Looking Back...

It's Christmas break!  Christmas wrappings are all done.  Shopping is completed.  (Thankfully, nothing needed returned!)  Now, my sights get set on the new year coming and reflections of the past year go through my mind.  

I am embarrassed that I have not blogged since July!  Where has the time gone?!!  I had wanted to include some pictures of my classroom this year.  I have gone with a Disney "Mickey Mouse" theme and have really enjoyed it!  My class has been having fun with all our Mickey Mouse things.  I will try to fill you in on them as I blog.  First, here are some pictures of the back of the classroom.   

I have absolutely LOVED using the tens frames to count how many days of school.  The kiddos add a dot sticker for each day of school.  We use this for counting by 10's, answering "How many more are needed?" questions. The numbers above the windows go to 20.  So many times I see the kids looking up and using it like a number line when adding and subtracting.  I am definitely using this theme again next year!  

As a visual, for those students who need it, I purchased a stuffed Mickey Mouse and a receiving blanket.  Mickey goes down "for a nap" during their work times and other times when silence is expected.  It has really helped remind those that need the reminder that they are to be quiet.  So many times, I hear the students reminding each other, "Shh.  Mickey's sleeping."  Love it!

I will touch base again with more great ideas!  Bye for now!

Summer Heat and More!

I must say...again....that I am really enjoying being just a mom this summer!  Those of you who teach understand this completely!  This isn't to say that I haven't been working on things for the upcoming school year.  I have been (have you seen my TpT store lately?!). 

Anyway, today was one of the hottest days we have had this summer.  At least, that is the way it felt when walking outside.  I was standing still outside at one point and I had sweat dripping into my eye!  Ugh!

After I posted my latest activity pack on TpT (CVC Hands-on Activities), I took the boys outside for some "fun in the sun"!  Here are a couple of pics from their fun on the slip-n-slide!

 I was hoping to post some pictures of ideas I have for this school year.  However, I am not ready with them yet.  Last week, the custodians at my school gave me an opportunity to come in and organize.  I am switching classrooms.  I'm staying in the same grade but changing classrooms to be closer to the other First Grade teachers.  I was so thankful for the opportunity to get in and organize, sort, pitch the things I have.  It felt good to give everything a "home".  I didn't get decorating done.  That will be for later.  Just a hint:  Mickey Mouse!  How fun!  Here are a couple of pictures of what my classroom looks like.

Our custodians do a great job over the summer months getting the classrooms looking GREAT!  I love the freshly waxed floors, clean boards, and hint of fresh paint in the hallways.

Check back tomorrow.  I hope to post some ideas from my newest item in my TpT store! This will happen as long as the weather holds.  When we have severe weather, I get "kicked" off the internet.  See you soon!

Great Book!

Back again!  As promised, I wanted to share a new book that I found while vacationing in Tennessee.  It is called, The Numberlys,  by William Joyce and Christina Ellis.

This imaginative story is about a group of characters who lived in a world of numbers.  Nothing had a name.  Everything had a number.  There are 5 "Numberlys" who decide that something more is needed.  They set off on their own to make numbers better.  At first their efforts are not so good.  However, after much effort, they create letters.  They end up creating the letters of the alphabet.  From here, the letters combine to make words.  These words name things and the world is a better place.

This creative story has so many different uses.  It is great for separating the difference between letters and numbers.  I plan to use it to show that "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again."  Many times students want to give up so quickly.  If they stick with it, they can accomplish so much.  The building where I teach is economically low.  Families really have a difficult time making ends meet.  Yet the kids come to school each day ready to learn and meet the challenges of the day.  I hope this book will be an encouragement to them.

Just a little side note, William Joyce does Olympic curling and has written and illustrated other titles such as The Man in the Moon; the Guardians series; and the #1 New York Times - bestselling The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.

In the next couple of days, I hope to share with you some Back to School pics and ideas I will be doing this upcoming school year.



Needed Vacation!!!

Hello, again!  Has it really been since January since I posted something?!  I will have to do much better!  I have been hard at work on my TpT store creating things for the beginning of the school year.  As always, it is a work in progress.

This summer, I have thoroughly enjoyed just being a mom!  It is fun to play with the boys in the yard and watch them grow into newer and "older" games.  We have now transitioned from just kicking the ball around to soccer moves!  The boys are climbing everything under the sun!  Not just the play set but trees, the mulch pile, and anything else higher than the ground.

