Sunday, December 30, 2012

Night Before New Year's Activity Pack

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with your families. We had a great time with ours at home and now I'm out of town visiting my grandparents.  Loving it!!  

I have finished my Night Before New Year's January Activity Pack and it has a lot of fun activities.  This pack was inspired by The Night Before New Year's by Natasha Wing.  I will read this story to my kiddos as soon as we get back. They love her stories. 

Here is a look at what you will get in my newest pack:



The *first three people* who leave me a comment will get this pack for free!!  Just leave your email address and let me know what your favorite Christmas gift was. I'd love to hear about it!  :)

A couple of my favorite gifts were Pride and Prejudice (one of my all time favorite movies) and my waffle maker. Yummy!! 

If you're not one of the first 3 to receive my new pack for free it will be on sale in my TpT store until New Year's Day so snag it up! 

Happy New Year's!  

Friday, December 21, 2012

Reindeer, Ornaments, and a Winter Sale

It's here!  I'm finally on Christmas break!  Woohoo!!  :)

My kiddos were great this week considering everything going on, but it is nice to know that I can stay up late and sleep in for two whole weeks.   

I'm waiting on my hubby to go finish up our Christmas shopping.  I can't believe we have to go out tonight with all the craziness and the weather, but I'd rather do it tonight than tomorrow.  

While I'm waiting I wanted to show you my day in pictures:

These reindeer came from Just Wild About Teaching and my kiddos loved them!  The reindeer facts page came from my Night Before Christmas Activity Pack.  



 These are the quick, made up on the fly cute ornaments we made to send home as gifts today.  I saw something similar on Pinterest, but realized I didn't have the poms to decorate it as they did so I used glitter.  I also wanted to add their picture so we put them on the trunks with the year.  That's okay for first grade, right?  Parents love anything their kiddos make...at least that's what I keep telling myself!  :)


I got several gifts today from my kiddos, but this one I had to share with you.  The little boy that gave me this silverware could not be any cuter.  He is absolutely adorable and is so kind and sweet.  Well, earlier this week we were working on our Christmas present writings that I posted about a couple days ago.  I was trying to give them ideas of what to write about without them wanting to copy my idea so I told them a story.  I call my husband 'Hubby Bubby' and my kids think that is hilarious.  Well, Hubby Bubby has lost some of my forks and now when we sit down to dinner it sometimes takes us awhile to find enough forks to eat with so I told my kiddos that I needed new silverware for Christmas.  This sweet little boy obviously told his mom that so today I received two packages of silverware in our school colors.  It's such a thoughtful gift.  I emailed his mom after school and told her I loved them!  :)  

I think I am going to give them to Hubby Bubby and tell him that those are the only forks he can use!  :)

Don't forget about the Welcome Winter Sale!  My TpT store and lots of others are throwing a 20% off sale this weekend.  

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!  

I'm off to finish shopping and then Hubby Bubby and I are going out to dinner thanks to some wonderful parents who gave me some gift cards today!  :)

Welcome Winter Sale!

Casey at Second Grade Math Maniac is throwing a Welcome Winter Sale this weekend!  Check out her blog for lots of TpT stores on sale.  

There are some great winter activities and you can get 20% off!  Click on the picture to go to my TpT store.  


My Snow Day Fun- Literacy and Math Pack would be a great addition for the winter months!  My kiddos LOVED having a snow day last year.  




Hope you get lots of goodies this weekend!  Enjoy your Christmas break!!  :)

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Christmas Fun and the End of the World

We are all ready for Christmas in our room!  We have been working hard writing about what we want to give others for Christmas.  

It's easy to write about what we want for Christmas so we decided to write about what we want to give the people we love for Christmas.  

First we came up with some ideas of what we could give our friends and family.  We discussed that just because you want a new bike doesn't mean that mom will want a new bike!  :)  

Here is the class book we made from my Night Before Christmas Activity Pack





Then we wrote about what we could give someone we love for Christmas that doesn't cost any money!  That was tough for some of my kiddos.  Some of them thought of really sweet things.  

My kiddos wrote on a paper that I created in my Night Before Christmas Activity Pack and then I covered it with wrapping paper (their choice of color and pattern of course), bow, and gift tag to make it look like a real present.  

We placed our presents under our Christmas tree.  I got this idea from the wonderful teacher I did my student teaching with.  Here's a couple pictures: 



I told my kiddos that last weekend I spent a lot of time baking and one of the goodies we made were buckeyes.  If you're on Ohioan you already know what these are!  It's peanut butter dipped in chocolate to look like a buckeye and they are delicious!  This girl was excited about giving some buckeyes.  :)

I hope your kiddos are enjoying their last few days before break.  I know we're having lots of fun!  

My kiddos still haven't brought up the Connecticut tragedy, but we did have to discuss the end of the world on Friday.  Apparently the 'big kids' were talking about the blackout that's going to happen on Friday this morning on the bus and that really scared some of my kiddos.  
I told them that NASA says we're safe and we're going to believe them!  

I was/am prepared to discuss the Connecticut tragedy if/when it comes up.  I was not prepared to discuss the end of the world.  I think I reassured them that we would be okay, but I think they're still worried about missing Christmas!!   :)

Monday, December 17, 2012

Snow Day Fun- Literacy and Math Pack

Last year we did not get a snow day and my kiddos were kinda sad about it so at the end of the school year we decided to create our own snow day.  They had soooo much fun!  

It happened in May when the weather was over 80 degrees, but it was a great way to take our minds off the heat.  We had a snowball fight, made snow cones, and spent a lot of time reviewing first grade skills.  

This year I've decided to add to my Snow Day Fun Pack by creating a nonfiction animal fact book and an animal report.  My kiddos love making class books.  This book they each get to make so they will be so excited to each have their own.  I plan on doing this with my kiddos in January this year....or when it finally starts to snow!  

