Free Educational Printables And Resources From From The Pond

From the Pond is a provider of educational resources offering free printables for teachers, parents, and caregivers working with young children. The platform primarily focuses on early childhood education materials, including activities for literacy development, mathematics, creative projects, and seasonal themes. Their resources are designed for classroom use and homeschooling environments, targeting educators of preschool, kindergarten, and early elementary students.

Overview of From the Pond and Their Resources

From the Pond operates through multiple platforms, including a blog, Teachers Pay Teachers store, and Pinterest presence. The creators develop printable teaching resources specifically designed for "little learners" in early educational settings. Their materials emphasize hands-on activities, visual learning, and skill development in foundational academic areas.

The resources are created with attention to educational value while maintaining child-friendly aesthetics. Many materials incorporate illustrations and graphics designed to engage young learners and support various learning styles. The platform regularly updates its collection and provides periodic free access to premium materials through their newsletter and promotional events.

Types of Free Printables Available

Word Family Resources

From the Pond offers a variety of resources focused on word families, which are groups of words that share a common phonetic pattern. These materials support early literacy development by helping children recognize common spelling patterns and improve reading fluency.

One notable resource is the "Word Family of the Week 'at' Family Book FREEBIE," which provides multiple activities for practicing the "-at" word family. This resource is part of a larger collection of Kindergarten Writing Books available through their Teachers Pay Teachers store. The material includes activities that would be particularly suitable for a themed "cat day" in the classroom, incorporating relevant vocabulary and practice exercises.

Additional word family resources include: - Word Family Practice Sheets for various families including "at," "ap," "et," "ig," and "ug" - Word Family Sliders for practicing word families and chunking words, with sliders available for 18 different word families - Short A onset and rime cards covering families such as "-at," "-an," "-ap," "-ag," "-ad," and "-am" - Creative word family rotating houses designed to make learning engaging for young students

Writing Activities

The platform provides numerous writing resources designed to develop early writing skills and creative expression. These materials include:

• Lined writing papers with thematic designs (such as apple-themed writing papers)
• Writing posters that describe different types of writing: descriptive, expository, narrative, persuasive, opinion, and creative
• Pirate-themed writing activities where students can write about what they would say, wear, and do as pirates
• Creative writing prompts for various themes and occasions

These writing materials are designed to be adaptable for different skill levels and can be used for both structured writing exercises and creative expression activities.

Math Resources

From the Pond offers math activities focused on building foundational numeracy skills and mathematical concepts:

• Apple activity mats for counting and math activities, designed to be used with playdough, dry erase markers, or other math equipment
• "Ten More Ten Less" printable activities from the "Print and Play" collection
• Materials for practicing near doubles using known double facts
• Bingo boards that are editable for any content, allowing teachers to customize them for specific math skills or concepts

These math resources emphasize hands-on learning and often incorporate playful elements to maintain student engagement.

Seasonal and Thematic Activities

The platform provides activities organized around seasonal themes and special occasions:

• A 100th Day of School coloring page
• Black cat art and craft activities (suitable for Halloween or other cat-themed lessons)
• Pirate-themed activities for "Talk Like a Pirate Day" (September 19th)
• Materials designed to be holiday-neutral, making them suitable for students from various religious backgrounds

These seasonal resources often include cross-curricular elements, combining art, writing, and sometimes math or science concepts around a central theme.

Clip Art and Graphics

From the Pond offers school clip art that can be used by educators to create their own materials:

• Graphics are provided at 300 dpi for clear, crisp printing
• The clip art can be used commercially within documents that are sold or given away, with proper attribution
• Users are instructed to embed the images in teaching document files rather than sharing them as standalone image files

The graphics feature child-friendly designs and are commonly used in creating worksheets, classroom decorations, and educational materials.

How to Access From the Pond Freebies

From the Pond makes their free resources accessible through multiple channels:

1. Their official blog features a dedicated page for free printables, where they regularly highlight current free offerings
2. Their Teachers Pay Teachers store contains numerous free resources among their paid products
3. Pinterest boards showcase their materials, with boards organized by themes such as "Kindergarten Activities" and specific content areas
4. Their "Pond Update" newsletter provides bi-weekly emails with links to new content and exclusive freebies

Users can sign up for the newsletter to receive direct notifications about new free resources and exclusive offerings not available through other channels. The newsletter typically includes a selection of links to recent content, ideas for implementation, and special free download opportunities.

Terms of Use for Free Resources

From the Pond specifies particular terms of use for their free resources:

• The materials are intended for personal and classroom use only
• Redistribution of the materials as image or clipart files is not permitted
• When using the clip art commercially, users must include proper credit to Graphics From the Pond
• For digital files, the graphics must be embedded within documents rather than shared as standalone images
• The materials may not be shared or distributed in a manner that allows others to extract the clipart

Additionally, the platform occasionally provides troubleshooting advice for users experiencing technical difficulties with downloads, particularly for Mac users who may need to update their Adobe reader.

Newsletter and Regular Updates

From the Pond maintains a bi-weekly newsletter called "Pond Update" that serves as their primary communication channel for announcing new resources and special freebie offerings. The newsletter includes:

• Links to new content added to their store and blog
• Implementation ideas for their resources
• Exclusive freebies not available through other channels
• Updates about new products and promotions

Subscribers to the newsletter receive these communications directly, ensuring they don't miss time-sensitive free offers and new resource releases. The newsletter represents a valuable resource for educators looking to regularly update their teaching materials with fresh, engaging content.

Conclusion

From the Pond provides a valuable collection of free educational resources primarily aimed at early childhood educators. Their offerings span multiple subject areas including literacy, mathematics, and creative arts, with materials designed to support hands-on learning and student engagement. The platform makes these resources accessible through their blog, Teachers Pay Teachers store, Pinterest presence, and newsletter.

While their materials are specifically designed for educational settings rather than general consumer product samples, they represent a significant resource for parents, teachers, and homeschooling seeking free, quality materials for young learners. The regular updates through their newsletter and the variety of accessible platforms make it easy for interested individuals to stay informed about new offerings and take advantage of their free resources.

Sources

1. From the Pond Free Printables Blog
2. From the Pond Teachers Pay Teachers Store
3. From the Pond Teachers Pay Teachers Store - Browse
4. From the Pond Pinterest - Kindergarten Activities
5. From the Pond Pinterest - User Collection
6. Word Families and Freebies Blog Post