Remembering…

Click the image below for resources for working through grief.

Get your Jolly on.

If you’re interested, just click on the picture to head over to TPT!

Thanks for your support!

How’s Writing Going?

I will have to say that writing is my absolute favorite time of the day!  The children spread out around the room – some are sitting at their tables (because they need to be *wink*), some are sitting at the kitchen table, some are in comfy chairs with clipboards, and most are spread out, laying on their tummies on the floor.  I turn the lights off, turn on some quiet music and we get to work!

Before we start writing, I always do a quick mini-lesson.  This is usually based on what I see children doing (or not doing) the day before.  I always write in front of the children.  I model the brainstorming process, drawing a quick sketch, and getting started on my story. 

Then we get to work…

This little guy was writing about his sister getting hot lava poured on her. “Hssss…..No Chloe! Said Braydon.”  He always writes very creative stories!

motor cycle track
After he wrote this we talked about illustrations.  He tended to draw scribbles and make up a story to go with it.  (Yes, that has it’s place, but this little guy was beyond that, and I  knew he could do more – I had seen him do more, and he was just starting to get complacent with his writing).  Since our conference, he has been drawing more detailed pictures!

The turkeys ran away.  (This was after we read The Great Turkey Escape)

I like to go to the park with Hailee.
She always draws such detailed, amazing pictures, and often didn’t get to the writing.  She had many pages of great pictures, but not a lot of writing.  At her conference, we talked about making sure that there are some words to go along with her gorgeous pictures.  She knows she’s a great illustrator, but she also wants to be a great writer.  So, we agreed that she has to practice both equally!

I was dancing with my brother.

This writing I did during a conference with this little girl.  She needs some support to get started and connect the letters to their sounds.  Once we talk it through a couple of times she is good to go!

Shoot.  I can’t remember what she was writing! 

I am having a tea party at my house.

I am shooting a missle.

I am so proud of my kiddos work during writing. We are writing independently now for 20, maybe 30 minutes depending on the day.  After writing,  they find a partner and share their writing with them.  We don’t share every day as a whole group, but I TRY to partner share.

Katie Wood Ray and Matt Glover are two of my favorite author’s for teaching writing to young children.

 

If you’re in need of some writing paper for your journals, you can pick mine up here:

#Giving Tuesday

Black Friday…
Cyber Monday…
Give back on #GivingTuesday

This year, on Tuesday, November 27, a new initiative of giving will begin.  #GivingTuesday is a day dedicated to giving – charities, families, businesses and more will come together to create a new movement to celebrate giving and encourage more, better and smarter giving during the Holiday season.

#GivingTuesday will create a movement to celebrate giving during a time when consuming is so prevalent.  I challenge to to be a part of this new tradition.

Let me take a minute and share my story with you.

These are my daughters: Nora and her big sister Kamilla.

December, 2005

Nora was only able to celebrate one Christmas with us.  Just days after this next photo was taken (May 2006) she lost her life to SIDS.  She died just 10 days before her first birthday.

Every year at Christmas and on Nora’s birthday, we make a donation to First Candle.  First Candle is a national non-profit health organization dedicated to helping grieving parents, the research of sudden infant death, and awareness of infant fatalities as well as educating others about how to reduce the risk of infant death.

First Candle is a charity that is close to my heart.  We have established a fund in memory of sweet Nora that is dedicated to finding a cause and hopefully a cure to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.  (Nora Elisa Kristvaag Pedersen Fund)

Whether you choose a charity like First Candle to make a donation to, the Red Cross, or a Salvation Army Red Kettle, you could give $1, $10, $100 or $1000 – know that every little bit helps.  I challenge you to dig a little deeper into your pockets this year and participate with me on #GivingTuesday.

Cyber Monday! {Loading up my Cart!}

 

If you’re interested in any of my things, just click on the image above!

Sight Words, Brag Tags & a {Giveaway}!

