Product Swap Snapshot!! {and a GIVEAWAY!!}

Happy Monday!  I have the best way to start your week!!  

It's MY first day back from Spring Break.  I'm ready to see my kindies, but BOY was it hard waking up this morning for my 7:30 a.m. meeting...

ANYWAY.... I'm so excited to have been asked to participate in the Product Swap that Kimberly over at Funky First Grade Fun is hosting!  She is celebrating a new blog design (it's suuuuper cute!!) and was so sweet to invite me to the party!  

Have you been seeing some of these bloggers sharing about the products they were able to try?  Today it's my turn!

I was so lucky to be paired with Jennifer Tice from 

Rowdy in First Grade.  

Her blog is so fun and I was excited to choose something from her TPT store that I could use with my class.  I knew right away that I wanted to review her Living and Non-living Objects pack.

We just finished a study on the Earth in our science curriculum, and after Spring Break we'll be diving into Living/Non-living.  I used some of these activities right before Spring Break to introduce our Spring study, and can't wait to use more as we work through this topic over the next several weeks.

In our last science unit, we learned what all living things need.  Jennifer included a super fun living/non-living sort in her pack.  Seriously, my students LOVED this!!

 I broke them up into pairs, copied the sorting sheets double-sided (living on one side and non-living on the other) and they worked together to complete the activity.  It was awesome to hear the discussions that took place and the science vocabulary that was being used!  A terrific formative assessment!

Most students were able to figure them all out correctly, but the mistakes allowed for some great teachable moments!

 This same activity could be used as a pre-test/post-test if done independently.

The pack also includes lots of fun riddles.  OH MY.....these were a MAJOR hit with my students!!  Some of them, I copied into this book (cover included in the pack).  We worked through a few of them together and will complete the rest over the next couple of weeks.

 These are really fun!

 This little guy included a chrysalis in his drawing....something we've never talked about in class!  Pretty sure he is now our "Butterfly Expert".  I never would have known without this activity.  I LOVE when things like that happen!

The riddles also come in sets like this.  I have these all copied and ready to go, but am saving them for later in our study.  I assembled little books (just plain white computer paper folded in half and stapled) and we'll cut these apart and glue them on the pages to create our own riddle books.  I just know that my students will love this.

Thanks so much, Jennifer, for sharing your product with me!  My students have loved these fun activities!  I can't wait to use the rest of them as we move through our Living/Non-living Unit!

NOW.....the GIVEAWAY!  Kimberly has great taste, and I know that this is going to be a great prize for someone! 

She's giving away a $50 gift card to The Vintage Pearl!  Someone will have so. much. fun picking out the perfect something from here!  I hope it's one of you!!

UGH!!!  For some reason I can't get the rafflecopter to show up here.  BOO! :(
I'll keep working on it.  In the meantime, head right over to Kimberly's blog by CLICKING HERE.  You can enter it there!!

And check out the other talented bloggers from the swap too!