Showing posts with label Let's Get Acquainted. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Let's Get Acquainted. Show all posts

4.15.2013

Bossy e, Fun on the Moon, and Let's Get Acquainted

Happy Monday sweet friends! Oh my shining stars - there are only 5 Mondays left this year! EEK! How hard was it to wake up this morning? I mean seriously. If it weren't for the fuzz heads clawing at my face to take them out, I'm not sure I would ever wake up. Today went pretty quickly though, so that was good. Our schedule has been rearranged due to FCAT testing. Of course we don't give it in kindergarten, but they don't want us moving all over the building. Which is completely understandable, since my kids always choose to scream about the most ridiculous things in the hallway and humiliate me. I may or may not give them the look of death when they attempt to talk to me in the halls. Today one of my kids attempted to eat her boogers on the way to specials. I caught her in time and said, "Do not eat that, it is gross. Wait until we get there and you can use a tissue". Meanwhile, she's holding the ball of boogers in her hand. Until, the little guy in front of her turned around and said "Stop pushing me". We all know where this is going, right? Yes. She wiped her entire hand of snot down his face. He is standing their with her snot running down his forehead and I am listening to myself saying "WHY ARE YOU WIPING YOUR SNOT DOWN HIS FACE?!" This is the only job where you would find yourself saying that to another human. And the fourth graders are walking by, shaking their heads, giving me the you-poor-thing look. And all I could think was: Yes, this is my life. Now the 9 year olds are taking pity on me. I am ready for some summer my friends! Time to trade boogers for Bacardi. Can I get an amen? AMEN!
 
Today we started learning about Bossy e in our classroom. I made super cute bossy e and vowel clipart set and wrote a story to introduce Bossy e to the littles. They LOVED it and totally ate it up. I am working on putting a Bossy e activity pack together soon and the story will be available in there :) Here's the cover:
 
 
The story basically explains who Bossy e is and what he does. After reading the story, we completed a bossy e freebie activity from the amazing Traci over at Dragonflies in First. Click the picture below to grab it for yourself!
 
 
The kids loved reading the words and adding that mean, bossy e to each.
 
 
 
When we were done with this, we played a fun game called "The Magic e". I had the littles work in two teams to answer the questions. It was perfect because there were some other words that contained the digraphs the we have been learning. The kids had such a blast with this. Click below to see the game!
 
 
We also watched this ADORABLE Bossy e video. It is ridiculously cute!
 
The kids are doing such a great job with Bossy e already, and I have a week's worth of fun coming their way. They should be pros by Friday :)
 
Today we also started learning about the moon! We read one of the best stories - "On The Moon" by Anna Milbourne.
 
 
We skimmed through the first few minutes of the video below. The kids were completely engrossed with the images of the moon. When I told them that some of the craters were even bigger than our school, they were just beside themselves. I was adorable :)
Then I did a little demonstration with a flashlight, a mirror, and a globe. The students sat in a circle and we put a star on Florida on the globe. I explained that we were pretending it was nighttime where we live. I turned off all the lights. The mirror (ahem, I use that term loosely -  I forgot to bring my little mirror so we ended up using the back of an empty Capri Sun. It worked though, so that's all that matters) so anywho, the mirror was the moon, the flashlight was the sun, and the globe is our Earth.| I reiterated that the moon does not glow and does not give off any light of its own, that it just reflects the light from the sun. They were surprised to hear that :) I wish I had some pictures of this but I forgot! Sheesh! What good am I?!
 
Then it was time to make some moons of our own!
Each of the littles got a piece of black construction paper. They drew a large circle (the moon) in the middle of their plate.
 
 
Next it was time for the Moon goop! We used shaving cream and glue for this. I mixed it all together in a big bowl and gave each table a big scoop.
 
 
They spread it onto their moons to make it look like the moons surface, craters and all! Of course this was their favorite part! They really came out well. I'll take some pictures of them tomorrow once they have dried. They end up with the neatest texture. The glue keeps the shaving cream puffy, but it is dry to the touch. It almost feels like one of those foam bed toppers.
 
 
 
Tomorrow we will have more 'far out' fun!
I also wanted to show you what ended up hatching from our dinosaur eggs! They looked like turtles at first, but after they grew a bit more, you could tell they were little stegosauruses!
To see the original dinosaur post, click HERE.
 
 
And in other random news, I was craving a s'more pretty wickedly earlier. After rummaging the pantry, all I could find was graham crackers. But let me tell you - that was not going to stop me. Nothing can get in the way of a s'more craving. So I got inventive! I found a chocolate bunny and some peeps left over from Easter. And - VOILA! Easter S'mores! B-T-DUBBS, it was pretty disgusting. The sugar totally ruined it. But once again, that did not stop me. I ate it. And then made a second one. I have no shame. Don't judge me.
 
 
And now I am linking up with the ALWAYS brilliant Latoya from Flying into First Grade for her weekly "Let's Get Acquainted" Linky Party!
 
