I'm so excited!!

Hi Peeps! Kerri here...
I'm soooo excited cause tomorrow I get to introduce Magic Elf!! He is all set up and ready to roll...

AND...I found another super adorable elf at VONS today for only $6!! Check out this cutie!!

His name is Winkle! Isn't that too cute?? You can pick one up for yourself if you have a VONS near you to go with my Magic Elf unit (click on pic to go to my store)! 

I'm also excited because we have started Cara Carroll's Moon unit (click here) that I purchased and the kids are OVER THE MOON (excuse the pun!) about it. Like seriously into it. They also can't wait to take home the moon bag and draw what it looks like each night (such a FABULOUS idea from Cara!!) Here is my moon bag...isn't it pretty??

Okay, that's all for now. Gotta go make me some enchiladas for dinner! Yummy!!
BTW, I would LOVE to know how Magic Elf is going in your classroom! Please, pretty please, leave me some comments if and when you start using it. :)

Another Magic Elf Freebie, revised Magic Elf unit, and world's most embarassing moment!!!

Aaarrgh!! I made a tiny boo boo on the Magic Elf unit!! I forgot the word "to" in the first clue!! BOO! I am so sorry! I have revised it, so you can re-download it if you want to from TPT-or you can verbally add the word "to" when you read the clue to your kiddies. :) Sooo sorry, friends!


 I'm gonna keep it short tonight, seeing as how I stopped up the garbage disposal last night and my husband had to work his booty off to fix it (ON his birthday, no less!!), so today I have a mountain of dishes that didn't get done AND my kitchen in total disarray. I owe my husband, big time!! (Sorry, Pook!)


Thank you, my Peeps, SOO much for purchasing my Magic Elf unit on TPT!! I got a comment from Amy, who is already using it and she said her kiddos are SO EXCITED!! I'm not starting mine until December 1st, but you can use it for 1, 2, or 3 weeks! There are enough clues for the whole month, but a week long unit will work wonders too! Click on the link to check it out!

Here is another Magic Elf writing paper that you can use this month. This one has a cutey cute border from DJ Inkers. Click on the elf to download!

I'll be back on Thursday or Friday with Magic Elf Art, and I will be posting more freebies the whole month. so keep checking back!


Last thing, my embarassing moment today.  I woke up with my allergies OUT. OF. CONTROL. Like a whole box of kleenex, about a brazillion sneezes, and my nose running like MAD. It was seriously making me CRAZY. During our reading lesson, (An Egg is an Egg-cute story) I bent my head over the big book to read, and SNOT literally dripped out of my nose onto the book, for God and all 24 Firsties to see. GREAT!! Of course, they were disgusted, as was I, and I had to jump up to grab a kleenex to stop the flow. I cannot express how mortifying it was...seriously! I can only imagine the dinner conversation tonight that my Firsties will have with their parents...(insert imagination bubble)  "Today, Mrs. B got snot all over the book she was reading! It was soooo gross!" Sigh.


Toodles!!

Magic Elf FREEBIE, and Cyber Monday TPT Sale!

Hey Friends! Kerri here. How cute is he??

I'm in love with his cuteness!! I ordered him ON Thanksgiving and he arrived today! That is some kind of service!! Here is the link to the ebay store I got him from: click here
I had to get a new elf, because my Magic Elf from last year is "hiding" somewhere in my classroom and I CANNOT find him! Oh wait, isn't that the point?? Maybe he'll magically show up on December 1st! HA!


Thank you sooo much to those of you who have already purchased my Magic Elf activity packet:

Click here to go to my store!

Here is a freebie to go along with my Magic Elf activity packet on TPT (the clip art is DJ Inkers, hence I could not include it!) Every day, Magic Elf will "catch" 2 or 3 kiddos who were showing the true meaning of Christmas and leave a little note on their desks. On the last day before Winter Break, all the kids will have received a note and they will get to turn it in for a special gift from Magic Elf, which in my classroom is...wait for it...BRAND NEW CRAYONS!! YIPPEE! Since most of my kids have broken, lost, or eaten their crayons from September (seriously!!), these will be perfect for the New Year!
Click on the photo below to snag a copy!

