Nativity Activities on TpT...& a Freebie!

Ok, savvy TpTers.....

how do you hit that $ amount key without shaking?!

I've just sent my first "unit" out into the world.

--scary!--

But, I am sooooo excited to share this product!  

As a Christian school teacher, I am always looking for ways to make connections between academic learning and spiritual truths.

I hope that this mini unit will be a blessing!

You can find it HERE on TpT.

At Chapel today, the children were treated to candy, 

reminding them of the names of Jesus.

I've put the lesson in print, to share with you!

It's included in the Nativity Activities unit,

AS A FREEBIE IN THE DOWNLOAD PREVIEW

I've included a nut-free version, too!

December is almost upon us.  

This year, I want to experience some powerful verbs:

pause

savor

rest

wonder

delight...

May we--and our sweet students-- find joy and peace in the season!

October and November Art Lessons~Recap, Turkeys In Disguise

Each week, I get to see my former kindergartners in art class.
Seeing the growth in their fine motor skills and attention levels almost makes me want to loop with them!

Each teacher at our school has a special class assignment; 
my duty as the K/1 art instructor is a blessing.

Seriously, I hope the 1st grade teacher never tires of her P.E. responsibility!  Our synergy is working quite well!

Art Lessons With Book Connections
(picture collages courtesy of my new favorite app-Photogrid)

Watercolor Resist Spider Webs...Diary Of A Spider
Patterned Leaf...The Little Yellow Leaf
Landscape With House~Perspective...One Red Apple
Painted Pumpkins...The Runaway Pumpkin

Candy Corn~Tissue Paper Melt...The Biggest Pumpkin Ever

Turkey Cards for Thanksgiving...Thanks For Thanksgiving
(a "trace/cut/follow directions" mini-nightmare)

Turkeys In Disguise....Beauty And The Beaks
(Family Project)

Tomorrow's art project involves cutting candy cane shapes from 

various papers, then overlapping them on card stock.

There might even be a glitter shower....it all depends on my stamina level at 1:45 pm.  :-)

Freebie! Gingerbread I Have~Who Has #10-40

Christmas came early!  

I'm typing on a super fast Mac Book Pro.

As promised, I'm adding goodies to my TpT store.

And what could be yummier than a gingerbread freebie?!

You can find it HERE!

Feedback is appreciated :-)

No Thanksgiving Dinner For Me

Unbelievably, in less than twelve hours I will be in surgery having a tooth extracted.

The pain showed up out of the blue, over the weekend. My dentist thought the molar might need a repeat root canal, so this afternoon a fab entodontist took a peek. He deemed the molar to be a goner...and back to the dentist I went, for an old-fashioned tooth pulling.

Friends, he could not numb the tooth enough to get it out! He used over 3x the amount of numbing meds than needed for a root canal and it did not knock out the pain.
 --will my face ever not be numb?--
By the time he decided to stop, and scheduled me for a procedure involving general anesthesia, I was coming unglued. I shook for over an hour, but, thank God for prescription Vicodin, I am now able to blog.

Because everything goes better with blogging, right?

If you would pray for my face, the surgeon, my family, and my sweet kindergartners (yes, we have school tomorrow), I would be so thankful.

And, have an extra piece of pie for me!

I Took The Plunge...Freebie on TpT!

As much as I have enjoyed Scribd, 

I finally decided to take the plunge and offer my things on TpT!

Download my Freebie HERE!!!

My kindergarten report card includes patterning skills.

I know this isn't a Common Core standard, 

but I believe an understanding of patterning is important.

Unbelievably, it is time for 2nd quarter progress reports and 

I need to evaluate my kinders!

This worksheet looks fine in gray scale, 

but I will print a few copies in color.

After I place the color copies in sleeve protectors, 

the children can mark the answers with dry-erase tools.

I'm planning to use this in a math station with Thanksgiving-themed foam pieces, for hands-on practice.

Pretty please, follow me on TpT?

I'm anticipating a fabulous Christmas gift in the form of a laptop!

Ideas are just spinning through my head!!

Thanksgiving Love...Psalm 100

My kindergartners memorize Psalm 100:1-5 during the month of November.  Thanks to the power of song, they have already mastered the verses!  I memorized this psalm when my son learned it in second grade--set to a rap rhythm--and I've passed it on to my little friends.  The parents appreciated the copy that was sent home; if you'd like to have a copy, click HERE.

I'll be back later today with notes of thanks 

to share with your students and parents!

Thanksgiving Roll & Color~~Freebie!...and a Sunday Song

Happy Thanksgiving!

My little friends LOVE to roll and color.
They are quite a competitive bunch this year!

I made this activity for them and included a space

 to write or tally the totals.

If you'd like to have a copy, click the link!
Comments make me feel very thankful!

Thanksgiving Roll & Color

Onto Sunday Songs---
I've recently became a fan of Aaron Shust.  
Yes, I am late to the party!
This is the official video for "My Hope"....

Currently...and a Sunday Song

Christmas will be here in a flash!

This school year is moving more quickly than any in my memory.

This is a favorite of mine....
and I control the CD player, lol!
My kindergartners visibly relax when listening to nature sounds and instumental music.

This my "new" car!  It's a 2011, with only 19,000 miles.  We tend to drive our cars past 200,000 and one of them finally bit the dust.  Now, our 17 yr-old is driving the dingy van...and I have something shiny!


This Sunday's Song is a new one by Colton Dixon:  "You Are"
Click the link to find the music!  This guy is talented!
November's Currently can be found HERE, at Farley's blog.

The Other Side Of Social Media

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram...most of us participate and use these portals to further our friendships, or grow our brand.  This technology is fast and fun.  Until someone you love gets hurt.

The invention of social media has occurred during my adult life.  In the good 'ole days of the '80s and '90s, we were lucky to have call waiting, or a pager. I certainly didn't navigate my high school years in the Twitter fishbowl.  In fact, I still have a few folded paper notes in my treasure chest, relics from a distant past.  Today's teens have grown up in an elementary culture that teaches zero tolerance, bucket filling, pillars of character, and the like.  I find It disheartening that high school is a different story.  (I'm not intending to generalize.  There are certainly students who will carry our teaching--and their learning--in their hearts and souls, throughout their school years.)

My middle children attend a school district that has a strong policy against bullying.  The teachers are supportive.  Every single thing that should be in place to protect a student is in effect.  However.  People can be sneaky, snarky, cruel.  Fifteen-year-olds discover ways to fly under the radar.  When the one being hurt does speak up, the resulting discipline can easily make a situation worse.

My sweet daughter is in the middle of this scenario.  As her mom, I want to jump up and scream.  I'm finding that the term "bully" is very much denied by those using social media to hurt her.  But bullying is what it is.  I know how we describe it to our elementary students, I hear the examples that young children share.  The very-young-adults might try to reject the term to describe their behavior and choices.  Sorry, kids.  It is what it is.  

If your child has ever ran towards you with a cell phone, saying, "Mom, help!", I feel your pain.  

The ripples of discord among the young reach far across a family.
Let's do what we can, as the older generation, to encourage responsible use of technology by the youth of today.