Bees, Bees and More Bees

I happily decided to go into school this past Monday to start working in my classroom only to find out that summer school was held in my room and the custodians were not finished cleaning.  I can't get in until this following Monday...that leaves me one week until PD meetings start!  I always panic, but it will get done...

So, since I couldn't get work done IN my room, I decided to do some crafting FOR my room.  I have a bee theme, so it's all about the bees!

Here is the ceiling tile art I made for myself.  The body is a little bit too big, but it will have to do.  Check out my post from yesterday to see the tiles I made for my friends.  : )

I decided to try out some bee handprints with my own two kids as a trial for my first graders.  I am going to have my mom (retired teacher) come in on the first day to make these with the kids for my skinny bulletin board that goes along the top of my very long white board.  It should be cute when it is finished!

After you attach the head to the large piece of white paper, trim around the whole body of the bee.
Add the wings to the backside of the bee.

I used waxed paper cut into a heart shape for the wings.

Add pipe cleaners with tape on the back of the head.

And for the Grand Finale.  My absolute favorite!  I used wooden letters, scrapbook paper and Mod Podge (that stuff is amazing!).  If you are interested in purchasing these letters or for making a custom request, please visit my Etsy store HERE.

I hope you enjoyed looking at my projects as much as I enjoyed making them!

Ribbon and Paint and Mod Podge...Oh My!

First, you have to know that I don't really have a crafty bone in my body.  I am not afraid to attempt crafty type stuff, but I have really never cared for the world of crafts...until now.  : )  I saw Abby's ceiling tile art HERE and thought to myself...I could try that AND I need one!!!  I made these two for my teaching partners for their birthdays.  I still need to attach a ribbon for the hanger.    

   

I am in the middle of making two more.  One for myself (complete with a bee theme) and another for one more teacher friend who has a summer birthday.  I will post them when they are done.  My local big box hardware store donated the tiles (and I didn't even have to bat my eyelashes, Abby...lol), I used tempra paint and hot glued the ribbon around the edges.

Don't laugh when you hear this...I just bought my first bottle of mod podge yesterday!  I have grand plans for it and will also post my creation soon.  I think I have found my place in the craft world.

Apple Glyphs and Giveaway Winners!

Fall is just around the corner...as much as I love fall, I'm just not in the mood quite yet.  However, I did post a fun and adorable apple glyph activity on TPT.  It is one of my favorite glyphs I do duirng the year.  Come check it out HERE!
Today will be my first day in my classroom to start setting up.  Stay tuned  because I will have lots of pictures to post along the way...I have until September 6th to have everything in it's place.
 

A big thanks for everyone who participated in  my giveaway this past weekend!!

And the winners are...Keys4Education and melanie322! Congratulations! Please leave a comment with your email and 2 choices from my TPT store. I will get your home/school address from you through email so I can send your magnets in snail mail.

Fun Giveaway!

If you have read my blog posts lately, you probably have noticed the frequency of Etsy-type stuff...I'm hooked on that site!!!  While looking for a birthday gift for a friend, I found these adorable, bottle cap teacher magnets.  I bought what I needed for my friend's birthday and the shop owner donated 4 of her cute teacher magnets for a giveaway on my blog!  Soooo...here is your chance to win 2 of the magnets for your very own!!!  I have 4 magnets, so there will be 2 winners!  If you want to check out her shop, click HERE!  She has oodles of bottle cap magnets for teachers, nurses, dads, moms, and cupcake lovers!  : )  To make this giveaway extra special, I am also going to give each of the winners 2 choices of items at my TPT store.  A link to my store is to your right on my sidebar.

Here's How to Enter

(leave a comment for each item you do to gain entries)

1.  Be a follower on my blog

2.  Be a follower on Teaching Blog Addict (link on my sidebar)

3.  Be a follower at my TPT shop (link on my sidebar)

4.  Blog about this giveaway and link back to this blog

5.  Put my blog button on your blog (you can find it on my sidebar)

6.  Add my blog to your blogroll

 

And now for the not-so-fun-stuff-to-cover-my-behind.  ; )

RULES: Giveaway open to U.S. residents only. Must be 18 yrs or older. Giveaway ends Sunday, Aug. 14, 2011 at 11:59 EST. Rules must be followed. Winner is selected using Random.org and will be emailed and given 72 hours to respond. In the event of no response, a new winner will be chosen. Blogger is not responsible for prize fulfillment. Prize fulfillment comes directly from participating sponsor. By entering this giveaway, you agree to have read these rules.

I Hit The Jackpot!

Ok, I really didn't win the lotto...but I did find the most amazing shop on Etsy this morning!  I have been on the hunt for some squiggly lined frames to use as text boxes for some of my teacher stuff.  I FINALLY found what I was looking for...and then some.  AND...the best part is that this shop is offering a buy 2, get 2 free on all of their sets right now.  Check out Dennis Graphic Design shop HERE!

Common Core Standards Posters

Did you see (or buy) Deanna Jump's AWESOME Common Core Standards Posters?  As soon as I saw her first grade version, I knew I had to have them!!!  Click HERE to see her awesome work and find out how to purchase them.  She offers them for kindergarten and first grade.  After I printed my posters, I needed to make a ribbon to hang them on and I got a little carried away at JoAnn's!  I was not only thinking of myself (see the bee?), I was thinking of all the other teachers out there who would like to hang their posters on a ribbon, too!  So...I made some cute "poster holders", opened an Etsy shop and have them available for purchase now!  Click on the picture to go directly to my Etsy shop.  Enjoy! 

