Five for Friday!

Wahoooo...it's Friday!!

I'm linking up for 

I'm not sure where this week went!!  It flew by!
If you follow me on Instagram, a lot of this will look familiar!

This was my week to kick it with my kiddo in Sunday School!  I teach in his Sunday School class every other week and it's my favorite thing to do!!  

I loved having Monday off for MLK Jr. Day!  Several of my best blogging friends and I teamed up for an EPIC Snowball Fight facebook hop.  It was SO much fun!!  :)  I gave away a sampler of my newest {adorable} product - Penguin Pals DIFFERENTIATED Addition & Subtraction Spinner Stations.  

I was SO excited about all my new and faithful followers, that I created this
Groundhog Differentiated Number Order BONUS FREEBIE!!

Some of you know that I'm sharing a classroom this year.  I teach 1/2 day PM kindergarten and share a room with the {awesome} AM teacher.  It has been a much easier experience that I anticipated, but there are definitely downsides.  One -- I cannot seem to get organized!  Things just keep piling up!! 

We've been having lots of fun with Elmer this week!  

Here's a sneak peek of an idea that I found on Pinterest...it turned out SO cute!!

Helllllo Data Binder!!  

I've been working away on my 3-year Evaluation Portfolio all week.

I'm putting on the finishing details this weekend...I'll be SO glad to be done!!

 

I'm also linking up with...

Thanks for stopping by!!  :)

Recess Rants to Recess Raves!!

Do you have a "Mr. Nobody" that plays on your playground
and leaves out all the equipment??  We do!!

The PE teacher sent out the following email last week, "We are losing equipment by leaving it out at a record pace.  I placed 3 brand new basketballs out there last week and already they are gone.  We are almost out of equipment..."  Since Kindergarten is the last class out on the playground each day, we can really help to solve this problem!!  

We are fortunate to have a door straight into our classroom from the playground.  To encourage my kids to be more aware of cleaning up at the end of recess, I put some stickers (FREE from Highlights magazine) in a cute little sports bucket right by the door.  My idea was that kids who picked up equipment could grab a sticker on the way back inside.  

FAIL!!!!

While the kids were certainly motivated to pick-up the playground, 

the sticker pail created a total traffic-jam in the doorway.  

So, like any good teacher, I very quickly revised my plan!

Our recess door is magnetic, so I decided to use that to my advantage!  I printed some "Recess Star" cards, laminated them, and slapped a magnet to the back.  Now, when kids pick-up equipment at recess, they simply grab a card off the door and put it on their desk tag.  

Our recess is at the very end of the day. So, when the kids arrive the next day, they can put their star back on the door and select a sticker.  The flow of the morning routine helps to reduce the "traffic jam".  The kids also love starting the day off with a reward!  :)  

If you'd like to give it a try with your class, you can click the picture below and download your very own set of "Recess Stars"!  

With only a couple weeks left in the school year, I'm pulling out allllllll the stops in positive behavior support!!  Keep checking back for more posts about my "Rockin' Rewards"!!

Thank you for stopping by!!

Five for Friday...on time!!!

**Woot**  

My Five for Friday is up...on Friday!!!!

1.  It's snowing...a lot...in May.  :(  boo

2.  I've switched from a typical "worksheet-y" daily warm-up activity to "Quick Write" journals.  And...I'm LOVIN' it!!!  There is no better way to start the day than with kinder-writing.  Check out just one of the jewels from this week. 

3.  It's been a crazy week.  In fact, it was so Super-Whack-o-Nuts-o that I completely forgot to update our calendar when the month rolled over into May... and I didn't even notice it until the end of the day on Thursday!!  {Clearly, we haven't been doing "Calendar Time" this week!!}  Of course, not one kid noticed...this is a definite perk of teaching kinder!  :)  My 5th graders would have nailed me on it within 12 seconds of walking in the door on May 1st!  this is what it looked like when I left today...I'll change it tomorrow.  Maybe.  ;)

4.  All of our little caterpillars have formed their chrysalis and have been transferred to their new home!  My kinders are practicing patience...but it is a pain-staking wait, for sure!!  We are so excited to meet our new flying friends!!

