Back to School

My summer is almost over. I have to go back to school on August 5. I don't mind going back, I just hate getting up early in the morning. This year will be a bit different for me. It will be my first time as Team Leader, and we have 3 new people on our team. Two of them are new to our school. I'm up to the challenge though!

Be sure to head over to TPT on August 4 and 5! They are having a Blast off Back to School Sale! Items will be 20% off in participating stores, including mine, and you can get up to a total of 28% off by entering the code BTS14. Start your wish list now so you can stock up on August 4 and 5!

Click on the image above to add to your wish list!

When do you go back to school? Are you ready, or would you prefer a longer summer? Do we have any other Team Leaders out there?

December Currently, a New Item, and Cyber Monday

It's December, and here is my Currently, hosted by Farley at Oh' Boy Fourth Grade!

 

Most of these are self-explanatory, except my favorite tradition. Each year, everyone in my family (there are only 5 of us so it's not too excessive) buys everyone else a stocking stuffer costing no more than $10. For some reason, we had stopped doing it for a few years. This year we decided to bring back the tradition. I like this because we have to be more creative with our gifts. It's always fun to try to think of things to buy others, and it's fun to see what everyone else gets.

I have created a new item for my store, just in time for Cyber Monday (and Tuesday)! My class has a very difficult time with multisyllabic word reading. So, I thought I'd make this simple game that can be used in various ways. You can put it in a center, use it in small groups, or make it a whole-class game. 

Each child takes a turn choosing a card. If he/she reads the word correctly, he/she can keep the card. If a "mischievous elf" card is drawn, the player must put back all of his/her cards. The player with the most cards at the end is the winner. 

I have divided the words into syllables by using the colors red and green. This will help students to sound out the words. I plan to review all of the words with my class tomorrow before putting the game out for them to play.

One thing I love about this game is that the elf cards were made with elf clip art that I drew myself! Those elves can be found here.

Starting tomorrow, everything in my store is 20% off! When you make a purchase at TPT tomorrow and Tuesday, be sure to type in the code CYBER to get a total of 28% off everything in my store! Also, if you aren't already a follower of my TPT store, be sure to become one. That way you can get information about new products and sales. 

I already have several items on my wishlist that I plan to buy during the sale. What do you plan to get? Be sure to share with us in the comments below!

Flash Sale!

I'm having a 20% off sale from now through 10/14!

Click here to visit my Facebook page, and find out how to save even more!

Be sure to check out my new math facts card games when you visit my store!

Have a great weekend! 

Back to School, a Freebie, and a TPT Sale

Our students returned on Tuesday. I have 4 students I have had previously (3 from Kindergarten, and one I retained last year whose mother wanted me to have again). This is a very different group from last year. Last year's class didn't need as much direction, and were calmer overall. That's exactly what I needed because I was starting in a new grade level, and wasn't exactly sure how I would do things. 

This year I'm trying to be more organized, and I know how I want to do routines based on things that worked/didn't work last year. This is good because I can focus more on getting the children to learn routines. So far they have been receptive to learning how I want things done. I just have to make sure I don't let them get carried away with the talking. 

One of the routines we practiced was the Morning Message. This year's anchor chart for the message came out much better than the one I did last year.

After making the chart, we did a practice message together. I showed them how to get their materials (pencil, clipboard, paper). Then, we went through the message sentence by sentence and tallied mistakes. After that, I showed them how to fold their note papers and put them in the Morning Message Bucket. 

The next day, I had them try one on their own. I only put 3 mistakes. However, only 2 people got it right. I'm sure more of them will get it right with practice. The children who get it right get a small prize. It's a great way to review skills taught in class.

Before going back to school (when I had lots of time), I made some table labels for myself. I liked them so much that I made them into a freebie for you. The colors are pastel, but they show up nicely in my classroom.

Click on the picture above to download.

Teachers Pay Teachers is having their annual Back to School Sale on August 18 and 19! All of my products will be 20% off, PLUS if you enter the code BTS13, TPT will take another 8% off. You'll get a total of 28% off of your purchase! Also, remember to leave feedback for all purchased items. If you do, you'll earn points good towards $$ off of your purchases. This works all the time, not just for the BTS sale!

Click on the banner below to visit my store.

