Castles and Crayons

Schedule Spotlight Series #2 - Calendar

2013-06-17T20:58:00.005-05:00

Hey y’all! It is has been a rainy day here in the South…perfect for a blog post! :)

This is the second post in the 10 week Schedule Spotlight series!

For those of you just joining in the fun, we are going through our day, minute by minute and hour by hour! Almost as a good as observing…but saving money on gas and sub pay! :)

7:45 - 8:15 ~ Morning Work {Post #1 - June 10}
8:15 - 8:30 ~ Calendar {Post #2 - June 17}

At 8:15, I walk around and check everyone’s math journals. I try to do this 2 times a week…just enough so that they know I am going to check and they don’t just scribble all over! I glance over the last day when I check the current day, so everything gets checked! Sometimes it’s a sticker, sometimes it’s a smiley face…and sometimes it is good ole verbal praise! :)

I call my friends down to the carpet by table. When they come down to the carpet, they sit in our sharing circle. Once everyone is settled, I start every single day with “Good morning, Bollman’s Bunch!” and they respond, “Good morning, Mrs. Bollman!” I then say, “Today is Monday, June 17, 2013. Our special today is Art and our Jungle Guide is Brady.” I went to a workshop a while back that said verbal cues are an important part of a structured schedule. So they have several cues that we are about to start calendar time: we are sitting in a sharing circle, and I just said my Good morning spiel! Spiel – reminds me of my waiting table days in college!

With the addition of the Promethean Board in my classroom in 2008, I have scaled back on my 'wall' calendar and spend more time on our interactive calendar!

Here is a pic of our wall calendar. I have since spiffed it up with zebra number cards and day of the week cards from Kacey at Doodle Bugs Teaching! We flip over the number for the day, do the Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow cards, add a straw and count them, write how many days we've been in school and write the date. The Jungle Guide is the calendar helper. This takes about 5 minutes...even less as the days go on! I have thought several times about taking it down, but I like for the calendar to be there throughout the day for them to reference!

Next, we move on to the Promethean board calendar! The Jungle Guide leads the board calendar, as well. They call on other students to drag and click...it takes about a month of training and then they can do the board calendar SOLO! It is so fab -- it gives me a couple minutes to think through our math mini lesson and pull any manipulatives I may need!

This is the page sequence of our calendar flipchart:

*Starfall calendar

*Math Movement Songs

{my fave thanks to Cara Carroll is Have Fun Teaching's videos on School Tube} - My kiddos {and ok, ok, mine too!} is Counting by 5's!

*One More, One Less, Ten More, Ten Less

{with the number of days we have been in school}

*Mystery Number

{drag a shape to cover numbers on the hundred chart}

*Greater Than, Less Than

{with the random number generator and alligator mouths}

*Time Poem

*Coin Poem

I wish I could post the calendar flipchart I created, but it tons of songs, clipart, and images I have borrowed from other flipcharts - it would be a copyright and credit nightmare! :(

So...I searched for some on TpT for you! :)

Ms. Arnold {my Bham neighbor} has ones she adds each month {Check out May}

Michelle Hanson has one that is pretty comprehensive and chock full of fun {Flipchart}

Dizzy for Kindergarten has one for every month

{Check out February}

My plan to implement a Calendar Notebook this year to give some accountability during calendar! Because calendar is repetitive, some of my busy kiddos start to wander a bit...this will hold them accountable! Check out Cara's Calendar Companion!

We finish up with Calendar by 8:30 and then its time to begin our Math mini lesson!

Link up below to tell us all about Calendar time in your classroom!

Join us next Monday, June 24 to learn more about our Math block!

Have a fun in the sun week! :)

Schedule Spotlight Series #1 - Morning Work

2013-06-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

Hey y'all! Welcome to the first post in the ten week Schedule Spotlight Series, all about Morning Work!

Let's start with first thing in the wee morning hours with groggy teachers... and bright eyed kiddos! I am NOT, repeat NOT, a morning person!!! I have barely wiped the sleep out of my eyes and consumed a half cup of coffee! You feel me???

At our school, the kiddos can be dropped off starting at 7:30 and they sit in the hallway outside of their classrooms for a school wide reading time. We rotate morning hallway duty...we each take one day a week. I really like that the kids all come into the classroom at the same time!

When the bells rings at 7:45, my kiddos come in and unpack.

