Place Value Fun and a Freebie!!!

I am SO SO SO excited!!! (Notice all of the exclamation marks!!!!!) I've (finally!) finished my Place Value Fun Pack!

This started off as an idea about two months ago, and I've FINALLY been able to finish it!!! Yipeeee!!!

I created this unit after realizing my kiddos needed some serious help with place value and reading different kinds of numbers!!! Check it out:

Click the picture to head over to TPT! 

This unit is jam packed (150 pages!!!!!) with fun and engaging activities to help your students practice place value!

All of the activities included in this unit have two different choices in order to differentiate for all of your learners! One choice includes numbers using only tens and ones, and the second choice includes numbers using hundreds, tens, and ones. 

This unit covers five different ways to show numbers: with numbers, with blocks, in expanded form, with ones, tens, and hundreds, and with number words. 

There are four activities to do with each way to show numbers: memory match, a pocket chart/center activity, an independent center called “Pick It!”, or a scoot around the room.  

Also included in this unit are: 
- Different ways to show numbers posters
- Student directions for each activity
- Teacher/volunteer instructions for each activity
- Answer keys for each activity.  

In addition, there is an engaging activity that gets students moving and interacting with each other while practicing place value and different ways to show numbers!

And good news!!! It'll be ON SALE tomorrow and Tuesday!!!!

And here's your freebie!!! I can't take credit for this idea, but it's such a GREAT idea!!! Greg at


who is absolutely hilarious and brilliant!!! (head over there NOW!) blogged about this a few weeks ago and I knew I had to try it out! And it was WONDERFUL!!!

I use this activity as morning work, but it can be used any time of the day! When the students come into the classroom first thing in the morning, I place a sticker on their shirt. There is a recording sheet ready to go on their desks. They come into the classroom, get settled, and get to work walking around the classroom saying good morning to their friends and reading the numbers on their friends' stickers. Then they record their friends' numbers on their recording sheets. This is a brilliant way to get your students up and moving, saying good morning or hello, AND practicing reading numbers in different ways!

Click either picture to take you to Google Docs!

Just print the labels on Avery Address Labels 8860! Slap one on the kids' shirts in the morning. Give them a recording sheet and let them go! Super fun, super engaging, super easy, and super learning going on!

Have a great Sunday!!!!

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Fun Stuff and a Sale!!!

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

Checking out the pumpkin pie!!! Yum!

Here was my contribution to Thanksgiving dinner...

Just the best cookies EVER!!!! 

(And yes- we did have turkey and mashed potatoes and all of that good stuff but apparently I'm all about the desserts :-) 

Some people were saying these were the best cookies they'd ever had. In their whole lives!!!

You can find the recipe here:

                                                                                        lemon-sugar.com via Sandy on Pinterest

Enjoy!!! And you're welcome! ;-)

In other news, I just started a teacher/classroom/teaching stuff instagram account! 

Come on over and check out what we're up to!!! (The link is on the sidebar to the right under Instagram Fun!) If you have a teacher Instagram account, PLEASE let me know! I'd LOVE to follow you and check out all the great stuff happening in your classroom!!!
And finally, I hope you're ready to shop because there's a HUGE sale going on over at TPT!!!

Thanks to Ashley for the adorable graphic!!! 

You MUST go check out her clip art! You will be instantly addicted!!!

Click this picture to head over to my TPT store! 

Have a wonderful weekend!!!!!

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I'm Stuffed With Thankful Thoughts

Happy Thanksgiving! 

I'm linking up with Lyndsey  at A Year of Many Firsts to share a few of the MANY things I am thankful for!...

Here they are...

Good times and laughing until my tummy hurts (with the most amazing guy. Ever.)  

Healthy, happy family. 

Healthy, silly puppies. 

Pretty sunrises and sunsets. 

Living in an amazing city... 

in the house of my dreams. 

Everyday I'm thankful for my job! At an amazing school in a grade level I love in an amazing district. Plus I am so thankful for such a wonderful group of kiddos and their families!  

Wonderful friends who also just happen to be colleagues. I don't know what I'd do without them!  

Bloggy friends who I've come to adore and this fun blogging adventure! 

Now off to bake and eat turkey and play games!!!
Thanks for hosting Lyndsey! 

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

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Editable iPad Rule Posters are here!

Happy (almost!) Thanksgiving!!!! This is the first year I've had ALL week off!!!!!!!!! And I'm absolutely loving it! No Sunday Night Blues on Sunday night!!!! Sleeping in!!!! Catching up (with chores and blog stocking and family and reality TV)!!! Love love love it!!!

And Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year! Getting to spend time with family is the absolute best!

Back in July I did a post about iPad Acceptable Use Policies. 

You can read about it { here }.

I taught the kids their iPad rules using these posters and we recite the rules everyday...

