HearALL Assessment Recorder Giveaway!

An AWESOME giveaway is taking place!  Teaching with Love & Laughter is going to be giving away a "MUST HAVE" HearALL Assessment Recorder, thanks to Learning Recources.  Head over to her blog site and sign up for your chance to win this AMAZING and engaging resource.

Good Luck!!

Teaching With Love & Laughter

Hip, Hip, Hooray! Another Giveaway!

CONGRATULATIONS to "Once Upon A First Grade Adventure"....she is celebrating with a giveaway!  Head over to her blog and enter to win 1 of her creations!  She has so many great ones to choose from, but I know you will find the one just right for YOU!  

End of the Year & Summer Bucket List

I have seen some or your Summer Bucket Lists and have decided to create one for myself. :)  Although I haven't created it yet, I do know that classroom organization will be high on my list!  I was over at Create-Teach-Share's blog site and saw some cute things I want to make for my classroom.   I love the 22-drawer organizer idea    to store lots of  "little" extras like pens, highlighters, brads, staples, mini post-it-notes, etc.


I am also going to be sure and add something about trying a new recipe for the family at least once a week.

For now, I have 9 days of school left to finish up our "Rainforest Unit."  Our classroom is being transformed as we learn about each layer. We are currently learning about the canopy layer and what animals make this layer their home.  I really love teaching about the Rainforest and have decided that this will be my first unit I put together to sell on TPT/Teacher's Notebook.  I try to cover everything from geography/map skills to habitats, animals/animal reports/butterfly & frog life cycles, conservation/recycling, products from the rainforest, and more.   I will post some pictures when we are finished.  For now, I need to get back to report cards and planning out the last week of school.  I hope everyone makes the most of their end of the year activities.  I was reading an article on Edutopia that explained student's behavior as a direct correlation to teachers planning and activities at the end of the year.  In other words....Students NEED routine....yet, so many teachers disrupt student's routine toward the end of the year by taking down BB, packing materials away, and cleaning everything.  This essentially signals to students that they are finished learning for the year and procedures are no longer in effect.  To avoid unacceptable, unfocused, or out-of-control behavior this time of year...teachers NEED to be teaching up until a couple of days before school is officially out.   Be AWARE teachers, this is even true at my school!  I can honestly share that my students have been SUPER because they know, and are ENGAGED, with all of the learning that remains about the rainforest before the end of the year!  So many of my students have even said they don't want school to end!  Gosh, I love my class!!

See you in a few weeks, when I can really get into blogging!

School Girl Style Giveaway

SchoolGirlStyle is having an AMAZING giveaway!  I am sure many of you have heard of her, but if you haven't you are in for a real TREAT.  She has an imagination and creative style that goes above and beyond.  Melanie is offering one lucky winner the chance to own her newest "OWL COLLECTION" to decorate your classroom with for next fall.  This is a $55.00 value and has everything you need to welcome your newest learners next fall.  Melanie has teamed up with Natasha at Thirty-One, to be able to give the lucky winner an organizational tote also!  All you need to do is stop by SchoolGirlStyle and get signed up. Hurry over, as her giveaway ends on Wednesday the 11th.   Good Luck......WHOOOOO will be the next lucky owner of these two AWESOME gifts??

{Click on the picture to go to School Girl Style.}

Adventures with Frog and Toad...

Are you feeling lucky yet?  Once Upon a First Grade Adventure has reached 100 followers.  So, she celebrating by offering a give-away.  One lucky teacher will receive her newest literature creation.... "Fun with Frog and Toad."  What an adventure your students will have with Frog and Toad!  Be sure and stop by before Friday, March 30, and enter for your chance to win!

   

I just love her Frog and Toad patterns that I have pictured here.... aren't they just the cutest!?    Click on the picture above and you'll be there before you can say ribbbbit!  .. 

20 Super Spelling Centers Give-Away

WOW!  Three posts in one day...I guess I am starting to get the hang of this. Heehee

Have you heard the SUPER news?  Erica over at Erica Bohrer's First Grade Blog site has done it again!  She has just had her CREATIVE ideas published through Scholastic.  She is giving away a few autographed copies of her 20 Super Spelling Centers to lucky teachers like YOU!  All you have to do is follow her on Teachers Pay Teachers, Face Book, and on her Blog site.  Yep, it is that simple!  Click on the picture below and it will take you to her blog site to enter.  Good luck!  Everyone could always use some fun spelling center activities!!

Do You Have Cooties??