 
This week's topic is....
THE SKITTLES GAME
 
 
Red
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor
I LOVE ice cream. It is literally one of my favorite things in the entire world. Deeeelish. This is a tough call because I have two favorites, one for the fall and one for the rest of the year.
All Year Ice Cream: Moose Tracks
 
Fall Ice Cream: Pumpkin Cheesecake
I am seriously craving ice cream right now. And I don't have any. It may be time to get inventive again....
 
Orange
Favorite Memory from College
This is going to be the most LAME memory from college ever. It was a rainy, cold day. I sat in my room, under the cozy blankets, with literally no obligations, eating an ENTIRE raspberry breakfast pastry from Publix, and an ENTIRE huge Ziploc bag of homemade chocolate chip cookies, while watching the ENTIRE first season of Desperate Housewives on DVD. I know, it is pathetic. But it was one of the best days ever. My life doesn't really allow those kind of days anymore, so I think that is what I miss the most!
 
Yellow
Favorite Sports Team
Ew. Sports. BLECH. I guess I'll go with the family favorite, even though I DESPISE sports all together. I'm technically a St. Louis Ram's fan, though not much of one.
 
Green
Favorite Fast Food Place
This is tough because I have two favorites. Right by my house there is a Chick-fil-a and a Burger King directly next to each other. Now here's the thing, I am obsessed with the fries and lemonade from Chick-fil-a, but being a vegetarian, they don't have many other options for me. And Burger King makes a mean veggie burger. So my favorite thing to do is grab my fries and lemonade from the Chick and then scooch through the BK drive through next and grab my burger (let me just say that I know how pathetic I must look, making the rounds through the local fast food joints). Best meal ever!
 
Purple
Wild Card (Tell anything about yourself)
I am so super starving right now after all of this food talk and am going to go make some spaghetti :) ha!
 
Hope your Monday was just marvelous!
Love and hugs!

4.07.2013

Me Thinky I'll Linky!

It's Sunday my lovelies, that bittersweet day where you can still relax but you know the weekend is coming to an end. Sigh. Why are there not 3 days in the weekend? Didn't we invent 'the week'? Couldn't we have just added an extra day in there? I vote for adding "FUNDAY" after Sunday - who's with me?

I'm happy to be linking up today with a few fabulous bloggers!
First I am linking up with the ALWAYS incredible Lisa from Growing Firsties for her April Shout Out Linky!
I love this linky because I love bragging about my favorite bloggers out there! Here is how it works:
'Shout Out' two bloggers - one with more followers, one with less!


 My first shout out goes to an UNBELIEVABLE blogger who is beyond creative and truly someone I admire :) Teri from "A Cupcake for the Teacher" has the best ideas and has such an adorable blog. I'm sure you already know how awesome she is, but if you don't, be sure to stop by her blog and see all of the *fabulousness* that is Teri :)

A Cupcake for the Teacher

Here are some of her adorable ideas:

    


I am SO excited to share this blog with you :)
DeeDee is one of the SWEETEST people ever and is beyond talented. She creates some of the cutest clipart. She was even so generous and contributed a whopping $25 worth of clipart to my 375+ follower giveaway! Here are some of her clipart sets:
  

She just started her adorable blog Doodle Darlin'. I know she would appreciate some love sent her way!
Be sure to stop by, say hello, and tell her I sent ya :)

Doodle Darlin'

 I am also linking up with Melissa from First Grade Smiles for her super fun "Let's Talk About Blogs Baby" linky party! You should definitely check her out and link up :)




Now I am linking up with the SUPER amazing Joanne from Head Over Heels for Teaching for her Spark Student Motivation linky! 


This year my students had a seriously hard time with their behavior during centers. They just could NOT get it together. After spending hours on pinterest researching different ideas, I came across this incredible idea from The Lesson Plan Diva. Click HERE to see her post!
She shared a super creative way to motivate students to behave during center time. It is called "Center Patrol" and here is how it works:

**Assign “Center Patrol” as a daily class job
**Designate a special spot in the room for the center patrol materials (center patrol paper on a clipboard with a special pencil)
**When centers get too loud, when students are out of their centers or not on task, ring a bell or call for the “Center Patrol”
**The center patrol will leave their center and grab the clipboard from the designated spot in your room. The center patrol is not allowed to talk. No student can question the center patrol.
**The center patrol places a check next to the name of any student that broke one of the rules. The center patrol is allowed to walk the room 2 times to patrol and then return to his or her center. They will put the clipboard back without any disturbance. Any student with a check will receive a consequence OR any student with a smiley face will receive a reward.

I created my own version of the center patrol form for students to use. Click the picture below to grab a free copy!



And FINALLY, I am linking up with Mrs. Reed from Flying into First for another fun and fabulous "Let's Get Acquainted" Linky party!


This weeks topic is: Stranded on an Island-What three things would you have to have with you?

Island

NUMBER 1

NUMBER 2
MY BESTIE!!! Could not LIVE without my homegirl.

