MEGA Birthday Celebration!!!

This whole month my friend Beth from Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Designs (you might recognize her cute stuff from EVERYWHERE, including my products) is having a birthday celebration and giving away TONS of amazing prizes!  This week I am featured along with some other 3rd-6th bloggers in the prize bundles.  If you would like a chance to win one of these bundles check out all her details below!

 

Click on the image to take you to her Facebook page

 

"Up for grabs this week is almost $400 worth of goodies from 40 fabulous individuals! I'm trying my best to group grade levels in bundles and this week will be 3rd-6th. This giveaway will be held by Rafflecopter. There is be a total of FOUR WINNERS this ...week; 1 Winner Per Bundle. The winners will be randomly selected by Rafflecopter. All giveaways will end on Thursdays at 8:30PM. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!"

RAFFLECOPTER LINK HERE: https://www.facebook.com/ZipADeeDooDahDesign/app_228910107186452

WEEK 2 GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
WEEK 2 BUNDLE 1

1.) Classroom Compulsion ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Classroom-Compulsion

2.) The Teacher Studio ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Teacher-Studio

3.) Learning Lab ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Learning-Lab

4.) Joy of Teaching ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Joy-Of-Teaching

5.) Lessons with Laughter ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Molly-Maloy

6.) Create-Abilities ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Create-abilities

7.) Maneuvering the Middle ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Maneuvering-The-Middle

8.) Nicole Rios ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Nicole-Rios

9.) Confessions of a Teaching Junkie (Winner's Choice) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Confessions-Of-A-Teaching-Junkie

10.) Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah Designs ($10 Amazon Gift Card) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Zip-a-dee-doo-dah-Designs

WEEK 2 BUNDLE 2

1.) Amy Alvis ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Amy-Alvis

2.) Teaching with a Touch of Twang ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Teaching-With-A-Touch-Of-Twang

3.) Horizons ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Horizons

4.) Mrs. O Knows ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Mrs-O-9150

5.) 4th Grade Frolics ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/4th-Grade-Frolics

6.) Beach Sand and Lesson Plans ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Gina-Coniglio

7.) Education to the Core ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Education-To-The-Core

8.) The Extra Energetic Educator ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Extra-Energetic-Educator

9.) Primarily Au-Some ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Primarily-Au-some

10.) Kristen Smith ($10 Amazon Gift Card) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kristen-Smith-48

WEEK 2 BUNDLE 3

1.) EduKate and Inspire ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Edukate-And-Inspire

2.) One Sassy Teacher ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/One-Sassy-Teacher

3.) Danielle Knight ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Danielle-Knight

4.) The Learning Center (Winner’s Choice) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Learning-Center

5.) Where the Wild Things Learn ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Where-The-Wild-Things-Learn

6.) Speechercize and Gluten Free ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Breana-Orland

7.) NC Teacher Chick ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Monica-Parsons

8.) Erica Butler ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Erica-Butler

9.) Teaching Momster ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Krista-Mahan-Teaching-Momster

10.) Fabulous 4th Grade Froggies ($10 Amazon Gift Card) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Fabulous-4th-Grade-Froggies

WEEK 2 BUNDLE 4

1.) Powerpoint Gaming ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Powerpoint-Gaming

2.) Figuratively Speeching SLP ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Figuratively-Speeching-Slp

3.) Brooke Beynon ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Brooke-Beynon

4.) Zanah McCauley ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Zanah-Mccauley

5.) Elyse Rycroft ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Proud-To-Be-Primary

6.) This Little Piggy Reads ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/This-Little-Piggy-Reads

7.) Mom2punkerdoo ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Mom2punkerdoo

8.) Teresa Kwant ($10 TpT Store Credit) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Teresa-Kwant

9.) Jennifer Jones ($10 TpT Store Credit)
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Hello-Literacy

10.) Kate Wintuska ($10 Amazon Gift Card) http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Catherine-Reed-The-Brown-Bag-Teacher

What are you waiting for?!  Click on the link above for the Rafflecopter and enter for one of these terrific bundles!  Good luck!!!

And the winner is...

Many have entered but there could only be one winner!

And the winner of the GeoModel Everday Folding Shapes is.....

