Sunny Days in Second Grade

The Secret to Better Writing Centers: Pre-Formatted Journal Pages

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 14:23:00 +0000

How I Turned Writing Task Cards Into a Printable Journal
(So Students Can Focus on Writing, Not Formatting)

Writing task cards are a classroom staple for a reason. They’re engaging, flexible, and easy to use in writing centers, morning work, early finisher activities, small groups, and sub plans. But after using task cards for years, I noticed something important. The writing prompts weren’t the problem. The FORMAT was the problem.

Students would grab a writing task card and immediately get stuck trying to figure out how many sentences they need to write or if they need to include an illustration. If they are tasked with making a Venn Diagram often the circles are way to small to write in and the overlap space is even smaller! Writing centers are supposed to be independent and productive. Neither are happening if they can't get started right away and keep working during those precious few minutes at the writing center. If they're constantly interrupting your reading group to ask for assistance, then you're also losing time and productivity there as well. So, I took steps to fix that.

The Big Problem with Traditional Writing Task Cards

Traditional task cards usually require students to do two tasks at once: Understand the prompt and then create the format for their response. That second part sounds simple to adults, but for kids it’s a HUGE barrier:
Compare & contrast? Kids may not remember how to draw a Venn diagram correctly.
List writing? Kids waste time rewriting numbers or spacing.
Creative design prompts? Kids don’t know how much to draw vs. how much to write.
Poetry tasks? Students might generate ideas but struggle to organize them on paper.
Even strong writers can shut down if the task feels too open-ended.

My Solution: Task Cards + Pre-Formatted Writing Journal Pages

Instead of giving students blank writing paper, I created a printable journal format where each writing task already includes the response page students need.
That means students still get:
✅ the fun variety of task cards
✅ seasonal/monthly engagement
✅ creative prompts
✅ different writing types
…but now they also get:
✅ a clear structure for the response
✅ built-in organizers
✅ consistent expectations
✅ independence
The best part? It’s still low-prep for teachers. Print, staple, and teach once a month. If you are lucky enough to have parent help, this is a great task for them to do - even at home. I used to display the task cards and give them the journals, but I've realized that the task cards are really unnecessary because the exact prompt is right on the journal page.

Real Examples of How the Journal Improves Writing Tasks

✏️ Example 1: List + Poetry Prompt (Rhyming Words)

Instead of telling students: “List 10 words that rhyme with snow and then giving them blank paper to figure it out, the journal page already includes numbered spaces for 1-10 and writing space underneath to use those words in a poem. So students go directly into brainstorming, writing, and creating. Not formatting.

✏️ Example 2: Illustration + Labeling Prompt (Garnet Birthstone Design)

A task like designing jewelry is so engaging but kids often need structure to complete it well. In the journal format, they get a drawing space made for the task and label details. This creates stronger student work because it supports visual creativity while creating a diagram. Usually understanding a diagram comes from analyzing ones that appear in a text. Here they get a chance to create on themselves.

✏️ Example 3: Compare/Contrast (Venn Diagram)

This is the biggest one. Traditional task cards often say “Complete this Venn diagram on your paper…” But when the journal includes the diagram, students can immediately begin comparing. That means more time using academic vocabulary, better organization, less "teacher help" needed. It also helps students who struggle with fine motor or executive functioning because the organizer is ready to go.

Why This “Improved Method” Works
It removes the #1 barrier to student writing: the blank page. A blank page is overwhelming for so many kids.A structured page quietly tells them: “Here’s where to start. Here’s what to do.” These journals have been a major game changer for my classroom. They are also super flexible. When I taught gen-ed students they were a fantastic bell ringer or writing center. With my first graders, I would often use it in small groups once a week. While teaching gifted students, they are amazing for early finishers. The flexibility allows you to choose which prompts you want to use and how many. Each month contains 30 writing task cards and matching journal pages. You can also print them individually and use them instead of printing and stapling a journal. Make the writing center more meaningful and engaging. Turn it from wasted time to productive energy.

Final Thoughts: Better Writing Doesn’t Always Mean “More Work”

This journal format doesn’t water down the writing process. It strengthens it because students are still doing the thinking and writing — they’re just not being held back by formatting. Task cards are still useful. The journal simply makes them work better in real classrooms.

What are teachers saying?

Want to Try This Task Card Journal Format?

If you love the idea of writing task cards but want a system that runs smoother and produces stronger writing responses, this task card + journal format is a game-changer.
Print the journal. Use the task cards. Watch writing time improve.
Click Here for January, February, March, April, May, June, Back to School ($3.75 each)
or Bundle One (Back to School -January) and Bundle Two (February-June) ($13.75 per bundle)
In the January journal students will practice narrative, expository, and opinion writing, acrostic poems, list making, designing an award, writing a recipe, using graphic organizers to compare, letter writing, rhyming words, a book review, and more.
A sampling of this month's topics:
New Year's Celebrations
Writing Resolutions
National Cheese Month
Winter Olympics
January's Birthstone
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Betsy Ross
The Superbowl
Goal Setting
No Name Calling Week
Winter Safety Tips
Penguins

Habitats One Sheet Wonder

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 15 Jan 2023 17:18:00 +0000

In my district, the focus on science and social studies has taken a back seat to reading and math. Like so far back that it's basically not even in the car anymore. The pendulum has swung SO far over to that side that it's really hard to cope. I miss teaching science and social studies! The kids miss it! The little bit they get in the reading series isn't nearly enough. So while I wait for that freakin pendulum to start swinging back, I will supplement with at least a little something more.

A few years ago I created these One Sheet Wonders. I was actually inspired by children's menus. I was also guided by my desire to get as much as I can on one page and make it worth printing. This set is the one I'm currently using, so I thought I'd share it a bit with you. This set covers habitats and even though it's a supplemental material, it really does cover a lot!

The set includes a page for the ocean, desert, rainforest, polar regions, and the wetlands. Each page has a variety of activities to keep the kids engaged and interested. Some consistency among pages helps build confidence. I snuck in some handwriting practice too! My first graders can definitely use the manuscript practice and have fun with the "fancy" writing too.

I included a set of maps that you can print and post, leave at a center, or project when you're using the page. I love to have my kids use books and other resources, but with these maps you know they'll find exactly what they need to work on the page.

I included a cover page in case you want to print all of the habitat pages as a work packet to use over time.

See what other teachers are saying:

This page of teaching ideas is included in the download, but here's a peek:

If you're interested, you can grab this set on TpT HERE.

I also have a set for Science, which you can find HERE.

And a Freebie for Earth Day HERE.

I hope you find these as useful as I do! Just a reminder, I started a You Tube channel! It's a mish mash right now, as I'm still finding my way, but so far it's just mostly me being me. I'd love for you to come visit me at Denise Speaks.

Happy Teaching!

Phonics Center for Blends

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 02 Jan 2023 22:41:00 +0000

We're working with a new reading series and I have thoughts. Sometimes I'm so completely overwhelmed by the amount of resources that accompany the series and sometimes I'm scratching my head and searching my files because they don't provide some of the most basic activities. Sound familiar? I'm on a mission to close the gaps. I need to add some things that my kids need while also keeping my pledge of "fidelity" to the series. It feels like an arranged marriage, but here we are...

So, what I find myself looking for is easy to implement center activities that are not overwhelming, can actually be completed independently, and provide practice for the skill set forth in the series. One way I've accomplished this is my word work booklet that I blogged about here. Another are these Chunk-It Games. These games are so easy to put together and really easy for the kids to figure out. Just print and cut, laminate in there if you like, and put them in a container. I like these double sided ones from Sistema, but obviously any container will work. I like the 2 compartments, but even one sandwich sized tub or even a baggie are just fine.

I love the idea of teaching the kids how to play a game or complete an activity that I can just change up slightly to make it fresh and exciting but the kids can rely on the independence they have from learning the basic structure of the activity. So this set of Chunk It Games fall into this exact category. The basic idea is that the kids turn over two cards, one with the blend and one with the rest of the word, they read it and decide if it's an actual word. Each game comes with the word cards, teacher notes, and ideas for classroom use.

I've created three games so far, L, S, and R blends. They're working really well for my kids, so be on the lookout for more if these seem like something you can use. Each game is $2.25 but I just bundled all three for $4.75. You can snag that bundle here.

Word Work for Any List! {On Sale Now!}

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 31 Dec 2022 16:16:00 +0000

This product may look simple, but it has been two years in the making. I created it for my students and have tested, revised, reworked, and re-tested over and over and I finally have it just right. It's become a staple in my classroom and has made center time SO MUCH EASIER. Let me tell you, I was struggling with centers in first grade. Mixing high expectations, "rigor" (don't get me started...) and kids with very little independence, below minimal reading levels, and pandemic babies who missed out on a lot of foundational skills left me frustrated to say the least. Not that this little booklet was the magical answer to all of my prayers, but it did help. A lot!

I choose 4-5 activities each week and my kids finish one page per day. My first graders and I completed each activity together over a couple of weeks before they saw it in a center. We did this instead of traditional morning work for a while so the kids could get the hang of each activity. I added a little clue, hint, or reminder at the top of each page and I really focused on that during the instruction and practice phase. I really think that helped them with independence when they saw the activities on their own.

When I taught second grade, they were able to complete most of the activities without much direct instruction. It all depends on your students.

This booklet is easy on paper and ink, fast to set up, lasts an entire week or longer, allows for differentiation, and sets up students for success and independence. The activities can be used with any word list, combined with any reading series or phonics list. It currently works with lists of 10 words, but if there is an interest I can make it suit longer lists as well.

Choose from 15 different activities that follow a familiar format but are just different enough to keep the kids interested and engaged.

This little booklet would also be great for homework or as enrichment work for your early finishers. Consider letting them keep a page in their notebook of difficult or interesting words and when they have a group of ten, they can practice them in a booklet!

Click HERE to see the booklet on TpT. It's on sale for half price through January 1st!

