Monthly Theme Bookmarks & a FREEBIE

I am finally getting around to adding some things to my TPT store! Click on the pic above to grab a copy of my thematic bookmarks. I give these to my students to use during Writer's Workshop. I have included the December bookmark as a freebie. Just go to my TPT store and click on "Download Preview" to get it for yourself!

Polka Dot Hardware Organizer

Here is a picture of my new hardware organizer. I love it! I created the polka dot labels to go along with my new classroom theme - polka dots! You can download them here from my TPT store. I'll upload more pics of the classroom later this week :)

Currently

I am linking up with Farley's Currently...

I can't believe that it is already April! I have been enjoying Spring Break for the past 5 days and they have been glorious! The weather here in Georgia has been fantastic and I have been able to get so much work done outside. I just bought some Crepe Myrtles and planted them alongside the driveway and started planting a flower bed which I am going to turn into a butterfly garden. This is my favorite time of year when I can get out and work in my yard. Does anyone else share my hobby?

Aren't We Lucky!

Here's a picture of our classroom door. Isn't he cute?

We have been discussing all the reasons we are so lucky. I was inspired by Fran over at Kindergarten Crayons. If you haven't already you should go check out her emergent reader called I Am So Lucky. My kiddos have really enjoyed making and reading this book during literacy stations this week. I read the teacher version last week and on Friday we completed the sentence stem "I am lucky because..."

Wednesday Woes

I wanted to post to let all of my fabulous followers know that I am still alive and breathing. I am just a little too busy for blogging at the moment. Here are some things that are keeping me from blogging:

1. I am the yearbook editor. The yearbook is due this coming Monday. This wouldn't be so bad, but I have blog stalked procrastinated and the deadline came up way too fast.

2. Our secretary is moving to Texas and my right hand parapro is being pulled to cover the office for an unknown amount of time (at least a week) until our new secretary gets here. I am at least lucky enough to get a sub during the time my parapro is in the office, but it's just not the same! Boo-hoo. How do you kinder teachers do it without a parapro?

3. IEPs - enough said.

4. SSTs - enough said.

5. Spoiler Alert: This one is not work related. My husband and I recently built our first house and we are trying to prep the yard for grass. By ourselves. This would not be so difficult if the yard was not full of rocks and roots and rotting wood!!!

Groundhog Freebie

I created this tree map & writing activity to help us record the information that we will learn tomorrow about groundhogs. I am keeping this post short because I am ready for bed! Click on the pic below to download :)

Groundhog Freebie

Everything's Kindergarten

If you haven't already you need to head on over to Everything's Kindergarten and spend some time with Fran, Hadar, Crystal, and Krissy. These ladies are inspiring! Not only will you get tons of fabulous ideas, but they are also offering a goodie bag full of AWESOME. What are you waiting for? Click on the link and check it out for yourself.

New Name & Look

I decided to change the name and look of my blog for two reasons...

#1- The old name wasn't catchy enough to remember

#2- I have seen at least 3 other blogs with the same template as I had before and I wanted it to be more unique

So, now I have a question for you...can you (my followers) still see my posts?

100 Days of School Freebie

Tomorrow is the 100th day of school for us. One of our many activities will be to make a Froot Loop necklace. I made this mat to help us count out 10 sets of 10. I will try to post some pics of the kiddos tomorrow!

A Sweet Giveaway

Mrs. Cupcake is having a giveaway over at A Cupcake for the Teacher. She has reached 400 followers and one lucky blogger will get to choose a $15 gift card from either Target or Lakeshore! Click on her button below for more details:

Money Poems & An Update

We have been working hard to identify coins & their values. I found some money poems in Debbie Diller's Math Work Stations book and decided to make some posters to use during calendar time. Click the pic below to download these for yourself:

I also updated the coin booklets that I previously posted so you can just fold them into mini books instead of cutting and assembling them. Click here to download the coin booklets. Hopefully your kiddos will love these as much as mine :)

Check Out This Blog

I just stumbled upon this awesome new blog! You have to check it out. She has already posted so much fun stuff that I can't wait to get back to school and try it ALL. Just click the button below to see for yourself!

Currently and a Blog Award!!!

I joined up with Farley for her Currently linky party. She has an awesome giveaway for two lucky bloggers! Go check it out.

Also, in my absence from blogging, I received the Versatile Blogger Award from three sweet bloggers :) Thanks to all three of you!!! It is always nice to know that someone new has noticed my blog! You can check them out below:

KinderKids Fun

Mrs. Bremer's Kindergarten

Kinder Kiddo

Now, what you've all been waiting for...seven things about ME!

1. I have been married to my high school sweetheart for 7 years. We dated for 4 years before we tied the knot. Below is a pic of us at a wedding I was in this past summer.

2. I absolutely LOVE snow! The more the better (as long as our power stays on).

3. This is my sixth year teaching and it has been the hardest year I've had so far. I have special needs, ELL, BD...you name it. However, I have learned a lot this year, and I know that I will come out better for having been through it. At least that is what I keep telling myself!

