Back to School Blog Hop!! Join in the Fun!!

Did you know that this weekend is a GINORMOUS sale on Teacher's Pay Teachers? It's true!! So to prepare for the big event I am joining in on the Back to School Teacher's Pay Teachers Blog Hop. (Well, I will join in if I can figure out all the 'linky-jinky' business which you know I do not excel in.)

Great teachers are joining together to share some of their favorite back-to-school items, to get you set for the beginning of the school year! And the best news?This weekend is the big SALE!!! You can save from 10-28% on your favorite items!! Can you believe it? Don't forget to enter the promo code BTS12 to receive  the biggest savings.

'To theme or not to theme that is the question'...lol. Themes are everywhere for back to school design and ideas. Teachers choose colors, mascots, animals, dots....you name it. I have created several fun back to school theme sets that are available on TpT. Personally I feel there is something visually appealing to a themed classroom. It creates a sense of organization. I love labeling my cubbies, bins and baskets with the coordinating labels. It really creates a kid-friendly environment.

When I am preparing my sets I laminate each piece using heavy laminate. It create a hard piece that will last for many years. You may want to use cardstock to print on if you do not have heavy lamination available. 

My favorite classroom set is the first theme I created. I called it 'Let's Get Hoppin'. I love the color combinations with the green, pink, aqua, and black. It was cute but not too girlie....cuz you all know those little boys do not like 'girlie'. Can't you just hear those little boys in your head saying "That's for girls", lol. I used the pennants and made three pennant banners in my class: 'I Can' where I post I can statements (a requirement at our school), Word Wall, and Group Time. 

To make a pennant banner I print one triangle for each letter and glue the letter using very light glue (just enough the tack it on). Laminate each triangle and cut. Punch a hole in the top corner of each triangle. To add a little flare I string my letters onto ribbon and then go back and add a coordinating ribbon tied through each corner. 

I know you will love all of the creative ideas and activities you find on the blog hop. Teacher's Pay Teachers is my 'go to' site for classroom activities. I love that the items are 'tried and true' things that children enjoy!

I hope you have a wonderful school year full of many blessings!! Enjoy the blog hop!!

'Family & Friends Board' with Jeannie from Kindergarten Lifestyle :)

Hello Friends, I am so super excited!! Jeannie is here from Kindergarten Lifestyleto while I am away with my daughter. She is a wonderful Kindergarten teacher and her blog is Fabu-Lo-Sooooo!! I will be back soon. Until then enjoy my favorite Kindergarten Bloggy Friends and show then lots of teacher love!!

:) Nancy

Hello all,

My name is Jeannie and I am the author of Kindergarten Lifestyle. I am so excited to be here today to share with you. Nancy was super nice and invited me.....

As summer winds down, teachers begin piling back into classrooms across the world. There's so much to do....so many bulletin boards to prep.....There's one board in my classroom that I believe is the MOST important board. It's called the "Family and Friends Board".

When people walk in my room I often hear, "Wow!" or "Looookkk, they are so cute!" or "Oh my gosh, I gotta do this!". I'm not a big decorator so it's not for my cute pom poms hanging or my matching decor around the room.....The "wows" are over my "Family and Friends Board".

Each year I dedicate an entire bulletin board (a large one) to our "Family and Friends Board". So, why do I dedicate such a large space to this board?????

The fact is our kiddos are people :0) They love their families and their families love them (even if it doesn't always seem like it or it's not shown the way we think it should be)..... 

People say to me what a great thing this board is for the kids.... And, I agree. my kids love it! It really helps them "own" our classroom. They feel like they are apart of our "kindergarten world" - like staking claim to our classroom and all the things that go on inside our 4 walls.

My kids often visit the board when they are in the block center or abc center (which happen to be beside the board). They also will visit during writer's workshop at times.
Oh, the oral language that takes place concerning the photos on that board is incredible. Kids talk about some of their photos....when the photo was taken, what they were doing, who is in the photo with them, etc. But they are even more interested in other kids' photos. I have a few children with connections to Africa. One of my students has a photo with his mom dressed up in traditional African garments. Boy, that is the talk of the room! I have lots of children from Mexico with a variety of traditions that can be seen through the photos. What great diversity learning for these kiddos!