I'm Making Videos Now! Maybe Not What You Might Think...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 17 Sep 2022 22:29:00 +0000

I have taken a HUGE step in my social media adventures. Something I never thought I would do. I've jumped into video creation with both feet! I have always been someone who avoids the camera like my life depends on it. I have never liked seeing myself in pictures and I definitely do not enjoy hearing the sound of my own voice or watching myself on video. BUT I'm doing it anyway. I'm finding that the more videos I create, the more self-accepting I'm becoming. Now, I really don't know what I'm doing. I'm filming on my phone. The lighting usually isn't great. Wow, that's really making you want to watch, huh?

As I get older, I'm changing in a lot of ways. Up until a few years ago, I wouldn't be caught dead in a dress. A sleeveless top, nope. A bathing suit in public - NEVER! I'm planning a video that will go into the moment I had a little epiphany about these things, but long story short, my go-to outfits now are sleeveless dresses and my favorite thing to do is float around the lazy river at a resort hotel in my bathing suit. I'm determined not to be held back by what others may think of me. And that, my friends, feels pretty good.

So, if you'd like to get to know me a little better, come watch some of my videos. I've been posting a (mostly) daily video on Instagram covering a wide range of things from deep thoughts, funny moments from the classroom and my real life, and my thoughts on education. I've even cried a time or two. I can't help it. I'm the kind of person who feels every emotion really deeply. I've been teaching for almost 30 years. I've got a lot to say! My videos are not about my TpT products or how to get a Pinterest perfect classroom. They're just videos of me being me, talking about things that are important to me and other teachers I know. It's been a great creative outlet for me. I've also been experimenting with reels and TikTok videos, but those are definitely a work in progress. Some of my reels are pro-tips for teaching but the full length videos are mostly little talks about things that are rolling around my brain. I'm not quite sure that Instagram is the place for videos that are ten-ish minutes long, so I started a YouTube channel as well. Might as well go all in! My plan is to eventually post a little snippet of the daily video on Instagram and then post the whole thing on YouTube. But that has to wait until I get a handle on editing. I'm watching lots and lots of tutorials!

So if you'd like to join me on Instagram, you can find me here at SunnyinSecond. My YouTube channel name is Denise Speaks, and you can find me here. Man, growing a YouTube audience is TOUGH. I have so much respect for "smaller" channels now. I used to see channels and think, "wow, they only have 10,000 subscribers?" and now I'm like, "WOW! They have 10,000 subscribers!!". I currently have 15 subscribers and feel like that's kind of amazing. lol. Who knows what the future holds, but my fortune cookie last night said that my career is about to take off, so there's that!

First Day Fallbacks - Expect the Unexpected!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 06 Aug 2022 03:03:00 +0000

Whether you're a first year teacher or a veteran, those first few minutes of a new school year can be a whirlwind! I wrote a post a while back with some other ideas for those first few minutes, including things like Play-Doh and puzzles, which you can read here.

I know that sometimes your best laid plans of exciting hands-on fun can sometimes go off the rails real fast. One or two kids having a really hard time separating from their grown-ups, last minute new students, weird weather, talkative parents, late busses - they can all throw your fairy tale first day for a loop. I've been teaching for 28 years and there have been very few of those fairy tale experiences. That doesn't mean I've stopped trying though! But what I've learned to do is have a back up plan. Good old fashioned paper-pencil-crayon tasks that the kids can handle all by themselves or with the collaboration of their new friends. So for this, I created Welcome Back Packs for second and third grade, and now that I'm teaching first grade, I had to create one that I can use. I'm still deciding how I feel about teaching first, but after three years, I feel a lot more comfortable creating materials for my little firsties. Not gonna lie, I like being able to say "firsties". I never really found a cute nickname for my second graders. (Gotta take those small victories wherever you find them. lol) Link to Second Grade, Link to Third Grade.

So these packs are designed for the average kid to be able to handle without a lot of instruction or assistance from the teacher. That way when you are talking to parents and dealing with upset kids, collecting supplies, the rest of the class isn't just sitting and becoming restless or wandering the room. Each student will find a pack on their desk and a note on the board welcomes them and lets them know they can work on any page while we're getting settled. The second and third grade packs have a lot of activities designed around the words two and three, to amp up the excitement of a new grade.

Now for first grade, it's a whole different ballgame. Incoming first graders are basically Kindergarteners and it's WILD how different they all are. So for first grade I made differentiated versions of some of the pages. So, for example I wouldn't print out both of these pages, I'd choose the one that seems like the best fit for my incoming students. We're able to see some data on our kids before the first day. If that's not the case for you, I'd say go with the "easier" version and maybe make a few copies of the harder version and have them handy to give to kids who show the need for a challenge. Link to First Grade.

Same with these age pages. I consulted friends in Kindergarten and my first grade friends and got very mixed answers. If you think your kids can handle the forms of numbers mixed up choose that page, if not, then the page with the numbers in order may be better.

You know, back to that "fairy tale" hands on magical moment of collaboration and hands-on engagement from the first moment of the first day - some kids find that overwhelming. Lots of kids find comfort in the familiar task of sitting down and coloring, practicing their name, finding success in easy math tasks. This doesn't mean that I won't move those kids into the more collaborative tasks, but we're talking about the first moment that these little kids walk into a new environment with new people for the first time. It can be scary! Having something they know how to do gives them comfort in purpose.

I always have some instrumental music on in the background when the kids enter the room for the first day. Usually they start working quietly and then they start chatting with new friends and a nice little happy hum starts to take over the classroom. This gives me some time to individually welcome each child, help them put their supplies away, handle tasks like attendance and urgent messages. We have to tag each kid according to their dismissal and figure out lunches and all that fun stuff. And these simple little packs help me do all that. Seems too good to be true, but it totally is my first day lifeline. Once everything gets settled, we usually gather on the carpet for a book and a fun introduction and the first day goes on as planned. I can walk through what a first day looks like in my room if anyone would like to hear about that. So then what happens to the packet? Well, we put them in our cubbies or seat sacks and it becomes my lifeline for the next few days. Any time a situation arises that needs my attention, or we have a weird few minutes, a potty accident, or a special gets cancelled, or a lesson goes downhill fast, we can pull out our Welcome Back Pack and work a bit with our friends.

What do I do with it after it's finished? I flip through it with a student when they tell me they're done. It gives me that very first snapshot of a few things: effort, handwriting, following directions, basic math, coloring, and neatness. If everything seems on level with no glaring concerns, I let the kids choose a sticker for it and they take it home. I do not grade every single page or even make a mark on the paper. Now, if I see something concerning I will keep the pack, write some notes on stickies when I have a moment and then take a picture of the pages before removing the stickie notes and letting that child also choose a sticker and take home their work. Notes are very minimal, such as "handwriting - fine motor?". Just a way for me to make a note to keep an eye on any potential challenges. I don't put all my faith in this packet, it's just a very superficial first glimpse.

However you start your first day, I hope it's amazing and only gets better from there!

Five Ways to Improve Student Handwriting

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 30 Jul 2022 23:55:00 +0000

I've found myself become rather passionate about two things - handwriting and spelling. Two things that are so insanely important, but seem to get pushed to the side way too often. I'll talk more about spelling soon, but you can see what I use for that in this post. As I mentioned in this post, I couldn't find what I was looking for in terms of handwriting practice, so I created a pack to use with my kids. Today I'd like to share a bit about what else you can do to help your students become more legible writers.

The number one area to tackle is fine motor strength. If your students don't have the dexterity to properly grip the pencil, it's an uphill battle. It's hard to find time for this practice in the classroom, but it will probably help more than trying to force more pencil and paper tasks that are illegible. Consider involving parents in home practice. Anything that gets their little hands moving in purposeful tasks is helpful. Suggested exercises include using Play Do or clay, snapping legos together, stringing beads, using tweezers to move small objects from one dish to another, and squeezing stress balls, cotton balls, or pom poms. Everyday activities like cutting and coloring will also help build their hand strength.

Size Matters! Pencil size, of course. I interviewed an occupational therapist for advice and she recommends that pencils be kept on the short size, about 6 inches, about and inch and a half shorter than most standard pencils. I found this to be recommended in several other articles regarding children learning how to write. Some suggest even shorter, just enough room for the child to execute the perfect "tripod grasp".

The graphic above, credited to Flinto, clearly shows the natural progression most children take on their way to the tripod grasp. After some experience holding writing devices from crayons to fatty pencils to regular pencils, they will hopefully be able to use their index, thumb and middle finger to hold the pencil in a tripod grip a few centimeters above the sharpened edge of the pencil. I know some people can write beautifully holding their pencil in all kinds of funky ways. I've seen it myself. This is just what is recommended and may be helpful to those struggling.

I'm sharing some helpful items that were recommended by the occupational therapist I spoke to as well as tried and true products I've used in my own classroom. Especially notice the pencil grip. The wormlike foam tube we all know and love is not going to help if students are struggling with pencil grasp, although it may help students who just like the cushy feeling.

Teacher's Favorite Pencils! The amazing Ticonderoga. They've earned that reputation for a reason. They sharpen beautifully, they don't have plastic designs that clog up the sharpener, and you'll never get one of those weird ones that never seem to sharpen or have broken led inside.

Good Erasers. Nothing beats the frustration of a kid ripping through their paper with a crappy eraser. No cutesy character shaped erasers. Did you know there are five main types of erasers? One of the lesser known, but amazing ones is a foam eraser. It's so highly rated for clean erasures of pencil from paper with limited damage to the paper. You can see them here. They are a bit pricey, so if you get any discretionary funds or parent donations, they are well worth it.

Pencil Grips. Forget the foam tubes that slip over the end of the pencil, unless it's just for comfort. If you have kids who are really struggling, try grips like the ones below. This was something else my occupational therapist friend recommended. Link to the Claw Grip HERE and the JuneLsy Silicone Grip HERE.

If asking a kid to put pencil to paper sometimes backfires, try to practice in other ways. Fill a ziplock bag with some slime and have kids hold a pencil eraser-side down to practice writing letters. Try writing with their fingers on steamy shower doors (that's a home practice obviously), have them dip their fingers in water and write on chalkboards or sidewalks, try sidewalk chalk, use crayons, markers, whatever it takes to get them interested before the paper practice or even in between paper practice sessions.