Congratulations Rachel and thank you everyone for entering!

 

All week long my girl Leigh over at The Applicious Teacher has been doing an A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. teacher appreciation week giveaway.  And by amazing I mean TONS of new goodies each day.  Click on the button below to take you to her blog and work your way backwards all the way to the giveaways on Monday.  There is still time to enter all the different giveaways and keep your teacher appreciation week going a little bit longer!

 

 

I hope you all had an amazing week and a Happy Mother's Day tomorrow!



Teacher Appreciate Geometry GIVEAWAY!!!

Finally!  It is finally here!  I have been sitting on this little nugget for weeks... MONTHS!  Now, I finally get to blog all about it.  EAI contacted me and asked me to review one of their products earlier this year.  Well I jumped on that in a heart beat because I absolutely love all the EAI products I have ever bought and I am like a kid at Christmas time when I get their catalog in the mail!  One thing that caught my attention above all else was their GeoModel Everyday Folding Shapes.

As you might remember, this is the first year I am teaching math and I wanted to make sure this would work great for my kiddos this year AND next year when we transfer over to the Florida Standards (very similar to Common Core).  Well wouldn't you know it... IT DOES!

Point for EAI.

Here is the blurb that EAI Education has for their product:

Help students see that the 3D geometric shapes they study surround them in everyday life! This set of 8 jumbo, transparent 3D shapes (Hexagonal Prism, Cylinder, Cube, Triangular Prism, Rectangular Prism, Square Pyramid, Triangular Pyramid, and Cone) has removable bottoms that allow students to insert and remove any of the 26 durable folding nets to transform them from ordinary shapes to everyday objects like a can of dog food or a piece of cake. This 10cm set includes 25 full color Question & Answer Activity Cards. Cards measure 2"H x 3"W. Also includes an activity booklet with reproducible task sheets.

 

 

I started off by using the models as an introduction to 3-D shapes.  It was perfect for my kids to relate their background knowledge to what we were learning in math and my visual and kinesthetic learners were in heaven!  They knocked this concept out of the ball park and I know it was in part to being able to explore with these.

 

 

Inside each durable plastic shape is a net of a real life item with the same shape.  Even though there are only 8 plastic shapes, there are 26 everyday object folding nets included as well.  I am going to be honest and tell you that when I first saw these nets I was very skeptical.  I just knew that within minutes of my kiddos getting their hands on them, they would be ripped apart.  Well I was wrong and couldn't be happier about that!  They are not made out of regular paper like I assumed when I first saw them.  I don't really know what the material is but it is more like a durable smooth plastic meets paper but still flexible without breaking...  Any way, whatever it is, it holds up!

 

 

Point for EAI.

 

Along with the task cards, nets and shapes you get a handy dandy activity booklet that comes with four other stand alone activities and answer keys for everything!  You will have to scan the worksheets from the book and print them out, but it was easy!  I printed them out on cardstock and ended up laminating them for longer use.

 

 

 

All in all I am thoroughly pleased with this product!  So much so that I passed it around to my team and we even used it for FCAT math rotations.  It was perfect because it helped some of the students who needed a deeper understanding but it was also adaptable to our kids who needed the enrichment.  it was all there in one nice package!  I used all the different activities in class and then set it out in our math centers for rotations afterwards and this was always something the kids went back to.  Now usually I am one to say, "You've been to that station three times before, try something else!" but I don't have to because there is so much to do with this set that even by their fourth visit to this center, they might just be finishing up the task cards!

 

Okay, here is where I go rogue...!?

 

By no means did they ask me to do this but I have to tell you anyway!  I have two other geometry goodies from them that I use to introduce/review skills and keep them in my center stations.  I LOVE them and suggest you add them to your collection!

 

1. Exploragons - I have a teacher set that comes with LOTS of task cards with varying levels of difficulty and a couple student sets.  I cannot say enough good things about these!  They help with EVERY aspect of geometry!

 

 

2. GeoModel Folding Nets - I have a couple sets of these and they are very similar to the item I reviewed today.  The activities are a little different and there is no real life example but always nice to have on hand!

