tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31477207073143480102024-03-19T03:48:32.045-05:00Teaching Ever AfterAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10658163568386365391noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147720707314348010.post-53277357606293627032020-01-20T14:40:00.000-06:002020-01-20T14:40:43.056-06:00Tech-Free Road Trippin' with Kids<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yes, ladies and gentlemen... you read the title correctly! This past October the 5 of us drove from Northwest Indiana (near Chicago) ALL. THE. WAY. to Disney World sans technology. NO video games, NO DVD players, NO ipads. You get the picture, right?! You must think we are crazy. My husband certainly did and he questioned me leading up to the trip everyday. Do we really need to take this and that? He kept complaining about space issues. But by the end of the trip he was singing my praises to every person who cared to listen. Yes, I am tooting my own horn {toot, toot}! We need to do that for ourselves a little more often. So, you are probably wondering how we did it? BOOZE! Lots and lots of BOOZE! Just kidding. That's illegal of course. I would not recommend road trippin' illegally. LOL!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIcp7Ge7GDRZdkOIIyVPXK8nfNumlAk4s_B0CBguhQjh4v0zxKZFfsSnAgS8yGrl9zA9LYBBhkRSNkq4r80kDdt0zDiH2bl1Xs6X4jy7613ayxGLsZEvD-5eIrCupw60dc0wH_WdYtEkpM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-01-20+at+2.31.22+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="382" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIcp7Ge7GDRZdkOIIyVPXK8nfNumlAk4s_B0CBguhQjh4v0zxKZFfsSnAgS8yGrl9zA9LYBBhkRSNkq4r80kDdt0zDiH2bl1Xs6X4jy7613ayxGLsZEvD-5eIrCupw60dc0wH_WdYtEkpM/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-01-20+at+2.31.22+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Let me introduce you to Hourly Road Trip Bags. They are truly the secret to success. I scoured <a href="https://pin.it/c7uvwjsdtfzyga" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> leading up to the trip and this was a compilation of many ideas. <br />
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Our road trip from start to finish was approximately 18 hours. Of course, we didn't have 18 hours of activities. I accounted for sleeping and eating breaks. We left at 2 am, so the kids slept until about 6 am. I planned for the Hourly Road Trip Bags to begin around 8 am and then they would get another bag on the hour. Not a minute before. The suspense was priceless. Think YouTube blind bag unboxing kind of feel. They were all about it.<br />
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The bags didn't typically last them the entire hour, but the activities were enough to keep their minds active and off of the long road ahead. So what was inside? Check out the list below. Many of things came from Amazon, but some items were from Target and The Dollar Tree. We were traveling during Halloween time, but I am going to try and link similar items to be used across seasons. {affiliate links earn me a small commission from every purchase}.<br />
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8AM <a href="https://amzn.to/2RB27v6" target="_blank">Plastic Snake</a> and 2 <a href="https://amzn.to/37ekGvs" target="_blank">Disney Princess Blind Boxes</a><br />
My son loves all things prank worthy, so when I saw the snake I knew he would get a kick out of pranking his two sisters. The girls love any tiny dolls, so I thought the Disney Princess blind boxes would be perfect for a little creative play.<br />
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9AM Target Bullseyes Playground <a href="https://amzn.to/2tDw9Gp" target="_blank">Activity Packs</a><br />
I was able to find the activity packs in LOL, JoJo Siwa, and Avengers themes. They included a mini coloring book, crayons, and stickers. They even did some trading after they were tired of their own.<br />
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10AM STEM and Snack Time<br />
You have to have snacks on a road trip, so I mixed a STEM activity into snack time. I gave my kids a <a href="https://amzn.to/30IDpwP" target="_blank">cookie sheet</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/38oikKJ" target="_blank">fruit snack packs,</a> and <a href="https://amzn.to/2THq8Db" target="_blank">toothpicks</a>. There goal was to make as many shapes as they could. My son has Cerebral Palsy, and has a lot of fine motor difficulties. So he adapted the activity for himself. He put a toothpick in each fruit snack and ate them like hor d'oeuvres. He loved it!<br />
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11AM Art time<br />
The girls got a Halloween <a href="https://amzn.to/37gioMo" target="_blank">canvas bag</a> and <a href="https://amzn.to/2RxGuf2" target="_blank">markers</a>. My son got a magnetic tic-tac-toe game. The girls loved the tiny bag could hold their princess, coloring book, and markers. The magnetic tic-tac-toe game was played by all of us.<br />
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12PM Lunch time<br />
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1PM <a href="https://amzn.to/36dkD1V" target="_blank">Legos</a><br />
This was the most expensive of all of the bags, but kept them busy for a long time. I also got a bag of plastic horses and <a href="https://amzn.to/2sI9SHb" target="_blank">Lego figure blind boxes</a> to go with their creations. I included L<a href="https://amzn.to/2ulItek" target="_blank">ego mats</a> with magnets attached to keep them on their cookie sheets.<br />
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2PM Art time (again)<br />
My girls LOVE art, so I brought out <a href="https://amzn.to/2RcNX4n" target="_blank">mini canvases</a> and <a href="https://amzn.to/2RxGuf2" target="_blank">Disney themed markers</a>. I had also assembled a booklet of directed drawings and a horse themed directed draw book to get their creative juices flowing.<br />
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3PM Snack Bag<br />
Nutella cups and Cheez-its<br />
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4PM <a href="https://amzn.to/3asWQON" target="_blank">Road Trip Scavenger Hun</a>t<br />
This was fun for all of us and got us all looking out the window and our beautiful country.<br />
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5PM Dollar Store Foam <a href="https://amzn.to/2v7ZSrA" target="_blank">Pop-Guns</a><br />
My goal was to tape shapes on the ceiling and have them aim at the shapes, but I forgot the tape They enjoyed shooting Dad and getting an epic reaction. LOL!<br />
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6PM Audible Book<br />
We listened to <u><a href="https://amzn.to/2NIPiOc" target="_blank">Who Was Walt Disney</a></u> while they played with Silly Putty<br />
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7PM Name That Disney Movie<br />
We listened to <a href="https://amzn.to/3asBj8W" target="_blank">Disney movie songs</a> and tried to be the quickest to name the movie. It was a riot!<br />
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8PM We have ARRIVED! Let the magic begin!<br />
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We are planning our next Disney trip, so I am already making an Amazon Wish List of new ideas. Feel free to leave some ideas in the comments! I cannot wait to put out a second edition. <br />
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P.S. Don't do what I did and forget to plan for the trip back. The ipads did eventually make their appearance, but at least we made it there without them. (The kids thought we left the ipads at home and did not even have them during the trip).<br />
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1. <a href="https://amzn.to/2RB27v6" target="_blank">Snake</a> 2. <a href="https://amzn.to/37ekGvs" target="_blank">Disney Princess Blind Boxes</a> 3. <a href="https://amzn.to/2tDw9Gp" target="_blank">Activity Packs</a> 4.<a href="https://amzn.to/38oikKJ" target="_blank">Fruit Snacks</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/30IDpwP" target="_blank">Cookie Sheets</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/2THq8Db" target="_blank">toothpicks</a> 5. <a href="https://amzn.to/37gioMo" target="_blank">Canvas Bags</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/2RxGuf2" target="_blank">Markers</a> 6. <a href="https://amzn.to/36dkD1V" target="_blank">Legos</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/2ulItek" target="_blank">Lego Baseplate</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/2sI9SHb" target="_blank">Lego Blind Bags</a> 7. <a href="https://amzn.to/2RcNX4n" target="_blank">Mini Canvas</a><br />
8. <a href="https://amzn.to/3asWQON" target="_blank">Scavenger Hunt Game</a> 9. <a href="https://amzn.to/2v7ZSrA" target="_blank">Poppers</a> 10. <a href="https://amzn.to/2NIPiOc" target="_blank">Book</a> 11. <a href="https://amzn.to/3asBj8W" target="_blank">Disney CD</a><br />
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Enjoy and Best of Luck on your next road trip!<br />
StaceyStaceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17984222407411625806noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147720707314348010.post-57998029900099382302016-10-16T13:55:00.000-05:002016-10-16T14:07:27.880-05:00Bat Week!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I never knew how much I enjoyed bats until this time last year. I had been seeing some great activities from my favorite bloggers, so I decided to jump in. My kiddos last year ATE THEM UP. They may has well have been bat experts. I was so impressed by their engagement and fact retention. When my principal and I had a meeting at the beginning of this year he asked me what is one thing that I am looking forward to this school year. My answer... BAT WEEK! I knew that it had to be just as exciting as last year, but with a little extra.<br />
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I got our team of 7...yes SEVEN... 1st grade teachers all on board with me. We all agreed the hallway needed to be a bat cave. I was inspired by <a href="http://funinfirst.com/bat-cave/">Jodi from Fun in First</a>. My awesome hubby and I spent about 4 hours on a Saturday setting the stage to engage. My other coworkers got their activities together and cut bats for the lockers, one took some of the pics for this post, and Mel D from <a href="http://seusstastic.blogspot.com/">Seusstastic</a> created the amazing fact posters and spooky eyes.</div>
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Before</div>
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I seriously love him. He has learned to just go along with all of my zany ideas.</div>
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After</div>
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Dream accomplished!</div>
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The fact posters were created by Mel D.</div>
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We cut out about 250 black bats with a pattern. So worth it!</div>
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Almost nothing sticks to our paint for some reason. I had my husband put up about a million pieces of tape to keep the cave walls up. We aren't allowed to staple anything, but there may be one or two staples.</div>
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The kids were in a quiet awe when they first walked down the hall Monday morning. There were spooky bat cave sounds playing from my <a href="http://amzn.to/2dYIMEt">Bose bluetooth speaker</a>. I actually expected there to be mass chaos, but they were in so much shock as they entered the bat cave. Perfect!<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bose-SoundLink-Color-Bluetooth-Speaker/dp/B00N32ICIE/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1476643694&sr=1-7&keywords=bose+bluetooth+speaker&linkCode=li2&tag=teaeveaft0a-20&linkId=064d7453d00cb75cfacda45566d1c49c" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00N32ICIE&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=teaeveaft0a-20" width="320" /></a></div>
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<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=teaeveaft0a-20&l=li2&o=1&a=B00N32ICIE" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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On Monday, I decided to do the same KWL chart that Jodi did. I wanted to see what they knew before we began. They basically knew that bats hang upside and eat mosquitos. Boy did we have a lot to learn. I also introduced them to the vocabulary we would be hearing a lot this week. They were eating it up. We also, read Fly Guy Presents Bats. Such a cool book full of Bat Facts.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguobjNHmLuryvDrLW1MWsyGhXX-JaW3WvZyt-fwnSjUxraHwUy5WPbRN9MjEZL-BjHtKnl4e-6JP5qVCKw9pcFMrMIJW2M3BJ_ora9JiU3lRI54W6mTCxMHfmAOlJJb9oFbaGAx57fxYcG/s1600/IMG_1536.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguobjNHmLuryvDrLW1MWsyGhXX-JaW3WvZyt-fwnSjUxraHwUy5WPbRN9MjEZL-BjHtKnl4e-6JP5qVCKw9pcFMrMIJW2M3BJ_ora9JiU3lRI54W6mTCxMHfmAOlJJb9oFbaGAx57fxYcG/s640/IMG_1536.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Pic from last year. I forgot to take one on Friday I guess...</div>
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On Tuesday, I taught them some cool batty facts and we labeled the parts of the bat. We read National Geographic Kids: Bats.<br />
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On Wednesday, we needed to use commas in a series. So I turned things that make me batty into a writing assignment using commas. We added them to these adorable bats from <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Lets-Go-Batty-Writing-Craftivity-More-383066">First Grade Fever</a>. We read Bats at the Beach. Such a cute book!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVafncR37itbjQWOLJvLv-mkjpGh2KcWxF8yV84l3dQjUz4l8NtH8LcLqzYKoNVMI5JpdGemoRfMwzTQOecdgA_RWAIqXdXMmDLySh8X9DOWoiaa9-ypzcG2Ml1lHlI69Zb58fM8TUtTM/s1600/IMG_9816.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVafncR37itbjQWOLJvLv-mkjpGh2KcWxF8yV84l3dQjUz4l8NtH8LcLqzYKoNVMI5JpdGemoRfMwzTQOecdgA_RWAIqXdXMmDLySh8X9DOWoiaa9-ypzcG2Ml1lHlI69Zb58fM8TUtTM/s640/IMG_9816.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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My awesome parent helper came and helped us assembly this craft and she even stayed to hang them up!</div>
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She also knows my love for EVERYTHING pumpkin and brought me this pumpkin themed treat. Wasn't that sweet?</div>
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On Thursday, I had a substitute. So they did a bat fact true or false sheet and made a bat from <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Going-Batty-Free-Craftivity-357637">A Cupcake for the Teacher</a> and added adjectives to the wings. Then we read Bats at the Library. This book is the same author as yesterday's book.<br />
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Friday was the day for me to add as much excitement as I possibly could. Needless to say, we did not fit it all in and will be continuing on Monday. :) Yay, Bat Week continues...<br />
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First, we made bat hats to wear for the festivities.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuse_e07C-ClgQX8gbpXp6Og6rJ_JnEcdOViFAxLdJXeyVRRtip7RdN2P6NcPpQLSCla9DF35eJKThsnnJa5yxmBZP0HRR5Q6g_Vk_mWM4cXn-LXqI1sDMLQyXf839tCBVdPu31fYpTnWd/s1600/IMG_9840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuse_e07C-ClgQX8gbpXp6Og6rJ_JnEcdOViFAxLdJXeyVRRtip7RdN2P6NcPpQLSCla9DF35eJKThsnnJa5yxmBZP0HRR5Q6g_Vk_mWM4cXn-LXqI1sDMLQyXf839tCBVdPu31fYpTnWd/s640/IMG_9840.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Then, we began our sunset paintings that I found from <a href="http://www.tunstallsteachingtidbits.com/2012/10/bats-stellaluna-and-visual-plans.html">Reagan Tunstall</a>. I did this project last year and fell in love! We finished the watercolor portion, and will finish the facts and the rest of the painting on Monday. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIm9Jd3Sx17oUQejmuEpbTTvqrj9kul_th1o5LoRvmf82mw81lJrsQauYunvyKzp5DVZ7QZhuu6GVBKuxWUFW6um-y_2jGrvQm7v-07OQlTkKcmxTO_wy3P2Sn1OnGtKY3KK-6PbYxpJ9U/s1600/IMG_1538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIm9Jd3Sx17oUQejmuEpbTTvqrj9kul_th1o5LoRvmf82mw81lJrsQauYunvyKzp5DVZ7QZhuu6GVBKuxWUFW6um-y_2jGrvQm7v-07OQlTkKcmxTO_wy3P2Sn1OnGtKY3KK-6PbYxpJ9U/s640/IMG_1538.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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These are from last year.</div>
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Next, we got together with Mel D's class and found our bat families using our sense of smell. We soaked cotton balls in 5 different essential oils (peppermint, lemon, lavendar, eucalyptus, and patchouli). The kids were given a random cotton ball and had to smell others until they found what matched. What did we learn??? Humans definitely do not have as keen of a sense of smell as bats. Thanks <a href="http://queenofthefirstgradejungle.blogspot.com/2016/10/october-easy-prep-ideas.html">Queen of the 1st Grade Jungle</a> and <a href="http://mrsehleskindergartenconnections.blogspot.com/2015/10/bats-bats-bats.html">Holly Ehle</a> for this fun idea!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicASXSDPCDnXG26AimP0sxneldfdkpFpOqXs3luZPuub2tZy-CtwdqQGzFGyWW7SisZqci1DHvLXoCatZd-_Hd327k8NboEGFTQSdjIWPUj1hrVuXcPCowJnVweCcQvrtQu6l0CV9stIqy/s1600/IMG_9872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicASXSDPCDnXG26AimP0sxneldfdkpFpOqXs3luZPuub2tZy-CtwdqQGzFGyWW7SisZqci1DHvLXoCatZd-_Hd327k8NboEGFTQSdjIWPUj1hrVuXcPCowJnVweCcQvrtQu6l0CV9stIqy/s640/IMG_9872.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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The kids brought flashlights with them and read our huge collection of bat library books with them. They thought that was super fun!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_tvw2zRzH2BkW702D08_txQctHHnx3MNuNqN1F7mU8pVNy36TuiMkm4VBz0IIpvvE9sE-shN7PLuRoiwphDGobORA22qtNFlgSEPIMmAoMoBRsKEdbAG5DxgJZDVVA-jgLRlLn2U7X_u/s1600/IMG_9853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_tvw2zRzH2BkW702D08_txQctHHnx3MNuNqN1F7mU8pVNy36TuiMkm4VBz0IIpvvE9sE-shN7PLuRoiwphDGobORA22qtNFlgSEPIMmAoMoBRsKEdbAG5DxgJZDVVA-jgLRlLn2U7X_u/s640/IMG_9853.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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We ended with watching Magic School Bus Going Batty.<br />
