Field Trip...

to Home Depot!

 If you have never done it, you need to. This was my second year doing it and it is so much fun. Home Depot nationwide offers the program, but I think they all do it a little differently. Last year when I planned our trip our local store hadn't done a large  group before (they had done very small groups and we brought close to 90!). So the manager and I worked out what things we would like to do. This year they had tweeked it just a little and it went great. They had 4 stations plus a snack, so each of our 4 classes were doing something, no one was just sitting waiting. My class started with the aprons. Every child gets to decorate an apron like the ones employees wear. I had one cutie draw tools all over his!

Then we moved on to the craft. Last year we built a planter. This year they didn't have enough wood projects leftover from their Saturday workshop so  they had materials for us to make crowns from paper plates. The kids thought it was great. We took our Webkinz class pet with us (he goes everywhere with us!) and they made him a crown also!

After we had our crowns and aprons the store manager took us on a tour of the store. We saw the greenhouse and talked about all different kinds of plants and things you need to make plants grown. Then we went through the lights and ceiling fans (which fascinated the kids) to the carpet. They got to see how the store stores and cuts those big rolls of carpet. We headed up to the front of the store where we saw the seasonal stuff and the kids talked about mowing. We visited customer service and talked about their job. They taught us about a cashier and the lights above the station and what it means for it to be on, flashing, or off. We watched them mix some paint to make a color, and we watched them cut some wood.

They are so kid friendly. They taught them a Home Depot cheer and encouraged them to scream! They even provided us with a snack and bottle of water before we left. They take a picture of all 69 of us from above and the kids loved that, but the especially loved when he wanted them to do a silly face for it! They loved it and had a great time. Home Depot makes it so easy for us as teachers and it is a very family friendly field trip, as they encourage as many parents as possible to come in order to help with the crafts. Did I mention the best part, this field trip was FREE! All we had to pay for was the school bus to get there!

This was so much fun. So what is your favorite field trip?!

New Math Games

This weekend I worked on a few math games. They are practicing time and numbers on a clock. I made them for this year, even though next year when we switch to common core time is no longer a kindergarten standard. Neither is money. I know we have decided to still include time and money in our morning calendar time so the kids are still exposed to it. What about you? Will you continue to teach time and money in some way? Do you think they need to be exposed to it before they get to first grade?
Anyway if you plan on still teaching it in kindergarten then you might like these games, but it meets the common core standard 1.MD.3 for 1st grade. Go check them out at my TpT store. The clip art game from Graphics from the Pond (one of my favorites!!!!)

I have to say I was a little disappointed this morning when we didn't have a snow day or a delay. Yes you heard me right I said snow day. It was suppose to snow here last night. I really hoped our county would give us the day. We have 5 built in days left! Anybody else have built in days left? If so what is your county doing with them? Just wondering what is happening everywhere else!!!

Have a great week!!!!!

Huge giveaway!

Today will be short and sweet. Mrs. Lirette at Mrs. Lirette's Learning Detectives is having a HUGE giveaway. Go check it out!

This time of year!

Well it is that time of year again. A non tenured teachers worst nightmare. We have had our kindergarten registration, it was a good turn out (but then so was last years at my old school!) and we are getting more in everyday. That doesn't stop the worry, will we have enough kids for four classes or will the county try and cut us back. Will there be enough in upper grades to keep all the tenured teachers where they are or will one need to come down. It is a miserable time of year. I never really worried about it in middle TN but that county was building schools, my county now is closing them! Every year we are losing schools. This year they will consolidate 3 into 1. And the middle school is going to the high school so that is technically 4 closings for one new school. Does anybody else feel that it is unfair that my job is completely based on numbers at this point. I mean I feel like I have proven myself and I know I will be rehired as long as the numbers are good! And now with this new system in TN it is almost impossible to get tenure, it takes 5 years, and now my first year of service in this county will not count because it was under the old system! My anxiety level is through the roof! What's your situation like at your school? Anybody else get this anxiety this time of year? On a non school related personal note, last night I ran a mile for only the second time in my life. The first time it took me 14 minutes. Last night I did it in 15 minutes. Yes I know that is a minute more, but I did it pushing a jogging stroller with a 13 lb baby in it! My first 5K in on May 6! I am excited but not sure if I am ready! Have a great weekend!

Popcorn Word Books and a Giveaway!

We are finished with our letters of the week, so I decided we should do a word of the week until the end of the year. I let my helper on Monday pick a popcorn word off the wall. We wrote it, boxed it in, and snap clapped it. Then on Tuesday we wrote a sentence using the word in our journals. Then on Wednesday we did some chanting with our word. That was it I was stuck. I thought surely I can do more with this word than just three days, I mean I make a letter last a whole week. So I did what any good teacher does these days and went straight to Pinterest. There I found so many great ideas, now I have more ideas then day. OH NO! So I sat down with PowerPoint and I made a book. See that's it -------->
I guess you have figured out what our word this week is!
So I took it to lunch and showed it to my friends. They said "I LOVE IT, are doing all the words?!" I thought I might do all the words, but as we came to them. Then I thought this might be something that some other teachers would like, so maybe I should make them all now and put them on TpT. So now that you have seen it, what do you think? Would you buy it? It would contain all 40 popcorn words that go with the Reading Street series for Kindergarten. Let me know what you think. If it seems like it would be popular I will finish now and put in the store. I would probably have a giveaway with it!