5.  There's only one word to describe my students' behavior lately...BIZARRE!!  I really, really, really try not to use sarcasm in the classroom.  But, this week I actually looked at a sweet kinder kid and said, "Really???"  So, I'm pulling out allllllll the stops in positive behavior support.  (Blog post coming your way soon!!)  But, if you have any favorite tips and tricks...send 'em my way! 

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!! 

Happy GLUE Heaven!!

You might be a kindergarten teacher if... 

the mere mention of the word GLUE makes you twitch.

Save your Sanity with this Quick Fix!!

All you need is:

1 medium Sterilite basket

2 small drawer organizers

Easy Peasy...Lemon Elmer's Squeezy!!

I love this system!!
My sweet kinders absolutely LOVE keeping our glue "happy".

Here's a cutie-patootie little label for the front of your "Happy Glue" Basket!!
Just click the picture below to download a copy for yourself.  :)

And, now I want to know how YOU keep glue from threatening your sanity.
Tell me all about it!!

Displaying Student Work: Lattice

When designing my classroom wall space,
my first priority is a place to display student work!  

As teachers, we know that students (and their families) feel more 'at home' in our classrooms when the walls surrounding them are personalized by student work.  Students also feel so proud to have their work on display!  And for me, when I walk into my classroom {even when my desk is piled sky high and my centers look like a natural disaster area} my eyes immediately go to the colorful student work on the wall!!  I can only hope the same is true for the visitors to my classroom...and that they realize learning is messy sometimes!  

Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of wall space in my kindergarten classroom.  I'm lucky to have a lot of cabinets and cubbies, but they come at the expense of wall space.  I also have huge curtain wall between my classroom and the classroom next door.  This makes it difficult to find the space to create student work displays.

Fortunately, my teammates had the perfect solution!

I went to Home Depot and purchased 2 pieces of plastic lattice.  Each piece is 4' x 8' and costs about $20/sheet.  You definitely want some help getting them moved and hung!  My Mom and Dad help me get my classroom set up each year.  I'm so thankful for their help because I could never have done this on my own!!  (Sorry about the glare...ya' gotta love fluorescent lighting!!) 

Each sheet is hung with 3 pieces of sturdy (and cute, color coordinated) ribbon and metal ceiling hooks.  I already had my hooks, but I'm sure you can find them at the hardware store.  I had some plastic ones that I purchased at a teacher store, but I worried they would break.  Since this is hanging right over my literacy station area, I wanted to be sure the sheets were secure!  

Here is a close-up of the ribbon and hooks:

My sweet Momma worked really hard making sure the ribbons were exactly the right length so that the lattice would hang straight.  This is REALLY important!  Because the lattice is plastic - obviously - it bends.  So, if you don't hang it just right, it will ripple.  That's the kind of thing that drives me CRAZY...so we worked really hard until we got it just right!  You can see from the first picture that there is a little ripple in the first sheet, but it looks worse in the photo than in really is.  I was trying to get the whole wall in the photo, so it was a weird angle.  It's not that noticeable from a normal vantage point.

I use colorful little clips that I found in the Dollar Spot a few years ago to hang student artwork on the lattice.   But, clothespins work great, too.  I love how simple it is to change out the projects that are on display!  No hot glue or masking tape!!  :)  HOORAY!!  I can change out the projects in about 5 minutes.  :) 

Since pocket chart stands take up soooo much space, I love using the bottom of the lattice to hang pocket charts for students to use during literacy stations.  I didn't get a terrific picture of this, but you can get the idea by looking at the picture below.  Again, I just use little clips to hold it on.  It works like a charm and is just the right height for my kinders!!  

I've seen other teachers hang the lattice vertically and perpendicular to the wall to create a little "mini-wall" or "cubby" between stations.  However, my guided reading table is so far away from my station area that I felt like it limited my ability to supervise the area.  But, it's a great idea if your classroom set-up will allow it! 

Even if you don't have a curtain wall, I would really recommend displaying student work on lattice if you have any kid of large wall space to cover.  From a convenience standpoint - it can't be beat!!  Putting up and taking down artwork is a snap!  And, I think it provides a pretty backdrop that makes the students' work stand out in a special way, too!!  

