Another Attempt

Ok, so I know I've started and stopped with this whole blog thing several times.  I reeeeeally want to try again, so hopefully I can keep up with it this time!  Since I last wrote, I've had 2 more kids!  We now have 4 boys, the youngest being 2 months old, so we're pretty busy.  I'm also doing a lot of painting and filling orders through my Etsy shop, Owl on a Limb Creations....please check me out!!  You know we teachers don't make a lot of money, so that's my side job (one of them, anyway!)! ;)  Summer school starts next week, so I'll be teaching for a few hours a day, three days a week for the rest of July.  I'll be posting pictures of however it is that I decide to decorate my room....still on the fence, and trying to make some things!  Here's what's been keeping us busy at the Wolfe house lately this summer...I got the original idea off of Pinterest (where else?!).  The pin had shown the pool noodles attached to a large piece of plywood, buuuuuuut, I decided to use what I had handy...the back of a bench!  Worked like a charm!  And then we added to the idea by putting funnels in the top (easier for them to pour), and different buckets at the bottom. Their favorite part was that the kiddie pool was at the bottom of one of the noodles, so they filled up their pool themselves! My favorite part?  This was a super cheap activity that kept them busy for awhile.  We already had the buckets and kiddie pool, but everything else came from Dollar Tree:  3 pool noodles ($3), the funnels ($1 for the set of 3), the zip ties to attached the noodles to the bench ($1 for a big pack)=$5 fun!!!

It's been a looooong time!

Ok, so it's been a long time since my last post!  Like most of you, I've been very very busy with getting my new kiddos into the kindergarten routine!  So far this year, we've done our All about School, All About Me, Colors and Shapes, Families, Community Helpers, Fire Safety, and Post Office units.  Wow, that's a lot of material!  I've got a student teacher right now, so I'm hoping now that she's taking over most of the teaching for awhile, I can start getting "ahead of the game" by planning ahead and also making some of the new stuff I've been inspired to make on Pinterest (my new addiction). 

So, this week we started working on patterns, sorting, and graphing in math.  The kids had tons of fun because we used a box of Fruit Loops to explore these concepts during the week.  We sorted the cereal by colors and then counted and graphed.  We also made pattern bracelets with pipe cleaners. 

This year we've also lost a lot of our math support due to budget cuts.  Since we don't have much extra help for math groups anymore, I've been trying to find things that the kids can work on independently if they've finished with their main math activity while I'm still helping others to finish.  Here's something that I made a couple of years ago that they really seem to like:  I made cardstock cards with numbers (1-20) and made a hole punch.  They have to made a chain with that many links and attach it to the card.  I'm not sure where the links originally came from; they were left in my room when I first started teaching.  Students in the past used to try to use them as jump ropes (um, no!!!), so I knew I had to come up with something better and FAST!!!  This is a much better use for them! :)

Another one they really like is a sticker number match.  I have sheets with numbers on one side and a box next to the numbers.  They have to place the corresponding amount of small stickers in the boxes. 

And one more thing that I've had them work on is coin sorting.  We don't start money for awhile, but coin recognition and counting are two things that are always really hard for the little ones; I think it's always a good idea to just start exposing them to the basics early!  So for this activity, I simply give them a handful of plastic coins and have them sort them on the graph.

So these are just a couple of the things that they are working on as "math stations."  I hope to take more pictures soon and post them as well.  I am also trying to work on some new stuff for them!  I LOVE making new things!  :)  I'm off to check out some more stuff on Pinterest!  Happy weekend!

Mouse Paint Freebie, Take 1000000002

Ok, so next week we start our Colors and Shapes unit.  I love to read Mouse Paint!  I made a sheet on Microsoft Word for the kids to do right after reading it; they color the mice with crayons and then figure out the resulting color and write the word in the box.  I finally figured out how to put a Google Doc on here, but now my problem is that I used a really cute font, and I can't figure out how to get the font to show up on Google Docs?!  I'll post the sheet on here in case anyone is interested....and, if anyone knows how to fix my font problem, or if you know of another route I should take, PLEASE let me know!! Thanks!! :)

We survived the first full week...and an earthquake!

