From the hands of babes

Can I go with her????

I think today is Wednesday...

but to be completely honest, I am not sure half of the time! I hate 4 day weeks.

I know, I know. I should love them!

But when we have 4 day weeks, I get so confused as to what day it is. And to top it off, my watch battery died, so really, I am about at lost as one can get. 

Mississippi is not completely ready for Spring (apparently) because today the weather was rainy and 50 degrees after a glorious 75 and sunny yesterday. Needless to say, no recess. Oh, and the counselor was at a meeting today at County Office, and my class had counseling, so no specials class either.

Have I mentioned that I just returned from maternity leave...YESTERDAY.

So, to help pass the time (of which I was completely oblivious to) we wrote letters to my maternity sub thanking her for working with my class while I was gone. 

Were they perfect? Of course not. But I am sure she will love them!

And.....

Our writing standard this week was composing a friendly letter. BAM. Finished. Done. Thanks.

Bring on Thursday!!

My First Day Back, April Currently, and a Freebie :)

So, after 10 glorious weeks with my sweet Lila Kate, I ditched my lounge clothes, put on some make-up and name badge, and returned to my 21 kinders. My first thoughts when I walked in my room - "What's that smell?" then "Where is my coffee?", and lastly, "Why am I already sweating??"

Welcome to my world. 

The smell - the jellybeans I had forgotten I had stuffed in my bag last night.

My coffee - in my hand :)

Sweating - because apparently it's my body's new thing since becoming a mother. 

I will say, my day was not bad at all!! I was sorta preparing myself this past weekend for some craziness, but my kids were super sweet and did all of their work without complaint. And I must say that my sub had done a great job with them, because they were reading beautifully for the 142nd day of school!

This week we are working on /u/ - medial. So I whipped up this little activity as a can do for my early finishers at one of my centers. Please take if you want/need it!

Read and Draw - medial /u/

And.. here is my April Currently. 

Visit Oh Boy! 4th Grade to link up!

I'm Linking Up!!

 

 

This week's Linky is the noun game - favorite person, place, thing, and animal!

 

 

1. PERSON - Can I have a tie? These are my 2 favorite people!!

 

 

 

Will and I married in June of 2009 and little Miss Lila Kate was born 9 weeks ago! This was taken on Valentine's day (notice her hearts!!)

 

2. PLACE - Charleston, S.C.

 

 

Will and I visited Charleston while we were in college. A little Spring Break trip. Absolutely beautiful and I don't even know how to begin describing the shrimp and grits! Love the lo' country!! This picture was taken on Rainbow Row. Each house is a different color, because back during the war, drunk soldiers could find their quarters by looking for a particular colored house. True story. I learned that on the buggy tour :)

 

3. THING - Here comes my nerdiness :)

 

 

Yes, yes, my SMARTboard is pretty much the most amazing thing I have acquired while teaching! Kindergarten was the last grade to receive them, but Santa visited right before Christmas break with these gifts!! Also, the coffee cup in my hand runs a close second. Not the cup itself, but the coffee that's inside it!! :)

 

4. ANIMAL - Charles Brown Everitt, aka Charlie

 

 

Charlie entered the family in October of 2010. He has been one of the biggest blessings in our lives, besides LK of course. He was our first child. I always tell people that I have a 4-legged child and a 2-legged child. Charlie has been around for everything. He has taken road trips to KY with us. He was the only person home with me when I went into labor! He is the best big brother to Lila Kate!

 

Oh and have you seen this commercial??

 

 

I swear I tear up every time it comes on!! That is CHARLIE! Well not really, but it is a chocolate lab like Charlie!

 

 

 



Reading Street - CCSS

So I am not sure how many of you use the Scott Foresman Reading Street reading program, but my school piloted the program last year and loved it so our district let each elementary principal decide if they wanted their school to use it, and all schools but 1 began the Reading Street journey this year. I have to admit that I LOVE IT!!!! I know some teachers that cringe at the thought of a basal, but I am so thankful for a program that is spelled out for me and so easy to follow. PLUS - I know that I am covering each and every CCSS ELA standard.

I have created a download for all of the high frequency words for kindergarten. I am working on 1st and 2nd grade now.

Check them out at my TpT Store and be looking for the other 2 grades within the next few days!

Any thoughts on Reading Street??

Crafty Saturday

So I have been thinking for a few weeks that once I go back to school, I am going to need something to keep my cellphone in since Lila Kate will be at the sitter's house and I, of course, will be checking it constantly the first few days (weeks?!) to see if something is wrong. After many debates (with myself, because Charlie just licked my chin when I asked his advice) I decided that I wanted an apron. Not a full fledged cooking apron, but a waitress one that just ties around your waist. And finding one was easy. I spent a whopping $1.99 (actually I got 20% off with a coupon) on a tan one at the Hobby Lobby! Gotta love that store! A little decoration on the 2 pockets, and wah la - a perfect teacher's apron! One side will hold the handy dandy iPhone and the other will hold my PBIS tickets for good behavior along with whatever else I feel the need to carry around all day.

