New Blog!

For those of you still hanging around, please follow me at my new blog http://currentlyinroom32.blogspot.com/.  Same great content and writer, different name!  I look forward to posting more frequently in the future!

Alright y'all!  I wanna be a blogger!  I find myself so envious of those who have ideas to share!  I have finally decided it is time to put myself out there as I have some ideas to share too!  I also started my own Teachers Pay Teachers store.  I worry a lot about lack of original thought.  However, I have had some of those as of late too!  I am excited to share!  If you would like to check out my store, click here.  I will be back soon!

Classroom "Booknic"

Have you ever been inspired by ideas that have nothing to do with the classroom, turning them into something completely classroom friendly?  I'm sure it happens with so many fabulous ideas on the web.  A few years ago, I was inspired by a pin that I now cannot find for the life of me.  The idea?  Hosting a "Booknic", celebrating two of my favorite things, books and food in a picnic format!  I am not sure the idea was originally intended for classroom use, but as soon as I saw it, my wheels started spinning.  After a year or two, I finally put my thoughts in motion.  After celebrating daily with different activities for March Is Reading Month, I decided to host a "Booknic" for my kiddos to be our final celebration of the month!  I sent home notes asking for food donations and had enough parents volunteer to cover all of the food.  I added a little picnic fun with table cloths and a few ant elements.  Put it all together and you get the celebration we had below.  It was so much fun to celebrate books with food that matched! 

On the top right, we have the If You Give a Moose a Muffin table.  Each student got two mini muffins and, of course, listened to the story.  The next table was If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and cookies for all.  The banana and strawberries on a stick represented The Cat In The Hat.  And lastly, a personal favorite from my childhood, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom represented by the tree.  The bottom two food crafts were not originally my ideas.  I found them online!

 

This is a close up of one table with the napkins, napkin holder, picnic plates, and though you cannot see it, a giant ant also sat on each table!

 

 

As I said, this is how we celebrated at the end of the month.  We did other smaller activities each day of the month.  It was so much fun!  What do you do to celebrate March Is Reading Month with your kids?



Teaching Writing

Teachers are constantly reflecting and altering their teaching to better reach and teach their students.  One of the best ways, or the BEST way, I have found to learn new methods to reach my students is by reading and following blogs!  Another tried and true way to reflect and learn new tips and tricks is through professional reading.  I have more books stacked on my nightstand, both for professional reading and personal enjoyment, then I care to admit.  Teachers want to learn and do their best, but there is not always the time.  So I often see books I must read, but have to find the time.  This week, I am finding the time!  Enter spring break!

After my first year of teaching, I felt that I was not the most effective writing teacher.  So during the summer, I read a book to help me really learn how to teach my littles to write.  It helped for the next two years I spent in first grade.  In fact, writing moved from the bottom of my list up to my new favorite subject to teach.  Then, I was laid off and called back to teach second grade.  Now that I have nearly completed my second year in second grade, I feel I have lost my writing mojo for multiple reasons.  Time is limited and it seems writing is always the first subject in my room to go.  Along with lack of time, we purchased a new reading series at my school this year, Wonders.  While I like the series, it is quite cumbersome and takes up A LOT of time during language arts.  Most of the writing students are asked to do is related to a text.  Necessary?  Absolutely.  What I want my students' to write about all the time?  Not really.

I miss having Writer's Workshop in my classroom.  I miss allowing my students' to write and tell stories or small moments.  Allowing students time to write, I believe makes them better readers, as well as better writers when it comes to writing across the content areas.  Because I am on spring break this week, I am diving into a professional book, No More "I'm Done!" Fostering Independent Writers in the Primary Grades, that I believe will be one of my new favorites.  Have you read it?  Do you have any thoughts on the book?  Do you have any tips on how to better fit writing in?  Do you use a basal and feel you have the perfect balance?  Leave me a comment below and let me know!

Can I?

Hello all.  I have spent my time since my last post being an avid blog reader and stalker, as per usual.  I am obsessed with TPT and feel like I may have more purchases than anyone ever.  It has taken me this long, but I finally feel like it is time to give this blogging thing another try.  The question is can I do all that is required to be a good blogger?  Not only that, but does anyone care what I have to say?  I see all the great friends people make via blogging, and I have to say, I'm jealous.  I want to be a part of this great world!  I think it is time to give it another try.  Can I?

I'm Baaaack!

It has been months since I posted on this poor blog.  I was back in the classroom, teaching second grade, this past year.  Somehow, my fourth year was more exhausting than any other year before.  Does anyone else feel like this year was just exhausting?  I had a great group of kiddos, but they just tuckered me right out!! 

Anyhow, now it is summer and I am looking forward to spending next year in second grade!  I feel blessed that I am not moving grade levels after moving three times in five years, as well as being laid off for a year.  I am excited to be more organized and delve deeper into subject matter as now I know what is to come!