Every.single.day {only exceptions are field trip days} they:

1. Unpack their binders and lunches

2. Head straight to their seat and get started on their Math Journal

3. After the math journal is completed, they work on
Mountain Math

I have done several different things over the years for morning work. THE most important thing to me is that they can do it independently. By themselves. No assistance. I think consistency is key in the morning! Just like breakfast is the most important meal, morning work consistency lays the ground work for a calm and structured day!

While they work on their morning work, I check the binders for paperwork, notes from the parents, lunch money, take attendance and lunch count. I like to get all of this taken care of first thing in the morning...before everything else takes over! I can get this done quickly and efficiently if the children are engaged in a meaningful activity that requires little direction from me - enter the math journal!

My very first year of teaching, I did different worksheets from the Mailbox magazine! Blast from the past, right there! Our sweet media specialist used to email me to tell me when the newest Mailbox magazine came in the mail! This was clearly before the TpT craze! I despised the random worksheet for three reasons: I would have to give directions every.single.day., I was making a million copies every week, AND I had to pass them out every morning! That added up to a lot of work for me...and non engaging busy work for them! Lose, lose, lose!

After a year of random worksheets, the next year I switched to literacy journals. In Kinder, they started out copying a sentence from the board. {Example: A is for apple}. They copied the sentence and drew a picture. After we got to Z, we switched to: A is for _____ and they filled in the blank and drew a picture. After we got to Z with this format, we switched to word of the day. They would use the word of the day in a sentence {Example: The word of the day is the. The bird is blue.} They did all of this work in journals from Starfall. After shopping around, these are a great deal! We now put them on our school supply list...each child gets 4 for the school year.

When I looped up to first grade a few years ago, I knew I needed to revamp the literacy journals. I loved the idea, but I already done it with my Kinders the previous year! Our school had a school wide goal of increasing math journal use, so I decided to go with that and I LOVE IT!

Every Monday, there is a new page at their seats with the 4 math journal prompts for the week. We do math journals Monday - Thursday, and something fun {think poetry, crossword puzzles, word searches} on Fun Fridays!

After completing their math journal {with words, pictures, and a number sentence}, they complete a few problems from our Mountain Math board. Mountain Math is a spiraling math activity. Read more about it {here}. We complete 24 problems over the course of 1 week. We do not start Mountain Math until January. Until then, it takes the kiddos about 20 minutes to complete their math journals.

If any kiddos finish with both their math journal and Mountain Math, they can read from their Bag of Book for a few minutes.

The kiddos begin their morning work at about 7:45 and we will meet on the carpet for calendar at 8:15.

What do you do for morning work???

Link up to tell me all about it!

Coming next week on June 17 - Calendar

Have a fabulous week! :)

Schedule Spotlight Series Details

2013-06-05T18:57:00.001-05:00

Hey y'all! Hope everyone's summer is off to a great start! And for those of you still in school, bless you! The end is near!

I am so excited to kick off this new series!

Join me this summer as I dive {sorry, couldn't help myself} into our school day! We will go minute by minute, hour by hour, and discuss every little aspect of the day in my classroom...and yours...if you join me in the linky! It is almost like we can BE in each other's rooms...but without the hassle of sub plans and road trips! I can't wait to hear about how everyone's day flows and to hear your tips and tricks along the way!

I will post each linky on Monday for the week!

Please link up below to spread the word and let your readers know all about it! :)
Oh - and I am going to link up first to test the link! Hahaha!

Loading InLinkz ...

Five for Friday

2013-05-10T21:52:00.001-05:00

Hey y'all! TGIF!!!

I am linking up with Kacey for Five for Friday!

1. COUNTDOWN TO SUMMER

IS ON! We only have 9 days left with the kiddos! I always get a little emo this time of year. While I do look forward to more leisurely mornings and trips to the beach, I know I will miss my kiddos so much! We spend so much time with them and then we only see them in the hallways next year! :(

2. SPAM!

What is the deal with all the spam comments on Blogger lately????? Anyone else having this issue?? I am getting like 5 spam comments every day - it creeps me out! I hate to have to put the verification code for comments - any other solutions?

