In a pinch...Needing Welcome Notes Quick!

Hello Friends!

So I was in a pinch this past week.  We received new MacBook Pros from our district this month...yeah!  I love Apple products!  One week-long training in Cupertino, California on Apple's Campus a few years ago and I was hooked!  I'd love to be 1:1 in my first grade classroom someday.   I keep asking my Superintendent but I'm thinking I need to take another route...Grant Writing 101.  He sees the importance and is supportive, but I think the focus is on the bigger kids right now.

Anyway, about my pinch!  Our new laptops aren't hooked up to our printers/copiers at school yet which is making my printer at home moan and groan.  I feel like I'm behind in prepping for Open House and our first week back but it will come together.  It always does.

Like you, I like to send home a welcome note around the middle of August that also informs my families of our Open House.  Since I couldn't print to a copier at school and I'm all about convenience right now, I decided to try something new.  I created a document in Keynote, exported it as an image and uploaded it to a one-hour photo place.  That's all I did!  I was kind of surprised it came together so quick and easy!

This is how my postcard looked when I created it using Keynote...

Here's what they looked like when I picked them up from the Photo Center...

I lost the border on the top and bottom somehow but I still thought they looked pretty good!  I picked up some bright envelopes, addressed them to my new First Graders and took them to the post office!

4" x 6" pictures and some bright 4 3/4" x 6 1/2" envelopes

I purchased the clip-art from Niki @ MelonHeadz

 Click here to see her Pirate clip-art in her Teachers Pay Teachers Shop.  

All of her clip-art is adorable but I just realized that she has some pirate art that I don't own yet...starting to fill up my cart again!

School is right around the corner...staff days next week and kiddos on the 25th!

Take care!

August Currently

Hi Friends!

I'm a few days behind but I still wanted to make sure I linked up with Farley's Linky before it was too late!

My sister went back to school today so I get to spend the last bit of my summer with my two nieces!  Today they helped me finish a few things in my classroom...and they were a huge help!  They're playing house right now and as I wrote above, they're married...and now one just had a baby!  Have you ever just listened to kids play house?  I should really have started recording this!  It's like a really bad soap opera!

While we were at school today I finished putting away all of my piles.  MOST of them are where they need to be but some were just stashed in my supply closet.  I'll admit it.  That closet needs a total make-over anyway and if there's time before school starts I'll do it but for right now everything is tucked inside....out of sight to everyone but me!

Now that my room is mostly set up I have list a mile long of labels I need to make for my classroom...our library, journals, supplies, cubbies, etc. 

I'm wanting a personal assistant.  I think we all should have one...for obvious reasons.

I'm really needing my achilles tendon to heal.  I started to push myself to run further distances this summer just to see if I could do it.  I got up to 5 miles for a couple of runs and that's when things started to hurt a bit.  I swear I hobble around like an old lady until things get moving and then it doesn't hurt as bad but whew!  It's a doozie right now.  Of course all of the climbing up and down ladders, chairs and tables to set up my room hasn't probably been the best for me either.  Ugh!

My first official day of school is Tuesday, August 19.  We have one day of district meetings, one day of building level meetings and the third day is our day to spend in our rooms.  Our Open House is Wednesday, August 20.  My new first graders come on Monday, August 25!  

It will be here before I know it!

Take care!

Here's What I Bought...and WON!

Hi Friends!

Did you shop 'til you dropped?  I thought I made all of my purchases until I started reading your blog posts from this linky party...

Hosted by Blog Hoppin'

and then I had to go back and shop a little more!

So now I'm joining in on the linky fun!

Here's what I bought for this year (I linked all of the titles to their product @ TPT):

Beginning of the Year Activities (1st Grade)~Friends in First by Lyndsey Kuster

Beginning of the Year Assessments~Let's Start at the Very Beginning by Lyndsey Kuster

Lyndsey is face behind the blog, "A Year of Many Firsts"...one of my many favorites!

Charlotte's Web~A Book Companion and Craft by Funky Fresh Firsties

She's another one of my favorite bloggers...

And then there are these diddys...

Alphabet Banner by Kelly McHaffie

Science Blasters! By Kim Adsit

She blogs with her daughter at:

My Data and Learning Portfolio by Reagan Tunstall

Maps, Mateys and Mischief~A Pirate Mini Unit by Michelle Oakes

Michelle blogs at:

And finally, a few more...

Quick Checks~1st Grade Common Core Assessments! By Susan Jones

Susan blogs at Thank God It's First Grade!

Back to School Literacy Pack~Back to Business by Sarah Paul

Reader's Theatre~Partner Plays for Beginning Readers (Back to School) by A Teeny Tiny Teacher

Everyone knows Kristin, right?  Pretty amazing teacher!

Math Printables and Assessments by All Students Can Shine

Here's her fantastic blog so you can start following her...

Listening Activities for the Common Core: Listen Up~the Bundle by Fluttering Through First Grade

Here's their awesome blog...

Whew!  That was some fun shopping!  I can't wait to use these in my classroom this year!

