Trade and Grade - Free-For-All

It’s Free-For-All time again! 

This is the third month that I have been participating in the Free-For-All with Amanda from The Primary Gal and each month she gets more and more creative!  This month is called “Trade and Grade”.  We got to team up with another AMAZING teacher-author and use one of their products in our classroom and then blog about it.  A piece of the pack will be free for the weekend!!

I was SUPER LUCKY to team up with Emily from Emmy Mac’s Shop.  She is an AMAZING teacher with a similar teaching style to mine.  I decided to try out one of her sight words games – Squish the Bug.  She has a first grade version and a second grade version.  We played both the first and the second grade version, since my firsties are now second graders in- training!  The first grade version would be perfect anytime of the year - GREAT and FUN way to practice FLUENCY!  The grade 1 version would also be appropriate for Kinders at the end of the year!  KIDS LOVE THIS GAME!

To play you need to make 2 sets of the bug cards.  I made one set on colored paper and one on white paper.  To help keep the sets of cards from getting mixed up, I copied each set on a different color of paper and I colored the bugs antennae to match the paper.  I laminated the cards for durability!  You also need to collect many fly swatters (I ended up using some spatulas, since apparently fly swatters are hard to find in FREEZING MA during a FREEZING winter!)

You spread out the colored cards on the carpet and assign a student to be the caller.  I was the caller to start, but once the kiddos got the hang of it they took turns.  I played in groups of 4 (reading groups), but the groups could be smaller (2 or 3).  Once the word is read the students try to “squish the bug” with their fly swatter!  The first kiddo to “squish the bug” collects the card and the student with the most cards at the end wins!

The kids had SO much fun with the game, but since they were running around like crazy, my action pics were either blurry or were filled with my cuties’ faces!  Take my word for it, your kiddos will LOVE this game!  Get the freebie HERE. 

 Check out Squish the Bug full version HERE. And find all of Emmy Mac’s goodies HERE. 

On another note, you should totally check out her LETTER WRITING UNIT.  She is SUPER proud of the unit and I WISH, WISH, WISH that I could have tried this one out in my room.  Unfortunately, we just started a new SUPER intensive Lucy Calkins writing program and I am feeling like there is NO time for any other writing stuff!  Try it out and let me know what you think – I want to live vicariously through you all! J 

Check my FREEBIE too – I am giving you a sneak peek of my blends games – Emmy Mac will let you know how they worked in her room!

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