Sunday, August 18, 2013

Are you shopping?


Today and tomorrow is the HUGE BACK TO SCHOOL SALE!!  Are you shopping?  Everything in my store will be 20% off.  You can make it 28% if you use the code BTS13!  That's amazing!

Let me share with you a few new things that I have just added to my shop! (Be sure to scroll all the way through! There are freebies at the bottom!)

Flip Flop Facts
This flip flop activity is great practice of the commutative property of addition.  Student practice matching the flip flop facts and solving for the answer.  There is even a big flip flop that students can add their own fact and color and decorate!


Colorful Polka Dot Decor Sets - some have fun monkeys!!
I have been working on these decor sets for awhile now and they are not quite finished, but here is what I have posted so far!

Welcome Banner with Monkeys - Letters to create a welcome banner for grades PreK - 8th grade!

 

 




 Calendar Set - Headers and Number Pieces; includes weather, days of the week, and more!
 Calendar Set with Monkeys - Headers and Number Pieces; includes weather, days of the week, and more!

Number Line 1-120 in small, medium, and large sizes


Word Wall Sets - in cursive and print


Word Wall Sets with Monkeys - in cursive and print



Newsletters - editable!


Classwork and Homework Helpers - includes a calendar helper, a phonics helper, a math helper, a mini word wall, and a comprehension/word study helper

 

Telling vs. Tattling Pack - now includes an interactive smart board sort!

And some FREE items for you!!



2013-2014 Calendars - editable






Friday, August 9, 2013

HOP, HOP, HOP!


Have you been through the HOP?  By the way, there are TWO of them!  Yep, TWO!

The first one is here on my blog and you only have today and tomorrow left to pick up your freebies!  Be sure to check them out!

The second one just started today!  It is over on my Facebook page.  There is a K-2 hop AND a 3 and up plus clip art hop!  That is twice as many freebies!!  You don't want to miss it!


I am also hosting a giveaway that will be ending in a couple of days.  And a First Day of School Linky Party! 

Monday, August 5, 2013

First Day Fun! - Linky!


I know that some of you have already begun your first day of school, but I still have 3 weeks to go!  Even though I am still on summer vacation, I have already started thinking about that first day of school.  I want to know....what are your FAVORITE first day of school activities? (Or just your favorite back to school activities?)  To celebrate the return to school I am hosting a giveaway and a linky party!  Be sure to enter and to to link up!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Here are some of my favorite activities!

(I have to apologize because these are not original pictures.  I was not really into blogging last year at this time so I didn't take pictures.  I will definitely have some for you this year!  I did link up the pictures to their original blogs though if you want to check them out!)

First up is PLAY DOUGH!  I got this idea from another blogger last year around this time and I knew it was one of those things that I would either love or hate.  Let me tell you, I LOVED it!  Here is how it goes.  You make playdough the night before school starts but don't put any coloring into it.  Punch a hole into each ball of dough and put a drop of food coloring in and then close up the hole.  Don't mix it!  The next morning, before school starts, place one ball of play dough on each desk.  (I put mine into a ziploc bag so that their hands don't get messy.)  Then as each child comes in, they can pick up their ball of play dough and knead it.  As they knead it, it will mix the color in and be a surprise color for each kid! (This is why they leave it in the plastic bag.  You don't want them to get food coloring all over themselves if it squirts out!)
Clutter-Free Classroom: FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
I wasn't sure how this was going to work, but let me tell you, my room was so QUIET!!  All of the kids were so focused on mixing their play dough that they didn't once think about their parents leaving or their new school supplies or any of those other things that make the first day of school so crazy!  I didn't have a single kid cry last year!  I don't think that has ever happened!  It was so nice and it gave me a chance to talk to parents, get kids settled, and gather supplies.  This is a MUST-DO for this year.

The other activity I did last year, that I will be repeating again was Chrysanthemum.  I always do some sort of Chrysanthemum activity but last year we did the activity with the crumpled heart.  We started out with a nice clean paper heart.  As we read the story, we would crumple the heart every time someone would hurt Chrysanthemum's feelings and we would try to straighten it back out each time that someone would try to make her feel better.  It was the perfect visual for students to understand how much words can hurt someone's feelings.  Then, we sent home a mini homework assignment to go with the story.  Each student (with their parent's help) wrote about where their name came from and why it is special.We shared them the next day and hung them up with our crumpled heart!
Stickers and Stars:: What's your favorite "Back to School" activity? Linky Party

One more:  This one I have not tried yet, but I want to try this year.  It is the self-control bubbles.  Have you seen them? (Yes, I think I got all of these from Pinterest! lol)  Basically, we practice self control by me blowing bubbles at the students and they have to sit still and NOT pop the bubbles!