Also, here is the code for the SUPER FABULOUS Cyber Monday sale TPT is throwing! All of the items in my store will be 20% off, plus an extra 10% off using the discount code below! 30% off!! I know I plan on taking advantage of it...there are quite a few beauties on my wishlist as we speak!!

I'll be back later this week with my Magic Elf art project (CUTENESS BEYOND ALL REASON!!) and I'll be posting more Magic Elf freebies all month, so stay tuned!!
XOXO Kerri B

Giveaway Winner, Magic Elf, and Black Friday SALE!!

Hi Friends! Kerri here...
Happy Thanksgiving! I don't know about all of you, but I. AM. STUFFED. What a day of PURE DELICIOUSNESS, thank you to my wonderful mother-in-law, and my mom and step-dad's fantastic cooking. I just brought rolls and pumpkin cheesecake (both store bought...don't judge) so I cannot take ANY credit for today's Thanksgiving feast! But it sure was YUM!


In other news...WE HAVE A WINNER, WINNER, TURKEY DINNER!


Random Number Generator (which I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how to capture as a screen shot so I can show you the actual number! Grrr...) chose Number 28!!

Delighted said...

I follow your blog.

First Grade Delight

YAY!! I will email you, First Grade Delight with all of the details so you can choose your framed print from Karen's ETSY store!


I am SOO excited about this...

 ...my newest activity packet that I just uploaded to my TPT store!

Magic Elf!

If your students are anything like mine, the holidays tend to make them extra rambunctious. Last year, I introduced them to “Magic Elf” and it truly was like magic happened in my classroom! My students became more engaged, more motivated, and better behaved because they knew “Magic Elf” was looking for good behavior that he could report back to Santa, as well as teaching them about the true meaning of Christmas, which we all know is so much more than presents! I bought my “Magic Elf” on Ebay (see picture), but you can use any elf that you find in any store.  I have included in this packet a “Magic Elf” clip art buddy for you to use if you cannot find a suitable stuffed elf. Just laminate him and hide him in your class as you would a stuffed elf! :) 4 activities are included for the month of December:

Magic Elf and Daily Messages-Purchase a stuffed elf or laminate the clip art elf that is included in this packet. Laminate messages for durability and cut out. Each morning before your students arrive, hide “Magic Elf” somewhere in your classroom along with one of his messages about the true meaning of Christmas. I have included 17 days worth of messages, so you can choose the ones that work best for you, depending on how many days you are in school the month of December. 

Story Paper-Students can write a story about Magic Elf visiting their classroom, and then illustrate their story.

Magic Elf Letter-Students can use the writing paper to write a letter to Magic Elf about what he has taught them, or what they would like him to tell Santa!

Magic Elf Book-Copy the cover and inside pages back to back, including as many inside pages as there are school days in December. Instruct students to draw Magic Elf on the cover. Every day, after reading Magic Elf’s clue each morning to your students, instruct them to write what Magic Elf’s meaning of Christmas was for the day and illustrate what that means to them.At the end of the month, your students will have their own book on the meaning of Christmas to take home and share with their parents!

Click on the picture above to go to my TPT store! In honor of Black Friday (which I plan on sleeping through!), all of my products will be 20% off starting tomorrow, all the way through Tuesday! Let the madness begin! You can also pick up your Holiday Words writing pack for 20% off...Whoot whoot!

Talk to you soon, blogging buddies!

Thanksgiving Art, a couple freebies, and a CUTEY CUTE Holiday Craft!!

Whew! Can I just say how stoked I am that I get 5 whole days off for Thanksgiving!! YIPPEE!
Hi Friends! Kerri here...
I know this is AGAIN too little too late (just like my Haunted House post!) but here are a couple of art projects my firsties did this week to get into the Thanksgiving spirit...
Check out Mrs. B's Turkey Rescue...