.......but, as important as I think this board is to my students and their growth socially, emotionally, and yes academically - I know this board is important to me too.
As a teacher who has taught many children now..... it's easy to get lost in the day-to-day tasks and stresses. It's easy to get lost in pushing kids to excel according to state standards. It's easy to get lost when you have a "sweet-tart". But, this board allows me a chance to reflect on the children they are....the people they are.... the families they belong to..... The hopes and dreams that they and their family have for the future...... And, it makes me realize how truly lucky I am to be apart of their lives. I am honored each day to impact my students' lives and I pray that I do it in such a way that will help them move one step further to their hopes and dreams!

As a kindergarten teacher, they may or may not remember me in the future....but I hope and pray I can make a deposit in their heart and soul that makes them just a little better than when I first met them.... :0)

At the beginning of each year, I send home a 5x7 manilla envelope with the following note attached:

You can grab this FREEBIE note for your own "Family and Friends" board HERE!!

Tell me what you think! Have you ever had a board like this? What are your thoughts and feeling? I'm interested to hear!

I love you to come over to Kindergarten Lifestyle for a visit. I will be posting lots of classroom set-up ideas pretty soon!

Kindergarten Lifestyle www.kindergartenlifestyle.blogspot.com

Fun with Friends!!!

Hello Friends,

I will be gone for a few days to be with my daughter as my grandson has surgery tomorrow. Say a little prayer for him! He is just the sweetest little baby ever...well I guess he is really a 'toddler', (wink). But guess what? I have a few friends lined up to visit and you will not be disappointed. They are wonderful teachers, and you probably already follow them!! Stop back tomorrow to see who is here!!

I have been working on the new September Homework packet so that it can be used either as a monthly packet or as weekly homework (that took a bit of figuring out, lol). Everything aligns with the Common Core Standards, and is combined into one packet, woohoo.I will have it ready this weekend!!

Best of luck to those of you who are starting back to school. I love the first day of school!! I am as excited as the kids!! I'll be back in a few days!!

Back to Class and September Calendar Freebie

I went to school today to get my room back in order from the floor being waxed. I met two of my teacher friends and we all took turns helping each other. It was fun having the whole building to ourselves. We took a peek in different classrooms to see how everyone was doing with their classrooms.
My room was a mess from the floors being waxed. Not much was back into place where I had it. I really wanted to take a picture so you could see the transformation, because it looked 'two thumb's down'... but my phone died...boooo. I guess it was ok that I needed to reorganize again because I ended up throwing away a bunch more.
Are you the teacher that keeps everything or throws everything away? I used to keep EVERYTHING. If I made too many copies, I kept the extras. If a game had missing pieces, still kept it. When I changed buildings last year and saw how much I had accumulated over the years I began throwing things away. My classroom is very organized but my cupboards were packed full. It was like you took one thing out and six things fell out with it. They look so much better now after a year of throwing away or giving away things I will never use. My next step is to put post it labels on every drawer and cupboard and label the main contents so my new aides will know where to find things and where to put them away.
The sad news of the day was for my friend. She changed classrooms to a larger room and they punctured her Smartboard during the move. They hire extra employees during the summer, usually college kids and they tend to not be too careful with the belongings...don't they know those are our treasures?  :)
I made a new calendar set for September to share. It's very simple, just numbers to 31 with an apple theme. You can grab a copy via my google docs. I dont tend to use google docs too often so please let me know if it isn't working.

Here is the link to google docs:  September Calendar Numbers
A while back I made a larger word wall to go with my free classroom set on TpT titled 'All About Yellow". I wanted to share it again since I know everyone is getting ready for back to school.

Here is the link for the Word Wall. Yellow Word Wall

I have my last week of ESY and then a little break before the start of the regular school year. I will end with a little 'Mom of Teenagers' humor...saw this one earlier today...

Have a wonderful week!!

Smiles!