When you are ready for that paper practice, I welcome you to try my handwriting practice pack on TpT, which you can read all about in my last blog post HERE or find directly on TpT HERE.

Working Handwriting into your Literacy Block

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 28 Jul 2022 03:04:00 +0000

Fitting in handwriting practice is becoming more and more difficult due to the forty bajillion other things that we have to fit in each day, but it is really important. Yes, the world is going digital, but does that mean we are going to just ignore handwriting and raise a generation of kids who can't write legibly? I sure hope not.

I've been searching for something to integrate into my routine to help strengthen handwriting, but couldn't find quite what I was looking for. So I made my own! The practice pack I've created has 180 pages of practice that all follow the same format: a short seasonal or content based rhyme to trace, then copy, then label and color. Coloring is optional, of course, but it might be motivating for some kids and make the practice seem like less of a chore.

I used a special licensed font to create this pack, so all of the letters should match the Zaner-Bloser style of manuscript handwriting. After several requests, I've also created two additional versions: Modern Manuscript (similar to D'Nealian) and now Cursive!

Here's a page from the first few days of school. You can see how the rhyming words are right at the end of each line, making it really easy for the kids to read and find the rhymes.

Now here's a page from further in the year. You can see that because we're now using longer sentences, the rhyming words don't appear right at the end of the line. This is a great opportunity to remind the kids to read through to the punctuation, not to stop at the end of the line. To reinforce this concept, consider having them use highlighters to identify the rhymes. I'm planning on modeling this with the kids for a bit until they pick it up on their own.

I specifically made these practice pages rhyme because I found that my kids really seemed to be having some difficulty with the concept over the past couple of years. Now this can be another way to work on that skill. You can also work in some mini-lessons on word families and spelling - see how wear and hair are the rhymes here but are not spelled with the same pattern? Little opportunities for a word work discussion are present throughout the pack.

I included a cover page for each month just in case you want to print out a little pack for each student for the month instead of keeping track of and passing out individual pages each day.

Get all 180 days of practice and cover pages for each month for just 12.50.

(it's actually on sale for $9.99 right now through July 31, 2022)

Click HERE to see it on TpT.

This year Im going to start off by using these handwriting activities for my whole class for a few minutes each day. I'm not sure what my schedule looks like yet, I'm thinking maybe when we come back in from lunch or those awkward few minutes that you always have somewhere in your schedule. As the year goes on, I may just move to having the kids who really need the practice work on the pages, or even just send them home with a few. It all depends on the needs of the kids. How do you think you might incorporate some handwriting practice this year?

I'll be sharing some more ways that I use this for more than just handwriting really soon.

Happy Handwriting!

Self-Selected Homework

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 27 Jul 2020 18:48:00 +0000

Hello Friends! I originally wrote this post in 2016. I decided to share it again now because it may be helpful for many of us who are entering uncertain times for the 2020 school year. Self selected homework could be a great way to get to know your new class, especially if you are starting the year online, as I am. Students can share their projects with the class through Zoom or Teams. Just wanted to make that quick note in case any of the points I wrote about in 2016 seem a bit off kilter considering the current times. The original article is below in its entirety:

I've made a really exciting change this year to my homework routine and I've been waiting to see how it played out in real life before sharing it with you all here on the blog. It's been about five weeks now and things are going pretty darn great, so here we go!

I've never been a huge fan of homework and I've secretly wished I could just not deal with it at all for a long time now. So, when I started to read the recent research that homework was not as beneficial as we had assumed, my curiosity was piqued. Add to that, I work for a progressive principal who has made it clear that he would rather not see homework in its traditional form at our school. I was a little afraid to completely drop homework without having something to replace it with, so Self-Selected Homework was born.

I calculated that assigning students homework took about 30 precious minutes of class time. Seriously, add up the time it takes to pass out papers or have students find the right page in a workbook, copy things down in an agenda, and pack up a backpack. Then add the time it takes for you to check agendas, even if it's only one or two students who have a hard time copying. Then add in the minutes it takes for you to collect, check, record, and pass back homework from the previous day. Don't forget the time it takes to plan, copy, and explain the homework assignment and model writing in the agenda. See, lots of precious minutes! We have a relatively short school day in south Florida - 6 hours. Really, when you take out specials, lunch, recess, and walking to and from different places, I have about 3 and a half teachable hours. Giving up 30 minutes of that so they could have something to do at home, seems kind of crazy, especially when you consider how different each child's homework experience can be.

So what's the alternative? In a nutshell, my students are encouraged to study things that they are naturally interested in or pursue hobbies they might normally not have time for because of traditional homework. They are then asked to bring in something they've made to showcase what they've learned. I know that sounds super loosey-goosey, and to be honest, it really was in the beginning. But now I've started to refine things a bit and communicate the changes with my parents. I was even recently asked to share what I'm doing with my faculty. I feel really lucky that my vision is being embraced and I hope that continues as the year goes on and I refine things even more.

To start with, I would suggest clear communication with your parents from the very start. Our Open House {Meet the Teacher} night is about about 6 days of school into the year, so that was my first parent communication. At the time, I had intended to just go paperless for homework, using some of the online programs we have access to, such as Achieve 3000, TenMarks, iReady, Spelling City, etc. As it turns out, we didn't actually have access to all of those programs any more and for the ones we did I needed to have the students complete the initial testing in class, so I had to make some quick changes.

I started talking to the kids about things they could do at home and I mentioned showing the action or setting of a story in a diorama. I quickly realized they had no idea what I was talking about, but lucky for me Crafty Carol over at Cool School has this amazing video explaining exactly what one is and how to to make one. Then I had some kids bring one in the very next day! Here's where I made a big mistake that you can avoid. I still had not clearly communicated my new direction to my parents and I started getting emails about not understanding "the diorama project" and asking when homework was going to start. So I remedied that quickly with a simple email. You can snag a copy of it in Word here, so you can edit it to to fit your own needs.

After that email, I felt like I was really committed to carrying out my new vision for "homework" and I was SO ok with that. You can see from the letter, there is a lot of choice involved. Students can still access online reading, math, and spelling programs, but they can also feel free to explore their natural curiosity. Have I had any kids choose to do NO homework project at all? Yes. And that's ok too. The research just isn't there to support the fact that doing homework will help them succeed in school, so I've totally let go of that notion.

Below is the slideshow I used when chatting with my faculty. You can download a pdf of it here. It may not make a lot of sense without me explaining it, but it might give you some ideas. I promise more blog posts really soon with specifics because I know this is a lot of info at once already!

A few disclaimers: I teach in a relatively moderate to high income SES school where we had the top test scores in the county. Add to that, I teach a self-contained gifted class. I have parents who hire tutors to help their children even when they don't really need it. I know this may be very different from your teaching situation. I never attempted this type of homework program when I taught in the exact opposite situation. BUT, I will say, when I did teach in the opposite situation, I still had parents who tried hard and wanted the best for their kids, however most of the time, homework that I assigned did not come back or came back done incorrectly because the parents were unable to help either because they were busy, faced a language barrier, or did not understand the material. Now if those parents could help their kids make a quick poster on something they know about, imagine the possibilities! Families could share their heritage, hobbies, crafts... it could be amazing!

I think a big part of the success I'm seeing is from how I help the kids present. I will share that in the next blog post along with some projects the kids have shared. There is a definite springboard effect in place and I think it's essential to capitalize on it. So stay tuned for that! In the meantime, check out my Instagram feed to see examples of my students' projects. I have used the hashtag #selfselectedhomework to make it a bit easier to find them.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to leave a comment and I'll answer the best I can or I will include the answer in future blog post.

How to Help When a Friend has a Loved One In Hospice Care

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 12 Oct 2018 11:48:00 +0000

As some of you know, I recently lost my father in law after a long battle with cancer. His last week or so was spent in a beautiful hospice facility and we are so grateful for the care he received and the kindness and support of family and friends we were shown during that time. Now that it's been a couple of weeks, I've had some time to process the whole thing and I've had some thoughts about ways that I could support a friend should they find themselves in this position.

I need to be clear that I never once felt abandoned by my friends or extended family. I was not sitting in the hospital or hospice wishing that someone would do the things I'm writing about, they are just things I wanted to make note of in order to make this process a bit easier on someone else going through it, because the truth is when you are in the middle of a crisis like this and someone asks "What can I do?" you often have no idea what to say. Looking back I actually did need things done, I needed a few things from the store, I could have used help with errands and household chores but when someone asked me if I needed anything, all I could think was that I wanted a miracle. I wanted dad to wake up. I wanted him to share a meal with us again. Have a laugh. See his blue eyes smile when he saw me walk into the room. That's what I wanted. My mind was so clouded with grief and sadness that I wasn't thinking of groceries, paying bills, or laundry. So I've gathered some ideas here to keep in mind if you have a friend spending long hours at the bedside of a sick loved one. If you have more ideas, please share them in the comments!

Texts or calls from friends and extended family helped so much. Just knowing that others were praying for us and sending us good vibes made us feel cared about and loved. Don't be upset if texts or calls are not returned. Often, things were super quiet and calm in hospice and I didn't want to shatter that peace. I was often physically and emotionally drained and couldn't imagine carrying on a conversation, but sometimes I really did want to talk and just get it out. Just know that even a quick message or text saying "thinking of you" could be the boost a friend needs to make it a little while longer. As for actual visits, just ask. There were times I would have loved a friend to visit, other times not so much. One thing for sure, I would recommend not just showing up. Things can vary from hour to hour. At times my father in law was sleeping so peacefully and at other times he was actually moaning in pain. Sometimes visitors were a welcome distraction, other times well-meaning visitors felt like an intrusion. Our sleeping patterns were all thrown off too, so we sometimes would doze off in the middle of the afternoon or right around dinnertime. It's a weird, emotional time for everyone. Just ask and don't take anything personally if a friend would rather not have a visitor.