Wow, this has been one EXHAUSTING week!! We've been very busy trying to learn routines! Earlier this week, we had an earthquake, which is not common here at all! The kids didn't even notice it because they were outside for recess; I had just run inside to use the restroom (our afternoon is loooong, so our team always covers for each other for a couple minutes so we can have a bathroom break!!!). The door handle was the first thing to start shaking, and I actually thought one of the kids had come in to use the bathroom too...but then everything else started shaking. So then I thought (as did many of the other teachers) it was the AC people on the roof, since our air unit ALWAYS seems to have something wrong with it. But, turns out, EARTHQUAKE! Hmmm...hopefully the next time the AC people are up there, we won't mistake them for another earthquake! Luckily, everything was fine in our area!
At the beginning of the year, we always read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. We make this cute craft with their names....letter foam stickers from Michael's. (The idea was from Mailbox magazine.)

And then, for our "All About Me" unit, we write the kids' names on large sheets of paper. They practice using glue and making their names with Fruit Loops.

Next week's unit is Colors and Shapes! We'll be doing Mouse Paint and mixing paint colors. Also, we'll be doing a colored ice cube melting experiment, which they always love! Oooooooh, and I found this book at the library, which combines colors, counting, AND an anti-bullying message!! It's called One by Kathryn Otoshi(Again, I was grabbed by the cover....it was so simple, yet so appealing!) Check it out! :)

Ready or Not....the first full week is coming!

Ok, so Jess, Jenny, and Jenn....surprise! You are EACH getting a set of clips from me! :) Jenny, I need you to message me your address so I can send them out. Jenn, I will see you next month, so I'll give you your clips then. Jess, I'm sure I'll see you around school! :) Guys, I started working on a cute clipboard yesterday, I'll post pics once I put on the finishing touches (ribbons......letters.....scrapbook paper.....)! :)

The kids started back last Wednesday, and boy, are they busy!! They are all super cute and excited to be at school. Tomorrow we start doing our reading rotations, which should help calm things down a bit, since the kids will be in small groups for an hour!

I started using my behavior clips on Thursday, and most kids seemed to respond really well! I had a few to reach "Super Star" on Friday, so I sent cute notes to their parents. I may start doing some tickets this week so they can have a chance to earn prizes from the prize box! Which means I need to head to the Target dollar spot to refill my box! ;) I think I'll head that way now....and enjoy a nice Starbucks Frappuccino while I'm at it! Have a great Sunday!

Tomorrow's the day!

Open House was last night, and I have met 20 out of 21 of my new kiddos! So exciting! I just wanted to share a few pictures of my classroom!
(Note the birthday display that I decided to make...I was inspired by one that I saw on The Clutter Free Classroom blog!)

Clips!

Ok, so I finally got around to getting more clothespins, and I sat down last night and had fun making them cute! I'll use these on my new behavior board! At first I was worried that they wouldn't all be able to fit on the "Ready to Learn" section all at one time, but there was actually a little extra room, so I was relieved! Now I think I need to make a set of these clothespins for my house and make them into magnets or something!! And maybe a set for my desk to use as paper clips....and I could go on and on. :)

Hmmmm....I have an idea. How about a giveaway? My very first one, actually. You have from now until Friday, August 19. To win a set of 10 of these clips, you must do at least 2 things. 1) follow my blog, and 2) post a comment saying that you follow my blog.
Want an extra chance to win? Blog about me or grab my button and leave me a comment letting me know you've done this!(Because I get sad when I see only 4 followers!! Though I love you 4 for your faith in me, haha!) Make sense? Hope so! (remember, I'm new at this!) I'll choose at random! :)
P.S. Sorry the pics are a little fuzzy. Had to use the camera phone so I could get this posted today, and my camera phone stinks!!