First Week!

Hello from the great beyond......well ok, it's just feels like I've passed over. I have been dead tired this week. Summer is such a tease. During summer I'm always so full of energy, stay up till 3a.m. without a worry in the world.

 Then reality sets in during the first week back in school. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my job....but first week in kindergarten is R-O-U-G-H! But I am a

 S U R V I V O R !!!!!

I did want to share some first week pics with you! We are well on our way to becoming independent learners.......

I'm always asked, "How do you start centers at the beginning of the year? What's the process?"

The pictures below show our "table centers" on Day 3 in my kinder class. "Table centers" are actually toys and games that will later be used during inside recess time (for rainy/cold days).....I use these items as my beginning of the year "table centers" because they are a great transition activities from items that children would normally play with AND it gives me an opportunity to show the kiddos how to use these materials.

 (Here the kids were building circles and triangles)......It's amazing what kids will do with materials even when given no directions. This is a great reason why kid-watching is such an important thing for kinder teachers to do. Think about what I can already tell about this little girl. She not only has a good understanding of circles and triangles. She understands how to put pieces together to create circles and triangles. She then proceeded to tell me the circles were like the letter o and also the number zero (she knows they are different).... She also told me the triangles were like capital A's. Good job, sweetie!

 (Here the kids were actually using the legos to build letters. This was the letter T before it got broken.....) One child kept fumbling the pieces and "breaking" the letters. He didn't mean to, but his fine motors skill seem to be lacking... Again....the wealth of info kid-watching gives you is incredible.

(I had to take pic of this one because it shows this boy beginning to sort the pipe pieces.....He was only using the straight pieces. It's just an easy thing to overlook, but it tells me he is ready for sorting and patterning. :0)

I use "table centers" because they are easy activities that the kids enjoy doing. It also  gives me the opportunity to teach my procedures which will later help during normal center time. I want to help the kids gain a sense of "we do this activity in this area" and then we will switch and do a different activity. 

My table center rules are:

1. I must stay in my spot.

2. I must share.

3. I must keep the materials on the table.

4. I must clean up when I hear the Tidy Up song (by Dr.Jean - I swear it is the BEST song to teach kids to clean up even if it does drive me crazy).

When kids clean up their center - they must sit at their table with their heads down - ready to listen for directions. They are learning well and we are almost there with this!

In addition to table centers, I begin introducing regular centers that are "almost play" centers, but will become a regular part of our center time -- good bridge between "table center" activities and regular centers. Yesterday, I introduced the sand table. This is the first center in which kids are NOT at their tables. I also use duct tape boxes around the centers to define the area and give kids a good visual of where they can and cannot be. 

 (See, you can see a little bit of the blue duct tape in the lower left corner.)


Today, I introduced the home center and the kids were SUPER excited. Home center is ALWAYS a big hit! Again, I will place a duct tape border around this center to help define the area and let kids know where their center begins and ends.

Tomorrow, we will learn more about the building center....By the end of the first week I will have taught and the kids will have practiced going to all the "play centers". I do believe in their important in the kindergarten curriculum. They are a great addition to all the purely "academic"centers we will be learning this year! 

How do you start teaching center procedures at the beginning of the year?

Oh, and I had to show you a couple pics of my table at the end of the first day of school. I'm sure you can empathize! :0)

It really was clean at the beginning of the day.... You can see my bag of marshmallow on the right side.....they go with my Marshmallow Mouth - Marshmallow Toes lesson HERE!

Lesson Plan and Organization

Hey ya'll!

Boy I have been so busy! I'm sure you understand where I'm coming from! There is just so much to do at this time of year.

I did want to share a couple things that helps me stay organized and on-track. One is something I've used for a while now and another is something I just learned about yesterday! Woo-hoo!!

The first thing I want to share is a form of "cloud storage" called DropBox. I cannot tell you how many times in the past, I found myself emailing myself lesson plans, pictures, and other documents I'd need. Perhaps, I'd want to work on something at home in my pjs, but I'd need it at school the next day. I was never good at keeping up with those silly flash drives so I'd have to email myself. Good news is.....I NEVER have to do that anymore. Now I use dropbox and everything I save on my computer (in my dropbox) is on my computer at school too! I love it!! I keep everything for school there (and if my computer or the school's computer goes haywire)- those items are still protected! So, you never have to worry about losing documents or forgetting to email them to yourself.

Check it out HERE!
And, no I don't get a kickback from DropBox. :0) I really do just love it.....plus when people sign up for a free account, I get even more space...Trust me if you try it, you will LOVE it!


