Freebie Friday

Whew! This week was pack full of sub jobs and my weekend is pack full too! I feel like I haven't had a chance to sit down and breathe at all. Even with blogging, it feels, like I've been slacking but I've managed a few in this week.  I still have to post pics of the tulips...hopefully this weekend I'll post them :)

Alright, so in my kinder class that I was subbing, my math plans were pretty much non existent for a few reasons. One was that I had no idea what lesson they were on. Two, the whole math book is in Spanish. And three, it looked like stuff that they already knew. So I whipped up a few color code worksheets (nothing as spectacular as Kathy's at First Grade a la Carte. My kinders LOVED them. When I was in their class yesterday, they were inquiring about a new one, but we did that frog thing instead lol.

Mine are simple. REALLY simple. As in no sum larger than 10, because it was for kindergarten remember. Maybe one day I'll make them tougher. And they look great thanks to KPM Doodles clip art!

Click the pic for your freebie!

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Aye Yi Yi!

My Spanish speaking sure hs been brushed up this week! I've been in Spanish classes all week (well technically 2 classes but I have been in 1 the whole time except yesterday). I have no problem saying colors, numbers, walk and sit and now lol :)

Today I had to teach science in Espanol...aye yi yi! Lol. It wasn't really that bad. We talked about caracol which is a snail. We talked about what it looks like, what is has, etc. Then the kiddos wrote a few words (they're kindergartners) and then drew a snail.

However, I did hear a little girl say something that I had to decide whether to laugh or be horrified, but I laughed. She told the boy across from her this:
Little Girl: We could go to my room.
Little Boy: Uh huh.
LG: And go into my bed.
LB: Yeah
LG: And get undressed (at this point, I want to stop her but I'm curious to see what she says next).
LB nods his head.
LG: And then we could dance. (then I figure out dance is well, you know... I bet she walked in on parents 'dancing' and they told her they were 'dancing'.)
LB: Okay.
LG: Or we could just get in bed and keep our clothes on and dance.
LB: Okay.

I can just picture my friend reading the note I left for her on her desk. I'll talk to her about it tomorrow too lol :)

I loved what we did for math though! I copied a picture of a tree, a log, and a pond and I colored it. Then I used ovals that I printed on green paper and they were frogs. Instant math!

Just needed to add faces to the frogs. The kids loved my 'paint' job aka coloring. 

The math equations were the frogs on the log plus the frogs in the pond. I loved what they did!

They were so excited that I hung up their finished products on the white board.

She said she wanted to outline with marker and color in with crayon like me. But her frogs are way cuter than mine!  And great number sentence :)

I was impressed! 

There was even a kiddo that did 6 +6= 12. Pretty good! 

I loved it so much, I just whipped up a very simple one you can download for free.

Froggy Math

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I Pick...

So I've had this idea floating around for a Mother's Day craft and finally created it! It's a flower that says "Out of all the moms, I picked the best." But I made other templates with aunt and grandma, and a blank one. On the petals, kiddos write why they love their mom, either in sentences or in one word.

I'm going to try out Dropbox's linking thing and see if it works.

Mother's Day Freebie

If it doesn't work, let me know :) I'll post it on TN then.

My class was well, very naughty. But I had some jewels in the class. A 4th grade teacher needed something and came in and I don't know where all the stuff is but some kids were showing her. She thanked them for being so helpful. One little sweetie told me, "Of course we're helpful, that's what kids do! They help!" Aww precious. And I wish all kids believed that motto!

Kinder the last few days was busy, packed full of learning and I can't wait to be back tomorrow :) Friday we made terrariums and aquariums. We drew pictures of the components to make them. We talked about the plants we put in both. And then we had millipedes and potato bugs to put in and we drew them and touched them. One kid snuggled into me yelling , "La cucaracha! La cucaracha!" I laughed and told him it wasn't  a cockroach. Otherwise I may been out the door! I had to man woman handle the critters and put them in their habitats.

I also created some math stuff for the kiddos they loved and I plan to share them for Freebie Friday.