Thank you to Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Designs for the sale banner!

I also have a brand new product! I decided to make editable templates based on a theme. Since My current theme is sea life, I went with that. 

In this packet you will find editable templates with a sea life theme. The templates can be used for nameplates, nametags, signs, word walls, notepads, binder covers, flash cards, and whatever else you can think of.

For nametags, simply print the page(s) on full sheet labels, then cut them to the appropriate size. The rest of the pages work best when printed on card stock. After printing, laminate for durability.

I have typed in the text boxes so you can see where they are. Simply replace my text with your own in whatever font and size you choose.

Click here or on the images above to check out this product.

Now, my question to you is this:

What themes would you like to see in editable templates?

Back After All This Time!

After being lazy relaxing this summer, I'm finally updating my blog! I apologize for my absence. I'm finally ready to start thinking about school (now that we're going back on Tuesday!). I haven't been completely lazy relaxing the whole summer though. I did manage to copy all of my books on CD to the MP3 players for my listening center. I even have plenty of room on them to add more books!

I went to work in my room a few days ago, and was actually quite productive. I was able to arrange furniture, organize a bit, and put stuff up on the walls. This was a nice change since for the last 2 years I had to move my classroom and unpack. I was so glad I didn't have to unpack again this year. There is still lots to do though!

Instead of my usual rectangular white baskets for the children to put their supplies in, I found some really cute metal buckets that will match the colors in my room. I'm still working on a way to make the buckets quieter when they put their stuff in. Any ideas would be appreciated!

 I found these adorable buckets in the Target dollar section!

Later, I found these at Walmart for 97 cents! They have a label on them that says, "dry erase." I don't know what I would use that for, but it's nice to know I have the option!

I have a FREEBIE for you! It's a new lunch choice sign. I had another one with A, B, and C lunch choices (which is still offered for free at my store). My school no longer offers 3 choices, so I made a new one. This one is a better match for my decor.

If you'd like one for your class, click here.

At my school, we have an incentive plan for children to become fluent in addition/subtraction facts. I firmly believe in memorizing the facts, but some children might find that boring. So, I created 4 addition card games to make it more fun for children to become fluent in the facts. I plan to add games for subtraction, multiplication, and division very soon!

As a back-to-school special for you, I am offering each game at 50% off now through Sunday, August 4! The best deal for this is the bundle pack, which will normally offer all 4 games for the price of 3. At 50% off, you can get all 4 games for a little over the price of 1! 

Click on the pictures below to see details about each game.

Click here for the link to the Addition Card Game Bundle Pack (All 4 Games).

It will be nice to get back to work, but I will definitely miss staying up late and sleeping in! I am not a morning person at all! We go back on August 6, and the children return on August 13. When do you return to school, or have your already returned?

Comments are always appreciated!

Teacher Appreciation, A Giveaway, and Caterpillars

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! I hope all of you are shown how much you are appreciated this week! Our school is pretty good about doing that. We are usually treated to something special each day of TA Week. We get small treats, lunches, ice cream, and even a day where we can get a massage during our lunch time. Since I'm a vegetarian, they also make meal accommodations for me (even when we have parties and stuff throughout the year). So I guess I can consider myself lucky. 

What does your school do for you during Teacher Appreciation Week? I'd love to find out what different places do.

Speaking of Teacher Appreciation, TPT is having a sale to celebrate! Of course, my store is participating! You get 20% off of everything in my store, and you get an extra 10% off of that price from TPT when you enter the code TAD13. This will give you up to 28% off everything you buy! Click the image below to check out the sale!

Melissa over at First Grade Smiles is having a 200 Follower Giveaway! There are several prize packages with fantastic prizes from your favorite TPT Sellers! Click the image below to enter.

When I taught Kindergarten, I would always order caterpillars and teach a butterfly unit. It was one of my favorite units to teach. The children would learn big words like metamorphosis, molting, emerge, chrysalis, etc. They would be so intrigued by the process, and ask lots of questions. There was lots of learning going on. I loved it!

When I moved to 2nd Grade, I was thrilled that they do the unit as part of their curriculum. Our caterpillars arrived last week. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of them on day 1, but I did get one from day 3.

The children are fascinated by them. They have so many good questions about them too. I'll share a few in an upcoming post.

