Fun With the Farm - and Countdown to Baby Charlie!

Hi folks!  It's me . . . Lindsay.

I know, you all probably thought my kindergarteners ate me alive or something, since its been  over a month TOO LONG since I last blogged.

All I can say is that I am wiped out.

I have a sweet lil class of kiddos this year, but having 4, 5 and 6 year olds all in the same class, PLUS a new Language Arts and math series to teach AND being 8 and a half months pregnant really, really stinks.  I feel like I just sweat and repeat myself. All. Day. Long.

But I have found in my last seven years of teaching kindergarten that typically the first six week or so are hellish  pretty darn hard . . . And then . . . you begin to see the light!  Your kiddos start picking up on all of the routines, no one is laying on the floor letting you know that they have decided to quit kindergarten (true story) OR laying outside of the classroom with one shoe off taking a nap (another true story . . .).

In fact, my little chitlens are starting to rock - we've started centers, they are keeping track of all of their finished and unfinished work in their work folders, and they've already filled up the "Warm Fuzzy Jar" with all their hard work!  Life is good in Room 17!  (Aside from all that pregnancy sweating  . . .)

One of my FAVORITE things I have been doing with my chitlens the past few weeks is working through our Farm Unit!  I used my Farm Friends {Math and Literacy Centers To Make You Go Hog Wild!} as a starting point and it has been a blast!

(click on image below to link to description in my TPT store)

 

(And here is a closer look at what's included . . .)

 

One of my kiddos' favorite activities was the Feedin' Time ABC Order.  Using an alphabet strip, my lil smarties practiced the order of the letters in the alphabet (along with their letter recognition!) to record what letters come before and after the letter on each card in the center.  They were SO proud of themselves and they were ALL able to complete this activity successfully!

 

 
Another favorite was Cluck, Cluck Count 1-2-3.  My kiddos practiced counting and their concepts of print skills by sorting the farm words according to the number of letters in each word! (And look at that fabulous printing - makes my teacher heart proud!)

In addition to our fun farm centers, we also made barns for our end-of-the-year art book!  Click on the image below for a link to the file with all of the directions and measurements.

Totally adorable, right???

 

 

 Our fun farm unit culminated with a field trip to the pumpkin patch last Friday.  Unfortunately the day before I was having some MAJOR contractions and the doctor told me to take it easy (baby needs to cook for a few more weeks!)  . . . so no field trip for Mrs. Messyhair.  Boo!

My kids, of course, LOVED it!  The bus ride, the petting zoo, the tractor ride AND getting to pick their own pumpkin to bring home.  So. Much. Fun.

(Note: I did manage to get enough energy to take my own lil guy to the pumpkin patch over the weekend, however.  He had fun holding (and throwing??) the pumpkins . . . but in the end the only thing he wanted to bring home was a lovely rock collection that he had accumulated.  And so we did.)

 

 

 

So that's all that I have to share tonight . . . I'm off to go start sewing lil Jack's superhero Halloween costume (pictures to come) and then, of course, have my nightly slice of pumpkin pie.  That's right. I said nightly.  I'm pretty sure it helps with the growth and development of the baby.  Right??

 

Speaking of baby, here is a picture of the little one who is on the way.  At my last appointment the ultrasound tech used the 4-D wand and I got to see my little guy's sweet face.  I can already tell he looks JUST LIKE DAD!! 

 



                         

 

And . . . . we finally picked a name - Charlie!  We can't wait to our newest addition . . . just as soon as mommy is all done prepping for her maternity leave, of course!! :)

 

Hope you all have a great night! 

 

Lindsay

The Prettified Polka Dot File Folder of Power, Fabulicious Fall Trees, Indy Illustrator, and The Girl Who (Almost) Quit Kindergarten

Happy last day of September folks!  Lindsay here . . .

I'm just dropping by to share a few tidbits with you all, and to remind you that today is the last day of our Fall TPT sale!  Hurry up and head on over . . . well, after you read this amazing post, OF COURSE!!