We were lucky that the hospice center was near some fabulous restaurants, both quick and full service. We could quite literally run across the street and get a meal to bring back. There were a few times when the nurses would urge us to actually leave and go sit down to a nice meal. It was hard to do that, but we did a couple of times. When you are spending so much time at a hospice, meals become a real source of comfort and normalcy. We would bring back meals to eat with my mother in law and the three of us would sit at the table together in dad's room and have dinner together. Sometimes we would eat in the family room of the hospice, but the simple act of sitting at a table and sharing a meal as we have done so many times in the past definitely felt comforting but it also got to be quite expensive. Eating out or grabbing a quick bite three times a day plus coffee runs adds up. Find out where the hospice is and use a delivery service like Postmates, Uber Eats, or Delivery Dudes to send over a meal. Just text your friend and say "I'm sending dinner, would you guys rather have burgers, pizza, or Italian?" Then make an executive decision. Order some dishes that most people would probably enjoy and send it to them. Most of the time, your friends are not going to enjoy a meal with their usual love of food but they will be so grateful for your thoughtfulness that they will be happy with whatever you send. You could always be more specific and say "I'm sending dinner from Carrabbas, how does chicken parm sound? Would you rather have some spaghetti and meatballs? maybe a salad?" If you know several friends want to help, check out Meal Train. Friends and family can sign up for particular days so you know your friend will have meals on a regular basis.

Looking back, I can think of a few things that would have provided a sense of comfort had they shown up in a gift bag or special delivery.

• Fuzzy Socks - We would often slip off our shoes and try to get comfy on the couch or recliner. Standing up quickly to check on dad or making a quick trip to the bathroom or nurses station would have been a lot faster and more comfortable if I was wearing a nice pair of socks, maybe even the kind with little rubber strips on the bottom. Every night when we left, I would say "tomorrow I'm bringing socks" and of course, every day I forgot. If a friend showed up with a pair of comfy fuzzy socks, I probably would have cried. Well, I was kind of always crying, but still...

• Essential Oils - I'm not a huge believer that essential oils actually heal an illness, but I do enjoy their scent. If you've spent time in a hospital or hospice, there is a very distinct smell that permeates the air. It's not altogether appropriate to take out a can of room spray or perfume, but a dab of an essential oil on a pillow or even my wrist would have brought a sense of home and calm. I love the Now brand that you can get at Whole Foods. Amazon has them too, Jasmine is my favorite because it smells more like gardenia. Lavender, peppermint, and vanilla are also good choices. I actually have lavender in a roller-ball that I use for migraines, which would have been nice to throw in my purse.

• Eye Mask - a satin eye mask to keep out the light is a great idea. Trying to rest in a room with florescent lighting is not easy. An eye mask would have really helped. A cooling eye mask like this one would really be great to help soothe eyes that are swollen from crying. Throw some Visine in there for good measure.

• Cozy Blanket or Wrap - The hospice would give us as many blankets at we needed, but they were heavy and scratchy. I remember wrapping one around my mother in laws shoulders wishing it was softer, but of course I never remembered to grab a better one from home. A wrap like this would be a great choice because you can leave it wrapped around you when walking through other parts of the hospice.

• Hygiene Essentials - There were days we would be at the hospice from 7AM to midnight. I'm not ashamed to say that I would often just plop down in bed without showering. In the morning, we just wanted to get back there, so I didn't want to take time to shower or do my hair. Long days in the hospice mean you may want to remove your make up at some point or just freshen up. Some helpful product ideas: dry shampoo, deodorant, small hairspray, make up remover wipes, hand lotion, lip balm, travel size toothpaste, toothbrush, gum, mints, waterproof mascara, clear nail polish, emery board, tweezers. Something a little luxe, like a hydrating facial spray would have been nice too.

• Electronic Devices - If you know the kind of phone your friend has, consider a portable charger or earbuds. I have both of those things, but sometimes I would forget to bring them with me or leave them in a different bag. Sometimes my husband or mother in law would need them. I would have loved to have an extra set to keep in the car or leave at the hospice so I always had a spare.

• Snacks - Seems like a no-brainer, but a nice mix of salty and sweet treats would be welcomed by most people. Individually wrapped crackers or cookies or small bags of chips might be best. Fruit, nuts, chocolates...the usual yummies would be lovely to have in the room. Even if your friend is not a "snacker" it's nice to have something to offer other visitors. One day my sister brought 2 dozen donuts, a huge box of munchkins, some croissants, and coffee cake from the bakery where she works. We left most of it in the kitchen and wrote "Enjoy! Love, The Boehm Family" and they were enjoyed by just about everyone including nurses, cleaning staff, and other families. They were completely gone by the next morning. I loved the feeling that we were able to give other people a little treat in the midst of their sadness or their long work day (or night!).

Navigating through our hospital to hospice journey and all that that entails left little time for our real life. I was so blessed by my friend who teaches in the adjoining classroom. She told me no to worry about sub plans or my classroom. She offered to help my sub and make copies, etc. Not having to worry about my class was such a relief. I had a couple of other friends at school offer to help too. If you can step in and take that worry off of a friend's plate, you'll be helping them more than you can imagine.

If you feel close enough to your friend, offer to do some laundry for them. We were desperate for clean socks and undies and staying home to do laundry felt like such a waste of time. We would try to throw in a load of necessities when we got home late at night and hope to stay awake long enough to dry them. Laundry can be a little "intimate" if you don't know the person well, so maybe offer to take a load of essentials to a laundry service. Most cleaners and laundromats offer regular laundry service. Tell your friend to leave a laundry bag on their porch or in their garage and you can pick it up, drop it off at the cleaners and return fresh clean laundry.

Help with the house chores. Your friend may feel strange having you clean their house. If that's the case, tell them you're sending over a cleaning service. I would have loved this more than I can say. Many times people like to receive visitors at their home after a loved one passes and the thought of trying to get it cleaned up after weeks of neglect while you are grieving and planning a funeral is beyond overwhelming.

Offer to do the running around. The whole time we were at hospice, my mother in law's favorite watch needed a battery and she had some things in the dry cleaner that she was worried about. It would have been a huge relief to her if someone offered to take care of those things. You might think, who the heck would be worried about those things during that time? Trust me, I thought the same. But the mind works in mysterious ways. I think it reaches our for normalcy in times of crisis. Maybe focusing on those un-done tasks is a way to keep yourself from being completely swallowed in grief.

Another great way to help is to get some food in the house. There we times we just needed coffee, or cream, cereal - some staples to keep us going. Going to the store to pick up those things felt monumental. Offer to pick up groceries or use a delivery service like InstaCart to send basic groceries to their house. Just be sure to schedule the delivery for when you know they'll be home.

We all know it's not what you say, it's how you say it. I alluded to this earlier, but be direct and specific when offering your help. Instead of saying "I'm here if you need anything", say "Can I send my landscaper over this week?" or "When's a good time to have groceries delivered?". If someone asked me "When can we send a cleaning service to handle some chores for you?" I would have definitely picked a day! But there's no way I would have answered "How can I help?" with "Hey, can you clean my house?". When you are direct and specific, the person you are helping knows that you are comfortable with the offer. If you offer to do laundry or have it done, your friend will know that you are ok with the time that would take and the financial commitment you are offering.

Just one friend making a kind gesture like this can make all the difference for a friend who is going through one of the hardest things you can imagine. Putting these ideas out there and possibly making this time a little easier for someone makes me feel like maybe a tiny little drop of goodness can come from our great loss.

Until next time, my friends, be kind to each other.

What's Next Around Here?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 11 Oct 2018 03:44:00 +0000

A few days ago I bared my bloggy soul and explained a bit about why this little corner of the internet has been sorely neglected. Thank you SO much to everyone who reached out with kindness and understanding. It felt great to be back in touch. One sweet reader told me that SunnyDays was the first teacher blog she ever read and she was glad to see me back. That was touching. And it inspired me to continue on with my ideas for the future of this blog.

So what lies ahead? I've toyed with the idea of removing the "Second Grade" part of the title and just making it The SunnyDays Blog. That would kind of remove the expectation that every post would be teaching related. My problem with that is most posts would surely be teaching related. And if I'm not going to write about teaching what will I write about? This is the struggle. I don't want to lose my identity as a teacher blogger, but I want to write about things other than just teaching.

I certainly don't fit the mold of a "lifestyle blogger" or social media influencer. I'm not an outfit of the day girl, I have selfie-phobia, I don't have my own children to dress in coordinating outfits with ruffly butts and big ol' bows, which I think is too stinkin' cute, btw. My house is cozy, but very lived in. However, I do have a Rae Dunn mug that someone gifted me which makes me feel super trendy!

So if I'm not those things, what am I? I don't think there's a title for what I want to be, other than just myself. I just want to be a teacher who sometimes shares craft projects, book reviews, gift ideas, life advice, funny stories, my Teachers Pay Teachers products, and other teaching tips.

When I'm blogging regularly, I'm often asked to review products and share my thoughts with my readers. In the past, I would turn down many of these offers because they didn't fit my blog. But often that meant I was turning down the chance to try out a cool product, give one away, or at the very least offer a decent coupon code. You'll notice that I don't have ads on my blog and I never have. Again, I just didn't feel it was right for my blog even though they never bothered me on other blogs.

So really, I just want to break free of the self-imposed restrictions surrounding my blog content. I want to be an unofficial lifestyle blogger and unsolicited advice giver. I want to share my love-language of gift giving. I want to bring you along on my quest to find the perfect sweet tea and French macaron. I want to tell funny stories about my class and write about things that make me feel all the feels.

I also want to represent products that I believe in, from educational games and teacher tools to comfy shoes and jewelry. I just want to be me and chat with you, like I would with a friend. I'd love to know what else you'd like to read about. I've got a lot of life experience. I've faced loss and learned how to move forward. I have 25 years of teaching experience across different grade levels and special programs. I've been married to the love of my life for almost 20 years. I'm a sister, a friend, an aunt, a daughter without parents. I'm a class pet advocate - I'm crazy in love with a guinea pig, which was a totally unsuspected twist of fate. I have a little hamster too. And hermit crabs are moving in soon. (I can't help it! #smallanimalsareunderrated) I'm a crafter. I even used to have an ETSY shop. I do a lot of online shopping to find cute-ish clothes to fit my short and curvy plus size self. The point is, I'm more than just teaching ideas and I'd love to share all of me with you here through this blog and social media.