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I'm looking forward to doing more bat activities on Monday. Hehe! Maybe I planned that!<br />
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Oh I almost forgot! On Monday, October 24th we are signed up to watch a bat webinar. You can too (for free) by signing up at <a href="http://www.fieldtripzoom.com/">Field Trip Zoom</a>. I have never tried this before, but I am so excited to see what they will be sharing with us!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10658163568386365391noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147720707314348010.post-89544227665559810052016-08-21T06:49:00.000-05:002016-09-25T07:22:09.895-05:00Fixer Upper Inspired Classroom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcY3pkp_8DdoSsbYVzKLoHX1IkL-KK9Tyo-1HYeJ4lWRHObLucsi8UDDJWRbLb49LWlPK_R6PGQeiNZbcTr1GBGIPAUORjTyRuThWwdkwPjUiQYykanOEQ_C29mKr7dqYioyxnveRY9wG9/s1600/IMG_8405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcY3pkp_8DdoSsbYVzKLoHX1IkL-KK9Tyo-1HYeJ4lWRHObLucsi8UDDJWRbLb49LWlPK_R6PGQeiNZbcTr1GBGIPAUORjTyRuThWwdkwPjUiQYykanOEQ_C29mKr7dqYioyxnveRY9wG9/s640/IMG_8405.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I left school in May with my classroom set-up for the start of the new school year. All of my bulletin boards were done. I even had switched all of my calendars to August. I was in need of a stress free beginning. <br />
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Well.... somewhere around the middle of July I got the bright idea to create a fixer upper inspired classroom. I actually think it all stemmed from my classroom library. I was in need of new containers and new organization. I began online shopping Amazon, Michaels, Walmart, Joann Fabrics, etc. I needed a container that was neutral, but sturdy, I saw a post by <a href="http://www.stepinto2ndgrade.com/2016/06/setting-up-classroom-library.html">Amy Lemons</a> about using wire baskets for her classroom library and I was SOLD. The problem was I couldn't find affordable and sturdy.<br />
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One day when I was KID FREE, I went to a few of the places mentioned above. I finally made my way to Joann Fabrics. There I found some great wire basket options, but even at 60% off they were a bit pricey for my taste. I literally left the store, but as I was walking out I noticed as Teacher Appreciation Sale of an additional 25% off and it ended that day. I walked my butt right back in, grabbed a flyer, and the nearest employee to confirm I could get the deal on top of a sale. She confirmed that I was! Seriously 60% & 25% off?! I had to get the baskets. I also grab some HUGE letters to spell READ for the same deal. I still spent $200, but I feel like I now have some long lasting containers that will stand up against little first grade fingers.<br />
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Does anyone else take pictures of things you want to buy and text them to your hubby? I sent him 3 different versions of the READ letters and the last one he sends a message back, "too serial killer". Oy! You can see the baskets I purchased behind the D. Both the <a href="http://www.joann.com/hudson-43-naturalist-20-whitewash-wood-letter-h/zprd_14758320a.html#q=hudson&start=16">letters</a> and baskets are "Hudson" brand. The closest thing I can find online to the baskets are at Target. The large is $19.99 and small is $14.99.</div>
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<a href="http://goto.target.com/c/316112/78775/2092?aadid=16251826&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.target.com%2Fp%2Fsmall-milk-crate-wire-basket-antique-pewter-with-copper-colored-handles-threshold%2F-%2FA-16251826"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOpR57xTtWbfBKwAxiO5r3v6ihZ2iCrY7NejHS38r4yiVhxUyJTwYsu9KO8AQErU4cWg9172Be8m_0XZ3ngoPhEjj4j-Qtdzbg83k2u8RpOEdGF6fWH2I9TL1RF8HtaceqrL36oqITCoDn/s320/wirebasket.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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After I found the letters and baskets I knew I couldn't stop there. My classroom wouldn't look cohesive right? I began shopping rugs. My old ones were only 3 years old, but took a lot of wear and tear from 1st graders over the years. I brought them home every summer for a good cleaning, but it was apparent to me that I would need to find something new this year. </div>
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Since I was going for the Fixer Upper inspired thing I thought I should try to bring the outdoors in. The best way I could think to do that was with green shag carpets to look like grass. I found the perfect <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70203768/">rugs</a> at IKEA. So of course, I coerced my hubby to pack up the 3 kids and drive me there. It is about an hour and half away. The rugs are normally $39.99, but were on sale for $29.99 with the IKEA reward card. While we were there I also picked up some <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00324132/">white cardboard book boxes</a> (4 pack for .99) and a <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20335101/">black work lamp</a> ($32.99).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGpq3MRsLGVliG57ss98ZBjLQo7Y4K66EGLZy5Pu40tq-8Ysn99Qtpab7TzIHNhslOj_Sdub0Su0J6x6LFsiwzAbMmCIyxv2iOrtiHXw4dktm9pangqyfSrYATQptXTHzIdu3DgvB845Ny/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-21+at+6.37.34+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGpq3MRsLGVliG57ss98ZBjLQo7Y4K66EGLZy5Pu40tq-8Ysn99Qtpab7TzIHNhslOj_Sdub0Su0J6x6LFsiwzAbMmCIyxv2iOrtiHXw4dktm9pangqyfSrYATQptXTHzIdu3DgvB845Ny/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-08-21+at+6.37.34+AM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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As I was bringing all of this decor in I realized my bulletin boards could not stay as they were. I began shopping TPT and found this ADORABLE <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Farmhouse-Classroom-Decor-Bundle-2642862">Farmhouse Classroom Decor</a> pack by Tiffany Gannon.</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Farmhouse-Classroom-Decor-Bundle-2642862"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA5m2tcBoX24uYx1uZBAFgUz3AZxJ_UsitN8Olkv5Ll-FguG4l9mnBaE4mSmxmWUnK7fTP8XJ_Wj9GfNd6JHP_Z-CWasCJOSLzcMKSxcqFdbzReNK7Y7YSNv0_gwAhgU02EyrdxKbFoR8b/s400/Farmhouse.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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My favorite pieces of the pack are the calendar area, number posters (WITH touch points), and number line. I highly suggest checking this out.</div>
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My alphabet line was currently bright pinks, oranges, greens, yellows, and blues. It did NOT go with my theme at all. I knew I wanted a throw back look. I found this perfect <a href="http://www.unitednow.com/product/4798/manuscript-zaner-bloser-photo-alphabet-bulletin-board-set.aspx">alphabet</a> at United Arts and Education for $10.99.</div>
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<a href="http://www.unitednow.com/product/4798/manuscript-zaner-bloser-photo-alphabet-bulletin-board-set.aspx"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZxeV8vE86irwEfrJYc1BFY-XGpAK5SPaVygv7kGnUlSs_2tmpwD371yM5xXSYnKBhqZKiTrhZPZAz5SWl7de4e4r3IKx3CU1gMi8YbRNuwuhaCA8npLHgT3ZnahrztsQgH-1J2q2iB1R/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-08-21+at+6.34.34+AM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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I finally rounded out the whole look for some pieces made by me. I added a clip chart, birthday display, student work display numbers, schedule cards, and a few other touches that you can find in my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Shiplap-Classroom-Decor-2742404">Shiplap Classroom Decor</a> pack.</div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Shiplap-Classroom-Decor-2742404"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBUQAQfvuUhRhL8fiu3okP3kuC5A1Gbl9m7ceLb1ykjB-WRbrw6NvEkOp9kXcP1xZSKCca0m_JSv5SnFzKLc7ZFRbLo1VtwEy3GeCJODMG7fEowvuhH4KT_xTYlJOoWVOWIjg4dxvzqlg0/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-08-20+at+2.54.50+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Are you ready to see the final look? These pictures were taken before I added my final touches. I will be updating pictures soon. The start of the school year was Monday and well..... enough said right?</div>
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This is how I felt on Friday afternoon.</div>
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Here it is...</div>
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<i>This post contains affiliate links, but all reviews are my own honest thoughts on products and were not prompted from the companies.</i></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10658163568386365391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147720707314348010.post-71730583147371650062016-07-31T22:19:00.001-05:002016-07-31T22:19:49.098-05:00Best Year Ever<div style="text-align: center;">
I don't know about any of you, but my stress level and anxiety are THROUGH THE ROOF at the moment. My summer break is quickly coming to a close and the start of the #bestyearever is about to begin. I got the bright idea to do a <strike>mini</strike> classroom makeover, which includes reorganizing my classroom library. I had ALL summer, but I, of course, saved it for the last two weeks. Here are some pics of what I have been up to...</div>
