Growing Kinders

Psst…St.Patrick’s….

2012-03-03T19:44:00.001-06:00

Working on my St. Patrick’s Unit – what skills are all of you working on that you would like to see?? Leave me a comment!

March Song

2012-02-29T22:48:00.001-06:00

So the HUGE blizzard that was supposed to hit – yeah, never did. Nothing. Not even one snowflake. So off to school I went for Wacky Wednesday. We had a super fun day though! Tomorrow is Wacky Hat day!

Here is the March song for you!

I would love a little note if you snag it :) Let me know if your kids like it too!

I forgot What I was Going to Say…

2012-02-28T21:28:00.001-06:00

Literally. I forgot. I can’t remember what I was going to post about! Shoot. Maybe my brain is focusing on the fact that there might be a slight possibility of a _ _ _ _ day tomorrow. Can’t say the word though because that would jinx it. They’re forecasting up to a foot of that white stuff, people. ugh.

But, anyways – have you loaded up your shopping cart at TpT yet? What ‘cha got in it? There’s a big sale tomorrow – it only comes once every 4 years! *wink*

I’ll have everything in my store 20% off too. Just click on the picture above to take you there.

(Make sure you add that Promo code in – for a 28% total discount!)

Leave a comment below and let me know what’s on your wish list!

PS. I’m ALMOST finished with the March song. I just need to sing it a couple hundred more times to make sure it sounds right!

Seuss Week!

2012-02-26T16:03:00.001-06:00

Here’s what is in my math and literacy center drawers for Seuss week!

Math Centers:

We’re still practicing with combining two numbers to find the sum.

Here the children will spin the spinner and fill in the missing number.

Here the children will practice subtraction.

The children will practice counting coins by 1s, 5s, and 10s.

And counting teen numbers, filling in 10 frames, and tallying! Phew! big job at this center!

Literacy Centers:

I decided to use my Lakeshore blend manipulatives with this center instead of rolling the dice.

Here the children will pull a picture out of a pocket and write the word and a word that rhymes with it. I hadn’t finished the pockets while I was at school, but here’s a picture of them!

When you make them, it really isn’t necessary to glue them, but it helps. Just make sure when you cut them out of the lamination you leave a bit of plastic around the edges. I actually laminated mine twice for “safety.” I’m sure I’ll still end up taping the ends because we all know some little ones are not gentle with our supplies

At this center, the kids will roll an onset dice and a rhyme dice to make a real or nonsense word.

Here the children are sorting short e word family words.

And last, but not least, an old favorite! Reading, stamping and writing sight words.

Here’s our plan for this week:

Tuesday – Silly Socks Day

Wednesday – Wacky Wednesday

Thursday – Crazy hat day

Friday – RED Day* and Green Eggs and Ham!

*This is a special even that we hold every month or so at our school, this time it falls on Dr. Seuss’s birthday! We are having a storyteller come into to “storytell” to all the students and then parents are invited back to the classroom to read with their kiddos! The children LOVE it, and it’s a great way to promote reading. We give away lots of prizes too! Everyone wears red that day, so I figured it would be a great day to make some “thing 1 and thing 2” hats as well.

Our reading specialists have also made a very special reading room that we can take our kiddos to throughout the week and there are stop, flop and read stations throughout the hallways. I’ll snap some pics this week and show them to you!

We’re still finishing up our American symbols studies – I’ll try to be back later in the week with some more pictures.

Happy Seuss week!

Do you have anything special planned?

American Symbols

2012-02-20T20:10:00.001-06:00

My first day back was a great success! The kids were so excited to have me back – I was feeling pretty special :)

We started our unit on American Symbols unit this week. I made this little freebie game for you all {and me!} to review/introduce American Symbols. I have a map of snowy (yes, it snowed today) ND, but left a blank page so you could add your own map if you would like! Click on the picture to download!

Don’t forget to stop over to What The Teacher Wants and get entered for a Seusstastic giveaway! Click below!

I’m back and President’s

2012-02-18T15:44:00.001-06:00

Thursday was my first day back at school, although I wasn’t back “officially.” We had our spring goal setting conferences, and I wanted to be there for those – no fun having to make up so many conferences. It was super fun seeing my kiddos on Thursday evening and Friday afternoon, although, I will admit, I am EXHAUSTED!

My sweet sub and my kiddos made this for me:

That totally made me smile when I came down the hallway. I am very excited to be back with them on Monday, I just hope I can remember how to do it all! It feels like I have first day of school jitters! I’ve never been gone from school for so long – my babies were either born when I was not teaching or on summer break (LUCKY!).

Coming back from being gone so long, I have to admit, is just as much work as planning to be gone! I spent a couple of hours after our conferences on Friday afternoon trying to put away center activities, file papers, and just clean up. I’m still not done. Sadly, I’m going to have to go back to school tomorrow to clean up the bigger mess that I made!!

But, I did get my centers in the drawers for next week. Here’s what is on the agenda for President’s Week:

Alphabet sequencing

More blends practice

CVC Words

Sight Words – oops wrong cards in there! This is a write the room activity, and I must have prepped an extra center that I don’t need!

Addition

Counting and ten frames

Subtraction

Sequencing and counting by 10s

It’s a short week for us this week, we do have school on President’s Day, but we have half a day on Thursday and no school on Friday for staff PD, so I only have 4 of each center planned. If you’re interested in this unit, you can find it {here}. I also have some items that I posted last year for President’s day – you can find those {here}. I’ll be back later in the week with the other activities I am planning on. (PS – when you go to last year’s post, just click on the picture, there is no preview within google docs, so just click on the “download” button.)

Asher’s Basket

2012-02-08T19:54:00.001-06:00

Last October, I posted about a very special little boy named Asher. He is a four year old who is living with Cystic Fibrosis. I went to high school with his parents, and although I have never been able to meet him and give him a great big hug, he has certainly made an impact on my life. You can read that post {here}.

I put a call out to fellow teachers and bloggers for donations for their upcoming auction to raise money for cystic fibrosis in Arizona. Here is the result:

This AMAZING gift basket is full of resources any teacher would love! In total, there are close to 300 (yes, 300!) units on the CD’s, a totally cool phonics flip chart, notepads, post-it notes, flair pens, welcome cards, and handmade beaded lanyards for your ID!

I want to send a special shout-out to the generous people that donated items for this basket:

Steven and Katie @

Cara Carroll @

Abby Mullins @

Rachelle Smith @

Kim Adsit @

Katie Mense @

Deedee Wills @

Traci Plante

Amy Patte

and me :)

I know this wonderful basket will bring a huge donation for Cystic Fibrosis research. If you have an extra minute too, stop by Team Asher’s Facebook page and click that “like” button. Take a second and look through the adorable pictures of Asher!

Here’s the info about the auction. (If you’re in the area, I know Rachel and Jeremy would love to have you stop by!)

teamASHER Silent Auction

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25TH, 2012 4:00PM-6:00PM

CONFERENCE CENTER @ REDEMPTION CHURCH - GILBERT

1820 W ELLIOT RD GILBERT AZ 85233

CHECK OUT THE AWESOME LIST OF DONATIONS WE’VE RECEIVED SO FAR (this list is continually being updated, be sure to check back!)

2012 teamASHER Auction Master List

DETAILS…

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC - FAMILY FRIENDLY EVENT (we’ll have bounce houses!)
BRIO TUSCAN GRILLE IS PROVIDING FOOD FOR ALL ATTENDEES
WE’RE STILL COLLECTING DONATIONS! PLEASE CONTACT US IF YOU’D LIKE TO DONATE, AND WE’LL SEND YOU A FORM YOU CAN COMPLETE TO RECEIVE A TAX CREDIT (rachelolimb@gmail.com)

EVENT TIMELINE:

DOORS OPEN AND BIDDING BEGINS (4:00)
SIGN-IN AS YOU ENTER THE CONFERENCE CENTER DOORS
HEAR FROM JEREMY OLIMB (Asher’s Daddy) ABOUT CYSTIC FIBROSIS AND WATCH A VIDEO ABOUT WHY WE WON’T STOP FIGHTING FOR A CURE (5:00)
RAFFLE PRIZES AND 50/50 WINNER ANNOUNCED (5:15)
BIDDING CLOSES (5:45)
CHECK OUT

teamASHER on Facebook / Twitter

Find your Partner

2012-02-07T13:49:00.001-06:00

Did you watch Fran Kramer’s presentation at the Virtual Teaching Expo? She had a fantastic idea called “Find Your Partner” – it’s so simple, but so fun for the kiddos. I can not wait to get back to school to try it out! You can do it with all sorts of skills.

All that you need to do is print out these cards and add a little popsicle stick for a handle. You don’t have to do that part, but I think it makes it SO much more fun! Pass out the cards to your kiddos and direct them to “find their partner!”

I made a little community helper set for you to use with teen numbers and 10 frames (plus 9 and 10 to round it out!) Let me know how it goes with your kiddos.

Thanks Fran, for the great idea!

Love the comments, keep ‘em coming!

Community Helpers Bubble Maps

2012-02-06T14:18:00.001-06:00

Here are some bubble maps to use when you are learning about community helpers with your kiddos. You can make them into a book or just them individually. After you have brainstormed what a community helper does, the children can write a sentence about one thing that helper does.

Happy Monday!

Valentine Complete Set Update

2012-02-06T14:02:00.001-06:00

I have just added my newest Valentine pack to my Valentine Complete Set pack. If you have already purchased that pack, PLEASE go and re-download!

Who Are the People in your Neighborhood?

2012-02-05T12:25:00.001-06:00

I am going to admit that when this song came on, I could sing it word.for.word. I love Sesame Street.

For those of you that do community helpers as a theme, here are some math and literacy centers for you! I’ll TRY to post more throughout the week as I finish them!

You know I would love a little note if you download these I love reading all of your comments!! Tell me what you do to teach kids about the people in our community!

Lovin’ to Learn!

2012-02-04T12:45:00.001-06:00

Valentine’s day is right around the corner! I’m so sad that I don’t get to be at school for VDay – it’s one of my favorite times of year! I do a lot with friendship and how to be a good friend – about this time of the year, we NEED it! We’ve been lucky with the winter this year, but often, we have spent the whole month of January inside and the kiddles start to really get on each others nerves! I’ll post more freebies soon, because I love you all so much, and you make me so happy with your kind comments – they really do make my day! Here are a couple to start off with:

I uploaded my new Valentine pack last night if you are interested. It’s FULL of fun lovey dovey activities. 22 in all! Wowza!

Have a great weekend!!

Tag…I’m it!

2012-02-03T14:34:00.001-06:00

So, I’m sitting trying to finish up my Valentine’s Packet (it’s gonna be a big one!), and I can’t focus. I decided I would go through my comments and find the tag posts! So, thanks for tagging me. Here are my answers:

Questions from Erica at Sprinkles to Kindergarten

Now onto my questions:

1. What is your favorite movie of all time? – I can’t answer that one. I am so indecisive. I love LOTS of movies.

2. Why did you decide to become a teacher? I always knew I was going to be a teacher. My life took another path in college as I started out as a Marketing major (hello, I love to be creative!) But, accounting changed that for me. I followed my heart and am where I am supposed to be.

3. What is your favorite transition activity in your classroom? Music!

4. Do you have any pets at home? What are they? Yes, I have a wonderfully annoying 9 year old golden retriever named Chloe. I love her but she can be a pain. My daughter wrote about her in Kindergarten and called her the “walking trash can.” That about sums it up.

5. What book(s) are you currently reading? The Girl Who Played With Fire by Steig Larsson. I read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo this summer while we were in Norway, and I couldn’t wait to see the movie – we had to go out and buy it, it was in Swedish, but with Norwegian texting so it was not a problem for me. I need to finish this one so I can watch the 2nd. Hubby has been waiting for me! For those of you that are fans, the Swedish movies are out already! I am also reading Talking Drawing Writing with my Kindergarten colleagues.

