May Currently and Some Giveaways!

It's a new month, and time for Currently, Sponsored by Farley at Oh' Boy Fourth Grade! I know, I didn't do it last month. I was getting lazy, but I'm getting back on track now. 

Here it is!

 

Yes, I'm listening to my son singing in the other room. He is playing Minecraft, his latest obsession. He gets these songs from the game or about the game (Thanks, You Tube! - Sarcasm) in his head, and keeps humming or singing them out loud. It's quite annoying since now those stupid songs pop into my head at various times during the day. I just wish he'd sing Bon Jovi or something instead! :)

I recently learned how to make editable products to post on TPT! I saw it on the Seller's Forum, and was thrilled to find it! It inspired me to update my Bright Schedule Cards. I updated the originals that are ready-made with subject areas on them, then made some editable ones with and without clip art so people can change the font or even choose to have text-only cards. I also made smaller cards to include the time of day. I thought they came out pretty good, even if I say so myself. :)

My class, the one that has been wonderful all year, is starting to go crazy! They are much more talkative, opinionated, and a few even like to argue with me. I'm finding myself having to be much harder on them, which I really don't like. Only 23 more days!

I find myself wanting to do so many things, but I have to choose just one. I want to read, play computer games, write in my blog, make new products, etc., but I am only able to focus on one thing at a time. Oh, what a joy it would be to be able to enjoy everything at once!

Like I mentioned earlier, I had gotten lazy, and wasn't writing as frequently. I'm working on that now. :)

My summer bucket list: 

1. I need to get serious about losing weight, which I'm hoping to do over the summer.

2. I have tons of books on my Kindle Fire that I haven't read yet. I hope to get to many of them over the summer.

3. I'd like to go away somewhere fun, even if it's just for a few nights. I'm not sure where, but I'll let you know when I go! :)

By the way, if you are still looking for a Mother's Day activity for your class, check out my Happy Mother's Day Pack. I'm working on the booklet with my class now. They sometimes surprise me with what they write in the blanks. My 2nd Graders even put speech bubbles (they didn't really do that in Kindergarten) to make the booklets even more entertaining. It's definitely a great keepsake for Moms!

Curriculum Core is having a 100 Follower Giveaway! Be sure to check it out!

The Learning Lab is having a May Giveaway starting on May 5. Remember to stop by!

Both giveaways have great prizes!

Feel free to comment below! I love hearing from my readers! 

Mother's Day

Mother's Day will soon be upon us. Of course, I always have my students do something to celebrate their mothers or, in the absence of a mother, another significant person in their lives.

When I taught Kindergarten, we would have a Mother's Day Tea. All mothers would be sent an invitation to join us in the celebration. I had the children make corsages out of coffee filters colored with markers, and sprayed with water (which gave them a beautiful effect when dry). I'd put a green pipe cleaner for the leaf and the stem, and add a safety pin for the mothers to pin them on. Click here if you'd like to see an example. I always had the children color more than what is shown.

One year, I also had the children make hats for their mothers in addition to the corsages. I'd cut the center out of a Chinette plate, glue a Chinette bowl in the center, have the children paint them in pastel colors, and tie tulle around the hat so it would tie around the mothers' chins. After finding out that the mothers didn't like wearing them very much, I decided to stop making them.

The tables were decorated with table cloths, and placemats made by the children. In the center of each table was a ceramic tea pot, which all of the mothers seemed to love. The mothers drank their tea from glass or ceramic tea cups. Over the years I found it was easier and more pleasant for the mothers if I put iced tea in the tea pots instead of hot tea.

When the mothers arrived, the children were instructed to greet their mothers and show them to their seats. They would then give their mothers the corsages and a Mother's Day book they had made (more on that below). While the mothers looked at the books, the children gave them massages. After everyone arrived, I would have the children "take their mothers' orders" as to what they wanted from the snack table. Then they would get the food and serve it to their moms. If their mothers offered them food, they were instructed to say, "No thank you. This is your day." They would get to eat later.

After everyone was served, I would call the children over to perform some Mother's Day songs (more on that below) we had practiced. The mothers always loved this part! They would then rejoin their mothers, have a snack, and enjoy the rest of the tea party with their mothers.

Every year, the mothers would rave about how much they enjoyed the Mother's Day Tea. Now that I'm writing about it, I'm actually considering doing it in 2nd Grade this year, even though I thought I wouldn't.

The Mother's Day books are something I've also done for years, and I'm doing them again this year with my 2nd Graders. They make great keepsakes as the children fill in the blanks and illustrate them. I still have my son's book from when he was in Kindergarten.

I have created a version of the book in my new Happy Mother's Day Pack, available at my TPT store.

The pack includes a variety of pages you can use to make your own books. There are 18 total book pages to choose from. Some examples are below.

For people who would like something similar to the book, but on one page, I have included a certificate with fill in the blank sentences. There is one for Mom and one for Someone Special (both in color and blackline).

There is also a coupon book for children to make and give to their moms. A few examples are below.

 Finally, I have included the lyrics to the songs we sing at the Mother's Day Tea. These include possible actions you may want your children to do with the songs.