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I actually have already been to my classroom once in JULY! I have never done any work in my classroom in July. What is this world coming to??? I moved my desk against the bulletin board. It used to jut out from the white board and I decided it was taking up valuable real estate. I was then able to move my small group table to be next to my desk. I see this being great for so many reasons!</div>
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The family and I also took a trip to Ikea. We were on the hunt for rugs to go with my classroom makeover. While we were there I noticed a ton of great choices for alternative seating. I currently have Kore wobble stools, bean bags, crate seats, and Ikea stools in the classroom.</div>
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The biggest undertaking has been leveling and reorganizing my classroom library. It has been quite the undertaking. I am using <a href="http://www.arbookfind.com/">arbookfind</a> to locate book level and I am also adding the corresponding AR quiz number. Then I am using a few conversion charts and labeling with the TRC level. I haven't quite figured out how I will display the books yet. It has been an eye opening project as I now see how terrible my lower level book selection is. More shopping is in my future!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0p18VykGKS8YbPt23o7ExcEetipRZU6CGqbc1u5ztb7rRW-2UwMuqHRPUmP3KqGqHuWY2WR9eg9ejyMp6u4IAwqxxl2QQcM9HbU7EMQFzQaGHWAF9nilxKoLGBzFkPfY9-mcu1kHGk_EN/s1600/IMG_8090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0p18VykGKS8YbPt23o7ExcEetipRZU6CGqbc1u5ztb7rRW-2UwMuqHRPUmP3KqGqHuWY2WR9eg9ejyMp6u4IAwqxxl2QQcM9HbU7EMQFzQaGHWAF9nilxKoLGBzFkPfY9-mcu1kHGk_EN/s640/IMG_8090.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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As with any good project I do it can never stay in one place. I usually end up on the floor. Its just a better work area!</div>
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I am curious what changes you are making in your classroom this year? Comment below to win a $10 <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Teaching-Ever-After">TPT</a> gift card remember they are having a sale on Monday August 1st and Tuesday August 2nd (oh and also please leaves some titles of your favorite beginning of 1st grade level books)! Stay tuned for pics of my updated classroom.</div>
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="dd85f6036" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/dd85f6036/" id="rcwidget_t3tbc6l4" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10658163568386365391noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147720707314348010.post-34337110787368018642016-07-14T21:49:00.000-05:002016-07-14T21:49:58.680-05:00Top 5 Toys Played with By All Ages<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi__PLPtUlqXShZm4-rpezhqoLJj6xDeQG-7Z5v86aQQj4B75Gg1gG9WIibjvHYD1F9JYyJjPNlDa_9_3MuuJ4_2XZ5a0Y_9BAzQpuDrDrmH2XnV6hd_H9yjSjRsXsduO9hxWOxuHtku_0e/s1600/top+5+toys.001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi__PLPtUlqXShZm4-rpezhqoLJj6xDeQG-7Z5v86aQQj4B75Gg1gG9WIibjvHYD1F9JYyJjPNlDa_9_3MuuJ4_2XZ5a0Y_9BAzQpuDrDrmH2XnV6hd_H9yjSjRsXsduO9hxWOxuHtku_0e/s640/top+5+toys.001.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Hey everyone! It's summer time, so I obviously have been spending a TON of time with my 3 kids. It has been glorious. It has also made me realize how much s#*t we have. I sat down after several visits with family from out of town and I realized there are a few staple items that ALWAYS get played with despite the ages of the children/adults playing with them. This thought has seriously made me consider getting rid of everything else. After all, my kids can have fun in a cardboard box, no lie!<br />
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So here are the top 5 toys in no particular order...<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">#1</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://amzn.to/29N2E8T">Play Kitchen</a> and accessories</span><br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/29N2E8T"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBNFqqXJcjjcthJNPc3G5fIV2armfa_vfwGbnahZFThMjLGp71843t-vQjnkYfaRWrG6nroR57ZTx4r-PvXDTjx6fkjPd3luarJACX6q0-ENJo7LOJhElZj9IFexSZEzboJYcpeY45Mppw/s640/kitchen.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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My kids got their kitchen for Christmas (VERY similar to the one above). We invested in a wooden kitchen because we liked the look and hoped that it would be more durable. We had a plastic one in the past that we picked up from a rummage sale. It did the job for awhile, but the knobs broke off and stickers began to peel.<br />
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Along with the kitchen we also decided the wisest investment would be in wooden play food. Melissa and Doug has many awesome play sets. <a href="http://amzn.to/29N3i6k">Learning Resources</a> also has some very sturdy plastic sets that we purchased too.<br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/29N3i6k"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6L0QQUTQpoZetW0AkTUCWR5hewoB4pUvmJRgZeJFIKXRnTTYammHr5q9Y8AD6vkKLX-8HEx5ud4YurEuIjLMqQVTPjc9u_leeoycvFYLIeCGRe7MWh-ZQyMPM0bbpCDEoVHS7bw1KWhK/s640/bowls.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">#2</span><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/29N2lLl"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Doodle Pad</span></a><br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/29N2lLl"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC3QkL9-QGkrbfu9ctV2ywQejPRtA9fZSkLZUfsSf9MJ3xptugArlba1bwFlaYpvvHKqLqCbs8G1at3QUTtv1O0_ro07Clafb1nx6mtFxbQsOJKT488OwD_AZHhtk94_BWlz6Us6xsTHhy/s640/magna+doodle.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I love this item because my 1 year old loves scribbling those preliminary marks, my 4 year loves practicing her name, and my 7 year old can write words and sentences. I even enjoy challenging myself to draw a picture without having to erase. We have a simple one that has one pen. I know others come with stamps, but I know we would lose those quickly.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">#3</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://amzn.to/29N1t9E">Drums</a> & other musical instruments</span><br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/29N1t9E"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzN0BGxrjdHcZ1_4zsqLfgLabM13NcMmHglRd1wrA1xNV9fWEJasjUjX3Er8qparyhSW9dZEFpjo3_JN-jtUYci5I6vkSiLfmcRgmPwVnCpo8WAQclslLSiznfcu2SkL-v46iyqpFEnz9m/s640/drums.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We are a very musical family. My husband was actually a professional touring musician for awhile. I love to sing, but really can't carry a tune. Hopefully my kids take after him. Haha! We don't mind the noise, in fact, we encourage it. EVERY.SINGLE.KID that comes to our house has to try their hand at the drums. I love it! Last week, one of my son's friends who also has CP was playing up a storm and even attempted to use the drumstick with his weaker hand! I think our drum set has been instrumental at building my son's core strength. The set above is the one my son currently has.<br />
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We are also big fans of other percussion instruments. We love to turn the music up loud and sing and play along. This was one of our first <a href="http://amzn.to/29IpQEW">percussion sets</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/29IpQEW"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1MBOOdfGGbLJUoDRaDqKrk70f2xDjKXvzqYsPpijCa9LJl3WmuKi3-RreZuyaZ4a9fkNexsiVSWVI_gB9kx0AKYdBSEJQrKDedBhyphenhyphenuiNA7oRYmVUeVRsmq-vx7hSoOmk-bz3jFg69G5Ab/s640/percussion.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">#4</span><br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/29C8Ygb"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Barbie</span></a><br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/29C8Ygb"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUnb_k3nzHugYijHASuOz5qsvf9i52XVohD_hgZ6CNJ9JTPbUDkdguEPtkpdNgpKcD3GN8fhlGALJP-BFt9RUdVzfMMEha6mDScrlH7A4mnXTywRnN_9DJDJLSDY2TYItJHnKu_8B6-y1N/s640/barbie.jpg" width="598" /></a></div>
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I remember playing with my Barbie's for a LONG time. My 4 year old has been playing with them for about a year. Above is her latest addition to her collection. Sometimes my son even joins in. I love hearing them role play and create stories.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">#5</span><br />