6. What is your favorite Science topic to teach your students? I love most things science. Although, I know we have bugs coming up, and I’m not too thrilled about that. Leslie, you’re going to have to help me through this one! My brother is a 7th grade science teacher, and I go to him for support!

7. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas

8. What is your favorite type of food? Pizza

9. What time do you wake up to get ready for school? Ha, depends on the morning. I like to up by 6:15, but it’s usually closer to 6:30. I have a 20-25 minute commute to school.

10. What is your favorite scent? Berry scents in the summer, warmer, spicer scents in the winter.

11. Did you watch the Kindergarten Expo? (It was awesome!) Yes, I did! I thought it was an awesome way to get some PD!

Questions from Sydney at Lessons Learned

My questions for these bloggers are:

1. How long have you been teaching? After I graduated, I took a year and a half off and had my first baby. I taught Kindergarten and first for 3 years. Then, my contract wasn’t renewed because of enrollment. That spring was the same spring my daughter passed away, so it was good to have some time off anyway. I then worked for half a year as an instructional para (then had baby #3), and then did a long term subbing position. This is my 4th year at my current school. So, in total 7 years in as a classroom teacher.

2. Have you taught at the same school the whole time? Nope – 3 different schools.

3. Do you like to travel? Where? HELLO. YES! We have been all over! When I was growing up my family took lots of family vacations. We went through most of the western part of the US growing up. After I met my husband, we started traveling through Europe. Iceland, Norway, Sweden, England, France, Germany. We LOVE to travel. We’re planning a road trip to Niagra Falls this summer when my in-laws come for a visit.

4. How early do you get to school? OR How late do you stay? I usually get to school at about 7:45 and stay until 4:30.

5. Why do you like blogging? Blogging has made me a better teacher.

6. Mac or PC? Both – I use a Mac at school and a PC at home.

7. Do you use any drawing programs on your computer? no.

8. Do you like to make photobooks? How do you store your memories? I like to make them – just really SLOW at making them. Pictures are stored on the computer and an external hard drive.

9. Plants - do you have them, can you keep them alive? We have an amazing rose garden in the summer that is a memorial for my daughter. I didn’t ever think it would be that beautiful, but I think we have a little bit of help. Inside the house, I’m not so good, but I am TRYING.

10. If you could go to one event over the weekend, what would it be? I am a homebody. I like to stay home on the weekends.

11. Do you make your bed every morning? Sometimes – my hubby is often good at doing it.

12. Do you refill your car with gas the minute the light comes on, or do you press your luck? Gas? What gas? I often forget and hubby does it for me!

Questions from Mrs. Osterman:

1. What is your favorite drink? Diet Coke
2. What is your favorite food? Pizza
3. What is your favorite meal to make? cooking??? That’s my husbands job!
4. What is your favorite movie? see above….
5. What is your favorite reality show? Hmmm…I really look forward to Design Star, but I have to say I’m hooked by some of the housewives.
6. What is your favorite book? I love so many books.
7. What active things do you do in the summer? Out with my kids – we have a huge backyard. Swimming pool, biking.
8. If you could go anywhere in the U.S., where would you go? Anyplace that is warmer than here.
9. Where did you go to college? i10. What is your favorite theme to teach in kindergarten? I don’t really have a favorite – I love them all.
11. What is your favorite post you have shared on your blog? I love to talk about my daughter Nora. Spreading the word about the risk of SIDS is so important to me.
3. What is your favorite "thing" about teaching kindergarten? I love seeing the growth that they make. It amazes me every single year.

Phew. Now I’m tired! I’m not normally a rule breaker, but I’m going to break the rules on this one and not tag anyone else! My hands are tired from typing and that annoying dog I told you about? She is scratching on the door to come in!

Have a great weekend everyone!

I Teach K

2012-02-02T20:36:00.001-06:00

Who’s going?????

Deedee Wills and I are making plans….are you???

Plinko!

2012-02-01T14:48:00.001-06:00

Have you seen this new product from Lakeshore?

I ordered this when they had a buy one get one half sale! I absolutely could not resist! Who doesn’t LOVE Plinko?!

It’s not very big, but big enough, it won’t take up too much space on a table. My 5 year old (starts K next year!) had a blast playing with it! It comes with a little drawstring bag that you put the wooden chips in – it comes with a TON of chips!

I haven’t been able to use this in the classroom yet, but I can’t wait. I think it’ll be a great time filler or even an incentive. The kiddos choose a wooden chip from the bag and drop it down – it’ll go in one of the pockets and they either need to say the beginning sound, the ending sound, or a word that rhymes.

LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

I also ordered these:

I have the first set with beginning, middle and ending sounds, but needed this one!

What is your favorite Lakeshore product?

Bundle Up and Snowmen Fun!

2012-01-31T15:13:00.001-06:00

Here are the centers that my kiddos were working on last week!

One-to-one counting with teen numbers and tally marks.

Counting tallies by 5s.

Sequencing numbers

Counting and adding

Subtraction

Literacy Centers:

The cards were inserted into my favorite foam dice, they rolled and wrote the beginning blend, along the way they “gathered” pieces to build their snowman!

Reading CVC words and building snowmen.

Sorting snowmen and CVC words.

Constructing sentences with snowflakes.

Sequencing the alphabet.

I wish I had more classroom pictures for you, but obviously, I am not there to take them! I had lots of fun projects planned, but not sure if my sub was able to get to all of them! It makes me realize how much of a routine we get into and how fast we move during the day. I don’t know how I’m going to do it when I go back!

Groundhog’s Fun!

2012-01-30T18:51:00.001-06:00

So that was fun, wasn’t it?!

Here are the answers to my questions:

Groundhogs are one of the few animals that really HIBERNATE.

Groundhogs WHISTLE when they are courting.

A baby groundhog is called a KIT or a CUB.

How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? (seriously!) 700 POUNDS

So many of you took me up on my little challenge, I love it and I love all of you!!

So, I decided to make you ALL something!

I love making these little non-fiction books. There are a couple of extras at the end too, I just couldn’t help myself. I probably could have worked all night, but sometimes a girl just has to stop, right?! So, as a thank-you click on the picture to download!

If you were one of the first 5 with the answers that I have above, expect an e-mail very soon!

Mrs. Plum….I need your e-mail! You were one of the winners!

and

Karyn….kideducator e-mail – it bounced back! Do you have another e-mail!

Hope to hear from both of you soon!

It’s a little late for this year, but maybe next year! Groundhog Flip Flops anyone?

February Calendar Song and a little Groundhog giveaway

2012-01-29T22:56:00.001-06:00

I have 2 new groundhog game packs for you too!

I’m going to give both of these games away to the first 5 people that correctly answer all of these questions! I’m moderating the comments so there will be no cheating Although, I know you would never do that!

Here we go:

Groundhogs are one of the few animals that really _________.

Groundhogs ____________ when they are courting.

A baby groundhog is called a ____________.

How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? (seriously!)

(A groundhog and a woodchuck are different names for the same animal: Marmota monax)

Good Luck!

Remember to leave me your e-mail address!

A little Q & A

2012-01-25T11:23:00.001-06:00

The question I get the most often is where to get the soft foam dice that I use ALL the time! I have 2 sets of these buggers because I love them so much! I purchased mine (and got one as a gift!) from our local teacher’s store. But, I have found them at Amazon.com

Here is another language arts version:

I’ve seen them in packs of three too. I just file the cards that come with them away and pull them out as I need them.

When you make the centers for your child to use at the tables do you make more than one center or do they share?

It depends on the center. USUALLY, I just make one. I teach them how to pass them around and take turns at the beginning of the year. My children sit at tables (some round, some rectangle), and I think it’s a super important skill for them to learn. As we know, many children come to school not ever having played a board game at home, so there is a learning curve for some!

How you incorporate the centers into your daily schedule? Do the kiddos work well independently? Do you collect their work for assessing? Do they pretty much all understand the material presented in the center?

I have a separate time for math centers and literacy centers. The time and length changes as the year goes on. In the beginning of the year, they are exploring with manipulatives, learning how to work quietly, how to read the pocket chart for their assigned center, and so on. I slowly add one or 2 “paper and pencil” centers as they are ready. I think it’s important for kindergarten kids to be writing during center time – they need to build up their hand strength, and practice writing letters. Again, as you know, many kiddos come in not knowing how to even hold a pencil let a lone write a word!

Right now, my literacy centers are scheduled right after recess – the kids come in hang up their coats, and go to their center. They have learned to just grab the “drawer” that the activity is housed in. Math centers are after we come back from specials in the afternoon. I usually do a quick mini-lesson or play a game and sing a song and then the children to their math centers. When they are finished, they are allowed to do “bonus math.” They love this! I’ll make a separate post on that later!

This is the pocket chart for Math – the red chart that you see just above the blue one is for literacy centers. Math centers use the numbers 123…, literacy centers use the ABC… They children go to one center each day, and at the end of centers, I rotate the numbers. The yellow transparency shows who is table captain – that is the person that is responsible for getting the center and putting it away.

These are the drawers that I put the center activities in.

The children start to understand pretty quickly how to do each center, the basic ideas for centers stay the same throughout the year, the skills just change. I always introduce the centers at the beginning of the week. Sometimes I do it at the carpet, sometimes I do it at my guided reading table. Just depends on my mood!

The children do become pretty independent after they have gotten the hang of it! There are always the ones that struggle that need my help and guidance. I walk around during centers and help those that really need it. Right now, I am not pulling any groups, but that will change after I go back.

I DO look at every child’s work – it might be AS they are working or it might be at the end. If they have mistakes, I make them go and fix them. I look at it right when they’re done. If I collect them to look at them later, I know I will never get to it, and it will become a mountain of paper! If kids don’t finish, their work (usually because they are messing around!), they have to finish it during play time! NO FUN!

Literacy centers and math centers are my favorite times of the day – they get to practice the skills that were presented to them. The kids have so much fun, and I LOVE being creative and coming up with new centers that I know they will enjoy!

How do use organize your centers? Do your kiddos rotate every 15 min. or so or choose a center?

I use the drawers pictures above. They go to one math center and one literacy center a day.

I'm very interested in doing the calendar books but I'm wondering where you got the pages for the smartboard.

I have a Promethean board in my classroom, and although it is the same as a Smartboard (both interactive white boards), the software is different. I create all of the pages for my Promethean board. I learned a lot on my own through trial and error and my district offered a class on how to create pages. I HIGHLY recommend taking a class if your district can get you to one. I thought I knew a lot, but after taking the class, I learned that there are easier ways to do it, then how I was doing it! I love easier!

So, every month, I create my new pages as well as other pages to use with lessons. I can’t share these however, since I use a lot of clipart, and sharing clipart is a no-no.

Most of the pages that I use for calendar books are from Kim Adsit and Shari Sloane’s calendar packet. Shari also has a lot of pages on her website. If there is a skill that I want to practice that they don’t have, I create it myself. I try to post some monthly skill pages that I have created for each month (you may need to look back at last year to find these). I’ll be working on the new February song and it will be posted soon!

If you have more questions, post them below, and I’ll try to answer them if I can!

Handwriting Book

2012-01-20T16:42:00.001-06:00

Happy Friday, friends! I have a little freebie for you all!

I needed something simple for my sub to do while I am out, and so this handwriting book was born.

Click on over and grab it!

PS – Make sure you follow my shop while you’re there so you’re updated of other items I upload!

Penguins, and a little pity party

2012-01-13T15:48:00.001-06:00

I don’t have many pictures for you, since I am home on sick leave. But I do have pictures of the centers that I prepared for my sub plans when I’m gone. I’m a bit controlling when it comes to my classroom (yes, I will admit it), I do like things a certain way, and it’s really hard for me to let go of that control when I’m gone. I feel such a responsibility to these kids, and I want to give them 110% of me. I would want my child’s teacher to do that. We are in charge of their education, and I want them to get every thing out of kindergarten that they need and deserve. I feel like I am not giving them what they deserve if I don’t teach to my ability.

