Making progress

A few weeks ago I posted this picture of our backyard:

Very sad and not a place to spend time in the summer. Well, after a long day of working and 3 trips to Home Depot, here's what We've got going on now:

We still have some work to do, but it's coming along. Need to add some plants and things, put the table together, and fix the vent for the dryer (in the second pic, the metal thing), but we're getting there!

I'm heading down to the garage to stain a barrel/planter. I'll post pics when I'm finished!

What did you do on your Saturday??

The Sky Fell and Some Awards

What a day! First, I arrived to school and found this waiting for me in my room:

Apparently, the team working on the roof forgot to cover it with a tarp and it poured. So I've spent the morning going through and checking out to see if anything was ruined. Thanksfully nothing in my room was damaged.

Good news for the day was I found our new materials for Reading:

I am so excited to get my new Reading program today. We are using the SuperKids Reading Program which is awesome! Do any of you use it? We are using it in conjunction with the American Reading Company, another program that I am really excited about.

If you use either program, let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions. I'd love to hear it!!!

Next, I was so excited to have received some awards yesterday from Michelle @ Smitten With First for the Versatile Blogger Award and the One Lovely Blog award!

The rules for this award are: 1. Thank the blogger who nominated you. 2. Include a link to their site. 3. Include the award image in your post. 4. Give 7 random facts about yourself. 5. Nominate 15 other bloggers for the award. 6. When nominating, include a link to their site. 7. Let other bloggers know they’ve been nominated.

This meant so much to me to receive these awards!

Once you receive the Lovely Blog Award, you must follow 3 rules: 1. Follow the person that gave you the award. 2. Link back to the person that gave you the award. 3. Pass the award on to 15 bloggers.

I am passing these two awards onto..

1. First Grade Fabulosity 2. A Teacher's Touch 3. A Year of Many Firsts 4. A Place Called Kindergarten 5. 1st Grade With Miss Snowden 6. Bainbridge's Class 7. A Teeny Tiny Teacher 8. 123teachwithme 9All That Glitters in First Grade.      10. Buggy About Learning in Kindergarten  11.    Darlin in First 12.   First Grade and Fancy Free  13.  First Grade Fabulous Fish  14.  First Grade Fresh 15. Fun in First Grade

 

Here are my 7 random facts about me from the Versatile Blogger award:

1. I have a bit of an obessession with all things Disney and have been to WDW over 50 times. I honestly think Walt Disney is one of the most interesting people ever.

2. I attended Iona College on a softball scholarship. I really miss playing softball as it was such a big part of my life for so long.

3. Singin' in the Rain is  my all time favorite movie and I have a massive crush on Gene Kelly.

4. My BF and I have started to take over and remodel the house I grew up in. It's been a crazy process, but I'm really excited about it.

5.  I am a trivia master and have won tons of trivia contests!

6. I buy WAY too much makeup, but I can't help it. I'm a glamour girl... :)

7. I love going to Yankee Stadium with my BF, but I really love following the team across the country and seeing them play on the road. We've already seen them play in Anaheim, Oakland, and Baltimore.  

Phew!

50 Follower Giveaway!!!!

I am so excited to have 50 followers that it's time for a giveaway!!!

The winner will receive all of the products currently for sale in my TPT store, plus a BRAND NEW item before anyone else lays their eyes on it! Remember, you gotta be in it to win it, so get moving and Good Luck!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest blogging for Falling Into First

Today I had the pleasure of guest blogging for Stephanie at Falling Into First.

Make sure you head on over HERE and check it out!

The Sky is Falling!!!

I pulled into the parking lot of school this morning and this is what I saw:

Then when I walked upstairs to my classroom this is what I saw in the hallway:

Apparently this summer they are repairing the leaky roof and have already started. It's super loud and dusty. Plus, we are only allowed in the room for a few hours a day now. So, looks like I'm bringing some stuff home.

Speaking of, here's a project I have lined up for the summer. My first year teaching I purchased these organizers for my construction paper. They look kinda plain like this:

It's a really great way to keep everything neat and organized. However, I have been inspired by Pinterest to take it up a notch with labels and some creative scrapbooking to look something more like this:

I'll be sure to show you how it turns out!! Now, I'm going to attempt to run into my room and pack stuff because I think the construction crew is at lunch!!! Have a great day!

Exit Ticket

I don't know about you, but just about every professional development workshop I attend mentions using exit tickets to assess your students. They are just a quick and easy way to find out if you kids "get it." Well the problem I had was that a.) I always forgot to make the exit tickets, b). the copy machine was always broken when I wanted to make some, and c.) even when I did have them or used post its, I felt like it wasn't exactly "going green."

So, I created my exit question recording system.

Here's how it works. Each day as my kids line up to head to lunch, I write a question on a small dry erase board that I have posted at the door. (Mine is from dollar tree...$1 woohoo!) As the students exit the classroom, they must read the question and then tell me the answer. Here are a few examples of the questions I ask the kiddos:

 Now, of course I taught my students that they need to leave the classroom one at a time with space between each other AND they need to whisper the answer to me so that other students don't hear their response. Once they give me their response, I record it on my sheet. I usually keep my recording sheet just above the dry erase board on a clip board for easy access. I have found that this is a quick and easy way to find out if the kids understood the material and to determine who needs to review it after lunch.

