Five for Friday and a Giveaway!

1.We went to the Sea Life Aquarium here in Michigan. It got two thumbs up from my kids!

The stingrays were really cool. I especially liked the hands-on part where they could touch different things under water (shrimp etc.)

2. My summer tv watching has hit an all time low....I almost fell asleep watching the Bachelorette! THREE times! I haven't even watched "The Final Rose" yet...

3. Window art is one of my favorite things ever!
Remember my apples(Click Here)? 
Check these out!

http://buggyandbuddy.com/window-art-kids/

4. Did you hear about the TPT sale August 3 and 4? Get your wishlists ready! Woo hoo!

I just finished making a Chalkboard Chevron set of my CCSS Center Posters.
Go Here!

5. I am giving away a copy of my Chalkboard Chevron CCSS Center Posters(or actually your choice of any of my CCSS Center Poster sets(Chevron, Polka Dot or my set for First Grade)!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Go Here for more Five for Friday!

Five for Friday

 1. This is a really nice tutorial about Pinterest...Beware, once you enter Pinterest,  you may never return! I have a friend who was worried about "being followed" by so many strangers! LOL
http://www.gcflearnfree.org/pinterest101/3

2. We saw Jurassic World today. I really liked it! It was very similar to the first one and they did a great job of bringing the technology up to date! So awesome! Those baby Triceratops...SO CUTE!

3. Look at this spunky crab my son made! I snapped a few that his friends made too. Perfect for an Ocean study!

4.  Big Brother...James and Jeff were on the block. I didn't even care which one left. Wow...really not impressed with this year's cast! Steve...wake up, Steve! Is Steve aware he's on BB or what?

5.  TPT...I have to pop on TPT every few days now, and check my wishlist! Have you noticed the short sales that pop up?

Go Here for more Friday Fun!

Wk 4 #TPTSellerChallenge Freebies/Giveaway

I met two awesome authors during the #TPTSellerChallenge!

Kimberlee, from It's Kinder Time, shared with me one of her Morning Work sets. Here is a link to a freebie from Kimberlee's store: Quarter 2 Week 1. Kimberlee included ELA and Math skills in each set! Check them out!

Chelsea, from Curly Q's Chalkboard, shared her Apple Math Centers Based on BUILD. Her centers are so stinkin' cute! Make sure you click the preview button and see all that the set includes! Here is a freebie from her store that I think you would like: Summer Reading Bucket List

***My giveaway is ending tonight! Go HERE for the Rafflecopter!***

{Go here to see more: Sparkling in Second, Third in Hollywood, Teach Create Motivate, and Peppy Zesty Teacherista .} 

Make Your Masterpiece #TptSellerChallenge Week 3

A Giveaway and a Masterpiece!! This week the challenge is "Make Your Masterpiece" and that means to create a "Masterpiece" to add to my TPT store. 
Which means I finally finished my Fall Read and Respond pack!

This is a set of Response sheets for the children to draw and write a sentence, or label their answer, after you have read a story. 

Story sheets are included for these books:
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Mouse Paint
The Lonely Scarecrow
Clifford’s First Halloween

The Itsy Bitsy Spider
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat
The Littlest Pilgrim
Who Will Carve the Turkey This Thanksgiving?
Who’s Been Eating my Porridge?
Where the Wild Things Are
Olive the Other Reindeer
...and a handful of CCSS Exemplar Texts!

Here's the link to the fall pack on TPT {CLICK HERE}

{Go here to see even more masterpieces: Sparkling in Second, Third in Hollywood, Teach Create Motivate, and Peppy Zesty Teacherista .} 

And now for the giveaway! 

It starts Tuesday July 7th!
I'm giving away all three Read and Respond packs!

Enter Below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dare to Dream #tptsellerchallenge Week 2

Target is so good at getting me to spend money! My Target habit is under control this week. One day I went in and only bought 2 items. (Even the cashier said I stuck to my mission. Hopefully, she did not recognize me. It is very possible they know me there.)  So far, I have only spent $3 in the new BTS section. :)

I have been looking for a new job for awhile now. So in the meantime, any TPT earnings help. :)

My family loves to travel. Even short weekend trips are fun for my kids. We like to go places we've been, and try new places. :)

To read more...go HERE.

Makeover Madness #tptsellerchallenge Week 1

This is a SUPER motivating idea! 

A little makeover... and a linky party too!

My science set needed a makeover. 

It still has all the awesome experiments! 

The recording sheet follows the scientific method: thinking of a "hypothesis", making a prediction, observation, recording data, and finding a conclusion.

