SWAPPIN' GOODS - IT'S MAGICAL I TELL YA

Ooooohhh goodie . . . it's that time of year again.  Time for Ms. Stanford's Magical Product Swap.  I always love getting teamed up with a new blogger each and every quarter.  It's a great way to meet people, spark new ideas, and learn about fun new products.  

CLICK HERE to check out all of the other wonderful bloggers being showcased today!

This quarter the lovely Jessica over at Mrs. Stanford's Class matched me up with Ashley Magee from First Grade Brain.  She has oodles of wonderful smart board products that I wish I could have reviewed for her.  But, alas, my school is still in the DARK AGES (we use older than old overhead projectors).  No worries though . . . I found super fun pack in her store that seemed just right for my babes - Fabulous Fairy Tales.

Well, my assumption on this ditty was correct.  My kids really enjoyed the activities we tackled from this fun collection!!  They especially loved everything that had to do with the Frog Prince.  

First, we read the tale.  I must admit that I was super surprised to learn how many of my babes hadn't heard this one . . . glad I had the opportunity to fix this "hole" in their fairy tale knowledge.  

Then, we followed it up with one of Ms. Magee's fun story maps!  We did this first one together (yes, on the dinosaur overhead).  The kids really enjoyed this activity and it proved to be a wonderful afternoon ditty.  Next week I plan on running with another tale and letting them go it alone with one of her other story maps . . . but, I digress.  

The next day, we rolled with the perfect follow up - a full on Frog Prince graphing experience.  My kids freaked out when I posed the question . . . "Would you kiss a frog??"  They all squealed and the room erupted immediately.  It was one of those classic teaching moments :)  Everyone got one of Ashley's kissy lips to decorate . . . the boys were beside themselves.  

Once we were colored and cut, we graphed our thoughts on that big smooch question - yes, no, or maybe.  The kids were hootin' and hollerin' the whole time.  SO much fun!  Although "no" was our big winner, we had 6 "yes" votes and even one "maybe" from a boy (his reasoning . . . what if he turned into money??).

Next, came the paper-pencil graph.  They did this independently.  All of my babes felt super successful when they finished.    

Because I knew my sweeties would finish up at different times, I had Ashley's fairy tale word search as my backup activity.  This was the icing on the cake. Seriously.  My fantastic crew LOVES word searches and the teamwork that transpired blew my mind.  I've seen students work in two or threes . . . but never whole tables crammed with kids.  

Clearly, this section of Ashley's pack was a HUGE hit in my classroom. Everything was super simple to prep and easy to slip into the mix.  I can't wait to try the other pieces of this collection :)  

Be sure to check out the First Grade Brain when you have a moment and tell her the "Factory" sent ya!  

Visit Ashley's BLOG
Visit Ashley's TPT SHOP

Alright, I am pre-writing this and going to click schedule now as I am off to get ready for the RB Round-Up.  It's my favorite event all year and we have company coming in an hour or so . . . Boy Howdy!  See you tomorrow with a fun little freebie.  Catch ya later.