 



 

Since you read through ALL of that (and because it's teacher appreciation week!!!) I wanted to give you a little something.  I whole heartedly believed in this product so much that I emailed them to ask if it was okay if I bought a set and did a giveaway with this review.  Well she immediately emailed me back and said they would be happy to provide the giveaway for free!  So it is your lucky day y'all!  You have the chance to enter to win your own set of the GeoModel Everyday Folding Shapes!  All you have to do is enter in the Rafflecopter below and wait (patiently, which is not my forte, lol) until Saturday when I will reveal the winner!!!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I hope you are having a fabulous teacher appreciation week and are enjoying all these wonderful sales, giveaways, freebies, and just all around good vibes about what we do and why we do it.  It might only have a fancy title for one week out of the year, but know that I really appreciate all of y'all the whole year through for everything you do for me.  Your ideas and support are what get me through the tough teaching times and I just wanted you to know that I appreciate it and you!
 

Spring Clean-Up Blog Hop

Welcome to the Spring Clean-Up Blog Hop!  When I think of spring cleaning I think of getting rid of all of the old junk I don't use anymore and cleaning up what I do still have.  The same applies to my classroom as it does my home (because let's face it, my classroom is my second home).  While going through closets and cupboards and binders and books at school I started to reflect on how the year went and things that I wanted to "clean-up" for next year. 

 

Today I will be sharing how I plan on "cleaning-up" a huge cluster of a mess in our class that I like to call technology.  It's not the equipment... it's all the websites and passwords and usernames galore that my kids and parents have to remember.  After the 15th website, they all start to look the same!  I already have myself organized and after what feels like the 100th time of, "I don't know my password." or "Where can I go to help Johnny study for his test?" I knew I had to do the same for my kiddos!

Here is my life saver!  This is my log-in folder.  It is just a plain old file folder and on the right I stapled in notebook paper (that's where I have all my county websites and log-ins) and on the left are address labels (my non-county but educational website log-ins).  I know some people are probably having a coronary right now that I put all these username and passwords in one place but there is nothing here that if someone got ahold of would get me in trouble or any damage could be done.  Without this though, I would forever be changing passwords!

I knew my students needed something similar but not as extensive.  I created a very simple log-in sheet that was easy for them to fill out and answered all of their parent's questions.  I put in "subject" because a lot of parents weren't sure what particular websites were for or how they helped their child.  Not only did my kids not have this information at home, they didn't have it at school either!  I knew I would have to have a copy as well for those forgetful days or new students who haven't quite mastered all the passwords yet.  I will make a copy for each student and put it under their tab in my data folder.  Click on the image below for your FREE COPY.

Let's take this one step further!  All that to be said, I have found the PERFECT website that will make my life, my student's and their parent's lives so much easier!  Have you heard of Symbaloo?  I stumbled upon this greatness a couple months ago and L.O.V.E. it!  Symbaloo is essentially like creating your own desktop full of the icons you want for your classroom and your students are able to access it from home!  So instead of my kids having to remember the 15 plus websites they have to log on to at school, they only need to remember ONE.  Once they are at our classroom Symbaloo page, they can access all the websites they love and they use to help them study from home.  Symbaloo also gives you the option to create "webmixes" which I like to refer to as category boards.  I have one for each subject and am in the process right now of making one for each unit in science!

Next year when we are learning about the environment, the kiddos will be able to pull up a plethora (fun word, right?!) of websites based on that unit to help them study and enrich their thinking.  It's perfect for research projects, web quests and so much more!  Watch this video below about Symbaloo, it does a much better job of explaining than I do!  And did I mention it's FREE!?!?!?

I hope you found this useful and are gathering a bunch of great cleaning tips! Don't forget to enroll in our giveaway for a TPT gift card (it's perfect for the upcoming sale)!  Check some other great ideas at your next stop with Kelsey from Aloha to Kindergarten!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for stopping by! 

Surviving Spring to Welcome Summer Blog Hop: Fiesta Balloons

 

This is it!  It's almost here!  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel...  Sometimes though, this is where the tunnel starts bottle necking.  Students might begin to adapt the mob mentality and a teacher will do whatever it takes to survive to the end of that tunnel we all know and love as school!  Several of my BBB's have come together to bring you some tips to get you through the rest of the school year and also give you a chance to win a gift certificate to TPT and a sharpener from Classroom Friendly Supplies!

