Work Hard, Play Hard, & Be Kind

Happy summertime teacher friends!!! I hope you had a fabulous school year.  I'm so giggly to be able to share a new freebie with you.  But first a little backstory...

Like many campuses, every year my school selects a building theme.  This past year we chose a game theme and our slogan was "Work Hard, Play Hard, & Be Kind!" 

Our team does a wonderful job decorating and our students always love coming back to see what we've done with the building.  The foyer was decorated to match our theme announcement and each grade level hallway decorated in a specific game!

school foyer

(excuse the blur...bleh!)

Now the goodies...

I love, love, love the way our staff works together.  We have an awesome rapport!  One tradition that we implement, every year, is Affirmation Bags.  Each staff member has a bag that we place in the lounge or bring to faculty meetings to be filled with kind notes from other staff members.  It's amazing.  Somehow you always seem to have your "bucket filled" with just the right note on just the right day! Of course our affirmation bag has to match our theme for the year.  Check out our game themed bags that I made this year!

Striped bags from Amazon.

 I just love the way they turned out!

You can snag the editable labels in my Teachers Pay Teachers Store. 

Classroom Reveal...Burlap & Black

Ok well it's not technically my classroom BUT I did create the sets.  In fact these pictures are actually a combination of 2 different classrooms in my building that used my Burlap & Black decor.  I am loving the results.  Ms. Durbin (whom I'm uber-excited is my daughter's teacher this year) from 3rd Grade's a Hoot wanted a change of pace from her bright owls...and well since I am no longer in a classroom myself {more on that in a future post} I had to get my decorating fix some way... so I volunteered to make her set. I am super happy with the results and well she says it feels so "zen!" Fabulous! Disclaimer: Please excuse the blurry pics.  Had to count on the iPhone for this one.

Calendar

      

Table Numbers & Name Tags

Clip Chart and Hall of Fame

Student Book Boxes & Leveled Library

(Bins from Walmart)

Daily 5 & CAFE Board

Welcome Sign & Subject Headers

How cute is the little valance! It was made using burlap and black ribbon! (No sew!)

Other Decoratives!

(Fabric & Burlap: Hobby Lobby)

(Door Sign - Painted Canvas w/ Printable burlap sheet: Walmart)

All of this burlap business makes my southern heart happy! 

You can pick up your Burlap & Black Decoratives in my Teachers Pay Teachers store here!

See this post about the available Burlap & Black products!

     

Sarah's Elephants...Adorbs!

Holy cuteness. I just finished up a new classroom decor set and I am just lovin' it!

Ok, let me give you a little background first. Last year our first grade team received a new member. She was a veteran teacher and fit in right away.  I made the Birdies & Bunting set for her.  Well, a few weeks in to the year she was needed in a special needs classroom at our school and was excited to return to her passion.  At that point, we had a 1st grade class with no teacher!!! OMG!  I was so nervous about what we would do. Luckily Sarah, a brand new college graduate, had taken an aide position on our campus at the beginning of the year. She agreed to go take her certification tests and step into 1st grade immediately.  I was so thankful to have her.  But she didn't have the typical first year teacher experience.  Don't get me wrong it was hard tough challenging like all of our first years, but most importantly she didn't get to do all of the things that we get excited about doing in our first classroom. No choosing the theme, decorating the bulletin boards, or setting up the layout.  She basically moved into someone else's room.  I know that it never felt like "hers!"  She wasn't there at the beginning of the year for "Meet The Teacher Night." She didn't get to teach beginning of the year procedures. All of that, while trying to learn the 1st grade content.  I assured her, almost daily, that it would never be that hard again.  And she made it through...in one piece...and doing a great job.  Along the way, she also became a critical asset to our team. Of course she will miss that group, but we were so excited to celebrate the end of school and the completion of her first year of teaching. 

This summer we've been talking about her new room and how she wants to set up and decorate. We checked TPT, looked to Pinterest for a little inspiration, and discussed a handful of themes. While at a training a couple of weeks ago she said, "You know I've really always liked elephants!" And that was that.  I was so motivated. I was going to make exactly what she wanted. We were going to create a set fit for her. 

Now that the set is finished and printed I feel so much excitement for her.  I sent her a picture yesterday of her goodies ready to go.  I hope that it will help make for an amazing 2nd, 1st year of teaching!!

PS- Did I mention that I am IN LOVE with these darlin' elephants too?

Here are the sets added to my tpt...

Preppy Elephant Classroom Decorative Set

Preppy Elephant Classroom Numbers

Preppy Elephant Literacy Signs

(Graphics/Fonts By: Erin Bradley, Cara Carroll, Nina's Design Studio, JW Illustrations, DreamlikeMagic, Ms. Talley)

I will post pics of her classroom in a few weeks, once we get it all going.  Be back soon!

Math Strategy Posters...Plus My NEW Favorite Thing!!

Oh my word...I am all giggles over our campus' newest purchase! A COLOR POSTER MAKER!!! I am completely obsessed and having to pace myself to keep from running every single glittery printable that I can get my paws on through the thing. It is just amazing! (more on that in a minute...)