First off, I wanted to share one of my newest classroom assessment tools that I am so excited about . . . Now I now that the word "assessment" doesn't exactly make us all jump for joy, but I think you will love this idea too!  I had seen an idea on Pinterest using a file folder to keep notes about students in using post-its.  The great thing about this idea is that as you fill up notes on a particular student, you transfer the sticky note to their work portfolio, assessment file (or whatever you use) and replace it with a new one.  As I was perusing the isles of Lakeshore last weekend I found these ADORABLE file folders and new they were my inspiration! 

I used regular square post-it notes, cut them in half, numbered them (to keep it more confidential - all of my students are numbered) and ta-daaaa!  My Prettified Polka Dot File Folder of Power!  (Henceforth known as M.P.P.D.F.F.O.P.) 

Anyhow, with November conferences right around the corner I am excited to put this new note-taking system into place in my classoom, and I hope you will find it helpful too!

Next up to share: fall trees.  Yes, I know the first day of fall was LAST weekend, but I wanted to share this easy peasy art project that my kinders did and LOVED! 

I typically do this project with red, orange, and yellow tissue paper squares, and my kidlets create leaves by scrunching the squares and glueing them into the tops of their trees.  However, on the morning of the day of the project, I realized that I had stupidly forgotten to get the tissue paper (mommy brain?) so we tried tearing regular old construction paper instead.

I must say, my kiddos LOVED the ripping of the paper. Well mostly.  I did have one little darlin tell me that she quit. As in kindergarten. Altogether.  After assuring her that she could, in fact, rip paper, my little cutie reconsidered and decided not to quit her educational career over our little fall art after all.  Phew!

Last but not least, I have been working with my kiddos during Writer's Workshop on showing details in their illustrations - with the help of the Wee Ready Writers and Indy Illustrator, of course! (If you wanna check out my Writers Workshop pack in my TPT store, click the image below)

My kiddos have been doing such a great job!  Last week we did a comparison drawing of what my kiddos did when they were little, and then things that they can do now that they are big! 

This kiddo drew himself as a baby with a rattle, and then playing basketball now that he is big.

This cutie drew herself in a stroller as a baby (love, love, LOVE the two curly hairs on her head!) and performing on a stage as a big girl!

Next up: introducing Labelling Lucy to my kidlets and talking about labelling words in illustrations. 

Well, that it all I have to share right now!  Don't forget to take advantage of the fall sale going on in our TPT store - it ends at midnight!

I'm off to grade some papers and watch football!  Happy lazy Sunday afternoon!

Lindsay

P.S. One more thing!  I was honored to be a featured teacher on Teacher's Lounge Radio today!  Head on over and check out the blog at teachersloungeradio.blogspot.com!

Art projects up the WAZOO! :) And a FREEBIE (of course!)

Happy Saturday, Peeps!! Kerri here...
I woke up to the sound of rain this morning!! I know, I know, you East, South, Northwest, etc. Coasters say whoopidy doo, right? Well, here in So. Cal, we haven't had ANY rain since the beginning of December! AND, since it is Saturday and I don't have to worry about RAINY DAY SCHEDULE, I love it!!


I finally got pictures of the Jan Brett "Three Snow Bears" project we did this week, and our Martin Luther King, Jr. Art! Here we go...

We filled out the story map together, because this is the first time I introduced them to this type of Story Map. You can get your own copy of this here! The igloo I found on Jan Brett's website and I shrunk it down to half the size. Click here for the igloo.


We also made our Martins this week. When I taught Kinder, I always did the TLC art Martin, and he came out Fantastic! Last year, we step drew him, also great, so this year I thought I would combine the two and make a "Mixed media" project (how you like those arty words, huh??) Here they are...

We wrote the poem that I posted about here. It is actually a song, so I taught it to them first, and then we wrote it. You can also grab the writing paper from that post and save it for next year!


Looking ahead to next week, we will be making these fun little Chinese New Year Dragons made totally  from die cut shapes. These are oldies but goodies! I created these in 2001, so maybe you could call them "vintage??" HA!!

The poem glued to the top is for Kindergarten, but my Firsties will be copying the poem in their very best printing! Click here for some writing paper to use...

