Weather Graphs!

Weather graphs to make your morning meetings easier!

 

You can find them in my TpT store https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Weather-Graphs-for-your-morning-meetings-2043719

Back to School Goodies!!!

Has your August been crazy, crazy, crazy?!  Mine has been zipping by way too quickly.  I wanted to do a quick post and alert you to some freebies  and new products that are in my TpT store... it may make your August a little less crazier!  (maybe)  Enjoy!!!

 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Birthday-Gift-Labels-Have-a-Bubbly-Day-2024357

 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Night-Before-School-Poem-2014023

 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Back-to-School-Backpack-writing-and-craft-activity-1989150

Classroom Behavior Incentive!

Did anyone start buying classroom supplies yet?  I spent over $200 last night!  Walmart is having a 10% back gift card for teachers if you shop from July 25th through the 31st.  This is only for school/office supplies I believe. 

I also have something for you to get you motivated for the school year... a new freebie!  Just go to my store to download it.  Kisses for Great Behavior!

If you need more ideas for classroom management, I posted a behavior game board back in January.  I also posted an individual behavior chart for students who need more motivation last month.  Just follow the links.  These are also freebies.  Good luck with all your preparations!

http://carolynclassroom.blogspot.com/2015_01_01_archive.html
http://carolynclassroom.blogspot.com/2015/06/planning-for-new-year.html

Planning for a New Year!

Yes, yes, yes.... I know we haven't even reached the end of June yet, however, I wanted to share a few things I have been working on for the new school year!  I even have a freebie for you!

I have a wonderful plan book that I use each year that helps me stay organized and  makes my life so much easier!  It's a life saver...

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Lesson-Plan-Book-1874133

 

If you are ready for a new theme in your classroom, I created classroom job cards for the wall with either an owl theme or a bee theme.  I use owls in my room and I love them, however a teacher friend just changed her décor to bees and it's adorable!

 

 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Class-Jobs-Busy-Helper-Bees-1911465

 

 https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Class-Jobs-Whos-Job-Is-It-Owl-Theme-1909909

I also want to point out the Look Who Landed in Our Class craft and writing activity for using as a first day of school get to know you activity.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Owl-back-to-school-writing-and-craft-activity-Look-Who-Landed-in-My-Class-1397788

 

I  make an apple tree that has apples on it with class supplies written on each apple.  The parents can take an apple or two if they would like to purchase materials for the class.  I have the apples all ready for you to print off and use!  I also put this tree up during parent/teacher conference week!  There is a picture of the tree on TpT.

 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Back-to-School-Supply-Request-1415091

And finally a freebie for you.  This is a behavior chart that I use for students who need a little bit of motivation during the school day. 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Behavior-Chart-1909856

Well I hope some of these ideas and products make your life a little bit easier when you are getting your classroom ready this fall!  Follow me on TpT for all my new products.  I try to post a freebie each month for my fantastic followers - a wonderful reason to follow me is to get all the alerts!  Have a great summer - relax and enjoy! 

Muffins With Mom and Donuts With Dad!

I wanted to make something new for Donuts with Dad this year.  I was having so much fun that I looked up at the clock and it was 1 am!  Ugh!  I then caught a few z's and went to school to face my wiggly - it's almost summer vacation - 7 year olds...  It's a good idea to have lots of activities to keep these little ones busy right up to the last day.... that's why I love these two special days in May...

I first saw a teacher/friend do Muffins with Mom and Donuts with Dad at my husbands elementary school.  I absolutely loved it!  She was wonderful enough to share her Mother's Day songs with me.  Over the past four years I have added things here and there to make it my own. 

The mothers have to figure out which picture is theirs in the hall by not only looking at the drawings but by reading the short answers and adjectives that are written about them.

 

 

 

The moms then get escorted to their child's desk to read the book that was written about them.  I try not to edit these too much.  I love that the moms and students will look back on these book and all the inventive spelling that went on as it was written.  I will help them spell words in their dictionaries to use - if they need  some help.  However, if I can read it, we call it "good".  I do make sure that they have all their punctuation correct, and no backwards letters.  I encourage them to keep it neat and do their best work... because our moms are worth it.

The night before I wrapped a six pack of flowers with tissue paper and a twine bow and placed them in the center of each table.  I have a classical cd playing.  We want our moms to feel special today.

 

 

 

Once all the moms are present, the children stand and sing a couple of songs to them.