This one is probably the favorite.....<br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/29U1cAW">Inflatable Bouncy Animals</a><br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/29U1cAW"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7GWJcDUWJe8ZMbnRmy3b_9VRM5HShL9IVWKZSzH-T-cCFTwunTTOeP3z6bSaTwv6vRaUGpLoc6USxoMAzR7H1TSIM8NHrB0pniiNCkYmmVZcSbE59uqTk_Yrq3wuT5KC0tnVjVdGP-Yd/s640/bouncy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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My sister-in-law came home from the Covered Bridge Festival in Southern Indiana one year and I was so upset that she came home with not one, but TWO of these LARGE inflatable bouncy animals. I thought where am I going to put these in my teeny tiny house?! Needless to say, I don't feel that way anymore. They sit proudly in my living room (they are one of the only visible toys when you walk in-on a good day). All of the kids that come play for hours on these silly looking things. They LOVE them. We have never once had to re-inflate them. My husband and I have even been caught racing on them in our living room. Haha!<br />
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So there you have it... my top 5 toy items that are sure to be a crowd please for those young and old. Please comment below with any toys you feel have the same longevity. I would love to replace my million dusty toys with some really awesome ones!<br />
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Thanks for letting me step outside the teacher box for a few minutes. :)<br />
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<i>This post does contain links to my Amazon affiliate account, but these are products that I own, have had for years, and LOVE!</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10658163568386365391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147720707314348010.post-84926633777461210512016-06-24T11:50:00.000-05:002016-06-24T11:54:58.567-05:005 Reasons I Love Kwik Stix<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://amzn.to/28WeXzj"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_iMQTrSuKBCHRWu8UnBF9wQUVhYDRumW2rFtspnsIrbtnxnbQ9f9u7C-2cQRldgdq3TmkvSgKFhfxOBitZjR3eJetQIHKE20GVg3LmLiimSr7TTbEREmb6nGqqv1S00ru-R_dNlTLxW1/s640/Kwik+Stix+cover+image.001.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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As a mom and teacher I am not kidding when I say these are one of the greatest items to add to your craft collection.</div>
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I was introduced to <a href="http://amzn.to/28WeXzj">Kwik Stix</a> at the French Lick Blogger Meet-up in March. <a href="http://www.thepencilgrip.com/">The Pencil Grip, Inc</a> was kind enough to give each attendee a free set. When I read the label I thought these are too good to be true. </div>
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I'm going to break down each reason why I LOVE these and also show you a little project I did with my own kids.</div>
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If you have ever painted with children you know that it can be MESSY! I have let my own kids have a free for all with paint brushes and it never fails that they are covered in paint all over their bodies. I even make sure to remove all clothing prior to painting.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bexlFv25yfbb7PVFH3C-UbuaIco-eGzdVvlLZ4GXV2z2TI576rxf1GtQiAzudIUFPcB6vpJisTQ5MuhzpJOj4JGbMZkVa1lz5L62_RAcjKT89w-XEMUrIR0KwbwRMYtgpa3XyUM1WY_A/s1600/IMG_6725.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bexlFv25yfbb7PVFH3C-UbuaIco-eGzdVvlLZ4GXV2z2TI576rxf1GtQiAzudIUFPcB6vpJisTQ5MuhzpJOj4JGbMZkVa1lz5L62_RAcjKT89w-XEMUrIR0KwbwRMYtgpa3XyUM1WY_A/s640/IMG_6725.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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With <a href="http://amzn.to/28WeXzj">Kwik Stix</a> I didn't worry about them making a mess. I even had my kids in nice clothes. They kept the paint on the paper and didn't get one smudge on themselves.</div>
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I call that a win!</div>
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My son has Cerebral Palsy and has difficulty gripping things due to fine motor issues. These are like oversized tubes of lipstick and perfect for little hands or for those struggling with fine motor.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNi8xbBCOSgyrbWDZ6Sv_j76d6AR9J7ZgHYnk5rP3P3hAiirlU60tDbZk5iMrHFWrDejSqJAiF-CaiXZUs4GUS0-m4Skr6HMa1PDgN7P9tN2PSfmHspv054bmfJc0ORCwnR0CVdcHHOG6Z/s1600/IMG_6755.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNi8xbBCOSgyrbWDZ6Sv_j76d6AR9J7ZgHYnk5rP3P3hAiirlU60tDbZk5iMrHFWrDejSqJAiF-CaiXZUs4GUS0-m4Skr6HMa1PDgN7P9tN2PSfmHspv054bmfJc0ORCwnR0CVdcHHOG6Z/s640/IMG_6755.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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I have given the information about these to both of my son's Occupational Therapists and believe it or not his Speech Therapist too. In the picture above we are doing speech homework and he is TOTALLY engaged. They think they are as amazing as I do.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Xu-8UUVW9oszYV0ZyZKIf8TYSjhxeKwpu3qWf_blwaA2vT08bj63OnGWVTPNu1wShvD8_2ZUfSStYdwFPc4SBMgAXMEl5ZgDpwNYuNgwKKhYvTcmGfxDOa0DLRr73iMw5n0RnjUGuysP/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Xu-8UUVW9oszYV0ZyZKIf8TYSjhxeKwpu3qWf_blwaA2vT08bj63OnGWVTPNu1wShvD8_2ZUfSStYdwFPc4SBMgAXMEl5ZgDpwNYuNgwKKhYvTcmGfxDOa0DLRr73iMw5n0RnjUGuysP/s640/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="362" /></a></div>
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I made myself laugh with this reason, but it is true. They glide so easily along the paper without much effort at all.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3oL6kwd_t20T-eKEjkYM0oIfDTmsj7xvYDjkAcLbHsoUBIclnRZU03WrBdpyapPmyXRHGgNMsteuU9feRguzMsEHycEE55JZOOp-ZqdovM7G0iOqQH6MlCbFCJrIVKvXUVZ33DQxevkXl/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-06-24+at+11.46.33+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3oL6kwd_t20T-eKEjkYM0oIfDTmsj7xvYDjkAcLbHsoUBIclnRZU03WrBdpyapPmyXRHGgNMsteuU9feRguzMsEHycEE55JZOOp-ZqdovM7G0iOqQH6MlCbFCJrIVKvXUVZ33DQxevkXl/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-06-24+at+11.46.33+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB1u5sIWDQWFgPj7_G03gqX4mn3vQIreAE_akF2vFLvmirhmJLifv742uUzHhhO7y88-ufM249aZMgtW1KWUxdGwH03Bwjmqm_nWyBIQRyPF672EkE_lQagq6c7lWDdrkj8LmnPg_BjW7I/s1600/IMG_6735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB1u5sIWDQWFgPj7_G03gqX4mn3vQIreAE_akF2vFLvmirhmJLifv742uUzHhhO7y88-ufM249aZMgtW1KWUxdGwH03Bwjmqm_nWyBIQRyPF672EkE_lQagq6c7lWDdrkj8LmnPg_BjW7I/s640/IMG_6735.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/28WeXzj">Kwik Stix</a> did not skimp on the colors. They look just like liquid tempera paint. They are vibrant and true.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD-kJtIQ0OImcyso8zdbUWzY45GDPaP0u03ZvmVYWFafTBVh3FEWPB8O9DLblJ1lmpw_3cHXECKBjhJoAify_St7Tnu0QMd-uczYavd1L4El5SNH6C_3hy4_3R2sDM-Z75pnM6_HW9FFb6/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-06-24+at+11.46.42+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD-kJtIQ0OImcyso8zdbUWzY45GDPaP0u03ZvmVYWFafTBVh3FEWPB8O9DLblJ1lmpw_3cHXECKBjhJoAify_St7Tnu0QMd-uczYavd1L4El5SNH6C_3hy4_3R2sDM-Z75pnM6_HW9FFb6/s200/Screen+Shot+2016-06-24+at+11.46.42+AM.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmzRLoaRZV9Piyit6oIt1D_U-E8wlOxDrAc_aegROY2322jlL708yLEiel3S2YrdWEJ_10Gvpl-9Cr-mxInjOg9y_F5hqpdBoKDm7ht9Aqu5lIpOEYt-TEKl90fGzKfel22uUJt7cJ5YQb/s1600/FullSizeRender_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmzRLoaRZV9Piyit6oIt1D_U-E8wlOxDrAc_aegROY2322jlL708yLEiel3S2YrdWEJ_10Gvpl-9Cr-mxInjOg9y_F5hqpdBoKDm7ht9Aqu5lIpOEYt-TEKl90fGzKfel22uUJt7cJ5YQb/s640/FullSizeRender_2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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My kids had a blast creating a Father's Day project with them!<br />
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Here are some other sets that they sell.<br />
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<i>This post contains affiliate links, but all thoughts are completely honest and my own.</i><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10658163568386365391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147720707314348010.post-63737341501578660042016-06-06T08:23:00.001-05:002016-06-13T07:24:19.878-05:00HP Instant Ink Program<br />
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Have you heard about the HP Instant Ink Program?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-DFy-GVBFdSA__PiocslaqFYLFKP0eWaaoCVwKC8aMULr5yt_0YQjLuxWIHjH9pWLl1yxbX_Hqr-UoAgZ_9FSHx5AlGefNidQ4DaI_VPWAkl6aVf46Nux7SBaKRYqs6pUxIKfOvCkwPq/s1600/FullSizeRender+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-DFy-GVBFdSA__PiocslaqFYLFKP0eWaaoCVwKC8aMULr5yt_0YQjLuxWIHjH9pWLl1yxbX_Hqr-UoAgZ_9FSHx5AlGefNidQ4DaI_VPWAkl6aVf46Nux7SBaKRYqs6pUxIKfOvCkwPq/s640/FullSizeRender+3.jpg" width="634" /></a></div>
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NO?! Wait until you hear about this. </div>
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Yes... Well, why haven't you signed up yet?</div>
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When I first heard about it from some other blogger friends I thought it was too good to be true. No more expensive Target runs for ink and let's face it... anything else that jumped into my cart? No more worrying about how much ink something will use? It gets delivered to my door? It is inexpensive?</div>
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You can understand my concerns right?</div>