Tomorrow will be my first foray into this new territory as I share something that is very personal to me - how to help a friend who has a loved one in hospice care. It's a topic that is very personal to me, but I didn't necessarily feel it belonged on my teaching blog. You can see that this is like nothing I've written about before but it's something that unfortunately many of us will face at some point.

I'd love to really connect though comments here or on Instagram or Facebook. Shortcuts to find me are to the right, just above the four pictures that fall into the teeny tiny category of "photos that don't make me cringe". Let me know what you think about all of this. I'm open to ideas and suggestions and I'm so motivated to get back to blogging!

Where I've Been

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 07 Oct 2018 18:30:00 +0000

If you have been a loyal SunnyDays reader since I started this little blog back in 2011, thank you...and I'm sorry. Thank you for for your kind comments and encouragement over the years and I'm so sorry for the serious lack of posts and half-hearted "comebacks" over the last year.

If you're new here, WELCOME! Feel free to stick around. So happy to have you.

Whether you are an old friend or a new one, I want to let you know what's been going on and what I hope for the future.

There are several reasons why I lost my blogging mojo. First of all, I think it's kind of inevitable to run out of ideas when you are blogging as a classroom teacher because many of us tend to revisit favorite ideas year after year. Yes, we may build on it, improve it, vary it in some way, but the general ideas are sometimes the same. After seven years of sharing a Pumpkin Investigation, it's hard to get up the gumption to write about it again. Of course most teachers do come up with new ideas and add fresh activities to our school year because standards and expectations are always changing. I just started to feel a little stagnant, as far as blogging goes. I hope this is coming across the way I mean it. I love teaching. I just don't love trying to make the same ideas sound fresh and new year after year.

Social media is another reason my actual blogging has been slacking. It's infinitely easier to snap a quick picture, dress it up, and voice text a comment for Instagram, as compared to taking and editing several pictures, linking and crediting sources, double checking media releases, and then writing something at least several paragraphs long to explain a project or activity. And I wonder if that also goes for blog readers? Are you still out there? Would you rather scroll through Instagram for a quick snapshot or do you still have the time and inclination to settle in and read a long blog post?

I've also been weary about turning my blog into a non-stop advertisement for my TpT products, but I really do use what I create in my classroom, so it almost becomes inevitable. And to me that feels a little disingenuous. However, TpT is something that I've poured my heart and soul into over the past 7 years. It's the business that has allowed me to help my family members who desperately needed us. It quite literally put a roof over our head when ours caved in. It keeps our 10 year old cars on the road safely and it's a large part of why I can still be a classroom teacher and haven't had to follow other better paying career opportunities. I honestly like to read other blogs that share how they use TpT products, so maybe that's not an issue. What do you think? I tend to way over-think these types of things, so maybe it's not as big an issue as I think.

Another reason is more serious and more personal. My father-in-law has been battling cancer since 2010. We had lots of ups and downs but for the most part, he faced his treatments with such bravery and courage. My husband and I live about ten minutes away from my in-laws and we are extremely close. Instead of calling a go-to couple to go out for dinner or spend the day together, we'd usually call them. We spent a lot of quality time together and a lot of time just doing mundane things together, like grocery shopping and helping them around the house. Over the past year, his treatments started to help less and less and his pain started to increase. We spent so much time grabbing on to the times when he felt well enough to get out and enjoy life and then just being there when he didn't. We spent the last few weeks watching him rapidly decline and trying desperately to help. We stayed by his side and helped support my mother in law through his last weeks in hospice care. And we're now learning to navigate this new life without him. He wasn't "just" my father in law, he stepped into my life just as I lost my own father twenty-five years ago and we bonded instantly. All of our hearts are shattered, but we're trudging along as a family. Instead of letting grief swallow me, I'm making an effort to get back to the things that I once had such a passion for, including this blog and TpT.

So, where do we go from here? I have some ideas and a new direction for this blog that has been rolling around in my brain for quite a while. I'll post that tomorrow because this is already a lot to digest.

Thanks for reading, thanks for following, thanks for being a friend.

Bouncy Ball Classroom Craft

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 19:30:00 +0000

Long time, no blog! Ok, let's just dive in, shall we?

I've been teaching an after school craft club this year and we've done some really fun things that I want to share with you. Whether you're planning end of the year parties, indoor recess, fun rewards for reaching behavior goals or testing relief, these crafts might be just what you're looking for.

Today I'll start with DIY Bouncy Balls. These were a hit with the craft club kids and a much better experience for me than slime or floam (HUGE messes and high on the craft fail spectrum) My students saw the ingredients in our classroom and they begged to make them too. They were relatively easy to make and the ingredients go a long way, so I promised them we'd make them on Friday if I got a great report from a sub that would be covering my class the next day. Well, lo and behold, I came back to work and saw this. It was a go for bouncy balls!

My craft club consists of 20 kids from grades K-3. My own class is 18 second graders. In craft club I have another teacher to assist me, but I was able to handle it on my own with my class. If you teach real little littles, I'd suggest enlisting some volunteers to help or just doing it with one small group at a time. I highly recommend doing at least one on your own before jumping in with your kids.

You'll need Borax, corn starch, white glue, food coloring, and warm water. To warm the water in my classroom, I use an electric kettle. You could also bring some hot water from home in a thermos. It doesn't need to be hot, just warm enough to help the Borax dissolve. You'll also need some Dixie cups, popsicle sticks or spoons, and larger Solo cups or small bowls. I also got some small plastic cups with lids for the kids to take home their bouncy balls. A zippered bag works too.

This gets a little messy, so I covered the tables with dollar store plastic tablecloths that I could just roll up and throw out when we were done. Depending on how much you want to involve actual academics, you can have the kids use the measuring cups and spoons. I was in a hurry in craft club, so I did the measuring. In class, with my own students who I know better and are a bit older, I had them do the measuring. The amounts don't have to be exactly perfect, so they can for sure help out.

I got the idea for this from The 36th Avenue blog. I pretty much followed her directions with some little tweaks and notes from my personal experience that work better in a classroom setting, including doubling the recipe to make larger balls. So allow me to over-explain... Each child will need 4 tablespoons of white glue in a Dixie cup. I started out using a measuring spoon for this but by the end I was eyeballing it based on the pattern on the cup. Add 2 tablespoons of corn starch to the glue along with a few drops of food coloring and have students stir stir stir with a large popsicle stick or a spoon until it's mixed well. In another larger cup mix a cup of warm water with 2 tablespoons of Borax until it's dissolved. It won't be soapy, just cloudy. After the glue and cornstarch cup is all mixed up, have kids scrape the mixture into the cup of water and Borax. DO NOT MIX! Just have them plop the mixture into the cup and count to at least 15. Then reach into the cup and pull out the glue blob which should now be a semi-solid. It will be sticky! Have the kids roll the mixture into a ball using their hands. Make sure they give it one good squeeze to get all the looser glue to squish out. When it gets too sticky to roll, dip in the Borax solution just for a second or two and miraculously, it gets less sticky and starts to really firm up. At this point it will become a lot easier for the kids to peel the extra bits off their hands as well. That's pretty much it! Just keep rolling and dip if needed and soon a bouncy ball will be yours! It will bounce somewhat, but not like a Superball or anything. It's actually more like a stress ball consistency. As long as they keep the ball in a container or baggie when not in use, it should stay soft and squishy for a while. Reading these directions will probably take longer than actually making it. I had gloves for all the kids, but the mixture would seriously stick to the gloves and be more trouble than they were worth. After you start rolling, squeeze out the extra, then dip it back in the Borax for a second, the sticky factor reduces by 90%. You can try the gloves, but I found them to be unnecessary.

Have a ton of fun, my friends and keep an eye out soon for another great all-ages craft: salt painting!

Win a Year of Scholastic Printables!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 25 Feb 2017 15:49:00 +0000

Hey teacher friends!

I'm so happy to be partnered once again with Scholastic to share a resource I've actually been using for years. It's their on-demand resource site called Scholastic Printables. It's a lot like someone took the best parts of your favorite teaching resource books and magazines, digitized them, categorized and stored them for you. And now all you have to do is search and print!

A few years ago I went on a massive purge and got rid of years and years of old resource books that were just taking up space and collecting dust. It felt so great at the time to get all that cabinet space back but soon I realized that I did miss having all those resources to browse when I was stuck in a rut. Thats where Scholastic Printables comes in for me. I can easily browse through lessons by content, theme, or skill. It's been especially helpful for me when I'm looking for something to help me quickly differentiate.

Along with printable activities, you'll find a wealth of ideas and helpful tips.

Here's a little freebie for you to download. We're going to cut these out, color them and use them for our April bulletin board. Easy Peasy {Just right click to save or drag to your desktop.}

So, how do you win a year of this awesomeness at your fingertips? Just share this giveaway on your choice of social media then come back here and enter the rafflecopter to let me know how you shared. Earn an additional entry for leaving a comment about how you'd use Scholastic Printables in your classroom. Share on social media by pinning this post to Pinterest, or sharing this button to your Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook accounts. You must leave a link to my blog (SunnyDaysBlog.com).

You can also visit MY social media accounts using the buttons on the right sidebar and just share the image I'm posting about the giveaway on my accounts.

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Scholastic Printables give you instant, unlimited access to thousands of skills sheets, activities, lesson plans and more. These classroom resources are created by teachers and vetted by your trusted friends at Scholastic. Save time and money, and browse with confidence. To start your free trial, please click here.

Visit the Scholastic Printables official website.