I don't post very often about math.  I have a huge passion for literacy and I'm sure that's evident by my previous posts and TPT products.  The other reason, is that we team plan on my campus.  My fabulous first grade teammates do a wonderful job of covering the other subject areas. A week or so ago we created anchor charts for our addition and subtraction strategies. My chart paper is quite large and I was worried about finding a spot to hang them on my shrinking wall space.  I figured it was the perfect opportunity to put the new poster maker to use! Soooo...I created a set of printables with the strategies.  Check them out...

You can get them HERE in my TPT store! ($2)

(Graphics & Fonts by: JW Illustrations, Melonheadz, DreamlikeMagic, Print Candee, Kevin and Amanda)

*Unfortunately at this time, I will not be able to make any custom changes to the strategies.  Sold as is.)

Now back to my new obsession.  Time for the magic...

Oh my!! Just amazing.

 And a perfect fit for my space! (Sorry for the pic quality on this one!)



Since I'm in a math-y kind of mood, I can't leave you without a freebie.  Here's a little doubles poster that I made to add to my meeting board!

You can get your own copy by clicking HERE!

(Graphics & Fonts by: ErinBradleyDesigns, DreamlikeMagic, Small Town Clipart, Kevin and Amanda)

I hope that everyone has a wonderful week and is looking forward to an upcoming break!

I'm back...Plus Owl Punctuation

Well I took a little unintentional blog break! It has been a rough cold/flu season for both my classroom and home.  In my house alone, we had 5 cases of strep and 2 cases of the flu...and I only have 3 in my family. YUCK!  Anyhow, the point is I'm refreshed, moving forward, and ready to throw a little glitter....

Let's start with a fun product that I added to my TPT store.  In my classroom, we've been working on punctuation. I needed to re-vamp my punctuation anchor chart this year to match up to my owl decor.  Here is a picture of the final anchor chart.

(I can't find the original author of the punctuation statement. If it's yours, let me know so that I can give you credit!)

I've put together a poster pack which includes the 3 signs above, a punctuation definition poster, and the 3 sample sentences. Check it out...

Click HERE to head to my TPT store to grab your set!

I hope that everyone is doing well and looking forward to Spring as much as I am! Back soon with a freebie!

Back To School Sale!

I am so excited about shopping the HUGE back to school sale on TPT! I've got my eye on so many fabulous teacher created products. (Check out this Blog Hoppin post for all of the participants!) I'm so close to having my classroom look back to school ready as time is quickly running out and there are a handful of items the will be the last few sprinkles of glitter! Then I've got to get busy on prepping the work!!!!

I'm also all giggles about participating in the sale myself. So come on over and check out my TPT store and see if you can pick up a few goodies for your room!

New Zebra Leveled Labels!!

As you can see from the previous post we were allowed back into our classrooms early this summer.  It was very rare. My campus is usually the last one on the cleaning/floor tour for the district.  This summer we were moved to first! Some of my teacher besties and I totally took advantage! Laptops in tow, a Cherry Dr. Pepper in hand, and lots of giggles along the way we spent multiple days prepping our spaces. We had a great time helping each other out and sharing ideas. 

One of my most re-pinned classroom pictures on Pinterest is my leveled library from the Where It All Goes Down Post from last summer. The boxes are from Really Good Stuff (Wow my classroom has changed a bit since then!)...

On to my point...

One of my teammates has a jungle themed room and asked if I could make leveled labels to match her theme and color scheme.  I was so excited to see how they turned out and I LOVE them! (The white buckets are ice buckets from Walmart!)

You can check them out in my Teachers Pay Teachers store!

Sneak Peak (well really it's a sneak read?!?)...in the works for 1st Grade Glitter and Giggles...I'm pairing up with 3rd Grade's a Hoot for a Pirate sized giveaway!!

Whoooo Has a Writer's Eye?...

My firsties had such a wonderful time at the end of the school year using my Owl Writing Process signs to manage their writing.  I've also gotten a great response on Pinterest with the display.  For the past few years I have tried to keep my classroom theme limited to colors and prints so that it's easy to interchange whatever character trend is happening at the time or implement our campus theme.  As mentioned in a previous post, I have decided to bring in feathered friends (in decor only...haha) this year and add owls and birdies to my colors and prints.  The combination of the two is just irresistible!!! So my next step to preparing my room for next year was to create a set of coordinating Owl Writer's Eye Signs. Project done! You can check them out in my TpT store! I can't wait to display them in my classroom.

You can check them out here!!

Graphics and Fonts By: JW Illustrations, Print Candee,

Dreamlike Magic Designs, and Kevin & Amanda

I'm including a graphic of how I plan to display the signs since I can't actually get into my classroom at the moment! More to come...

A Blogger's Summer Schedule...