Eat more coconuts?? WHAAT?? I love it!

This guy's waddle is fabulous!

We made these little guys after we read this super cute, vegetarian friendly (like me!!) story...

We also made Pilgrim and Wampanoag Portraits, and wrote a poem about their first Thanksgiving...

Have I already talked about how much I love First Graders' artwork? It is just so authentic and charming!


Click the pictures below to get your own copies of the "Save a Turkey" paper and the Pilgrim and Wampanoag paper (for next year!!)...

Save a Turkey

Pilgrim & Wampanoag Paper

We also made Stone Soup as a class after reading the story, retelling it as a class, and sequencing a Stone Soup poem...Here is our Stone Soup chart that helped us retell the story. I let the kids label our chart this time (you would have thought I let them have a puppy for a class pet!!) and they did a great job!

All of the kids brought in the ingredients and we cooked the soup all day today in crock pots. Of course, we HAD to have pumpkin pie with it!! The pumpkin pie went over a little bit better than the soup, but the kids had a ball making it!! :)

And...Here is a SUPER SIMPLE, uber-adorable Holiday craft that I cooked up with the help of my daughter, Katie Bug! The wooden plaques are 5x7 from Michaels ($1.29 plus my 15% off teacher discount), and I used white, blue, green, and red acrylic paint, and OF COURSE, my favorite teacher's helper of all time, MOD PODGE!! (Please excuse the smudge next to the snowflake...I was being impatient and the paint was not all the way dry when I started to mod podge on the snowman. DURNIT!)

TADA!! I am so proud of Katie's artwork!! And, it is so simple and old-fashioned, which I also LOVE! Hope you can use this idea, if you are in need of a Holiday gift for your parents from your kiddos!

One more thing...don't forget to enter our giveaway for one of these beautiful hand-crafted prints and frames made by Karen at 

Wishing You Happiness... (click under the first picture to enter!)

link to giveaway

I'll choose a winner tomorrow morning, after I sleep in! YAY!!

Happy Thanksgiving, Friends! Hope you have a blessed Holiday!

Digraphs, Contractions, Fact Families, and a FREEBIE (of course!)

Hi Friends! Kerri here...
I found these absolutely ADORABLE clipart sets on Scrappin' Doodles (don't you just LOVE Scrappin'Doodles! I know I do!) Here they are...

Aren't they the cutest!! I love the classroom pets one because the lizard reminds me of OUR class pet, Mr. Bojangles, who is growing HUGE, and who the kids LOVE to watch eat crickets...Nasty, I know, but he LOVES them!
We have been working on digraphs, contractions, and fact families in my classroom, so I whipped up these little centers to reinforce what we are learning. I wanted to use this clip art so it would not be holiday specific, and you all could use it any time of the year! :)
3 of the sets are on sale for only $2 each at my TPT store, and the 4th is a sentence scramble for FREE on TPT! YAY!
Click on each picture to go the my TPT store.... And don't forget to enter our giveaway by clicking here!! I appreciate all of you who have commented to win the beautiful prints my friend Karen has created, and for voting for my grant project. :)


Here are my newest center creations...

Have a beautiful weekend!!

Awesome Giveaway, 50's Day faces, and Vote for MEEE!!

Hi Again! Kerri here...
Here are some pictures from our 50's kids direct draw that we were working on today...One of my little guys exclaimed, "WOW! I looked so different in the 50's!" Hilariousness, I tell you! Pure Comedy!

                                 

                                 


I just love kid drawing...it melts my heart every time!!


ALSO...


I wrote a grant to get Leapfrog TAG READERS in my classroom and the top five vote getters will win! I would SO SO SO appreciate it if you would click on the link below and take a quick second to vote for my project! Please click here to go to my project's page:


http://www.weareteachers.com/ideas/partnerask/teachingidea?app=20776&grantId=67


Thank you friends! I appreciate you helping out my classroom by voting!