Finally...a FREEBIE :)

I've been reading blogs for a few years now, and have asked myself continually - "How do they make all these cute printables?? Are they all graphic designers, too??"

Well, during one of LK's naps a few nights ago, I stumbled upon a tutorial video on using PowerPoint to make printables!! Thanks to Ladybug's Teacher Files for helping me start my journey to becoming a printable genius!!

So, after watching her video three, yes THREE, times, I decided to make a math page on PowerPoint to email to my maternity sub and other Kindergarten team members to work on before Easter break. 

Feel free to grab it. I think it would be great for morning work or an independent center. Just leave me a comment if you download it. Just for the moral booster of knowing someone else appreciates the hard work!

Bunny Addition and Subtraction through 20

Motivation!!

Here I sit on a Thursday night. Most of my teacher friends are on Spring Break trips with their families. I, however, have been on "break" since January 17 :)

Meet Lila Kate!! This sweet thing has kept me well occupied since she arrived January 17. A snow day. Yes, my child would be the one to arrive on a day that we just so happened to not be in school LOL. Needless to say, teaching has been the LAST thing on my mind, but in the past week I have come to the realization that I return to my classroom in just a few short weeks and needed some motivation. Sooo, I pulled up my blog that I have severely been neglecting! And, as I guessed it would, I have been inspired once more to bring out the creative, awesome teacher that I know is somewhere under all the love and adoration for LK that has been filling up my body!

So, thanks to all the blog authors that I follow. You all have given me the motivation I need!!

Penguin Freebie!!

I have been on vacation in Louisville KY for the past week and a half. I woke up this morning with close to a zillion things to get done before returning to school tomorrow. One of the things on my list was to make a math sheet for my assistant-led math center. So, still having the Christmas spirit, here ya go!

Penguin Addition to 10

And just to make you smile even bigger...

Charlie says "bring on the snow" and "have a Happy New Year!!"

(that is a few snowflakes on his forehead while in KY!)

My Christmas Mission...with a FREEBIE

So now that I have my life back, I am determined to start crafting up some good center work for my kiddos. 


Who would have thought that a cut and paste activity would bring so much enjoyment?!?! My students LOVE when I let them do a cut and paste center!!


Our school is piloting the NEW Common Core edition of Reading Street. We got started a little late, but I think we are right on schedule. Here is an activity for Rooster's Off to See the World - cut and paste style for my little peeps! 


Enjoy!!


Rooster Cut and Paste (/h/)

Where has the Time gone??!!!

So I had to take a Blogger Hiatus - and this is why:

Yeah, no biggie - just finishing my Master's Degree! This semester was the hardest, and I had no extra time for a lot of my after-school activities.


But, with this out of the way - I AM BACK!!

Happy Day Late Birthday to ME!!!

IT CAME TODAY!!!!! 

I have been waiting for this to arrive!! Our color unit is over, but you better believe that I am going to be reading this one TOMORROW!! I also got the audio cd to go with it, so I might even put it in my listening center next week!! I am sooo excited!!

A Giveaway Where Everyone Wins!!

Kreative in Kinder is hosting a super sweet giveaway - and the best part is, there is no random drawing! You win a **FREE** unit!! So click the link and check it out. Tell her I sent ya!!

Birthday Weekend!

I know this is my edu blog, but I wanted to show someone I am working hard on educating early - my beautiful niece Eliana. She had her 1st birthday party today at my Mom's house. Will and I woke up extra early this morning and trekked to Tuinca, MS (3 hours from my house) for a nice cupcake party. Today is actually my mom's birthday. Eliana's is the 14th and mine is the 20th, so it was a big bash for all of us, but of course, we centered all of our attention on little bit. Here are some picture from our afternoon:

I am such a proud Aunt!! I gave her the book The Biggest Apple Ever, and have ordered a few more from Scholastic that should be in soon. I am planning on keeping her stocked when it comes to books! 

Here's to a fabulous 6th week with my kiddos!!

All Aboard for Common Core!

So, I spent the day in a training session for the lovely Common Core. I still have a few questions, but I feel better about what I and my Kinder team are doing in the classroom. I am excited to talk to more teachers and see how they are incorporating Common Core at their school.

Speaking of Common Core, we are in our color unit, and did the cutest activity for the book Mouse Paint. I have to give a shout out to Kim Adsit, who gave us the idea at our 2 day Title Conference this summer. She is Ah-mazing! I thoroughly enjoyed her two sessions that I sat in on. The activity uses marshmallows and colored cake icing to show how primary colors mix to make the secondary colors! So freakin' cute! So, the students are not only getting to make colors, they are also getting a nice snack.

My kiddos are super sweet! My school is super awesome and I thank God each day on my five minute drive to work that He placed me exactly where I needed to be. And I am sure that He is going to get me through this process of learning Common Core.

ALLLLLLLL ABBBOOOAAARRRRDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!

Where it all goes Down.. and a Birthday!

Happy 1st Birthday Charlie!!!

Okay okay, now to the main reason I am posting today! Where it all goes down! I honestly don't have many pictures of the room, but the ones I have pretty much tell all.