Do you do anything special with your class for Mother's Day? Feel free to share your ideas below!

Spring Break, Bunnies, and Random Thoughts

Aaah, Spring Break! Time to sleep in, do some fun activities with my son, read on my Kindle, and catch up on my blog and TPT. I love that it's Spring Break. However, it brings with it thoughts about the end of the year. We all have those wonderful end of the year tests to worry about. Besides that, I kind of hate to see this year end. I've had a really great class this year (not perfect by any means, but great), and I'll hate to see them go. Also, I'm worried about the upcoming year. The class that's coming into 2nd Grade next year is the last class I had as Kindergarteners. That was a tough year for me, and I'd hate to relive it. I guess I just need to enjoy the class I have now while I have them, and pray for the best next year instead of worrying. Wish me luck! :)

Easter is coming! I know some of us can't use that word in the classroom, so I'll use the word, Spring. On the last day before Spring Break, I was trying to find a way to make a fun day for my class. It was last minute, so I couldn't really ask parents for help, so I went to my teaching guru - MOM. My mom is a retired 2nd Grade teacher (I actually had her for my teacher in K and 2nd), and always has great ideas for me. 

She told me about this easy project she used to do with her classes, and they really loved it because it also allowed them creative freedom. Because of that, my newest activity was created.

Below are some samples from my class.

You can find this at TPT by clicking on the images above or by clicking here.

Of course, since I love my followers, I've decided to give this project to the first 3 followers who leave a comment on this post. Be sure to include your e-mail address AND a comment!

Many of you read my post about my son, Jeffery, and his being mainstreamed from the EBD class. He got his report card last Friday, and I'm so proud to say that he got all As and Bs!! His behavior has been very good in class too! THANK YOU to Mrs. R. and Mrs. M. for putting up with ME! Also, THANK YOU to Ms. B., his EBD teacher, for helping him to make so much progress!

On a final note, my friend, Autumn, over at The Primary Techie just started a blog! She's the person who makes those great Watch, Think, Color and Move It games I keep blogging about. Please visit her blog to find out what she's been up to lately. The first 3 people to follow her, let me know, and leave an e-mail address will also receive a free copy of my Bunny Craftivity. I know you'll love her blog! I do!

Friday Teacher Feature

I'm honored that Renee at Fantastic First Grade Froggies has chosen ME for her Friday Teacher Feature! Click the image below to check it out! While you're there, check out some of her great ideas and products!

Thanks, Renee!

Enjoy your weekend!

Currently, Lincoln, and Gumballs

It's a new month! That means it's time for Currently, sponsored by Farley at Oh' Boy 4th Grade.

Listening - To the Bon Jovi live feed from their concert in Tampa. They have been my favorite since 1986 (I know I just dated myself there). The have a new album coming out this month, and I can't wait!

Loving - That Jeffery's new meds are working. You might have read my previous post about his ADHD, and how he was going to be fully mainstreamed. The mainstreaming has gone very well so far. I was still having issues with him in the mornings - refusing to take his meds, refusing to get ready for school, and other ODD traits. The psychiatrist has put him on a patch to start the day. I have to wake up at 4 am (UGH!) to put it on him, and hope he doesn't wake up, but so far it has been working wonderfully! Mornings still aren't perfect, but at least he isn't so oppositional.

Thinking - I do need to get inspired to make items for my TPT store. I want my store to be successful like many of the other sellers on TPT. I just can't work on things constantly. My creativity tends to get blocked when I try to force myself to make something. When I can, it takes me a long time. I refuse to make something that isn't of good quality. It won't be helpful for other teachers.

Wanting - My tax refund to come soon. I can always use extra money! :)

Needing - Motivation to lose weight. I know I should, and I need to for my health. However, it's so hard for me to start eating healthy foods and exercising. I hate to cook, so that doesn't help either. 

Like/Love/Hate - These items were supposed to be things that start with the same letter as my first name. L was kind of a hard one for me to work with, but I came up with 3 things. I like laughing and having fun. I love to learn. I hate doing laundry. Well, I don't mind putting it in the washer. It's the folding, hanging up, and putting away that I don't like. I need to buy stock in Downy Wrinkle Releaser since I refuse to iron. :)

Well, February seemed to just slip by me, but we did do a few things of note in my classroom. We have been learning all about Lincoln and Washington. So, I used that as an opportunity to teach the children how to take notes and write a report. I had them use books from my classroom library, and they took notes while watching videos on BrainPop Jr. My school has a subscription to this, and I'm so glad we have it! It's an excellent resource. They have a few free videos to watch if you don't have a subscription. You should definitely check it out.

After taking notes, they narrowed their information down to 6 important facts, and wrote them on a graphic organizer found in this activity pack by A Cupcake for the Teacher.

Yes, I had the children do the craft activities too, of course. The Kindergarten teacher in me still loves it when my class does craft activities. They are so much fun! :) 

 This one says, "I will put food, drinks, and water because if I got lost I will not have food, drinks, or water."

We did George Washington too, but I didn't take pictures yet.

Back to the reports - After they narrowed their facts down, I had them put them into sentences with one of my favorite graphic organizers. 