 

I found a cute FREE observation journal to use with this unit as well. This was created by Susan at T.G.I.F. Click on the image to download.

 

 

Finally, I just wanted to share a picture I took last week. My class is so into completing the Morning Message. We even started graphing our class average of it each day, kind of like they do with their personal test scores so they can see their progress. I think they especially like it because they get a treat if everything is correct. I just think it's fun! It's also great to see them working together on it.

Feel free to leave comments below! If you have any great ideas for a butterfly unit, I'd love to read them!

February Currently and a Sale Reminder

It's a new month, and a new month always means a new Currently, sponsored by Farley at Oh' Boy 4th Grade!

 

Remember, tomorrow is the Super Sale at TPT! You'll get up to 28% off of items from me and your other favorite TPT sellers! You'll get 20% off of everything in my store, and if you enter promo code: SUPER at the checkout, you'll get another 8% off of your purchase.

Enjoy your weekend!

100th Day, a Special Note, and a Super Sale

On January 30, we celebrated the 100th Day of School! I had the students working on 100th Day hats, books, and a 100th Day Watch, Think, Color (my class LOVES these!) from The Primary Techie. I also had the children dress up like they were 100 years old. That was fun! My son Jeffery's class dressed up as well. I just HAVE to share how cute he looked!

Keep in mind, Jeffery is a t-shirt and jeans kind of kid, so the shirt and tie are completely out of character for him. I still think he looked adorable! I put gray hairspray in his hair, but it didn't show up very well. As soon as school was over, the tie and suspenders came right off!



Today, when I was letting my class in the room, one of my students handed me a note. The note was from a child I had 2 years ago when I taught Kindergarten. He was a little bit of a behavior problem, but not too bad. I heard that last year he gave his 1st Grade teacher a very hard time. He has been okay in my class this year. Occasionally, he'll act out. He's one of those kids who is very smart and tries to get away with whatever he can, but at other times he tries to please. I'm used to getting short, "I love you," kinds of notes, but when I read this I was very surprised. Here is a picture of his note. Most of it can easily be read by any teacher.

By the way, the "mystery pictures" refers to the Watch, Think, Color activities. I just love the "Your Great Student" closing (with the incorrect comma). LOL!


Now for the sale! On Sunday, February 3, TPT is having a SUNDAY SUPER SALE! All of my products will be 20% off. Then, if you enter the code SUPER at the checkout, TPT will increase the savings to a total 28%!

Be sure to check out my store as well as hundreds of other TPT sellers for some great deals on February 3!

Thank you to Lauren for sharing this banner!

Making my (Wish) List and Checking it Twice

I'm sure many of you are making your wish lists for the big TPT sale tomorrow! I thought I'd share some of the items on my wish list with you. Since it's my first year in 2nd Grade I don't have many holiday activities for December. I even kept my Christmas folder out of storage because I thought for sure most of it would  easily transfer to 2nd. HA! I was completely wrong! I should have just put that folder in storage with the rest of my K stuff. Anyway, that is why I have chosen so many holiday items.

Since I plan to do Elf on a Shelf with my class this year, it is only fitting that I get an age-appropriate unit for it. This one is by Sunny Days. She has included activities suitable for grades K-5.

This next activity pack comes from Across the Hall in 2nd Grade. It's a Secret Santa classroom community building activity. Each child randomly chooses another child and writes notes to them daily. At the end, they try to guess who their Secret Santa is. It sounds like so much fun! This is for grades 1-5.

 This one is by Mr. Hughes. Students color by the code according to the part of speech (nouns and verbs) to make a mystery Christmas picture. My class really enjoys this kind of activity! Mr. Hughes says it's for grades 3-7, but I think 2nd graders could do it based on the description.

'Tis the Season for Holiday Math Centers is another product from Across the Hall in 2nd Grade. She has several different types of adorable math centers aligned with the Common Core. It's for grades 1-3.

This unit isn't on my wish list. I actually won it in a contest held by Melissa Machan of First Grade Smiles. Thanks, Melissa! I can't wait to try it! This is for grades K-3.


