A New Year!

Hello friends! :)

Phew!  What a whirlwind 2 weeks I've had.  Cheer camp @ Greatwolf Lodge.  Fun, fun!  My girls did AWESOME!  We got only Superior ribbons (blue & gold) and earned a Superior trophy out of over 30 teams and 450 participants!  We are a young team, and for them to do so well, makes me kind of like a proud mama. :)

Okay.  When I got back I had only ONE (yes, ONE!) week to get my room ready.  Our poor custodian was worked to the bone this year, and didn't have time to put everything back like he normally does.  So, I had my work cut out for me! Here are a few before pictures... EEEEK!

Yeah, that's totally my bathroom.  Full of new reading materials!  Anyone use Harcourt Storytown??

   

Eeep!

Sooo... I basically lived at the school last week.  Well, me and my WONDERFUL husband, that is. :)  He is SO awesome to help me, each and every summer.  He is my expert cleaner, and secret trasher.  I have a secret.  I am a bit of a hoarder! ;)  I tend to hold on to things if nothing but for that "Well, I MIGHT need it again one day!" feeling.  So, while I'm not looking, he chunks. It's a great system.

Anyway, I'm FINALLY done cleaning.  And, I've been working on my back to school paperwork!!  I <3 that stuff.  New folder labels, new desk tags, new cubby tags... ah, such fabuloso stuff!!!!!

So... here's a pic of my outside wall.  <3 it!  My sweet hubby hung those "vines." :)

I can't wait to post pics of my classroom.  I always feel so proud once I'm done.  Is that just me?  Or does anyone else feel that way?

Okay, here's a free printable for today.  A quick transportation form.  It is SO important to make sure you know exactly how all your babies will get home.  And it helps that they're cute! :)  Just click on the picture to download!

And... here's just a little something I made this afternoon.  I always make the kids desk tags each month with some cute little clip-art that matches our theme.  But, I never have at the beginning of the year.  I decided to give it a try.  Here's what I came up with!  Download if you like it! (And, leave me a comment, pretty pretty please!)

Clicky on the picture! 

Another looooong post!  Hopefully I'll be more regular now that I'm back in the swing of school - and they won't be so long.  More to come tomorrow...  Meetings all day. I'll be thinking of all y'all lying on the beach or in a pool somewhere.  Tan a little for me please! :)

Busy me = Stuff for you!

Good Sunday Afternoon!  I'm totally avoiding cleaning my house and packing for cheerleading camp.  So... I thought I'd post my new job chart cards. I have totally been avoiding school work this summer, for the the first summer ever. I don't know what's gotten into me!  Anyway, I've got cheer camp next week with my cheerleaders (did I mention I'm the Varsity cheerleading sponsor too? lol), and then only ONE week to get my room ready!  Eeeeek!  So, expect lots of back to school printables and forms in the coming 3 weeks!

To get this going, I'm sharing my job chart cards.  I absolutely LOVE the way I do my jobs.  I've tried practically every way known to man, and finally found one that works for me and my class.

I like to use a pocket chart to organize my job chart.  I'm all about making everything a teachable moment, so I've got my job chart in with my line up chart.  I have the kids line up using ordinal numbers.  My chart is at school, so no picture! :(  But... I'll try to explain it the best I can!

So... I have the kids names on cards, and every Monday I just rotate up.  The "leader" (fantastic first) becomes the "caboose"(lucky last).  The job cards stay next to the ordinal numbers.  It's kind of cool that by Thanksgiving they're noticing that the calendar helper is always 3rd, or the class librarian is always 12th, etc.  

I have found this to be totally easy to do as a teacher (I only have to mess with it once a week!), as well as beneficial for my students.  I think seeing the ordinal numbers every day and having to use them multiple times each day really helps with their understanding of this tricky concept. It also helps avoid all those lining up tiffs my kinder kids always seemed to get into.  This way, they know their spot, and I can control who they stand by. ;)

If you would like a copy of my job chart cards you can get them HERE, HERE, and HERE.  Sorry!  I'm still learning how to convert to .pdf... I didn't realize I could put all three pages together!  I do now though. ;)

I hope you can use these in your room!  I'm off to (ugh!) pack & clean for cheerleading camp.  Maybe I can find time to sneak away from 15 teenage girls to blog while I'm gone!  I'm so ready to be back and in my classroom!!!  

Youtube blocked at school? Got you covered!!

Good morning!!!  I've been up early this morning making chicken spaghetti for a benefit here in town.  But, in between boiling chicken and mixing sauce, I managed to type up those directions for saving videos from youtube!  I made a printable reference sheet so you can have it with you when you need it!  It really is  SUPER easy though!  Once you do it a couple of times, you'll be a pro!

Click HERE to get this printable. 

Hope this helps y'all!  I can't wait to hear about how you use the youtube videos in your classroom!  Well, off to church I go.  Enjoy your Sunday!!!

Songs, Songs, Songs!