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Trust me friends it is completely legit. We finally took the plunge this past August. We went to our local Staples and picked up the <a href="http://amzn.to/1X6Py8Y">HP Officejet Pro 8630</a>. It was one of the pricier qualifying printers, but with me being a teacher and my husband a realtor we needed all of the bells and whistles. Staples had some coupons and so did HP. We were able to get the 1st four months of the ink program FREE! We didn't pay a dime for ink until March. I actually still have 2 original cartridges in the printer that came with it. The starter inks last awhile, so that prolongs the amount of time until you start paying. I started using it immediately for Back to School stuff.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJpIwqQDHMZOyoClXgP2mM8lTwgvwjsSPXHWdQVQns_3SdcyJEVYaa5DuWOrC5HPwQjVafIDScyFejEEapzrqgTAxGIMFjsOkKjB0I9g1ukiszzleRYdarYnh0QFOwrKcpFfHl23mqiwYm/s1600/IMG_0367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJpIwqQDHMZOyoClXgP2mM8lTwgvwjsSPXHWdQVQns_3SdcyJEVYaa5DuWOrC5HPwQjVafIDScyFejEEapzrqgTAxGIMFjsOkKjB0I9g1ukiszzleRYdarYnh0QFOwrKcpFfHl23mqiwYm/s640/IMG_0367.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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You do have to have an eligible printer to sign up, but there are so many choices.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcD5i2BaRthywyE036TXxZSH2Jw5sZU0AX56n1oo_6c1huvlVqS_rfxAFMQopDz37nGNt3HKPMs-TAOdRq_qpv40LGX_9h2Q9qJaieG795aKn8ZRxtgEYHMJ1u24cVfDvYWTtKyQQKKB0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-06-06+at+7.59.36+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcD5i2BaRthywyE036TXxZSH2Jw5sZU0AX56n1oo_6c1huvlVqS_rfxAFMQopDz37nGNt3HKPMs-TAOdRq_qpv40LGX_9h2Q9qJaieG795aKn8ZRxtgEYHMJ1u24cVfDvYWTtKyQQKKB0/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-06-06+at+7.59.36+AM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here is the link to the printer I currently have. I have been very pleased with the quality and pace.</div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=teaeveaft0a-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B00J9E68E0&asins=B00J9E68E0&linkId=805a00aba869c1ff650b232bc507cc43&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true&price_color=333333&title_color=0066C0&bg_color=FFFFFF" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
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Here are some other options too...</div>
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<script type="text/javascript">
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They have 3 plans...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkJGvNDB66E2yI47WEbcNxd1O4Jg71AC3Q8faUmEx60vVXJ2fdPQ5SN6NcfIehkU1_FcTmL38Y7qzzoxk8wItbCSzLcyEySJd3_jmvfgMth_t1pMghPzoiuAeIr7ekvDyxDZ01nDLpiCEN/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-06-06+at+7.51.16+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkJGvNDB66E2yI47WEbcNxd1O4Jg71AC3Q8faUmEx60vVXJ2fdPQ5SN6NcfIehkU1_FcTmL38Y7qzzoxk8wItbCSzLcyEySJd3_jmvfgMth_t1pMghPzoiuAeIr7ekvDyxDZ01nDLpiCEN/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-06-06+at+7.51.16+AM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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We are currently enrolled in the most expensive ink plan. There is no annual fee and you can change or cancel the type of plan you want at any time. The 1st few months we did not get close to using our 300 pages, but lately we have been printing fools. The nice thing is your unused pages rollover (up to 300 pages). After you use up your allotted pages there is a fee.</div>
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You can use ALL the ink you want. You can print photos, 300 pages in all black ink, a novel...whatever you want!</div>
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I don't know how much more I can say about this program, but it truly is amazing. Click <a href="http://try.hpinstantink.com/dFgzj">here</a> to see for yourself today! You won't be sorry you took the plunge too. I promise!</div>
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As a bonus the box for your new printer makes an awesome bed...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUM-tjZYthjASUnD6geT3V0KyX5jy4Zk-A8_DEEr7lmwxVG9r87MZ5_gQDVU5hnXaFUwZsGNejnU-plA1VM-mENkFamt1BDCmPXcfFujtCy-QSXvoQcxT5r33Yn6aDvRJTUksrQSbBQ0-J/s1600/FullSizeRender+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUM-tjZYthjASUnD6geT3V0KyX5jy4Zk-A8_DEEr7lmwxVG9r87MZ5_gQDVU5hnXaFUwZsGNejnU-plA1VM-mENkFamt1BDCmPXcfFujtCy-QSXvoQcxT5r33Yn6aDvRJTUksrQSbBQ0-J/s640/FullSizeRender+4.jpg" width="618" /></a></div>
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<i>This post contains affiliate links.</i><br />
<i>All of my opinions are my own and I was not asked by HP or Amazon to share my views. I just truly believe in the product.</i><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10658163568386365391noreply@blogger.com110tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147720707314348010.post-87173173813096972412016-05-18T06:46:00.000-05:002016-06-13T07:24:24.937-05:00College Survival Kit<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk8UIuerI7wQpUTFoWcweP85ZDyHlI0UhjsEAMq4nopinMYAjgi55ZRIn7de07qM1RijzqeA7ACwnF21aLAWMQMtbk0RwofrK8s7td3AlC6P-tvpeN72CHscYoZiB6dRQ8BwKJusXiQ6F5/s1600/College+Survival+Kit.001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk8UIuerI7wQpUTFoWcweP85ZDyHlI0UhjsEAMq4nopinMYAjgi55ZRIn7de07qM1RijzqeA7ACwnF21aLAWMQMtbk0RwofrK8s7td3AlC6P-tvpeN72CHscYoZiB6dRQ8BwKJusXiQ6F5/s640/College+Survival+Kit.001.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This year I was blessed with a high school senior EVERY. SINGLE. DAY!!! She is a senior interested in becoming a teacher in the future and the high school provides an exploratory program. Some days I have her for a short time in the morning and other days I have her all afternoon. I was a little nervous about having the responsibility of a teenager, but I jumped right in and I could not be happier that I did. She is so responsible, organized, smart, sweet, down to earth, and most importantly... GREAT with the kids. They adore her. Sometimes I feel like a second rate teacher as they march past me in the morning to give her a hug, but it is worth it.</div>
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She will be attending Indiana State University in the Fall, so another teacher/parent in my grade level had the awesome idea of assembling a College Survival Kit for her. I sent a note home to the parents requesting donations. In the note I added specific ideas, but also gave them the liberty to be creative. They came through in a BIG way! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfXeVWWacGjKzxKKQzVK8-WDKn1YD7iysvSphUebyiijjBUblwiwVZ2Nk0uFxDA8ppR7YwmbYjfkFTWZwD5-d9_JvEfXnoJGRn56w6CVT_rJwzsDQrSw48Jg3ghA3pjOP9wXtx9XRjc78/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-05-17+at+6.14.54+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfXeVWWacGjKzxKKQzVK8-WDKn1YD7iysvSphUebyiijjBUblwiwVZ2Nk0uFxDA8ppR7YwmbYjfkFTWZwD5-d9_JvEfXnoJGRn56w6CVT_rJwzsDQrSw48Jg3ghA3pjOP9wXtx9XRjc78/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-05-17+at+6.14.54+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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When all of the donations were in I found 3 common categories: kitchen, office, and bath. I sorted the items into the 3 areas and made note of missing items. Then I went shopping! </div>
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In the kitchen category you will find items such as: Ramen Noodles (A TON OF IT), mac and cheese, lots of popcorn, hot chocolate K-cups to accompany her single serve coffee maker, tumbler, cups, and food storage containers.</div>
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In the office category they sent in: a garbage can, paper clips of all sorts, pens, notebooks, dry erase board, stapler, mouse pad, index cards, and tissues.</div>
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In the bath category is where I had a lot of fun! I put together a bath caddy with a colorful towel, loofah, soap, toothbrush and toothpaste, first aide kit, sandals, nail polish remover, lotion, travel tissues, nail files, <strike>hanitize</strike>r hand sanitizer, and a pop up laundry basket.</div>
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Parents also sent in gift cards and monetary donations. Remember pouring through ads looking for the perfect dorm room decor?!</div>
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I'm so excited to present this to her at the end of the week!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10658163568386365391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147720707314348010.post-77050045517870530072016-05-02T19:05:00.000-05:002016-05-02T19:08:19.845-05:00Mother's Day Project<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Happy Mother's Day to all!</div>
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Mother's Day is right around the corner. I don't know about you, but I am always looking for a way to spice up my gift to the special ladies in my kiddos lives. This year I happen to have a mom who is <br />
<a name='more'></a>also an elementary art teacher. While I knew this would spoil the surprise for her I knew that she would love to volunteer in the classroom. We chatted about what we would like to do and I created a <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/shemphill2012/">Pinterest</a> board with some painted canvas ideas. We finally decided on the idea of using tape to create the word love.</div>