Guess what?! You can get a copy of my exit question recording sheet for FREE at my TPT store right now!There are 2 versions available: the first is for a class of 20 over the course of 15 days. The second is for a class of 20 over 5 days. I can adjust the class size to meet your needs, so please let me know.

Just click here to pick it up. If you use it let me know. I love to hear feedback!

Celebrate Good Times

The last day has finally come and I've already cried twice. I'm really going to miss this class. They were just an amazing mix of kids. Anyway, to celebrate the last day I'm giving you all a little freebie love.

(Hmm....don't know why this pic is fuzzy....errr)

I've created a project on TPT containing all the classroom celebrations we do in our classroom. Tons of co-workers and visitors to our school have asked me to write these down, so here they are.

Oh, and here are some pictures of a few of them...I'm a visual learner and thought maybe some of you are too!

The T-Rex:

 Clam Clap:

 Hi Five:

 Micro wave...get it?!

If you need help with any of the other celebrations let me know. Or, if you have any new ones that you want me to add, leave me a comment!

Student Gifts

Well, we are down to just 1 more day with the kiddies. I have to admit that I've already gotten teary a few times today. I'm really going to miss this class.

My co-teacher is almost finished making a little scrapbook with the kids pictures in it as part of their gift. Meanwhile, I took an idea from pinterest which I think came out pretty cute. I bought the straws from Target and the Kool-Aid singles from Wal-Mart. After printing out the cards, I tied them on with some bright green ribbon.

What do you think? If you like this and want to try it out, I got the printables here from It's All Small Stuff. Leigh did a great job, so be sure to leave her a comment!

Did you do anything unique for your class? I'd love to here it!

I'm Ready For My Closeup Mr. Demille!!!

I am officially a movie star! Ok, so it's really just a commercial for local networks, but still...I'm a star!

Bright and early we made sure we looked camera ready.

My celebrity pose...

Then tried to put things back up on the walls since we had taken most of it down already. Hopefully it looks ok on camera. Once the camera crew arrived it way kinda crazy. The kids didn't know whether to smile or be serious. It was kinda hard not to get nervous though when they were shining a huge light on us.   Overall it was really cute. The commercial should be ready in a few weeks. I'll try to post it online if I can.

Took a quick shot of the massive light they used for the commercial.

Now that they're gone and the kiddos are in gym, time to take everything down....again!

2 awesome giveaways!

Hey there blogging buddies!

So, two of my new blogging friends, Heather @ Heather's Heart and Stephanie @ Falling Into First  are having amazing giveaways going on right now. Head on over to their blogs to check them out!

Pete the Cat giveaway

100 Follower Giveaway

Both of these ladies are amazing so I think you should high-tail it over there ASAP!!! Have a great night!

Panic Mode!!!

So my co-teacher and  I just found out that since we are a charter school, they want to advertise our school to prospective families. They want to do it by filming a commercial in our classroom tomorrow....after we just spent the day packing up! Looks like we better start taking things back out to make it look camera ready then I need to figure out the most important stuff....what to wear!!!

Wish us luck, I'll keep ya posted!

Kids Draw the Darndest Things...

4 more days! I really can't wait for summer vacation. I need a rest mental and physically.

But first, let's pause for a moment and celebrate my Yankees who are on a roll lately!

On the way to the game...



Gorgeous day at Yankee Stadium


Here's a little something to make you smile if you are ready for vacation like me.
The students were asked to respond to the question "Why would birds visit a bird feeder?" This is the response we got:

I can't even begin to tell you how much I loved this response. Even though it doesn't answer the question, I couldn't stop smiling! I think the best part was that he even drew angry eyebrows!

Simply amazing...kids really do draw the darndest things!

Enjoy your day!!

Product review and easy activity

I was packing & cleaning around the classroom today and I spotted one of my favorite things I just had to share with all my blogging friends. I'd like to start by saying, I am not endorsing this product, it's just something I really like and think you will like too if you organize like me!

I purchased it last fall from Really Good Stuff. It's called the Store More® Wire Works Desktop Secretary and retails for $29.99. For years, I've used plastic organizers and stacking shelves, but nothing has been as good as this. I found that this is very sturdy and is much easier for me to use. Plus I find that it works really well on the side of my u-shaped table.

The file folders were purchased separately (and of course color coordinated with our room). However, regular pocket folders and binders also fit in each section. Underneath, I have my reading and math observation logs to write anecdotal notes as the students are working. I store them here because it's on my u-shaped table. You can also fit a binder or other materials there.

On the side are 3 cups for pencils, pens, and markers. I also keep some scissors in case I need some in small groups. These cups can be placed on either side of the unit.

I absolutely love this as it really helps me stay organized. I recommend it to anyone who is obsessed with organizing their classroom as me.

The second thing I want to share with you is a product I found while wondering the aisles of Target one day. I was trying to get items off a friend's baby registry and stumbled upon these cute little bath toys.I had a little "Ahh!" moment in the middle of Target and I'm pretty sure I might have said something out loud which caused people to stare.