I'm really looking forward to working on Christmas activities with my class! Be sure to keep checking back for updates on the Elf on a Shelf, other Christmas activities, and the continuing adventures of Flat Stanley. I'm sure a few of them returned over Thanksgiving Break!

Feel free to comment below and share any fantastic items on your wish list!

 Thanks to Ashley Hughes for creating and sharing this button!

Wow! I'm honored to say that one of my free products was chosen to be featured on The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs! I just found this out tonight, so it was a nice way to end my evening!

Thank you to Erin at Tales from Room 112 for starting this linky!

The End of My Writer's Block!

Hi everyone! This will be a short post. I just wanted to share that I am no longer blocked from ideas for TPT! After posting my Shelf Elf Clip Art I wasn't pressuring myself to come up with a new activity before the sale. Suddenly the new idea occurred to me, and it came together easily!

My class has been working on comparing 3 and 4 digit numbers using greater than or less than. So, I decided to make an activity where they would choose 2 or 3 random 3 digit numbers (4 digit might be coming soon!), and put them in order from least to greatest or greatest to least. I included 2 recording sheets - one for comparing 2 numbers and one for comparing 3 numbers.

You can find it here if you're interested! Remember TPT is having a HUGE Cyber Monday and Bonus Tuesday Sale! You'll get 20% off any item in my store, and TPT will take another 10% off of that with promo code CMT12.

Enjoy the rest of your time off! It's back to school for me on Monday!

Liebster Award, Blogs, and Black Friday

I have great news! I have decided to start the TPT sale on Black Friday! So, this Friday and Saturday you can purchase any item from my store at 20% off! Then, on Cyber Monday and Tuesday, you can purchase any of my items for 20% off, then get an extra 10% off from TPT if you enter the code CMT12 at the checkout!

Thank you to the Realistic Teacher for nominating me for the Liebster Award! The Liebster Award is given by bloggers to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. It’s to show that new bloggers are appreciated and help spread the word about our blogs.

Here are the rules:

1. You must post 11 random things about yourself.

2. Answer the questions that the nominator set for you.

3. Create 11 questions for the people you nominate.

4. Choose 11 other blogs with fewer than 200 followers to nominate and link them in your post.

5. You cannot “tag back” the other blog, but leave a comment on this post with the URL of your Liebster post so I can learn more about you & see who you nominate.

Here are 11 random things about me:

1. I love cats, and have always had at least 1 cat in the house since I was 11 years old (How fitting since everything seems to be in groups of 11 on this thing!).

2. I have been a vegetarian since 1998.

3. I love to play word games, especially scrambled words or Boggle-type games!

4. I used to play school with my stuffed animals and dolls as my students when I was a kid. My mom was a teacher, so I had a great example to follow!

5. While I realize I was meant to be a teacher, I also think that if I had been born 5 or 10 years later than I was, I probably would be doing some kind of computer work instead.

6. I've always wanted to scuba dive!

7. I've always wanted to learn to play electric guitar!

8. I love to collect cute graphics and fonts!

9. Even though I have lots of yet-to-be-read books on my Kindle Fire, I continue to get new books to add to the list.

10. I've always wanted to be a mother. So, by the time I reached my 30's I chose to become a single mother. Jeffery was my 1st foster child, who came to live with me at 11 days old, and thankfully I was able to adopt him 2 years later.

11. I still keep in touch with my very first friend.


 Here are the answers to the questions posted by the Realistic Teacher:

1.  What is your favorite genre?

I love to read spiritual nonfiction books.

2.  Do you parallel park or find another spot?

Find another spot. I can't stand parallel parking!

3.  Do you have any tattoos? How many? Of what?

No tattoos, and I'll never get one.

4.  What is your favorite book?

That's a tough one since there are so many books that I love! I loved The Hunger Games Series, or anything by James Van Praagh or Echo Bodine.

5.  When did you last laugh?
Probably sometime earlier today at something my son did or said.

6.  Where have you traveled and what was your favorite place?

I've traveled to different states. I've been to Canada once a long time ago. Most recently, I went on a Disney Cruise to Nassau, Bahamas and Castaway Cay. My favorite place is probably somewhere in New England since I lived there as a child and we always took great vacations around there.

7.  So you like to dance?

I'm not much of a dancer, but it looks like fun when I see people who really know how.