Oh!  I almost forgot! 
 I won something!  I actually WON!  
Kathy @ First Grade a la Carte is throwing her annual Back to School Bash! You should check her out if you don't follow her already!  She is one of the first bloggers I started following and she just seems so real, genuine and down to earth!  

She's giving away freebies each day!  I won her Back to School Bundle that has 6 beginning of the year activities and 2 new activities!  I'm super excited!

So!  There you go!  I'm busy juggling classroom time with pool time and trying to get everything finished...or at least make it look like I'm ready for the kids by the middle of next week.  That's my goal at least.  I'll post pictures once I'm presentable!  :)

Have a great day!

5---4---3---2---1---BLAST-OFF!

Are you ready?

The big Teachers Pay Teachers Sale is right around the corner!



Time to start filling our carts with some amazing products from our favorite sellers!  I know my Wish List is a mile long so I'm looking forward to doing a little shopping!

I've put all of my products on sale for the big sale.  Here's a few of my newest products that might interest you!

Word of the Day Workout
Trick Word Workout
Fundations Handwriting Practice w/ Trick Words and Words of the Day
Fundations Unit Review-Flashcards and Assessments

Monthly Reading Challenges

The Wizard of Oz Comprehension Questions

Dolch Pre-Primer and Primer Parking Lots
Dolch First, Second and Third Grade Parking Lots

There are a few other freebies that I've added throughout the year too, so help yourself!  

Click here to visit my Teachers Pay Teachers Shop!

Don't forget to add the special Promo Code when you check out to get additional savings!
BTS14

Have fun shopping!

Monthly Reading Challenges

Hi Friends!

I did some updates this morning on my Monthly Reading Challenges!  It was one of my very first products that I created for my Teachers Pay Teachers Shop and it needed a bit of a polishing.  

I use my Monthly Reading Challenges throughout the year as a fun way for my families to explore new books with their children.

At the beginning of each month I send home the monthly challenge and have it due by the last day of the month.  Anyone who completes the challenge gets a small reward like a certificate, a pencil, a treat or anything I might find that the children may like as a prize.  In the packet, you'll find a parent letter as well as tips on where your families can find the books they need to read for each challenge. 

Here's a peek at what each month's challenge looks like: 

I added a black and white version of each month's challenge for those of us who do not have color copiers.

These challenges are an easy way to have our families spend some quality time with their kiddos.  Now.  I do sometimes get the challenge returned to me the next day with all 10 books found and read.  I do raise my eyebrow...and think "How could that happen?"  But it's just not a battle I want to have...so I usually write a comment on the top like, "Wow!  That was quick!" and then move on.  :)

Summer is winding down so I hope you're sucking up every minute you have left!  School is right around the corner!  Actually...less than a month for me!

Take Care!

Merry Christmas!

'Tis the Season for a sale!

Everything in my TPT Shop is 20% off from now until Saturday!

Click here to visit my shop!

On a side note, I stopped by school for my first visit and snapped some pictures.  I posted this picture on my classroom blog, Shiver Me Firsties!

Let the fun begin!

Magnetic Letter Mayhem

Hello again!

So I've had something on my "To-Do List" that might seem a little compulsive to some of you...maybe not...at least I hope it's not too OCD on my part, but it just might be.

I sorted all of my magnetic letters last night.  

Like.  All.  Of.  Them.

Yep...there it is.  You should see my living room floor!  It's glittered with magnetic letters sorted by upper and lower case letters, style of magnetic letter, some styles put in ABC order, etc.  Okay...I might have a slight issue...but that's no surprise to some of you!

As you may remember from earlier posts, I will have an aide in my classroom this year and I've been busy creating and gathering "Go-To Activities" for us to grab and use with our kiddos in small groups or one-on-one.  I felt it was necessary to see what letters I had so that I can pre-bag them and have them ready for us.

When I sorted them I realized that my vowels were missing.  Now where did they go?  Then I remembered that I saw an idea on Pinterest where the teacher spray painted all of her vowels a bright red so that the children could find them easier.  

Hey!  I did that too! But where did they go?  

I'm in the midst of sorting and organizing every nook and cranny of my classroom so they'll turn up eventually, but I kind of need a plan now.  I found some cute Magnetic Letter Digital Art from Poppydreamz Digital Art!

Poppydreamz Digital Art 

Magnet Letters Alphabet and Number Clipart

I was just going to create some vowels, but one thing led to another (again) and I made a complete set...with Fundations in mind.

You can download it for FREE in my Teachers Pay Teachers Shop by clicking here!

Included in the packet is:

• a full alphabet in black and white
• a set of red vowels (5 of each vowel)
• a set of blue glued sounds (3 of each glued sound)
• a set of yellow blends and digraphs (3 of each blend and digraph)
• a set of green bonus letters (3 of each bonus letter)

I'll be printing, cutting, laminating and attaching a small magnet to the back of each tile so that my children can practice building their  words.  Hope it's something that you can use too!

Off to take care of the magnetic letters scattered all over my floor!

Have a great day!

Parking Lot Sight Words

Hello Friends!

