Pinterest and Something New

 So I finally was able to sit down and PIN things today. I felt like I had at the beginning of summer when I was finding out all about blogs. I've missed so much by not blogging as much as I should this year. I need to be able to find a balance of writing and checking in. I was on Pinterest because I was looking for some crafty ways to give each student in my class an award. Of course found tons of pages and about 3 that I really liked. Then I ended up getting sidetracked and went to other boards and have too many tabs up on my webpage right now. I found organizational stuff (things that made me wish I had a husband who could build me stuff), sight words and  station ideas, and definitely lots of math stuff. I like the math stuff because I was the math person on my team this year. The one who wrote the lesson plans for the team and gathered the ideas and materials for everyone. I loved it because I had done my homework over the summer and I had TONS of things I wanted to try.
 My visit to Pinterest led me to a new blogger, you might have already visited her blog: Kindergarten Doodles.

 Well I am so excited that I found her as she has some neat ideas for stations. I noticed that in her station listings she listed an activity for math literacy and I thought to myself "can I include math into my stations?" I have to ask that as our school works on a different reading curriculum that requires us to read from a book, plan from that book and make sure we are following that book to the letter, especially when the big wigs come in to check on us. We have been told that there is some wiggle room but only in our added station. I currently have 5 stations in my room and I love it. It has taken me a year and a half to figure out that I need 5 stations for my sanity and for the student's sanity. My first 2 stations are governed by whatever my curriculum books says to put out. Station 3 varies on whatever skill we are focusing on for the week; Station 4 is usually my sight word and sentence practice station. I love having Station 4 as the sentence practice station because I know that on MWF my students will be doing some kind of sentence building activity and on TTh they work with sight word or word building. And Station 5 is for computers/listening/library. But after pinning today and finding Kindergarten Doodles I have a different take on what I want my stations to be like. Like I want to be able to incorporate writing in as a station, I want to have more writing in the classroom period. However, I can't really change my stations based on what others are doing as some classrooms have assistants and usually it is just me and I have to be at a teaching station during stations. But there has got to be an easier way to make this work as my first 2 stations change daily and I make the rest of the stations change too. I now know what my other 3 stations do not have to change daily but if I don't change them I will have too many "early" finishers because they already know how to play the game or complete the activity.
 I wanted to cut down on how much pulling and planning I have to do every week for reading stations not make things complicated. Oh and next year I wanted to start word study... I guess I have a lot of planning and thinking to do. Where to fit it all in? I want to be able to cover all the bases and still have my students learning. Last year I was the new kindergarten teacher who didn't know any better so I just went along with everything. This year I know just a bit more of what my students need to know before going into first grade. I think I did a good job of getting them on the path this year but for next year I want to do more, I want to do better of educating them so they will succeed and not fail. And it is really difficult when our reading program conflicts with our state testing and does not consistently test them for what they should know and need to know for reading. I am trying to create a balance between our reading curriculum and providing my students with phonics/phonemic awareness activities so they can pass both tests and without getting in trouble for not following things to the letter.
 How do you have literacy stations in your classroom? Or do you even do stations for reading? I would love to hear how everyone else works it out.
 Oh and head over to Lil' Country Kindergarten for some freebies, especially her Hundreds Chart Picture freebies. Did you know that she has created some for almost all the holidays? Here is a snapshot of what the kids could be working on when they "finish early":
 Thanks, Desiree

14 days and counting...

 I've been meaning to post for quite some time now. But I can't seem to get back into the routine or even find something to talk about. Now there are other bloggers that are around me having their last day of school and it is making me try to count faster. Although I am looking forward to the last day of school with a passion because this year has been tough, I am also wondering what next year is going to look like. Will I still be in my same grade level? Will my team even be together? What will our administration look like? What will the kids look like next year? On my sheet of wishlist for grade levels for next year I did put kindergarten but I also slipped in first grade. If it had to be that way I could move up with my class but I would be nervous about it being a testing grade as I have never had to give testing strategies to my students before. I have always been preschool or kindergarten.
 But I am will not dwell on that now. I need to finish the 14 days of school, making sure to teach graphing and review all the math sols that students have learned this year. Anyone have any "great" way they review all their standards at the end of the year? I always thinking about a cram session I used to have in college. And for those of you who are still like me, still have a few more days of school, don't forget to check out Classroom Freebies as teachers still are posting freebies daily. I just found one for today called The Colors of Summer. Get it! Or get the My Feelings Booklet also from the same blogger, teachwithme. This year I found TeachWithMe.com very helpful in providing free, free, free, free and simple activities for my students. My students just did one of her activities, Coin Sticks, where they had to glue the paper penny and nickel back-to-back on a jumbo popsicle stick and glue on the word. My students loved it and I loved it for assessment. Because how come after 3 weeks of money my students still trip up over dime and nickel?!?
 I can't wait to get back into my routine of blog stalking and downloading files. I've definitely missed the blog world this year. And I was even able to get a few of my colleagues to join the teacher blog world too. SO mission accomplished!