Experiments include:
Magnets (magnetic properties)
Sink and Float (water...properties)
Ice (melting)
Rolling on a Ramp...part one and two(gravity)
Seeds (plant growth)
Eggs(graphing, measurement)
Snack (water...properties)

Go check it out here! It's on Sale! Science Set

Check out the other Makeovers HERE!

Tricks and Treats Blog Hop!

***A Trick  for  You***

And oldie but goodie: Pocket Charts
I love pocket charts! I have so many...big ones, small ones, different shaped ones...I use them all year long! In addition to Calendar, the 100 chart, and the Weather graph, we also use a pocket chart for our schedule. Plus here is a pocket chart activity we did last week...Good Choices vs. Poor Choices.

 

(We also have a name chart. We use it for the Helper of the day(their name is up after they are the helper.)

We have this pocket chart holding our weekly poem:

 

And in our kitchen, we have this one:

 What kind of pocket charts do you have?

***A Treat For You***

Fall Math Centers
Take a look at a few math centers we are using this week.
The pictures are from my Fall Math and Science Pack! Click HERE to check it out! 

 

A handful of pattern blocks...sort, count and graph

 

Grab and count Pattern Blocks!

 

 

Recording sheets for Patterns
 

And a Freebie:
Visit my store to find a freebie that you like! :)

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Love-Luck-And-Laughter

Don't forget to hop to the next blog for more "Tricks and Treats"!
And don't forget to go to the giveaway on Mrs. Plemons page!
Click on her button to go to awesome giveaway!

An InLinkz Link-up

Five for Friday

 It's Friday! (Click the photo above to go to the linky party!)

1. 4th of July Sugar Cookies...Yum!

2. I have two items in my TPT store that are 50% off!
Go check it out:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Love-Luck-And-Laughter

3. I was at Target today and bought a few things in the dollar spot. (shocker!)
I Love the Hungry Caterpillar!(It was $3 for the set.) And I figure I can use these alphabet letters this fall. (The letters were only 50 cents per sheet.)

 4. I did it. I bought the Lego movie! I hope "Everything is Awesome" doesn't drive me crazy. By the way, both boys know all the words to "Let it Go".

5. In the meantime, I'm so glad Big Brother is back on!
 

Monday Markdown Linky Party

On sale today...50% off!!!...http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Super-Duper-Scientists-848087

Visit http://kellyandkimskindergarten.blogspot.com/ to find out what else is on sale today!

How Do You Use It?! Linky Party

 

 I found this really cute Linky Party.

And I remembered some things I'd seen....

 

A few months ago, I saw someone had covered clothes pins with washi tape. I tried that, but it didn't stick as well as I thought it should.

I also use clothes pins to clip my snack bags.

(At work and at home.)

Once, I went to the store and they were out of clothes pins and they said, "Oh we clearanced them out". And I wondered....does anyone really use them for clothes anymore?

Well, at work, we use them for missing letters and numbers(in games) and I also use them on my classroom behavior chart, where I "move the clip" for behavior.

But check these ideas out!

How to dye your clothes pins: 

http://kojo-designs.com/2011/12/rit-dye-my-newest-bff-and-a-wooden-christmas-card-display/

How to make chalkboard clothespins(to hold class work)

http://create-share-inspire.blogspot.com/2011/07/chalkboard-clothespins.html

SUPER CUTE!

{Here's} the linky party! Link up!

Five for Friday Thanksgiving Throwback Freebie

Click {Here} to check it out, or link up!


One:  I'm slightly obsessed with Skinny Pop popcorn. I really could eat 2 bags in a row, but I ration myself one bag a day. (We bought a box of 24 at Cosco).

Two:  I had to paint feet in college once during my supervisor's observation. Love this though!  http://www.petersonstories.blogspot.com/2011/11/thankful.html
 
Three: Between the power outages this week and my little one afraid of the dark every night(even surrounded by a nightlight, a gloworm and a musical starfish), I had to find something he could use.  Who knew how hot regular flashlights were after 20 minutes?!   Thank you Ikea!   http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30190857/

Four:  Go here and read her Holiday Disaster post...sooo funny.

http://sunnydaysinsecondgrade.blogspot.com/

(I don't think I have a Thanksgiving disaster story...we are notorious for taking a mini-vacation during the Thanksgiving weekend.)

Five: Go {Here} for my most favorite Thanksgiving freebie! Definitely printing this today for next week!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Five for Friday and Thanksgiving Freebie part 2

Click the picture to check it out, or Link up!

1. I couldn't believe it when I took my sson to preschool and saw a wooden climber inside. We had one of these in my Kindergarten classroom!