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<a data-pin-board-width="300" data-pin-do="embedBoard" data-pin-scale-height="240" data-pin-scale-width="80" href="https://www.pinterest.com/shemphill2012/mothers-day/"></a>
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We used <a href="http://amzn.to/26M9a5A">canvases</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/1SJbAIK">sponge brushes</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/24usZw1">masking tape</a>, and acrylic paint (<a href="http://amzn.to/24jRWxA">red</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/1SJcpkP">blue</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/24utciO">yellow</a>, and <a href="http://amzn.to/1Z4kowt">orange</a>) for this project. Click the links for easy ordering. She used a ruler and pencil before starting the project to divide the canvas into four equal spaces.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnZvJjZxEWtOANokGHzQFLP-otXNtNedPnWsPQPcCh7DB5n1SV6HkNV3hRS9PEptW_687bUz8auTX0UK4mUarJmcaJw9DbjFrXy9PeihHg63_uFHrVuji2myTisEdTxc2N6nlg7aL0X-rX/s1600/IMG_4987.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnZvJjZxEWtOANokGHzQFLP-otXNtNedPnWsPQPcCh7DB5n1SV6HkNV3hRS9PEptW_687bUz8auTX0UK4mUarJmcaJw9DbjFrXy9PeihHg63_uFHrVuji2myTisEdTxc2N6nlg7aL0X-rX/s640/IMG_4987.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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The kids were given masking tape and were instructed on how to create each letter in the word love. The kids actually did an amazing job. They used a lot of tape, but for the most part handled this pretty independently. I didn't want to assist too much because the charm of this project is the uniqueness of their letters.</div>
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After each letter was taped the kids were given a plate of paint with one color. They started with the L. Then she had them switch plates and had them paint the E next. I am honestly not sure why. Haha! The kids proceeded to paint each letter a different color.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2llt8qzmcozu3yQMHCKhvII__lv0hh5a7q77SQT-UjCrMNBHT1BHqk151hTbZ_hpqZPL9IYys4z3EuLFlNjsAeLyU3JozOPgPIh_MBOIwEq7o5yPFGJaE6KXiC-4UbCSSlb9YIf9vP4-a/s1600/IMG_4993.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2llt8qzmcozu3yQMHCKhvII__lv0hh5a7q77SQT-UjCrMNBHT1BHqk151hTbZ_hpqZPL9IYys4z3EuLFlNjsAeLyU3JozOPgPIh_MBOIwEq7o5yPFGJaE6KXiC-4UbCSSlb9YIf9vP4-a/s640/IMG_4993.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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We gave them a day to dry and then in small groups we peeled the tape off. What do you think of the final results? I think we will have some very happy moms and a happy teacher for doing this relatively easy project.</div>
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<i>This post contains affiliate links</i></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10658163568386365391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147720707314348010.post-55185834268322481962016-04-20T11:31:00.000-05:002016-04-24T18:05:47.148-05:00A Visit from Eric Litwin<div style="text-align: center;">
One day I grabbed my mail from the box at school and my jaw hit the floor. It was a note that was being sent home to the students to pre-order an autographed book by <a href="http://www.ericlitwin.com/">Eric Litwin</a> before his visit. I ran straight to the librarian to see if what I was reading was true. Fast forward a month and a half later and the week had arrived. I wanted to make this a big deal for my students because how many times are you going to get the opportunity to see a famous author?</div>
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Someone pinch me!</div>
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I decided to read the Pete the Cat books that he authored alongside James Dean. On Monday we read <a href="http://amzn.to/1Sv6FjQ">Pete the Cat I Love my White Shoes</a> and we did an activity that I found <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/I-Love-My-White-Shoes-A-Pete-the-Cat-Inspired-Craftivit-1415768">here</a>. Unfortunately I forgot to snap pictures, but I did remember to take a selfie of my <a href="http://amzn.to/1VBMMZ9">white shoes</a>! </div>
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It would be so fun to have every color!<br />
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On Tuesday we read <a href="http://amzn.to/1VBMSQt">Pete the Cat Rocking in My School Shoes</a>. The students began working on these adorable headbands that we would wear on the day of his visit.</div>
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On Wednesday and the day of his visit we read <a href="http://amzn.to/1STp83n">Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons</a>. We finished our headbands and also made this <a href="http://kinderblossoms.blogspot.com/2013/07/pete-cat-template-for-rhyming-craftivity.html">adorable Pete</a>. Inside I had the kids write adjectives that described them. It was so sweet seeing them use words such as smart, pretty, and fast. (The headbands were made with the head template from the project pictured below. We added the buttons and <a href="http://amzn.to/1VEldhg">sentence strip</a>)</div>
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The moment had finally arrived and the kids and teachers were buzzing with excitement. Mr. Eric was so friendly and came around to each teacher, shook our hands, and said hello. I really was not expecting that. I even got to get a picture with him. I was total fangirl!</div>
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He was extremely captivating, entertaining, and energetic for people young and old. He started with <a href="http://amzn.to/1qZdAWf">Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons</a>. He taught the students different motions and he even brought up a teacher to display the book as he performed. I was too chicken! Click <a href="https://youtu.be/RwTkM1NoT9o">here</a> to see his performance!</div>
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After that, he performed a book from one of his new series <a href="http://amzn.to/1qZdGNt">The Nuts Sing and Dance in Your Polka Dot Pants</a>. </div>
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He wrapped up his visit with having everyone get up and dance to his yet to be released book Groovy Joe Ice Cream and Dinosaurs. It was so fun!</div>
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My daughter who normally is a morning preschooler even got to come and was front row center stage. Jealous! We were hoping he would do our favorite one with <a href="http://amzn.to/1STpx5R">The Nuts Bedtime at the Nut House</a>. Aren't there shirts adorable? I got her plain yellow shirt from Joann Fabrics, but you can find one similar <a href="http://amzn.to/1STpI12">here</a>.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>This post contains links to my Amazon affiliate account</i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10658163568386365391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147720707314348010.post-68646445894048849092016-04-09T17:11:00.000-05:002016-04-09T21:29:26.965-05:00Class Messenger- An Easier Way to Communicate with Parents<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlN598WcesvbdTMXSkpZe6XQra-r45Cb9wvgLk2_iD80qodP_PvxkJmms7ockAyyKlmsTIhDCdsB1xOUiBz_TL3M_TFhbcoylyzUHj_JYeCW-Xsu36EV7wZM6LO2GPassHx9pVIDyqJA1p/s1600/classmessenger3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlN598WcesvbdTMXSkpZe6XQra-r45Cb9wvgLk2_iD80qodP_PvxkJmms7ockAyyKlmsTIhDCdsB1xOUiBz_TL3M_TFhbcoylyzUHj_JYeCW-Xsu36EV7wZM6LO2GPassHx9pVIDyqJA1p/s1600/classmessenger3.jpg" /></a></div>
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This school year I was introduced to a new communication app called <a href="https://www.classmessenger.com/">Class Messenger</a>. It is a completely free and user friendly app/website that allows you to send messages to a group of people. The preschool teacher at my school also happens to be my daughter's preschool teacher. She introduced me to the app at the beginning of the year. She has been using it for the past three years. I signed up and it was so easy! Class Messenger has these easy directions to send or give to parents at Open House.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nYLCE9cADG_hOmU_RS6YzhqawR0JfaNHjXPhNCorZ9v-0bx-TPthVBlVnHpOCMHlwo4wa62Kr8dhRrLXH5Oi416K5JV22rOhFJF9Ctg7Z_kv1InV3iTujx4ao-EOoVigj8uJSUCKC3AY/s1600/ClassMessenger1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nYLCE9cADG_hOmU_RS6YzhqawR0JfaNHjXPhNCorZ9v-0bx-TPthVBlVnHpOCMHlwo4wa62Kr8dhRrLXH5Oi416K5JV22rOhFJF9Ctg7Z_kv1InV3iTujx4ao-EOoVigj8uJSUCKC3AY/s1600/ClassMessenger1.png" /></a></div>
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I love that the app allows for notifications, so similar to a text message the parents are alerted immediately. There is also an option for emailing the parent. My husband takes advantage of the emails and I get alerted with the app. Here is what it looks like on the parent settings page. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6FlfU4AEhSCfkqifvsc1LDKSFK9PHbfKzIPwYm2qEPtWXb3QpgjqjLD0okJObEJQZVjfN9bQpgxE6uThTvnV7Hyfze9Mjw6kWNkoW11gZrRqfo3sRiuAXZ_GzCgb1fab0rwEJ4bkxDtS/s1600/IMG_4620.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6FlfU4AEhSCfkqifvsc1LDKSFK9PHbfKzIPwYm2qEPtWXb3QpgjqjLD0okJObEJQZVjfN9bQpgxE6uThTvnV7Hyfze9Mjw6kWNkoW11gZrRqfo3sRiuAXZ_GzCgb1fab0rwEJ4bkxDtS/s1600/IMG_4620.PNG" /></a></div>