We then move on to the next activities.

 

The day before the students planted Pansies into a plastic cup. 

 

 

This makes it easy to just drop the cup inside the clay pot that they paint with their moms.  Half the class paints while the other half of the class serves their moms muffins, fruit kabobs, and lemon water from a punch bowl.  They then switch places at their own convenience.  Here's a picture of the classroom the night before with the craft table ready and the trays waiting for the muffins.  I make mini muffins.  If you want a quick and yummy recipe for muffins (with only two ingredients!)  go here...

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/124271270942665647/

 

 

A couple of the pots that were painted...

 

 

Muffins with Mom lasts about 45 minutes.  I start at 9am and end it at 9:45 just when the bell rings for recess.  The students are ready to go outside at this time and it's a great transition that brings all the festivities to an end.

Muffins with Mom is one of my absolute favorite school/parent activities.  The mom's love it!

Here is a link to my Mother's Day book and wall display.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mothers-Day-Book-and-Wall-Display-1837521

 

We can't forget the daddies.....

 

Donuts with Dad is another great day you need to add to your school year.  Poor dad.  Father's Day is in June and most schools are out for summer vacation at this time.  So let's take a moment to celebrate dad.  My friend also introduced me to this fun day.  She keeps it pretty simple.  The dads come in and play board games, blocks, Legos, and puzzles with the kids.  They eat donuts, drink milk and o.j. - and have fun.

I have added a few things to make it more meaningful for my students. 

We do the pictures and the short answers in the hall and the dads have to guess which one is theirs.  The children make paper ties to hang on their dads' necks as they enter the room.  This year we are going to make books that talk about their favorite trip with dad,  favorite thing to do with them, something funny their dad did, and a day when their dad saved the day.  It all has a superhero theme with a cute little saying "Some superheroes don't have capes... They are called Dad."  Love it!  I don't have pictures of the special day yet, but here are a few pictures of the projects we are working on for this special day and a link to my TpT store if you would like to purchase this product.

 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Donuts-With-Dad-Superhero-Writing-and-Craft-Activity-1856845

 

As always ..... Have fun!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sliding into Summer!

Time to wrap up the year!
 We are finishing up our Journeys reading program this week but we still have two weeks of school left!  I want to share a packet I created to keep us learning right to the last day of school!  It reviews all the standards we learned this year in our Journeys reading program - but honestly... it reviews any first grade reading program.  Go to my store to check out the details of the packet. 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Journeys-first-Grade-End-Year-Review-Second-Grade-Beginning-of-the-Year-Review-1227267

I am also one of those teachers who worries about my students keeping their reading skills up throughout the summer months.  Students can fall a month behind during the summer months without practice.  I have tried everything to get my students  to read during their summer break.  Studies have shown that students' reading improve if they read to a stuff animal!  So I came up with my own adopt a pet reading program.  The students attach the reading log to the collar of their animal... Ya!  No more losing the reading log!  Also they actually feed their pet by reading to it and get to color in food dishes to represent books/minutes read.  You can also find this product in my store.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Reading-Incentive-Star-Owner-1132659

Have fun wrapping up your year!  These last few weeks can be exhausting!  Next week we are heading to the zoo for an end of the year fieldtrip and inviting our dad's in for a Donut with Dad's morning!  I will share some of the things we have planned in my next post!

April Showers Bring May Flowers!
 A new freebie for May!

It has been a whole month since I have posted on here!  I'm blaming it on our classroom Spring Program and getting ready for our IRI testing! (so glad the IRI testing is done - ugh!)

I am hoping to show you a few things on here before the end of school.  I want to share our adorable Mother's Day Books we are writing for our moms.  We are going to share them with our moms next Friday during our Muffins with Mom.  I will also show you some fun things I do for this day.

Another thing I will be posting is my Journeys Dictionary!  I could not write with my class without a spelling dictionary for each student... it makes life so much easier.  I decided to create a Journeys one that will have all the students spelling words, High-Frequency Words, and the most common words children need to spell.  I hope to have this up on TpT next week so that teachers can have it for the fall.

Do you do anything to motivate your students to keep their reading up throughout the summer months?  I will be sharing a program that I created two summers ago that really gets the students committed and excited to read over the summer and it is super fun!

Now onto the May flowers:

 

Here's one in a different color:

 

 

Follow my link to my TpT page to download this craft for free!