The Kindergarten Smorgasboard, an educational resource platform created by educator Mr. Greg, offers a variety of free instructional materials designed for kindergarten classrooms and home learning environments. The platform focuses on providing teachers and parents with accessible tools to support early childhood education across subjects such as literacy, mathematics, and seasonal activities. These resources are distributed through the platform's website and associated Teachers Pay Teachers store, often accompanied by social media engagement requests.
Overview of Available Free Resources
The Kindergarten Smorgasboard provides a collection of free educational materials referred to as "freebies." These resources cover a wide range of topics and activity types suitable for young learners. The materials are created to assist with classroom setup, lesson planning, and student engagement.
Literacy and Reading Resources
Several free resources focus on developing early literacy skills. These include emergent readers, letter recognition activities, and sight word practice materials. * Emergent Readers: One specific resource is the "Little Elf, Little Elf, What Do You See?" emergent reader, designed for use during the Christmas season. Another is the "Easter Bunny Emergent Reader." * Alphabet and Phonics: "Monster Letters" are available for classroom word walls. A "Vowel Hat" activity is also listed among the freebies. Additionally, "We Heart Sounds" appears to be a phonics-related resource. * Reading Practice: The platform offers "One Word Beginning Readers," with a set of 12 available for purchase, though one is provided as a free sample. "Gangnam Style Sight Words" is another resource aimed at sight word recognition.
Mathematics Resources
Mathematical concepts are addressed through various hands-on activities and printables. * Number Sense and Counting: Resources include "Dinosaur Number Cards," "Counting Ants," "Lighting Up Number Recognition," "Counting Fireflies," and "Roll To 100." * Addition and Subtraction: Materials such as "Sparkle Peep Addition And Subtraction," "Adding Hearts," "Lego Addition Freebie," "HIGH YA! Ninja Addition Write The Room," "Cinco de Mayo Addition And Subtraction," "Cloudy Jellybean Subtraction," and "Take Away French Fries" provide practice in basic arithmetic. * Ten Frames: Several ten-frame resources are available, including "Food Themed Ten Frames," "Gangnam Style Twenty Frames," "Boot Scootin’ Boogy Ten Frames," and "Butters Ten Frame." * Dice and Domino Activities: "Subtracting Dice," "Subtracting Dominos," and "Decomposing Dice" offer game-based learning approaches. * Place Value and Comparisons: "Wrasslin With Numbers! Calendar Number Freebie" and "Greater Than/Less Than Recording Sheet" target specific math skills.
Seasonal and Holiday Activities
The platform frequently releases resources tied to holidays and seasons. * Christmas: "Aliens Love Panta Claus" is a craftivity based on a popular book, and "Little Elf, Little Elf, What Do You See?" is the emergent reader mentioned previously. * Thanksgiving: A "Thanksgiving center/workstation/hippopotamus" (described as glittery) is available. * Easter: "Sparkle Peep Addition And Subtraction," "Easter Bunny Emergent Reader," and "Cloudy Jellybean Subtraction" are relevant to this holiday. * St. Patrick’s Day: Resources include "I Have Who Has Numbers 11-20 Cowboy!" and "Leprechaun, Leprechaun What Do You See?" * Valentine’s Day: "I Have Who Has Valentine’s Day" and "Adding Hearts" are listed. * Mardi Gras: "Mardi Gras Ten Frames" is a specific resource. * General Seasonal: "Snowman Craftivity" and "Tall Giraffe Freebie" (likely for spring) are included.
Classroom Management and Decor
Resources are also available to help teachers organize and decorate their classrooms. * Labels and Posters: "Editable Mustache Book Bin Labels," "5 Classroom Rules Posters," "Recycling Poster," "Word Study Notebook Labels," "Glitter Name Tags," "Bright Polka Dot Name Tags," "Treasure Hunters Name Tags," and "Community Helper Word and Picture Cards." * Calendar Materials: "Superhero Calendar Cards!," "Firework Calendar Numbers!," and "Treasure Hunter Calendar Cards!" assist with daily calendar routines.
Science and Craftivities
Hands-on science and art projects are part of the freebie collection. * Science: "A Kindergarten Smorgasboard Hands-On Science Experiment! BOUNCY BALLS!" is a specific science activity. "Plant Parts and Needs Poster Craftivity" combines science learning with art. * Craftivities: "Meerkat Craftivity," "Aliens Love Panta Claus" (craftivity), and "Zoo Emergent Reader" (likely includes visual elements) are listed.
Accessing and Using the Resources
The free resources are primarily accessed through The Kindergarten Smorgasboard website. The platform encourages users to download and enjoy the materials.
Download and Usage Guidelines
The platform requests that users who download freebies provide feedback via comments. Additionally, users are encouraged to share their usage of the materials on social media platforms, specifically tagging the brand and using the hashtag #happyclassrooms.
Social Media and Community Engagement
Mr. Greg maintains an active presence on social media, specifically Instagram under the handle kindergartensmorgasboard. This channel is used to share updates and "sneak peeks" of classroom setups and new resources.
Specific Resource Details
Below is a detailed list of specific free resources identified in the source data, categorized by subject area.
Literacy and Language Arts
- Little Elf, Little Elf, What Do You See?: An emergent reader suitable for the Christmas season.
- Monster Letters: Alphabet letters designed for a classroom word wall, featuring a monster theme.
- One Word Beginning Readers: A sample reader from a set of 12 available in the creator's store.
- Aliens Love Panta Claus: A craftivity project based on the book "Aliens Love Panta Claus."
- Vowel Hat: An activity focused on vowel recognition.
- We Heart Sounds: A phonics resource.
- Gangnam Style Sight Words: Sight word practice material.