My kiddos are LOVING our Scooping Up Sight Words wall!  Each time they learn a new set of 10 sight words, they get to add a scoop to their ice cream cone!  Most kids are right on track with their sight words – yippee!! (This picture is a little bit old – it doesn’t reflect my last assessment!)

Here’s how it works…I test each student as often as needed on sight words – usually once every other week.  They have a ring of words at home and a ring of words at school.  As they learn their cards, they can add a scoop to their ice cream cone.  When the kiddos have learned all 70 kindergarten sight words – they earn an ice cream party!  
They are so excited to add to their scoop and they usually are reminding me to do it ;)
I thought I had a picture of my word wall, but I guess I don’t!  I’ll snap a pic and upload it soon.  I use my magnetic white board for my word wall.  My words are color coded like the student cards.  I introduce two new words a week (and review other words too), and then we add those to the word wall.  I put magnets on the back so the kids can take them back to their seat during writing time if they need to.
If you’re interested in my Scoopin Up Sight Words, you can find it {here!}  This file is programmable, so you can also add your own sight words!
I’ve recently added a new little surprise to my Scoopin Up Sight Words wall!
Introducing…..Brag Tags!
If you haven’t seen these cuties before you must go over to Boost Promotions website and check them out!  They have all sorts that you can choose from!

Boost Promotions sent me 4 varieties to try out with my kiddos – I choose Star Student (for my kiddo of the week), Super Star Reader (for when then read 100 books at home – {parents}), 100th day, and I know my Sight Words.  As the kids earn their brag tag, I hang it with their ice cream scoop! How fun is that?!

  

How would like to try out Brag Tags in your own room?!  Boost Promotions is going to give some away to one lucky Growing Kinders reader!

Here’s what you need to do to enter (you can get one entry for each!)

1. Sign up for Boost Promotions blog newsletter  {CLICK HERE} 
2. Follow Boost Promotions on their blog {CLICK HERE} 
3. “Like” Boost Promotions on Facebook {CLICK HERE} 
4. Retweet or Re-Post this contest on your Twitter or Facebook!
Good Luck!! *I'm having a few issues getting the options to stick in rafflecopter! If you do everything, you will still get 4 entries* a Rafflecopter giveaway

Are You Ready? HUGE Silhouette Sale!

Have you had your eye on one of these bad boys?

Here are a few things that I have done for my classroom using my Silhouette Cameo:

   

    

     

      

I use my Cameo to cut vinyl, letters for bulletin boards, student manipulatives, decorations, and so on! I love that I can go to the Silhouette store and ONLY purchase the cut out that I need.  If I need a spider for a spider graph, I can go and purchase ONE spider (usually for 99 cents or less) and not purchase an expensive cartridge! AND I can do it at ANY time – if I feel inspired to make something at midnight, I can go to the online store and buy what I need!!

And do you love FONTS?!  With the Cameo and Portrait, you can use ANY font that you have installed on your computer!! How awesome is that?!

So, if you’ve had your eye on one of these for a while, now is your chance!!

TODAY ONLY…….Check out these amazing deals at the Silhouette Store!  They are absolutely amazing deals…..scoop one up for yourself or let Santa know that you want one!!

Here’s what you can get!

The Silhouette CAMEO® + 1 copy of

Silhouette Studio® Designer Edition (MSRP $349.98) for

$229.99!

The brand new Silhouette Portrait™ is only $179.99!

AND...

40%  off at silhouetteamerica.com!

(Use the code: KINDERS)

(Offer only valid at silhouetteamerica.com. 40% off offer expires November 30, 2012. Rain checks not available.  % discount excludes Silhouette CAMEO®, Silhouette Portrait™, downloads, download cards, subscriptions, and gift cards).

You have to CLICK HERE to take advantage of the

Cameo and Portrait prices!

What are you waiting for?! Go SHOP!!!
(I know I will be filling up my cart with some supplies!!)

Be sure to use the code KINDERS when you shop!

Thankful.

