Hello to all of you out in teacher land! Could the fall months have gotten ANY busier?? Whew! My winter break, which comes to an end tomorrow, was so deserved AND so rejuvenating. Ah.
But I've been busy during break, too, so I wrote this special blog post to go with a new TPT resource Jonathan and I created... a FUN one! I fell in love with the Yeti books that I got for Christmas (surely I'm not the only teacher who finds a stack of kids books alongside a stack of grown-up books under the tree!) But I needed some classroom materials to go with them, so I made a bunch of Yeti learning cards– letter cards, word cards, and number cards– all adorned with this cute fella.
You'll want to see the cards, but first let me share my Yeti book finds.
No Yeti Yet
by Mary Ann Fraser
This one features two little brothers who set off in search of a Yeti. The big brother seems to know a lot about Yetis and is quite confident they will be able to take a photo. The little brother doesn't know what a Yeti is, so he asks a LOT of questions. Kids will enjoy finding the hidden Yeti in each picture. Do you see him below?
Needless to say the hunt doesn't go quite as big brother expects it to, and there is a fun surprise at the end. A little bit of lighthearted suspense and a very happy ending will make this Yeti book a good first read for my kidpeople... and I think it is my favorite.
Betty and the Yeti
by Ella Burfoot
This one features a little girl and her red sled. She has a habit of collecting lost things and then returning them to their rightful owners. When she finds some rather odd clothing...
...her hunt for the owner leads her to an unexpected character.... whoever heard of a Yeti in underwear? The kids will love this one, too.
Dear Yeti
by James Kwan
This book's protagonists are self described "wild, but friendly men." They, too, go off in search of the Yeti, but they do it with the help of a little bird. The text is written as letters which are delivered by the bird to the Yeti. If kids follow the little bird's path they will find the Yeti, a brown one this time, who also ends up a hero.
Spaghetti with the Yeti
by Adam & Charlotte Guillain and Lee Wildish
This book is part of the George's Amazing Adventures series in which George goes off in search of all sorts of creatures using all sorts of enticing foods. This time he is looking for a Yeti with the help of spaghetti. Unfortunately, George keeps finding the wrong sort of monster and each one suggests a different kind of food for the Yeti.
This is another silly tale illustrated with bright, bold colors that helps kids build on the Yeti lore they are collecting from their reading.
The Thing About Yetis
by Vin Vogel
I save this one for last, and will read it last to the kids, too, because it adds all sorts of interesting details to Yeti lore... even the fact that Yetis get cold and miss the summer. The illustrations are adorable and kids will enjoy knowing they have so much in common with Yetis. This one is also my favorite... a person can have more than one favorite, you know.
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| THIS is a Yeti after my own heart- snort! |
And what Yeti unit is complete without a couple of furry Yetis...
Yes, this is my collection of Yetis that the kids are going to get to know. You'll probably recognize the biggest guy as the Abominable Snowman from the classic Rudolph stop motion animated movie. I saw this Bumble years ago and he brought back such fond memories of my own childhood with those Rankin/Bass productions of winter children's movies that I had to get him. He roars when you squeeze his tummy... think I'll take the batteries out before bringing him to school. snort.
The guy next to him counterclockwise is a modern fellow available from Aurora. He is super soft and squishy. He is also quite floppy as his hands are weighted to help him sit up, I think, but the effect is nice. The little one in the box (he comes out) is part of the Yeti Rescue Kit which includes a Caregiver's Manual and adoption papers, etc.– kids get to name him, decide what he eats, etc.
And the big box in front is the game,
Yeti in my Spaghetti. It is sort of a mix of KerPlunk, Pick-Up Sticks, and Don't Break the Ice. In this version kids need to remove the plastic spaghetti noodles without letting the Yeti fall to the bottom of the bowl. That little Yeti can balance across the bowl on just two noodles if done very carefully... yes, I had to try it myself. *wink*
I very rarely put affiliate links to products I blog about, but because I just bought these in the last month I went to check prices. They are the same price, or even better than when I bought them... especially the Yulli Yeti. If you click on the buttons you can go see for yourself. Some of them are even available used if you'd like to get a better price.
I am going to launch my fun Yeti unit with the help of Bumble because most of the kids will know him from Rudolph. (It's amazing that simple show is still around entertaining kids. It has seen 53 Christmas seasons now.) I'll start with him, gather what they know, then tell some of the legends that go along with the Abominable Snowman, Big Foot and the Yeti. I think this will provide a good base for discussion of how stories are passed down, where folklore comes from, and how some people want others to believe it so much, they make up a hoax or two, or three. (Just so YOU know, any kind of "proof" that anyone has presented for a BigFoot or Yeti has been disproven.) Then we'll make up the rest of our own Yeti lore with the help of the picture books and our own imaginations. Nothing too scary, you see– just happy, imaginative fun to get us through some long cold days when we probably will miss numerous outdoor recesses if this winter stays as cold as it started.
The picture books about Yetis that I listed above can lead the creative teacher into all sorts of additional activities– writing letters to Yetis, eating Yeti foods like spaghetti and hot chocolate, even a mid-winter beach party if you are really brave. And to tie the Yeti into reading and math activities I came up with Yeti Cards.
This pack is a basic set of playing/flash cards, but what makes them special is their adorable Yeti illustrated by my hubs. Isn't he full of character with just a touch of grumpy like his creator... surely I didn't just write that!
There is a set of cards with upper and lowercase letters, a set of sight word cards with a mix of over one hundred Dolch and Fry words, and number cards 0-120 and + - and =. All together there are over 300 cards. You can use them for all the things you use such cards for- upper and lowercase matching, alphabetizing, memory and matching games, word work, number cards for playing or putting in order... you get the idea.
I included a sheet of blank cards so you can write other cards as you need them. And there is also an 8.5 x 11 full size blank Yeti to use as a sign, or a mascot, or whatever you choose.
TODAY and TOMORROW the Yeti cards will be on sale for half price! Their regular price is only two dollars, but you might as well grab them for a buck while you can. And don't forget to leave some love if you can! So appreciated! Just click on any of the Yeti card images above to see.
I am so excited about this unit I want to launch it tomorrow, but I'll show some restraint. We have a lot of snow and snowman stuff to read, write, draw and learn about for January. I'll save this guy for the week after Valentines when the long gray days of winter seem to keep dragging on and on. It might be cold outside, but baby, we're gonna have Yetis to keep us learning and playing! Whoot!
Hope you enjoyed this post! Let me know below and don't forget to PIN! Thanks for stopping by!