- Community Helper Word and Picture Cards: Cards depicting community helpers for vocabulary building.
- Easter Bunny Emergent Reader: A reading resource for Easter.
- Leprechaun, Leprechaun What Do You See?: An emergent reader for St. Patrick's Day.
- The Big Bad Wolf Poem: A poetry resource.
- The President Poem: A poem about U.S. presidents.
- CVC I Have Who Has Game!: A game for practicing consonant-vowel-consonant words.
- SAT 10 Test Practice: Materials for standardized test preparation.
- Loopy Words: A word study activity.
- Writing Paper Templates: Blank templates for student writing.
Mathematics
- I Have Who Has Numbers 11-20 Cowboy!: A number identification game with a cowboy theme.
- Food Themed Ten Frames: Ten frames using food visuals.
- Gangnam Style Twenty Frames: Twenty frames for numbers up to 20.
- Lego Addition Freebie: Addition practice using Lego visuals.
- Mardi Gras Ten Frames: Ten frames with a Mardi Gras theme.
- Greater Than/Less Than Recording Sheet: A worksheet for comparing numbers.
- Ten Frame Recording Sheet: A generic recording sheet for ten frame activities.
- Dinosaur Number Cards: Number cards featuring dinosaurs.
- Counting Fireflies: A counting activity.
- Counting Ants: A counting activity.
- Lighting Up Number Recognition: A number recognition game.
- Roll To 100: A game to practice counting to 100.
- Sparkle Peep Addition And Subtraction: Easter-themed arithmetic practice.
- Adding Hearts: Addition practice with a heart theme.
- HIGH YA! Ninja Addition Write The Room: An active addition game.
- Cinco de Mayo Addition And Subtraction: Holiday-themed arithmetic practice.
- Decomposing Dice: A game for number decomposition.
- Cloudy Jellybean Subtraction: Easter-themed subtraction practice.
- Take Away French Fries: Subtraction practice using food visuals.
- Butters Ten Frame: A specific ten frame resource.
- Boot Scootin’ Boogy Ten Frames: A ten frame resource with a country theme.
- Subtracting Dice: A dice-based subtraction game.
- Subtracting Dominos: A domino-based subtraction game.
- Wrasslin With Numbers! Calendar Number Freebie: Calendar numbers with a wrestling theme.
- Animal Count By 5 and 10: Counting practice by multiples.
Classroom Management and Decor
- Editable Mustache Book Bin Labels: Labels for organizing books.
- 5 Classroom Rules Posters: Posters displaying classroom rules.
- Recycling Poster: An educational poster about recycling.
- Glitter Name Tags: Name tags with a glitter design.
- Bright Polka Dot Name Tags: Name tags with a polka dot design.
- Treasure Hunters Name Tags: Name tags with a treasure hunter theme.
- Superhero Calendar Cards!: Calendar cards with a superhero theme.
- Firework Calendar Numbers!: Calendar numbers with a firework design.
- Treasure Hunter Calendar Cards!: Calendar cards with a treasure hunter theme.
- Word Study Notebook Labels: Labels for organizing notebooks.
- Community Helper Roll and Color: A game combining community helpers with a roll and color activity.
- One Two Zoo Poem: A poem for early learners.
- Tall Giraffe Freebie: A resource likely involving giraffes.
Science and Seasonal Activities
- A Kindergarten Smorgasboard Hands-On Science Experiment! BOUNCY BALLS!: Instructions for making bouncy balls.
- Plant Parts and Needs Poster Craftivity: A combined poster and craft project about plants.
- Meerkat Craftivity: A craft project featuring meerkats.
- Zoo Emergent Reader: A reading resource about zoo animals.
- It’s A Jungle QR Codes!: QR codes linked to jungle-themed activities.
- Snowman Craftivity: A winter-themed craft project.
- Aliens Love Panta Claus: (Also listed under Literacy) A holiday-themed craft.
Conference and Parent-Teacher Communication Resources
The Kindergarten Smorgasboard also provides resources for professional use, specifically regarding parent-teacher conferences. A notable freebie is the "3 Glows And A Grow" form. This tool is designed to structure parent-teacher conferences by having the educator provide three positive points ("Glows") about the student and one area for improvement ("Grow"). This format is reported to be well-received by parents. An editable version of this form is available for download.
Technical Notes and Limitations
Based on the provided source data, specific details regarding the technical requirements for accessing these resources (such as specific software needed to open editable files) are not explicitly stated. Similarly, while the resources are described as "free," the source data does not detail any potential requirements such as creating an account or subscribing to a newsletter to access the download links. The data indicates that downloads are facilitated through links on the website or the Teachers Pay Teachers store.
The source data also mentions a "fight with a bookshelf" and the use of assistants named "Oprah" and "Gayle" in a prototype creation process. These details appear to be personal anecdotes or humor from the creator and do not pertain to the functional aspects of the free resources.
Conclusion
The Kindergarten Smorgasboard serves as a comprehensive source for free educational materials tailored to kindergarten-level instruction. The platform offers a diverse array of resources, ranging from literacy and math worksheets to seasonal craftivities and classroom management tools. By providing these materials at no cost, the platform supports educators and parents in creating engaging learning environments. The availability of specific tools, such as the "3 Glows And A Grow" conference form, further extends its utility to administrative and communicative aspects of education.
Sources
- Pinterest - Smedleys Smorgasboard of Kindergarten Freebies
- The Kindergarten Smorgasboard - Mr Greg is Famous and Freebies
- The Kindergarten Smorgasboard - Manic Monday Freebies
- The Kindergarten Smorgasboard - Conference Freebies
- The Kindergarten Smorgasboard - Freebies Page
- The Kindergarten Smorgasboard - Freebie Post