 2. These are the cutest snowman cookies! I have seen different versions and finally tracked this recipe down.

Here is the source: 

http://simplystitchedtogether.com/2012/12/25/christmas-cookie-recipe-melted-snowman-cookies/

 3. Need a FREE template for your parent newsletters? Check out this edit-in-word freebie! I found out a lot of teachers in my building are using it! Super easy!

http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/newsletter/templates/

4. We made paper bag teepees. Aren't they the cutest!

5. 

Saturday is the last day to join the giveaway!

(If you are a follower of this blog or my TPT store, that will give you an entry already!)

http://whatihavelearnedtoo.blogspot.com/2013/11/giveaway-to-celebrate-new-blog-design.htm

Freebie on the 15th Linky Party

I haven't been online too much lately.  Fall is here and there is so much to do! I need to sort out the summer clothes for example(so the kids don't have to have a marathon try-on session every morning with pants that are too short...why do I think that I am not the only one this happens to?) and about 999 other seasonal things(halloween is coming! costumes! decorations! ....).
But I wanted to share a freebie, and I found this yesterday: 
Lucky to Be in First is having a Linky Party with Freebies!
I'm going to link up to a simple freebie of mine that can be used for K or 1st:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Money-Grab-FREE-171176 

Summer Linky Party: Calendar in the Classroom

My favorite part of the calendar is something I added this year.  I used 7 library pockets, in  a row, with school written on the first five, and home written on the last two(with pictures). Then everyday, we move a stick to the next pocket to show the day. We use sticky notes to label upcoming special days, like assemblies, or a birthday. 

I read that this is easier for the kids to understand, especially at the beginning of the year.

July 1st: Bloglovin' and Linky Party

Well, today is the day... 

I am sure you have heard that Google Friend Connect may be going away with the Google Reader on July 1st.  If you still want to read my blog posts (and I hope you still do), please make sure you click my "Bloglovin" button on the Top Left side.  You will be able to get my blog feed through there.  I hope you link up!

Tonight,  I am linking up with Classroom Confections for the most wishlisted items.  

 

My most wishlisted item is....

My Ocean Unit!

Find it here...

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ocean-Unit-Math-and-Literacy-for-Kindergarten-132015 

EOY Linky Party....The Very Hungry Caterpillar

I'm linking up with the Summer Linky Party!

At the end of the year, we do a show for our parents. We sing "Everything Grows" by Raffi, and always end with "Goodbye Farewell" by Greg and Steve.

A few years ago,I hand painted the characters from the Very Hungry Caterpillar onto posterboards, and each of the students are assigned an item. As the story CD is played, the kids walk across the stage, holding up their poster.

Made by my son's preschool class...so cute!

I don't have any pictures of our show, but I did find a couple of cool VHC links (freebies) on TPT that we used with our insect unit, as a lead to our EOY program.

Check these out:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Story-Retelling-and-Sequencing-Activity-569794

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Eric-Carles-Very-Hungry-Caterpillar-Vocabulary-Cards-575965

February Currently

Well here we are  and I think I am the last one on the Currently list again. I was really planning on doing it earlier this month...honest!
Oh and don't forget to join my GIVEAWAY! (click HERE) It ends Sunday night!

Link up to the Currently fun HERE. Happy Weekend!

January Currently and FLASH Giveaway

January has been a busy month! I was really trying to get my January Currently done before February! Almost missed it!
Make sure you check out my Valentine FLASH Giveaway! It ends Friday Feb 1st! :)

Here is where you can link up to the Currently fun!
http://ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.com/2012/12/currently-january.html

Have a wonderful week! February is right around the corner!

2012 Bloggy Best and Brightest Linky Party

I'm linking up with Bunting, Books and Bainbridge for a linky party.

My  BEST Posts in 2012 were(I linked to each of them!)

Homework Calendars - Freebie

Lesson Plan Diva is doing a Homework Linky Party! Be sure to check it out and link up!

This year in Kindergarten we started using activity-type Homework Calendars(count the cans in your kitchen, etc.) But since December, we have started using revised versions of these Homework Calendars (FREE here).

Looking back, this internet find  was sooo lucky. It was awesome to be able to edit these calendars. I did  a few more edits after they went home, because some of the parents had trouble with the directions.


My favorite was...
http://loveluckandlaughter.blogspot.com/2012/03/easter-centers-and-freebies.html 
I felt like I finally got some pictures to post and got organized enough to get them posted in the right month...usually I am behind! :)

I am so happy that 2013 is right around the corner. 2012 has not been easy in many ways.

Best wishes to you and yours for the coming new year!

November Currently

Report cards are due and I haven't even started...but here is the November Currently! :) I laughed when I saw that I said I wanted a housekeeper two months in a row!
Link up with the November currently here: http://ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.com/2012/11/november-currently.html