I"m still having computer issues but it's a little bit better. Alright, I have to go make dinner and catch up on blogs!




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Hola!

Oh bloggy buddies, it's good to be back in blog land! I felt deprived...behind...lost without my blogs. I was able to hop on a borrowed computer, but it was awful. I noticed on Friday my computer would connect and disconnect, and often at the worst times! Pretty soon it would disconnect after a minute. Looks like it was the router so got a new one. Every once in awhile there is still a hiccup but that is better than not having connection!

I feel like I have so much to share and so little time, I have a meeting soon. *sigh* Ok, so I had a phone call from my friend and she said that she needed me to sub since she had to fly to a family emergency (out of country). I was in her building already but for a different teacher (music). Well the office on Friday said they had scheduled a teacher for Friday/Monday for the Spanish kinder teacher but felt that sub would be better in kinder and that anyone could pop in a video for music lol.

So Friday and yesterday I was in kinder. And today and tomorrow I'm supposed to be in 1st but the teacher was still gone, so I moved into kinder today again. Tomorrow she's back but gone Thursday for a meeting and I'm scheduled for her again. And rumor has it she's gone Friday but I'm a different teacher in the building that day, so we'll see.

No time out Tuesday for me today. I promise I'll have  something to share with you tomorrow and it's regarding Mother's Day :)  Missed you all! Can't wait to share some things I whipped up the last few days with no lesson plans :)



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Happy Earth Day

Argh! That is the sound of frustration due to my router being on the fritz. On my parents' computer for the moment :)

Yesterday I helped with a 5K race and did registration. Then my friend who organized the whole thing informed me I was also going to time the racers. Insert panic and nervousness. Me? Time it? There were some some serious runners here! The rest were casual runners and walkers.

It went well but I dreaded the moments when there came a pack of runners at the same time!

Then I headed out to the Tulip Festival out at a different friend's farm. He forgot to give me a free parking pass (it's $10 people...$10 for parking) so he said to park at his house and walk through the grass field to tulip fields. Yeah ok. The 'grass field' turned out to be  these furrows/rows of grass so it wasn't flat walking grass, you had to watch your step or twist your ankle. No wonder why he grinned when he told me to walk through the grass. I found him at the festival and scolded him and he was just grinning. The flowers are amazing! When my router gets fixed I'll post pictures :)


Today I plan on washing the car in the gorgeous sun, maybe bike riding, and just enjoy the sun. Hopefully I get my router fixed or replaced soon!

Oh and I hope you had a great weekend and also, Happy Earth Day!

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Freebie Friday: Earth Day Bookmarks

This still may be in time for some of you, or can be saved away for next year! I realized last night I didn't have a freebie for Friday *gasp* and then quickly thought of bookmarks and Earth Day and whipped them up using KPM Doodles and The 3 AM Teacher's clip art. Thanks ladies!

You can grab them at my TN store.

I'm not sure who I'm subbing for today. I'm supposed to be music today and Monday, but one of my teacher buddies, my almost birthday twin (I'm a day older), called me last night and told me her Grandma in Mexico passed away (kind of expected but still sad) and she was flying out that night. She talked with the secretary and I'm thinking I might be placed there because the sub yesterday that covered her wasn't a good fit in kindergarten. She warned me there may not be lesson plans but gave me a low down. Plus the teacher next door is one of the best kinder teachers I know, so I have her.

Happy Friday everyone!

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Schedules, Suck-ups, and a Scoopin' Math Pack

Ah kinder. Kinders are certainly an interesting breed lol. Seriously though, if you need a pick-me-up, they'll have one for you.

A little suck up cutie patootie came over to me. She smiled and said, "Yesterday you looked nice. Today are you so beautiful. And I just know that all the time you look good." And she walked away, leaving me grinning. Well I was dressed really stylin' today if I do say so myself. I had the layered look with a white cami and silver ruffled t-shirt on top and a jean jacket paired up with jeans and black boots. And my favorite pair of silver earrings.  Should have taken a picture!  I also was told that I was a good reader. Aww :)

Yesterday I talked about being organized. The teacher also had a few things that I loved. The kids today were all about the schedule! I love having a schedule and will write it on the board because I don't like walking around with lesson plans to check for the times.

