Your blog is my favorite. I am thinking about purchasing ABC Twiggles, but maybe I will be blessed with a free membership. Thank you for the opportunity. Have a great day!!!

[Elizabeth]

Wow, what an awesome website. I love how complete the activities are (especially the fact they introduce sign language as well) and the detail in the instructions. It seems like a really well organised and easy to use program.

[Amy A.]

Thanks for the great link to ABC Twiggles. They have thought of everything - songs, printables, books, etc. I can't wait to use some of these ideas in my classroom. Thanks for the chance to win a membership - very helpful for a struggling teacher.

[Valerie]

So super glad you are back! I share this site with all of my teacher friends-it is such a great resource! Loved the ABC twiggles, too!

[Marybeth]

Thanks so much for sharing about this site. The Twiggles Aa things were so complete. I loved them and I can't wait for my students to use them too.

[Christine]

I love sound booklets so the idea of a printable one for each sound is a nice convienence.

[Kim]

Thanks for sharing ABC Twiggles with me. What a great site. I checked out the Letter A materials and I love that there are so many different types of activities, not just a bunch of worksheets.

[Robin]

Hello,

First, I would like to say that I'm glad you're back!
I love kidsoup too and ABC twiggle seems great too!
I checked the A samples and it would be useful in a Montessori classroom! For example, I could use the flashcard and letter poster with miniatures objects too. I like the way, they incorporate movements and songs too, even cooking! It is a very complete program and I would be so happy to have a full access to it!

Thanks

Carine from http://lilytots.blogspot.com/

[Kristin]

I love all of the resources! So many of the items are things that I spend time creating myself. How wonderful it would be to just print, laminate and use! I see lots of possibilities for my classroom!

[ines]

Wow! What a great site..i'm already printing a couple of things...i like to make flip books that the kids can take home when introducing a sound. I'm thinking this year to intro 3 sounds a month..this site would make that kind of work easier :)

Welcome back!! You were missed :)

[Heather N]

I'm glad you are back! I am newer to your blog and have been catching up on your posts this summer. What I like best about ABC Twiggles is....everything. It is so hard to choose. It seems like they come at learning from every angle(hear, feel, taste, see, write). I know my daughter would like the mazes best. What a great idea to incorporate letter recognition and mazes! Thanks for the giveaway.

[Love and Lollipops]

So glad you are back!!

I went and checked out the ABC Twiggles and I think it's really a great resource. I love the fact that they focus on all five senses!! I also think they have a super list of crafts and activities under the different Letter Themes. All in all very nice!

[Mary]

I just visited ABC Twiggles and loved the all of the activities. I especially liked the letter A books.

[Julia Wood]

OMG! I just looked at the letter A sample materials, and I love love love their stuff. I was considering purchasing an individual version just to do the letter shaped crafts (like the capital A alligator and lower case a apple) with my 3 year old daughter at home. I would love to win a membership! I have missed your blog over the summer, but I'm glad you got to spend time with your boys. Here's hoping I'm a winner this time!!!
Julia Wood

[Eszter]

Hello, Great that you are back!
Me and my daughter like the interactive stories the best.
Eszter

[Joyful Mama]

Hi there!! I subscribe to your posts via e-mail and was THRILLED when this was delivered to my inbox just now! Earlier this week I came to visit your blog just to make sure I haven't maybe been bumped off the e-mail list by mistake - I have really been missing your wonderful ideas. So glad to hear you have had a great summer with your boys and I look forward to see all you have planned for the new school year! (of course, it is still winter here in the Southern hemisphere and our academic calender also runs from mid-January to early December, so we're slightly out of sync!)But welcome back and thanks for making my day!

[Rhonda Turner]

I looked at the ABC Twiggles last time I was on Kidsoup. Love the things they have for us! Thanks for the chance:) And have a great year-we are ready to kick ours off next Monday!

[Judy B]

First, welcome back! Second, Twiggles is just a great name. I was kind of amazed at the amount of material for just the letter A. We're almost to the preschool stage and would definitely make good use of a subscription!

[Helda montero]

What a great site! I especially like that the many activities offer something for all my children who are different ages. Thanks for the giveaway.

[Giselle]

ABC twiggles is a great idea! I really enjoyed the preview of the letter A. I appreciate the variety of materials. It is wonderful to have options to choose from. I found the site easy to get around and attractive. I am teaching our 5th child preschool now. I am having to recreate materials as it has been almost ten years since we had a preschooler. Thanks for your blog!