 

 

**I am going to start off by apologizing that I do not have any photos of this because when my flash drive broke I lost the photos :o(  I did try to find photos elsewhere so you could get an idea but I will update this post later with my own photos once I get them!**

 

Everyone has probably seen some form of the balloon countdown on Pinterest and this is exactly what it is. Since we end school in May (and I grew up in Texas), I always like to put a fiesta twist to it though!  I begin by hanging up ten festively colored balloons from the ceiling.  Inside each balloon is confetti and a slip of paper that has an activity for the day.  The confetti is fun because when you pop the balloon it gives it that piñata effect!

 

 

 For the last ten days of school we pop a balloon each day and do whatever the card tells us to.  You can really write whatever you want on these cards!  The last time I did this was pretty tame, this year I am stepping up my game!  Here are my ten for this year:

 

1. Bubble Gum Contest

I will buy all different packs of gum and we will do experiments to see which kind blows the biggest bubble, who's flavor lasts the longest, etc.

 

2. Extra Recess

This is just heaven to them no matter what!

 

3. Glow in the Dark Dance Party

Michael's sells glow in the dark necklaces and bracelets that come 15 in a tube for $1!  I buy a few of those and pass them out to all my kiddos.  They crack them and place them all over themselves while we choose a couple songs we would like to dance to.  Once we have our playlist, I turn off the lights, turn up the music and watch them go nuts.  Literally.  They go crazy, but in a funny kind of way.  I recommend going over the safety rules of your classroom before doing this, lol. 

 

4. Board Game Day

So many of my kiddos don't play board games or have ever played the classics like Monopoly or The Game of Life!  I bring in a bunch of board games and everyone gets a chance to play a few, if not all of them.  It's like a Family Game Night but for our classroom family :o)

 

5. Tie-Dye Day

We have our white science lab shirts left over from this year and with just a few boxes of dye and rubber bands, we've got ourselves an art project and 5th grade memorabilia!  If you don't want to dye it, you can always buy fabric markers and let them decorate it.

 

6. Popsicle Paradise

The weather is beautiful in Florida this time of year so why not enjoy it with some popsicles outside?

 

7. Movie and Popcorn

I usually have this balloon be on a Friday or one of the last days of school.  I bring in a selection of movies for the students to choose from, a box of theater candy for each of them and pop some popcorn.  They all snuggle into the floor and enjoy the movie just as if they were at the theater!

 

8. Ceiling of Fame

I wanted to do this last year but never got around to it!  This year I will buy a ceiling tile from Home Depot and let my kids decide how we want to decorate it.  My only stipulation is that it has to represent our class this year some way and they all have to sign it.  Heck, I might even go hog wild and buy a few to let them decorate them in groups!

 

 

9. Silly String Fight

Good old silly string...  I will take my little darlings out to the bus ramp, each of them packing their own can of silly string.  Object of the game: to be the one with the least amount of silly string on them!  What happens if you don't win???  You have to clean up!  Yep, I'm sneaky like that ;o)

 

10. Kickball Game

Last but not least, a friendly game of kickball amongst our class.  I love playing kickball with my students!  I've even done so in my heels :o)  This is my most competitive class ever, so it will definitely be interesting!

 

So there you have it!  My last ten days of school all wrapped up in a nice little Fiesta Balloon.  The kids understand that if they cannot behave for one activity they might miss out on the next one.  Very motivating to keep them focused and behaving correctly!  If you would like your own set of Fiesta Balloon cards, click on the picture below.  Included are the ten I listed above and two blank cards to create your own!

 



 

After entering my secret code in the Rafflecopter below, click to continue the hop to Holly at Fourth Grade Flipper!

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 



What to do with those Extra Eggs???

Easter has passed, you've stuffed yourself with one too many chocolate bunnies and you have these plastic eggs laying all over your house and not a clue what to do with them.  You don't want to throw them away because you just bought them and they are perfectly good eggs, but do you really want them to take up storage space until next year (when let's be honest, I'll forget that I have them and buy new ones anyway).  What's a teacher to do!?

