Free App Friday Starfall

Hey there! Today is the start of free app Friday! Today's free app is Starfall. We have Starfall installed on our class set of iPads and we also go on it in the computer lab each week. There is a paid home version of it for $35 and there is also a free version. Obviously the paid version has more features, but   the free version is good, too.



App: Starfall

Standards it addresses: More like what standards doesn't it address...there are games for letters, sounds, phonics, math, colors, shapes and even easy readers.

Why I love it: The kiddos love it and are so excited when they get to play it.

Free version

Paid version

Be Better Prepared for Kindergarten!

10 Ways to Prepare Your Child for Kindergarten:

1. Read books every day.

2. Develop fine motor skills: holding a pencil, coloring, cutting with scissors.

3. Print first name with only the first letter capitalized.

4. Learn to follow 2-step instruction: “Please go get your shoes and put them on.”

5. Use good manners: “Please” and “Thank You”

6. Talk about social skills: sharing, taking turns, positive words, talking about handling anger.

7. Help you child take responsibility: clean up messes, dress themselves, open their own food containers.

8. Practice number recognition. Count objects daily.

9. Practice letter and sound recognition. Practice saying letters and sounds every day.

10. Build self-esteem. Praise your child often because kindergarten can be hard!

Prevent the "Summer Slide"

Research has shown that children who read and work on skills during the summer come back ready to learn. They do not need as much review once the new school year begins! Here are some things to help your child get ready for the first grade.

• Read for 15 minutes every day. This includes reading to your child and listening to him/her read.
• After reading a book, ask comprehension questions about the characters, setting, plot, and talk about unfamiliar words.
• Take advantage of Ekstrand’s Summer Library program on Tuesdays from 9:00 AM – 11:30 AM, visit the public library, or other school libraries.
• Keep a journal. Write for 5 minutes every day. Work on starting sentences with capital letters, ending with punctuation, spaces between words and neat printing.
• Write a letter or type an email to a friend or relative.
• Practice the 50 kindergarten sight words and begin working on the first grade sight words. Make flashcards to practice them.
• Visit a museum—Kidspace in Pasadena, Discovery Center in Santa Ana, and the Museum of Science and Industry in LA are just a few local ones.
• Play board games like Checkers, Monopoly, Clue or work on puzzles

Below you will find the summer packet I created for students going into first grade. The packet includes suggestions for things to work on each day during the summer.

Click this link to download my Summer Packet!

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