the Take Home Teacher: Havin' a BLast with BLends

Have you ever wanted to create something, but time and life got in the way?

You know, like that wreath you've been wanting to

make every Christmas since 2004.

Or that chair you thought you'd have reupholstered by now.

That's literally the story of my life.

Grand plans, but extremely delayed execution.

This is just another example of that.

I've been wanting to make this product since 2009! (don't judge)

So I bought the clipart this past summer and finally put my nose to the computer these past few weeks. A little here and a little there and TA DA...

Please let me introduce you to

{Click on image or here to buy)

This colorful, not-so-little thing (100+ pages) is packed full of games that

could take literacy centers by storm!

Six (L) blends (bl, cl, fl, gl, pl, and sl) are covered in 3 game formats:

{MEND THE BLENDS 3-PIECE PUZZLES}

{CLIPBOARD CLUE}

{BLEND MONOPOLY}

After initial instruction, these games could provide hours of practice and challenge for students to put that new learning to use.

Plus, I threw in some opportunities for extended learning through

blend creation and writing.

Since consonant blends are mostly covered in First and Second Grades, you'll find four 1st grade CCSS and six 2nd grade CCSS, in addition to one Anchor Standard. Standards are either covered directly or indirectly through game play.

Want to see these games in action, keep reading...

I gathered up some sweet friends (K-2) from my neighborhood to take these games for a spin-around-the-block. They did great and genuinely loved playing. I don't even think they knew they were practicing (L) Blends...and I didn't break it to them either.

We started with the Mend the Blend 3-Piece Puzzles.

There are 12 self-correcting puzzles per blend (72 total).

For the sake of time, I only provided the BL blend puzzles.

These are simple cut, laminate, & cut again.

Just spread these bad-boys out and let the kids reassemble.

This little cutie was great at recognizing the self-correcting designs.

Additionally, the 5 other blend puzzles are varying colors to help students correctly assemble puzzles if multiple blends are played at the same time.

See how blueberries and blackboard have slightly different shaped pieces?

To add an extra layer of extension or challenge, have your students fill out the My Mended Blends Puzzle sheet. You can have students simply list the words in the appropriate blend category. Or bump up the difficulty by having them put words in ABC order under each blend category.

Additionally, if you're looking to really challenge your kiddos, print off a few blank templates and have students create their own blend words and pictures to add to the game.

Moving on. . .

Clipboard Clue requires students to carefully listen to 3 hints and make logical guesses about what blend word is being described. Blend picture cards can help students narrow down choices, but difficulty can be added by removing them from the game.

An answer sheet is provided in case blend picture cards are removed from game-play or if students are not in agreement on what is being described. Colors coordinate with the clipboard colors for ease of finding answers.

To start the game, blend picture cards are shuffled and divided equally among all players. A student-reader selects a Clipboard Clue card from the top of the downward-facing pile.

He/she reads the 3 clues aloud to the group.

Students use the inferences to guess which blend picture card is being described. If a student has a picture that matches the clues, he/she can offer up their blend picture card.

!!!WATCH OUT!!!

Students sometimes like to jump to a conclusion before all 3 clues have been read. I had to remind these lovelies to listen to all the clues first.

If guessed correctly, a student wins the Clipboard Clue card and pairs it up with their blend picture card.

That student selects the next Clipboard Clue card.

Person with the most pairs, at the end, wins!

Great activity for individual and/or partner teams.

With 72 (12 words per blend) Clipboard Clue and blend picture card pairs, the game could last a long time!

To round out your L blend focus, give students Blend Monopoly to practice all 6 L blends! Very similar to traditional Monopoly with a few slight changes to make the game easy to play. This was a HUGE hit with everyone and if time wasn't limited, they would have played well into the night.