I hope you all had a great year and are enjoying your summer vacation or those last few days with your kiddos in school!  I have been off since Thursday and have already finished one project on my TO DO list.  I know, WOOHOO!  So really all I did was make a few purchases, a frame and a touching saying, and put them together.  But doing it two days after break started is something I consider to be a great accomplishment!  Not the most centered picture, but I think it will look great behind my teaching table and serve as a great reminder each day! 

Sweetpress Studio

 

 

 

Using Donors Choose

Hello to all.  It has been months since I have posted a new update.  I am back to my old teaching stomping ground.  This year, I am teaching 2nd grade.  It is very exciting.  However, I am absolutely exhausted.  So I will make this post short and sweet.  I have just submitted my first project to Donors Choose.  I would like to know if you have been successful using it or if there are any tips that I should consider when posting projects.  Thanks:)!

Manic Monday at Classroom Freebies and Made It Monday at 4th Grade Frolics

Howdy all!  I haven't blogged in forever!  I am still waiting for news on next year.  But I have started some projects that I can use next year should I ever find out I have a job.  Today my freebie is crayon jar labels.  I was inspired by Pinterest, of course, to make a jar for each basic crayon color.  Then, should a student need a crayon in a specific color, they can go to that particular jar and grab that color.   Easy peasy right?  Below is a somewhat blurry photo of my jars.  They are half pint canning jars.  I spray painted the lids with a flat black, grabbed some ribbon, attached my freebie label, and voila!  Feel free to use the labels in any way you like!

I am also linking up with Made It Monday over at 4th Grade Frolics. This is one of the first projects, my crayon jars, that I have actually finished in the hopes of having a job next year. I am trying to complete projects that can work in multiple grade levels because I have no idea where I will end up. Next on my long list of to dos is creating a teacher binder, completing my teacher toolbox, and painting all of my bookshelves flat black. Wish me luck and go link up with your back to school projects. Oh and by the way, I went to my local Walmart today. School supplies are beginning to appear where summer stuff used to be! Is summer almost over?



Crayon Jar Labels

Gorgeous!

For those of you who read my blog, I am still playing the waiting game as far as next year. I hope to have details by the end of this week. We shall see!

And I just had to share this beautiful photo of the Mackinaw Bridge. It is a gorgeous Father's Day in Northern Michigan.

Mrs. Stanford's First Linky: Good Reads!

Mrs. Stanford is having her first linky party and I am joining up!  I am a little late to the party.  But I still wanted to join because maybe someone is looking for good reads for the summer or books to read in their classroom.  Because I was laid off this year, I don't really have any recommendations as far as teachers books, but I have written down a ton of them from the other linky party participants.  So if you haven't read through all the other links, go do so now!

Before I get started, I have a tip to share from my favorite retired teacher friend.  She keeps a small spiral bound notebook in her purse with all of the books she wants to read.  She has pages dedicated to her favorite authors or authors with more than one book she would like to read.  Once she reads them, she crosses them off carefully so you can still see the title.  That way she never rereads accidentally!  I have recently started my own notebook, which by the way says Keep Calm and Have a Cupcake!  I have dedicated the front half to specific author pages and the back half to stand alone books that I want to read.  Just had to share in case you were looking for a way to organize and remember!

Onto my good reads that I have read before:>!  Aside from these, I love James Patterson, Nicholas Sparks, Jodi Picoult, and the Detective D.D. Warren series from Lisa Gardner. 

I read this book earlier this year and it was a great read.  Be sure to read the specific details to know if it would right for you.  I loved it.  It is unlike anything I read before.

Fabulous book that talks about slavery from two different viewpoints with a story of love laced in between.

I am part of a book club with some other teacher friends where I used to work and hope to go back to next year.  Most of the books on my want to read list below come from there.  I am currently in the middle of the second book in the Fifty Shades Trilogy too.  Very interesting to say the least!



This is our book club book pick for June. Who doesn't love dogs?!  This is a story about a woman's journey through life and those that helped her along the way.  Can't wait to get started!

This is one of the books I hope we pick this year during book club.  If not, I will read it anyways.  It is a tale of an Autistic boy, Merlin, and his mother, who makes Merlin the center of her life, leaving no room for another man.  However, as Merlin grows, she tries dating again and meets a wonderful man for both her and her son.  Then, Merlin's father shows up begging for a second chance.  Does Lucy need a real father for Merlin-or a real man for herself?  That is the books description, leaving me wanting to know how it all ends!  Sounds like a must read to me!

And one more before I end the longest post ever!  One of my favorite picture book read alouds.

A teacher read this book to my class in college.  I have been in love ever since.  It is a wonderful story about loving yourself the way you are and the I love the illustrations.  Be sure to check it out if you haven't before!

  

And I suppose that is all for now.  Have you read any of these books?  Do you recommend them?  Feel free to leave a comment and let me know.  And thanks to Mrs.Stanford for hosting this great party!