Next thing I want to share is something I was introduced to just yesterday.....and I am soooo glad I was. It is a lesson planning site called PlanBookEdu.

I asked some friends about lesson planning templates they use because....I HATED mine!! I heard several of them say PlanBookEdu.com is fabulous so I decided to give it a try. I have to admit - I'm now in LOVE with it. It's super easy to use. It also has a feature that allows you to put in your state standards or common core standards with a couple clicks ...perfect! You can share your plans and you have several options for printing your plans depending on whether you want a one page plan or day-by-day plan. (I like very detailed day-by-day plans)... You can even attach other documents....

I so wished someone had told me about PlanBookEdu before now....but I'm happy I know about it now!

I know it has both a free and paid version (like everything it seems:0) ...but you can also get a 2 week trial premium version (with no need to put in credit card info - I love that part).....Give it a try and see what you think. I am so impressed so far!

Here are my Week 1 plans:


Do you know of any other great ways to keep yourself organized between home and school???? I'd love to hear about it!!

Classroom Tour 2012-2013

Hi friends! Well, I had Meet the Teacher tonight and got to meet my new little crew! I am so excited for the new year to start....I do have to say, however, I am EXHAUSTED!!! Anyone else out there as tired as I am?

Plus, my Meet the Teacher happened to fall on Meet the Teacher for all my own children so I didn't get to go to their Meet the Teacher....and it was also my daughter 12th birthday... Boy - the sacrifices we make as teachers.....

I swear I wished we were able to prep our rooms and get everything ready to go....and then have another week vacation. School doesn't start until Monday for me and I feel like I need a good rest!

Anyways, I decided to take some pictures of my classroom today before my kids stepped into the room.....because let's be honest.....this is as good as it will look this year ;) I'll want to remember way back in August when my room was organized and clean. So, here it is!

You will notice I don't go overboard with cutesy. I really try to make a calm, cheerful room set up for the real work of teaching.....:0)

Personalize your own scrapbooking design

Guest Post- Mary from Sharing Kindergarten

Hi all! This is Mary from Sharing Kindergarten

I am so excited to share with you an awesome, wonderful activity all about colors!

We read the book...

{Click the picture to take you to Amazon to look. GREAT prices.}

I talk with my students about how I read about things in books like mixing colors, but sometimes I think it is more fun to try them myself. My kids in school agree. Then I ask them if they want to create colors like White Rabbit does in this book. They, of course, agree again!

So, we DO the science experiment with colors from the book... 

but we use cookies and frosting.

I get three cans of cheap frosting and food coloring. 

{I made a boo boo and got the frosting without BoxTops, which I normally don't do.}

I also buy three packages of the break and make sugar cookies in the cold section of the grocery store. Each package has 24 cookies in it. I need each student to get 3 cookies, so it works well. 

{And they do have BoxTops on the cookies.}

Then, we pass out the plates that are prepped for each child and a plate for me.
{See the middle picture above.}
Each plate need a blob of each color frosting, three small white cookies,
and something to mix the colors with like a plastic knife or even a Popsicle stick.

Next, I explain that the each child WILL GET TO EAT everything on their plate... but they have to follow all the directions first.  I show them that they have three primary colors on their plates, just like the rabbit had the three primary colors of paint. Each cookie will be a white rabbit.

Now, re-read the book to the class while they DO the experiment with their food. When the white rabbit {cookie} dips into red, put some red frosting on your cookie. Then the rabbit goes into the blue paint. You add the blue paint. Then you mix red and blue together to make purple.
{When you mix the red and blue frosting, it does make purple!}

When the White Rabbit takes a bath in the book, you lick the plastic knife, Popsicle stick, or what ever else you have on each plate.  Repeat this while reading the book out loud to create each secondary color. You will create purple, green, and orange.

Lastly, the White Rabbit can not take a shower, but mixes all three colors together to make brown. I let my students create these color on their plates, not a cookie.

Once we are done creating, we eat!
 I made FREEBIE labels to send home to let parents know what to ask their children about.
Head to my blog to check them out {here} for free!!!

 

 

Mary Amoson, Sharing Kindergarten http://sharingkindergarten.com/ http://www.facebook.com/SharingKindergarten

HandPrint Poem

Today I want to share a darling First Day activity I do with my kinders every year. I discovered this amazing idea from Little Giraffes. It's a handprint poem.......sounds familiar, huh?! Well - stay with me because you will love this! I love sending kids home from school the first day with something to share with their parents, as well as, have a keepsake that mom and dad will love to keep!

I buy blank 12-piece puzzles from Compoz-a-Puzzle. For 24 of the puzzles it costs me about $17 with tax and shipping (ah the things silly teachers won't do). Anyways, they are really, good sturdy puzzles so I think they are worth what we get to make using them! :0)

Ok, so here is the handprint I made with my 4 year old Reagan this summer (we don't start school until this coming Monday!).  I saw the same excitement in his eyes while we were making his handprint that I see from my students each year. They really love it -- especially when they find out they get to take it home.

Now, you are probably thinking -- what??!!!! You really have kindergarteners make handprints the first day of school?  Isn't that time-consuming? Isn't that messy? My answer is NO! I don't pour out globs of paint. Instead I use these:

Washable Paint Ink Pads - I love these things. No mess, and they work great! 

I put out a few ink pads (that are larger than a kinder's hand). I let each child choose their color and press, press, press their hand.... OOooohhh - how hard can you press it? They love when you say that and will press extra hard....

Another great thing about using these ink pads is that the paint dries super quick too - which allows me to send it home the same day!

I place the puzzle in a baggie with the following note attached. It is a FREEBIE! Click HERE to grab your copy.....You gotta read it - it is simply adorable. Trust me - you want a Kleenex handy when you read it.....:0)

What special thing do you do with your new students at the beginning of the year?

Marshmallow Mouth and Toes

As we all head into the classrooms with our kiddos we have so many things ahead of us to teach these little people. It's a big job, but someone has to do it! So, over the next few weeks I will share some things I use to get my students' year off on the right foot.....

Do you know what a marshmallow mouth is or what marshmallow toes are? This concept is how I teach my kiddos hallway behavior expectations. Last year I found an adorable poster on Pinterest called Marshmallow Toes. I loved it, but I wanted a poster that demonstrates that when we are walking in the hallways we not only have "marshmallow toes" but also "marshmallow mouths"..... so I altered this little poem (I have no idea who came up with this gem of an idea and I saw different versions of it. If you know who to give credit to, please let me know:0)

This is the lesson I use on Day 1 to teach hallway behavior.....

Show kids a big bag of chips. Ask, "Who likes chips?" They will all quickly agree they like chips. (Seriously, show kids food and you will definitely have their undivided attention!) Give them a chip or 2 to eat.... Tell them to listen carefully as they chew. "Does it make a lot of noise when you eat chips?" Crunch Crunch (emphasize the noise as you model crunching the chips with your mouth). Wow! Those chips sure are noisy!

Next show them a big bag of marshmallows. Ask, "Does anyone like marshmallows?" Of course they will all agree they like them. By this time they are just waiting for you to give them one. "Do you think the marshmallows will make a lot of noise or not a lot of noise?" Give them each a couple marshmallows. Remind them to listen as they chew.......yep it's MUCH quieter chewing marshmallows than chips. After you establish that marshmallows are QUIET, show them this poster:

CLICK HERE to grab this FREEBIE

Now tell the kids "When we leave our classroom to go somewhere like the lunchroom we will use marshmallow mouths and toes. I’m going to pretend to put a big marshmallow in my mouth. Do you think I will be making lots of noise or not? (Physically do this and cram your mouth with a big marshmallow and try to talk(silently of course:0).....yes it's silly but that will make it even more memorable for the kiddos!......."What if I put marshmallows on my toes? Would my feet make lots of noise or not?" (pretend to do this as well....:0) The kids will giggle and love you for it....They will also get the message that marshmallow mouths and marshmallow toes means we are being quiet.

Teach kids how to line up at door.Remind them to put a marshmallow in their mouth and on their toes. Practice this a few times.

After this initial lesson, all I have to do is remind them to "put on their marshmallows" and they know exactly what that means! :0)

How do YOU teach hallway expectations??

You Know It's Back to School Time When.....

It's a Pinterest Linky party!!

                                                   How would you finish this sentence?

Back to school time is my favorite holiday of the year! The smell of new crayons and the squeak of brand-new shoes! I love getting back to school (even if it is really hard to leave summer behind).....One of the best things about teaching is we get a fresh start each and every year! And one of the reasons I love kindergarten specifically is because it's like starting school for the very first time every August! Love it!

Along with the new year comes lots of commonalities ....some good, some bad, some in between......

I love Meet the Teacher night - seeing all those precious little kiddos I will spend the next year with.....It's amazing how parents always seem to make it to Meet the Teacher (perhaps the only time you'll get to see them). They are smiling ear to ear......why??? Yeah, that's because they realize it's your turn to do what they've done all summer"....kind of like - the jokes on the teacher now!

I've spent the last week in my classroom preparing....you know the drilll. Isn't it funny how teachers beat down the door to get into their classrooms to get busy yet by the first week of school we feel like we need another vacation? That isn't just me, is it?

I admit - every year I can't wait to get into my classroom - I spend a full 2 weeks getting ready...I LOVE being in there right up until.......inservice week. You know what I'm talking about! The week where you sit and listen to the same old speech about the same old things until your behind is dumb and you are scared you're going to fall asleep in the middle of "staff development". It's soooo hard going back to work after being off 2 1/2 months.....I come home and sit down - and I am down for the count! There are nights in which I don't even make it to 7p.m.

We all have associations with Back to School........
So what's yours???

You Know It's Back to School When............

I'd love for you to add your own here.
HOW: grab the graphic at the top of my post. Save it and open in Word or Powerpoint. Then insert a text box and write how you would finish it.... then save as a jpeg!...... Do you own brief post on your blog.

Then, link up here! I will also create a Pinterest board where I like to store them. I would be happy to include you on the board as well. If you like, after you link up - leave your pinterest id below in the comments and I will add you to the colloborative You Know board :0)

I'm a dummy! :0)

Yes I am! I had a freebie in my post from yesterday and somehow forgot to provide the link.....hehehehehe

So, here it is - it's my Back to School Forms.

I use these and they include:

1. How We Go Home Form - have this info for all your kids on a few sheets instead of one for every child. I place one of these forms at each table.

2. Parent Checklist - for parents to check and make sure they have completed everything you need before they leave on Meet the Teacher night or on the first day.

3. Parent Conference Sheet - Parents fill out the top part and the bottom is for documenting when you contact them.. Great documentation tool!

4. Volunteers wanted sheet

5. Help Me Know Your Child sheet (front and back)

6. Emergency Information Half-Sheet (I have my parents fill out before they leave)

7. Visitor Sign-In Sheet

I used these and ran out of color ink so I was forced to print this in black and white and I am happy to tell you they look just as beautiful in black and white as in color. 

Click HERE to grab it now!

I also made this super cute monster-themed behavior clippie chart too. Click HERE to check it out! It's only $2 in my TpT Store.

Back to School Blog Hunt!

Hello everyone!!

The back to school rush is ON!!! My room is ready and now I am just working on getting beginning-of-school packets ready for parents come time for 'Meet the Teacher'. I've always said teachers need at least a week vacation between getting our rooms ready and the time for school to begin....I get so tired after spending a couple weeks prepping my room and all the various nitty-gritty details.

Here are some of my photos from Classroom Set-Up 2012!

Here is an adorable FootPrint Poem that I have used for years. I found the idea originally at Little Giraffes (such a wonderful teacher site). I changed some of the words in the poem and slapped a cute look to it - I think it adds great freshness to a beloved classic... I laminated it and then tape it to the floor right outside my classroom.....it's such a sweet way to start the first day....

HERE is a copy of this poem just for YOU!!!!! 

I so hope you enjoy this!!

Here is another freebie I've made lately....grab it now if you haven't seen it before :0) It's a great pack for Back-to-School!

Happy New School Year!!!

Back to School........FORMS - Uggghh!!!!

The one thing that makes my skin crawl the most with the whole Back-to-School rush is...........FORMS.....yep! All the paperwork just kills me. I totally despise it! Yes, it is necessary, but we have to know so much about the children we are going to be entrusted with.....

For years I've had the plainest forms for parents to complete.....never in the same place and it's a pain trying to gather them all up and ready to give to parents. So, I decided to make this set of BACK TO SCHOOL forms.....and while I was putting them in one place, I also decided to make them all cutesy! :0) It makes my teacher soul smile!

I am giving these forms to you as a FREEBIE! I hope you like them :0) Grab here!

This pack includes:
1. How We Go Home Form - have this info for all your kids on a few sheets instead of one for every child. I place one of these forms at each table.
2. Parent Checklist - for parents to check and make sure they have completed everything you need before they leave on Meet the Teacher night or on the first day.
3. Parent Conference Sheet - Parents fill out the top part and the bottom is for documenting when you contact them.. Great documentation tool!
4. Volunteers wanted sheet
5. Help Me Know Your Child sheet (front and back)
6. Emergency Information Half-Sheet (I have my parents fill out before they leave)
7. Visitor Sign-In Sheet

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I also have a 'programmable' version in my TpT Store if you are interested. Click here to see! The pictures do not show on TpT because they are too large to upload.....uugghhh! 

BACK TO SALE SALE - Whoop Whoop!!!

Aaaaahhhhhhh!!! There's a strong smell of fresh crayons and new notebooks in the air at this time of year. Back to school is one of my favorites times of the year (right up there next to the last day of school in June! :0)

It's so funny - as teachers we can't wait to get out of school, but 2 months later we are beating down the doors trying to get back in our classrooms to prepare for our new group of kiddos! We LOVE our jobs and the best thing about teaching is being able to have a fresh start each and every year!

As we get our new school supplies ready, decorate our rooms to the nines, we have to begin to consider the inevitable.........THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR WILL BEGIN!!!!

That thought brings excitement and anxiety!! Well, we at TpT have decided to BLOW into the school year with an amazing BACK TO SCHOOL SALE! .........and it's a BIG one!!!

This will be a 2 day sale only!!! If you shop from my TpT Store you will receive a 28% discount on ALL items!

So, I want to give you a little peek into some of my fantastic BACK TO SCHOOL deals!

The newsletters are programmable (using powerpoint) and will last all year with a different monthly template... This makes parent communication super easier and adorable!!
Click HERE to grab your newsletters for the year!

These are my new Programmable Center Rotation Cards and Signs sets. Aren't they cute??!! Everything you need to get your centers up and going! 19 centers included!
Click HERE to get your Bright Bubble center chart or HERE to get your Zebra center chart set.


Let's see what else do I have going on?????

The ABC's of Kindergarten is an adorable way to present your parent with a "everything you need to know about kindergarten" handout...... This item is also programmable (in powerpoint)- ready for you to alter what I have written..... Again - I tried to make it super easy for you to use. Click HERE to grab your ABC's of Kindergarten!

And.....what happens if you need to be out....Oh that is always the worst - especially if you have to be out near the beginning of school! But with this set you don't have to worry near as much! This Sub Tub is completely programmable (in powerpoint) and ready for you to add your specifics. Click HERE to get your SUB TUB ready!





PLUS.................there is so much more in my store: Take a look at some of my other best sellers:0)

And just think - you are getting almost 30% off!! Whew!!! I'm tired now -- I have to go finish putting the final tweaks on my TpT wish list!! Happy Shopping........and 

Happy Back to School!!!

WELCOME!!

Just a quick post to give you a little present.... I hope you like it!

Isn't it a cute Welcome sign?? And it's so easy to make. Print, laminate, cut, and simply hot glue directly to a thick, long ribbon of your choice! My ribbon is black with white polka dots.

It's a FREEBIE HERE!!!

You can also see my footprint poem (borrowed idea) .....It's another freebie for next Thursday....stay tuned for that! :0) It is A-dor-a-ble!!!

BackPack Tags

Hi friends! I am working furiously on my final to-do list for school..... (I feel like I'm running a million miles a minute!!) Can anyone else empathize?
Although my new kiddos don't come until August 27th, you know how long it takes to get everything ready to go.....
 My latest items on my "DONE" list are my backpack tags and my 'HOW WE GO' clip chart!
 My school gives us cheap-o address labels to write the kids names on and how they go home. I HATE them and refuse to use them....basically they don't last even long enough to get them on the correct bus or in the right place for car pick-up. So, I make my own back-pack tags that are WAYYYYY more durable. I even like to laminate mine for a little added durability.....I hole-punch them, run a string through them and....BAM!! I have 'HOW WE GO HOME' tags that LAST!!

 I'm letting you have my bus tags for FREE! I hope you can use them! Click HERE to grab them!

These backpack tags match my 'HOW WE GO HOME' clip chart. This is a beauty and makes me smile everytime I look at it!! aawwww.....those silly little monsters :0)

Anyways, I remember the way things used to be: parents would fill out a sheet telling me how their child would go home....I'd check and double check 2, 3, or 100 times to make sure I knew how everyone was to go home.... Then come time to leave I would be TERRIFIED whether I had all the kids in the right lines for dismissal.

That's was before my 'HOW WE GO HOME' clip chart. Here is mine:

I hang it right there on my door - right where I need to use it!

It's super simple to use: each child has a clothespin with their name and it's clipped to the cards that show how they go home.... I included PROGRAMMABLE name tags for the clothespin - (not shown here because I don't know my kiddos yet)..... you can also make notes such as: walks home with.... or bus #.....or can only be picked up by........so everything is easy to reference at the end of a busy day! :0) 

(close-up)...

but remember I can't show the name tags....sorry :0)

If you like this, you can get yours HERE! It's $3.50 in my TpT Store.

Whew!! I hope you are making your way through your to-do list too!!

Oh by the way.....we have an exciting Back-to-School sale on TpT on Sunday and Monday.... If you shop at my store you will receive a 28% discount off my entire inventory!! 

Click HERE to browse my store and see if there's something you need to put on your wishlist.....(I know my wishlist is a mile long :0)