Ideas?

Wow- it's already so late! Where did the time go tonight?! Ooooh....I remember I was cleaning out all the JUNK from the guest bedroom. Just a little tip folks- DO NOT start using your guest bedroom bed as an extra closet or as the place where you throw all of your junk anywhere you can in the guest bedroom the morning that the maid is coming. You will pay for it. (Sigh)

But before all that cleaning up I watched One Tree Hill. Anyone else a lifer like me?
When Clay realized that he had a son and had blocked it out and that his son was right down the hall I totally shouted at my tv. "NO WAAAAAY!" Scared the bejeezus out of the cat too.

Anyhoo....today I realized it we were on our last cut and color as morning work. Honestly I thought my kids would be happy about it and ready for something else. But instead I got, "What?!" "Have you looked for more cut and colors?" "Oh noooo!" So now I'm asking you all- do you have a resource for cut and colors? OR do you have a resource for other morning work that you would suggest?

The Pencil Crisis

Tonight on Schoolgirl Style's FB page she mentioned the Pencil Crisis. You know....you go to look in your supply cabinet and YIKES you're almost out of pencils and we're still in school for a few months! After suffering through the same crisis I have found a solution!

The first three weeks of school I give students two pencils every Monday. I continually tell them that they will only get a pencil on Mondays. We sharpen pencils first thing in the morning. I have an old school sharpener that students can use on their own in the morning or they can get their pencils sharpened by me. Now...your super smarties will figure out that they can get two pencils sharpened by the teacher and still sharpen any others they have at the other sharpener.

After week three students only get one pencil every Monday. Seriously-it works. I have kagillions of pencils left!

Don't know what to do about the Kleenex Crisis. This is the first year I haven't run out of kleenex by Christmas. Any solutions there?

How Big is a Foot?

Have you heard of that book? It's just too cute and perfect for teaching non-standard measurement. A king measures the queen with his own feet so he can have a bed made for her. He gives the measurements to the carpenter. But the carpenter's apprentice has feet the are much smaller than the kings. We had a blast! The kids even measured me!  I created a little activity sheet to go along with the book. Click the picture to download!

In the story the queen is six kings feet by three kings feet. Here is our queen!

Eeek! My feet are in this picture. Thank goodness I had a fresh pedicure.
Part of me really wished an administrator would have walked in and seen me on the floor surrounded by children measuring me with paper feet!


Everything's Primary

I just bought my tickets to the next Virtual Teaching Expo! Woop woop! I'm so excited to see everyone's presentations especially my friend Kimberly Gillow from Funky First Grade Fun and Mel D from Seusstastic Classroom Inspiration. Can't wait! You won't want to miss it. Click on the picture to go buy your tickets!

Local Grants

Does your district have an education foundation? You should check and see! Local education foundations exist to help you and your students! In my district grants are given in the spring. In some places grants are given right after school starts. And some very lucky districts give grants in both the fall AND spring. Lucky dogs!

I have a couple of tips for you:

1) Whatever you are wanting/needing make sure it's something that you can share with other teachers or that can last for several years. For example, science kits, iPads, math games, software, etc.
2) If you are writing a grant for some type of technology like iPads or software get the ok from your Technology Department. Ask them if they will ok updates or consider maintenance if your grant is given.
3) Spend some time writing your grant. Include price, how many students your grant would help, how your item could be incorporated into your current curriculum, etc.
4) If you would need training for use of your item who would pay for the training?
5) Last year one of my teammates wrote a grant for each first grade teacher to have an iPad. The total price exceeded the max amount that a grant would give by just over $100. After speaking to some people in the district there was some money that had been budgeted for our grade level, but had not been used. That money paid for the remaining funds!
6) **Have several people read over your grant application! Make sure there aren't any errors and that you sound professional!

Good luck on all your grant writing!

Where have I been?!

Good grief! The weekend sure flew by fast! I haven't been on my computer in days and believe me I've been in withdrawl.  But I have an excellent excuse! My husband and I are putting our house up for sale and we started looking for another place to live. Alllll weekend that's all we did. It sound so very fun but in reality--- no matter where you choose you still have to pack up all the heaps of things you own.

But in between all those fun adventures searching all over town I did manage to put together a bunch of roll a picture stations and compile them into a packet. Plus, since everything has turned all Seuss-y I made a roll a Seuss picture as well. Grab your free copy here

You can buy my packet of roll a picture math centers for just $2 at either my TPT or Teachers Notebook stores. But wait...there's more. Since I was lucky enough to have the day off I will give this packet away FREE to the first ten people to comment-LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS! Hope everyone has a great week!

I survived Valentine's Day

Whew! Anyone else get completely wiped out by yesterday's sugar high extravaganza?! As tiring as yesterday was we did get to open our awesome gift from our class valentine exchange partners from Miss Long's class in Ohio! (My kids asked if that was in a different country! Ha!) Miss Long's class got us this super cute book that I had never heard of called "My Heart is Like a Zoo." Every illustration is an animal made out of hearts. AND they even made their own version. My students loved it! They are begging for us to do an art project with hearts just like all the illustrations in the book. *Something to do for inside recess???
Then when I got home I opened my AWESOME gift from Kelly at Busy in Kindergarten. LOOOOVE it!
I would love to show a picture of my smiling face, but my roots are BAAAAAD. Sorry!
Hope everyone else survived Valentine's Day!