We also found out that our little blog was nominated as a "Most Fascinating Teaching Blog" in 2011!!

WOW! What an honor! We feel so blessed to be a part of such a wonderful community of dedicated ladies and gentlemen who are passionate about children!! YAY for Teaching! Can I get a whoot whoot??
Have a great weekend, Peeps!!

Winter Games FREEBIE and Snowman ART!

Hi Peeps! Kerri here...
Well, I am now officially back in the swing of things. I'm not gonna lie, those first couple days were R-O-U-G-H, but now I feel back in teaching mode. YAY!! I even created a little FREEBIE for you, my peeps, mis amigos, meine freunde (excuse the German, I took 4 years in high school and that is almost all I remember!!) But, first things first...
Here are our uber-adorable, TLC art made Snowman! I tweaked the nose a tiny bit, but other than that I got this project from the TLC Art Winter book. Have you ordered yours yet?? It is THE BOMB-DIGGIDY!!

I heart snowmen sooo much!! And, did you notice the Moon labeling art that we also did this week? Yes, it is straight out of Cara Carroll's Moon Unit, which I also heart a whole lot!!


I finally have all my Winter Games Math and Literacy centers, laminated, cut and ready to roll for next week. Here's a little looksie...

Snowmobile Addition Sort

Winter Games Sentence Scramble

Winter Games ABC order

Snow Much Fun Short and Long Vowel Sort

Winter Games-Spin, Tally, and Graph

Ice Fishing Fact Families

Ski Trip Subtraction Sort

Winter Games Story Writing Paper

And...now for your FREEBIE!! Let me just preface this with saying that this center was a TRUE LABOR OF LOVE, because I lost almost the WHOLE DARN THING after finishing it and saving it without making sure it was all there...I know, I know, what a loser, right??  I have NO IDEA what I did, all I know is I was P!$$&D (Can I say that on my blog??) 
After freaking for about 30 seconds, I re-made it and it is so very cute! It is a Winter Games Number order to 100 Math Center which is a perfect companion to my Winter Games Unit (thank you, by the way, to those of you who have already purchased it!!) Just look at this freebie...

You can click on the cover picture to go to my TPT store. While you're there, be sure to pick up my Winter Games Unit! Thanks, Peeps!!

Oh Tannenbaum, Oh Tannenbaum...and our class shirts!

Hey there Peeps! Kerri here...
Yawn...I am BEYOND exhausted! And as of right now, I am not sure I will make it through tomorrow. You know when your kids are working nicely in centers and then there is a Fire Drill that is louder than the loudest thing in the world, so you have to get up and exit the classroom, and when you get back, your kids have lost their minds?? Yeah, that was my day. Thanks alot, Fire Drill Scheduler! Seriously... whatever.


We did manage to do one more bit of Christmassy art in the afternoon...Check out our Tannenbaums!

I tweaked this idea after seeing it on kinderbykim.com. You should check out her website. It is RAD!! One more here...

And with all our other art, the room is officially ready for Christmas!! I heart Lindsay's Santas! Too bad it all comes down come January...

On an exciting note!! Our class shirts from Whitney Daniel Designs came today!! They are so deliciously cute!!

Me loves!!!

That's all I got tonight.   I'll be back this weekend with something I have been working on for January! Hope your last day is smooth sailing, easy peasy, and calm, calm, calm. For those of you with another week, I'll pray for you!! For reals!

Reindeer dimensions, snowman directions, and a TPT SALE!

Hiya Peeps! Kerri here...
I have three words for you...RAINY DAY SCHEDULE. ALL. DAY.  Catch my drift??? Sigh... But guess what my hubs brought home from his Secret Santa today??

HOLY REESES HUGENESS! Have you ever seen such a glorious sight in all your life?? It is hard to tell from the picture, but those suckers are at least 4 inches in diameter!! and 2 inches deep!!

We just HAD to compare and contrast...hee hee!






Here is a close-up of Mr. Reindeer...

