Bodacious Blending Puzzles-Part Deux!!

Happy Saturday, Peeps! Kerri here...

Well, one whole week of vacay is gone already!! NOOOOO! It's going by too fast already! In keeping with my plan of reading as many books as possible this summer, I finished Inferno by Dan Brown. I highly recommend it! It made me want to go to Florence SOOO bad!

I also plan on making one new product a week this summer (I have a whole list of ideas going) and I finished my latest unit a couple of days ago! 
Introducing my Bodacious Blending Puzzles, Part Deux...

These blending mats focus on beginning blends, long vowels, and ending digraphs. Here is a closer look...

And...
Here is the original set of Bodacious Blending Puzzles, which focuses on CVC words for all 5 short vowel sounds...

 I also bundled them both together at a discounted price, so you can have your kidlets blend sounds together to make words all year long, from simpler CVC words in the beginning of the year, to more complex blends, long vowel, and digraph words later on in the school year!

My kidlets LOVE LOVE LOVE these! When I taught Kinder, my kids LOVED using the CVC mats to make words. They felt like they were expert readers really sounding out and reading words with these mats!
My Firsties are going to love blending and spelling the harder words this year, AFTER reviewing their Kinder skills using the CVC mats in the beginning of the year!!

You can click on any picture above to check them out in my TPT shop, friends!
Thanks so much!!
Kerri B

Throwback Thursday!

Happy Thursday, blogging buddies!! Kerri here...

Summer is coming along nicely! I survived 2 days in a row of yoga and I am now hobbling around like an old lady! Lovely...my husband just doesn't understand how a bunch of stretching can make me so sore. HELLO!! Does he not realize that those chaturangas are FRIGGIN HARD?? Whatever, hubs!

We also went to see Man of Steel. Other than the fact that I could stare into Clark Kent's eyes ALL.DAY. LONG...

I mean, COME ON! He is delicious!

...I thought the actual movie was WAAAYYY too CGI/special effects driven, and I officially give it 2 thumbs down. Give me the original Superman any day!

I am linking up with Cara Carroll again for her Throwback Thursday post! I just LOVE this idea!!

Here's an oldie but goodie from my partner in crime, Lindsay. This Magic Spoons idea was pinned about a brazillion times and it is GENIUS!! Enjoy, friends!
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Why hello there my fellow blogger buddies!

Were you wondering if I fell off the face of the Earth?  If I did not, in fact, survive the madness of the holiday season?  If a pack of rabid kindergarteners ate me alive??!!  DON'T FRET!!  I'm back. :)

Not only am I back, but I have a great little somethin' to share!  Now, let me first just say that this is in no way my idea. Nope. Negative.  All the credit for this idea goes to one of my fellow kinder teachers, who got it from another kinder teacher, who . . .well, you get the idea.  Not original, but just one that I thought ought to be shared.

So this little phonemic awareness activity is called Magic Spoons.  Basically, in order to help children with sounding out words, even those pesky nonsense words, you take a pack of spoons and on each spoon write a consonant. (For the letter Q you write a "qu" combo - because those two are always together.)  These will be used as the initial consonants of the words the students will be reading. Then, students practice with one spoon at a time adding the first letter to various different word family endings.  As the Magic Spoon moves from word ending to word ending . . . POOF!  A new word appears!  Magic.

When my teacher friends were sharing this idea with me, I immediately envisioned shiny, glittering, golden spoons that were oh-so-magical.  So, when it came time to make my OWN Magic Spoons, I had to track down . . . you guessed it . . . golden spoons.  (The power is in the golden-ness, right?)

Anywho, I found these packs of golden spoons at Party City for cheap (AND was able to walk out of there with ONLY the spoons - yay for self control!).

Next, I wrote on my spoons.  (Best kindergarten printing!!)

Finally, I created three sheets to use with my magic spoons.   On the left is a sheet of two letter word family endings, the middle sheet is three letter word family endings, and the final sheet is ONLY consonant letters.  My plan with that sheet is to then create a second set of magic spoons where the word family ending is on the spoon.  Are you following all of this?

For a PDF file of these three sheets, click on the image below. (I plan to copy each sheet on a different color of cardstock and laminate for durability . . . and for protection from all the magic-ness!)

But wait, there's more!  If you would like to use this idea in a whole group setting, fear not!  I plan to (in all of my spare time . . . whenever that may be) get large wooden spoons to use to get the whole class involved at once!  Gold spray paint . . .here I come! 

Anyway, I would love to hear about if and how you use Magic Spoons in YOUR classroom! Or maybe you yourself are the inventor of this great idea . . .in which case, thanks!

Happy teaching this week! 

Lindsay

Summer Lovin'...

