Five for Friday with Doodlebugs!

The countdown continues...two more weeks from today and then it is back to school. I have already been in my classroom to open it up and took my little 'helpers' to join me.  Here are pictures from my week.....

It's always a little daunting to walk into that empty classroom that has been bare for two months....where to begin? I always start with one thing but then get easily side tracked to other things in the room as I'm working. LOL!

I knew that the first thing I had to do was to put my kiddos to work or else I wouldn't get anything done =)  I love them to bits but the OCD in me wants to paint it myself. I think I will keep the spotted product to remind me of my little loves =)

You know you are a primary teacher when you love the fresh scent of new school supplies. I'm sure it will be no time at all until I hear that caps are missing, scissors are missing, crayons are broken...LOL! I usually have the kids maintain their own supplies in their tool boxes but found the community supplies to be much easier last year.

My next task will be making a behavior chart. This is another topic that I wrestle with every year. I really believe that students should want to come to school to learn and should behave accordingly. For this reason, I have not implemented a system and really have had no issues. However, I felt last year that my kiddos might have benefited from such a thing as they were a talkative bunch. I want something that is low maintenance but yet promotes positive choices. So, I will try this out!

A little fun for the week...our first baseball game of the season. Better late than never =)

 Join in the fun as TpT celebrates going back to school with a sale! You will enjoy a savings from me as everything will be 20% off in my store as well as from TpT. It's a great time to stock up on those items you need to start the year or items you have had on your wish list!

Have a fantastic weekend!!!

My very first Wordless Wednesday!

I like to see the posts on Second Grade's Sugar and Spice (http://secondgradesugarandspice.blogspot.com)  for her Wordless Wednesdays but I never know what picture I would display. Well, I was in my classroom today and I know exactly what I want to ask all you teachers out there....what do you do for behavior management techniques? I've never had a behavior chart in my room for numerous reasons but I really had a challenging group last year and feel like I might want to try one out. I definitely want something that is positive that promotes good choices all day long but yet is not distracting to our routines. I'm excited to hear all of your ideas =) Thanks to Christina for hosting!

Less than three weeks...time to get ready for Open House!

I am very excited as I get to meet my new teaching group tomorrow morning! Our school district is transforming from a part time K program to a full time one so more teachers were needed. I have to admit that our schedule was a little crazy (Tuesday/Thursday class and a Wednesday/Friday group with alternating Mondays) but I really did enjoy having the different dynamics. I learned things that I needed to tweak if it didn't work with the one class so that it was more effective with the other one. Plus, my planning was so much easier! There are many pros and cons but I'm looking forward to the change. As I am thinking about the things we will need to discuss, I realized that our Open House is in three weeks! Our kiddos come to Meet the Teacher before school actually begins so that they feel comfortable in their surroundings before that first day. I have a lot set up for the incoming kiddos with their parents. It is a great opportunity to have parents sign up for volunteering, conferences (less cancellations when they make their own appointments =), request donations, sign up for directories, and much more. I like to have it all set up in different spots in the room so that I have time to talk with each of my new students and meet their families. I made a pack of all these goodies in my shop called 'Open House Hullabaloo!' if you are interested in these resources. What are some things you do to get ready for your incoming class?

                      

 

                        

Where is the summer going?

I can't believe we are in the middle of July! Where has the time gone? Oh yeah....it's been packing boxes and moving them to a storage unit. We have to be out of our house in one week and the storage facility is running out of room. I think the last 10 % of this house is going to take 90% of the time. The garage is going to be the worst. Yesterday was a really bad day. I was packing my third bundle in the truck when I chipped my tooth and then got pulled over on the way to the unit. Ahhhh! Luckily it was the sweet officer that works with the kiddos in my son's school and he gave me a friendly reminder not to coast down hills. Phew!  Do you think I could stuff anymore in here? LOL!

Not only have I had the pleasure of packing and more packing but I have gotten rid of about 10 years of junk that has been collecting in this house. I have had about 15 bags of garbage every time along with many other goodies =) For the second week, I have helped the scrappies on garbage day. Unfortunately, the garbage men were not too happy with me as I received this note attached to the garbage can....OOPS!

I'm happy to say that today was MUCH better. I was able to make three more UNEVENTFUL trips (yeah), tooth fixed without any pain at the dentist, and received awesome feedback from a teacher who is using something I made in her home country....Chile!! Wow! I was completely psyched!

I have been reading everyones blogs about their trips to Vegas and wish I could've been there. It sounds like a once in a lifetime event. I certainly hope that I can go next year to make connections and learn more about TpT and blogging. Fingers crossed =) I am so thankful for those that have shared their experiences and all that they learned while they were there!

When I am not packing, I have been working on getting my lesson plan template just the way I want it. My district will be switching to full time Kindergarten this year for the very first time and will have a new teaching partner. I have to be super organized in all domains of my life so this template has to be just right to help me utilize every minute of my day! I'm sure it will be a 'work in progress' until close to August.

I also just finished "The Book Whisperer" and thought it was an amazing book. Even though it was geared towards higher learners, I think I can take some pointers and adapt them to my little kinders. I just downloaded the next book in the series and hope that I can get some more insight in that one as well.

Many of the bloggers that I follow have decided to throw a 'Christmas in July' sale in their shops. So, I am jumping on the bandwagon and offering 20% off to help you get ready for school.

Hope you are having a great week!
Kim

Grammar on the GO!!

You are going to love this pack if you want to introduce grammar to your young learners! You will find DIFFERENTIATED activities to introduce nouns, verbs, adjectives, prepositions, and pronouns. You will also find lessons teaching future and past tenses as well as plurals. These are super for an introduction and can be used in whole, small group or individual settings. I used them as extension activities during morning stations and my kids loved them and I think you will too!

Happy Fourth of July Sale!

Happy 4th of July!!! Grab these goodies on sale =)

SALE! SALE! Grab these to get ready for Kindergarten!

I am so excited that TpT is helping me celebrate my recent milestone in my shop! I wanted to extend my appreciation by offering 20% off of my products in helping you prepare for the upcoming school year. Whether you are looking for handwriting, phonics, numbers or assessing, I am sure there is something here for your Kindergarten needs. Hope you are all enjoying your summer break =) Enjoy!