ALSO...
I am uber-excited to announce a SUPER AMAZING, EXCELLENT, AWESOME giveaway that my friend Karen has asked me to help her out with. She is a truly talented artist extraordinaire with a flair for all things vintage, and well, just down right cool! You should see her son's bedroom...TO DIE FOR CUTE!
She has just recently opened up her own little Etsy shop, which is called "Wishing You Happiness"-check it out here.

Isn't her logo soooo sweet??


Here is a little blurb about her shop and philosophy:


"We celebrate happiness, and strive to make you smile! If you are looking for a gift to brighten someones day, fill a child's room with love, or celebrate a special event, we are the place to find it. We also donate a percentage of our sales to charities close to our heart in hopes of bringing a little happiness to people or animals that could really use a little extra happiness. Enjoy!"


Check these out:

She is offering to give away one of these beauties to one of you, our faithful followers! Your choice! How cool is that! These are PERFECT for kids' bedrooms and even classrooms! (I want the You are Smart one....it is precious!) 


Here's how it works...You can enter 5, count 'em, 5 ways:


1. Become a follower of our blog and leave a comment below, or leave a comment if you already are a follower!


2. Follow my TPT store and leave a comment below that you are a follower!


3. Add Karen's ETSY shop to your favorites and leave us a comment below.


4. Pin Karen's Logo and/or pictures above to your Pinterest and leave us a comment. 


5. VOTE for my grant project (click here) and leave a comment that you voted!!


That's it!! Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!! I'll even throw in your choice of teaching product from my TPT store to the lucky winner! 2 prizes in one!! BONUS!


We'll keep the giveaway open until Tuesday evening, so get those comments in! Of course, random number generator will pick the lucky winner and we'll announce the winner on Wednesday!!


As always, thank you for your support, kind words, and encouragement! I am constantly blessed by all of my blogging buddies!! :)

Math freebie, contraction flip book, and the 50th day!

Hiya Peeps!! Kerri here...
The 50th day was today! (Well, actually it is Thursday, but we have soooo many GOBs of activities to do that we are celebrating it over 2 days!) Of course, I purchased Cara Carroll's FANTASTIC 50th day unit, which is all kinds of Wonderful! The kids had so much fun today doing all of her cutesy cute (and totally appropriate for what we are learning right now) activities. Here are some pictures of them counting out sets of 50...

We also started learning about contractions today. To help with the learning, we made our handy, dandy contraction flip books. Seriously, flip books are my go to activity for all kinds of learning. I love the visual and the kids think they're neat!

And...here is a little math freebie for you. I call it the "Number Machine" and I got the idea from my mom who used it years ago in her classroom, except she used manila graph paper with hand-drawn numbers (kickin' it old school!) HA!


I give the kids a strip of numbers (whatever numbers you are working on. So far, we have practiced writing our numbers by 10's and 5's. We will be moving on to 2's next, but I included numbers 1-100 grouped 10 per strip as well, which I used when I taught Kinder) and a writing worksheet. They basically have to cut out the numbers, glue them in order down the left side of the paper, and practice writing them 5 times. When we practiced our 5's, we practiced 5-50 one day and 55-100 the next. 


This center is PERFECT for when you have 15 minutes you did not account for, OR when your SMART Board (a.k.a. Enemy Board, Wonky Board, Ridiculous Board, and on some days WTH Board!) won't turn on and you can't do your math lesson properly. Grrrr! (Does this happen to anyone else or is it just me??) The kids get to practice their number recognition, ordering, and writing all in one swoop, and they just LOVE this activity!!
Click on the picture below to download your very own set!!

Number Machine

Finally, A big old THANK YOU to those of you who are purchasing my Monthly Writing Packs! I hope your kiddos love them as much as mine do. They are going to be soooo excited to see the December ones!! Click on the picture to check it out!

I'll be back in a couple of days with a FANTASTIC giveaway!! You won't want to miss this one!! See ya!