So, it’s very difficult for me to be gone, and when my principal tells me that I need to be gone for 6 weeks (ahhhh!!!), I start to have a mini-panic attack. No, not mini, a big stress attack. I know that I need to take care of myself, I had a pretty major surgery, but in my mind I had only prepared to be gone for 2 weeks. (Since that major surgery should have been a minor surgery). Now, I need to think about how to release that control, and hope that my sub can get all the skills taught that need to be taught now. I always said, “it’s only 2 weeks, they’ll be fine…”, but now its, “Oh man, 6 weeks…are they going to learn what they need to learn???”

I know my GF friends are probably laughing at me, and saying, Kathleen, go back and lay down, they’ll be fine! But, if you are my friend, you also know I’m a worrier. I worry about everything. Yep, everything. I’m trying not to worry, and just let go, but it’s really, really hard. There has to be a 12 step program out there for worrying, isn’t there?

Okay, enough of the pity party, on to the pics. Here is what my kids were doing (I hope!) for math and literacy centers this week:

Literacy Centers:

The kids went fishing for ending sounds! They are using the little lakeshore fishing poles for this activity (LOVE these!)

We’re working hard on those tricky vowel sounds! Here they are spinning the spinner and finding a word with that medial sound, and stamping it in the correct spot.

This is a simple roll and write for beginning sounds. Most of my kiddos have all of their beginning sounds now, but it is good practice for them, as well as handwriting practice!

Blends are brand new for us! Here they spin the spinner and write the blend in the correct column.

This is a write the room activity. The words are mixed up, they can use the word bank for help, unscramble the word and write it in the box.

Math Centers:

Still working on those number words! This time they don’t have the extra support of having the word on the dice. Scaffolding, right?! They can always peek up at the number line if they can’t remember the number word.

Working on addition

1:1 and counting and writing teen numbers.

Here’s a new twist on patterning: first, they decide what their “core” pattern will look like for each row. Then they spin the spinner to decide which core they will color next.

And the very beginning stages of subtraction. Roll the die, color in that many fish, and write how many are left.

So, if you have any suggestions on how to let go, please, please tell me! I’m trying to finish up my snowman and mitten unit, so please bear with me!

Hot Chocolate!

2012-01-11T15:53:00.003-06:00

So, last week I had surgery. It was supposed to be a somewhat small surgery, but turned into a pretty big surgery. I have been home on sick leave for about a week now, and am still not feeling very great. I think I have about 3 weeks to go. ugh. That means 2 more weeks of sub plans I need to write! I have a long road of healing in front of me.

I’ve been trying to finish up my penguin unit today, I only had a couple of things left to do before I had my surgery, and I’ve been trying for the last couple of days to do tiny bits of it, so I could get it out. I’m going to try to post it in the next few minutes, before I fall asleep

The week after break, we did our hot chocolate unit. Now, I can only hope that my sub finished it for me! I only got a few pictures snapped of our math centers since I was only in school for 2 days.

The kiddos LOVED this center! I had a bag of very stale marshmallows – it’s better if they’re hard! They scooped some out, counted them, and tallied the number. SO fun!

This was super fun too! The children rolled the die, and colored in the corresponding number of pennies. When they rolled a total of 10 pennies, they colored in a dime. The first one to get to the last dime was the winner. They were sure competitive!

We’re still practicing counting 1:1, counting up to the teens and remembering what that tricky teen looks like!

And of course, practicing patterns!

I don’t think I have any pictures of our literacy centers, if I find them on my camera, I’ll post them too!

Ugh, I think I need to go lay down now!

January Calendar

2012-01-02T22:55:00.001-06:00

Here you go!

and the calendar pages – click on the first image to download.

Gingerbread Part 3!

2011-12-30T17:21:00.001-06:00

Yes, I know this is a bit late, but file it away for next year! We kept it simple this last week, since we did have a 4 day week!!

Literacy Centers:

The kids drew a peppermint from the candy jar and used real candy peppermints to push out the sounds in the word – sorry, you can’t see the peppermint mat in the picture!

This was a super simple beginning sound dice game. The kids just rolled the dice and wrote the beginning sound.

Keeping it super simple with Julie Lee’s sound sort.

This center also game from Julie. The kiddos flipped over the tree cookies with a spatula and wrote the beginning sound of the picture on the reverse side.

Here’s the graph that we did for our “what part did you eat” lesson.

This was SUCH a hit! I have been using Julie Lee’s “Build your Rainbow” positive reinforcement system since the beginning of the year. I love it, and the kids love building their rainbow. For the last week before break, I thought we could up the anty a bit. Throughout the week the children could earn pieces to their gingerbread boy or girl! They loved it! Kids that had lost their interest in building rainbows were suddenly much better behaved. On Thursday, I made sure everyone had all of their pieces on their gingerbread by the end of the day. I’m already brainstorming other themes that I can use throughout the year!

This is the gift that the children brought home to their parents. We made the snowmen in art class and the handprint reindeer were a cinch to make.

Here are our math centers for the week:

The children drew a gingerbread card from the basket and write the three numbers that came next.

Here they counted the number of candies on the house and graphed their results.

We sequenced numbers by 5s.

And we played a fun color word/number game from Julie Lee!

And here are the gingerbread retelling cards that I promised! I THINK all the cards are there – it’s been a while since I last looked at them – my brain has been on vacay! Would love to hear from you if you download them!

Gingerbread Part 2

2011-12-19T21:12:00.001-06:00

Last week, we were still going strong with our gingerbread adventures! Here are some of our centers!

Literacy:

We practiced writing our alphabet neatly and then matched gingerbread felt pieces to the matching uppercase felt house. We even practiced putting them in ABC order!

Ooohhh….this one was SO much fun! The children stamped sight words into gingerbread playdough and then wrote the word they stamped.

The children hunted for missing gingerbread boys around the room and solved the letterbox puzzles. Those gingerbread boys can be tricky!!

We pulled “candy” out of jar and listened carefully for the ending sound. We dobbed the correct ending sound.

This is our weekly pocket chart center. This one is from Julie Lee’s gingerbread unit.

Math Centers:

At this center, the children rolled a double dice (you can’t see it in this picture!), counted the number of dots and then counted that many candies onto the gingerbread man. Then they graphed what they rolled by dobbing the correct number. The candy is from a Lakeshore counting box.

At this center, the children practiced counting by 10s and sequencing the numbers.

Here the children measured different size gingerbreads with peppermint and gumdrop “rulers.”

The next 2 centers are also from Julie Lee’s gingerbread pack.

We also got to decorate our gingerbread cookies! Shoot! One of them ran away – more on that on another day

I made this little planning sheet for the kids to plan out how they wanted their cookie to look. It was quite successful – no mounds of candy in one spot here!

If you would like the planning sheet, you can download it below!

Gingerbread Fun!

2011-12-12T22:48:00.001-06:00

Phew these days are flying by! I am SO behind in my posting! I’ll catch you up with a little gingerbread fun!

Here is a peek at our week from last week:

Literacy Centers:

The gingerbread lane ending sound activity is from Julie Lee’s Gingerbread pack.

Math Centers:

I loved this number word center when I saw it on Mrs. Mayas blog! I totally had to copy it! Thanks for the inspiration!

The kids LOVE the double dice!

Penny and nickel discrimination.

Count the room.

And of course we read lots of traditional retellings of the Gingerbread Man/Boy. The kids are having SO much fun with this!!

Here are some things we did in our reader’s workshop notebooks:

You can download these pages below. I reduced them by about 78% so the kiddos could glue them into their reader’s workshop notebooks.

We also have been comparing the characters and the endings of each story we read. Here is a sneak peek of the retelling cards:

When I finish all of them, I will post them here!

And I just had to share this beautiful board that is across the hall from my classroom. This was done by our amazingly talented reading paraprofessional. She puts my boards to shame! ha!

I would love to read a comment if you download something here! They make me so happy

Give yourself a Christmas Gift!

2011-12-09T22:53:00.001-06:00

It might be too late for most of you, but if you don’t have your own personal laminator – you have an hour to snatch one up! Right now, they are only $17 at Amazon! I snagged this deal a few months ago and so happy I did – now, I have one at home and one at school. I’ve had this laminator for years and LOVE it. I couldn’t teach with out it!

So, run, run as fast as you can to Amazon.com and grab this little beauty!

December Calendar Songs…and a new blog!

2011-11-30T20:53:00.001-06:00

So sorry this is so late! I’m still recovering from my vacation and we had report cards due today! To top it all off hubby is out of town on business for 2 weeks! Thank goodness he gets to come home on the weekends.

But, before I share the goodies with you, I want to introduce you to a new blog!!! This blog is written by one of my fabulous kindergarten friends. I am so lucky to be able to call her my friend – she is amazing, guys! She has such a kind heart and is a fantastic teacher.

So, stop on by to Live, Laugh Love K and say hi to my friend, Sheyna. While you’re there click that little follow button, and leave her a comment, okay? It will make her (and me!) ever so happy!

Last month, I shared with you some of the lines that did not make it…this time I was rhyming with cheer…..and ending up with beer….. hmmmm…..

And the calendar book pages:

Enjoy!

PS – I read each and every one of your comments, so if you snag this, please leave me a little note! I would love to see how many of you are downloading and using these in your classroom!

Scarecrows and Fall–Yes, I am a bit behind!

2011-11-27T15:17:00.001-06:00

I guess I forgot to take some pictures of my math centers again this week! I’ll upload these literacy centers as soon as I get a chance. My school computer has been off since I left for vacation!

Thanksgiving Fun!

2011-11-18T21:10:00.001-06:00

It’s been crazy this week! I’ve been planning for my sub next week (explanation in a sec), trying to get assessments done, and battling a nasty cough! And to top it all off, I thought I would pretend to be 19 again last night and go to the midnight showing of Breaking Dawn. Um. I’m not 19 anymore and I can’t stay up until 2:30 in the morning and then get up at 6 at teach 16 kids. But, on the positive side, I am hopping on a plane in the morning for a vacay in sunny Florida! I am so excited, and I CAN.NOT.WAIT. to wake my girls up in the morning and tell them we are going. Yep. I have been such a great secret keeper! My hubby is off to pick them up now from my mom’s house – she watched them while we secretly packed. Now, I have to look busy when they come home. *wink wink*

So here are a few shots of our literacy and math centers this past week:

I really hoped to have had my gingerbread unit done before we left, but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to complete it. I hope to get it done as soon as I get back. I am NOT bringing any computers or school stuff with me on this vacation – it’s family time with Mickey SO.EXCITED.

Thank You (and some pumpkins, too!)

2011-11-11T13:12:00.001-06:00

First and foremost, I need to say thank you.

Working at an air force school and teaching the children of the men and women of the armed forces is an amazing thing. The children that I teach sacrifice so much every day. I am so proud to be able to be their teacher. Hearing our students sing, “I’m Proud to Be an American” and “God Bless America” to their parents this week and seeing so many parents in the audience in uniform brought tears to my eyes. What an an amazing group of people. Thank you for your service and for protecting our freedom.

Now on to the goodies! I feel like October flew by! My camera has been stuck in my bag, and I haven’t taken it out! I have forgotten to take so many pictures – so here is what I have of our pumpkin unit!

The first few activities are from Julie Lee’s pumpkin pack:

The children picked a word, read it, and wrote it two more times.

This one was a bit tricky for some kiddos, so I gave them an alphabet strip to match the letters. They put each set in ABC order and then wrote the letters.

The children picked an item from the bucket and wrote the beginning sound on their pumpkin.

The children spun the spinner, counted the pumpkins and wrote the number on a pumpkin.