This is my reading loft. All kindergarten classes come standard with one in my school. My kiddos love this! My best friend handmade my pillows for me. Each day my class visits the loft. They choose a pillow and a book and read. Well, look at pictures haha! I want them to be comfortable while they are reading, so if it means that they lay down, then I am down with that. 

This is my nook. You can see the cubbies behind my desk that are full of books and binders. You can also see part of my kidney table. The kidney table is actually where my assistant runs the daily math center. I also let students sit there for morning work and snack time.

This is my baby right here!! My whole group area! You see my nice calendar area. We use Everyday math. So if you are familiar with this, than you know that there are 8 daily routines that we have to do. All but 2 are on the board. You can also see part of my Word Wall, my number line, my Morning Message board (which actually turns around and holds my tablet with the weekly poem for Shared Reading), my tv, my projector area (surrounded by bananas), and the sacred Comfy White Chair. 

This, my friend, is where it all goes down!

Leave me some love, or Charlie some birthday wishes!!

Why Yes, I am a Teacher too!!

Blog Hoppin is hosting a Linky Party today called Meet the Teacher. I thought to myself - what the heck! I'll do it too! (ps - check out their blog!!)

Tell us a little something about you...

Well, let's see..... I am about to celebrate my 25th birthday in September. I grew up in small town USA, well, Mississippi. I went to a small private school in the MS Delta. I decided to go to Delta State University because I knew it was the best school for teachers. So, while all my fellow classmates where headed to Ole Miss and MS State, I was headed to the land of the Fighting Okra. I met my now husband, Will, there and married him in June 2009. We moved to Brandon right after. We got Charlie in September 2010. That's me in a nutshell :)

                 How long have you been teaching?

I have been teaching for almost two years. I graduated in December 2009. I took a job teaching 2nd grade in January 2010. I taught 2nd grade again at the same school the next school year. This past May I accepted a job in a different school district teaching Kindergarten.

You might not know...

I am in graduate school! I will graduate with my Master's in Education this December from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, MS.

What are you looking most forward to this school year?

I am so looking forward to watching the growth of my babies! I love being the teacher to begin the school and learning process! I have seen them learn so much in the 2 weeks we have been in school! I know that the rest of the year is going to be amazing!

What do you need to improve?

I need to improve my discipline system. My school focuses on positive behavior. We are a PBIS school if you know what that is. I have some kids who don't care if they are not rewarded. I need to figure out what I can do, positively, that will keep them under control.

What teaching supplies can you *not* live without?

My MacBook Pro that the district gave me, sticky notes, and my hot glue gun!!

Well, there you have it! Join the Linky Party! And leave me some love on this Monday evening!!

I Won!! :)

What a way to end my Friday!!

I checked my Blogger and sure enough, I had won the giveaway hosted by The Teacher Wife, First Grade Factory, and Mrs. Patton's Patch!!! If you do not already follow these sweethearts, you must do so!

I was able to choose 2 activities from each of their Teacher Notebook stores, so that is 6 new fun downloads for me!!

I am so grateful to blog and be able to have chances to win such cute and high-quality items!

Hoping that you have a happy ending to your Friday as well!!

Meet Leo

This is Leo. I named him Leo because I wanted him to appeal to both genders in my classroom. I bought Leo at Kohl's last year along with a new copy of the Grouchy Ladybug, since my copy was getting a little worn. I wanted to have a traveling "pet" this year with my Kinders, and found him hiding in the trunk of my car over the weekend. So, I decided to name him Leo and let him visit my little friends. I happened to have a ladybug notebook that I have never used before, so before my kiddos arrived this morning, I typed up a little intro note for the notebook so that my parents would know what was going on. Leo travels home with one student each night. The student is to illustrate one activity that they did with Leo and write a sentence explaining the drawing. My kids were so excited! Bryce got him tonight and told me before he left that if Leo was bad, he would write me a note. Precious! I am looking forward to seeing what they come up with and letting the students tell the class during carpet time about their adventures with Leo! Hopefully I will be able to post some of their entries for you to read!

I survived week One!

Thankfully the rest of my week went by pretty uneventful - all children got home correctly and I slept easy because of that. I have 19 sweet kiddos this year - 11 girls and 8 boys. I have 3 that cannot write their name, 1 that doesn't even know how to spell her name, and 1 that is reading on a 2nd grade level. It is going to be an interesting year!

I wanted to post a few pics of the finished room, but I haven't figured out how to find them on my new MacBook. Did I mention that my school district bought 900 MacBooks this summer for the teachers? 1.2 million dollars on computers! But - I get to bring it home everyday to play on! I am still trying to figure things out on here.

Last week we focused on the Kissing Hand and this week we will be reading Chrysanthemum. We start CCSS hard and heavy on week 3. I placed an order on Amazon today for 6 books for our units. Will is being super supportive of me buying what I need-thankfully!!

So, all in all, I did survive. I did catch a cold, of course, but that just gives me the excuse to talk Nyquil and pass out at 7:00. :)