 

Here is what I did with mine and a list of other fabulous ideas to help you decide!

 

1. Test Prep Egg Hunt

 

The "Big Test" is coming up and I was thinking a fun way to review would be to have an egg hunt.  I found these super fun eggs at our local craft store!  I really liked the ones with faces and I put the harder questions inside those.  That way my kids would remember that these were those "thinker" questions (they were also worth more points).

 

 

I printed off different test prep questions and folded them into small squares that fit inside each egg. 

Helpful hint!  If you do this I recommend also putting the question number on the outside of the egg as well as inside on the question.  To do this without permanently changing your eggs, write the number with a sharpie on a piece of tape and place it on the egg.  When the hunt is over you can peel the tape off and use the eggs again for something else!

 

 

Because of the weather and playground equipment repairs we had our egg hunt in the media center.  You can easily do this in your classroom but it was nice to have a big open space where the students could work and not be on top of each other.

 

I gave each student an egg to hide.  They had to hide it in plain sight so everyone had a chance to find them all though.  Here are a couple of our superior hiding spots!

 

 

Even Arthur wanted in on the hunt!

 

My favorite!!!  Hanging with Harry ;o)

 

How good is this one!?  That egg blends right in with the ducks!

 

They worked in their Academic Games groups to move about the room and find the eggs and write down their answers on their answer sheet.  They had to answer the questions right there and place the egg back where they found it.  Really the only reason I did this was so that clean up was easier, haha, since everyone had to go back and pick up their egg they hid at the end.

 

 

This was a smashing success!  I'm pretty sure I could use these eggs at any time for an activity like this and my kids won't mind ;o)

 

2. Easter Egg Math

 

The Happy Teacher has a great freebie that allows you to use those extra eggs to practice math fluency facts!  Included is a recording sheet for students!  Addition is a little too easy for my kiddos but this is easily changeable to fit your classroom.  Click on the photo to grab your own copy!

 

 

3. 20 Plastic Egg Activities

 

Jenae from I Can Teach My Child has a list of 20 different activities to do at home or the classroom with those extra eggs.  My favorite is the synonyms and antonyms!

 

 

What do you do with your eggs???



Weather Interactive Notebook Foldables Galore!

Have I mentioned how much I am LOVING interactive notebooks this year!?  Especially our science notebook!  Last year was all about my Social Studies notebook and this year is all about science and I have to say that it has gone better than I anticipated.  Sometimes I use foldables and interactive notebooks from other sellers and sometimes we just create greatness in our notebooks ourselves.  Today I am sharing one of my favorites!  My BBB Jivey, from Ideas by Jivey, has an amazing Weather Interactive Notebook and Foldables pack that is perfect for our weather unit!

 

 

One of the things I love most about her pack is that my students could easily follow the directions on each foldable and put it in their notebook without any hand holding or step by step directions from me.

 

 

Then they can go back to their textbooks, or whatever other resources we are using, and fill in their foldable with all the important information we went over or will be going over.

 

 

There are five types of foldables: types of precipitation, types of clouds, water cycle, weather instruments, and weather fronts.  There is also an answer key included which was nice!  Even though I used my own resources, it was good to see what basics they should have written down.  I especially love this weather instruments foldable because it has the pictures of the tools already there for you!  my kids always want to draw the pictures from our labs so they don't forget what they look like and these would have been too difficult, so it was perfect!

 

 

The flaps give you just enough room to write down definitions or add pictures but they are not too big that they won't fit on your page.  Because the foldable are blank inside, it really gives you leeway to make the concept as simple or advanced as you want your kids to go.  Which was perfect for my ELL students and my kids who finished early or needed enrichment!

 

 

Some friends and I have teamed up with Educents for an amazing bundle of instant downloads for you and luckily you can find Jivey's Weather Interactive Notebook Foldables in there!

 

For a limited time it is $10.99 from Educents which is about 65% off!  It also includes these other great products so there is sure to things you love!

If you teach weather, or really any of these other topics, this bundle is a must for you!  As a fifth grade teacher in Florida, our students take the FCAT Science test this year and these resources have been so helpful!  Especially for our fair game knowledge from third and fourth grade!  I hope you enjoy and grab it while you can!