At this center, the children practiced matching the number word to the number.

The next pictures are activities that I created.

The children counted the dots (seeds!) on the pumpkin and matched the pumpkin to the correct number and wrote how many seeds were on that pumpkin.

Sequencing Teen Numbers

The children match the CVC word to the picture and then wrote the word again on their response sheet.

And the weekly pocket chart activity.

Lots of freebies for you today! I love reading all of your comments – leave a little note if you download!

Happy Friday!

and the words for the sentence strips:

And a couple of fun little books:

A little emergent reader for whole class work:

And some alphabet writing practice:

Can you Help?

2011-10-30T14:17:00.001-05:00

teamASHER 2011 Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Video from teamAsher on Vimeo.

Asher is the son of two of my friends from high school. He is living with cystic fibrosis. My tears well up each time I watch this video.

Asher is now 4 and is an amazingly strong little boy. Rachel, Jeremy, and Asher live in Arizona and I haven’t seen them for a very long time, but I was fortunate to reconnect with them over the past few years.

In January, Rachel and Jeremy lost their beautiful little boy, Paxon, and I felt even more connected to them. Many of you know of my beautiful Nora – my heart, my angel. You can read {this post} if you are new to my blog. My heart broke for them, but their amazing faith, their love of family and their fight to find a cure keeps them going.

When Rachel asked if I would be willing to donate some of my teaching packets to their annual auction to raise funds and awareness for CF, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. I would willingly put all of my products together on a CD for the auction. But, I thought I could do better – I KNEW I could do better.

This is where YOU can help.

I told Rachel that I would put together a school themed basket chocked full of teaching supplies – anything and everything a teacher could use. I’m throwing in my CD, the basket, and I’ll get it to Rachel in time for the auction, but that basket would be awfully empty if only my CD was in it.

Can YOU help?

Do you have a TpT store and would be willing to compile all of your products on a CD and send to me?

Would you be willing to send some flair pens, lesson plan books, pencils, games, manipulatives, books, gift cards, etc.? (Nothing TOO heavy, since I do have to ship it!)

I think we could make a pretty fantastic basket.

If you’re interested in helping out, send me an e-mail at:

growingkinders@gmail.com

and put TeamAsher in the subject line.

You can find TeamAsher on Facebook as well.

As we are approaching the season of giving, let’s team up as an educational community and give as much as we can to help Asher and his family fight to find a cure.

A cure is out there. Find it.

November Calendar Pages

2011-10-27T18:17:00.001-05:00

Some of you might have noticed that I posted this once already! The links weren’t working properly, and I didn’t have time to fix them, so I just took it down again! Sorry!

I have two versions of a November song for you this time. The first is a chant, that I got many moons ago from my cooperating teacher when I was student teaching. It’s not a song, but rather, a chant. I think you can make up the rhythm as you go!

The second is a song that I wrote. I couldn’t find a November song that “fit the bill”, so I made one up! It was rather funny in my office as my husband (who is very creative musically – he is in the other room playing my fave {Brandi Carlile} on the piano as we speak!) and I tried to make up the words.

Here are some that we decided would probably not work – keep in mind we were trying to rhyme…

creeps are crawling (leaves are falling…)

we eat turkey, beans and tators

we watch movies with Tom Hanks (rhymes with thanks…)

buying bigger pants (in reference to Thanksgiving dinner)

So, after about an hour (and a lot of laughs!) we came up with this beauty – hope you like it

PS – I would love a little note if you download

Comments make the blogging world go round!

Monsters!

2011-10-23T01:06:00.001-05:00

I guess I must have been busy the week we did monsters, because these are all the pictures I got! (Could it have been our goal setting conferences? Yep, probably!) Oops!

Anyways, all of these fun goodies came from Julie Lee’s Monster Madness pack.

The kids had a super fun time with all of these centers! Thanks, Julie!

The weekly pocket chart story.

M letter sort:

Reading and writing sight words:

Beginning sounds:

Hearing syllable parts:

The kids had great fun with this! We sorted and graphed cheesy chex mix! Yum!

Here are some other monster ideas:

This was a fun poem that we did that my friend Sheyna made!

This fun glyph is from Deanna Jump’s monster glyph. You can find it {here}

This was a directed drawing that Deanna posted on her blog last year. We didn’t get a chance to do it this year, and I was super bummed!

Here is some monster fun that I found on Pinterest! The link to the original post is above the picture.

Shape Monsters:
House of Baby Piranha

This one didn’t have a source, but they’re SOO cute! If it’s yours, let me know, and I’ll link it up for you! (P.S. – When you’re pinning, make sure you pin directly from the blog – don’t click on the picture and then pin it – we loose the source then!)

Lots of cute ideas here!

Katherine Maries

I LOVE this idea! (I might need to make it for my house! Who would have thought that a nine year old and a 4 1/2 year old would tattle on each other so much! phew!)

Giggles Galore n More

Here is a fun {FREEBIE!} monster unit!

2 Teaching Mommies

Here are some cute monster puppets you can make!
UCreate With Kids

Blow painting from Raising Sparks

Another freebie unit from: 1+1+1=1

Raise your hand if you would love this alphabet from Jared Andrew Schorr!

From Free Kids Crafts

And these little fellas from Craftser are adorable! Where are my crochet hooks?!!

Phew! I’m “monstered” out! Hope you found some great ideas! Leave your url in a comment below if you have another great monster idea!

Fishing Up Some Fun!

2011-10-18T19:15:00.001-05:00

Last week, we dove into the ocean! We follow the Scott Foresman Reading Street series in our district and it was time for Life in An Ocean!

There is SO much that could be done with this unit, but I wanted to save some ocean fun for the spring too, when we’re all dreaming about the summer and the beach! (well, it’s a lakeshore – no ocean beaches around here!).

Our new science curriculum fits in perfectly to this book. We are in the beginning stages of adopting parts of the FOSS curriculum, and the amazing K science team have come up with some great correlations to our SF curriculum.

So, we had some new arrivals to our classroom:

I don’t think you can really see them floating around. We started with 5…then 4…then 3…ahem. We have 2 little goldfish friends left. Bubbles and Otto. Fred went to fishy heaven shortly after this photo was taken. But, we also have some guppy friends too! I don’t have a pic of their little home, but they live right next to the goldies. Hopefully, after our 5 day break…they’ll still be doing just that…living.

We had fun learning about the structures of a fish, how to care for a fish, what living things need, and just observing these little fellas.

We also had lots of fun in our math and literacy centers too. Here they are:

(plus a couple of standard centers – sound sorting, and beginning sound roll and write)

and the Math Centers:

And the science and math center for free choice time:

Here’s my post from last year’s ocean unit too!

Apples!

2011-10-16T12:23:00.001-05:00

It’s been a crazy 2 weeks here! We just finished up our goal setting conferences, my husband’s best friend from Norway was visiting, my girls (both of them!) were sick, and my hubby is gone again for the weekend. I took my daughter into the clinic yesterday, and the poor thing has pneumonia! Thank goodness for a short school week this week!

I’m still catching up on blog posts, so here goes! Here is some of the fun that we had with apples!

Math Centers:

We practiced patterns with red, yellow and green apple die cuts. The children could decide which patterns they wanted to create – some were ready for more complicated patterns, and others stuck to AB patterns.

Counting apple seeds: the children worked on 1:1 correspondence, counting and number writing with this center.

1:1 correspondence and counting again!

Number writing and counting

Sequencing 1-10. Sorry for the blur!

Literacy Centers:

My kiddos are LOVING the weekly pocket chart, and I love that parents are seeing the words that we are working on. Thanks, Julie, for introducing me to this idea!

Sorting Sounds:

Roll and write with beginning sounds:

Reading and dobbing sight words:

Here are a couple of charts that we did when talking about apples:

The pictures are on velcro, so the kids can mix them up and sequence them in the correct order.

Again, the parts are on velcro!

I forgot to take picture of the kids’ science notebooks, but we also did a taste test, a float/sink experiment, drew an apple tree in each of the four seasons, and labeled the parts of an apple in our science notebooks.

This was one of my favorite projects that we did! I saw it on {this blog} first! Thanks, Katie for the great idea!

We also did a super cute 10 Apples Up on Top activity that I forgot to take a picture of ….if you look closely in the right hand corner of the above picture you can see a tiny bit of one.

Have a great Sunday….all this apple talk makes me want to make some apple pie! It’s too bad our apple tree has not had apples on it yet! I keep my fingers crossed each year for blossoms, but so far, none yet!

Management of Math and Literacy Centers

2011-10-09T11:58:00.001-05:00

I’ve tried lots of different ways to organize math and literacy centers. Sometimes I’ve needed to change because of the kiddos in my class, sometimes I’ve had to change because it doesn’t work for me. So far, I like what I have so far!

Here is the management/rotation chart:

The top (red) chart is for literacy centers, the bottom (blue) chart is for math centers. (Thanks Julie for the great idea!) We do our literacy centers in the morning and our math centers in the afternoon. Each child goes to one center a day, and it takes about 15-20 minutes. I don’t pull any guided reading groups during literacy centers right now since we have extra support that comes to our classroom for guided reading/interventions. I try to pull small groups or individuals for strategy work or assessments.

The yellow strips are transparency/word highlighter thingys (I don’t know what they are called!). These rotated every day in the beginning to show who was responsible for keeping the group on task and cleaning up materials. I’ll admit, I’m not very good at changing them daily anymore! The kids have started to manage this on their own.

These drawers are where I keep the centers. If something is too big to fit, it just goes on top. The kids take the drawer to their table and take out the supplies they need. Each drawer is labeled with a letter (literacy) or a number (math).

The tables are labeled to correspond with the number/letter.

Any questions? Just leave a comment below!

Back it up…

2011-10-08T11:48:00.001-05:00

I am SOO behind in posting! Here’s a quick peek from some literacy centers from a few (okay a lot) weeks back!

These little shakers are from Lakeshore Learning – I don’t think they make them anymore, but rice and letter beads in a bottle will work equally as good!

This center came from Julie and Deanna’s Back to School center pack.

This beginning sound activity also came from Julie and Deanna.

For this center, the kiddos used the Lakeshore alphabet stampers. They stamped the latter and then crossed it out on their sheet.

This one came from Julie and Deanna’s pack as well!

This wasn’t a center activity, we did it as a whole group activity when I was in a meeting. The kiddos did awesome! The idea came from Kim Adsit’s Going to School Pack. This is a great one to keep in your sub tub – it keeps the kiddos engaged and is easy for the substitute!

P.S. If you haven’t already entered the contest to win a whole bunch of goodies from some pretty awesome bloggers – click {HERE} to read the details! The contest is ending soon!

October Calendar Songs and Vowel Chart

2011-09-26T21:32:00.001-05:00

Holy shamoley. I have been busy! It’s crazy how a new month sneaks up on you so fast! I’ve heard your e-mails and requests for the new calendar songs, and here they are!

Monday and Tuesday of this week we are in professional development in our district. This morning we were “Google-ized” and learned about all of the fun Google apps we can use in our classroom.

This afternoon, we were in literacy breakout sessions. In one of the sessions that I went to, they talked about this book:

They showed a video clip from the DVD that accompanies the book of some guided writing. In the clip the teacher had a great little anchor chart to help kiddos that were struggling to find the right vowel sound. I knew instantly that I needed to re-create that chart!

So, here you go! There is a large chart to hold up and a smaller one for kiddos to put in their writing folder.

Hey, friends, leave a little comment when you download They make me so happy!

Math Centers–Week 2

2011-09-15T20:46:00.001-05:00

Here are my math centers from last week! I kept it pretty simple again for week 2. The children are getting really good at working together and staying on task! woo hoo!

After we explored last week with unifix cubes, we practiced some simple AB patterns. These pattern cards are from Jessica Meacham’s site.