...For REALLY REALS, Peeps!! Kerri here...

Aaaahhh, Summer! How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

1. Reading Dan Brown's Inferno whilst sunbathing in my backyard.

2. Giving lots of cuggles and snuggles to my Roxy Roo.

3. Getting re-aquainted with the concept of jalking (you know, jog 5 minutes, walk five minutes) on my treadmill, as well as yoga, which starts tomorrow.

I can TOTALLY do this pose. Please! It's sooo easy... :)

4. Making exotic iced teas with my new Teavana iced tea maker...

Aren't the canisters soooo pre-tty? Like model, cheerleader...

5. Wearing my Punjammies in the middle of the day because I can!

6. Catching up with my favorite Brits whilst doing my jalking on the treadmill...

7. Deciding which New Orleans pictures I want to put in the frames I bought from Hoppy Lobby A.YEAR.AGO (what a loser!) that will go in our hallway...

This one for sure!!

8. Making a healthy Wendy's Frosty with my teenage daughter. It actually was quite delicioso!

Ingredients:

1 frozen banana (or a cup of ice and a regular banana)

1 cup almond milk

1/2 cup almond butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon maple syrup

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Add all ingredients to a blender and mix it up! Add ice to get your preferred consistency. 

Says Tara: “Tastes just like the real thing and is the best treat ever.” We agree!

9. MOVIES! This WILL be the summer of movies for the fam and I. Up tomorrow? Monster University!

 10. Crafting!! Here is my first finished product! I got a sweet gift from one of my students for my birthday and it came in this AMAZING wooden box...

AWESOME, right?? This box was begging for polkadots and mod podge. Soooo...TADA!

Oh lands! Isn't she sooo pretty-fied?? She will be housing something spectacular, come September. I just haven't decided what yet! HA!

And to think, I'm only 3 days in! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!

XOXO Kerri B

Throw Back Thursday!

Happy Thursday, Peeps!
Can I get a "HOLLA!!" We only have 1, count it, 1 day left of school. Yippee YAY! I am more than ready to get back to my kindle reading, yoga doing, ice tea sipping, staying up late routine that makes summer SOOOOO awesome!

In other good news, my daughter got into OCSA!! Of course, in typical teenager fashion, she is now wishy washy about going. You know, because she has these all these "friends" now, and how could she EVER leave them? UGH...

FRACK! Can I just tell you how FRAZZLING DIKKILOUS raising a teenager is?? O.M.G. Like for serious, peeps! Luckily, OCSA starts before her regular high school, so she is going to give it a try and hopefully she'll fall in love with it. Let me just tell you, there is some serious praying going on in my house right now! 

Please Lord, let my daughter listen to reason and not act like an irrational teenager who can't see 5 minutes into the future. Amen.

Okay, enough teenage drama already. Time for Throwback Thursday, hosted by Miss Cara Carroll over at the First Grade Parade!

This week's throwback is from all the way back in March 2011, and is our most viewed post of all time, my Making Words post. I use my making words folders all the time and they are the kidlets' favorite...

Finally, a Language Arts post from me, Kerri!
My dear friend Kim from my old school has the coolest file folders with sticky notes on the inside that have letters on them, and she has her kids use the sticky notes to make words. When they are done making a word, they just put the sticky note back in it's "place" on the file folder. Genius! 
So much better than letter tiles that end up getting lost, on the floor, inside desks, you get the idea. (Makes me crazy!) Whenever the sticky note loses it's sticky, you just quickly make a new one for whatever letter you need. I love it!
Sooo...I made some templates on my trusty MAC and viola, new making words folders! I also color coded the sticky note letters, to help my firsties remember the beginning middle, ending sounds, and digraphs when we make words together! Click the link underneath the pictures and get making! :)

Making Words

Happy almost summer, friends!

XOXO Kerri

Open House Photo Dump!

Happy Saturday, Peeps! Kerri here...

Boy! Have I been MIA or what!?! I am STILL. IN. SCHOOL. Peeps! GAH! 5 more days, 5 more days, 5 more days...(It's kinda like a mantra...)

Open House was a little over a week ago and I meant to post photos of the finished product, BUT I also had the overwhelming desire to lay around and veg, so that won out! 

Open House was FABULOUS!! This year, to add to the ambiance,  I wore my parrot dress...

and found Rainforest sounds on iTunes to play while the families entered our rainforest and explored. Here is what they saw (caution-massive photo dump commencing!)...

All of this rainforest goodness can be found in my TPT store, if you are looking forward to next year's Open House theme!! 

Well, I'm off to get my Downton Abbey/Treadmill on. Downton makes exercise soooo much better!!

XOXO Kerri B