Well summer is in full swing and I am adjusting quite well...giggles!!!!! I AM LOVIN' IT! I am able to give a little TLC to all of the things that I enjoy doing but get pushed to the side during the fast paced school year.  One of my absolute faves is getting new ideas and creating for my classroom. (Of course that time is split with several of my other faves...sleeping in, creating for my home, and time with the fam!) However, I quickly find myself scattered all over this pink laptop of mine with a bajillion ideas floating around in my head. I would imagine it looks something like a confetti of clipart, bright colors, blog reading lists, pin boards, at the moment tons of chevron & quatrefoil print, and of course the sparkliest glitter you've ever seen. I have GOT to get all of this confetti from my brain organized into some nice color coded files. Well here's the plan...I've created a little schedule to hopefully keep me on track and actually get results.

The inspiration...this fabulous little summer schedule from www.somewhatsimple.com that I've seen sprinkled all over pinboards and that I totally plan to incorporate when I'm wearing my domestic hat...

And now...A Blogger's Schedule to a Productive Summer...

(Fonts: Keven and Amanda Graphics: Dreamlike Magic & Flavoree Digital Scrapbooking Supplies)

I realize that it doesn't have the cute little alliteration that the summer schedule provides, BUT I really think it's going to work for me!  Here's a little commentary to the thought process of this little gem.

Get Inspired Monday: There are so many amazing ideas out there. My "Teacher Style" pinbaord is loaded with pins of activities I'd love to incorporate or adapt to fit my classroom.  On Mondays I hope to just choose 1 for the week to actually get started.

Create It Tuesday: What I wanted to say for the description was...grab your favorite beverage, get your favorite Scentsy scent going, turn on a little reality tv, and get to work (checking Pinterest one more time because you KNOW something else wonderful has been pinned). For me, this scenario looks something like this...a chai latte in my leopard print mug, coconut lemongrass in my Scentsy, and housewives of something on my tv!

Craft It Wednesday: I love adding printed ribbon, tissue poms, and of course a little glitter to whatever it is I want to display. (maybe you should check Pinterest on a break just to keep you going...since you're on your computer already, might as well take a quick look at your blog reading list too...giggles!)

Share It Thursday: I know that many blog more than once a week and that is fabulous!! Blog on! However, I'd like to be a little more consistent. And let's be honest, if we ALL blogged only on Thursdays blog stalking would be a little less exciting. Make it work for you.

Read All About It Friday!: I've got to get better at answering questions, responding to comments, and answering emails! (apologies for anyone awaiting a reply...lol!) This will also be the day I do a little reading for professional development. (and probably check Pinterest one more time!)

Well that's it in a nutshell.  Just a little organizational inspiration! Have a productive summer and I hope this helps at least a handful of busy bloggers like me!

Random Glitter... (Anchors, TPT, & Snowmen Freebie)

Ok, just a quick drop in to sprinkle a little glitter...

Here are a few of the anchor charts my firsties and I created last week:

Our Shared Reading objective was text evidence and inferences.  We had just discussed schema the previous week.  I created a short text passage with our polar bear theme leaving out the topic.  Here are the before and after shots.

Here are a few of our anchor charts from math and science...

As requested, the Work on Words bin labels are now posted in my TPT Store! for only $2. Check them out!

And finally...this week we are working on main idea and details using "Snowmen at Night!" Click HERE for a free response sheet that I whipped up after school today!

I hope that everyone is off to an awesome short week that only has 3 working days left! giggles!!!!!

A Few Things...

Just dropping by for a quick post about a few assorted items! Wow, what a busy year we are already off to. My class has done a nice job at getting their first grade year started and my new team is learnin' the ropes. Hopefully, we are almost to a point where I can give this blog a little bit of TLC. (Just need to get passed my formal observation tomorrow!)

There are a few items that I'd like to take the time to touch on today.

Thank you so much to my BFF Misty at 3rd Grade's a Hoot for honoring my glittery little blog with a Top 10 Blog Award.  I jumped into the game a bit late and many of my faves, well deservedly so, have already been awarded. There are so many wonderful blogs out there and multiple that I "borrow" ideas from. I am so grateful to you all.

I've also added a couple of new items to my TPT store that I'd like to share.  Several have asked about the book bin labels shown in my classroom library on my "Where It All Goes Down" post.  Take a look!

And for all of you Owl Lovers out there...check out my Owl Focus Wall Headers!!



I'm really trying to pace my time between lesson plans, creating for my kiddos, pinning, blogging, and making sure that my little kinder princess and her teacher have everything that they need. It's all SOOO MUCH FUN! Let me know if there is any glitter or giggles that I can send your way.  Enjoy the rest of your week!

Label Love!

Well I'm up for 2 big reading changes in my class this year. 1 is implementing the Daily 5 and 2 is switching from using Fountas Pinnell leveling to DRA. Sooo....one thing HAD to happen...I needed to take a look at my classroom library!! The switch had been going smoothly until it was time to show the level for each book in my library.  I have several hand-me-down books and some are already leveled with handwritten letters so these would need to be covered! I just couldn't find any leveling methods or products that matched the decor or the style of the rest of my room. TIME TO CREATE!! I'm loving the new labels that I made! Just perfect! If you are interested, the labels and instructions are available on my TpT store. Here is a little sneak peak...

       



I am lovin these labels!!!

I also have a set of Matching Literacy Genre Headers!! 

I'm all over the polka dots this year. Giggles!