These blocks cost under $5 per set. I divided them up and placed them in plastic containers. The students use them during Literacy Centers sometimes to create sentences. This activity is fun for students who are struggling or soaring in the classroom. They just love picking up the little foam blocks.

         

I hope you are able to try both of these ideas. As I said, I don't get paid to endorse either one of these products. I just like them a lot!

A Busy Weekend of Celebrations!

Wow, what a Saturday!
I spent the day running form one party to another and had a fabulous time doing it!

I started at my friend Jeslyne's Bridal Shower. She's one of my oldest friends and I can't wait to see her marry the love of her life in 2 months. Here are some pics from the shower thrown by her awesome sister:

 We played the game where you make dresses out of toilet paper. I can't believe I've never played this game before. The one I did was on the left...I thought it was pretty dang good!

 The  cake was absolutely gorgeous. I thought it was fake when they first brought it out. It was so perfect...and delicious!

The pièce de résistance was a Cosmo Fountain! This was at the end of the party when it was running low, because I was too excited to have some that I forgot to snap a pic!

After the shower, I ran home to pick up Mr. A so we could go to party #2. I found him fast asleep. Apparently, when I was at the shower, he was busy chopping down more trees in the yard.

The yard is starting to come along. It already looks much bigger! 

Finally, I pulled him off the couch and we headed to our friend's 30th birthday party my BFF Laura was throwing. He was so surprised! She did an amazing job on the center pieces and even hand painted the little baseballs.

And even though I am NOT, I repeat, am NOT a Mets fan, this cake her cousin Maria made was absolutely the most amazing cake I've ever seen. She really is super talented!

Overall, it was an great day filled with lots of fun, family, food, & drinks. 

Hope everyone has a great time celebrating Father's Day today!

New Look & Linky Party!

First, I am super excited to show everyone my newly redesigned blog. I love everything out my blog now...especially my little teaching alter-ego at the top. Isn't she so cute and sassy??!! LOVE IT!

Feel free to grab my button and add it to your blog, let me know and I'll add yours to mine!

Second, I found an amazing blog called Falling Into First. It has some awesome ideas and I just love her organization. You can check her page out here:

Falling Into First

Then, when I was on this super site I saw she was having a linky party, so I joined in!

The question is What is my educational must do for this summer?

Now comes the hard part, what is the ONE this I really want to do this summer? Seeing as I have like a thousand pins and about 800 of them are for teaching, this is going to be tough. But I think I'm going to go with this Focus Wall for Envisions Math:

http://k6math.rusd.k12.ca.us/focus_wall_pics.htm

I pinned it vis Cheryl Saoud @ Primary Graffiti. Unfortunately, I can't figure out where the printables and things are. I'm thinking I might just make a whole set myself. Hmmmm....future TPT project???!!

Anyway, I'm super excited to try this out. It's one of 37 projects I have planned for the summer. 

sitting at my desk

7 more days and boy am I ready for vacation! I already made some cute little gifts for my co-teacher and the girls I was mentoring this year. I'll post them next week after I give them their gifts in case they are snooping around my blog (cough cough Dalyn!).

It's just about time to start packing up my classroom. Probably my least favorite thing to do since I have so much STUFF. I was sitting at my desk and noticed my organizer. I made it from a tool box I bought at Lowe's.

Don't you love it? The colors go perfectly with the classroom. I definitely want to add more colors like this to our room next year. It's very peaceful. Plus, I added some bees and flowers which help incorporate out bee theme without being too cartoonish.

If you want to make one like this here is what you need:

• Lowe's organizer (for nails and hardware)
• cardstock/scrap paper (mine was adhesive so I didn't need glue)
• hot glue gun*
• clear labels
• 3D stickers

Once you have your supplies, it's super easy.

1. Cut strip of cardstock to size of each drawer.
2. Stick cardstock to drawers.
3. Print labels.
4. Add stickers.
5. Fill with all your fun stuff!

Told ya it was easy! Good luck making one for your classroom. If you do, send me a pic!

Oh, one more thing. The other day I posted some pictures of our backyard before we started to cut down trees and stuff. Well, I came home yesterday to this:

The bf took out all the hedges with a chainsaw! I have to say, the yard looks SOOO much bigger now. Plus it will a lot easier to paint the house. We are debating whether to add river rocks or mulch to the area once we dig up the roots. If you have any suggestions, let me know!

Hope you all have a great day!

Summer Bucket List Linky Party

9 days until summer vacation starts! WooHoo!!! I'm linking up with a bunch of other teachers to create my bucket list for this summer. Thanks to pinterest and my fave blog friends, I have alot to do!

This summer I want to make:

"Guide to My Life" organization binder

Complete and total organization binder

Cool painted bottles

For my classroom I want to copy:

writing center organization

PVC Pipe Pocket Chart

I want to visit:

Horseshoe Bay Bermuda

and make my yearly pilgrimage.....

Most importantly, I want to add a bunch of units to my TPT store!

TPT

Summer Bucket List Linky Party