We took a vacation recently to the Great Smokey Mountains.  This is one of my all time favorite places to go!  We stayed in Pigeon Forge and, of course, had to do some shopping!  As fun as this is, my favorite place is Cades Cove!  It is so peaceful and serene.  Being there helps me put things in perspective.  In all the chaos of teaching, being a mother and wife, and running to various appointments and meetings, there exists a place that is calm, slow, and natural.  Below are some pictures of our last visit.  Maybe you can get a glimpse of the tranquility of this beloved place.  While we were at Cades Cove, we saw 6 bear!  The one in the picture was the closest I have ever been to one in the wild.  Enjoy!





Wouldn't this make a good writing prompt?!

Tomorrow I hope to post about a picture book I found while in Tennessee as well as some new things I have added to my TpT store in preparation for the new school year!

Snow Day Fun!

Like many of you, today was a snow day!  I enjoy these days as I just get to be a mom!  My two little boys are full of energy and keep things active at home.  They are ages 5 and 3 (soon to be).  Today, I decided it was a good day to try some Snow Ice Cream!  Below is the recipe and some pictures of our adventure.  It was really tasty and fun to make!

Snow Ice Cream:

1 cup milk

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

*Mix together in a bowl

Add:  4 cups fresh clean snow

We added strawberries for more flavor!

This is the finished product!  I think our next variety will be using chocolate milk and adding peanuts and minimarshmallows for a Rocky Road ice cream from show!

The boys also had fun making a Purdy puppet.  This is a penguin paper bag puppet that I put together to compliment a series of mini books I created and have for sale on my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

Below are some pictures of the bag puppets.  They really turned out cute!

I have created 3 stories about Purdy the Penguin so far with more stories coming!  They are Happy New Year, Purdy!, Purdy's Valentine, and Purdy Goes to the Winter Games.  All of these sets contain a bag puppet pattern, mini book/story to print and color, comprehension pages at two levels, grammar/phonics practice, color word page, and game.

 Click here to check out my TpT store and find samples from these sets.

 

Wow!  Has it really been that long since I last blogged?!  Where has the time gone?  As you can probably guess or maybe experience for yourself, life gets a little hectic with 2 toddlers, teaching first grade and the many other "hats" we wear!

If your students are like mine, this time of year begins the tattling.  Ugh!  I found a book I am going to read to my class this week and thought I would share it with you.  It is called, "A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue" by Julia Cook.

This wonderful book is about a boy who tattles all the time.  Other students begin to not want to sit with him in the cafeteria, play with him on the playground, or be his friend.  One night he has a dream that he really did come down with a disease called "tattle tongue" which turned his tongue yellow with purple spots.  The tattle fairy taught him the difference between a tattle and warning someone of danger.  The tattle fairy teaches him some rules about tattling to use the next time he wants to tattle.

This book is very well written and gives some good guidelines for kids to follow when it comes to warning vs. tattling.

I also want to share the exciting news that I have finished my Morning Work packet for the second nine weeks.  It is Common Core aligned.  You can find it at my TpT store.  This packet picks up right where the first nine weeks leaves off.  I am very excited about how it turned out.  In the coming weeks, I will be working on the 3rd nine weeks packet.  My students have done well with the first packet and have really learned from the content and practice.

Click here to check out this packet.

I will try to blog more often and get you some pictures of things my kiddos are doing.  Have a super week!

School's In!

Wow!  I can't believe how time has flown by!  School is back in session now.  We are still reviewing rules and procedures.  I have a GREAT group of first graders.  They are beginning to settle in.  For some, that means they are ready to learn.  For others, that means it is time to see what they can get away with!

One of the first books I read to the class is a book called, Lacy Walker Nonstop Talker by Christianne C. Jones.  This is a cute story about a little owl named Lacy.  She likes to talk and talk and talk.  One morning, she wakes up and is unable to talk or even whisper.  She realizes her friend is really pretty funny, she receives a gold star for listening, and she is able to learn more when she listens.  At home, she had time to hear a couple bedtime stories instead of just one.  The next morning, Lacy wakes up and can talk again.  She is glad she can talk again but decides to try and listen more.  After reading this book, we had a class discussion on the importance of listening in class.

I recommend this book for the beginning of the school year!  Students enjoy the illustrations as well.

This year, we are going to be bucket fillers.  Many of you may already do this in your classroom.  I just found out about this fantastic book and how to use it in the classroom.  My class has really embraced this idea of everyone having an invisible bucket that can be filled or dipped into.  Last week, we spent most of the time identifying how to fill someone's bucket.  This week, we will be putting it into action.

Have a super "bucket filling"  week!