3. SHIRT SALE!

My little heat press shirts are on sale tonight! They are $18.00, but tonight are $2.00 off! Head over to my Facebook page to check it out! I will keep the sale going through Saturday for Castles and Crayons readers - just mention it in your order! :)

4. iPHONE CASE

I am loving my new iPhone case! I had a precious monogram case that latest for about a year - but it was hard plastic and had cracked after one too many tumbles! I found this on Etsy and ordered on a Monday and it arrived the following Monday! LOVE! They are in Mobile, Alabama {my sweet home Alabama} and I highly recommend them...very affordable and fast service and shipping! :)

5. SUMMER LINKY PARTY

I am so excited to start my new Summer Linky Series {Schedule Spotlight} in just a few short weeks! I am going to break apart our school day into 11 chunks and blog about it for 11 weeks in the summer! First week will be May 27 - stay tuned for more info!

Have an awesome weekend! Happy Mother's Day to all of you amazing mommies! :)

Keep Calm and SHOP On! :)

2013-05-06T20:19:00.002-05:00

Happy Monday, friends!

Mondays are not my favorite, especially when its raining! But one thing that makes Mondays a little less bluesy is the Bachelorette! Can't wait for it to start up again in just a few weeks!!!

I am excited for the TpT sale this week! I have my cart loaded up and ready to get my shop on! Loving Teri's new reading center pack and can't wait to pick up Sarah's Summarizing with the Stars pack! Click on the presh pic below to head to my store.

Thank you, Hope King, for this precious graphic!

Some things in my shop that add up to big savings with 28% off --

The Old Lady Bundle Pack - all 10 units for year round fun! 28% off $24.00 is $19.20!

The Roll and Read Ultimate Bundle Pack - 5 sets of Roll and Read fun - 28% off $12.00 is $9.60.

Get your shop on! :)

Tech Tuesday - FREE Apps

2013-04-23T14:56:00.003-05:00

Happy Tuesday, y'all!

Our tech specialist shared these free apps with us today {April 23, 2013} and I thought you would like to grab them too! :)

First up is StoryToys {one word!} apps. These apps are normally $4.99, but are free right now, so download them TODAY!

Next up, McGraw-Hill apps!

Cute read aloud stories, phonics, word work, and more!

Hope your week is off to a great start! We have Open House tonight, so I am off to wipe all the tables one more time!

Have an awesome rest of the week! :)

This and That

2013-04-15T17:41:00.001-05:00

Hey y'all! Hope everyone is doing great!

I apologize for my absense in blog land! I am been working on getting my Lollipops and Lemondrops business up and running! :) I am working on an Etsy shop and hope to have everything ready this summer!! :)

Everyone is knee deep in testing preparations in our neck of the woods! I am SO HAPPY that first grade does not particpate in stadardized testing in Alabama. When I taught first grade in Georgia, we did the CRCT....I believe they have changed that in the 5 years since I moved. Georgia peeps, is that right???

Do any of you participate in standardized testing in 1st? Or heaven forbid, K????? It makes me shudder! It also makes me shudder to think of my lack of specials during testing, but I would prefer that over testing HANDS DOWN! Are you with me?

Look at this cute testing bulletin board from a 4th grade teacher at my school. So cute for you upper grade friends!

I love the whole mustache craze! Makes me laugh!!! :)

We are also gearing up for a new reading series next year. We are adopting the Wonders series from McGraw Hill. Does anyone have that now?? or is getting it next year?? Would love to hear some feedback from peeps that use it!

Coming soon:

This summer, I have two big goals!

A...1 A {BEACH FRONT AVENUE} - Vanilla Ice, anyone?.. is to create/update my Word Work units so that I have a unit for each and every phonics skill. I have some cute themes and graphics up my sleeve! ;) I love teaching phonics with a theme - makes it a little bit more fun!

B - The other is to host a blog series, complete with linky parties!! I will tell you more about it very soon! :)

Countdown to summer is ON - only 6 weeks left for us!
Have a super week! :)

Peek at Our Week

2013-03-31T21:50:00.002-05:00

Happy Easter, friends! Hope everyone had a wonderful day celebrating our Savior. He is risen!

I just heart the heck out of Spring Break!! It comes at just the right time! We had a fab time at the beach and are all settled in for the remaining 8 weeks of school! Let's do this!!!

Since summer is right around the corner, I came up with a blog series schedule for the summer and I'm super excited about it! I think I may even do a linky! I am secretly scared of them...why do you ask? Well, I am afraid I'll do it wrong and I'm afraid no one will actually link up! HA! So...if I do a linky, please do it, okay? :)

Let's take a quick peek at our week, shall we?

