Sunday, May 27, 2012

We Have a Winner!

The giveaway winner is...





I'm sorry that I didn't let you know sooner. Hopefully I'll be back to post again tomorrow! Jen, I will email soon! :)

Monday, May 21, 2012

Learning Spots Review and Giveaway, Weeding and Pigeon

My arms are sore. Did I work out? Lift weights? NO, I weeded the front yard. It looks so much better, but I can't believe how sore I am. Maybe if I do that more often I'll have the arms I've always wanted. It probably won't happen! :)

This week, I'm passing out my last book orders and we're making our summer stacks.



We're also starting our economics unit and using the Pigeon to help!



                                                           Pigeon Needs and Wants!


And now for the giveaway! I don't know if I ever told you, but I <3 my projector. I try not to say too much at school because not everyone has one, but I really love it.
Here is a pic of it:


Isn't it beautiful? I use it every day! :)
Now I MUST tell you about Learning Spot Lessons! From the first time I tried Learning Spot lessons, I knew they were perfect for meeting the needs of my first graders. They are from Carson-Dellosa and are awesome! They are made for interactive whiteboards and they have lessons in math, language arts and science that are Common Core based! Each instructional unit includes teacher notes to help you meet the needs of all students, interactive activities, student activities and practice pages. You couldn't ask for more!!! I've tried the skip counting unit, long and short vowels, blends and digraphs and shapes. Each one was just what I needed and my first graders loved it! I love all of the practice that they provide in such a fun way.I can't wait to try some more. Fact Families and Map Skills are next on my wishlist! To take a look at Learning Spot lessons, visit this site: http://bit.ly/JLdDJs

Would you like the chance to win not 1, but 5 Learning Spot lessons (Valued at $14.99 each!) +

Jaime's King of the Grill +


My Math Carnival Center Activities?



You have up to 5 chances to enter by doing the following:

1. Follow my blog.

2. Follow my TPT store ~Here
3. Follow Jaime's TPT store ~ Here

4. Like Carson-Dellosa on Facebook.

5. Blog about this giveaway and link back to this blog.
(You will need to leave a separate comment for each item you complete to serve as your entries.)

*You must leave your email address with your comments so we can quickly email you to get your mailing address.
The giveaway will end on Thursday at 11:59 p.m. EST. I will announce the winner on Friday!

RULES: Giveaway open to U.S. residents only. Must be 18 yrs or older. Giveaway ends Thursday, May 24, 2012 at 11:59 PM EST. Rules must be followed. Winners will be selected using Random.org and will be emailed no later than Saturday, May 26, 2012 and given 72 hours to respond with a mailing address. In the event of no response, a new winner will be chosen. Blogger is not responsible for prize fulfillment. Prize fulfillment comes directly from participating sponsor. By entering this giveaway, you agree to have read these rules.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Busy, Busy, Busy!

This is the time of year when the time goes by so quickly and we have something planned every weekend! (It seems like every minute of every weekend!)

But that's just the way it is! My school fair was last night. The kids love to see us outside of school so it is a great event. It wipes me out though because it makes for a LONG day!

I didn't get to post any Mother's Day project pics so here is one:



This is what the girls, (and even some boys - running the cash register), have been doing this week during play. I didn't get to get my hair straightened...maybe next week!



I don't know about you, but my kiddos have been super squirrels lately and we do not even do a countdown!!! I don't even talk about the end of the year. Honestly, it stresses me out because there is SO much to do! Here is something I just finished for the end of the school year:



It is on TPT right now! I will write again tomorrow to let you know about a giveaway that I am having, but I have to head out right now. Before I do, however, you have to check out the CUTEST $1 craft on TPT.


It is so stinkin' cute and we're totally making it for Father's Day! (Many of us are still in school until the middle of June!)

Enjoy the rest of your Saturday. I'll be back tomorrow with giveaway details! :)

Monday, May 14, 2012

Everyone Needs a Magic Pencil Sharpener

A few months ago, I heard about this pencil sharpener that was supposed to be amazing, but I must tell you, I was a little skeptical. I have had so many electric sharpeners that broke very quickly and the sharpener in my classroom - well, we don't even want to go there.

But I really needed a good sharpener, so I decided to try it out.

Cool Blue

Guess what? It really is amazing! My kiddos call it "the magic sharpener" because I put their pencils in and they come out perfect every time! They are used to standing at the class sharpener on the wall for 5 minutes only to have a pencil that still isn't sharp. They love that they can come to this sharpener, and in just a few seconds, their pencil is perfect. They really think it is magic!

If you don't have one, click on the picture above and get one right now! I promise you won't regret it and like me, you'll be wanting more than one! My teacher friends all want one for their classroom, actually everyone who uses it wants it! (Even my hubby wants one for work and he's not even a teacher!)

Thank you to all of my bloggy friends for telling me about this sharpener and thank you to Troy for creating such a "magical" product! :)

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Ahh Thursday...

Leading me to my favorite day!!! I'm ready for the weekend!

We are busy learning about plants this week. We are using the plant unit from First Grade Hip, Hop Hurray and our first graders LOVE it. It is on TPT and only $3.00! If you need a plant unit, this is the one for you! I love it when I buy a unit and it's just what I'm looking for!

We did ACES, All Children Exercise Simultaneously, yesterday. We had the whole school in the cafeteria doing Just Dance 3. Oh my. I don't have a Wii, so I had never played, but I would seriously need to put it in slow motion to keep up. I was so proud when I could finally do some of the arm movements and then they started adding footwork! What? Ok, so I'm totally uncoordinated. It wasn't pretty!!! The kids LOVED it, however!

We are also working on our writing for Mother's Day. I love the ideas they come up with.
 Like this:




Is that precious or what? If you still need a quick Mother's Day craft w/writing, my Mother's Day project is available here.

Jaime, from What's the Buzz, and I made little gifts for our first graders last year that said, "You are O-fish-ally a Second Grader!"
I'm not sure where the idea came from, but we loved it. She made labels and a has a template in her TPT store and it's FREE! Click on the picture below to check it out. Thanks for the freebie, Jaime! :)



 Enjoy your Friday! :)