I find that the kiddos love having a schedule posted because they know what is coming next, there are no surprises, it's a routine, and it feels familiar. Even if the kiddos are in kinder, they can have a schedule with words and pictures, even if there are no times posted.

I wanted to post something that was SUPER helpful to me yesterday. The teacher had a list of names with the kids' pics with them. I was able to memorize a few so that when they came in, I felt like I already knew them :)

She listed their names alphabetically by first name. This would be also great for writing if they want their friends' names.

Now on to my Scoopin' Math. I was inspired by a few classes I've been subbing for lately who are studying fractions, percents, and decimals. Some of those kiddos are not connecting the three together and so I decided to make a beginners pack, mainly focusing on 25, 50, 75, and 100 but I think I threw in a few thirds in there.

I included posters about what each are and 8 problems for each and a final activity/review  that combines all three topics.  And the theme is ice cream. I am in love with how it turned out.

Included:

• 8 fraction problems
• 8 decimal problems
• 8 percent problems
• 3 answer keys
• 3 posters
• 3 record sheets
• Match Up activity

It's at my TN store and I've listed it for $2 :)

As usual, I will giveaway some copies of my new pack. I'll give away to the first 3 that leave a comment with their e-mail!

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I Love Organized Teachers!

One thing that absolutely makes my life easier as a substitute is having a somewhat organized teacher. When I found out who the teacher I was subbing for was, I knew I had nothing to worry about because she is THE most organized teacher I know. She had jury duty and found out last night last minute. She already had plans on her computer so just had to e-mail them to the secretary.

She teaches am and pm kinder. So two different classes, but the same stuff both times. I feel rushed people! I swear that every 15-20 minutes it was something new we were doing. And oh my were the kiddos funny! We played wordman during reading (like hangman, just with out the hanging) and I picked the word 'and'. They were down to the last second and also were one away from losing and someone guessed it. I hear another kiddo say, "Boy Ms. T is good! That was a tough one!" So cute :)

And another kiddo was showing me a burn on her arm and her deskmate asked if she 'stopped, dropped, and rolled'. Can you tell they are learning about community?  And the same one with the burn told me in a dropped voice that a different deskmate had said a bad word that she can only say at home. But then she told me... and it was 'hate'. I love kinders!

Ok back to organizing. So the teacher was super organized and the kiddos come in, put folders and backpacks away and move clothespins from one side of the sign in to the other.

They had table work all ready to go!

Blurred out names :) The crayons each have their own color container.

She told me what kiddos were good helpers, which needed reminders, and a few special kiddos. She let me know in her plans when kids leave her room for special classes, etc. Very helpful! All her materials were organized superbly! 

Everything has a home!

Reading materials ready for me on top and below, like instructed in her plans!

Every supply has a home and the kiddos know it and so that's super helpful. It helped make my day run smoothly and the kiddos know their routine, that's for sure!

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Time Out Tuesday: Thankful

Who needs a time out? This girl! Thank goodness I only worked a 1/2 day. My class was driving me up the wall today (more than usual). I was in their class just last week too! But today I felt like I made several connections with kiddos so that's good :)

Oh and I had language class so my kids left and I got a new group. And I took them to the computer lab for Rosetta Stone and they logged on and went to their program. It sounds like the U.N. in there, some are doing German, Russian, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Spanish, etc. One girl said something about my first name and then called me my first name. I whipped around and told her that was inappropriate and that we call teachers by the last name (at that school one teacher goes by her first name but they have to add Ms. in front). Well little did she know, the principal was in the lab for whatever reason and heard it and called her back.

Later in the staff room, the principal said I handled that well and with the right response (happy dance inside) and also asked the student when has she ever called the principal by her first name. Student stuttered and principal said even if they were calling me by my first name, there needs to be respect and put in a Ms.  Lol.