Erin over at Eberhart's Explorers is hosting a giveaway. She is giving some great school supplies out to two lucky winners!! You should go check it out.

More and Less Time Game

We are working on time in math. We began our time unit talking about what takes more time and what takes less time. I created a game for them to use on centers and it is available on TpT! My kids used it in one center today. It is the only time concept we have covered so far, so our other centers were a review.














Check out the fun we had in our other centers!

Rolling Dice and Writing Addition Sentences

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Playing Stack a Penny

Matching Piggy Banks with Coins and Amounts

Playing our new More Time Less Time game

The Wedding of Q and U

Last week our class studied the letter Q and its relationship with U. We read about the marriage of Q and U. Then we brainstormed Qu words. Each child took a word and made a quilt piece using that word. We put that together and made a quilt for a Q and U wedding present. On Monday I drew names and each child received a part.

My bride and her parents were so excited they posted this on Facebook!!




All week long we worked on activities involving Q and U. We made Quiet Queens with Qu words in her crown. We wrote sentences with Qu words. We also planned a wedding. We talked about the different parts and how we could  relate them to the letters. The flower girl is a quarter girl because quarter starts with Qu. The shussers hold up QUIET signs because quiet starts with Qu. The bride carries a bouquet because it has Qu in it (although come wedding time I completely forgot the bouquet!) Our ring bearer carried a queen shaped pillow I found on clearance at Michael's! I hope to have more pics to post later but as the wedding director I wasn't able to pictures. I am completely at the mercy of the parent photographers. My father of the bride is a professional wedding videographer (he even did my wedding!) so he videoed the wedding for us. It is so stinking cute, but I have to go through a whole process to get permission to share that and I know that I will get rejected due to a situation in my room, so I won't be sharing it with you! Sorry! Check out these few pictures I have gotten back!

Our Wedding gift quilt!

Carter's Party

It's a little late but as promised here is my post on Carter's Elmo Party. We had it at a place called Leaping Lizards. It is an inflatable play place. It was private so only our guests were there. I spent a week preparing. I bought invites and decorations from an ETSY shop called The Paper Blossom and printed and made them all myself. I made plates that looked like Elmo, Dorothy, and Cookie Monster. I had a fish bowl full of goldfish. Elmo shaped fruit and veggie plates. And an awesome cake made by a great friend! Check out some picks. If you have any questions about how I did something let me know. We also got the cutest outfits from Allisson's Creations on ETSY

Vegetable and Fruit Elmo

Cake table with Favor bags and Elmo Birthday Book to sign.

Our beautiful cake.

Elmo, Dorothy, and Cookie Monster Plates

The birthday boy with Daddy and Grandbuddy eating!

Making the plates

The invite. At the bottom it says this party is brought to you by the letter C and number 2!

Making place mats (Elmo's artwork from Elmo's world!)

Sister's matching Elmo dress!

Mommy and Carter in the inflatable!

Cake Monster (he is stealing someones cake!)

Cutting out the eyes for the plates!

Sorry all the pictures are in such random order, but blogger was not being very friendly to me!

One last thing. I am so excited tomorrow is the TN Blogger Meet Up. I hope to see you there!!

Currently and a Meet Up

I am once again linking up with Farley over at Oh' Boy 4th Grade for her famous Currently linky parties! I love these!!!

I don't usually explain these, but I thought I would today.

First listening- my baby girl is almost 5 months old and my son is almost 2. He doesn't talk yet, but she started babbling very early. She will lay beside him and just babble at him and he will babble back. It's like they have their own language. He is getting closer to talking, but I feel like she is teaching him (more encouraging him I guess) So I love to just sit and listen to her talk to him.

Loving- We are on Spring Break this week and I am loving it. All though it is going by to fast!

Thinking and Needing- Lil' Man is turning 2 on April 10 and this Saturday we are having his birthday party. It is an Elmo theme and I am doing a lot of the decorations myself. I bought a pack from ETSY. I will post about it this Sunday. I know it won't be school related, but hey neither is this post!!

Wanting- My husband decided that I deserved a great trip this year. It has been a rough year for my family. My sister and I wanted to spend a week in Florida together. When we started looking at prices we discovered the price for a month in Florida is the same as a week in Hilton Head. So the Hubby said do it. Go to Florida for a month with your sister. He will go down with us and spend one week, fly home, then fly back for the last week. I am so excited for a month away from the turmoil of this year!

Super Power- House cleaning. I would really like to blink and my house be clean. It is so hard to work full time and have a toddler and infant, plus keep the house clean. I come home and it is a mess and it makes me just want to cry. I originally said it would get better as they get older, but as Lil' Man gets older he just makes bigger messes!

One last thing before I go. The TN blogger meet up is fast approaching. I can't wait. We are heading out to Lebanon. Which is really close to where I lived and taught for 3 years so I will be visiting friends and making new ones all in the same weekend. Plus hubby is off that weekend so he gets to go with me! Yay! Hope to see you there!!

Go link up and tell us what you are Currently doing!!!!