Students start with a topic sentence, write several supporting details, and write a conclusion. It seems to work very well for my class. You can find this in Clutter Free Classroom's February and March Writing Pack.

Once they fill out the graphic organizer, I had them write a rough draft of their sentences in report format. I check these, conference with them over what they could/should fix, and then they write the final draft. Note: I plan to add pictures, so please check back if you are interested. 

As for the gumballs, my class LOVES bubblegum! It is their favorite prize, and I even let them chew it in class. Anyway, for Valentine's Day, we made these adorable gumball machines (which I thought would be very appropriate for my class).

They came from this:

Feel free to leave comments below.  Have a great weekend!

The Quietest Classroom Sharpener: Opinions and Mishaps

You might have seen or heard about the Quietest Classroom Sharpener on other teaching blogs, and wondered about it. I know I have. So, when I was given the opportunity to review it for myself I was thrilled. 

First, the sharpener was created by a teacher who is still a full-time classroom teacher. Teachers always know what works best in the classroom, so this sharpener starts out with that in its favor. It was sent to me pretty quickly, which is always a plus. I received a red sharpener, but there are several other colors to choose from. I would have preferred blue, but I shouldn't complain.

I watched the video about how to operate the sharpener. I felt this was necessary since it seemed different from other pencil sharpeners. I was glad I did, because once I watched it, the sharpener was very easy to use.

The sharpener can be attached to a shelf using the pieces shown above. It was easy to mount once I saw the picture.

There are two black knobs at the top. You simply squeeze them together, pull the metal plate out, and insert the pencil. Once you let go of the black knobs, the pencil is nicely held in place. This was a great feature. You don't even have to hold on to the pencil.

Next, you turn the handle. I know, I was a bit skeptical after seeing this was a crank-type sharpener.  However, it's extremely easy to turn, and it sharpens quickly. You can tell the pencil is sharpened by the way the crank feels when you turn it. You don't have to keep pulling the pencil out to check if it's sharp.

I was very impressed with the way it sharpened every pencil on all sides every time. No more wasting your time sharpening  pencils that end up lopsided and you have to peel the wood down to get it sharp on all sides. My class was very impressed with how sharp the pencils came out!

Emptying the sharpener is very easy too. You simply slide out the clear plastic cup, empty, and slide it back in.

After using it myself, I allowed my 2nd Graders to try it. This was a very big deal! Students are NOT to touch the pencil sharpeners in my room. It is a very strict rule. I even put it in my sub packet in case they try to get away with it while I'm out. :) I showed them how to use it, and they started to get the hang of it.

Since I knew I was going to write this review, I thought I'd make it a learning experience for them. As part of their morning work that day, they had to answer the following questions:

1.  What did you like about the sharpener?

2.  What didn't you like about the sharpener?

3.  What would you tell a friend if he/she asked about it?

You can see a few answers below.

Everyone in the class seemed to like it. That's when the trouble started...

All that day, and the next few days, they were breaking their pencils just so they could sharpen them. It was driving me crazy wasting valuable learning time. I tried to make it the responsibility of the Student Teacher (the daily child helper in my class), but then that child wasn't able to get any work done. 

As I tried to think of a solution, someone went to sharpen his pencil and said the sharpener was broken. I was livid extremely angry! This is a brand new sharpener! It's supposed to be fantastic! It's not supposed to break so quickly! How will I ever write my review?! 

When I tried to calmly inspect the sharpener, one of my little darlings told me that _______ put a crayon in there to sharpen it. WHAT??!!! I was not expecting that at all!! I thought these were smart kids!! How could I be so wrong?!

After obtaining that interesting piece of information, I figured out how to remove the handle (which was quite easy) and inspect the blades. Sure enough, there were pieces of pink crayon stuck in the blades. While this was going on, the darling girl with the now sharpened pink crayon ran to the restroom crying. I hadn't yelled or said much of anything to her, but she could feel my anger while I tried to remain calm.

 I let her go, and sat down to try to salvage the sharpener. I took a paper clip, straightened it, and ran it along the blades to remove the crayon. Luckily, I was able to get all of the pink crayon out of the blades, and managed to shake out the tip of a green crayon that I didn't know was in there. No wonder the sharpener didn't work!

Next was the real test, and I knew it would definitely make or break my review. I attempted to sharpen a pencil...

Most of the class was gathered around to see if I had fixed it. ______ was still pouting or crying in the restroom. I let her stay there for a little while before talking to her about her actions.

Okay, the pencil came out just as sharp as the ones that had been sharpened before the infamous crayon incident. I decided that I would be the only one (once again) to touch the sharpener. I sharpen their pencils once at the beginning of class, and again only if it breaks and they don't have a back up pencil. ______ has been forgiven for her lapse in good judgement, and I believe she has forgiven the tattle-tale who said she did it.

My final opinion of the Quietest Classroom Sharpener:

I actually like it better than my electric sharpeners. It sharpens nicely, it's quiet, and I don't have to keep pulling the pencil out to check if it's sharp. I would definitely recommend it to other teachers who want to try it. Click on the image below to check it out for yourself.

  

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!