I have so many things in my life to be thankful for – not just today, but every day.

Including YOU – my wonderful, amazing readers.

You inspire me every to keep creating, improve my teaching, and strive to do my best every day.

THANK YOU
for taking the time to visit my blog, support my endeavors, leaving comments, and just being great.

Have an amazing Thanksgiving filled with great food, family and friends. (and don’t be afraid to pull out your Thanksgiving pants ala Joey Tribbiani)

Thanksgiving Centers

Sorry, friends! I’m a little behind on my centers post!  Too much going on and not enough time to do it! (Isn’t that the story of our lives?!)

So, here goes – centers for last week and this week:

Math Centers:

Most of my kiddos are pretty secure in counting by 10s, so this was a great assessment for me…just to make sure!  They simply cut out the numbers and glued them on the paper strip in sequential order.  When they finished they could color them in a pattern (which they totally ROCK at because of our daily calendar book!)

At this center, the kids roll 2 dice, count up the dots and dob the correct number.

Here, they are measuring with non-standard units.  They use both unifix cubes and linking clips.

Here we are counting the pies in the oven!

At this center, the children count how many of each item are on the table and then graph their results.

Literacy Centers:

This is a write the room center.  I have sight words hung up around the room, and they have to find them and put them in the correct spot on their paper.

This one is from Cara Caroll’s Thanksgiving Pack.  I made the cards into a flipchart for my IWB.  I wish I would have taken a picture of it for you!  If you have an IWB, and know how to use it (this is key!) you can turn any of my centers (or anyone else’s) into flipcharts for a center! (Hint: I import the PDF and then I use the camera tool to take a snapshot!)  *Just be sure you don’t share those flipcharts because that would be a copyright violation. :)*

This center is also from Cara.  The children write the beginning and ending sounds with dry erase markers (or you could use letter tiles) and then transfer it to their recording sheet.

At this center the children are rolling a dice and writing the short a word.  This is good practice for them, and it allows me to see who really understands CVC words!

If you’re interested in any of these activities, you can find them in my Let’s Talk Turkey pack or Cara’s Talk Turkey to Me pack!

Educational Insights Hot Dots! {Giveaway}

A few months back, Educational Insights sent me a super fun product to try out.

Hot Dots!

Inside the box, you’ll find a variety of cards – the above box is a beginning phonics box.  There are cards for beginning sounds and ending sounds, and rhyming.  There are 36 double sided cards in the box. 
You need one of these cuties to play with these:

I love “Kat” since that is my nickname, but I figured both the girls and boys in my class would prefer the dog!
To play, you simply choose a card, read the directions (I keep all the same out at the same time) and put the Hot Dots pen on the correct dot.   The pen makes all sorts of fun sounds when you choose the correct answer.

I have these cards and pen in a basket in my room for the kids to choose during free choice.  They love to take turns with the pen and cards. I LOVE it because they think they are playing, (and they are), but they are learning too! 
I have also tried out the numbers and counting set:

There is some great skill practice with this set too – number matching, number id, number words, and counting.
There is plenty of room in the box to store both a pen and the cards, so this could easily be a “grab and go” center for children.  The pen can get a little noisy – I would love to see a volume button, or have it just light red or green with the correct/wrong answer, but it is fun either way – and the kids love it!
These would make great holiday gifts for the little people in your life too! They are affordable and offer a lot of fun and learning!  There is even Hot Dots for older kids.  Be  sure to stop by Educational Insights to check out all of the options.
But, hey, how would you like to win a set? The awesome people over at Educational Insights want you to try this in YOUR classroom!
Here’s what you could win:
Any TWO hot dots sets AND a cool pen!!
Here are the rules for the giveaway:
1. You MUST follow Educational Insights on Pinterest.
2. You MUST like Educational Insights on Facebook
3. For an additional entry, follow my little old blog on Facebook
4. For an additional entry, follow my little shop on TpT
Use the RaffleCopter below to enter!  Good Luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway