Oops!

Ugh!  I found a typing error in the last post, tried to fix it and couldn't.  It should say "if" you use discount code BTS13.  So sorry for the error.  That's what I get for typing fast and in a hurry!

Sale! Sale! Sale!

What a sale!  Teachers Pay Teachers is having a HUGE Back to School Sale!  Everything in my store will be 20% off tomorrow!  You can get even more savings is you use the discount code BTS13 when checking out!  Wow!  This is a must for all teachers or homeschooling parent out there. 

I have been busy in my classroom this week as well as preparing to send my oldest to preschool!  It is hard to believe that he is starting his school "career"!  (Sniff, Sniff)  I hope to have some pictures of my classroom for you this coming week as it looks now!

Vistaprint Treasures!

Time is ticking quickly by!  School for some is next week.  Our school starts the day after Labor Day!  It allows us a little more time to prepare and get ready!

One of the things I enjoy during the summer is to get items from Vistaprint!  I have used Vistaprint to print many things over the past 5 or more years!  Their products are good quality and have met the needs I've had.  This year is no different.  Below is a picture of what I've ordered for the start of this year.  It is a sampling.

Click here to check out what else Vistaprint has.



In this picture, you can see my Back to School Brochure in a monkey theme.  I also have a magnet in monkey theme with my contact information.  They had the same design for the pens.  I like to put my name on them.  It keeps them from walking away when I have a substitute or if someone borrows my pens!  (Just a little idea!)  Another item in the picture is a note pad.  The content on the note pad is for a student time out in another classroom.

The other thing pictured is our year of sight words/"trick words" (for those familiar with Fundations by Wilson Learning).  All the words are printed on a rack card which has a glossy finish. Parents can check off the words using a dry erase marker as their child reads the word to them.  This is a quick and easy way for parents to practice these words with their child.  I put these in my Back to School/Meet the Teacher night packet with my brochure, magnet and a bag of unpopped popcorn.  I'll try to get a picture of the finished packet next week for you to see.  Below are some close up pictures of the note pad and the rack card.

This year, I ordered the rack cards for the whole district first grade to give to the parents.  In the past, I have also ordered their small self-inking stamps that say things like, "Completed together in class", "Mrs. Schneider", "Confidential", and "This is STAR work!"  Last year, I ordered loyalty cards with option of 10 punches for my reward system.  When students were on purple 10 times, they were able to visit the treasure box.  There are so many possibilities with the products that are available.  I hope you have fun shopping!

Lunch Count and Attendance

Before we get to the great idea for today's post, I want to share some TpT news!  I am thrilled with one of my newest items for sale on Teachers Pay Teachers!  It is a set of morning work activities for the first 9 weeks grading period.  Our school uses a four 9 weeks grading period.  Included in the packet is a practice page that can be completed as a whole class so the kiddos learn how to complete the activities.  There is also a separate page that can be included in a "sub tub" or folder!  I am working on the second 9 weeks and hope to have it ready before school starts.

                                                          Click here to go to my TpT store.

I also have posted on TpT a "No Germs" mini lesson/activity that is good for back to school or when flu season hits.  This packet includes a lap book.  These little books are GREAT for Daily 5 book boxes!

The latest item was a Fire Safety packet which also includes a lap book.  As you can see, I've been busy this week!  I love creating and making things for my classroom and am excited to share them with you!

                                                   Click here to go to my TpT store.

Okay, now for my Lunch Count/Attendance idea I promised to share.  Some of you may already do this and can maybe share some ideas as well.  Last year, I wanted a more organized and easier way to take lunch count and attendance.  I found a portable bulletin board at Walmart, covered it with paper and attached Velcro pieces to it dividing it into 4 sections with yarn.  This year, I wised up a little.  I used contact paper instead of bulletin board paper and ribbon to divide the sections.  At the start of the school year, I took my camera with us to lunch and took a picture of the main dish on the trays (spaghetti, grilled cheese, hamburger, etc.).  I would print out the pictures on 4 X 6 paper or at Walmart instant prints.

Place the picture of the lunch choice at the top of the board.  Each student has their name on a laminated card.  When they enter in the morning, the student moves his/her card to their lunch choice.  (I have a section for packers on the board but forgot to show this on the picture below.)  The names remaining in the far right section are the ones who are absent for the day!  I usually ask the class if anyone has seen those students in the building or on the bus before marking them absent.  This was such a quick and easy way to take attendance and got my lunch count done at the same time!  Hope this idea is one you can use as well.

Back to School FREEBIE!

Back again!  This time with a back to school FREEBIE!  I have been busy creating this week along with working in my classroom a little bit. 

We use Daily 5 in our building.  For those not familiar with this, it is a reading "program" with 5 basic elements:  Read to Self, Read to Someone, Work with Words, Work on Writing, and Listen to Reading.  Students are given time each day/week to do all these things.  Mini-lessons are taught between rotations.  Students each have a book box to keep books that they can read to themselves or others.

I love giving students books that they can read and enjoy.  Today's FREEBIE is one of these books I will be giving my students this fall.  It is my gift to you to start your book boxes with your students!  I also have my students put their library books and bookmobile books in these boxes as well.

Click here to download your free lap book!

Check back at the end of the week for an idea for taking attendance and lunch count in seconds!

Back to School?!?!

Is it really August already?!  The summer is going by so quickly!  Yesterday, the custodians opened up the building for a few grade levels to get into their rooms for a couple of days.  To my surprise they had repainted my room!  It looks fantastic!!!  Thank you Trish and Linda!  I know you don't know what it looked like before, but it needed a face lift.  Below are some pictures of the new look.

Part of me is very excited about being back in the classroom and getting it put together for the year.  The other part of me wants a few more weeks of summer to spend with my little boys.

One of the things that I have worked on was my schedule board for this year.  Last year, I had a student who benefited from having a visual schedule.  I quickly put together one of these boards to use in my class with an ocean theme.  It worked GREAT!  The whole class benefited from seeing the schedule.  It really reduced the number of, "When's lunch?"comments!  I have created other design themes for schedule boards and put them on my TpT store.  This year, my theme is "Swinging into First Grade" using monkeys.  My schedule board is a free standing bulletin board from Walmart.  Instead of covering it with paper or material as I had done last year, I used white contact paper that would stick to the cork.  This way, when the labels are taken off of the board after each part of our day, the pulling will not loosen the paper or material.  I am excited with how the board turned out!

Click here to go to my TpT store to see the other designs.

Check back in the next couple of days for more ideas and maybe another Freebie?!