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Smart Teaching Tips Contest with Scholastic!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 11 Nov 2016 04:00:00 +0000

I have been a big fan of Scholastic News for many years, so when I was asked to partner with them to share some teacher tips, some big savings, and a great contest, well I jumped at the chance. Teaching a self-contained gifted second grade class, I usually subscribe to the third grade edition. For the purposes of this post, I was sent a set of second grade magazines and I have to say, the extra materials and online resources for this edition has changed my mind. The second grade version seems to be a much better fit for my students. Even though they're all reading on or above grade level, the engaging format and rigorous text kept them completely interested in the content. In fact, Scholastic magazines are available in 30 different titles from pk-12th grade, so there is bound to be a version that is the perfect fit for your classroom.

Are you already a fan of Scholasitc News? Well then, how does $200 to spend at the Scholastic Teacher Store sound? All you have to do is show us how you use Scholastic News in your classroom. Share it out on social media with #SmartTeachingTips and you can win! As soon as I opened my pack of November magazines, I knew right away what my Teaching Tip would be. Packed in with my student editions was this amazing Big Issue! This is not something I was getting with the third grade edition. It doesn't come with every second grade edition, but it does come a few times a year.

We've already studied text features this year, but I find that if I don't constantly review them or refer to them, the kids tend to forget them a bit. So I quickly wrote some text features on sticky notes and had the kids work together to find them in the Big Issue.

You can always count on Scholastic News to showcase text features in a way that's totally relevant and easily identifiable for the kids. Having the big issue for this was fantastic, but it's totally doable with the normal size edition too.

Another great feature of Scholastic News is the wealth of printable and online resources that are available for each issue. This week there was a fantastic chart that took text features to the next level. The kids had to locate information from the article and then tell if they found that information solely from the pictures, the text, or from both. I loved this chart so much that I re-created a version of it for my observation lesson a couple of weeks ago, which went over really well! I let the kids work on it in groups, then we reviewed it together using the interactive page from the teacher materials online.

Then we went on to do the questions on the back of the magazine. I loved the thoroughness of this diagram and the fact that all of the questions were directly from the diagram.

And lastly, we used the skills practice game and my kids LOVED it.

For each text dependent question about beavers that they answered correctly, their dam grew a little bit until it reached the top of the screen. We played the two rounds that were available and they were super bummed when there wasn't a third round!

You can see how much we were able to do from this one issue of Scholastic News! I use it whole class on Fridays and they look so forward to it each week. I could easily break up the activities and use one each day with the whole class or even in my small groups. If you've been thinking about trying Scholastic News, now is a great time. You can save 40% on a classroom subscription when you follow this link or call 1-800-SCHOLASTIC then use code 2905.

I've got one more piece of news to pass along. Scholastic also has a print on demand site with over 20,000 engaging lesson plans and activities. I've also been a subscriber to this site for a few years myself. I pull materials from so many different sites when I'm planning (or many times on the fly!) and Scholastic Printables is always great for skills based, perfectly leveled, professional content. You can dive in and try it free for 30 days by following this link.

So, the three big takeaways from this post:

1. Share your best #SmartTeachingTip using Scholastic News and share it on your social media accounts. You just might win $200 to spend in the Scholastic Teacher Store!

2. Save 40% on a new subscription to Scholastic News using the code 2905.

3. Check out Scholastic Printables free for 30 days!

I can't wait to see your Smart Teaching Tips!

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Resources for a Great First Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 06 Aug 2016 03:16:00 +0000

Whether you're heading into your first year as a teacher, or your 20th, First Day Jitters are real! This will be year 24 for me and although I'm not nervous, per se, I do still get a slight case of the jitters. So what's the cure? Being planned and prepared. In fact, be OVER planned and OVER prepared!

Remember this is a whole new crop of kids who you really don't know too much about. They may be way faster than last year's lovies or maybe they are super slow pokes. You may have to spend some time with a little one not quite ready to say good bye to blankies and cartoons at 8:00 AM (It's hard, y'all!)

So I have a few ideas and essentials that will help you be ready for anything after that first bell rings. This is lots of years of experience talking - if there's one thing I know, it's that the first few days set the tone for the year. You want your new students to feel happy, excited, safe, and secure. This is accomplished by welcoming them with an activity they can start independently right away. Imagine being in your student's shoes. Maybe you're shy, maybe you don't recognize anyone, maybe you're just scared of the "newness" of everything. You walk in, find your seat, and...then what? Wait for everyone else to come in? Let your mind race as your anxiety builds? Start to get a little more upset when you realize your best friend isn't in your class for the first time since Kindergarten? Help ease all of those fears with a simple activity. I've got a few ideas that I've used over the years.

•Play-doh! Put a little party favor style tub of Play-Doh on each student's desk before they arrive. This idea has been around for a long time and some teachers who have WAY more time than I do actually make the play doh themselves. I hear that it doesn't take much time, but for me it's worth the $10 to buy it. I found a bag of 15 party favor sized tubs at Amazon here, but I've also had luck finding generic brand Play-Doh at Dollar Tree. (works just as well). Put a note on the board that directs the kids to make something that is important to them or what they did over the summer. You'll have lots of busy hands, relaxed minds, and cute kid chatter as they start creating. Sometimes I put little baskets of tools out on the tables - plastic forks, knives, cookie cutters, etc. This will also give you the first glimpse of their sharing skills.

I actually like to save this activity for later in the day, like after lunch. It's a great way to break up the day. After we create, we do what I like to call a "half and half walk and talk". I totally made that up. Catchy though, right? Basically, it means that half of us get up and walk around the room while the other half stays seated. Then the "walkers" casually stop and the "talkers" tell about their creation. Then we switch. We do this a lot during the year, so we take the time to really set the standard for acceptable noise level, appropriate questions, eye contact, and having an actual conversation.

• Handprint Puzzles. I wouldn't suggest starting the day with this one, but definitely make time for it on the first day. I buy blank puzzle templates (you can get them here on Amazon in pack of 24 for $12.99). Be sure to tell the kids NOT to break the puzzle apart until they are done tracing their hand and coloring it.

I always have a kid or two try to color each puzzle piece a different color, which kind of defeats the purpose of it being a puzzle - so I have an example to show them the difference. After they color the puzzle, then we break it apart, and seal it up in an envelope (I like these self sealing ones).

Don't forget to add the little poem. You can snag that here from Dropbox. It's the best part! Day one homework is always to put together your puzzle and talk about your first day. Awww...

•Welcome Back Pack. This little pack has been a lifesaver for me. I typically put a pack on the students' desks with a fresh pack of crayons and a fun pencil.

This goes back to my philosophy of giving the kids something they can do right away to take the focus off of their nerves or uncertainty. All of the tasks are things that can be completed independently but can also certainly be done with friends. I don't expect them to come in, sit down and quietly do a packet of worksheets. It's just something for them to focus on and chat about with their new friends. Some kids are naturally great conversationalists (for SURE) but some are not. Those are the kids I worry about. The great part about this pack is that they can keep it in their folder and I can have them pull it out and work on it when I need a few minutes of teacher-time during the first couple of days. You know, when you realize you never sent your attendance, or a new second grade friend shows up at your door in the middle of the day, or you really, really, really have the urge to do a one-on-one with a new little friend to see what's up. The activities in the pack are not-so-much All About Me so that they don't overlap with the other things like that that we all usually do. It's a great way to practice acceptable behaviors when moving around the room to work in other areas, like laying on the rug, using the stools, or enjoying other alternative seating options. I've got separate packs for second and third grade and you can find them on tpt here and here.

•Icebreaker Game Ok, this one is probably my favorite, especially since it got a fun make-over last year. It's a super easy to prep board game that will help your kids get to know each other. It was meant to be a one time game for the first day, but my kids asked me over and over if they could play the "fish game" so I couldn't pack it up for a couple of weeks. It's also a really great way to set the ground rules for acceptable behavior when choosing parters, personal space, taking turns, cleaning up, etc. You can find it here on tpt.

When I was gathering up ideas for this post, I found so many cute things that I wanted to share, but I feel like this is a pretty good start. I'll do my best to come back in a couple of days to share some other ideas. I'll be in my room most of next week getting it ready and then we officially report back on the 15th. Yikes!

Subscription Addiction - Peaches and Petals Box

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 14 May 2016 16:32:00 +0000

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I am a full-fledged subscription box junkie. Pretty often, this is what awaits me when I get home from work. It's kind of hard to hide from the hubby when they all decide to show up on the same day! I am in full on Treat Yo Self mode these days...

At my best count I currently subscribe to 9 different boxes. When I post a snippet on Instagram there's always some interest so I've been toying with the idea of blogging about them for a while but I have been a master procrastinator lately! However, my two newest boxes showed up this week and they are too awesome not to share so it kind of lit a fire under my lazy rump!

Let's start backwards and take a look at my newest box. It's called Peaches and Petals and I found it by cruising #subscriptionbox on Instagram.

This is not a box specifically for teachers, but this one has classroom decor written alllll over it! Each box is curated with a theme, as many sub boxes are, and Peaches and Petals totally nailed the "Let's Get Together" theme for this box.

The first thing that caught my eye was the set of paper medallions. It's a kit of six multicolored decorations of different sizes. Snuggled under those in the box were two sets of chalkboard decor items...swoon! One was a pack of twelve chalkboard arrows with rub-on chalk art transfers and a 10 foot chalkboard pennant. The pennant set is very cool. Each flag is double sided - black on one side and varied dots and stripes on the other. It also included little chalkboard circles to use with the colored side. The package says that both have write on surfaces and the pennant even comes with cute black and white twine for hanging. Tell me that stuff right there is not totally teacher eye candy! But of course it would be fabulous to use as intended decor for a get-together at home (which appeals to me way more than ever these days).

On to the rest of the goodies! The showstopper item is definitely this set of party tasting spoons. The set of six spoons comes with a matching plate to sit on. I've eyed up these spoons so many times when I've been out shopping and never actually purchased them, so I was super thrilled to see them in the box. Very often, I will gift some items from my boxes to friends or family when I feel like a certain item fits them. I had an inkling about someone who would love these spoons, but I'm not sure I can let them go!

