Tuesday, December 30, 2014

One Word 2015 *free template*

My OneWord365 for 2015 hit me like a bolt of lightning!

2015 will mark the beginning of my journey into graduate school! 
I'll be working towards an MA in Literacy with a Reading Certification.
I'm beyond excited, nervous as a cat, and blissfully naive. 

The OneWord365 Resolution has been life-changing for me.
As I look back on 2013 ~Listen~, and 2014 ~Love~,
I see places in my heart and soul 
where these words have left definite marks. 
I'm excited to see where ~Learn~ will take me!

Do you need a template for your 2015 word?
Save the image below and insert it into a document
-I use PowerPoint-
where you can add a text box for your word!
If you decide to use it, 
please consider leaving a comment
and sharing your word.

Happy New Year!

Sunday, November 30, 2014

* December Currently *


Listening~ Bless his heart, he snores. Sometimes a little, sometimes a lot.

Loving~ The Thanksgiving break, despite becoming ill. We saw snow, darling daughter made Christmas treats, all four children were home at the same time (the college boys tend to spend as much time with friends as they do with family), and I checked quite a few things off of the to-do list.

Thinking~ I'm glad to have 3 full weeks to celebrate the holiday season with my kinders! Today, I loaded the car with all things gingerbread. I'm excited to introduce this class to the run away cookie! They believe in magic :-)

Wanting and Needing~ After fighting bronchitis/pneumonia/influenza in a 2 week span of time last April, I was hoping that the mess would miss me this year. Alas, no. But I think the doctor has given me the correct bag of goodies and it will end where it began, with bronchitis. May tomorrow be a peaceful day in K!

Giving~ I have a sweet treat for you! Although I'm not a fan of peppermint, I do like the puffy mints that melt in your mouth. Four mints fit perfectly in a 2x2" zip lock bag (we have tons of them because my hubby owns a bead business). The tags can be printed on card stock and folded over the top of the bag. If you plan to use bigger bags, just cut and tape the label to your gift!
 After seeing the picture, I changed the font glow to green and cuddled the graphics together.
A big THANKS goes to Krista Wallden for sharing the elf graphics.
Check out her Operation E.L.F. project!
The pdf is available HERE.
Let the merry season begin!!

TpT Sale!


My store is part of the TpT sale!
CLICK HERE to hop over to my site.

My newest creation is perfect for a holiday-themed math center.
Normally priced at $1.50, you'll save 28% on Dec. 1 & 2!

My kindergartners are grouped in sets of four or five for math centers.
For this activity, I created the number cards (cookie font!) and cookie cards
to be used separately or attached back-to-back. 
Each page of cards contains two sets of numbers for the ten frames.
I don't like to use more ink than is absolutely necessary!

The cookie cards also give your students the opportunity to add 
sets of objects to count the whole. Our district uses Envision Math 
and we whipped through number sense for 0-10 at breakneck speed.
I'm looking forward to using this activity with my little ones,
to give them more time to practice this vital skill.

Hope to see you at the sale!

Saturday, October 4, 2014

October Currently and a TREAT!



It's been a long, challenging first quarter at my school.
I can't comment on the the loving/thinking/wanting/needing.
Just know that I spoke my truth for this day.

Now, a TREAT!
This little freebie received a polish and shine,
in time for autumn and Halloween.
I hope your littles will enjoy the process
of writing their schema.
My kindergartners are going to love this activity!
Click this link to find the freebie.
A big thanks to Farley and her Currently series!

Monday, August 4, 2014

Left/Right Folder Labels ~ Freebie!

I made these over the weekend, planning to 
put them in my TpT store,
but they just need to be shared!

I used an Avery template for these documents,
they fit perfectly on Avery Labels #5163.
Click the link below each pic to download!


Hopefully, this will solve any paper confusion 
in the daily take-home folders!