Some ramblings

 I thought it was time to post again. It has been over a month since I last posted but not much has happened of course. I am currently on spring break!! Woohoo! I sent an email out to my team last week and was like, when we come back from break it will be 4th 9 weeks! My how has the time flown by this year but for some reason I want it to fly by. I want a do-over for my summer break from last year. This summer break I plan on actually getting off my behind and doing something for myself... unlike last summer were I blogged and copied and blog stalked and copied and saved and downloaded all summer. I guess you can say that my brain and body never left school last year. Not to say there is something wrong with blogging or blog stalking because that is something that I found that I LOVE doing. I think there are healthy ways of doing it and last summer I was on the verge of the unhealthy way. But I do look at all the work that I "collected" and I was able to share so much of it with my team and get them "hooked" on blogging too. I have two of my team members start their own blog and all three of us have start ourselves a store in Teachers Pay Teachers. Do you know how fun that is? 

 I feel like a real high-flying blogger. Oh the joys of meeting up with bloggers that you have been stalking through the year is fun too. I read about the Cali girls and how much they had fun (oh I so miss Cali). I wonder if the Southern bloggers ever thought to meet up (they count Virginia in the South). But I guess since I am such a newbie blogger I can wait some before jumping in on a blogger meetup. I just thought of something if we did have a Southern Blogger meet up, would we be like the Red/Purple hat ladies? They always look so bright and colorful together. Hat colors anyone?

 Okay so I am getting ahead of myself but it is nice to think of other things other than school. Like I just joined the AmFam near my house. My hope is that if I know there is a group fitness class happening that I like, I won't stay at school so late everyday. That is my hope. I just found the line dancing class that happens at 7:30pm on Mondays so at least on Mondays I know I can leave work early... now I need to find something to do to get me out of my room on the other days. I don't mind being in my room because usually I try to clean up from the day and set up for the next. And I have tried to use my Fridays as to plan for the station for the following week. I know Friday is a day that everyone loves to be gone on, so in our building it is pretty quiet when people have left for the weekend so I get so much done. Maybe I should plan for the following week on a Thursday or something... What day of the week do you plan for the next week? I only say Friday because then I can sit back and see what I didn't use and fill in the already copied stuff in for next week before having to go off and find things to fill in the rest. I would love to know when you guys plan for each week. I need to get myself into a new routine and actually act like I have a "life" outside of school. :) 

Thanks!

Hurry Up and grab this!!

 So I don't know if you have heard but I have opened up a store over at teachers pay teachers. And I wouldn't have really done it if I had never stumbled upon The 3AM Teacher. Have you heard of her? You should check her out. She offers free graphics sometimes as well as large graphics/borders/accents clip art for you to use to create anything you want for your classroom. Plus if you wanted to sell something she includes the price of your license in whatever you buy from her. So I just bought her Seuss inspired graphics at only $7 for over 100 graphics plus she sent the black and white graphics to my email... all for just $7. So of course I have started to put things together like crazy!!

 Well I was checking out Google Reader (another fav) and The 3AM Teacher made a post celebrating reaching over 300 followers. One day that will be me, I can still hope! She just uploaded her Henkes inspired graphics for FREE on her TPT store. But you can only get them for FREE until MIDNIGHT tonight (SATURDAY MARCH 3rd!!). Click on the link above to visit her post and get her link to her store. So if you were even thinking about trying out creating stuff for your classroom or to sell them but you just haven't been tempted to buy (like me) you can get started on it this weekend. Remember to thank The 3AM Teacher created by Michelle Tsivgadellis when you add any of her graphics to your creations. Just don't re-sell her graphics again... that is a big NO NO in graphics land.

 I'm currently working on 2 3AM Teacher graphics inspirations and I am sure many more will come to mind. I don't have a plethora of ideas like some of my fellow co-workers who are anxious to start creating. I just see something and want to try to re-create it and tweak it to fit me. There is so much to do that many teachers need or want to try, remember one teacher's ideas may be another teacher's treasure.

