End of Year?!

I cannot, cannot believe this school year is almost over (unless you are one of the lucky ones and your year is already over!!).  I teach at a year round school, I still have four more weeks and then one week later my new school year starts!!  How do you celebrate the end of kindergarten???  We have lots of fun activities planned and only a short four weeks to finish them all!  I updated my Memory Book and Certificates!  You can check them out below :)

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

Our PTA has some really sweet things planned for this week :).  How does your school celebrate this fun week????  I am SO excited about the Teachers Pay Teachers sale that starts tomorrow!  I can't wait to move my wish list to my shopping cart :) :)  This girl loves a sale!  Click the picture below to link up to my store :).  Hope your week is off to a great start!

TPT Sale!!!!

I am so excited!!! Teachers Pay Teachers is having a huge site wide sale this week...May 7 and 8th!! I have so many things on my wish list..I can't wait to shop!!!! One of my favorite TPT products in my store is this one :) Are you like me? Do you have a wish list a mile long!? Hope you have a great week!!!

This made me :)

Today during Daily 5...I looked up from small group and noticed that almost all of my students had chosen a game/activity that I had made :) I really don't consider myself a "tech savvy" person if you will...so I am so proud of these activities :) My community helper resource pack is almost done :)

Instagram!!!!

Are you on Instagram??? I think it's safe to say I'm OBSESSED :) join the linky party fun tomorrow! All you have to do is take a picture from your school day using the hash tag #teachertalktuesday!

Farm Mini Unit

I updated this Mini Unit after using it a few times with my class....They are loving the Plural Nouns Activity!  I can't believe this school year is almost over!  A rainy week here means we probably won't get to go out to recess much :(.  How many days do you have left until the last day?!

Long Vowel Activities

This is finally almost done :).  This is the first year I have explicitly taught long vowel/vowel patterns to my kinders!  I think so far, it is going really well!  Hopefully I will have this bundle of activities posted to my TPT store by the weekend :).  Happy Friday Eve!

Measurement!!

My class loved this measurement activity we did today {courtesy of Mailbox Magazine :)}. We decorated butcher paper to resemble the approximate height of each animal and then compared the measurements! What fun activities have you used for this standard??

Dramatic Play????

It's almost like a thing of the past! Do you have time for dramatic play in your classroom??? If so, how often do your kids get to do "free choice centers"?? I try so hard to make time for dramatic play each week! I am so lucky to have a full-time Teaching Assistant, and because of her, THIS has happened:

An amazing parent of a student donated some props :)

Don't forget to check in ;)

How cute is this?!  My teaching assistant is AMAZING! 

My class LOVES this part :)

The lanyards are labeled with ticket agent, pilot, and flight attendant :)

Place your luggage here :)

Anyways, I really want to make sure I incorporate a new dramatic play theme every few weeks.  What are some fun dramatic play themes you have tried?!

Ready for take off!

Who Doesn't Love Donuts?!

Seriously....who doesn't?!  I am so spoiled, coming from NY I was lucky enough to live near SO many delicious bakeries....I have yet to find a bakery in any other state I have lived in that compares :).  ANYWAYS...I can't believe I am still up at this hour...even though I have a day off tomorrow, I am exhausted!  BUT I started working on this fun little addition and subtraction game and I just couldn't stop!  Check it out below :)

You guys....I am seriously in love!  I think this is one of my most favorite creations yet :).  Students match the donut equations to the correct answer on a coffee mug!  I can't wait to use it with my class!  How do your students practice this standard?!  Happy Friday Eve :)

Which Interactive Whiteboard Do You Use???

At my last school district I used a Promethean Board....I loved it!  At my current school I have a projector and a document camera and we are trying to decide which interactive white board to purchase.  So far we have looked at the Mimeo and the Eno.  What are your thoughts?  Have you ever used either???  It looks like the Mimeo has LOTS of great resources.  Decisions, decisions!

{Fluently} Adding and Subtracting

Tomorrow is *technically* my Friday Eve since we do not have school on Friday :)  Even though I am happy to be halfway through the week, I have to say, Tuesdays are slowly becoming my favorite day of the week. I take this super fun hip hop dance class called Shbam....it hardly feels like working out and it also helps that the instructor is HILARIOUS and always brightens my day!  

ANYWAYS.....For the past couple weeks we have been working on word problems, I am so proud of my little guys, they are getting so good at them!  Next we will begin fluently adding and subtracting to 5.  I am thinking lots of flash cards and practice, practice, practice!  How do you teach this skill?  How many problems per minute do you consider "fluent"?  

Spring Digraph Activities

Hello there friends!  Are you counting down the days until spring break?!  Have you already had your spring break?  Or are you like me....counting down the days until a track out?!  I don't know what it is, but my kids have some serious spring fever!  Now if that spring weather would hurry up and get here.....

We are learning about digraphs right now in kindergarten, I made a Spring Digraph Activity for my kids to practice this skill.  You can check it out below!

I may or may not have gone to get Peeps after creating this fun little packet.....after the gym of course, because that's just how I roll...haha!