Is it just me, or does this guy have "crazy eyes"?? Maybe it's the rainy day schedule talking! The following dimensions are all in inches:


Body = 6 by 9 dark brown (magic Oval)


Head = 4.5 by 6 dark brown (magic oval)


Handprint antlers = 6 by 9 light brown folded in half and the kids hand traced onto the folded paper. Then they only have to cut once!


4 Feet = 6 by 1 dark brown (no cutting necessary by the kids. They love this step!)


4 hooves = 4 by 1 black folded twice. Unfold and cut on the lines to make 4 perfect hooves!


Tail = dark brown triangle saved from when you cut the body


Eyes = 1.5 by 3 white folded in half and 1 by 2 black folded in half (magic circle cuts)


Straps = 1 by 6 red (no cutting necessary by kids)


4 Bells =  you will need (2) 1 by 2 yellow folded in half, magic circle cuts


Some of my kids were insistent upon adding ears, which I made optional, because they were VERY insistent! :)


Sharpie for detail!! And, I told them "NO SNAGGLY TEETH, NO CRAZY MOUTHS, NO OPEN MOUTHS" but some of them did it anyway. DANGIT!! Those little rogue artists of mine! :)

Some of you requested the snowman plaque directions so here they are:


Step 1: Paint white with acrylic paint. Let dry.


Step 2: Add the dot pattern around the edge with acrylic paint and the top of a pencil eraser. I did mine in small groups and they all finished in 15 minutes. Let dry.


Step 3: Step draw the snowman in sharpie and add color with crayon. Tell them to color DARK so it is bright and beautiful. Bubble cut around the edge (meaning leave a border).


Step 4: Using a SHARPIE paint marker in blue, add snowflakes around the edge. I had my kids place their snowman in the middle so they would know where to put the snowflakes and I also had my student teacher (me loves her!!) pull them back one at a time to do this step.


Step 5: Using mod podge and a foam brush, glue down your snowman and then cover the whole top and sides with the mod podge as well. My student teacher and I did this in about 20 minutes. Let dry and you are GOLDEN!!


Hope these directions are of use to you!! In honor of having only 4 days left, I am throwing a little S.A.L.E. on TPT!! Everything is 20% off until Friday. Go get your Winter Words, ladies (any gents out there??) Click on the pic to go to my TPT store...

Happy Monday!!

ANOTHER Magic Elf Freebie and more Holiday art!

Hi Peeps!! Kerri here...I am going out tonight for one of my Bestie's birthdays to BJ's (can you say PIZOOKIE!!) so I'm gonna keep it quick!

I made another Magic Elf FREEBIE for those of you who purchased my Magic Elf Unit (Thanks so much!!) It is a Magic Elf Acrostic Poem paper! YAY!! WE made ours as a class today and theu came up with FANTASTIC ideas. Check it out (along with our Magic Elf art!!)

I love the last one, "Fills our buckets!" OH MY WORD...what a proud teacher moment!!
Click on the picture below to download your own copy!

You can still pick up your Magic Elf unit from TPT! It's not too late, I promise you. You can do this unit in only 1 or 2 weeks. PLUS, you get all the freebies that I have been posting as a BONUS!! Who doesn't love bonuses?? My kids were SO RIDICULOUS on Tuesday that Magic Elf didn't move on Wednesday and they were HORRIFIED. Their behavior made a complete 180 and he ended up moving at lunch time! They were VERY relieved! I tell you, he is MAGIC!!

Click on the pic to go to my TPT store...

We also finished our Snowman Plaque  Parent gifts today and they are SO STINKING CUTE!!

 Don't mind the FUGLY, super old dropcloth. It has been with me for years and serves it's purpose so well!!
Here are a couple of other art projects we have made. We have the kids make a family wreath at home and we display them after they bring them in. They always do such a fantastic job, and they all turn out so unique!!

AND...we made our reindeer which are always a sight to behold!! I love their crazy eyes!! Let me know if you want the dimensions...

One more craft we will be making next week is this little beauty...

Pipe cleaners, pony beads, and yarn. Easy peasy, and they look so pretty on a Christmas tree! Hope you can use one or more of my ideas!!
Gotta jet...BJ's is calling my name!!