This one was a simple sort using foam shapes that I got from the dollar section at target. I separated them into baggies for each child and they used tweezers to sort them into the right space. Then they counted how many of each color they had. If there was still time, they used their tweezers to put them back in the bag.

This is a fun roll and find from Julie Lee’s Brown Bear, Brown Bear unit. I just made the sides for the die on my computer and inserted them into one of my favorite teaching tools – the foam dice! This one isn’t a “math” center per se, but it works well for learning how to share the die and take turns!

The kiddos also explored (ahem, played) with pattern blocks. Hopefully the playing part is all of their system when we go to really work with the pattern blocks! ha- wishful thinking!!

My last center was from Julie’s and Deanna’s back to school packet, but I forgot to snap a picture of it! The kids counted how many kids were on a bus and wrote the number on their paper.

Bus Graph

2011-09-13T21:12:00.001-05:00

This post should be titled short and sweet, because that’s what it is! Here is our little bus graph, which is a SLIGHT twist on Deanna’s busses. We read Wheels on the Bus and played with our names with the song, and then made these cute little busses. We turned it into a math activity by adding our bus numbers and making a graph. (Yes, all of my kiddos ride the bus!)

Just in case you are wondering….letters and numbers were cut using my newest favorite teaching tool – my Silhouette!

Are you behaving?

2011-09-10T21:37:00.001-05:00

It’s a Saturday night, are you behaving? Just got the kiddles tucked into bed and ready to sit down and watch a movie with the hubby. So, yes, I am behaving. No party animal here! Maybe I’ll make myself a Chocolatini-that’s about as naughty as I get!

My kiddos at school are starting to figure things out thanks to lots of teaching of expectations and routines. We are just in the transition of become an RTI-B school (officially – we’ve already done most things!), so we do a lot of positive reinforcement with the kiddos.

I started right away with “The Day the Monster Came to School” story – the kiddos loved it and can’t believe the monster would behave so badly!

We then talked about above the line/below the line expectations and completed this chart together. I have it hanging up and many little kiddos still refer back to it.

I also have the kiddos do a sort on their own.

The pictures are from Board Maker – I got them from a friend and don’t have a digital copy to share. Sorry! But, if you check with someone on your special ed team, they should be able to make some for you!

We also did our class promise (I found the words here and thought they were perfect for kinders!)

I love their sweet little drawings, don’t you?!

I have also implemented the fabulous rainbow behavior plan that Julie Lee has created! This is the only picture I have – you can see it on the left. You can also read more about it at Julie’s blog.

Here is a pic from Julie’s blog:

And for the little sweeties that just can’t seem to figure it out, this is my version of Lynda’s clipboard from Curls and a Smile. I loved this idea when I first saw it. I never liked having clip charts on display because others (especially parents) could see how each child was behaving. I love the clipboard because it can stay private between me and the student and it can also travel with them to specials.

I use the red note from Kim Adsit’s site. You can download it here. She has posted both a pdf and a word doc so you can modify as needed. I modified mine slightly to fit our needs. If I can find it on my computer, I’ll post it! I print it on red paper so parents are sure to see it!

I keep track of the behavior throughout the day with the tracker from The Polka Dot Patch. I just love it! It’s so easy to keep track of behavior throughout the day – great for when you need to go to those BLST meetings and have to have documentation of behaviors! You can download it from Ashley’s blog right here.

What is your best behavior management trick?

Adorable new family pack!

2011-09-09T21:36:00.001-05:00

Kim Adsit has just put out an adorable pack that is all about families! This came at the perfect time since next week, we are doing our “all about me” unit!

You hit a home run again, Kim!

Click over and check it out!

She also has tons of cute pictures of what she did in her daughter Megan’s classroom with this unit. Too fun! Click on the banner below to go straight to the post!

Want a cookie?

2011-09-08T08:41:00.000-05:00

Have you heard of Ron Clark? If you haven’t, wake up! He was a Disney Teacher of the year and is now the author of 2 books (The Essential 55). He established the Ron Clark Academy, and boy, would I love to visit and see him and his phenomenal teachers in action! (Click on the RCA in action video, and you’ll see why!) What?! A trampoline … and to get slide certified??!! Passion, high expectations, and relationships! Yes, sir!! Sign me up!

I was recently sent a copy of his second and newest book, The End of Molasses Classes. I’ll have to admit, it was a page turner for me, and I found myself nodding my head in agreement so many times. Throughout the year, I’ll share some quotes from his book, but for now here is a quick excerpt from the book:

Not Every Child Deserves a Cookie
By Ron Clark,
Author of The End of Molasses Classes: Getting Our Kids Unstuck -- 101 Extraordinary Solutions for Parents and Teachers

Last year one of our new fifth graders was really struggling. He entered RCA below grade level in every subject and he was failing several courses. When I met with his mom she defended her son by saying, "Well, he made all A's at his other school." When I told her that was shocking, she explained that he had done so well because he had a really great teacher. Urgh!

There is a misconception in our country that teachers whose students make good grades are providing them with a good education. Parents, administrators, and the general communiry shouldn't assume good grades equal high academic mastery. In fact, in many cases those teachers could be giving good grades to avoid conflict with the parents and administration. It's easier to fly under the radar and give high grades than to give a student what he or she truly deserves and face the scrutiny of the administtation and the wrath of an angry parent.

I have attended numerous awards ceremonies where practically every child in the class received an honor roll certificate. Parents always cheer, take pictures, and look so proud. I just sit there and think, Ignorance is bliss. Are these kids really being challenged, or are they only achieving mediocre standards set forth by a mediocre teacher in an educational system that is struggling to challenge even our average students? Yet, all of the parents look so proud and content.

The worst part about it, however, is that I am afraid most parents would rather their child get a good education where they received straight A's and praise than an outstanding education where they struggled and received C's.

At the beginning of every year, I give my fifth graders an assignment. They have to read a book and present a project on one of its characters -- specifically, they have to figure out a way to cleverly show such details as what the individual kept in his heart (what he loved the most), saw with his eyes (his view of the world), "stood for" with his feet, and held to strongly in his backbone (his convictions). I encourage the students to "bring it" and to use creativity and innovation to bring the body of the character to life.

Most of the students will bring a trifold where they have drawn a body and labeled the locations. Some will use glitter, and some will be quite colorful. I am sure in most classrooms the projects would receive high grades, mostly A's and B's. I, however, hand out grades of 14, 20, 42, and other failing marks. The parents and students are always upset, and many want an explanation.

I ask them to trust me, and I explain that if I gave those projects A's and B's, then the students wouldn't see a reason to improve their efforts on their next assignment. Some staff members have even said, "Ron, but you know what that child is dealing with in her home, and you know she did that project all by herself." I quickly tell them that society isn't going to make excuses for their home situations, and we can't either. If we make excuses and allowances, it will send the child the message that it's okay to make excuses for his or her performance based on circumstances, too. We just can't do it. We must hold every child accountable for high standards and do all we can to push the child to that level.

I recall giving one fifth-grade student a failing grade on her first project. She cried and cried. She had never made less than an A on her report card, and her mother was devastated, too. I explained that the low grade would be a valuable life lesson, and I gave the young girl, and the rest of the class, tips and strategies for receiving a higher score in the future. I showed them an example of a project that would have scored 70, a project in the 80s, and a project that would have earned an A.

I was pleased to see that her next project came to life with New York City skyscrapers that were sculpted from clay, miniature billboards that contained academic content, and streetlights that actually worked. The project was much, much better, and it received a 70.

As a final project, the students were instructed to create a time line that would contain a minimum of fifty significant dates in the history of a specific area of the world. The same young lady brought in her final assignment wrapped in trash bags. Removing it, I saw a huge, four-foot pyramid, a replica of the Great Pyramid of Giza. The student had made it out of cardboard and apparently had used sandpaper to make it feel like a real pyramid. It was beautiful, but it didn't contain a time line, so I told her the grade would not be passing.

She grinned at me, walked over to the pyramid, touched the top point, and suddenly three sides slowly fell open, revealing the inside. She had carved her outline on the inside, using detailed pictures, graphs, and descriptions of 150 major events. She even had hand-carved Egyptian artifacts and placed them throughout the inside of the pyramid, just as you would find in the tomb of a great pharaoh. She had handmade mummies that she had learned how to make on the Internet. She looked at me and said, "Mr. Clark, I have worked on this for weeks. I wanted it to be good enough. I wanted it to be an A." It was miraculous and spectacular. I looked at her, full of pride, and said with a smile, "Darling, it's an A."

If her initial project hadn't been an F, she never would have walked in with that pyramid. That child is about to graduate RCA, and she is ready to compete with any high school student across the country. She knows what high expectations are, she understands the value of a strong work ethic, and she knows how to achieve excellence. If we continue to dumb down education and to give students A's and B's because they "tried," we are doing them a disservice and failing to prepare them to be successful in the real world. That young lady couldn't walk into an elite high school and compete with a glitter-filled trifold. However, she can walk into any high school with that pyramid and her overall knowledge of how to achieve that type of excellence and stand high above her peers.

I often bake cookies for my students. I tell them it is my great-greatgrandma's recipe and that she handed it to me in secret on her deathbed. (Okay, a stretch.) As I pass out the cookies, the kids who are working hard receive one with delight; the students who aren't working as hard do not. Parents will call and say, "Mr. Clark, I heard you gave every child in the class a cookie except my child. Why are you picking on my child?"

Why does every child have to get the cookie? The parents claim that I will hurt the child's self-esteem. Has it really gotten to the point that we are so concerned with our children's self-esteem that we aren't realistic with them about their performance and abilities? If we give "cookies" when they aren't deserved, then we are telling our young people that they don't need to work hard to receive rewards. We are sending a message that the cookie will always come. That is why we have so many young people in their twenties who have no idea what it means to work hard. And that is why they are still looking to their parents to provide support (and to give them the cookie).

I tell my students who don't receive a cookie that I will be baking cookies the following week. I tell them that I will watch them until that time and that if they are trying hard they'll earn their cookie. It is shocking to see how much effort kids, regardless of their age, will display to get a cookie. And when it is earned, it means something. The students will glow with pride, and they will explain how they are going to eat half the cookie then and save the other half for later. Also, it tastes better than any cookie they have ever eaten, and it sends the message that with hard work comes rewards. If parents and teachers are just rewarding our kids without cause, we aren't teaching the value of personal effort.

We all need to teach our young people that not everyone deserves a pat on the back just because we are attempting to make everyone feel good. Giving praise that isn't earned only sets up our students for more failure in the long run.

If you are a teacher who wants to increase expectations but is afraid of the backlash from giving failing grades on assignments that will cause your parents and administration to freak out, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself When you give an assignment, show your students beforehand what you expect. Show a detailed description of what would earn a failing grade, a passing grade, and an outstanding grade. Share that with your administration as well to make sure it meets their approval, and then make your parents understand the expectations. Letting everyone know what is expected beforehand will leave no opportuniry for complaints after the grades have been given.

If you are going to give rewards, such as cookies, let the parents know the classroom behaviors that will earn the reward and the behaviors that will not. When students are struggling, let the parents know specifically the areas that need to be addressed. If the child still does not meet the criteria, you have been clear about your expectations and therefore negative conflicts can be avoided.

The above is an excerpt from the book The End of Molasses Classes: Getting Our Kids Unstuck -- 101 Extraordinary Solutions for Parents and Teachers by Ron Clark. The above excerpt is a digitally scanned reproduction of text from print. Although this excerpt has been proofread, occasional errors may appear due to the scanning process. Please refer to the finished book for accuracy.

Are you ready to go out and grab your copy? Want to read another excerpt? Check out advice for parents and teachers {here}.

Let me know if you find yourself nodding in agreement (and if you want to join me! )

Math Centers and random things…

2011-09-07T19:50:00.001-05:00

Holy bananas! The first 10 days of school went so fast! I’ve had so much fun getting to know my new kinders, but I sure am exhausted!