NUMBER 3
MY FAMILY
I'm pretty sure I could get through ANYTHING with these amazing lovelies by my side!




And here is a peek at my new Dinosaur Unit! This took me FOREVER to create, but I am so excited about it. I'm glad that I used it with my littles before I posted it because there were a few little changes I made to make it more teacher and kid friendly :) I hope you will check it out!



And please don't forget to enter my HUGE 375+ Follower Giveaway! Hundreds of dollars worth of amazing clipart and products! Check it out here:


 Enjoy the rest of your Sunday my sweets!
Love and Hugs!

3.25.2013

JOIN MY GIVEAWAY, Let's Get Acquainted, and MORE Giveaways!

Hello sweet friends!! I am SOOOOO super excited because.... (drumroll please)
 
I HAVE REACHED OVER 350 FOLLOWERS! WOOT WOOT!
How is this possible?! I am so thrilled that I cannot even contain myself. My little blog :) I am just so thankful for the support that I have gotten from my amazing bloggy buddies out there.
 
I am throwing a giveaway to celebrate this awesome occasion and it is going to be HUGE!
I am honored to have a few *big namers* joining in on the fun! We're talking big time here folks! I can't wait to get this thing started :) I would love for you to join me in my giveaway too, I would be forever grateful!
 
If you would like to contribute an item to my giveaway, please fill out the form below. Of course I will do my best to include every single product in the giveaway, but depending on how many entries I receive in each grade range, I may not be able to include all of them. Please forgive me and know that I am still beyond appreciative!

IF YOU HAVE ALREADY SPOKEN WITH ME THROUGH EMAIL ABOUT CONTRIBUTING, PLEASE DO NOT FILL OUT THE FORM :)
 

 
 
And now for the good stuff! I am thrilled to be linking up with the amazing Latoya Reed from Flying into First Grade for her super "Let's Get Acquainted Linky Party".
 
 
This weeks topic is THE NOUN GAME!
The rules for the noun game are simple, just share about your favorite person, place, thing, and animal! This is going to be a blast :)
 
PERSON
This one is super easy. My mommy :) She is the most AMAZING person in the entire world. She is kind, loving, and generous. I am so thankful to have such an amazing mom! (I also snuck my sissy into one of those pics because I love her millions too hehehe)
 
 
 
PLACE
MY BED! Oh my gosh, I could live in my bed. I have a king with one of those totally expensive squishy mattress toppers. I love laying with my puppies, reading a book, or watching a movie :) It's such a cozy little getaway!
 
THING
Definitely my iPad! I use it for everything! Internet, pictures, books, games, list-making, life organizing, etc. This is one of the best investments I've ever made. Shhhh, don't tell anyone, but I've secretly named it (I think our relationship is getting pretty serious).
 
ANIMAL
I'm sorry that I have to break the rules on this one. I have two fuzz heads and I know that if I chose one, the other would get super jelly. These are not dogs, they are my babies. Their real names are Lola and Liam. However, they don't go by their names very often. Lola is called: Lo, Lo-ster, Lolie, Yo-ya, chicken, chunky, etc. Now Liam is a whole different story. When we first got him, we started calling him "Li-Li", which soon turned into baby talk and he became "Wee-Wee". So mostly he goes by Wee-Wee, or Weasly, or Weasly Potter. Pathetic. The neighbors always give me strange looks when I scream for Wee Wee. Sigh. I'm not sure how that one stuck, it just did.
 
 
So there you have it! I loved linking up and this week and look forward to doing it every week! This is such a fun linky :)
 
And now for some exciting news! Two of my VERY favorite bloggers are having amazing giveaways that I am thrilled to be a part of! Check them out:
 
Brittany at Lovely Literacy & More reached 200 followers yesterday and is having a fabulous giveaway that you can't miss out on!
There are so many amazing prizes that there will be a total of 4 winners.
 
You could win: 100 Background Papers Mega Pack for only $1.00 ($10 value) by Sonya DeHart, Clothespin People Dolls by Glitter Meets Glue Designs, $10.00 gift certificate towards clipart by KPM Doodles, and a TPT product from Mrs. Pauley's Kindergarten.
 
 GIVEAWAY ENDS MARCH 30th @ MIDNIGHT

 
I am also teaming up with 8 other amazing bloggers to help you get through the Spring Fever with a fabulous giveaway.  It is hosted by the totally awesome Amanda Pauley from Mrs. Pauley's Kindergarten! The giveaway starts today and runs through midnight on Saturday, March 31st.
 

Check out these amazing prizes you could win:

 
{Click on the products to check them out on TpT or the names to check out the blogs.}

Insect Math & Literacy Unit {Brand new product - not posted to TpT yet!} by Mrs. Pauley's Kindergarten

 
Aren't they both incredible?! Be sure to go enter! Good luck!
 
I feel like a bit of a rebel posting at 11:00 am on a Monday! HA! Gotta love Spring Break! Hope you are having a fabulous Monday!
 
Love and hugs!