MATH - Measurement

Here is a quick and cute {and free} Math Work Station!

PHONICS - Vowel digraph /oo/

Check out my What a Hoot! {Vowel Digraph /oo/}

Word Work unit.

WRITING - How To

I am so excited to start with how to! One of my fave things to teach in first grade! We are kicking it off with how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich! We make cute flip books during our how to writing unit - more on those in the next post! :)

COMPREHENSION - Retelling

We are smack in the middle of The Wizard of Oz! Can't wait to pick up Abby's unit when we are done! Getting through this chapter book def warrants a little Oz celebration! :)

SCIENCE - Rainforest Habitat

Thank you, Brain Pop, Jr, thank you! LOVE kicking off our units with Annie and Moby! We will learn lots about the layers of the rainforest, learn lots of facts about monkeys, parrots, toucans, snakes, sloths, frogs, and more. Such a fun unit!

Hope you have a happy week! :)

Let's Get Acquainted! :)

2013-03-12T18:19:00.003-05:00

Happy Tuesday, friends! It is rainy and gloomy here in Bama today and coupled with the Spring Forward time change, my little firsties are TIRED! It is our last week before Spring Break {SO excited!!} and we are filling our week with some St. Patrick's Day fun!

We will be making Shamrock Shakes with our 4th grade Tech Buddies tomorrow! YUM!

We will making these cute little leprechauns from Cara - circa two years ago! They are still adorable! Click on the link above for patterns - isn't she the best??!! :)

We will be reading all about the old lady who swallowed a clover, too! :)

I was excited to find a linky party to join today! :)

I needed a little something different in my blog post today! Thank you, Mrs. Reed!

Sooo...let's get acquainted, shall we?? :)

My initials are KMB.

K - Hmm! This letter always stumped me when I was growing up, too! You know the first day of school game: My name is Kelli and I am...Krazy. Kooky. Klutzy?? I always just did something with a /c/ sound. And I am going to do it again - ssh! Don't tell! :) CRAFTING! I am loving some crafts these days! I am doing to attempt a burlap bunny door hanger this weekend! So excited!

M- Monograms, hands down! Speaking of my initials!!
This southern girl loves a good monogram! :)

B- the BEACH!!! I can't wait to breathe in salt water air next week! Ahhh! AND the Bachelor!

Have a great week, y'all! :)

Lollipops and Lemondrops :)

2013-02-28T20:34:00.001-06:00

Hey y'all! Hope you've had a great week! :)

Tomorrow is our Dr. Seuss birthday party - complete with
Seuss Juice {source: presh idea from Cara Carroll last year},
Thing 1 cupcakes {source: Pinterest} since we are 1st graders, and Truffella trees {source: Pinterest}.

We are SO taking the Lorax stache pics { source: Seusstastic Classroom Inspirations} too - makes me laugh out loud!! :)

I have a new little Facebook venture: Lollipops and Lemondrops! I am making digital party printables for sweet soirees and heat press tees...you know Southerners are all about monograms and shirts with names all over it!! :) Head over to Facebook to check it out...only 1 like away from an Easter heat press shirt giveaway - and yes, I will ship to y'all outside of Bama if you win!!! :)

I smile every time I get a like on FB - same as when I get a new follower here on Castles and Crayons! I am so, so, so very blessed by the support of L and L in such a short time - it is a dream come true! :)

Oh and speaking of giveaways -- Roll and Read Fluency Phrases {Beginning Blends} winners are below. The unit will be 20% on TpT tonight and tomorrow! :)

Happy TG-so very close-F!!! :)

Roll and Read {Beginning Blends}

2013-02-25T17:51:00.001-06:00

Happy Monday, y'all!

We are gearing up for a fun filled Dr. Seuss week,

complete with his birthday party on Friday! :) Pics coming soon! We read my very favorite Dr. Seuss story this morning, Gertrude McFuzz. Gertrude is smarter now and so are my firsties!! :)

The newest Roll and Read has been added to my TpT shop. There were so many requests for this beginning blends set and I thank you so much for being oh so patient!! :)

You can click on the picture below to check it out!

I will also be bundling all of the Roll and Read units into a mega pack zip file coming by the end of the week! It will have all 5 of the Roll and Read units with some savings, of course! :)

{Short Vowels}

{Long Vowels}

{Consonant Digraphs}

{r-controlled Vowels}

{Beginning Blends}

**I will send this unit to five people on Wednesday, February 27.

Just comment below with your email address!