I don’t have much for you here…just a few randoms and our math centers from last week!

Here are the sweet little handprint puzzles! The card is from Kim Adsit’s site – it’s a free download! I had the kiddos decorate the envelope too. So sweet!

We started out with colors and shapes and used Julie Lee’s Brown Bear unit a lot! One of my favorite activities was this glue practice sheet! The kiddos loved it (despite some tired hands, and some blobs of glue!) I might have to do another one again soon…

Here’s a quick and easy one for the color blue…

I used my 3/4” circle punch for the “blueberries”. Super quick! Click on the picture below to download!

Our first go at math centers! We had 3 “real” centers and a couple of exploration centers. Before we did the dice rolling independently we did an activity whole group, so everyone got practice and learned the rules for rolling the dice!

The brown bear pages are from Julie Lee’s brown bear pack.

1. Roll and write: this was a little challenging for some, but I really got a good picture of who could and who couldn’t write their numbers!

2. Dice roll and dob. I just used a plain die and used a sharpie to add the shapes. (We used bingo dobbers)

3. Counting and one-to-one correspondence. I worked closely with this group – again it showed me what kind of beginning skills my little guys have.

4. This one is a lakeshore counting box – The Candy Jar – great for beginning centers and practicing number ID and one-to-one.

5. We had to do some exploring with unifix cubes before we started patterning with them this week!!

Classroom Pics

2011-08-29T20:32:00.001-05:00

I finally got a chance to snap a few quick pics as I was heading out the door today. Man, these last few days have been cah-razy! I’m loving my new little kinders though! They are doing such a fantastic job! We have been going through all the expectations and routines over the past 4 days, and today we actually did math centers! Wow! Can you believe it?! I’m so excited

So here’s my room – don’t look too closely…there are piles everywhere!! I’ll try to take some more detailed pics later, but for now, here is an overview:

This is a view from the door to my classroom looking towards the front. Immediately to the left is our coat area. I dislike having the coat area in my room because I loose so much valuable space! *See my rainbow board ala Julie Lee? It is working WONDERFULLY! The kiddos LOVE it!*

From the front door looking at the back of the classroom. To the immediate right of the picture is the tile floor area – counter space, sink, and bathroom are there.

Manipulatives/toys are housed in the little book shelf (blocks, legos, bristle blocks, round stackers – I’ll change these out periodically). The play kitchen is also back there.

Here is our little reading area and writing center. The writing center is not finished yet! ahhhh! The flowers are for our name word wall – yep, you guessed it – not done yet

The little table to the left of this picture is my little work table – I can also use this table for assessments or working with 1 or 2 children. You can see our art easel, mailboxes and bathroom in this pic. The open door to the left leads to another K classroom (which used to be first grade).

Here’s one of my little messy areas! Daily supplies…(ahem…including the diet coke…see it?!)

And another catch-all messy place. This is right across from the picture above (behind the mailboxes). I decided to take over this counter space for me – drawers to organize papers, supplies – and to just stash stuff until I know what to do with it. I also have a bookshelf with my favorite books (above behind the red and white curtain).

Ahhh….so there you go! Please ignore the mess! I know we all have it – especially at the beginning of the year when we are all trying to keep our heads on straight!

One more thing – two fabulous ladies have started a new blog! Kim Adsit and her daughter Megan have teamed up to write a blog together! I’m so excited to see what they come up with this year!! Be sure to go and check them out!

Calling all Music! August/September

2011-08-27T17:38:00.001-05:00

Hi friends – phew, am I exhausted! We started school on Wednesday, and I don’t have ANY pictures for you! I haven’t even gotten a chance to snap pictures of my room, I have been sooo terribly busy! Soon, I promise

Do you ever get stuck in a music rut? I sure do! I have my favorites and we sing them…. a lot. One of my summer projects WAS going to be to organize my music by month – perhaps even by week, so I would be introducing new songs every week. Well, that didn’t happen.

So, I’m reaching out to all of you amazing teachers! Each month, I’ll write a post asking you to leave a comment for your favorite music for that month!

So, this month, I’m asking you to post up with your favorite back to school songs, movement songs, beginning of the year phonics,phonemic awareness songs, math and beginning number concepts! Make sense?

I’ll compile all of the songs for August and September into a document and post it for all of you to organize your OWN music!

To make it easier on everyone, please include in your comment:

1. Title of Song

2. Artist of Song

3. Album that the song is on

Happy Singing!

Teacher Talk Tuesday–Advice

2011-08-22T23:13:00.001-05:00

Today’s theme is advice for new teachers, but I think this tip might help others too!

We have a lot of turnover at my school – the military base sees children come and go throughout the year. Last spring, we gained 12 kindergarteners from January to May! CRAZY!

As I label things I made 5 additional piles. I continually add to the pile as I work: lucky duck sticks, birthday flower, apple for lunch choice, helper stick, clothespin – anything that I would need to label. I did the same when I was putting together my open house folder.

I put all the papers inside a file folder (with a checklist for parents!) and all of the little pieces in a baggie. I tried to color code all of the papers to make it easier on parents.

I tucked everything inside of a poly folder.

When a new student walks through the door, I can grab a file and a baggie, and I’m good to go!

*I also type up a WHOLE page of labels for each child – first name, first and last name, (small font and large font), name and lunch number, address, etc. – anything that I could possibly need!)

I hope this tip helps all of the newbies out there! Doing a little extra work now will definitely save you time when that new student walks in your room!

Meet The Teacher Monday!

2011-08-21T22:06:00.001-05:00

Meet the Teacher Monday!

I am so excited to be a part of a new blogging adventure that we like to call Blog Hoppin! A group of us got together and developed this blog to collaborate and share great ideas. We are kicking it off (our grand opening!) with Teacher Week 2011! The first item on the agenda is Meet The Teacher!

Abby started us off over at Blog Hoppin with her bio and I’m linking up with her!

Tell us a little something about you...

I think you all know who I am by now, but let me tell you a bit more! I started this little blog almost a year ago hoping that it could be part of my final project for my master’s degree. When that didn’t work out, I decided that I would continue on! I can’t believe my first anniversary is coming up! I think blogging has made me a better teacher and I LOVE getting so many great ideas from ALL OF YOU! P.S. – Thanks for supporting me on this little adventure of mine

How long have you been teaching?

This year will be my 7th year teaching. I taught 1st grade for one year, and have been in kindergarten for 5 years. I took some time off after the death of my daughter to be home and raise my other two girls. Kindergarten is where my heart is. Each day can be challenging, but it also can be (and is!) SO rewarding!

What are you looking most forward to this school year?

I am looking forward to an exciting year of lots of learning and implementing all of the great learning I have done over the summer! My Kindergarten team has also completely changed, and I am excited to work with two wonderful ladies! We are going to have so much fun!

What do you need to improve?

I love writing time in my classroom, and my kiddos can write a pretty good story by the end of Kindergarten, but my lessons are always so random! I’ve been reading the Fountas and Pinnell Curricular Calendar for Writer’s Workshop and am working on my mini-lessons for the rest of the year! I am so excited to incorporate “real” mini-lessons into my writing time! I’m also working through their Reader’s Workshop book as well – my new teaching partner LOVES reader’s workshop, so she will be a great asset to me!

AND – I really AM going to be organized this year! I am done with my Master’s Degree so that is a HUGE weight off of my shoulders! ALSO…and the MOST exciting thing for me….I get my husband back! Back Story: For the past 12 years, he has worked his regular job writing software and then taught Norwegian in the evening at the University – which meant that he was not home until about 9:30 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Here’s the good part – he is now teaching his classes online so that he’ll be home with us in the evening! I can’t even express how excited I am about this! So, with him home to help out I’ll {hopefully} be able to keep my home life and school life organized and be on top of my to do list! Keep your fingers crossed!!

What teaching supplies can you *not* live without?

1. Diet Coke – it’s my fuel.

2. My interactive white board. I had the opportunity to move to a MUCH larger room this year, but there was no IWB. I chose to stay put.

3. I love me some Heidi Songs! Great way to get the kiddos up and moving and practicing great skills too!

4. My laminator! It’s saved me in a pinch when I have had to make a center game last minute – not going to do that this year – staying organized!!

5. My Silhouette – this is my brand new baby, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! I’ve made so many things for my room with this – it is truly a time saver!

6. They aren’t really “supplies”, but I couldn’t have gotten through last year with some very special friends. Kim and Deanna were life savers to me – I don’t know what I would have done without their guidance, support, and friendship last school year. Thanks girls – looking forward to another great year

PS – I totally have to add this photo because I just took it off my camera….

That’s me and Brandi Carlile!! She is SO awesome, and I was so excited to get to meet her!! If you haven’t heard her music before, you need to TOTALLY check her out! She rocks my world!

So, now, it's time to link up your bio over at Blog Hoppin’. Click on the image below to take you there! You can use the questions above or write anything else you would like as long as it pertains to the topic of the day : YOU!

Teacher Week - 2011

2011-08-21T01:26:00.001-05:00

Yay! So excited to share this wonderful new blog with you!

Check out all of the details over at Blog Hoppin’!

Hope to see you there!!

Peace and Love

2011-08-14T21:56:00.001-05:00

The finished product:

Sorry that the picture is kind of light – the colors are super bright and fun! The lights are off in the hallway and doesn’t make for good picture taking!

I love how it turned out – super simple, and took me all of 10 minutes to put up! Just how I like it – especially since it will only be up for a couple of weeks!

Thanks for all the help with the font! I was too anxious to get started and used a combination of Turkey Sandwich and Brady Bunch…but the real font was Floraless!

So….

Kristy Sully – send me an e-mail and let me know what you would like from my TpT shop! You are the winner of the font contest!

More classroom pics coming soon!

Back to School Calendar Book

2011-08-09T19:50:00.001-05:00

I get tons of e-mails asking me about calendar book. First, I want to clarify that this was NOT my original idea! My kindergarten friends introduced me to it a few years ago, and they learned about it from a Shari Sloane conference. I just adapt and tweak to meet my kiddos needs.

The first year I did calendar book, I was SCARED. I didn’t start until January. I thought the kiddos needed some time to mature and be able to sit longer be better listeners and so on. Don’t get me wrong, I still did calendar, but I wasn’t ready to put the books in the hands of my little babies!

My second year of calendar book, my friend convinced me to start right away at the beginning of the school year. I didn’t start at the very beginning….I gave it a week or 2 and started in September. VERY S….L…O…W…L…Y.

These are the binders that I use:

I get them at Sam’s club. I TRY to make them last 2 years, but some kids are harder on them than others. We always talk in the beginning about how important they are, and how they need to treat them nicely……you know the gig.

I also put in a pencil pouch.

They are kinda spendy – so I really watch for deals. Sometimes you can get them at the dollar store, but make sure they fit a three ring binder! I bought a bunch of them once, and they didn’t fit! My friends put these on their supply lists, but I can’t do that because not all the K teachers in my building do calendar books.

In the pencil pouch are 2 crayons and a pencil. Keepin’ it simple!

This is what the kiddos have in their calendar notebooks:

1. September songs

2. Alphabet Chart

3.The September calendar page with dotted numbers to trace.

4. Number writing page (we wait a while to start this).

5. Patterning page

6. How many days in school page (with the first few numbers dotted)

7. Tooth tally chart

8. Birthday Chart

9. Zero the Hero Chart

*The last 4 stay in the calendar book year round.

As the children are able to, I add more pages that match the pages in my flipchart. (Here the bummer news: I can’t send you my calendar flipcharts because I use DJ Inkers clip art, and the images can’t be secured. We all know that is a big no-no with DJ Inkers!)