Friday, August 1, 2014

Five Minute Friday~ Begin

Five Minute Friday

The word is… BEGIN:
There is a five minute limit to this writing exercise, which seems perfect for the prompt.  The word- begin- always makes me think of that last direction given before opening a test booklet and setting to work for four hours straight.  Head down, mind engaged, pencil working furiously. 

Ahh. The focused manic pace of a testing day, i.e. ACT.  Now, my beginnings are all jumbled up with daily life: set up my kindergarten classroom while remembering to do the laundry and complete my own children's back-to-school-forms while signing up for professional development through my district's online site and grab enough groceries to fix two meals as I refill prescriptions before the first day craziness of the 2014-2015 school year… begins.

Beginnings give me energy. And make me tired. They bring out the procrastinator that lurks inside while simultaneously stirring up creativity that I didn't know I had.  Yes, I can teach 26 kindergartners, run a 5K (give me 6 more weeks to train!), perform my dance mom duties, miss my two oldest sons all hours of the day, laugh with our youngest, stay up late with my husband, and worship Him with all of my heart.  Today, this is my new beginning.

Cheers!

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

#kinderblog Week 3 Classroom Set-Up

Find this week's blogging challenge at Kinderchat123.  
There are two options for the topic and I chose...

Option 1: What is the process you follow for setting up your classroom? 

What are your priorities, your values, your beliefs, about classroom setup, decor, and organization? 
(Feel free to share photos! We love photos!)

My list of kindergarten hopes is at the end of this post!

Our school was built in 1921.  Air conditioning was installed just a few years ago.  The aesthetics are beautiful-  marble staircases, brass railings, stained glass windows, solid oak casings, built-in glass cabinets.  There's even a fireplace in one of the kindergarten classrooms! 

No matter what size my room may be, or what school I'm in, the spaces I design will always have these things:  a cozy nook/dedicated area for sprawling out in comfort with a good book, a writing table that will accommodate at least four children, a student work display, a photograph wall, and a way to play music. 

The first three pictures, taken on check-out day in June, show the bare bones of my classroom 
(In two weeks, I'll have new pics of a ready-to-go room!)
In this photo, I'm standing in front of the guided reading reading table, 
looking at the SmartBoard. 
To the left and right, both walls are made of windows and glass.
The classroom door is in the middle of the left wall, 
which complicates desk placement.
In our district, we are strongly advised that 
no child should be facing away from instruction 
AND 
student desks should be arranged in groups for cooperative learning.
Not an easy feat with 25 desks and a narrow room width;
fortunately, kindergartners like being together!

 I took this picture from the doorway. 
The "chalkboard wall" is also an accordion closet.
The doors open all together…and can be slammed shut.
No one has lost a finger. Halleluiah!
There are hooks inside of the closet, 
but coats and backpacks fall to the ground on a regular basis.
I'm still trying to come up with a solution for this challenge!
And, this may sound old-fashioned, but 
I love the chalkboard wall!!
(See the owl? The "Be Brave" banner will be hung there!)

This is the inside wall of windows. 
At one time or another, I've covered sets of 3-6 panes with colored card stock
to block the sun.  A clothesline also hung across the wall, to hold anchor charts.
Last week, I ripped down the torn shade and removed the leftover papers.
My plan is to velcro white poster board to the highest window sets,
hang dry erase foam boards from two of the lowest sets, and
continue to display anchor charts in the center.

 As the class size grew larger, I assigned color spots on the rug.
This may sound harsh to some of you, but
I did this with everyone's best interest at heart!
The children were also able to easily do "turn and talk
with peanut butter and jelly partnerships.

 The Word Wall fit nicely on the closet doors.
Not sure it's going to stay there, 
as word cards could easily 'disappear' into backpacks.
Birthdays and reading strategy mini-posters were displayed above the wall.
The guided reading table is in front of the closet, so this was a good place to 
hang posters when not in use.

 Our very-most-absolute-favorite book 
was the photo album that we created as the year progressed!