I'm was so excited to wake up this morning and see that Hadar at Miss Kindergarten has started a Linky Party!!! And... it's for my favorite of all favorite things!  SONGS!!!  If any of you know me personally, and have been in my classroom, you know that I make up songs for EVERYTHING.  I make them up all day long--- well actually, most of them end up being some kind of songy-chant thing, mostly because I can't carry a tune in a bucket!

Anyway, here's one of my favorite carpet songy-chant things. My kids are singing it to me by the 2nd day of school.  Does that mean I sing it too much?? lol.  It doesn't re ally have a set tune - you can singy-chant it how you want too! ;)  I learned this WAAAAAY back in college when I worked at the child development center on campus.  I'm thinking it may be Dr. Jean (not sure though!).  I added the last part about the criss-cross, etc. once I started teaching.  I needed a quick way to review the rules of the rug before I began a lesson, and this was the perfect way!

You can download this song in pdf format by clicking HERE.

Here's another favorite of mine that we singy-chant to practice the word wall!  I just made this up one day about 4 years ago, and it stuck! I usually pick the first child, and then they get to pick a friend as we sing.  When it's their turn, they go to the word wall and choose a word.  Then, we all spell it according to the spelling "chant" (movie star kisses, clap it out, chicken spelling, body spelling, etc.) that the selector wants!  It only takes about 3-5 minutes, and it's a great way to interactively review those sight words!! I tend to stretch it out as I'm "singing" it.  If you want the "tune" comment me and I'll try to figure out how to record my awful singing, so you can hear it!

You can download this in a pdf by clicking HERE.

I also want to share with you one of my MOST FAVORITE kindergarten teachers!!! MR. HARRY!!!  If you don't know Mr. Harry, then you are totally missing out.  He has great video songs that you can play on your smartboard, and the kids can sing along!  I use him ALL the time!  He has some great songs about hard-to-grasp math concepts, as well as letter songs and songs that teach character traits.  I love, love, love his "Share that Story" mini-song for share time during Writer's Workshop!

Anyway, here's one of my most favorite videos from Mr. Harry.  Coincidently, it was the first one I ever played in my room - and my kids LOVED it!  These are great ways to transition to math time, or whatever!  Oh!  And if youtube is blocked at your school (like it is at mine!!)  I found a great online converter!  Details next blog post! :)



Phew!  That was a LOOONG post!  But great!  I'm going to go get started on those directions for converting youtube files!  Enjoy the songs, and be sure to visit Miss Kindergarten for all the musical fun at her Linky Party!!! :)

Y'all have a blessed day!!!!!

Giveaway!!!

I'm super pumped about this giveaway!  Jenn at Finally in First has 800 followers!  She's giving away any item from her teacherspayteachers store, AND there are 8 ways to win!  Go check it out!  I'm hoping to win the Sweet Shop Candy Coin Counting game.  It looks fun! :)

P.S.  I went to Lakeshore!!!!!!!  <3!

lazy, lazy summer

Okay, so I know what you are thinking.  Look lady, you just started this "teaching" blog, and now you're posting about other stuff?!?  what the crap.

Well... it is summer vacation isn't it?  And I admit, I haven't been as school focused this summer as I usually am.  Maybe it's because I taught summer school for 19 long, miserable days?  I don't know.  NEVER AGAIN!!  lol.  That was 12 kinds of torture.  And... it made me not even want to think about my own classroom or my own babies in that wonderful school so far, far away. ;)

So... this leads me to my post.  I (well, me and my super helpful husband) made this precious, adorable wreath for a friend of a friend who is having a baby.  I'm thinking about maybe making one for my classroom.

Thoughts?  I want to hear it.  The good, bad and ugly.  Is it even cute? lol.

Annnnd..... while here at my parents casa in the valley of the sun, we made a flying trip to California to pick up a race car (long story, lol).  And, I got to see some ELEPHANT SEALS!!!!!  Yes, they were precious, and stinky.  I <3 them.

We also got to stick our feet in the lovely PACIFIC OCEAN!  And, yes, I know that doesn't seem all that fascinating, but... to a Louisiana girl who only ever sees the gulf, it was great!

Nothing at all like the beaches in AL or FL.  We had to go rock climbing to get to the sand. lol.  Anyway, it was still pretty.

Okay, I'm off to make my list for Lakeshore.  Mom & Dad gave me a gift card for Christmas and I have yet to spend it.  I'm totally going shopping today.

My First Post!!

I'm so super excited to join the blogging world!  I have wanted to have my OWN kindergarten blog for the longest time... and now I do!!! :)  I can't wait to post all the fun things I have planned for my kinder kids this year - and all the fun things I'm doing in my own life too!

Once I get back home (I'm on "vacation" at my parent's now!), and can get in my classroom... I'll be posting lots of new printables for back to school! :)  I <3 printables!!!!!

I love reading teaching blogs, and I hope that y'all love reading mine too!

,,, did I mention how excited I am to have my own blog?!?!?!  <3!