I am busy researching and creating new activities for my first graders this year.  My new batch of kiddos have some children with language issues and therefore are struggling with reading and writing too.  Due to my class make-up and IEP goals, etc. I will have an aide/para-professional in our classroom this year.  I am so grateful to have an extra set of adult hands in the room!  Although her number one priority is the one student whose IEP mandates an aide, it's been past practice in our school that our aides can pitch in wherever needed.

So I'm trying to create and gather "go-to" materials that we can grab and use with our struggling students whenever we have the chance.  One of the activities I made are my Parking Lot Sight Word Mats!    

I broke the parking lots into two sets and you can find them in my Teachers Pay Teachers Shop if you're interested.

Parking Lot Sight Words~Dolch Pre-Primer and Primer Sight Words
In this Parking Lot set you'll find 6 parking lots for the Pre-Primer Sight Words, 8 parking lots for the Primer Sight Words and an additional 4 "Empty" parking lots for you or a student to handwrite their own words for practice.

Parking Lot Sight Words~First, Second and Third Grade Sight Words
In this Parking Lot set you'll find 6 parking lots for the 1st grade sight words, 7 parking lots for the 2nd grade sight words, 7 parking lots for the 3rd grade sight words and 4 "Empty" parking lots for you or a student to handwrite their own words for practice.

We will be able to use these to help the children review and master their Dolch Sight Words by using a matchbox car to park in the correct spot.  So for example, we can say, "Maggie, can you park your car in the after spot?"  We could even say, "Park your car in the spot that completes this sentence: I need a bandaid because I _______ my finger."  I think there are several ways to play and learn with these Parking Lot Mats!  What do you think?

The first 3 people to leave a comment will receive both sets for FREE!  Please leave your e-mail address in your comment and I'll send them as soon as I can!
Have a great day!

Book Share!

Do you ever come across a book or two that you read and it just sticks with you? Like it moves into a place in your heart and there's something that reminds you about it every day?  

I found three of those books earlier this year thanks to some amazing bloggers, Mr. Schu who is a teacher/librarian in a K-5 school and Colby Sharp who is a 3rd grade teacher in Michigan.  You can click on the links below to visit their blogs:

http://mrschureads.blogspot.com

http://mrcolbysharp.com

When you visit their blogs, you're probably going to want to start following them on Twitter too.  They are always, always, ALWAYS sharing new books for kids of all ages!  So let me share the books they introduced to me!  I've linked each book to a site for you to get more information.

My first share is the 2014 Newberry Award Winner, Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo.  Holy bagumba!  Every time I see a squirrel I think of this adorable book!

http://www.katedicamillo.com/books/flora.html

A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd.  Talk about MAGIC!  Another story full of friendship and imagination.  It's just a great read!

http://natalielloyd.blogspot.com/p/fiction.html

 The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate...oh. my. gosh.  I read this story in one sitting on one of our deep freeze days this past winter.  Every time I see an elephant or a gorilla, I'm reminded of this story.  This one really tugged at my heart strings.  A picture book version of this story is coming out this fall and I can't wait!  It's just an amazing story.

http://theoneandonlyivan.com

I would love to read these books to my first graders this year but I need to meet them first to see if they'll be able to handle them.  If I were teaching 3rd grade though, these books would definitely be a part of our year together.  Don't take my recommendation alone though, read them yourself first and make your own decision.

It's a gloomy, rainy morning and I overslept and won't be making it to church in time so I plan on starting this one next:

http://carolinecarlsonbooks.com/books/

I'm on the hunt for some new chapter books for read alouds this year!  If you know of anything new that would work for little ears, please let me know!

Hope all is well!

Look What I Made~Story Stones!

I finally had time to make something I pinned a long time ago...and it actually turned out!

They were so fun to make and a little addicting too!

I went to Pat Catans (it's a craft store here in Ohio) and picked up a few bags of "River Rocks" for $2.00 a bag.  Each bag weighed about 2 pounds and when I opened them up, there were about 20 rocks.  The amount of rocks depend on the size of the rocks.  I then picked up a ton of random stickers, some Mod Podge and a can of Krylon Crystal Clear Acrylic Coating.

I stuck the stickers on the rocks, took them outside in a box and sprayed them 3 times with the acrylic coating.  One thing I realized is that you're going to want to use "typical" stickers.  The thicker stickers were a little tougher to stick.  I also took some old magazines, cut out small pictures and Mod Podged them to the rocks.  Once the Mod Podge was dried, I gave them 3 coats of the acrylic coating too. Once the third coat of acrylic coating was applied, I forgot about them and let them dry for a day or two.

I think they'll be a great addition to the writing corner in my classroom!  They can be used in so many ways!  At the beginning of the year, they'll be used to help write random sentences when we can't think of something to write about.  As the year continues, they can use them to help them write stories.  The children could even pick 3 rocks and use them to write an interesting story.  I'm so excited!  The only downfall...they're going to be heavy!  I am going to put our Story Stones in a bucket so that the children can dig through to find the stones they want.  

Now I'm off to find some seasonal stickers (Halloween, Christmas, etc.) so I'll have some Story Stones to add to the bucket during the holidays.

Have a great day!