I woke up to find a very hurtful, and MEAN comment on this post this morning (Saturday 8/6/11) that I instantly removed.  Apparently, I need to make something very clear...I DID NOT steal Deanna's ideas.  I personally emailed her for permission to link to her post about her AWESOME CCSS posters and ribbon idea.  She gave me full permission to link back to her wonderful ideas and even wished me good luck with my Etsy store.  She is the nicest lady under the sun and all of her students are so very lucky to have her as a teacher.  I am sad I lost a follower (the comment said she removed herself as a follower), but I know the other 404 followers of mine will still be supportive and hopefully I will gain many more in the midst of things. 

It's great to be back from vacation!!!  More fun stuff is coming...

Making Your Teaching Stick

First things first, I am having a 20% off sale at my TPT store August 1st-4th.  Paired with TPT's back to school sale, (use promo code B1T1S for an extra 10%) you can score some of my units for an awesome price!  I have Frog and Toad stuff, fun with Mo Willems, Caldecott stuff and more!  My store link is in my side bar to your right.  Come check out the deals!


If you teach with a workshop approach, this resource is for you.  It was written in part by Lucy Calkins for writers workshop, but it works for readers workshop, too!  I read it during Teacher Lab and was impressed.  Read about mt Teacher Lab experience HERE.  Here is a bit about the book from Borders' description:



Recognizing that there is a vast difference between children getting it and children holding on to what they have learned, Shanna lays out the universal principles of "stickiness" and describes how they can be used to tweak your teaching for a more lasting impact on young writers.

A Quick Guide to Making Your Teaching Stick is part of the Workshop Help Desk series.

About the Workshop Help Desk series
The Workshop Help Desk series is designed for teachers who believe in workshop teaching and who have already rolled up their sleeves enough to have encountered the predictable challenges. If you've struggled to get around quickly enough to help all your writers, if you've wondered how to tweak your teaching to make it more effective and lasting, if you've needed to adapt your teaching for English learners, if you've struggled to teach grammar or nonfiction writing or test prep...if you've faced these and other specific, pressing challenges, then this series is for you. Provided in a compact 5" x 7" format, the Workshop Help Desk series offers pocket-sized professional development.

Happy Reading!

Handwriting Help

Dear Brain,

I need to re-train you in about a month.  My district has made the switch from D'Neilian to Zaner Bloser.  I know you have helped me for over 25 years....making "monkey tails" on all of my perfect slanted letters.  Now, you have to help my pencil, white board marker and pens make smooth, straight, blunt lines.  No more curls, tails, or swoops.  Can we do it? 

Sincerely,
A Freaked Out First Grade Teacher

What is a girl to do?  I learned D'Neilian in school and have been teaching it for 9 years.  Our district made the appropriate developmental choice, but oooooooo, I think it will be real hard to teach this old dog new tricks.  : )   Ok...I'm not that old, but still....   Please reassure me that it will be ok....I've already had a freak out moment when the new letter line wouldn't fit in the perfect place where my old one went above my white board.  I have since settled down and found a new home for Mr. Zaner that I can live with...wish me luck!

Must-Have Resource for Readers Workshop

Do you teach using Readers Workshop in your classroom? 

You have to get your hands on this book:

First Grade Readers by Stephanie Parsons.  The foreword is by the one and only Kathy Collins, author of Growing Readers.  It is a fast read and actually fun to read!  : )  I discovered it when I was participating in Teacher Lab in my district.  Click HERE to read more about Teacher Lab.

Book Shopping Lists....another freebie

I scheduled this post to come out while I am on a vacation (minus Internet) so that I didn't leave my favorite people (YOU) hanging for too long.  I also just realized that I have been in a pretty giving mode lately...I get all excited when I can grab something for free, and I'm hoping you do, too!  So...here is another piece of free from me to you!  (Yes, I do have a TPT and a Teachers Notebook store...feel free to shop around...my store links are just to your right...) 

Click on the picture below to download a pdf file of Book Shopping Lists.  (The document will open in Google Docs, two shopping lists per page.)  I use these book shopping cards for my kids when they shop for Readers Workshop independent books out of my classroom library.  I print them on card stock, put their names on the backside with a label, laminate them and use a Sharpie to write their lists.  When the child's level changes, you can use a Magic Eraser to erase the Sharpie (as long as it is on the lamination and not under it!) and write in their new levels.  For example, if Luke was independently reading at a level 6, I would fill out his shopping list like this:  

2 books from level 4  (easy)

5 books from level 6 (just right)

1 book from level 8 (challenge)

1 Look Book

The look book is just an extra fun book or magazine for the kids' bags that they may or may not be able to read.  Once I can get back into my classroom, I will take pictures and post about my library.  I am a book addict...my district Reading Coach told me I seriously have to stop buying books or I am going to run out of nooks and crannies to store them!

I am going to print only the bees for my class.  If you want, you could print a little of each so everyone in your class had one to pick from to make them a little more personal.  All clip art is from the one and only, Scrappin Doodles.  Love them!!!

Enjoy!