Valentine Freebie

Ok....I know I complained about how naughty my kids were last week. But today they were just lovely. They were the children I've had all year....the ones I hardly remembered last week. They were so sweet to each other too. "_____ I really like how you colored that _____." "_______, thanks for helping me pick up my crayon box." (For the 800th time today) Well....today is "Balentime's Eve" as one of my lovelies called it so I made a Valentine's Word search. I know, I know, it's not Friday. But come on! It's Balentime's Eve!

Valentine's Day stuff!

Ok, is there something in the air? My students have NOT been behaving well. I gave a serious chat to them Friday about how I really want to do so many fun things with them, but we will simply have no time for them if I have to stop every two minutes. They nodded solemnly. And I went on to say that I spend lots of time making cute activities for them for centers using all my cute clip art and maybe I should just stop doing that since their behavior is showing me that those cute activities don't matter to them. There was a collective gasp. I think my message sank it. In fact I know it did because one little girl whispered, "That would be awful." She also told my principal when I was gone that she was ashamed that our class was not listening to the sub very well one morning. Ha!

Anyhoo...after my very serious chat we played the I have who has game that I posted last week here. I had a request for a second version with 32 cards. I have it here below. Just click on the picture to grab your copy!


After we finished playing one of my boys suggested that I make a "Valentime" version with "Valentime" words. He's such a smartie! I think he knows my secret....I'm so addicted to clip art and cute fonts that I couldn't possibly stop making them things. Here is a "Valentime" version of I have who has. There are 12 cards so you'll have to use this in small group or make a couple of sets and split your class. Click on the picture for your copy!

I have also, finally finally finally, made a word board for the writing center with February words. You can purchase it for $1 at my TPT or Teachers Notebook store.

Off to pick up my hubby from the airport! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

I'm back!

Seattle was incredible! We lucked out and had sunny weather every day! I'm telling y'all- I cannot wait until I live there permanently.


Now I fully intended to make a Valentine read the room to post today while I was on the flight home as well as some other goodies, but I started reading the Hunger Games series and I could NOT put the book down! I'm working on it tonight and I should have something up soon!

While I was away Trish at First Grade Frosting asked if I would like to giveaway three of her Valentine Alphabetical Order mini-units. It's super cute! I'll get a copy to the first three people to comment. Be sure to leave your email address! You can view this product and others at Trish's TPT Store.

Magic e

For the past three weeks we have been working on words with magic e. Last week my low babies REALLY started to get it. So I thought I would spice things up with a fun activity. 

I went to Michael's and bought cheap wooden stars and spray painted them gold. Then I used blue glitter glue to make the e's. I let them dry over night then I hot glued the stars to pencils. These became our magic e wands that help us change our short vowels to long vowels. 



Next I bought Alphabits cereal and covered it with butcher paper from school. I made a cereal box cover and recording sheet that you can download here. I had an extra gold star so I hot glued that bad boy to the cereal box.

I split my students into groups of four or five and gave each group a bowl. Each group got one large piece of white butcher paper that had a bowl drawn on it. Then I poured our Magic e's into each bowl. Students had to work together to make words with magic e using the Alphabits cereal.  Each group recorded their answers and we shared the words we created at the end of the activity. They had such a blast!






Recently TBA Authors found out that Pam at the Vintage Teacher passed away in October. I know many of us followed her closely. Pam loved offering freebies on Friday so to honor her I have created a freebie below. Please download it and enjoy your Friday!




The Scoop

I had several of y'all ask me to tell you more about how I met my hubby. It's an awesome story. Like out of the movies. (And it would star George Clooney and Reese Witherspoon- hey it's my movie. I can have whatever stars I want!)

So....it was 6 years ago and I was flying to California to go to a wedding with a friend. I had a layover in Phoenix. Now, I don't know about y'all but I'm quite chatty. I could make friends with a brick wall. So when my flight was delayed and there was a whole big group of us standing around I looked to my right and saw a VERY handsome man. I said, "Hey...are you on this flight?" Classy, right? Real original. But actually he said, "No. I'm on standby..." And then we started talking. We probably chatted back and forth for ten minutes and then he said, "Well...I guess I better go check my standby status." Then we said goodbye. I thought nothing of it. I pulled out my People magazine and started reading and then HE CAME BACK! "I never do this, but here's my business card. I hope you call or email me." And when I returned from my trip I emailed him and then we started talking. He had a job offer a couple of months later and moved here to Texas! Isn't that the best story?!

I don't know about y'all but it's been a tough week. My kids have not been well behaved and it's worn me out. I  I promise to post something good tomorrow or Friday. This picture was on Pinterest and I think it's a hoot!