Hats off to a spectacular Seuss week! :)

Five for Friday

2013-02-16T11:08:00.000-06:00

Happy weekend, friends! I am linking up with sweet Kacey at Doodle Bugs Teaching for a little peek at the week in review!

1. ERIN CONDREN

I am OBSESSED with Erin Condren! Last year I didn't use a planner at all - I decided to the iPhone route. Well - I decided this year to hop back on the paper planner bus and I am SO GLAD I did! Rumor has it she is coming out with a August 2013 - December 2014 planner for us teachers! FAB!

2. MARDI GRAS

Mardi Gras is a big deal here in Alabama...especially in the Mobile area! We ended our Sweet Home Alabama unit with some delicious King Cake .... straight from NOLA! A sweet mom had the cake Fed Exed to us. It was so delicious!!!!

3. BEE MINE, VALENTINE!

Love these precious bumblebees from Teri! I love her crafts and writing prompts!!

4. I CHEWS YOU, VALENTINE!

Teri did it again! LOVE THESE! They make my heart happy!!

5. SMORES VALENTINES FOR MY KIDDOS

I loved these so much last year, I had to do them again!

Have a wonderful weekend, y'all!

Tech,Tech Baby!

2013-02-12T20:13:00.000-06:00

Happy Tuesday! RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY!!!
I seriously think this might be a record breaking year of the number of indoor recess days here in the Southeast!
Speaking of indoor recess - have you checked out Adventure to Fitness? My sweet teacher friend introduced this website to me on the 99th day of indoor recess this year.
Super fun and the kids totally rock it!

It is free but I did notice that it uploaded faster when you were logged in to an account!

---
Our district has a Technology Conference next Monday. I have heard from a bird that the theme is Tech, Tech, Baby!! HA!!!! Yes, please! I know every single word by heart to the orig!
I am presenting. EEKK! No matter how many times I get up to speak in front of adults, I break into a sweat. Turn magenta. Develop a stutter. It really is ridiculous! If anyone in the room is over the age of 7, I start to get clammy! Anyone else on this struggle bus with me?

I am presenting about taking Brain Pop to the next level in your classroom. I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT BRAIN POP, JR! I can't get enough of Annie and Moby and neither can my kiddos. I honestly think Annie can teach some concepts better than me...like inferring for example. She rocked it!

Brain Pop and Brain Pop, Jr is pricey but worth. every. penny. Write a Donors Choose for this people! I use it all. the. time.
If you have clickers {We have ActiVotes} you can run the online quizzes with them! AWESOME! We did the lesson on comparing numbers this morning and then used the ActiVotes during the quiz. It was quick {less than 5 minutes} and I was able to export the results to Excel. Much better than a paper and pencil mid unit assessment!

Brain Pop also has a great section just for educators! If you click on Brain Pop Educators, then Graphic Organizers, they have a ton of great organizers ready to print!

Be sure to check out Katie King {Queen of the First Grade Jungle} and her Techy Tuesday linky party!

Fave Five Phonics Apps

2013-02-05T20:20:00.000-06:00

Hey y'all! :)

Be sure to check out Katie King {Queen of the First Grade Jungle} and her Techy Tuesday linky party!

In my classroom, we have access to an iPad lab with a class set of iPads that we use once a week, but we have one iPad that stays in our room. During The Daily Five, the iPad is used as a Word Work choice.

The app they use changes based on what unit we are on,

but the apps below are my fave five phonics apps to use all year long!

{WORD MAGIC}

This is a fun way to practice making words. You can choose for the students to fill in the missing initial, medial, or final sound, or you can choose random!

{WORD WALL HD}

This is a good app for kiddos to make new words by adding the missing initial or final sound. It is good for word families!

{PHONICS TIC TAC TOE}

LOVE this app from Lakeshore! This game explores vowel sounds, syllables, blends, digraphs, and more!

{PHONICS RHYMING BEE}

This is good *free* app for rhyming words and word families! The sounds are pretty cute! ;)

{WORD HEN SPELL}

This is a great spelling app where can kids can make words or spell words. I love the hen's cute little voice!

Enjoy the rest of your week! :)

SUPER Sunday Sale

2013-02-02T20:03:00.005-06:00

Shop til you drop this Sunday, February 3!