The rest of the items included a cute set of vintage inspired cocktail napkins, an adorable mini cutting board perfect to put out at the drink station with some lemons and limes, a game of charades, and these adorable and super trendy chevron party straws! I was excited when I thought it was a set of four straws, but there are 20 of them in the box!

This totally is a party in a box. It's getting me in the mood to have friends over for a summer bbq! This box is ridiculously affordable considering how amazing it was - just $19.99! Right now you can still order this exact box with free shipping while supplies last. You can purchase this box as a one time item or subscribe for 3, 6, or 12 months. The thing about any sub box is that you never know what's going to be inside and some months are definitely better than others, but to me it always works out to be worth it. If I don't love or use every item, I have two sisters, a niece, and a ton of friends who I can gift unwanted items to. There are also forums where people swap and sell box items, which I am definitely going to look into this summer.

You can learn more and purchase the box here if it looks good to you! Next month's theme is "Under the Boardwalk" and I can hardly wait!

Math Games to End the Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 11 May 2016 00:56:00 +0000

Even though I teach gifted students I was finding that many of them lacked quick fact fluency for even one digit addition and subtraction problems. It's hard to teach problem solving, multi-step word problems, and critical thinking when the basic math foundation is weak. So back in November, I started creating games that I could use with my kids as part of our math block. I focused on games that I could put together quickly without a ton of cutting and organizing and without a bunch of little pieces I would need to keep track of. As the year has gone on, I've created a set for each month and I've been improving on the basic idea as I go along. I will most likely go back and add some things to the other sets over the summer because this final set that I finished this week is definitely my favorite! It's probably at least partl because of the summery flip floppy theme but also because these games are really appealing to my kids and covering exactly what I need them to focus on before they leave me and head to third grade! #sniffsniff

I still have to create a set of Back to School and October games and do some sprucing up of my existing sets before I bundle them, but yes a bundle is coming. In the meantime, you can check out this set HERE

and past months at the following links: November, December, January, February, March, April.

Hang in there friends, the light of the summer sun is almost at the end of the tunnel!

Earth Day Resources and Freebies

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 20:21:00 +0000

With Earth Day right around the corner, I thought I'd share some resources you can use with your kids with minimal prep. That seems to be my focus lately - minimal prep. That is high on my list of criteria for new resources lately, both for those I create and those I purchase. It's almost May. Need I say more?

So first up I have a freebie from my newest product line that I'm calling One Sheet Wonders. I was actually inspired by children's restaurant menus. They really pack a lot of fun stuff in a small space, so I tried to emulate that with these new printables. Of course I'm not actually using them the same way a restaurant would. I created them to align with the major subjects we teach in science and have been using them for the past couple of months. Before we start a new unit, we explore one of the pages and have some fun with word play, coloring, puzzles, and fun facts. It really gets them interested in what's coming their way and it gives me an idea of how much they know or think they know about our next unit of study. Since we've already learned about matter, science tools, and some of the other topics, I've been using those sheets for morning work. I also get called out of the room quite a bit for quick meetings and these have been perfect to leave with the paraprofessional who is covering my classes for a few minutes. So, if you're interested in the whole set, you can find them here. I'm currently working on a set for habitats, next up is math concepts and social studies. In the meantime, enjoy this one for Earth Day to try them out with your kids. Click here to download it on TpT.

If you follow me in Instagram, you're probably familiar with my Orange Board Question of the Day. Every day I post a quick little question on this easel. This week I've been using facts from this free set of Earth Day task cards. You can download them here for yourself.

They're fun discussion starters or even writing prompts. Before the orange board appeared, I would use these in those weird little five minutes here and there that are too short to really do anything and too long to do nothing.

I've got one more fun freebie for word work. I have a few of these freebies in my store for different holidays, so my kids are used to them. The good thing is that I get a chorus of "yays" instead of "ughs" when I hand them out. lol! Click here to download this freebie.

Enjoy and Happy Earth Day!

Resources for Teaching Genre

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 12:33:00 +0000

I try to teach direct lessons on book genres at the start of the year because it's just such a basic part of kids knowing about books and discovering what they like to read. My library is organized by genre, we discuss genre every time I read a book to them, we pack our book boxes with a mix of genres...so moving the study of genres to the start of the year just seems to make good sense. Plus it's fun for me to be all dramatic when I teach them how to say "genre".

I have a pretty eclectic mix of resources that I use when I'm explicitly teaching genres, but today I'm going to share a few that I found especially fun this time around. The first was actually something I put together a couple of years ago as part of my formal observation lesson. It worked really well during my observation and my kids begged to "play" it again. To introduce the genres, I created a four pictures-one word type activity to play together as a class. Considering it was the first time they were being exposed to the names of the genres, I used the slide that gave them a few letters in the right place to start. {I created three slides for each genre - one with just the spaces, one with a few letters filled in, and one that reveals the answer}

The cards are pretty versatile. If projecting them whole group doesn't float your boat, you can definitely print them for a literacy center or even an interactive bulletin board. I've just recently polished the set up enough to add to my tpt shop, so if you'd like to check this out to use with your class, you can see it here.

After we had a basic grasp on some genres, we went to town dissecting some Scholastic book order forms to find examples of them. They LOVED this. And I loved hearing all the discussion they were having about how or why particular books would best be suited to each category. It was during this activity they realized that sometimes a book kind of crosses the lines from one genre to another or has some elements of more than one genre. Learning this through their own discovery was much more meaningful than if I were to have told them. If you'd like the simple form I used for this activity, just click here to snag it from Dropbox. I also included a blank form so you can have your kids write in the genres they find if the ones I had listed don't work for you.

Another resource I love to use with my kids are these genre task cards. Kids read a little scenario about an imaginary book and they have to decide the most likely genre of the book. I love the versatility of task cards and most of the year these live on my Brain Builders wall, but we took them down and used them in small groups for this part of our study. You can find those in my tpt shop as well if they look interesting to you.

Happy Teaching, my friends. Until next time...

Free Valentine Bingo!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 16:31:00 +0000

So, notice anything different around here? How gorgeous is my new blog design!? Big buckets of love and thanks to Megan from A Bird in Hand Designs. It's like she was in my head throughout the entire design process and what she produced for me was exactly what I envisioned. I'm in LoVe!

To celebrate, here's a little freebie you might like. I made a winter version of this game and my kids went bonkers over it! The key is to play just a couple of games at a time over a few days. As my friend Reagan once said, "Always leave them wanting more!" She was talking about her math rotations, but for some reason that little pearl of wisdom just stuck with me. Also, I'm ALWAYS the caller. I have found that that minute that you turn the calling duty over to a kid, chaos ensues along with a chorus of "what did you say?" being ~~yelled~~ whispered after every word.

The kids create their own game boards by cutting and gluing the words of their choice onto the blank bingo board. I take a little time to let them make the game in class, but if your class time is limited, consider sending it home for homework. If your class time is super limited, you can just have them write the words in the squares on the blank board. With the winter game, we played each day of the last week of school during that weird 10 minute block of time most of us have that's too short to really do anything with but too long to not do anything with. You know what I'm talking about, right? It helped with behavior management too because whenever something was taking a bit too long because of a severe chase of chatterboxia, I would ponder aloud in my most thoughtful teacher voice, "hmmm I wonder if we'll have enough time to play bingo today?" and like magic, we were back on track.

Now to be fair, I did have some pretty cool prizes up for grabs. I picked up some smelly Crayola markers from Walgreens that were about 39 cents each and some random holiday trinkets from the party store. I also offered up some fuzzies that we use for our reward system and some sweet treats. Since we only played 2-3 games a day, I didn't go through too many prizes.

We don't have an all out party for Valentine's Day. Instead it's referred to as a "treat day" which makes NO difference at all in the way the kids perceive the day. They're kids. They're excited about handing out their little cards and packets of Fun-Dip or what have you. So I try to work in as much fun stuff as I can. Can I tell you how big I smiled when I realized we'll celebrate on a Friday this year? Almost, but not quite as big as I smiled when Halloween was celebrated on a Friday! Now that was Heaven sent...

So, if you'd like to download this little freebie for yor kids, just click here. In the product description you'll also find some links for my other bingo games.

Happy Heart Day!

Meet Frenchie!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 12 Dec 2015 16:38:00 +0000

So first of all, yikes! I have been seriously neglecting this blog of mine. Real life is a bit crazy right now for sure, but I also feel so connected through Instagram that I think I've forgotten the value of a real actual post that's longer than a few quick sentences under a hastily snapped picture. I'm not usually big on New Year's resolutions because I NEVER stick to them and then I just end up feeling even worse about myself, but I seriously do want to get back to blogging. Now I just have to hope that all y'all still want to check in with me from time to time!

So, what's new, you ask?
Well, if you do follow me on Instagram you already know this, but I have a new class pet! About a month ago, I adopted the cutest guinea pig ever. His name is Mr. French (but we call him Frenchie) and he was purchased by a friend to be a class pet in first grade, but she found him to be very skittish and shy and just not the right fit for curious first graders. Then another friend of ours took him home to be a pet for her five year old son. Turns out he was allergic, so little piggie was back on the market again. On impulse, I decided to take him in. I really thought he would just be a class pet that would live at school and just go home with different kids on long weekends or vacations. But that is NOT what happened. I fell in love with this little stinker and now he comes home with me every night! It takes a few extra minutes in the morning to wrangle him up and definitely takes some planning when I leave school if I had errands planned, but so far it's working out. I took him for a vet visit, just to be sure he was healthy and happy, especially because kids are handling him too. The vet assured me that he would be fine on his own for up to 3 days as long as he had plenty of hay and water. So far that hasn't happened, but it's good to know it's an option if I need it. It actually was a bit of a rough start for us, as Frenchie was super skittish and not used to so much human contact, but he's made a ton of progress. I'm planning a longer blog post with things to think about when considering adopting a guinea pig because they're actually a lot more work than I realized, but to me it's totally worth it. I mean, look at this cute little thing!