I've got a snapshot of most of the pages here, but this doesn't include everything.  Click here to see a couple new pics at my TpT store.  
 Click on the cover page to go to my TpT store and purchase this pack!

Here is a snapshot of most of the pages included in this pack. 

As with all new and updated TpT items, I will *give away 3* to the first 3 people who leave a comment and an email address.  

I would love to hear how your day went today.  My kiddos never brought up the Connecticut shootings.  I was prepared with an activity if they did and I'll hold on to it in case it comes up later this week, but today there was no mention of it in my room.  

I did tell my kiddos I loved them as they walked out the door.  I usually do.  Right or wrong I love those kids and I want them to know that.  One of the teachers I did my student teaching with told her kiddos she loved them all the time.  At first I thought that was kind of strange because they weren't her biological children.  

Now I get it.  

I'm so glad she told them that.  They needed to hear it, but even more importantly I needed to hear it.  

I know my students have moms and dads at home, but I can still love them and cherish the time I have with them.  

I tell my kiddos we are a big family and while we may not always get along and will sometimes need a break from each other we will always love and respect one another.  

A mom of one of my kiddos came in today to listen to some of my kids read.  She's a great mom and we talked for a few minutes when she got there.  She started crying immediately.  I held up for the first few minutes, but then told her I had to stop because I didn't want the kids to see me crying.  

I reassured her that we have a plan in place in case of an emergency and that the kids know what to do.  We had a police assisted lock-down on Thursday.  I'm glad it was before the Connecticut tragedy.  

I mentioned that I was so happy that all of my kiddos were there today because I expected to have a few out.  She said she really wanted her child to be there and not be afraid of school.  He assured her that he wasn't afraid.  No parent should have to worry that their first grader is afraid to come to school because of violence.  

I'm glad he feels safe.  I hope he always does.  I hope he and all of my other students NEVER experience any sort of tragedy suffered by those in Newtown.  I hope they continue to love school and feel safe, respected, and loved inside those walls.  

I promise to do everything I can to make that happen this year.  

I love my kiddos.  I will tell them that every day so there is no doubt that someone loves them.  

I'm glad my student teacher told her kiddos she loved them.  She was right.  She did love her students and they absolutely needed to hear it.  So did I.  

Friday, December 14, 2012

Fantabulous Friday Freebies- With Love and Prayers!

My heart is broken over the sad news from Sandy Hook Elementary School.  I am in tears even as I type.  My weekend will be full of Christmas shopping, baking cookies, and wrapping presents while families in Connecticut are mourning the loss of their children, students, teachers, administrators, and friends.  

I'm at a loss for words.  All I can say is that I am praying for all of the families affected by this tragedy.  I can't even imagine the pain and sorrow they feel.  

We had a practice lockdown with police yesterday and that made some of my kids nervous.  I can't imagine the horror those kids felt and saw today in Connecticut.  My heart is just breaking.  

I had already typed the following post so I will share it with you because I found some more great freebies, but I now share them with a heavy heart....

Only one more week before Christmas Break!!  Next week we will be doing some Christmas review activities and I found these great freebies from some fabulous sellers on TpT so I had to share them for this week's Fantabulous Friday Freebies!  

Click the pictures to go download them.  If you download them, make sure you show your thanks.  :)


This is a great review of double digit addition and subtraction...and it's cute!  :)

This is a cute Christmas penguin craftivity!

We are celebrating Christmas Around the World next week and I'm teaching about Christmas in Australia.  I found this adorable Snow Globe Santa and I'm so excited!  Isn't he cute?!?!

My kiddos already made these gingerbread fact family  houses and loved them!  It was a great review of fact families.  

These aren't specifically Christmas, but I love these snow globe organizers!  They can be used all winter!  :)

Hope you can enjoy some of these freebies! 

If you're done with school I hope you're enjoying your time off!  If you have one more week left like me, good luck!!  :)

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Night Before Christmas Activity Pack

I wanted to get my Night Before Christmas Activity Pack finished back at the end of November, but that didn't happen. I did finally get it finished over the weekend though!  

Better late than never I guess!

Here is a preview of what's in it:



I have created a couple of the activities in this pack based on the story The Night Before the Night Before Christmas by Natasha Wing.  My kiddos love her stories and they're so fun to read!

The book isn't necessary for this pack, but it would be a great addition!  

The greatest thing about this activity pack is that it doesn't require any cutting or laminating.  My kiddos have already used most of these activities and loved them!  They're all just ready to be printed!

Included is a class book which my kiddos LOVED to make and reread!  We wrote about what gifts we would like to buy for someone we love.  I have a basket in my classroom library devoted just to books we create as a class.  It's a favorite basket!

I'll give this pack away for free to the first *5 people* who leave a comment with their email address and share their favorite December activity!  

Hope your kiddos enjoy it!  

Thursday, December 6, 2012

A Late December Currently

How late is too late to do a Currently from Oh' Boy Fourth Grade?

I have been meaning to do this all week, but then this happened and that happened and I had this meeting and then I had to go here and then do this....you get the picture.  I'm sure your life is just as busy!  

Here's my December Currently!


Hubby and I found Prison Break on Netflix and we are so hooked!  It's so good!  

I'm so excited that there are only 2 more weeks until Christmas break.  I need a break!  I do need to get all of my kiddos' gifts ready though and all of my presents under my tree need wrapped!  Lots to do!  

This weekend I'll be finishing up my final Master's project and then I'll be all done!  SOOO excited about this one!  

My RAK will be coming up soon.  I have a full time aide in my classroom for one of my students and she has been an amazing helper this year so my kiddos have a surprise planned for her!  

Click here to go link up for your December Currently.  

I don't want to be the last one!  :)