Just in case you will be eating embarrassing amount of chips and dips, stalking the commercials, and hanging out with friends like I will be, everything in my shop will be 20 % off on Monday, too!

Enjoy your weekend! :)

Fave Five Math Apps

2013-01-29T19:30:00.001-06:00

Hi all! So excited that it is time for another Tech Tuesday!

I am such a planner and really enjoy having a blogging plan!

Thanks again to sweet Katie King {Queen of the First Grade Jungle} for throwing the Techy Tuesday linky party!

I love having an iPad in my classroom! We have access to an iPad lab with a class set of iPads that we use once a week, but we have one iPad that stays in our room. During math, the iPad is one of the 9 Math Work Stations.

The app they use changes based on what unit we are on,

but the apps above are my fave five math apps to use all year long!

{POP MATH}

This is a fun way to practice addition and subtraction facts!

{MATH MAGIC}

Another great app for the never ending addition and subtraction fact practice!

{NUMBER FROG}

LOVE this numberline app! I use this to introduce subtracting {counting back} with the number line.

{SPLASH MATH}

Great for all first grade math skills!

{NUMBER SQUEEZE}

Number Squeeze is just like Monster Squeeze from Everyday Math! Super cute!

I am still reeling from the drama that was the Bachelor! The rose falling and smashing into pieces - so poetic! And now I have to gear up for TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW next week - I am not sure I can handle it...I usually require a week recovery...and normalcy! Ha! I DO love AshLee...and am starting to see a cute side of Catherine. I just HEART it!!!

Angela, Stefanie, and Julie - I just emailed you! :)

Enjoy the rest of your week! :)

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rose

2013-01-27T11:47:00.000-06:00

Happy Sunday, friends! Hope your weekend has been great so far!

My weekend project has been painting my new craft room and assembling the furniture. I can't wait to craft away with everything in one spot! Pics coming soon! :)

The old lady is baaaack! I was SO THRILLED when I saw the newest Old Lady book,

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rose!

Now there is one for every season! YAY!

This newest version doesn't disappoint - it is precious! May be one of favorites...or maybe it is just all the candy hearts and PINK! HA!

Click on the pics below to check my newest Old Lady unit,

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rose!

This unit includes:

*Sequencing cards {both color and black and white} and printable

*Alphabetical order printable

*Swallow a Simile writing printables {2 versions}

*Nifty Nonfiction writing printables {chocolate and roses}

*Vowel Sort Word Work {Long and short vowels} cards and printable

*Roll and Graph cards and printable

*Lovebug Glyph {with patterns, color display page and black and white explanation page for kiddos to glue on back on glyph}

I will email three peeps a copy of There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rose on Tuesday, January 29. If you have already purchased this unit, I will gladly email you another of my units if you win the giveaway! Simply comment with your email address to enter!

I leave you with a pic of my latest Pinterest recipe experiment - DELISH!

I am a BIG fan of danish {really pastries in general}... just plain old Cream Cheese Danish - no fruit for me, thank you very much!

Who needs fruit when there is warm creamy cream cheese goodness?!? I didn't even add the top drizzle - they were perfect just they way they are!
Thank you Food Lush for the recipe! :)

I had everything in my fridge and pantry and it took about 10 minutes to make - perfect for a Sunday morning before church!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!! :)

Techy Teacher Tuesday

2013-01-22T18:43:00.003-06:00

Hey friends! LOVE a four day week! :)

I am linking up with Katie at Queen of the First Grade Jungle {such a precious teacher and mama} for Techy Teacher Tuesday!

I am so excited for this series! I have been thinking about doing some 'intentional' tech posts and this gives me the perfect setup! Thanks so much for hosting this linky, Katie! :)

I am piloting a BYOD {Bring Your Own Device} program in my classroom this year. I will be totally honest, I was a *little* hesitant about this at first. 6 year olds? iPads in book bags? SCARY STUFF!

BUT - I have been pleasantly surprised! The kiddos are ultra responsible and they get SO excited when it is Tech Tuesday in our classroom!