Thankful is my TOT topic. Sometimes we feel like teaching is thankless but know that you are doing a great thing!  I'm thankful of the staff at the  school today (and at other schools) and that the principal supported me too :) I'm thankful that I'm getting sub jobs. I'm thankful for my health, for my family, friends, and my fur baby. I'm thankful for the blogging community, TBA, and all my bloggy buddies. If you haven't hear thanks yet today, I thank you for reading my blog :)  Thanks!

I've got some super positive quotes about thanks and gratitude. Just reading these made me happy!

A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all other virtues.
-- Cicero 


Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough.
-- Oprah Winfrey 


Gratitude is something of which none of us can give too much. For on the smiles, the thanks we give, our little gestures of appreciation, our neighbors build their philosophy of life.
-- A. J. Cronin


Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you.
-- Eileen Caddy 


If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.
-- Rabbi Harold Kushner 

Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life.
-- Christiane Northrup




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Mail Call!

Nothing excites me more than getting a package in the mail!  Well ok, maybe there are other things, but who doesn't like getting packages? Lol :) I got my package from my Pinterest Exchange partner.

It is adorable and I love it! My package was from Jena over at Caught in the Middle.

Sorry it's sideways

It's a magnetic memo board! Don't you love the magnets? I adore them! And thanks for the note Jena!  :) 

That reminds me, I need to send mine off. It's all done, just sitting there :)

Happy Monday! 

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More Blogs, Clip Art, a New Unit, and a Question

It's a bit of a random post today!
First, I have some more blogs for you to check out!

Teresa of Confessions of a Teaching Junkie is first. I stumbled on her blog and I so love her Pinterest video. Got to find me some of those dots!

Next is Mr. B from Mr. B's Beach Brains. He just found out he'll be teaching in a teched out classroom. I'm interested in knowing what gadgets he has and what he'll come up with!

Elisabeth from Tales of an Elementary Teacher is next on my list. She's got some great ideas and I love the pics she's shared!  

So those are my newest finds. I'm always on the hunt!

Speaking of hunt, I was looking for a critter for my newest idea on a pack and couldn't find anything that suited my needs. So I decided to try my hand at making clip art. Now I'm no Michelle or KPM Doodles, that's for sure, but I was impressed with myself!

This was my first little guy. I needed a firefly and free handed this :)

A pirate scroll/map...I have pirate stuff in mind in the future.

I have no plans for this little dude yet but I thought he was kind of cute lol. 

Grab them if you want :) When I have more time I'll sit down and draw better things. I think I want to make cartoon people next!

The firefly in question is part of this new unit with parts of speech:

Nouns, verbs, and adjectives

I'm getting impressed with myself with this cover art and preview stuff too. Confidence for sure with how far I've come!

I'm giving this away to the first 3 who comment with their e-mails. It's also at my TN store. 

Lately I've been trying to figure out what people like the most at my store, so I can focus on more of those types of products, but they're kind of scattered.

Ok I'm super stoked that I figured out how to put this form in! Some of you are totally pros at it and are probably giggling at me, but that's ok. Better late than never in joining in this fun!




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Sun, Saturday, Stepping Stones and Some New Blogs

My mind is going a mile a minute about what to write lol. Ok, I was super excited when I opened my TN newsletter in my e-mail and saw one of my products was a featured product! So cool!

My friends had a baby a few days ago. Welcome to the world Brycen! I think he'll be a linebacker with his broad shoulders. 9lbs, 11 oz!

It's sunny today, yay! I had fun with my friends last night but had to be up early today to go help out at my friend's work to make stepping stones.  Our 3 classes were FULL! Definitely the most popular class.  We have tons of stuff they can put on their stones.

Gems and shapes

Broken tile/plates

Look at them all! Kids did great!

I helped make this for Brycen.

That's my stepping stone. I love how simple and elegant it looks.

Time for some new blogs! I'll probably just do a couple and share some tomorrow :O)

First is Brittany at Sweet Seconds. Love the name and how yummy her blog looks. She's got some great stuff!