Class in motion, jumping hurdles on GoNoodle!

Buidling together with a variety of supplies.

As I looked through the 1000+ photos that were taken in my classroom last year,
these words came to mind, to describe my hopes~dreams~goals for kindergarten:
community
relationships
independence
comfort
investigation
creativity
laughter
music
stories
wonder
compassion
problem-solving
growth
love
~I think this list promotes college and career readiness. What do you think? ;-)~

Monday, July 14, 2014

Monday Made It- Teacher Planner!

Link up with Tara!
I've never had to turn in digital plans each week to the principal
…until last year.
 The process wasn't difficult but it was WAY too time consuming!
And I missed having a written record.
One in which I could scratch through plans, add notes, etc.

I am so excited about my customized planner!
The cover was created with a page from A Modern Teacher's Owl Binder

The next section might be my favorite part!
I want to do more reflecting this year. 
These pages from A Modern Teacher include a goal-setting organizer
and a reflection recap for each month.

I added the Kindergarten Common Core Standards,
before my planning pages,
With this set, you can record the dates that you teach the standards
and jot notes for mastery!

I was able to set my subject blocks and tweak the font for the planning pages.

Including a grading section in the book was important to me.
The quarter sections, grade graphs, and other pages for anecdotal notes
were created by Surfin' Through Second.

At the back of my planner, I added pages for passwords and birthdays.

After selecting the pages, customizing some, and printing in color 
(thank you, husband, for the use of your printer),
I took the stack to Fed Ex for binding.
I chose the sturdiest option and was surprised that it was less than $6!

Hurray!
Although I'm not ready to reset the alarm
or visit the bathroom just once each day,
I am ready to dive into my first personalized planner!
Now I need to get to work on a customized planner for Guided Reading.

Applause for the teacher authors who created the bones of this project.

Monday, July 7, 2014

NOT in Vegas?! Linky Fun!

If you are sniffling through the 
wonderful photos being posted from Vegas,
you are not alone!

But, we can't just sit here with our electronics 
and allow a cloud of blue to descend.
Let's set a few goals!
1. Personal-Self
2. Home &/or Family
3. Professional
Grab the graphic, write your post, 
then hop back here and add your link!
Remember to leave some comment love
on participating blogs.

Here goes….
1.  I'm not ready to set the alarm clock for 5:30am, but it's time for me to get out of bed and greet the day before 9:00!  I made someone a promise that I would exercise more than a few times each week.

2.  Plus, there is housework to be done.  
And room painting.  
And landscape weeding.
And prepping another child to leave the nest for college. 

3.  One wall of my classroom contains a window set that is more than five yards across and three yards in height.  At one time, five dark green blinds covered these windows.  Now, only one blind remains, with another blind ripped away from the anchoring.  My room receives directly sunlight all morning, so I'm on a hunt to cover these windows in a cost effective way.  Hurray for Pinterest!  

Now it's your turn!
(I'm sorry the text is so small in the linky;
it can't be enlarged, but the links DO work!)

Monday, June 30, 2014

July Currently


This has been a blue Monday.
No reason. Just is.
I may be filling too much time
with Twitter, Instagram, Blogs, etc.,
allowing the comparison monster to 
creep in.

Am the only K teacher in the blogosphere
NOT going to Vegas next week?
If you're going to be home, too,
let's have a blog party!
I'll work on that idea :-).

Our fist day for the 2014-2015 school year 
is August 4. 
I've been sorting, prepping, and 
planning in little bits here and there.
Although I'm fairly sure I'll be in the 
same room, at the same school,
in the same grade,
nothing is certain until I walk in on 8/4.
Nerve-wracking, right?!!!

July 4 ***** Happy Birthday, USA!
Since half of our children became drivers,
hubby and I tend to stay home to
keep tabs on everyone's whereabouts.
In a very non-stalky way. ;-)

Happy July, everyone!