 So in other words... get to creating!

It's Open... My Store!

 As much time as I spend on Teachers Pay Teachers, it can get really addictive. Well throw in posting activities you make and I am definitely addicted. If I am not on Pinterest then I am on Teachers Pay Teachers. I just posted two new things in my new store and I can't wait to post more. But first I have to create them. I wonder where all the other sellers get their ideas or activity names from. Like I want to create but what I should I make? Or the better question is what CAN I make?
 I don't know how the winter weather is treating all of you but we just had lots and lots of SNOW on Sunday. It was fun but of course it was clear just in time to go to school on Tuesday. Shucks! I want a snow day! But I created some wintry wonderland stuff to maybe get the weather in the mood to providing us teachers with a much needed snow day!

Students match the snowman to a snowflake to match the correct tally marks.

 Check out my TPT store to get it for FREE!

And if anyone can tell me how to add a picture of my activities without it being blurry or cut off I would really appreciate. Thanks!

Playing Catch-up

 So I promised myself during this holiday weekend that I would not think about anything school related... and what did I do? Think about school! I was just trying to get myself together after that crazy week which included Valentine's Day, Awards Day and a field trip all in the same week. I do have some pictures to post about my the Valentine exchange. Do you know I love to give presents? And it is always nice to receive some too. I participated in the Christmas exchange... I don't think I posted about my gifts then either. Slacker! But when I saw that we were doing a Valentine's exchange I jumped at the chance to "meet" someone else. Well I received a cool "Love to Teach" bag from my person in CT. I've always wanted to go there.
  I also entered my class into the class valentine exchange. Right after I got the name of the class I was getting really worried about what my class could make that would make this class happy to receive valentine's at all. The class I got was fellow blogger First Grade Blue Skies. I had been following her blog during the summer and all of her cute creations. Me who doesn't do much art/crafty stuff in the classroom because we have no time, how was I going to create something that fit in the lines of a fellow crafty blogger? So needless to say, I struggled to find anything that my kids could create. I even made them peel crayons for one idea but then ended up changing my mind about it. I wonder if I would have been worried about what valentines to make if I had never heard of her blog at all. :-/ But in the end it all worked out and she and her class loved the valentines we created. You can see a picture of them over at her blog First Grade Blue Skies. I will post pictures of what her class sent us soon.
 And thanks to Caitlin and Sarah for hosting the Valentine Exchange. And if they decide to do another exchange make sure to check out the Teacher Blogger Exchange for updates and giveaways too. I was in another world this time and totally missed out on checking for giveaway options.
 This weekend while I was thinking about school I finally got into the creative spirit and started making activities sort of like Kindergarten Crayons (don't have her skills yet), Deanna Jump (nope not yet!), or Deedee Wills (who comes up with amazing activities). I don't quite know what I am doing but I am learning as I go along. Just like I learned how to create my own blog this summer. I think I can learn to create some helpful classroom activities for others. I need to finish reading my Math Work Stations book as I know there may be more ideas in there too. But I just wanted to say I am officially a SELLER on Teachers Pay Teachers. I only have 2 items up but I hope to create more soon. And if you do try something leave me a comment and let me know how it turns out.
 I'm off to bed... I am really going to miss having a long weekend. But on the bright side this is only a 4-day school week and I have my art class to look forward to. :) Have a great week!

You've been tagged!

Okay so I have to say that I was really curious when Jennifer over at Herding Kats in Kindergarten told me that I had been "tagged". There is A LOT that goes into being tagged and I hope if you do get tagged that you learn a lot.:)

Here are the rules for playing the game of TAG:

1. You must post the rules.

2. Post 12 fun facts about yourself on the blog post.

3. Answer the questions the "Tagger" sent you in their post, then create 12 new questions for the people you tag.

4. Tag 12 people and link them on your post.

5. Let them know they've been tagged!

12 Fun Facts About Me:
1. I own over 1000 books and most of them I bought to read to the kids.
2. Claude Monet is my favorite artist.
3. I am a super Derek  Jeter and NY Yankees fan! I've been to the old Yankees stadium even if it was just seeing the outside of it.
4. I've been para-sailing 3 times now... I usually go by myself. No one has dared to try it with me yet!
5. I love to collect bags, not purses, bags... shoulder strap and big enough that a bottle of water can fit.
6. I am a Girl Scout Troop leader and I really enjoy it. At first when I started I just wanted to help, I definitely did not want to lead but God had other plans for me on that one.
7. I've been on a cruise before and I so want to go again. I did most of the activities on the ship just because they were there.
8. I am a big roller coaster fan, I try not sit in the front but I will try them all, even by myself. I have a dream to visit all the Six Flags, so far I've been to 6 of them so far.
9. I love to touch those slimy animals no one really wants to touch: stingrays, jellyfish, frogs, snakes, etc.
10. I love to visit bed and breakfast inns. It is always fun to try new places... my best breakfast so far would have to be Cumberland Falls in Asheville, NC.
11. I want to go to Brazil just so I can go to Rio de Janerio and hang glide off a hill (with the instructor of course.)
12. I'm really shy around people... can't you tell?

I am answering Jennifer's questions:
12. If you could meet anyone in the world, who would it be and why? Lance Armstrong because he has succeeded in facing his hardships and coming out the winner. Just because he seems like a good person to meet. Or I would love to meet Derek Jeter my favorite Yankees player because he's cute and he seems like a fun person to want to know. 


11. If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go? Neuschwantein Castle in Germany. My mom and I put a puzzle of this castle together when I was in high school (and still loved working on puzzles) and ever since then I have always wanted to visit. 


10. What's your favorite school night dinner? Well I don't really cook... I know sorry to my future husband out there. But I love the pasta fresca bowl with Parmesan chicken from the Noodle Company. 
9. What one item could you not do without in your classroom? I would have to say our computers. Of course that is more than one item but I have gotten used to them and in a TECHNOLOGY driven world my students need to have experience with using computers more time during the week and not just once a week. 
8. What one item would you love to have in your classroom? A large carpet. I know simple huh? Well currently my 19 students and I all try to fit on a carpet that would comfortably fit about 14 people on it. Some of my kids including me too have long legs and we just aren't comfortable there. Since I do most teaching on the carpet I would love to be able to teach a lesson and not hear "Move!" or "Stop touching me!" or "Get on your name!"


7. If you could change one school rule, what would it be and why? That medication should only be in the nurses' office. I have about 5-6 asthmatic students and if I ever needed their medicine while they are having an asthma attack it would be difficult for me to get it. I would want probably at least one teacher per grade level certified in CPR and first aid who could administer the medicine even though each teacher would keep their own student's medicine in their classroom. 


6. Which subject do you like to teach the most? I love to teach math the most. This year I get to do the math lessons for my team and I am excited to share with them the activities I like and even the ones I have found through blogging. I even started reading the Debbie Diller book Math Work Stations this summer but I haven't tried it all out with my kinders this year. 


5. What one accomplishment are you the most proud of? I won Honorable Mention for a painting I did in high school at the state fair. 


4. Where's your favorite place to shop for school stuff? I LOVE the Target Dollar Spot. I find myself there way too many times during the week. I even travel to several different Targets just to see if I have missed something. I also like to go to IKEA but only once every few months. 


3. Describe your ideal day in the classroom. The kids come in the building about 8:30am, I get them into the classroom and ready for morning announcements around 9am. At 9:15am we have shared reading, which I have come to enjoy because it gets my kids to experience reading in different ways. They don't know they are learning they just think they are having fun. I have 2 hours set aside for our reading program that is when the kids to stations... which I dread and the kids make it a nails on the chalkboard kind of time. We have lunch then math which I usually start with calendar. We might have time to fit in a short math activity before going out for recess. Then we have resource which the kids love (art, music, PE, library or computer and Spanish once a week). After resource this is our time for science or social studies. My team has worked it that we don't do social studies and science in the same week, there is just NO time for both. So we take turns with both, but making sure we cover what we need to. Then we get ready to go home about 3:15pm, the kids get out at 3:30pm. 
2. Name a secret vice. Soap operas and YouTube... I can miss the soap operas during the day but watch them any  time through YouTube. 
1. What adjectives would your closest friend use to describe you? Sweet, helpful, caring, friendly. 


The 12 questions to answer by those who I tagged:
12. What are your 3 favorite movies?
11. What is your favorite sport or sports team?
10. If you could have any pet, what would be and its name?
9. What is the thing you like to eat when you are stressed?
8. If you could have a Bucket List (what to do before you die), what would be one thing you would want to do?
7. What is one thing you did today that you feel good about?
6. What are your favorite fruits and vegetables?
5. Favorite song you like to use with your students/kids.
4. What season do you like the best and why?
3. Do you love to shop or shop because you have to?
2. What is your favorite children's book and why?
1. Finish the sentence: When I grow up, I want to be...