Miracle bubbles - they teach self-control.

Now, write up a post about your favorite First Day/Week of School activity and link it up! I  can't wait for some new ideas!



Sunday, August 4, 2013

VA is for Bloggers - Southern Hospitality Freebie Blog Hop


Welcome to Virginia!

Virginia is for Lovers Bloggers!




 A lovely group of Virginia bloggers would like to help usher in the new school year by extending a bit of southern hospitality. You can follow along the blog hop to visit 20+ Virginia teacher blogs for terrific teaching tips and fun freebies to help get your new school year off to a great start.

Does your principal want to see more engagement and active response?  Has this been a big push in your district too?  I have something that will help!

My freebie for the blog hop is my Calendar Helper.  This is great to keep kids engaged during the morning calendar routine.  For mine, I have my calendar helpers printed on card stock and laminated.  That way students can write on them with dry erase markers!  Then, during morning calendar, my student helper will work on the calendar on the smart board and the rest of the class will participate by filling in their calendar helper.  This way, everyone is involved in the morning calendar routine!  What do you think?  I used this last year and loved it!  For this year, I have added a section with ten frames and a place for students to write the plus/minus ten and plus/minus one of their number for the day.  I hope you enjoy!


Calendar Helper














The next stop on the hop is Don't Let the Teacher Stay up Late!.


Be sure to check in with all of the links below!!

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Virginia is for Bloggers!


Have you noticed my new background?  I am so excited.  I will be updating my buttons and headers over the next couple days!  It looks so much brighter and cheerful!

In other news, I am participating in my first blog hop!!  YAY!!  It starts TOMORROW!  A bunch of Virginia teachers are getting together to show you some love!  Be sure to check in tomorrow and tell all of your friends!  We are going to have some great things for you!


Thursday, August 1, 2013

August Linky Party!


Fist of all, I would like to say HELLO AUGUST!!  To celebrate the arrival of August, everything in my store is 20% off today and tomorrow!

I am hosting another Bloggy Brag Board!  I know that it is not polite to brag, but really? We are all totally awesome and it is perfectly ok to show it!*wink*

Really, I created this linky party because I love reading about all of your successes.  I like hearing about what is REALLY going on.  Yes, you can tell all about your products that you are creating, but also share things like great finds on Pinterest or Pinterest "re-creations"  Or perhaps a special student just did something AMAZING and you want to share.  Or, did you finally figure out how to do something on your blog? Or maybe you reached your "followers goal?"  Tell us about it!!  This is one place where you can share all of those GREAT things that are going on!!

So here is how it works. 1.Save the picture below.  2.  Add in your thoughts. 3. Load it up into your own blog or even a Facebook page.  4.  Tell us about it (maybe even add a picture or two just to spice things up *hehe*) 5. Link it up!


So here is my August Brag Board:

Products: Check out this adorable Welcome Banner! (these are just a couple pieces of it. I am working on cutting them out.  I will post another pic when I get it all together!)  I am so excited.  I have this vision of how I want the doorway to my classroom to look.  I am on the end of the hall so I have my own little space with corners on both ends. We are not allowed to decorate our doors, but I am thinking of having this banner over the door (or maybe the bulletin board) with a tree in the corner by the entrance and some monkeys hanging around everywhere!

Blog:  I am participating in my first every blog hop!  Yay!  Last month I did a Facebook hop (which I am doing again this month) but this will be my first BLOG hop!  And what is more great than getting to participate in it with a bunch of great teachers from right here in Virginia!  I am so excited!  It starts on Monday!  Be sure to be there!


Pinterest:  I am always looking for cutesy crafts that my kiddos can do (although we haven't done quite as many this summer).  Look at these.  They are sun catchers that I found on Pinterest (where else, right?)  Here is what we did.  We put plastic beads into a round cake pan and put them into the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.  They all melted together.  After it had cooled just a little (but not completely) I took a straw and punched a hole into the top so that we could lace string through to hang them.  Aren't they cute?  The sun doesn't shine through them quite like it is supposed to but it is still a cute little decoration!

Classroom:  I can finally see the floor!  I am nowhere near ready for kids but I am making progress!  3 weeks to go!

Everything Else:  I always enjoy my summers off with my guys.  We didn't do much this summer but it was nice spending time with them.  Summer is coming to an end and we are all ready to go back, but I know I will miss this when they become "too old" to spend time with their mommy.

Now it is your turn!  August is here and many of you are getting ready to go back to school.  Tell us about it!