4. I like playing board games. My favorite one of all time is LIFE.

5. I am addicted to Nutella. I eat it by the spoonful. Seriously.

6. My Christmas tree is still up. I know, I know...

7. I never get enough sleep. Between lesson plans, blogging, cleaning, and blogging I just don't have time for sleep!

Well, good night bloggers! I think I will go and have some Nutella before I brush my teeth :)

Parent Gift and Liebster Blog Award

I realize that it is probably too late for y'all to use this for 2011, but you can file it away for next year if you like it! I found this card here: http://familyfun.go.com/christmas/christmas-cards/crafty-christmas-cards/handprint-santa-673633/ . I love this website! It has so many fun craft / gift ideas. Below is a pic of how ours turned out:

I glue a poem on the inside left of the card, and on the right I glue a picture of the kiddos in Santa's lap. You can click here to download the poem. What do you do for parent gifts?

On to my new blog award...

 
Thank you so much to Cindy at For the Love of Kindergarten, for nominating me for the Liebster Blog Award! The ideas that I get from your blog are AMAZING and I am honored that you thought to give me this award.

What does Liebster Blog mean? The origin of this award is obscure, but it's probably German as the phrase "Liebster Blog" translates into "most favorite blog". The award is given to blogs that have less than 200 followers and deserve more recognition and encouragement.There are some guidelines that have to be followed while giving or receiving the Award.

The rules for receiving the award:

1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal your top five picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Hope that the people you’ve sent the award to forward it to their five favorite bloggers and keep it going!

Here are my top 5 picks:

Ms. Emily Shell
Kindergarten Khronicles
Love For Kindergarten
It's Elementary My Dear Teacher
C.E. Kindergarten Kids!

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things...

Okay. I have three things to blog about tonight. First, I wanted to share this awesomely easy DIY ornament that we made today.

The ingredients:

Yes, that is floor cleaner. I got it at Wal-Mart. You will also need clear glass ornaments and...GLITTER!!! I love all things glitter, don't you?

Follow this link to see how to make them: http://youtu.be/55g0oEhj78I

Here is a pic of how ours turned out. We used "chunky kid glitter" and I think they turned out just fine. My kiddos and I are in love with our ornaments!

On to #2...
I purchased a license from www.scrappindoodles.com so I can share things with you guys that I make with their clipart. To celebrate, I made a graphing activity to go along with There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bell. I included an "I Can" chart so you can use it in a Math Station. Just click the pic below to grab it :) Please leave me a comment if you download it!

 On to #3...
I was surprised to find this little treat in my Inbox from Emily Shell at Ms. Emily Shell a few days ago...

 

The Sunshine Award rules are...

1. Thank the person who gave this award and write a post about it.

2. Answer the following questions below.

3. And pass the award to 10 fabulous bloggers, link their blogs and let them know you awarded them.

* Favorite Color? Green

* Favorite Animal?  Dogs. I have a Terrier mix, Bentley, that we rescued from a local shelter earlier this year. I couldn't resist sharing a pic of him with y'all...

* Favorite Number? 7

* Favorite Drink? Mountain Dew (it wakes me up every morning)

* Facebook or Twitter? Facebook

* Your Passion? God, my family & friends, and of course...TEACHING!!!

* Giving or Getting Presents? Both

* Favorite day? Friday. I love knowing that Saturday is right around the corner :)

* Favorite flowers? Roses (not red ones)

Here are the blogs I am passing the award on to:

 Mrs. Lee's Kindergarten

Mrs. Bremer's Kindergarten

Keen On Kindergarten

Chalk Talk: A Kindergarten Blog

Kindergarten Crayons

Class full of "Special" Kinders

A Teeny Tiny Teacher

First Grade Blue Skies

Mrs. Wills Kindergarten

Herding Kats in Kindergarten

Thanks again Emily!

There Was An Old Lady...

This is one of my favorite books to read in December! I was just about to search for some clipart to use for retelling the story when I realized that someone had probably already done this. Why re-invent the wheel, right? So, I searched and...voila! Here is the link to the site I found with all kinds of cute literacy activities to go with the story: http://www.makinglearningfun.com/themepages/OldLadyBellLiteracyIdeas.htm .

I am going to use these activities tomorrow. I will take some pics and post them this weekend!

This pic is of the retelling activity that I got from the Making Learning Fun website. My kiddos really enjoyed making these, and loved putting the pictures in the old lady's "stomach" while they retold the story.

Save A Turkey! Eat more...

Found this cutie on Pinterest. I am going to use this to go with a writing project that we did last week. We talked about the Chick-Fil-A advertisements, and made our own advertisements to help save a turkey (I got this idea while browsing the walls at another school I was at for a meeting). It is a simple stem: "Save a turkey. Eat more ____!" You can click here to download the file.

Money, Money, Money

We are about to introduce coins (penny, nickel, dime, quarter). These are simple take-home readers that I made to go along with our money unit. I read the corresponding Welcome Book before we make each one. If you do not have these you can check them out here.

October Bookmark



These are the bookmarks that I hand out to my students in October. We use these for writing prompts. I print them on cardstock and have the kiddos keep them in their pencil boxes until the month is over, then they take them home. Click on the pic above to grab it for yourself!

Goodbye Apples, Hello Pumpkins!

At the end of our Apples unit, I always let the kids make apple pies. This is a kid friendly recipe that I got several years ago from a very wonderful parapro:

Ingredients:
Canned biscuits (large)
Canned apples
Butter
Sugar
Cinnamon

1. Give each student a piece of wax paper & let them flatten their biscuit.
2. Give each student some butter to spread on their biscuit with their finger.
3. Place 1 or 2 apples on the biscuit & sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
4. Students fold their biscuit over & pinch the edge to close.
5. Fry or cook until golden brown.
6. Eat!!!

Tip: Don't forget your can opener!