Do your kids have spring fever?!  Ok, friends, back to the Housewives :).  Talk to you soon!

{Primary Word Problems}

I really needed an activity for my kinders to practice word problems independently.  Click on the picture below to learn more :).  Have a great week!

BUILD

Hello there friends!  When I return from track out I am thinking of changing the way I do math.  I have noticed pins on Pinterest that refer to a management system that is similar to the Daily 5 called BUILD. I am having a hard time finding more information about this program.  So far I have not been able to find a book or official web site, if you know of one, please let me know!  In the meantime, I have found several helpful blogs so I think I am going to go ahead and get it started when I return from track out!  I made these posters to label each bin.  I can't figure out how to embed an image of the google doc, BUT if you click the link below you should be able to access the posters :)

You can check out more BUILD information here:

Adventures in Teaching

Cassie's blog is full of helpful information :)

Track Out!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!  I teach at a year round school and I am now "tracked out" for the next week.  I am looking forward to some major R and R as well as a trip to Arizona to visit some friends.  I am also hoping to use my free time to create some more fun things for my classroom!  I use the Daily 5 literacy framework and I NEED new sight word Word Work activities.  What sight word list do you use?  I always say, it would have been GREAT if CCSS created a nation-wide sight word list that we all could use!  Anyways....I spent this weekend working on my first Teachers Pay Teachers Product!

You can click the picture above to check it out!  I have also uploaded a FREE Primary Writer's Checklist :)  Let me know what you think!

I'm Back :)

No more excuses!  I know we are almost into February, but I think my New Year's Resolution should be to blog more often!!  I was so happy to sign in today to find that Mary from Oceans of Fun in Grade 1 nominated me for the Liebster Award!  The Liebster Award is given to those of us who have less than 200 followers, it is a great way to find new blogs AND meet new people!

The rules are:

1.  You must post 11 random things about yourself.

2.  Answer the questions that the nominator set for you.

3.  Create 11 questions for the people you nominate.

4.  Choose 11 blogs with fewer than 200 followers to nominate and link them in your post.

5.  You cannot "tag back" the other blog, but leave a comment on this post with the URL of your Liebster post so I can learn more about you & see whom you nominate.

11 Random Things About Me

1.  I just found out this November that I achieved National Board Teaching Certification :)

2.  I LOVE warm weather.  Winter is not my favorite.

3.  I have the cutest dog names Swayze (yes, after Patrick Swayze :)

4.  I actually kept my New Year's Resolution from last year (getting back into shape!) and have become a group fitness junkie!

5.  I LOVE to read.

6.  I am so addicted to Pinterest.

7.  I finally joined the 21st Century this year, FINALLY getting a smartphone :)  I don't know how I lived without my iphone...

8.  I LOVE reality TV...Housewives anyone?!

9.  I have lived in 4 different states.

10.  I teach at a multi track year-round school, the schedule can be a bit crazy to follow at times, but I LOVE It!!

11.  I am not a morning person :)

Ok, here are the questions I was given:

1.      If you weren’t a teacher, what else would you do?

I would love to work for a non-profit organization...doing Public Relations maybe?

2.      What is your favorite television show (past or present)?

I LOVE reality TV...I would have to say the Housewives of Beverly Hills!

3.      What is your favorite fashion accessory?

Scarves!

4.      What state do you live in?

North Carolina

5.      What is the best thing about teaching?

The best thing about teaching would have to be when one of my students' has a "light bulb" moment and starts to understand a concept he or she has struggled with for a long time!

6.      Where do you find the best deals on classroom supplies/games/etc.?

I am a huge fan of donorschoose.org AND the Target Dollar Spot :)

7.      Are you on Teachers Pay Teachers or Teachers Notebook?

Not yet, but that is a goal I am currently working on :)

8.      How long have you been teaching?

This is my 6th year teaching kindergarten :)

9.      What grades have you taught?

Only kindergarten :)

10.    Describe your perfect getaway!

Somewhere warm, an ocean in sight, and all of my closest family and friends!

11.    Coffee or tea?

Coffee!

11 Questions for Nominees

1.  What grade do you teach?

2.  How long have you been blogging?

3.  Do you use the Daily 5?

4.  How did you decide to become a teacher?

5.  Are you on Teacher Pay Teacher or Teacher's Notebook?

6.  Do you lesson plan with your team?

7.  What is your favorite book?

8.  Favorite food?

9.  Do you have any children?

10.  What is your favorite book to read with your class?

11.  Favorite holiday?

Ok, I am awarding the Liebster Award to:

http://2brainyapples.blogspot.com/

http://lovelyliteracyandmore.blogspot.com/
http://www.literacysundae.blogspot.com/
http://friendlyfroggies.blogspot.com/

http://dancinginourteachershoes.blogspot.com/
http://spotlightonk.blogspot.com/
http://hensonsfirstgrade.blogspot.com/
http://www.laddventure.com/
http://allthatglittersinteaching.blogspot.com/
http://day-in-first-grade.blogspot.com/
http://teachingmunchkins-smgaitan.blogspot.com/