TEACHER APPRECIATION GIVEAWAY!

I think there are many times in our professional career when we feel deflated and not appreciated.  There are also many times in our career when we feel that we've made the difference in a child's life and that's all that matters.  Teachers are the rock to so many children, and I think we have to go to school every.single.day remembering that we MAKE A DIFFERENCE!  There will be days when we don't want to go, there will be days when we want to scream, there will be days when we want to throw in the towel, but there will also be days when we know that we wouldn't do any other job in the whole wide world!  

Today, we want to thank you for being a TEACHER!  You ARE appreciated by US!!  We are doing a giveaway to say 

THANK YOU for being YOU! 

Here are some ideas if you win! ;) 

Here are a few of my favorite items - on Amazon, I would purchase this SWEEEEET container.  I know it says for photos, but I put my center games that I've created in here.  It holds 16 games, and it is SUPER sturdy!!!  I absolutely love them!  I bought my first one at Michaels for $39.99, but Amazon has them 2 for $49.52 with free shipping.  Click on this link to check them out.

I've been purchasing these white book shelves a little bit at a time for years from Target.  Seven years ago, a sweet mom gave me a $100 gift card to Target, and that's when the obsession began.  I now have nine of them, and they have traveled with me to three different classrooms (and getting ready to be a fourth classroom).  I haven't had to replace one yet!  They are sturdy and perfect for books and centers.  They are a little costly, but Target does run them on sale frequently.  I honestly could not be as organized without these storage units.

Enough about me - click on the picture below to enter the giveaway!!  GOOD LUCK TO YOU!!  

Classroom Tested Resources

Hi there!  I'm so excited to tell you a little bit about how I plan for those kiddos who always seem to finish before everyone else! When I taught middle school, I don't really remember worrying about early finishers.  It seems as though we worked from bell to bell, with never a dull moment.  But in 1st grade, I was having a real issue with some kids taking 5 minutes to complete a task, and others taking 30.  What TO DO? What TO DO?

So, I told them to READ! ;) That's what I would want to do if I finished early.  BUT... I had a BIG problem. Our reading stamina was only about 4 minutes, so I had to come up with a different strategy.  I knew that having relevant, engaging, materials for my early finishers needed to be a priority,  so I first tried rotation stations.  But, that didn't work for me.  I wanted to use this time to work in small groups, but my early finishers were needing me just as much.  

THANK GOD for MAKE A TEN!  My students were really struggling with that concept, so I decided to make a ppt to help them.  We did the ppt during fluency, and because it was still up once my students finished their work, I had them sit and do it again.  My final observation was approaching, and my light bulb lit up... I could use this as an early finisher activity.  AND the rest is HISTORY!

So, Here's How it Works!

Once my kiddos finish their problem set and exit ticket, they move to the carpet, get their white board and dry erase marker, and hop into the groove of the ppt on the board.  The ppts are looped, so they can hop in at any time.  They are completely engaged and motivated to get the correct answer.  The powerpoints are self-checking and interactive, and the kids just LOVE them! 

I've since purchased the pocket white boards.  I found them a little flimsy, so I actually put my white boards inside of these so the students can have them on their lap if they choose.

Here's an example of two early finisher ppts.

Click on the picture below to see this in my store!  I have tons of others that we use in our classroom, I just haven't had time to make them TPT "worthy".  ;)  Summer project!

Thanks for stopping by!

Ideas for Student Teacher Gifts

Thankful Beyond Words!

I don't know about you, but life is so much easier with a student teacher.  Yes, there are parts of me that have a hard time letting things go, but at the end of the day, I am so grateful for their help, insights, and partnership. 

To thank my student teacher last year, we gave her a few gifts.  The parents all gave her TPT gift cards, which I know was very helpful in getting her started this school year.  Then as a class, we made her a cute little tote with all of our thumb prints, a framed photo of our class, and a Micky jump drive with my TPT products.  

This school year, we had a male student teacher.  So the tote would not have worked for him.  So instead, we made him a tie with all of our thumb prints.  (He wore a different tie every day of the school year), so the gift was fitting for him.  We also gave him a photo frame of our class.  He wasn't as "into" TPT-made products, so we gave him a gift card to Disney, since he was taking his family there before starting a new job.  

Hope this helps if you need to come up with ideas for your student teacher!  

Parent Appreciation Day

We Sure Appreciate YOU!

So, every year we invite our moms and dads to our classroom to say, "THANK YOU" for a wonderful school year.  We started off just moms, and then when my youngest son was in first grade, he asked why we didn't invite dads. So, the tradition changed, and I'm so glad it did!

We decorate our sweet little classroom, and have two different times for parents to come.  Students create a book for mom and a book for dad.  We also do a small craft for mom (the flower with their cute little thumb prints as bees) and we (I) create a video of our year together for dad.  I always make extra DVDs for families that are no longer together, so that mom will get one as well. Obviously the DVD is treasured for many, many years.  I show a shortened version (about 8 minutes) during our Appreciation Day, but I give them the extended version (usually about 30-45 minutes long).  

HOW IT WORKS!

The parents come in and the students direct them to their spot. Then they read their special little book to their mom and then their dad.  The poster board (on their chair) is full of their writings throughout the year.  Usually the students decorate this on the first few days of school, as a time filler, but this year I'm waiting until a few weeks before our appreciation day.  I think they will come out a little better now that they've had a school year to grow and take pride in their work. Yep - just a little OCD.  Students also serve their parents punch and snacks (usually mini-muffins), while parents enjoy our school-year video.  **Show the video several times to the students before this day - or else they will be shouting out something about every.SINGLE.picture. (Learned that the hard way! :)  They just can't contain their excitement.

Last year we did flowers, but this year we are going to do a candle inside the mason jar with their thumb prints in yellow.  We will attach a saying, "You light up my life".  

   CRAFTIVITY!

Here's the craftivity that we create as well. (I'll put the link to TPT once product is complete with new clip art.)  This year my mom and dad faces will look a little different.  I have a new clip artist that is creating a mom and dad specifically for this product.  I can't wait to see how they turn out.  Suggestion:  Always read the final written product (even though you've read the "sloppy copies" many times!)  One of my students decided to change up the wording on their final copy.  Need I say more?

Here's the new craftivity for this year.  A sweet friend designed these faces for me.  I'm working on the instructions, and then I'll post to TPT.  (Click on the picture to see it in my store.) Here's the real reason we've decided to switch
images - check out dad's teeth.  I didn't realize that until the child's mom brought it to my attention many years later.  The student that did the above is now in 7th grade, and I had her little brother last year. (That's when mom commented on the teeth... YIKES!)  

ALL ABOUT MOM & DAD

Here's our 5-page booklet.  Many moons ago we did a 10-page book.  HAHA!  I still laugh when I think about that.  We are now down to 5 pages, and I'm sure a few co-workers would like it to be The Best 3 things! ;)  Even though this book takes a while to do, I know that this is a keepsake for many years to come.  I still have mine.  Anyway - this booklet has a cover, then a poem for the inside cover (A poem for a girl to give to dad, a poem for a girl to give to mom, a poem for a boy to give to mom, and a poem for a boy to give to dad).  There's also a back cover that has some funny things to write about mom and dad.  (height, favorite foods, weight...) Yep, weight is on there, and that's always priceless!!


Anyway - I hope you've enjoyed my little SHOW-N-TELL Appreciation Day Celebration!  You can click on the picture to see these two products in my store! (Five page booklet and craftivity are old separately!)