Next is Mrs. M from  The Daily Cupcake...a Kindergarten Blog. I somehow found and her and I LOVE her leaving spaces poster. I pinned it and it blew out of the water with repins! 

And the last one for today, continuing on with the food theme, lol, is  Debra from The Paisley Apple. I do like paisley so I love her blog decor :) I love the Dr. Seuss stuff she did and she posted pics!

In honor of TN's remodel, I'm doing a TN giveaway. I love that we can do giveaways on TN now! 3 lucky people can win. My giveaway ends tomorrow!

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Friday Freebie

Happy Friday friends! It was a SLOW work week with 2 days, but I'm thankful for those 2 days! Today was nutso. The kids were super hyper and whiny and kept asking every 3 minutes when recess/lunch/going home was. And the afternoon class kept asking when they got the birthday girl's cupcakes. I smartly planned it after math centers and 5 minutes before the bus/home.

I've just about finished my Pinterest Exchange presents. Loving how they turned out! And under $10 too! I like how one thing turned out so much, I made one for my Teachers Taking Care of Teachers person. Hopefully I'll send out both packages Monday, but by the 20th at least!

One of the things I made for my TTCOT person was a poem of encouragement. Which is my freebie today.

I've posted it on the newly remodeled and awesome looking TN ! So you can grab the freebie at my store.

Now I'm going to decide what I'm wearing for my night out with some girlfriends! Woohoo! And tomorrow I'm going to help my friend at work and make stepping stones with the kiddos. I'll try to take pics if I remember/have time!

And tomorrow I have new blogs to share!

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Excellent Writers

   Writing is a skill we can improve on at any age.   As a sub, I am blessed with being able to see various ideas in the many classrooms I work in. I love the materials ready at hand for students, the inspirational writing centers and display boards, and lessons taught on writing. All of these together help students to become that ‘superb writer’.

   One thing students need to be successful in writing, are ideas to write about. Too often I hear students say that they do not know what to write about and are stumped. Providing students with a list of ideas and topics is one helpful way to guide them on to the path of writing. Posting a picture on the board as a writing prompt is another way to spark writing. Giving students a display of different things they can write such as poems, letters, posters, stories, etc. can help spark that creativity in the students and ignite their passion for writing.

   Display boards or bulletin boards with writing tips and information are also a help to students when writing. These displays could show the steps in the writing process, a rubric or scoring guide for students writing, descriptive words for students to use, or examples of student writing. Bulletin boards can be a very valuable tool in the classroom. Having these tools that are readily available, this helps them become better writers.

   Having the right materials also helps students when writing. A variety of writing papers and writing templates gives students a choice. One classroom I was subbing for had blank paper, lined paper, paper with a spot for writing and drawing, comic strip paper, and more. The kids loved having a choice of paper to use, even construction paper.

   Ways to improve their vocabulary is also important. I’ve been in classrooms that gave each student a personal dictionary to use. It was readily at hand in their desk to pull out any time they needed to look up a word for correct spelling. A local club in our community likes to donate dictionaries to all third grade classrooms in the district. The look on the students’ faces as they realize that they have their own dictionary to keep forever is priceless.

   Another source of checking vocabulary are pocket spellers or online sites, such as Grammarly. Pocket spellers are compact and quick to use. Several classes I’ve subbed in have class sets for children. The kids love them because there are sometimes word games on these pocket spellers, but they’re still learning!

  Word walls can be another great addition to the classroom for those young writers. It helps them become more independent in their writing and more likely to learn the words with repetition. I’ve seen various word walls, some including environmental prints of stores in the community that the students are apt to write about. Including the kids’ names in the word wall is great and when students write about other students or write letters to other students, they are able to look up the name of the person they are writing about.

  Having the right materials, a variety of resources, and ways to influence student writing, will helps students excel in their writing. Writing is a way for them to voice their opinions and let their imagination run free. They’ll become stronger and better writers and even superb writers.

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