We have BYOD every Tuesday. We don't have a special on Tuesdays, so we have access to a laptop lab or iPad lab to have TECH in our classrooms as a special. I prefer to use iPads with the littles, as there is no log in confusion! :) On average, I have about 6 kiddos {out of 18} bring a device, such as an iPod Touch, an iPad, or internet accessible tablet. I have the iPad lab in my classroom during our Tech Tuesday time, so the kiddos who don't bring a device get an iPad. No hurt little first grade souls... :)

We have been partnering with a fourth grade class as our Tech Buddies! This class is also piloting the BYOD program.

A few years ago...Book Buddies, now its Tech Buddies!

Can't believe it! :)

Here are two things that I LOVE when working on iPads

{whether the iPad labs or on one of the kiddos devices they brought from home}

{Rover}

This app allows you to access websites that require Flash on an iPad or iPod. Think Raz-Kids and Starfall. This is a free download that is genius!

{Headphone splitter}

This allows 2 students to have headphones when working on an iPad! LIFESAVER. I repeat. LIFESAVER! :) This allows 2 students to use an iPad as a Word Work choice in Daily Five and as a Math Work Station during Math Work Stations.
I found mine randomly at Big Lots this summer when I scouring the EARTH for pink lid storage boxes! HA! You can also grab them on Amazon!

I'll be back next Tuesday with my favorite reading apps!

Many thanks for your sweet comments for the Snow Day Giveaway! :)

Have a wonderful winter week! :)

Snow Day and Giveaway!

2013-01-17T22:38:00.001-06:00

It's a winter wonderland...in Bama! :)
We had some beautiful snow today! 2 inches!!!
SNOW MUCH FUN! {I couldn't resist!!} The kiddos were SO excited! We didn't dismiss early, but we are delayed 2 hours tomorrow morning! Can't wait to sleep in!

The hubs and I built a snowman! We had a blast! He may or may not have had a snowball fight with our 6 year old neighbors! Ha!

Here is what we've been up to lately...before it snowed and all! :)

These cute little guys came from Cara last year! I just LOVE how different each one is! VERY easy prep too!
All you need is :
1 8 1/2 x 11 piece of blue paper {with a white curve drawn}
1 8 1/2 x 11 piece of white paper
1 strip of orange paper
1 strip of black paper

They worked very intensely while listening to Frosty the Snowman on repeat - so dang cute!

Here are the snow friends on our bulletin board!

Love these snow globes from Jennifer! Last year when we made them, I got my glitter spray from Walmart! It smelled HORRIBLE and didn't even show up that well! FAIL!
This year, I snagged a bottle at Hobby Lobby! It worked great!!! It was still really smelly, so be sure to do it outside or in the hallway...but it stayed on the paper! Hard to see in the pics, but it looks super cute!

After all this snow talk, you just HAVE to play with some snow! Insta Snow from Steve Spangler is so cool! I have had the same jar for 4 years - finally used the last scoop! Super simple and fun snow experience for your southern kiddos who don't get to dig their hands in the white stuff very often!
Click {HERE} to check it out!

Follow this blog, follow my TpT store, and leave a comment below for a chance to be one of three winners of the *updated* There Was a Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow {Mini Unit} and my newest unit,
Roll and Graph {WINTER}.

I will choose three winners on Monday, January 21.

Stay warm!!! :)

Brand New

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Happy 2013!!! I just LOVE a brand new year! A clean slate, a chance to start over! I think that as teachers, we are extra lucky because we get to start over TWICE a year --- once in August, and again in January!

I really liked the message our pastor shared with us today. Our pastor is absolutely amazing and his messages are the best! He said so many things are *new and improved* but that things can't be both new AND improved. So instead, he said we can be new OR improved.

We can change outside in or change INSIDE out.

We can do something different or BE something different.

We can improve the old you or BECOME a new you.

Our church participates in 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting every January to help re-focus our lives on what is most important after the excitement of the holidays!

I am fasting Facebook for the next 21 days. I estimated that I am on Facebook 3 - 4 times a day and am on for about 10 - 15 minutes each time. That is 40 - 60 MINUTES {at a minimum} a day! What?!?!?!?!

I am going to use that time to spend more time on my Daily Devotional and spend more quality time with my sweet hubs. Instead of making resolutions this year, I am trying to refocus my time on what will make me change inside out, be something different, and become a new me!