12 People I have TAGGED: *It is definitely hard to find bloggers who haven't been tagged yet... I even found some new blogs on my tagging journey:)

Mona from Kindergarten Bus

I am a new follower of Special Speckled Eggs: 

I a new follower of this blog: 

Here is a new new one who found me... what a cute button!

 . 

Saddened...

 So I was checking up on some of my blogs such as A Cupcake for a Teacher (cute blog name huh?). Well the reason behind this post is that I read that a fellow blogger Pam from The Vintage Teacher has passed recently. I am truly saddened by the news as Pam's posts helped me get started on all the "ever-growing" files I continue to collect from all my fellow bloggers. Well Pam would do posts called "Friday Freebies". I always looked forward to her Friday Freebies because I always wondered how she would find so many freebies to give away every week. When I started blogging I would try to mention and post the link to her freebies as every new teacher blogger would always be grateful for her help and inspiration.

 Although I don't know the specifics behind losing such a wonderful person, my heart goes out to her family who has lost a loved one. And as I know how that feels this school year and how everyone supported me through my difficult time. I want to be able to support or provide my condolences just so the family knows Pam's impact beyond their community. See Pam helped new bloggers, teachers and people all over the world and she didn't even need to get on a plane to do it, all from blogging and reaching out to others. If you want to offer your sympathy to her family, you can leave a comment on her last post so the family will receive your prayers and thoughtful wishes. Pam may you continue touching others as you walk through Heaven.
                                                         

Some progress...teacher's desk

So I have made some progress since I last started this project, one Wednesday evening. I am quite happy with the results... is it going to make me use my teacher desk? No because I can't even get my chair back there and I LOVE my chair. But it is functional. Should I get rid of it? Or move my teacher's desk to a different part of the room. Maybe even switch my "math area" to where my teacher desk is now, then will I begin to use it more... I don't know, I would have to sit in an uncomfortable chair to do it.

But as you can see I put the listening area table over here so maybe my kids will get to use this station.

My teaching table all ready for the next group. Where do you store your smartboard? Mine is currently blocking either a bulletin board or my whiteboard.

I have made some more progress but I don't have any new pictures. I hope to show you more of my "de-cluttering."

Before De-Cluttering

  So here are the pictures as promised... I know my classroom needs a lot of work. I wish I could just have a organizer consultant with me at all times. One of my co-workers in first grade has another teacher working with her to reorganize things. And you don't realize how much stuff you have until you either have to unpack it at the beginning of the year, you get frustrated and feel the need to clean up (my feelings right now), or when you are packing it all up at the end of the school year.

  I hate that this is the first glimpse into my classroom you get. I wish I could just take you back to the beginning of the school year before I even had students or had to teach any curriculum.

At the front door of my classroom. I put that desk there so I would have somewhere to put the stuff I get from the mailbox... you see how well that is going. 

This is what you see when you come all the way into my classroom. On top of the shelf holds journals and the basket for turn-in work, plus sharp and not sharp pencils, among other things. 

My math area. Well I know it is the math area even though my kids do not. I had it all set up on that shelf on the right. All the math stations materials and their math books... it doesn't even get used unless I am looking for some bear counters or dice. There is just no time to fit in daily stations and try to fit in calendar. Oh and puzzles are housed in the shelf by the computer. 

Carpet area. This is where I do circle time and calendar here. And that table was supposed to be used for the listening area but you see how that is going. 

Bookcase for my students' station work and station folders. Look how my students keep their folders, think it is a learned behavior? Oh and the rainbow cart was supposed to hold literacy station stuff, but it is currently mostly empty.

The red table in front of my desk that just holds what ever. I do have books in the green tub on the table and extra copies of papers (class sets) in the blue tub. The green baskets off to the left is where my students put their folder each morning. 

My teaching table. This actually looks calm compared to how it was looking. It is supposed to be clear everyday so it is ready for the next group to actually do some learning. 

My teacher's desk (I'm starting here first!)

 

The mess behind a teacher's desk I don't use. Well I use it to store stuff on it and behind it. 

Behind my teaching table

Storage of over the cubbies or even in the cubbies, just clutter, no proper home yet.

 

I thought to add in a picture of my teacher bag already filled with things. The first week of school I toted that bag back and forth with all this stuff in it. After my shoulder continued to hurt I found some stuff to get rid of... but is it being used properly, not really.