My second grade students LOVE Cooties!  I found these really cute Cootie Catchers today and wanted to share them.  This is a FUN way for students to practice their synonyms and antonyms.  I purchased 12 different Cootie Catchers from Kaylee's Education Studio for $2.00.  I hope you like them as much as I do. I am also hopeful that she'll make some homonym Cooties.

Spring Break & Dr. Seuss

Oh, I wish had some creative works to share with you today....sorry, I don't! Today, I am wishing I was somewhere sunny and warm. Instead, I am sitting in bed with a boot cast on my right foot, working on report cards and looking out the window at the hail and rain that Mother Nature is blowing our way. I think I am feeling overwhelmed at all the things I had hoped to do over spring break...and I haven't done any of them. I do want to let everyone know that I appreciate all of my new followers and all of your kind words. I promise to stop by your blogs as well. I know a blog is a work in progress...my progress has just been slower that I had hoped. I have also been working on getting my new website up and running. I did have to recruit a helper, but that isn't going so quickly either. On a positive note....I am eating graham crackers in bed with my twin girls and watching Strawberry Shortcake. Oh, they have been begging me to take them to Target to get their own Zhu Zhu pet hamsters. REALLY!? What is a mom to do? I am going to finally upload some of my students' cute Dr. Seuss works, thanks to Mel over at Seusstatic.

I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their week!

Common Core Standards... At Your Fingertips!

Thanks to Hopkins' Hoppin' Happenings and Fabulously First, I have added this wonderful CCS Widget to my blog site.  I love how easy it is and right at my fingertips.  Give it a try and add it to your blog.  You'll love it!

The More That We Read... The More That We Know!

WARNING!

I wanted to share with everyone about an unfortunate event that has been unfolding. Dr. Suess Enterprises stands firmly behind their copyrighted name. Anyone that is creating or purchasing Seuss products can be held liable for infringement of their copyright laws. It is my intentions to spread the word and share a link that I received. Please take the time to read, educate, and spread the word to all that have created resources to be used in classrooms.





Almost makes me NOT want to celebrate Dr. Seuss' Birthday with my students! :(

Hopkins Hoppin Blog Contest

‎Another fun opportunity to win some cool and creative items. Check out "Hopkins Hopping Blog."

10,000 Views Contest!!! 2 of you have the chance to win any product in my store for FREE! Lots of great stuff there especially for St. Patrick's Day. Contest ends Sunday at midnight!

All Aboard the Pinteresting Teacher Blog Train....

I love following so many AMAZING teacher blogs and I love Pinterest!! Together some wonderful teachers have "teamed" up to offer you a possible chance to win $200.00 from Amazon. We all know that Amazon is a favorite shopping destination for teachers, so climb aboard the Pinterest/Blog Train. :)

Click (HERE) and repin the "Pinteresting Teacher Blog" pin to your newly created board. Pin the link to your board. Then repin the 12 blogs sites to your new board. Don't forget to complete the short questionnaire!

Good luck to all of you deserving teachers!

I promise to get better at this blogging. I am currently in the process of changing my class website, so my blogging will have to take a back seat...but, don't give up on me. I haven't figured out how to grab buttons to add to my blog site either....any suggestions?

Enjoy your weekend!

Fantastic February Giveaway.....

Yes, it's true....Kindergarten Lifestyle is teaming up with some other AMAZING and CREATIVE bloggers. They are offering a couple of lucky winners a chance to own some of their resources to use in your classroom. Head over and check out her site. I know you'll love it!

Happy Groundhog's Day!

What can I say....it has been way too long!  I have admired everyone's blogs for so long and now I can get busy with mine.  I had DreamLikeMagic design this "Magical" blog site for me.  I think she did such an AMAZING job creating this template.....absolutely perfect for  "The Paisley Apple" title and my "Dots On Chocolate" classroom theme.  If you are in need of a new look, be sure to check out her CREATIVE work over at Etsy.

I would also like to say, "Thank You," to all of you creative teachers that I have purchased resources from at Teachers Pay Teachers, Teaching Oasis, Teacher's Clubhouse, ThistleGirl Designs, and Teacher's Notebook this year.  I am a very busy mom of four, with twins that are just 4 years old and I teach second grade full-time.  Needless-to-say, I am super busy and don't always find time to create my own exciting and engaging resources.  These teacher sites have been a blessing for me.   Another "Thank You," to all of you awesome teachers who have graciously provided endless freebies through your blogs.  I do hope I can get busy and share some of my own creations with you all.

Enjoy the rest of your week!