Ready for a brand new today with my precious firsties tomorrow! They will be excited ---

*brand new table spots

*brand new Math Work Station partners

*brand new Read to Someone partners

and the cutest of all - brand new crayons

{it always makes me smile when they get so excited about sharp, pointy crayons!}

Anyone else SO EXCITED for the {brand new} Bachelor tomorrow night? Can. not. wait. I am a big fan of Sean---with us both being redheads, we have a bond! :) Kristin- I am so looking forward to some good belly laughs every Tuesday for the next few months! :)

If you are looking for a brand new to you blog to stalk - check out An Apple a Day in First Grade! I connected with Karen through the 12 Days of Giveaways and she is so sweet! We discovered we had a lot in common! She just posted some presh fonts - go check them out! :)

Hoping this is your best brand new year yet!

Happy 2013 sale!

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Welcome Winter Sale!

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Happy Winter, my friends! I love the change of seasons! Winter means CHRISTMAS, yummy soups, fires, hot chocolate, scarves, and hopefully SNOW! :) Wishing you and your families the happiest winter EVER!

Festive Photos

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Our month in review - festive photo style!!!

{Our jungle themed tree}

Pardon the glare! :)

{Kiddos Craft Bags}

These bags contain their 'gifts' to their parents: reindeer handprint ornament, candy cane fingerprint ornament, and The Greatest Gift is My Family book

{Merry Mail mailboxes}

The kiddos write letters to each other the whole month of December. By the end of the month, their mailbox is stuffed full of letters from each friend in the class!

{Reindeer Food tags}

FREE printable from Amanda's Parties to Go

{My gifts to the kiddos}

The Gingerbread Girl for the girls and The Gingerbread Man for the boys, complete with a yummy Gingerbread lollipop from Oriental Trading!

{First Grade is Merry and Bright Bulletin Board}

Our flat gingerbread project is below!! :)

{Reindeer Craftivity from the

fab Teri at Cupcake for the Teacher}

{WAFFLES! Phonics Focus this week: final syllable -le}

We are loving the story of Mable and can't wait to make waffles on Friday! Loving this FUN way to teach final syllable -le! {Waaay yummier than my jungle idea! HA!} Super presh idea, Sarah!! :)

I am off to enjoy the remaining two days with my sweet angels! We will rotate to the other first grade classrooms for a book and fun activity, and end the week with Polar Express Day on Friday!

Happy, happy holidays!!! :)

Silence for Sandy Hook

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12 Days of Giveaways WINNERS

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Thank you so much for joining in the fun!

Wishing you and your families the happiest of holidays!!!

Day 1 ~ Suzanne Sweeney

Day 2 ~ Mrs. Wheeler and Cynthia

Day 3 ~ Brianne, Bianca, and Colleen

Day 4 ~ Allison, Kristin, Room 11, and Kinderkids

Day 5 ~ Katie, Kelly Brown, Amanda, Liz, and Lola

Day 6 ~ Rachel (2), Andrea (4), Techeagle (9), Jessica Peterson (22), Donna (29), Teresa (32), and Delighted (37)

Day 7 ~ Jennifer Larkin (7), Julie Marciniak (8), Karen Rowland (24), kld813 (26), Fawn Chan (30), Katie Mg (76), Rie (82)

Day 8 ~ Bren P (6), Megan (10), Miss Scullion (12), Grace (18), Julene Hoffman (23), Teaching Joys (58), Terri Eubank (59), Tracy Pharris (65)

Day 9 ~ Kinderdiva (1), Ruthp (3), Lovely Nina (11), Lori (29), Barefoot in First Grade (30), Heather (37), Krazy for K (38), Kari (54), Veronica Porche (62)

Day 10 ~ Rachel Lindle (6), Peace, Love, and Teaching (9), Karyn (22), Mel D (23), Susan (27), Allison (29), Ash (44), Jennifer Steinacher (56), Lori Archer (58), Rookie (61)

Day 11 ~ Pam (1), Karen (3), Cherie (5), Stephanie Michel (8), Tania (11), Allison (18), Lori (23), Ms. Webber (25), Izzysmim (44), Susan (52), Mrs. Schultz (64)

Day 12 ~ First Grade Carouse (2), Mrs. Macks Class (4), Special Teacher for Special Kids (8), Stacey White (10), Krysti (13), t mulch (16), Katy (18), Hollie (23), Nissadawn (26), D Putnam (43), Teacher Kirra (44), and Just a Primary Girl with Mrs. H (47)

* WINNERS ~ Email me at castlesandcrayons@gmail.com and tell me which unit you would like!!!