Do you have an Open House or Celebration of Learning coming up this spring?  If so, this might be just what you need to put a fresh spin on your classroom displays!!  And, when August rolls around, you'll be thanking yourself that you got this project done early!

Make sure to pop over and enter my Sight Word Snapshot Bundle GIVEAWAY!!  

Thanks for stopping by!

Let It Snow & a Hall Pass

Oh, the weather outside is frightful,

But, the fire is so delightful,

And since we've no place to go,

Let it snow!  Let it snow!  Let it snow!

Another major snowstorm is brewing!!  I rushed out of school after dismissal amid a flurry of huge, wet snowflakes.  I had to hit the grocery store on the way home (yes, I'm one of those-last-minute-people) and it was CRAZY!!  I managed to snag the few things we needed, and of course, a bunch of stuff we don't need.  So, now I'm home and chillin' with my sweet little family in our cozy jammies.  Love!!  We just had 2 snow days, but I'm totally hoping for another one!!  

I stumbled across this fun linky party over at Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits!  It's such a fun and creative idea, that I just had to join in!!  

PRODUCT  

So, I'm seriously diggin' my brand new creation..."Sight Word Snapshot" Sentence Writing Fluency mini-book. (It's FREE, so go grab a copy!)  I've been using a very basic version of this resource in my classroom for several weeks.  I knew it was good because there were significant differences in my kids' writing after using these little books.  They were writing more fluently, more confidently, more accurately, and with more enjoyment!  However, my journals just had a plain-jane cover with a sight word sentence frame written on it and a few blank pages stapled behind.  I had SO MUCH FUN creating this sweet little book!!  I tried out my new & improved version today and the kids and I absolutely LOVED it!!  Here are a few pictures from today.

Area

My Small-Group corner is my favorite spot in my classroom.  I adore teaching in small-groups!!  I just love that feeling of gathering those little sweeties around me and being able to give them really targeted instruction.  I cherish being able to witness the great leaps and small steps of growth and learning that happens during small-group time.  There's just something pretty fantastic about the connections that happen between all of us in those groups.  It's gooood stuff!!

The back counter looks pretty cluttered, but I am incredibly fortunate to work in a school where I have HEAPS & TONS of support.  I have 2 kindergarten aides (shared by 4 classrooms), 10 regular parent volunteers, and Watch DOGS (dad volunteers) that work with student groups each week.  So, I keep all of their materials on the back counter organized in baskets.  It took me a while this year to get organized for all of those helpers...but I think it's finally under control!!  My super-crafty momma helped me sew all of those curtains to cover the shelves.  It was just too much visual clutter for me!!

Signal

When I knew I was going to be teaching kindergarten this year, I went to spend some time with one of our fabulous, long-time kinder teachers. She taught me the cutest attention signal.  I use it sparingly, but it works like a charm!  We say in a sing-song rhythm, "Tootsie Roll, Lollipop, We were Talking, Now We'll Stop!"  I added some hand movements for fun and to get the kids to actually STOP and put down what they were doing before.  (URGH...It drives me nuts when they follow-along with the "attention" signal and then go right back to what they were doing before!!)

Another one that's lots of fun that I learned from a former kindergarten teacher in our building is to say (again in that classic kindergarten teacher sign-song rhythm), "Hands on your head, Hands on your shoulder, Hands in your Lap, CLAP CLAP CLAP, Drop your clap in your lap!"

However, the one I tend to use most regularly is just clapping in rhythm and the students echo the clap.  But, the first two are great to pull out every once in a while to keep the kids on their toes!

Sanity

Yep.  :)  Sanity is a very limited resource at times.  I have to say that my incredible, awesome, creative, talented, patient, encouraging, dedicated co-workers are my sanity-savers!!  I love them dearly and consider myself so very truly lucky to work where I do.  Anytime I start to feel frustrated or overwhelmed, all I have to do is open the curtain and chat with my neighbor or walk down the hall.  Instant relief!!  :)  

Speaking of sanity, if you're looking for some fun...grab a "Hall Pass" and head on over to the linky party!!

I also linked up here: