Checking In and Freebies :)

Well, in exactly one week from today, I have to "officially" start back to work. :( Unfortunately, I had to "unofficially" start back this week because my room literally looked like my cabinets had thrown up their entire contents! (Sorry I left my camera at school....will post some pics tomorrow). I have been a busy bee working these past two days and feel like I have made a little progress. Anyone that looked in my room wouldn't be able to tell, but I know. :) Today I finished organizing my library and started organizing my stations. I created some labels for each using clip art from JW Illustrations. She is just awesome! If you haven't already, you need to check out her site. Anyways, I thought that I would share my labels that I made. You can access them by clicking the links below. If  you have any trouble or would like some labels personalized for you (same layout/content with different and/or more wording), you can e-mail me at jadawtolbert@gmail.com and I would be happy to fix some up for you! All I did with mine was print them off on cardstock, laminate, and cut out! I will post pictures tomorrow of mine in my classroom. :) Hope you enjoy!

 Library Labels

 Literacy Station Labels

Masterpiece of the Day (rehab of an old rug!)

Two weeks from tomorrow I have to "officially" go back to work! OMG where has the summer gone??? I'll tell you where mine has gone...to wedding pics, moving, painting, and my daughter. So busy have I been and now I have to focus on my classroom. With that in mind, I went to school today to work and this is the major thing that I accomplished......I redid an old rug that a fellow teacher was throwing away! I knew that with teaching kiinders, I would need to larger rug to use and the last day of school I found a "beauty" in the hallway, destined for the trash. I couldn't bear the thought of that old rug being thrown away (really I am just too cheap to buy a new one!), so I adopted it. I cleaned it up a bit and today I painted blue and green polka dots on it! 24 to be exact :)

Here is the rug before: sorry for the poor quality, I had to use the camera on my phone :/

The white circles are paper plates that I laid out and traced around so that my dots would be in the correct spot.

Here is the rug after:

I am SUPER excited about my rug. I did the polka dots for two reasons:

1) I love polka dots!

2) I am going to use the two colors as management for rug time. Girls will sit on one color and boys will sit on another. Hopefully this way I won't have clusters of boys and girls sitting around the rug. Everyone will have a spot (pun intended) to sit on.

Anyways, so that is my masterpience of the day. Hope you enjoyed! LOL

P.S. I hope that everyone saw my post on TBA from Sunday. I was the Teacher Feature! If you missed it, click on the link to check it

out!

Northeast Alabama Early Childhood Conference, Shout-Out, and COUPON CODE

I had the BEST time at the NEAEC Conference today with Jennifer from First Grade Blue Skies. I helped her present at the conference and I learned SO MUCH from just being there. Here are some pics that I took that I just had to share!

These are pictures that I took in some of the different classrooms throughout the school (Big Spring Lake Kindergarten School). They did an awesome job hosting the conference. The school had such a bright and inviting environment. I would love to teach in a school like that. :)

Kim Adsit from KinderGals was one of the presenters and she was AMAZING! Here are some of the graphic organizers that she brought for examples. I have to say that I am pretty inspired after hearing her speak.

For the shout-out......

Jennifer, thank you so much! You are such an inspiration and you have given me so many ideas for what I can do in my literacy stations and classroom. Thank you for all your help!

If you haven't already, you need to go check out Jennifer's blog First Grade Blue Skies. She is WONDERFUL.

Click on this link for a coupon code to Kohl's....just for reading my blog!

Skippy Time! Shop at Kohl's :)

Everyone have a Wonderful day!

P.S. I will be posting on TBA as the Featured Teacher this Sunday! Be sure to check it out!

Camera Dump, a few new things,a wonder, and a FREEBIE

Well, I finally remembered to grab my camera from school today. I realized once I got home that I still have some pictures on it from this past school year. Here they are:

Here we are flying our paper airplanes. They really got into making paper airplanes the last few days of school, so we had a competition to see whose plane flew the best.

Here are a few pics from our last Guided Art activity. I plan on trying to continue doing Guided Art with kindergarten, just a lot more basic.

 Don't you just love it when you get to put your stamp in a new book? Check out all the "new" books that I got the other day:

Love being thrifty!

And yes, I jumped on the Skippy John Jones band wagon at Kohls!

And, of course, since I have moved to kindergarten I had to get Pete the Cat!

One last picture....

my "Word Garden". I plan to put high frequency words and sight words on this board. You can find a copy of the high frequency word cards that I plan to use for FREE on my TPT store. Be aware that these high frequency cards go with Harcourt Storytown Kindergarten. :)

While I was working in my room today, I had a "wonder" that I was hoping to hear some feedback on from you guys.

How do you organize your bulletin board letters?

I have mine in a big accordion folder and it just doesn't seem to be working very well. I need a new way and I would love to hear what works for you!

 I hope to have more pictures of my classroom by the middle of next week. :)

Everyone have a great weekend!

**UPDATE**

Click HERE if you would like to purchase your own copies of Skippy! You can use this coupon code BLOGIT10 to receive 10% off your next purchase at Kohl's through August 23rd just for reading my blog. You can use it in addition to one other department specific code. :) Enjoy and happy shopping!

Input Needed.....BIG decision to make! :)

Okay Ladies (and gentlemen, I guess)! I have a BIG decison to make and I would like to hear y'all's input. :) I am getting ready to go back to school for my Master's Degree....the only problem is I am not exactly sure what I should get it in. I have my Bachelor's in Elementary Education. Should I get my Master's in the same thing or would it be more beneficial to me (now that I am teaching kindergarten and plan to stay with the lower grades) to get my Master's in Early Childhood? I am leaning more towards Early Childhood, but I'm not sure which would help me more. What are your thoughts? I would love to hear 'em! Thanks in advance for your help. :)

New Grade, New Look, Ready for a New Year! Kindergarten, here I come!

It is official! I am now a kindergarten teacher. :) I am so excited and a little nervous. I started working in my new classroom this week. Here is a "before" picture of my classroom:

Pretty much a blank slate, which is what I like! I will share an "after" picture once I get everything settled. Notice though that I have a........da ta da da...SMARTBoard! Yay! Now I just have to learn how to use it. LOL

In case you didn't notice, I also pimped my blog a little. I LOVE my new design and I hope you do too. Design Muse did an excellent job. Go check out her etsy shop when you have a chance. You can access it from here.

I hope to be posting pictures of some the things that I am doing in my classroom and some of the station activities. :) Be looking for some FREEBIES in the coming weeks. :)

Lastly,

ATTENTION KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS!

Since I am new to the kindergarten world (moving from 4th grade), I am a little overwhelmed. If any of you have any words of wisdom or tricks of the trade that you would be willing to share, I would GREATLY appreciate it! Thanks in advance. :)

Everyone have a wonderful "hump day" tomorrow!

Shout Out! and New Blogger Alert :)

I just wanted to give a quick shout out and thank you to my teacher/blogger friend Jennifer from First Grade Blue Skies. She is AWESOME! This afternoon when I checked my email, I had one from her saying "stuff". She was cleaning out her classroom for end of the year cleaning (by the way I work with her!) and she was giving away a bunch of stuff and wanted to be sure that I had first pick! I am moving from 4th grade to kindergaten next year (ALMOST positive that it will happen) and am trying to stock pile some materials to use. She knew that and really helped me out. So...

Thanks Jennifer! You are the BEST! :)

I also wanted to give a shout out to another fellow teacher friend who is starting up her blog. She teaching 6th grade at my school and is another AWESOME teacher! Check her out when you get a chance:

Mrs. Franks at Enchanted Tales of Elementary School

Five more days with kids, Six school days until summer.....Can I get an amen?

Out of the mouths of STUDENTS...

Don't you just love to hear or read things that your students say? Especially the things that they say about you? Today, I got that opportunity. We worked on our end of the year books (I got mine from Stacy Johnson from Mrs. Johnson's First Grade) and some of the things that my little darlings said about me brought tears to my eyes. Here are a few of their testimonials:

What I like most about my teacher is...

~She is fun!

~She made learning fun.

~She is nice and caring.

~She is very artistic.

(I don't think that I am, but it is nice to know that somebody appreciates my drawing attempts.)

~She is special. :)

~She lets us play games to study for tests.

~She will help you no matter what she is doing.

(One of my favorite comments!)

~She has funny, creative ways to teach and help us learn.

~She takes pride in teaching us.

(Glad to know they notice!)

~If we make a bad grade, she tells us that it will be okay.

(This comment came from a student that has really bad test anxiety and had a tough time during our BIG test. This one brought a few tears.)

Here are some of their pages:

This is the one that made me tear up.

I love how she referred to the feeling that she gets. :)

This class was really big on drawing. I had several that commented that they liked me because I let them draw.

Such sweet kids!

I hope that you all are fortunate enough to have your kids say such sweet things about you. This has been a pretty good year. I can't wait to see what next year holds. :)

Have a GREAT end of the year! 7 days left :)

 



It's Been a While...., Currently, Volcanoes, and Some Pack! Giveaway

It's been a while teacher friends and I promise it won't happen again! I have been SUPER BUSY this past month buying a camper and a house! Yes, you read that right a camper and a house! At first it was just the camper and not even one day after we wrote a check for the camper but a house in the perfect location came on the market and we jumped on it! I am still super busy because we are hoping to close on the house June 1st and I am trying to pack up our house we live in now and declutter it so that we can sell it. I've been packing one or two boxes a day and then taking them to my mother's and my mother-in-law's. So much fun, let me just tell you. :)

On to "teacher stuff"......

I have linked up again with Farley at Oh'Boy 4th Grade for this month's Currently. Here is my Currently:

I love the idea of the pageant title. I thought that mine was fitting for both teachers and moms, because let's face it ladies- when it comes to taking care of things we are expected to do it all AND look good while doing it. I know that all of you can handle it though. :)

Every year the 4th graders at my school make a volcano for science and get to bring it to school to erupt it. This year I had lots of great volcanoes that were made of some really unique items. One little girl's dad lays tile for a living, so her volcano was made out of concrete and tile grout. She looked so pitiful carrying that thing down the hallway! Another one made their volcano out of cake! It looked really neat. Here are some pictures of the volcanoes (I couldn't post pictures of all of them erupting because the kids were in them, although I did get a close up of one.)

I have also been working on a Writing and Literacy Pack to go along with E.B. White's classic Charlotte's Web. I had planned on having it ready in April for the 60th anniversary of the book, but as you can see that didn't happen. Then, I planned on having it ready for the big TPT sale, but yet again, I have fallen behind. So, as a way to make up for my tardiness, I am going to give away a pack to the first 3 people to comment on this post, AND I am going to have the pack for 20% off on my TPT store for tomorrow and Friday ONLY. I am really proud of this pack. It is crammed full of writing prompts and graphic organizers that can be used with the book. Go check it out on my TPT store and get your copy while it is on sale!

The clip art in this pack came from MelonHeadz, and can I say that it is amazing? The borders are from JW Illustrations, and I just love them! Her stuff is so cute. :)

I hope you all have a great rest of the week!

Currently, Tag! You're it!, Photo Dump

Well it is that time again! Join me in linking up with Farley over at Oh' Boy 4th Grade.

 

I just love to watch "Friends".  I have seen them all hundreds of times and most of the time I can say the lines right along with the gang. Lame, huh? But I LOVE it! My husband is an also bluegrass guitar player and I love hearing him play. :) Everyone say a prayer for our testing next week. I know my kiddos will do fine, but we would love the extra support. Thanks in advance! As for my "super power", if I had a button that I could press to instantly clean and straighten up my house, classroom, vehicle, and anything else that may need to be put in order, my life would be SOOO much easier. But then, wouldn't everyone's? :)

I have been tagged by Becky at Teaching, Learning, and Loving.

Here Are The rules:

* Post these rules

* Answer the 10 questions that the tagger posted for you

* Create 10 questions of your own to ask the people that you're about to tag

* Tag 10 people and link them with your post (and let them know they've been tagged!)

Here are Becky’s Questions:

1. What grade do you teach?

Fourth Grade….this is my third year

2. What is your favorite unit/theme to teach?

Food Chains/Animal Habitats

3. Who is your favorite tpt seller?

First Grade Blue Skies

4. Do you have any freebies on your blog?

Yes! And more to come, so come check them out J

5. What are your top 3 favorite blogs to visit?

Mrs. Plant’s Press

The Daily Alphabet

The Resource(ful) Room

6. Do you have any kids?

Yes, a 14 month old daughter named Rylee Claire

7. Where is your favorite place to travel or vaca?

The Great Smoky Mountains

8. What is your favorite place eat? And what do you get there?

Logans; usually the tilapia

9. What is something easy you do for dinner when you are in a hurry?

Hot wings and fries

10. Do you have a teacher tip for us?

Listen to your kids and try to understand them so that you will know how to reach them. Don’t take for granted that your way is the best way….sometimes their ideas will surprise and inspire you!

My questions for you:

1. What is your proudest teacher moment and why?

2. What is a moment that you are not so proud of and why?

3. How did you know that teaching was “it” for you?

4. How do you find the time to work on “teacher/blogging” without taking time away from your family?

5. What do people say is your greatest strength as a teacher?

6. What do you think is your greatest strength?

7. What do you think is your biggest weakness as a teacher?

8. What is the highest degree you have earned and do you plan on trying for something higher?

9. What grade do you teach and how long have you been in that position?

10. Do you have a teacher tip for us?

Tag you’re it!

Mrs. Plant’s Press

The Daily Alphabet

The Resource(ful) Room

Teaching in Paradise

Pocket Full of Kinders

Peace Love Learn

Seusstastic Classroom Inspirations

Swamp Frog First Graders

Primary Perspective

The Alphabet Garden

I have been a little slack in my posts this week. I have been super busy and my daughter hasn't napped at the right times. I know, I know excuses, but we all have them! Here are some pictures of some of the things we have been doing this week:

Anchor Charts for Figurative Language

Student Examples of Figurative Language

Anchor Chart for Multiplying with Two-Digit Numbers

Hope you enjoy! Next, week we begin our ARMT+ testing. Ugghhh! The bright side is that we will be able to do fun stuff in the afternoons! Hopefully, lots of fun pictures will be coming. ;)



Spring Break is Over :( & Customary and Metric Units of Length Foldable

Well, my Spring Break officially ended today. (Insert sad face) Getting up, heading out the door, and leaving my sweet baby girl was super hard. Although I had missed my school kiddos, I really enjoyed being home and playing with my best girl. Oh, well 36 school days left.....I guess we can make it. =)

Today during math we made foldables to organize the different units for length (both customary and metric). Here are some examples of our work and a short how-to on making the foldables:

 I just had to show off my precious baby girl!

Step 1: Get your paper. We used copy paper for ours, but construction paper will work.

Step 2: Fold paper hamburger style.

Step 3: Fold the top flap back toward the fold.

Step 4: Flip the entire foldable over and fold the (new) top flap back toward the fold.

Step 5: Turn horizontal with the folds at the bottom. Write the topic along the fold. Write the subtopics along the flap (#'s 1-4). Cut between each subtopic.

Step 6: Write the details or information for each subtopic beneath each flap.

These can be used for any subject area, and I hope you can use them in your classroom. If you have any questions, please let me know! I hope I was clear in my instructions. =)

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

End of Quarter SALE!!!

I am having a sale in my TPT store for the end of the quarter. Everything in my store is 20% off PLUS if you like my store (and blog) and send me an email telling me that you did and what you purchased I will email you a FREE copy of your choice of either my Spring and Easter Pack or my St Patrick's Day Pack. 

Email: jadawtolbert@gmail.com

April Fun Pack is COMPLETE! and an Easter Sale!

I hope everyone is having as AWESOME a week as I am! Can I say that I absolutely LOVE Spring Break? It is going to be really hard to go back next week. :(  Anyways, onto more exciting (and not so depressing) news...... my April Fun Pack is COMPLETE!

It includes activities of April Fool's Day, Earth Day, and April weather. Please check it out on my TPT store.

Also, don't forget about my Spring/Easter Pack also on my TPT store. It is on sale now through Easter for 25% off!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Friday! Happy Weekend if I don't get a chance to tell you later. =)

Anchor Chart Make Over and Earth Day Pack Preview

Check out my new and improved PEMDAS Anchor Chart! I was bored and in the mood to do an anchor chart so I decided to revamp my PEMDAS anchor chart. I hope you all enjoy!

Also, be watching for my new Earth Day/April Fun Pack that I will be posting to my TPT in the next day or so. It is loaded with lots of goodies already (including an April weather data collection and graph activity!) and I am still going strong on it! Here is a preview of what it includes (remember this is just a preview....there is more in the pack!)

Just for the record....SpRiNg BrEaK ROCKS!!!!! Have a great Wednesday everyone. =)



Happy Saturday!

Happy Saturday everyone! I would like to give a BIG THANKS to Courtney from Teaching in Paradise for awarding me the lovely blog award. It is always an honor to receive this award, so thank you so much!

Here are some blogs that I want to recognize with this award:

Amanda at One Extra Degree

The Clutterfree Classroom

Kim at Saylor's Log

Fran at Kindergarten Crayons

KinderPond

Little Country Kindergarten

Kerri and Lindsay at Teacher Bits and Bobs 

Please stop by and check out these "Lovely Blogs" when you have time. You will not be disappointed. =)

It is FINALLY here! SPRING BREAK! Can I get a Whoop Whoop??!! =)

I honestly did not think that I would make, but yes it is true- Spring Break has arrived! Nine wonderful days to spend with my baby girl relaxing and playing. ahhh! I already fill SOOO much better than I did yesterday afternoon. I have been so stressed trying to make sure that my kids are ready for the BIG test. I have finally decided (today) that either they are going to know it or they are not and at this point in the game their isn't much I can do. I have prepared them as much as I possibly can. Yes, we will still review when we get back from Spring Break the few days we have before the test, but as for me worrying and stressing- that is over. =)   (I hope!)

Okay, now for some fun stuff.....

a BIG THANKS goes out to Heather from Beg, Borrow, and Teach! for nominating me for the Lovely Blog Award. I have received this award in the past, but it is so nice for someone to see fit to give it to me again. It puts a big smile on my face, so for that THANKS!

Also, Ladybug's Teacher Files is having a Linky Party for Anchor Charts! I have decided to link up and I hope you will too. =) Below are some pictures of some of the anchor charts that are currently hanging in my classroom. Some I have come up with myself and others are Pinterest finds.



 As part of our "shapes" discussion this week, we  made these Quadrilateral Flip Books. We folded a sheet of cardstock paper in half (hamburger style), wrote quadrilaterals along the fold, wrote the five different types of quadrilaterals on the front (spacing between each), cut the front flap between each word, and wrote the definition behind each flap. We then used our flip books to name different quadrilaterals using all names possible. It seemed to work really well.

 I also have pictures of some of the best leprechaun traps that my kids came up with. Sorry for the poor quality of the pictures. My camera didn't want to focus for some reason.

I hope you all have a great weekend! If you get a chance, you can check out my TPT store. I added a new grammar pack and there is my Spring Fun Pack that has a very cute bunny bag craft (if I do say so myself!).

If you aren't already a follower of my store (or blog), I would love for you to start! =)

Happy Weekend and Spring Break!