Phew – got all that? Really, it’s not that difficult to do – just takes a bit of courage! Kim Adsit and Shari Sloane have put together a really nice calendar packet that explains everything in detail…there are lots more activities for names, weather, songs, etc. It’s a gigantic pack and well worth the price! You can find at at Kim’s store on Teachers Pay Teachers.

So, here’s the good news! I’m sharing my calendar goodies with you to get you started! I promise you you’ll really enjoy it! The kids are so engaged and are practicing skills everyday. When you notice they need practice with a certain skill, just add it to their book…they get so excited about new pages!

So…here goes! {I’ll post the other monthly songs every month}

This is why you need 2 crayons in your pencil pocket I always keep an “extra” basket nearby for pencils that break or if someone loses a crayon.

This one we do with a number writing song – right now I can’t tell you if it is a Jack or Dr. Jean song. Sorry!

(I get the Zero the Hero page from Kim’s pack)

I am out of storage on my google docs!! Can you believe it?! I hope everything downloads okay … I had to switch to a different e-mail….oops. Just leave a note to tell me that you snagged ‘em

Creative Slump!

2011-08-07T16:31:00.001-05:00

Okay, just to give you a warning…this post is a hot mess. Phew. I am all over the place. I think that’s how I’m feeling these days! With that being said, have you ever been in a creative slump? Oh my goodness – my creative juices are running L.O.W.! I’ve been racking my brain trying to come up with a theme for the year (which I’ve never done, and this is probably why!). First, it was “magic.” Then, I backed off …magic can be a little iffy in schools. Then I thought I had it, detectives and mystery! I had all these slogans thought of, and Deanna came up with a few awesome ones for me too, but now I’m just not feeling it! So, I’m stuck. I need a back to school bulletin board and an idea for my name word wall. Last year, I did this:

“Cruising through Kindergarten with my friends!”

My current thought is: “Peace, Love, Kindergarten” – I think I could do a pretty simple bulletin board for the hall (because, let’s face it…we all have lots more important things to do than spend hours on a board that’s going to get torn down!) Here’s the inspiration:

{Source}

**UPDATE: Freebie from my TpT store for the first person to tell me what the font on the t-shirt is!**

I think my name wall could be “I Love my Friends” or something of the sort…

Sheesh…slumpy, right?

So, HELP ME! Ideas, anyone?

One more question…I am going to do a focus wall this year. I’ve never done one before, but I think it will help to keep my teaching on track and keep the kids focused on what they’re learning. For those of you that do them, what do you put on them? So far, I have sight words, amazing words (vocab words from our reading series), alphabet, math….

I also have a really neat behavior plan that I want to share with you. It’s from Aloha Kindergarten. I. LOVE.IT It works so well with our schools PBS (um, RTI-B) plan. I am totally doing it this year!

Source: Aloha Kindergarten

{HERE} is the blog post that explains the CHAMPs system.

AND – I’ve had lots of requests for a new back to school problem solving pack. I’m going to TRY to work on it this week! I also have some more calendar downloads for you too! Keep checking back!

Shut the door! Sale Extended!

2011-08-02T23:32:00.001-05:00

Growing Kinders

Would you like to see it in the “new and improved” format?
click {HERE!}

Kim Adsit

Deanna Jump

THE COUPON CODE IS: B1T1S

Did you find my monster freebie? It’s a big one! Come back and tell me what you think of it!

Here is another freebie for you!

Laurie, one of my sweet readers, asked me to make some labels for her Zero the Hero book! She is copying the pages and putting them in a 3-prong folder. Here are the labels I made for her (Avery 5163)

And another set if you want some that are a bit bigger. (You’ll have to cut these out and glue them on though!)

Don’t have a Zero the Hero pack yet? Find it {HERE}

August Calendar Songs

2011-07-31T09:59:00.001-05:00

We go back to school on the 24th, and I don’t usually start calendar book with the kids until September, but I thought I would post these calendar songs just in case some of you need them for August!

Again, it is from Jessica Meacham’s site.

I’m heading off to the lake today, but I’ll be back soon with a big announcement!

Lettering Delights Sale ends SUNDAY

2011-07-29T09:02:00.001-05:00

Here’s your last chance to catch that great clearance sale over at Lettering Delights! Lots of fun clip art, alphabets, and fonts on clearance for only 50 cents!

Click on the little monkey on my sidebar to take you there! (Sign up for their newsletter while you are there, and you get tons of FREE stuff!! Who doesn’t love FREE?!)

Procrastinating…

2011-07-28T19:49:00.001-05:00

Okay, peeps, I saw this quote on Pinterest a couple of days ago, and I’ve just been DYING to make it into some subway art for all of you … (you know when you get a vision in your mind…) I really think we are ALL GUILTY of this! This is my first “go” at subway art, so be gentle!

Click on the image if you would like a copy of it! It’s a jpeg so just size it to your preferred size in your photo editing software – I love Picasa

So….procrastinate away!

PS – My hubby didn’t get it….do you?!

Update 7.29 – I just saw this sign:

From this site.

Raise your hand if you’re busy reading blogs or creating cutesy stuff for your classroom when you really should be planning and organizing!!?? (I’ve got my hand raised high!)

Super Easy Alphabet Ideas

2011-07-28T09:24:00.001-05:00

We all have extra magazines laying around right? How about putting those to good use in your classroom?! Just make sure they are child friendly – no Cosmo or Glamour here! Parenting magazines work great (but make sure to go through them before you give them to kids!)

Here’s what you do: Give your student this alphabet sheet:

and a pile of magazines…

and put them to work finding letters to cut out and glue on their sheet! Fun? Easy? Keeps them busy for a long time? Yep!!

Here’s another alphabet activity that I found on Pinterest.

Click {here} to read the original post! Awesome, easy idea! Prep it now while the sun is still shining!

How about these great cards?

These are the cards that Doodle Bugs Teaching made from the free download over at Mrs. Saylor’s Log.

What else have you found or made for easy back to school alphabet ideas?

It’s back to school time…what about dinner?

2011-07-26T09:54:00.001-05:00

I have to admit, I am NOT a cook. I don’t mind the actual cooking process, but I have a BIG problem deciding what to cook, and honestly, I hate to clean up the mess! So anything that I can cook in one pot or in the microwave is good to go for me!

In addition to the lack of desire for cooking, the time factor comes into play. I generally get home around 5 {exhausted}. But the kids are still hungry. In addition to his 8-5 job, hubby teaches Norwegian in the evenings at the university. He has been doing this since we have been in college, so I’m used to not having him home much during the school year. So, I am usually just making dinner for me and the two {picky} girlies. Generally, it’s something simple – sandwiches, soup, ahem..cereal…

Here’s where you guys come in. Link up with your favorite, easiest weeknight dinner. Let’s all add to our recipe books!

Rules:

1. Link up with a recipe on your blog – if you want to cook it and take pictures as you cook – even better! After all, some of us are visual learners, right?!

2. Make sure you link to the exact page of your post, not to your whole blog.

4. Be sure to grab my button and post it to your blog!

3. If you CAN, copy and paste your recipe into a word doc, pdf it and link it to your blog post. That way we all can just click print and have a plethora of recipes at our fingertips!

I’ll start us off with a recipe my hubby (yep) made the other night that I thought was just delish…

From Unclebens.com:

Chicken Enchiladas

INGREDIENTS

2 chicken breast poached and shredded
8 (8-inch) whole wheat tortillas
2 cups red enchilada sauce
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese shredded
1/4 cup cilantro chopped
1 box UNCLE BEN’S® Whole Grain White Taco Style
1 cup yellow onion diced
1 cup corn kernels
1 cup black beans

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepare the UNCLE BEN’S® Whole Grain White Rice Taco Style as instructed on the box.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. While rice is cooking, sauté onion, corn and black beans. Add shredded chicken. Set aside.
4. When rice is finished cooking, mix into onion, corn, bean and chicken mixture.
5. Heat tortillas in microwave for about 15 seconds. One at a time, lay 1 cup of chicken mixture in middle of tortilla. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of enchilada sauce. Roll tortilla closed, and then lay seam side down in a deep baking dish. Continue with all 8 tortillas. Add about 1 to 2 cups more enchilada sauce over the top of the tortillas. Cover with Monterey Jack cheese, and bake for 20 minutes, or until internal temperature is 140 F degrees.
6. Serve enchiladas hot, topped with fresh chopped cilantro.

Need Some Smiles :)

2011-07-25T16:33:00.001-05:00

The past few days have been rough as I follow the news in Norway. Thank you all for your kind words of support. Norway is a country in grief right now, but they are strong people, and together they will make it through.

So…. I wanted to share with you something that I found stashed away from MANY years ago! I don’t even know how long ago they were in the newspapers! If you have school age kids (mine will be a 4th grader), I think you’ll appreciate these comics!

Are you smiling? Yep, totally my kid

I went to Jo-Ann’s today to pick up some fabric for my bunting and found some super cute stuff!

I am going to use this little basket for my pointers. It was on sale for $5.99

Here is my fabric for my bunting! Can’t wait to work on it!

And these sweet little cups were $1.99 each. I’m sure I’ll make some sort of popsicle stick game with them – I’m sensing an alphabet one and a number one??

Any ideas? I’ll certainly share when I get them done!

With a heavy heart…

2011-07-23T17:44:00.001-05:00

For the last 2 days, I have been glued to my computer following the news of the tragedy in Norway. If you have been reading my blog for a while now, you may remember that I am married to a wonderful Norwegian man. We just returned from Norway on Tuesday, and on Friday, terror shook the tiny Nordic country. The people of Norway are shocked and devastated. This is the worst disaster the country has faced since the occupation of Norway in World War II, and possibly one of the worst massacres by a gunman the world has ever seen.

Thankfully, all of my husbands family is safe. His brother, who lives in Oslo, is still away on his honeymoon.

Oslo holds a very special place in my heart. As a student, I studied for 5 months at the University of Oslo. I became a citizen of that city and it was {my own} for the time that I lived there. I love that city, and I love Norway.

Norway is a place unlike any other. The people are friendly and trusting. Police are unarmed and politicians {and sometimes royalty} take the subway just like anyone else. King Harold told the people of Norway, "It's now important that we stand together and we support each other and we do not let fear conquer us."

It is the darkest time in Norwegian history, and the country is mourning a great loss. I ask that you send up positive thoughts and prayers to the country. It will take a long time to recover from this, and I fear the city that I love so much will never quite be the same.

More {Supply} Labels!

2011-07-15T18:18:00.001-05:00

I found some more labels for you! This time they are supply labels. I use these to label the shelf that the baskets or cups of extra supplies go. I use community supplies in my classroom, but I don't have everything on the tables. On the tables, I have a basket of crayons and a basket of pencils. If the children need anything else, they take it from the supply shelf. This year, I'm changing things up just a teeny bit -- each child will have his/her own cup of crayons and they will be stored in a basket on the center of the table.

Here are the labels! Enjoy!

Math Manipulative Labels

2011-07-14T10:13:00.000-05:00

I was searching through my computer and I found these labels that I made a couple of years ago for my math manipulative bins. I thought I would share with you all! Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of them "in use" in my classroom, but I think you'll get the gist of it!

They are sized to fit these containers:

I hope you can use them! Click on the image below to download.

Be sure to leave me a little note or follow this blog if you download. Comments make the blogging world go round! :)

Promethean Tutorials?

2011-07-13T15:39:00.000-05:00

I am thinking of doing a series of basic tutorials for those of you that are using Promethean Interactive White Boards and ActivInspire. What I need to know is....what do you want to know how to do? Leave a comment below telling me what kinds of tutorials you would like to see!

Where I am now...

2011-07-10T16:35:00.000-05:00

(Yes, this is an actual road that we drove on)

Enjoying my brother-in-laws wedding in the beautiful landscape of Bergen, Norway. (Not to mention the beautiful bride, and my two beauties...the groom isn't so bad himself, either!)

Phonemic Fun!