 
I was so excited to see so many people that were able to use these posters in their classrooms! When September rolled around and people were sharing pictures of their classrooms, I saw these posters being used and I was so so so excited!!!! To say the least!

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to keep up with all of the requests I was getting to change the wording on the posters as much as I wanted to. So, I created an editable version of the posters available on TPT:

You can edit the posters to say whatever you want!!! I hope this will help some of you out there!

The original free posters are still posted under the "Tech Projects" tab up top. You can grab them there if you're interested!

And Happy (almost) Thanksgiving!!!

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Teacher Tip Tuesday!!!

I'm so happy to link up with Hadar at Miss Kindergarten for her Teacher Tips linky!!!! 

Who can't use more teacher tips, right?!!?!? Especially from some amazing teachers and bloggers out there!!! I know I can!!!!!

This is one of the oldest tricks in the book, but I absolutely love it... 

SECRET TRASH!!!!! 

Everyday, we spend the last five minutes of class time cleaning. Everyone has a job. Everyone. And everyone knows what they need to do- the "Germ Control" kids cleans off grimy tables with wipes, "Supply Managers" make sure all of the table caddies are super nice and neat, "Librarians" make sure our classroom library is nice and neat, the "Pencil Girl" collects all of the pencils to take home and sharpen and have ready for the next day!!! You can read about that tip HERE! And everyone else looks for the SECRET TRASH!!! I heart Secret Trash!!! I pick one or two pieces of "secret" trash on the floor and the kids get busy busy on their hands and knees trying to find it! They have two minutes, and at the end of the two minutes, I announce who found the Secret Trash!!!! Sooooooo exciting!!!! Right?!!?! They sure think it is. I think I need a sign that says Keep Calm and Play Secret Trash... And let me tell you, by the end of Secret Trash it looks like our carpet just got vacuumed! And I can sleep at night knowing I don't have to come into a messy floor the next morning. And the night custodian loves us. And we would probably win the award for cleanest floor at the end of the day. And maybe I should just create an award and give it the night custodian to hand out. And he'll definitely give it to us because we deserve it. :-)  (Like Monica on FRIENDS... and her gold star in cooking class 101... anyone...????)  

Here's a little glimpse into our classroom during the last five minutes of school.....


 
Notice all the kiddies on the floor!!!!! 

Love it.

And this can be a handy dandy little tip for those kiddos who are working on their fine motor skills (i.e. handwriting that looks like chicken scratch with nospaceswhatsoever and R's that look like S's and H's that look like G's...) Is it just me that has these little friends....??? I hope not... There have been so many days during our writing block when I see my friends have done some amazing writing! They can read their writing to me (even when I can't figure out for the life of me what it says) and the content is there!!!! I don't always have time to write what it says underneath because let's be honest here... there are 27 of them and only 1 of me... But by the next day, my little friend forgot what it says and I sure can't figure it out either...rats!!!

Huh?????

Not anymore! We've managed to get around this problem with my iPhone (or iPod or iPad or i whatever that we can record with!). I have them record themselves reading their writing with Voice Memos and viola! We have it there so the next day (and days later) we can figure out what it says! Quick and easy when you can't always be there! I even have a small group of friends who know they need to do this before they put their writing folders away! 

Thanks for hosting this wonderful linky Hadar!!!!

:) 

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It's Turkey Time!!! Craft FREEBIE!

Time to take down the pumpkins and get out the turkeys!!!!

We just realized today that there are only SIX school days until Thanksgiving break!!!! SIX!!!! Ohmygoodness where does the time go!?!?! Sometimes I want to cry because there are so many things I want to do and not enough time. Ever! :-( 

Anyways... you can bet we'll rock the turkeys for those six days!!!

So... I decided to be dumb brave and whip out the paint for a turkey project. 

I was inspired by this pin: 

                                                                          Source: meetthedubiens.blogspot.com via Sandy on Pinterest

(Can you see why I was brave....hands in paint!!!??? LOTS of different colors of paint!?!? Eeeek!) 

So cute! 

They did turn out adorable....

And now I have a flock of turkeys waiting to be hung up on our wall!

If you are in need of a turkey craft and are feeling brave... click HERE for the turkey patterns!

Happy Wednesday! 

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Happy November!

Happy November!!!

I love this time of the year because it means lots of family time, cool(er) weather {it's 93 degrees out today!!!}, lots of good food, and so many things to be thankful for!!!

I like to keep the "Calm Radio" on to keep it "calm" in my classroom... (or so I like to think...) 

And all of my bloggy buds know how much I love my dogs...

Sadie

Duncan

Abby

So I thought it would be fun (not crazy!!! like some people said... ;-) to dress up as them...

Here's my awesome 2nd grade team last week:

The best costume I saw was our assistant superintendent dressed up as Flo from the Progressive commercials. I loved it! 

See ya soon!

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