8.  What is your favorite type of music?

80's Hair Bands!! I love Bon Jovi!!!

9.  Have you ever, or would you ever, go skydiving or bungee jumping?

I am phobic when it comes to heights, so I'd have to say NEVER!!

10.  Do you garden?

No, I'm not outdoorsy.

11.  If you could eat lunch with a favorite person who would it be?
Richie Sambora (hopefully he'd bring his guitar!) or James Van Praagh (if he'd do a reading for me)


Here are 11 questions for the blogs I nominate:

1. What is something you've always wanted to do but haven't tried yet?
2. If you couldn't be a teacher, what would you choose for your career?
3. What was your very first job?
4. What was the last book you read (personally, not for your class or children)?
5. What is your favorite animal?
6. How long have you been blogging?
7. What is your favorite tv show?
8. What is one item you can't live without?
9. What is your favorite food?
10. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
11. Do you play games on the computer? if so, what is your favorite?

Here are the blogs I'm nominating:

1. Literacy Sundae
2. Don't Let the Teacher Stay up Late
3. First Grade Fascination
4. The Price of Teaching
5. Ideas by Christy
6. It's a Jungle Out There!
7. Miss Martin's Classroom
8. Mrs. Jones's Kindergarten
9. O"FISH"ALLY a First Grader
10. Scrappy Teaching in FL
11. Ribbons, Recipes, and Rhymes



NOTE: I've also been nominated by Mrs. Payton at Payton's Precious Kindergarteners! Here are my answers to her questions:


1. Why did you start blogging?



Partially to promote my store, but I've always wanted to write my own blog to be able to help people in some way.

2. If you didn't teach the grade you taught, what grade would you teach?

Well, this is my 1st year in 2nd, and I love it! Before this I taught K for a long time. So, if I knew then what I know now, I'd have to say 2nd grade!

3. What's your favorite thing about teaching?
Helping children to love learning!

4. Favorite place to shop?
Amazon.com

5. Favorite drink?
Cherry Coke

6. Favorite sweet food?
So hard to choose, but if I had to choose one it would probably be ice cream.

7. Favorite place to vacation?
On a cruise!

8. How long have you been teaching?
This is my 18th year.

9. What job would you have if you weren't a teacher?
Probably something working with computer graphics or publishing.

10. What's your least favorite thing about teaching?
Politics and testing!

11. What's the best thing that has ever happened to you?
I was able to adopt my son, Jeffery!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving, Elves, and Two Sales!

First of all, HAPPY THANKSGIVING to everyone! I will be spending the day with my very small family. There are only 4 of us (5 with my brother, but he only comes at Christmas), and we see each other everyday. Sometimes I think it might be fun to have relatives and more relatives visit for the holidays, but then again it might be too overwhelming. We will be going out for Thanksgiving this year. I don't think we've ever done that. I'm kind of excited about it!

I plan to do the Elf on a Shelf with my class this year. I got the kit for free I might as well use it! I think it will be fun anyway. I've only done it at home with my son, but now I'm wondering why I never did it with my Kindergarteners. If any of you do the Elf on a Shelf in your classroom, feel free to share your ideas!

Speaking of elves, I tried so hard to think of a product to create for Christmas, but I seemed to get writer's block. Then, I suddenly felt the urge to draw some Christmas items.

TA-DA! I drew them, scanned them, then cleaned them up and colored them using PSP. Now I have my newest product! I included black line and color images for use in a variety of Christmas projects. Click here if you'd like to check them out!

Now for some fantastic news! I am participating in TPT's Cyber Monday + Bonus Tuesday Sale!

On Monday, November 26 and Tuesday, November 27, I will be offering 20% off all of the items in my store. If you enter the promo code CMT12 at the checkout, TPT will take another 10% off of that! Many other TPT sellers will be participating as well, so start adding items to your wish list! Simply click the link above to start browsing!

Also, on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, I will be participating in the Teacher's Notebook 3-Day Sale! I will be offering 25% off all of the items in my Teacher's Notebook store (sorry, the elf clip art cannot be posted on TN without a special account)! Then, TN will take another 10% off of your entire purchase! Click the link below to check out my TN store!

Once again, I wish you and your families a Happy Thanksgiving! Feel free to leave comments below!