2011-07-09T10:31:00.021-05:00

Here is a fun and easy phonemic game that you can play with your kinders at any time of the year!

You will need a bag of some sort - it can be a gift bag, or a bag like this:

You could decorate it all cute with some puffy paint and ribbons. Since I'm on vacation, I don't have access to the supplies! I'll try to make one up when I get home!

You also need some small manipulatives or picture cards. I really love these teaching tubs from Lakeshore Learning. They come in handy for so many things!

And finally, you need this little diddy:

(Click on the image if you would like to download this to put in the bag or attach to the bag!)

What do you think? Sounds fun, huh?

The Right Number Of...

2011-07-07T09:47:00.000-05:00

Have you ever asked your students to tell you "how many" of something you might need? What kind of answers to you get? 100! 1,000! 1,000,000! This activity introduces children to the idea of "resonable numbers." Reasonable numbers are defined by Chris Confer as "quantities of things that come in particular ranges." A person might have one or two dogs, but not 20 or 30. Confer shares in her book, Teaching Number Sense, that the concept of reasonable numbers (and the understanding of them) are based on the real life experiences of the child.

This is as fun little lesson that introduces the idea of reasonable numbers. It also comes from Chris Confers Book: Teaching Number Sense.

You will need this book:

This is a silly non-fiction book, but it provides lots of experiences for counting - something that those little babies need a lot of in the beginning of the year! As you read, encourage the children to count the number of elephants on each page. Guide them to notice the number pattern in the book as well - the numbers decrease as the pages increase.

When you are finished reading the story, allow the children some time to brainstorm the "right number" of various things. (This time though, it will be real, true things!) Children may vary in their answers as in, "The right number of earrings on an ear is...." Some things will have definite concrete answers, while statements like the one above will vary based on what the children have experienced. You want to guide children to understand reasonable numbers - it wouldn't be reasonable for a person to have 30 earrings on an ear, but it might be reasonable to have 4.

In her book, Confer provides a writing frame and the children fill in the sentence that they have brainstormed together. I have made up a little book for you with the complete sentence frame. I think this would be much easier for the kiddos at the beginning of the year to complete! The children can complete the pages with pencils and crayons or make construction paper pictures (these are always so cute!)

You can grab the book here:

Be sure to leave a comment or follow my blog so I know that you all are enjoying the free downloads!

Terra Firma

2011-07-02T12:15:00.000-05:00

After an exhausting two days of traveling, we have finally made it to Norway. This is an annual trip that we make to visit my husband's parents. This trip was a tough one -- we had awful roller coaster turbulence coming out of Minneapolis - my poor daughter got sick. And of course she's not used to the twisty turny roads here, and got sick on the way home too. Poor girl!

Anyway, we are here, safe, on solidi ground! I hope to find some time to work on some things for all of you while I am here. There was a list started on an earlier post, but if you could continue to post your wish list or questions that you have here, I will try to answer them!

I also hope to be able to get into my mother-in-laws school to show you what a Norwegian school and classroom looks like!

One more thing....if you find the time...I would love for you to vote for my blog in the Really Good Stuff blog contest! I am in the first column of the K-4 blogs. Thank you! (just click on the image below!)

Lettering Delights MEGA Sale!

2011-06-30T14:21:00.001-05:00

Holy moley! I love it when they have the dollar days, but this is even better! Lettering Delights is having a summer clearance and there are tons of items for FIFTY (50!!) cents! I was just clicking away and adding to my cart.

If you haven’t shopped at Lettering Delights before, you should check it out! Just click on the cute monkey guy on my sidebar. From there you can sign up for the newsletter and get $50.00 in free fonts, graphics and alphabets. I love lettering delights because everything is always in your library – so you can check there to make sure you don’t already have it before you buy!

You can also download their free software called Creative Companion here. It will help you manage your alphabet stash!

And do you have one of these?

I just got mine and have only played with it a little bit – but I am so excited to really work with it some more! Lettering Delights has also come out with a HUGE set of SVG simple cuts that can be used with the Silhouette. You get 50 sets for $49.00! Here are just a few of the images:

Click on the Lettering Delights button on my sidebar to learn more!

If you need a tutorial for how to use SVG images with your Silhouette, check out THIS blog!

Happy Shopping!

Da da da daaaaa!

2011-06-29T16:45:00.001-05:00

Have you seen my new Zero the Hero pack yet? Stop over here and check it out!

Let me know what you think!

Third time is a charm??

2011-06-28T16:21:00.001-05:00

I can’t believe I am having such a hard time giving these CD’s away! I hope that THIS winner contacts me! (within 48 hours!!)

I am looking for some ideas, folks. What do you want to see here? I am heading out of town and am looking for some things to blog about while I am gone… Leave a comment below to let me know what you would like to see!

A New Winner!

2011-06-26T13:52:00.001-05:00

I had to choose a new winner for the Penny and Pals giveaway because the first winner never contacted me! Bummer!

I’ve been in Minnesota hanging out with my pals Kim Adsit and Deanna Jump (and new pal Shari Sloane!) so I haven’t been able to choose a new winner until today. After being with 2 southerners for 3 days, I feel like I am coming home with a southern accent!

If you haven’t seen Kim or Shari present you MUST! They are fantastic! Deanna will be presenting this summer at Frog Street Splash ~ she would love it if you would come and see her!

So, without further ado….

Ugh, this winner didn’t contact me either! See above for the NEW winner!

MN Conference

2011-06-22T00:06:00.001-05:00

I am off tomorrow to take part in an awesome conference with some amazing presenters! I am hopping a plane (thanks to frequent flyer miles!) to Minneapolis tomorrow! Normally, I would drive the 5 hours, but an hour fight is so much nicer! I hope to be back with some great new ideas next week!

I’ve got my pencil and notebook ready!

I’m flippin’ out!

2011-06-20T08:08:00.001-05:00

I’m flippin’ out (bun not in a Jeff Lewis way though!) I am making flip charts! I went to a 2 day (INTENSE) training for ActivInspire and Promethean Active Boards. We sat from 8-4 for 2 days learning all the ins and outs of the software. I had a good idea where to start since I have had my board for 2 years, but I mostly figured things out on my own. I was glad to find that there was an easier way to do most things and they’re all pretty easy to me now! {Even containers!!}

I was inspired by Debbie Diller’s Math Workstation book to create a few flipchart pages. They’re pretty simple because I want to be able to share them with other teachers in my district, but take a peek:

There are 2 options for this one – at first the children can pull a colored dot (duplicate), and then later use the highlighter.

Super duper simple – just grab a coconut and match it up with the domino.

This one is using a cute little revealer (magic ink) that I downloaded from promethean. Again, super simple, but great for beginning number concepts.

With these 3 pages, I wanted to use the dot sheets that Fran made over at Kindergarten Crayons. This is a good way to introduce as a whole group. The children will put the numbers in the right order first, and then count out the correct number of cookies (which are hidden “in” the jar) to the correct spots.

This one uses the hidden feature. The children tap the apple to reveal a side of a die, count the dots, and write the correct number.

This is the 5 frame game that is in Debbie Diller’s book. This page is intended to use for whole group teaching and to teach the game.

Here is the game for partners. I played it with my 9 year old daughter, and she thought it was super fun! Simple, but fun!

Spin the spinner and add the correct number of apples to the wagon.

This one looks very blah, doesn’t it?! But, I was able to master containers!!! The shapes are nice and colorful, so once they are up there it looks a little bit prettier!

Grab and graph – the shapes are hidden behind the square. I added the math talk bubbles so that the kids (ahem…I) remember to use that wording!

Same concept as the apple tree, just using pennies.

And as a partner game.

What do you think? I am still working my way through chapter 4, but I am LOVING this book so far!

I have one more thing I need to admit….I had my first back to school dream of the summer on Saturday. Seriously. So. Not. Ready. It was the usual horror story of not being ready – my room still in boxes, nothing ready, the kids were HORRIBLY naughty. Ugh, I hate those dreams, and it is way too early in the summer to start!

Sight Words {and} Chants

2011-06-14T21:44:00.001-05:00

Every week, I introduce the kids to two new sight words. I have a sign on the outside of my door that looks like this:

Sorry – it’s not the best picture – the flash didn’t like the laminating! Underneath the construction paper flap are two sticky notes with the weeks’ sight words on it. The children have to tell me the sight words each time they enter the room. They get SO excited whenever there is a new sight word!

You can download your own password sign by clicking on the picture below. You will just need to supply the flap! Just add a sheet of construction paper or cute scrapbook paper and tape it on! I quickly made three versions – click on any picture to download all three.

Psst: You can use these signs for more than just sight words! At the beginning of the year use it for letters, shapes, numbers, etc.

Each week, we also write our new sight words to hang on our fridge. This picture came from a friends classroom:

(You could easily do this with letters too!)

And I also add the word to magnetic white boards:

Throughout the day, I’ll mix up the letters and ask children to come up and fix the words.

Here is the sight word page for you as well as an alphabet page!

Disclaimer: I do not do letter of the week in my classroom. However, for the first few weeks of school, our reading series has a review of letters. We practice all letters and sounds every week, but there is a focus on a specific letter.

Okay, here’s the fun part! It took me a long time to put these together! I came across these sight word chants on the web (I saved them to my computer, so I’m not really sure where they came from!)

It was too hard to flip through the pages to find different chants so… I love popsicle sticks, so I came up with these babies:

The kids went NUTS over them! It took me FOREVER to type them up on labels! I put the name of the chant on one side of the stick and the “how-to” on the other side. (I trimmed around the name to make it fit better). I pull out a stick and we do the chant! The kids LOVE the push-up one – it is SO funny to watch them do push-ups!

So, here are the labels for you – they sometimes get a little wacky when printed to a PDF so, I hope they print out okay for you!

(The names are first, and the descriptions follow consecutively)

I hope you like all the freebies in this post! Leave me a comment, follow my blog, or make a donation to my Donors Choose proposal if you feel so inclined! Have fun creating!

It’s a Give away! Let’s Wiggle, Giggle, and Sing!

2011-06-11T10:25:00.001-05:00

Up in my neck of the woods, it’s not very often that we have celebrities living just down the road (by road, I mean I-29 – ha! But she is only an hour away!) But seriously, this celebrity is the Midwest’s treasure of the elementary teaching world. Who is it you might wonder??? It’s…..

Have you heard of Penny and Pals? Most kids in this area know who she is as well as her crew of friends that travel with her. In my classroom, we LOVE to sing and dance to her songs! She often travels around the area to give concerts at schools, churches, and community events. Flocks of people gather to see her – she is FANTASTIC! I’ve seen her many times in person, and she is so energetic and fun!

Here is a video of Penny in action! The kids LOVE her! Notice how they are all up and moving! (Just what we need to get the squirmies out of our little friends!)

~Listen for the “Mosquito Swat” this is a favorite of us North Dakotans where the mosquito is the state bird ~

SO……Penny has GRACIOUSLY agreed to give away not one, but TWO of her awesome alphabet CD’s to one of my lucky blog readers!!!! Isn’t she AMAZING?!!!

The kids in my classroom LOVE those songs – she has one for every letter of the alphabet and they get the kids up and moving and singing!

So, do you want to win these CD’s???? I know you do!

There are a couple of EASY things you need to do…

1. Head on over to Facebook and ‘like’ her fan page. Just click right {HERE} and you’ll go straight to the page. Leave her a little note too – she’ll like that

2. I know you’re following if you’re reading this, but could you please just click that little FOLLOW button on my sidebar. It would make me ever so happy!

3. Make sure you leave a comment so I know you’ve done these things!

This contest will stay open for ONE WEEK – It will close on Saturday, June 18 @ midnight. I will select a winner using random.org on Sunday, June 19.

Be sure to check out Penny’s website to see all of her other CD’s! Click {HERE}

(Here’s Penny at my school a couple of years ago!)