On another note, it's December 12 and there is not a hint of Christmas in my house. In fact, there are still several turkeys currently staring me down that I need to pack away. I have purchased no gifts, baked no cookies, have no lights on the house, no elf on my shelf. And for real, all I want to do right now is go take a nap. Instead I will tackle this house and at least de-Thanksgiving it. Maybe. Probably not. I'm in trouble.

2015 Room Reveal

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 06 Sep 2015 03:51:00 +0000

Hey friends! We've just finished up our second full week of school. I'm sure you totally get it, but I am LOVING the fact that we have a three day weekend! I changed a few things around this year. I don't have a particular theme, but I was trying to go for a more nature/natural look. As natural as a room could look with yellow cabinetry and fluorescent lighting...

This is the back wall of my room. Above the bulletin board it says #GatorRunRocks, which is kind of our unofficial motto. All of our tech stuff is on the back table under that board (laptops, printer, iPads). Then to the left is our Brain Builders board. I've blogged about that a few times. Here's one that explains it pretty well. I usually sit on that black ottoman for read alouds. Under the easel are some rolled up partner reading rugs for Daily 5 that I picked up from Really Good Stuff. The Fadeless brand paper on that board looks like wooden planks, which reminds me of a dock. Then we have the gator, the pussy willows, and tall grass. All very Everglades - fitting because our school skirts the edge of the actual Everglades! In my mind, the blue carpet is like a big lake.

I finally opened up my Silhouette Cameo after it sat untouched for a year! My first project was cutting the words Brain Builders for that gator I picked up from Hobby Lobby. At first it was a little frustrating, but eventually I got the hang of it. It's an awesome little machine. I really need to use it more.

This is the longer side of the room. The banner hanging across the window is from my set of bulletin board banners. I love how they make a little bunting when they're hung side by side.

This board used to be green. I always felt like it was like an old clinic green, so I was overjoyed when we actually painted it black! I keep my number of the day board here, so I was forever using a magic eraser to get the stray marker residue off the green bulletin board. Now that's not a problem at all. I got that chalkboard banner at Hobby Lobby (of course) and it was my second successful Cameo project to cut vinyl letters for it. The green pocket charts hold my spelling words. The copy/turn it in basket labels are in this freebie pack (along with my clip chart and trash tub labels)

Although not quite as obvious, the nature aspect is represented here as well with a rainbow!

I didn't get a good pic of this area last year. These are the two pieces of furniture I bought at Ikea when I decided to ditch my teacher desk and all my filing cabinets. These are both from the Kallax collection. This year I bought the drawer inserts for the longer piece. All my technology, document camera, printer, the laptop I use to connect to my projector are on top. Those black bins underneath are deep and hold a ton! The smaller piece under the black board holds most of my TE's and other things I need at my fingertips. I use the horseshoe table and the blue stools from Ikea when I meet with small groups.

This is the front of the room. Pretty standard stuff. You can kind of see the backpack hooks I hung under the board. BEST thing ever. Now I'm not tripping over them hanging off the chairs.

The front board holds some schedule cards from my friend Stephanie Stewart which you can find here. The clip chart is part of the freebie pack I mentioned above and the date cards are in my number of the day set. Squished in between is the amazing Word Superstars pack from Teacher's Clubhouse which you can find here. The specials signs above the board are just something I whipped up to match the rest of the stuff in that area last year, but to be honest, they eat up some serious printer ink. I need to revise them for this year, but I'm still playing around with a new format that will be a bit easier on the ink budget. Ounce for ounce, I'm pretty sure that stuff costs more than gold!

Not the best picture, but this board will be used to track my kids's AR points. It's from my Rock Star pack and it's editable so you can program it for your goals. This year instead of hanging it like a clip chart and using clothespins, I'm just going to use push pins to tack their name around the goal star for each kid. Once we get some name stars on the board, it will start looking a lot more fun. Can you guess where I got the painted canvases to the left? If you said Hobby Lobby, you are CORRECT!

This bookshelf was one of my first Donor's Choose projects. I filled it with these fabric boxes from Target. Perfect fit! Iv'e got all kinds of things in those boxes - math manipulatives, notebooks, supplies, etc. The extra crayon drawers are one of the most used pinterest finds ever! Read more about those here and grab a set of free labels.

My library! The smaller blue bins are from Lakeshore. They're great because depending on how you put the books in the box, you can use them for chapter books or picture books. The larger bins are from Really Good Stuff and have plastic dividers inside to keep the books standing up straight. The tree and branches are vinyl decals that I got from Target a few years ago. The burlap banner and owl are both from good ol' HL! Dang, I spend a ton of money in that place!

This is my new favorite area in the room. This is actually beautiful bulletin board paper from Fadeless. The leaf over the sink is from Ikea. Not sure where I spend the most money, there or HobLob. Which, by the way, is where I got the Zebra picture. There is also a monkey and giraffe in that series and I totally need them! The hermit crabs are in that tank. I've decided to keep some fresh flowers in the room and those beautiful sunflower from Whole Foods go perfectly in that spot.

In a small room, you use EVERY little nook and cranny. This little table from Ikea fit perfectly here. It's a perfect spot for a word work center. We also call this the "resource wall" and kids come here all the time to reference the part of speech posters, math vocabulary, coin chart, and some other stuff I have hanging there. I change out things as the year goes on. In my mind, I have a tpt product idea rolling around for this spot, but it's been rolling around for a couple of year and, well, it's still rolling with no sign of stopping.

So, that's about it. I didn't go crazy with new projects and decor, because I want things to be simple and uncomplicated. I mostly want lots of space for the kids to move around and work with groups or by themselves. I also really want them to feel like the room is theirs and they can easily access everything in it. My focus this year is making my curriculum meaningful and purposeful. My kids are raring to go and I want to keep them that way - engaged and motivated!

I have some more pictures and resources to share from Open House in the next few days.

Hope you all enjoy the long weekend! If you're anything like me, long days in pj's, coffee, and Netflix are on repeat around here!

Pro Tip: Hanging Heavy Objects Without Nails

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 21:51:00 +0000

I've been working on my room for a couple of hours a day for the past couple of weeks. I have gotten a lot done, but there's still so much more to do! We report for the first day of pre-planning on Monday but it's ok. I work best under pressure!

I just wanted to share this quick and simple tip with you. My brain does NOT work this way, so I have to give credit to my husband for this one. My dilemma was that I wanted to hang this heavy wooden alligator from Hobby Lobby on my Brain Builder task card bulletin board.

When I tried to hang it with just a push pin and the metal hanger on the back, it was way too wobbly for me. I could just imagine a kid grabbing as set of cards and having that gator bonk him on the head which is a huge no-no.

So Jeff came up with a great idea, that totally worked. We used velcro! But I didn't want to put the adhesive part of the velcro directly onto the painted surface of the bulletin board because if I ever remove it, I don't want the paint coming with it. So what we did was to first determine where he would go on the board and temporarily place him with push pins holding him up.

But nothing was securing him to the wall and it was way too flimsy. So we then stapled one side of the velcro to the board without removing the adhesive strip.

Then we stuck the other side of the strip on to the part we just stapled. THEN we exposed the adhesive. Then we pushed the gator into place which stuck the velcro to the back. In the end, I left of the push pins too even though it really feels strong enough with the velcro alone, but better safe than sorry!

The finished result:

The wooden alligator is from Hobby Lobby, I picked him up last year. He's our school mascot, so he's been just hanging around with no real purpose until now. I finally opened my YEAR OLD Silhouette Cameo and figured out how to work it (I KNOW!) to make the vinyl letters. Love how it turned out!

If you're interested in the task cards, I've got tons in my shop, but you can find the main bundles HERE and HERE.

Well, I'm off to enjoy my last weekend before we report back on Monday. If anyone sees my summer, can you please return it? I seem to have misplaced it and I'd really like it back!

Ice-breaker Idea - Blog Hop, Second Stop!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 08 Aug 2015 15:00:00 +0000

Glad that you were able to join us for the third annual Orange Ya' Glad it's a Blog Hop!

I am the

If you have hopped with us in the past, some things will be familiar, and some things will be new!

This year, all of our bloggers are focusing on free tips or ideas that they can share with you to get your school year off to a great start. Some ideas will have a freebie, others might just be a stand alone concept. The idea is to try and share things that will solve problems and create a happy and stress free first few weeks!

Today I'm sharing an idea for a fun first day activity that my team and I have been doing for a couple of years and it's always a HUGE hit. It's practically zero prep for you, so win-win! I think ice-breakers fall into two categories for most kids - exciting or terrifying. Your outgoing, verbal kids love them and get super into them. Your shy, introverted kids can't wait for them to be over. This one usually works really well for both kinds of kids. And it involves play-doh - what kid doesn't like play-doh!? I'm sure there are probably some, but luckily I haven't found one yet.

So, this is super simple. Give each kid a little mini-tub of play-doh and let them explore for a few minutes. Then tell them to use it to create something that they can use to tell about themselves. I usually model something quick like a coffee cup or apple while they're sculpting so I can start things off.

The explanations are usually pretty awesome.

Huge water slide on a cruise ship:

A girl and her family:

Baking cookies with grandma:

Pancake breakfasts on the weekend:

I love science!

Taking care of the dog:

Instead of putting each child on the spot and making them talk in front of the whole class, I have half of the class stay with their creation and let the other half wander around. Then they chat informally with each other. Then we switch. It's a great way to get the conversation flowing in a very non-threatening, fun environment! Sometimes you can find mini-tubs of play-doh(ish stuff) at Dollar Tree. So far this year, it's been a little hard to find them there. You can get this set of 10 on Amazon for $4.99.

So back to the hop. I'm letter

The letters all work together to give you the name of a type of orange! This year is a bit tricky...it's a two word name! **Hint: Starting on my blog and going through will give you the right answer!**

Once you've solved the puzzle...take a picture of the answer.

Post it on instagram and hashtag it with #orangehop2015. We love original ideas...so, do something fun with your image!

We will go through the pictures and select a winner.

Next up is another amazing Sunshine State blogger, the adorableTammy

from

The Resourceful Apple.