[Lois Tschaepe]

I belong to Kidssoup and can't say enough about their materials! I'm DEFINITELY interested in the ABC Twiggles. I'm going to start working with my triplet grandsons this Fall, and I think this would be the perfect program.

[Amanda]

I like how for the writing portion of the program they have something for every level - from pre-writing to tracing to full word practice sheets. Plus if it is from Kidssoup - its gotta' be good!

[Heather]

I like the full range of sensory experiences for the letter A: sight, touch, taste, etc. The worksheet with the rocket and planets with different letters looks fun!

[Mari-Ann]

YES, I missed you!! Welcome back! I can't wait to see what you have to share.

Just took a look at ABC Twiggles and oh boy, you weren't kidding! What a lot of wonderful information.

I especially like the sensory section - "Hear the Letter", "Feel the Letter", and "Taste the Letter". So many creative ideas for creating things on a budget.

Thanks for such a great giveaway!

Warmly,
Mari-Ann
Counting Coconuts

[Clea]

Wow! What a great tool. Thanks for introducing me it! I love the fact that they incorporate so much to reach each individual learner. Using sign language with the latter chants is a fun way to learn!

[Maureen]

Great product! I like how many different ways ABC Twiggles has to teach the writing of each letter - not just one sheet of tracing, but multiple, interesting sheets.

[Joy]

They look like a great site!

[Jocelyn]

*I like their tactile letter suggestions.
jocelyn!

[megan]

I love this! I checked out all the Letter A stuff and was very impressed. I thought that it was well organized and incredibly thorough. I really liked how they used the same characters throughout to represent the letter. I also liked how they were illustrated in a fun manner. The fact there are so many printables grabbed me, but I really liked the interactivity in the audible section. I feel like I wouldn't need to go to the store and buy all kinds of activity books...everything would be right here and it would all relate to each other!

[Teresa A.]

I am so glad you are back! I hope your summer was refreshing. What a great website! I have a kidssoup membership because of you and I think this new ABC twiggles is a fantastic addition. Thanks for sharing!

[Victoria]

Really glad to see you back! I was a bit worried when you disappeared...but then I'm down in NZ and we have winter here so the summer holidays didn't even occur to me...even after spending the 12 previous years of my life in the UK..

Vic

[heather]

Welcome back!

Thanks for the great site intro. I teach ESL and we teach a lot of letter recognition before we start writing so I love the twiggles materials for the variety of non-writing worksheets.

[Molly]

I'm glad you're back, I love your blog!

I checked out the site, and am really enthusiastic about the multi-sensory approach. I'm not sure why it never occurred to me to include the ASL in beginning sound study, but I'm glad they included it. It seems like a really good way to bridge the ideas that the letter name A, the lower and upper case a, the short a sound, and the long a sound are all related. The activities look good, and I really like the inclusion of a folder game with each.

[Miriam]

Welcome back! That is a cute website. My girls are getting more into letters and writing. The A activities with apples really fit into our work this month because we are heading into Rosh Hashanah and apples feature prominently. I also like that the ASL alphabet is included.

[pia]

PS I was wondering where you've been. I love reading your blog and our school has summer school...always looking for inspiration. Good to have you back!

[pia]

I really liked how the letter A is introduced. ABC Twiggles makes activities for almost all our senses and there are different activities for different learning styles. The sense of taste was fun for me. I'm trying to picture the other letters of the alphabet using taste. B butterscotch, C caramel, D doughnuts...yum!

[sue]

WOW it looks awesome. I look that everything is in one spot and that the printables like the file folder are in color. It's just so organized and when you teaching you have to be organized.

[Chasingmarcus.blogspot.com]

I like that everything from feeling the letter to seeing it and tasting it is included for you. I think the computerized readers would be fun for my daughter and I like the movement cards as well.

chasingmarcus (@) gmail (dot) com

[Erica]

My favorites are the finding the letter worksheets. I like that both handwriting fonts are included and that the overall approach is multisensory, bold, vivid, and many different levels are included. The site appears easy to navigate.

[Chelsea]

Welcome back! ABC Twiggles seems like a GREAT site - I like how they have extensive suggestions for each activity. Not to mention the variety of activities for each letter all in one place! I would love to win the free membership!

[Sunshine Mama]

I love how easy it is to understand, and that my 5 yo son would probably enjoy it just as much as my 3 yo daughter! Thanks for the chance!

sunshine-mama (at) live (dot) ca