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You can choose which email address the messages go to as well as customizing when you would like to be notified. I liked this feature for the teacher side of it. You can choose to only receive alerts during certain hours or completely take the weekend off. This is nice for those days that you just need to disconnect. Trust me I have been there!</div>
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This is what it looks like from the teacher's point of view on the settings page. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-7on0JOik1Dg26SFxuMUDPZxK-mTnIifwQ_yiXYop8jwru6gwExQ38bDF0DyAFl7HoTNgzMGYAhIqxU5U7nl2Qmllvz4OlaODSqDgLXGRuZTE_6IjGeA_YqJvCGXHsSe-fIPv24CRPpW/s1600/IMG_4619.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-7on0JOik1Dg26SFxuMUDPZxK-mTnIifwQ_yiXYop8jwru6gwExQ38bDF0DyAFl7HoTNgzMGYAhIqxU5U7nl2Qmllvz4OlaODSqDgLXGRuZTE_6IjGeA_YqJvCGXHsSe-fIPv24CRPpW/s1600/IMG_4619.PNG" /></a><br />
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It is so easy to change the information. My favorite part of this whole app is the fact that I can upload a picture, so if I forget to send a note home I can easily snap a picture and send it to the whole class or just one student.</div>
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I am looking forward to streamlining the way I communicate with parents! Can you imagine the uses for this?!</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10658163568386365391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147720707314348010.post-29865001212983763382016-03-26T17:06:00.001-05:002016-04-09T18:18:57.249-05:00French Lick Blogger Meet Up 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjk77UsAs7TCCKw9x17XNMYs1_WhyphenhyphenVS9wDK1NYNAAoBMTw_cPgcR6jgDlErg1ZpDWlRQNtB3tXBgNZcV2WdZMA_4j_ecC78Vm5gBgL0VWy3anOhYoyUPApk63ERpSKVr7RHF7O-N7apl5D/s1600/1913518_477231909132372_8089912039668005428_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjk77UsAs7TCCKw9x17XNMYs1_WhyphenhyphenVS9wDK1NYNAAoBMTw_cPgcR6jgDlErg1ZpDWlRQNtB3tXBgNZcV2WdZMA_4j_ecC78Vm5gBgL0VWy3anOhYoyUPApk63ERpSKVr7RHF7O-N7apl5D/s1600/1913518_477231909132372_8089912039668005428_n.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Another epic time was had at the French Lick Blogger Meet-Up 2016!!! <a href="http://mrsehleskindergartenconnections.blogspot.com/2016/03/spring-teacher-blogger-retreat-weekend.html" target="_blank">Holly Ehle</a> and her amazing crew knocked it out of the park again. There were about 200 like minded teachers who were ready to "Take Their Passion and Make It Happen". </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What a fitting theme for this group. I wish words could explain the feeling you get when there is a group of people who just "get it". There is no drama or negative Nancy's. There is just a room full of people who want to learn, share, connect, and collaborate. Amazing!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was taken back by the creativity that went into the videos created by Chad from <a href="http://www.malekindergartenteacher.com/" target="_blank">The Male Kindergarten Teacher</a> and the messages that were spoken by fellow bloggers and <a href="http://www.ronclarkacademy.com/meet-the-team" target="_blank">Kim Bearden.</a> Here is one of them, but be sure to check out Chad's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM5b6mI510k4FMgbLR5uLNA" target="_blank">YouTube</a> page to view them all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The break out sessions were so informative. In 15 minutes you only are able to scratch the surface, but boy did these people have a wealth of information to share. I visited Katie Mense from <a href="http://littlekinderwarriors.com/2016/03/2992.html" target="_blank">Little Kinder Warriors</a>, Jodi Southard from <a href="http://fun-in-first.blogspot.com/2016/03/write-rainbow-organizational-tool-for.html" target="_blank">Fun in First</a>, Mel D from <a href="http://seusstastic.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Seusstastic</a>, and Maria Gavin from <a href="http://kindercraze.com/" target="_blank">Kindercraze</a>. Here is one tiny piece that I took away from each one. Trust me there was SO much more!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Katie said do what feels right to you. Blog the way you want to blog. Don't compare yourself to others.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Jodi spoke about many different ways to engage her little writers. My favorite was the writing using the colors of the rainbow which she blogged about {<a href="http://fun-in-first.blogspot.com/2016/03/write-rainbow-organizational-tool-for.html" target="_blank">here</a>}.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Mel stresses creating pin"able" images with an accurate description. Also create a unique look that can be easily recognized by others quickly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well... our session went off topic. :). We spoke about blog analytics using <a href="http://www.alexa.com/" target="_blank">Alexa</a> and how to monetize your blog.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> One of the favorit</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">e events of the meet-up is the teacher tool swap. I loved my </span><a href="http://teachingeverafter.blogspot.com/2015/03/teacher-tool-gift-exchange-its-worth-it.html" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">"It's Worth It"</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> box last year from </span><a href="http://secondgradesugarandspice.blogspot.com/2015/03/2015-teacher-tool-gift-exchange-linky.html" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">Christina DeCarbo</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> so much that I decided to buy that gift as my tool this year. (Side note... super sad she couldn't make it this year)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I received my gift from Megan at <a href="http://firstgraderoars.blogspot.com/2016/03/french-lick-teacherblogger-retreat-2016.html" target="_blank">First Grade Roars</a>. She gifted some large bins to use for trash receptacles during craft projects or during interactive notebook time. There were also </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">some metallic markers and</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> small containers to use at small group tables for manipulatives . All were absolutely perfect for me! Look how it matches my classroom.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://firstgraderoars.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwzADuPlhGvfruQzGQ9E2ZBfAez80vyxkDVbujA0vISrV0AwjZu0tJw7OCsnFisjSxL2ACBRGFRN168aJfcrfZglzoPkmt2laFu82NhRZBhy3JDkpLB1N4WqiZcEJcP8m_AmNNOvuTXR8Y/s1600/IMG_4125.JPG" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There were some generous donations that were for raffle. I was the lucky winner of a $25 <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Teaching-Ever-After" target="_blank">TPT</a> gift card. I was so excited!!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Teaching-Ever-After" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jCaR_xdwrVIXlS-xlFfVWAV3vOLTjB1hS6pIBKWCCOn4ie7dTORM-7TDayUB5fNS7Ist-xBRkm7I8IEX7de6eaMjAa__ViiJF0pyf65mwO1J6meUAkwilNz2ckZTaw8f6-mAhZRzoLSx/s1600/French+Lick-184.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We ended the luncheon gathering our swag. But the event was far from over! Click {<a href="http://teachingeverafter.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-like-totally-radical-80s-party.html" target="_blank">here</a>} to read about our like totally radical 80's party!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Before the 80's party </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I participated in a scavenger hunt started by </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/It-All-Started-with-Flubber-1618386691764016/" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">It All Started with Flubber</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">. I am a sucker for scavenger hunts, but ran out of time to finish this one. I did really enjoy exploring the French Lick hotel and finding places I had not discovered in my three years of attending the retreat. Great idea ladies!</span><br />
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Staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17984222407411625806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147720707314348010.post-42758289757189586202016-03-26T17:05:00.002-05:002016-04-09T18:20:00.743-05:00The Like Totally Radical 80's Party<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDOQ9TZ6MykvLDsoc3N3hULTB-rEO4tHub2jg6PxL_rLc_nUBNxde4UPe1isQtrJ9fRltMB47usN33K9WPYA9XKZyqIiBaDdHR3xxkMYzCV9vzGHaJH-EZyeL-vnYprKJTKlB-y8NLadei/s1600/12661894_10207701710478087_7573007239470534394_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDOQ9TZ6MykvLDsoc3N3hULTB-rEO4tHub2jg6PxL_rLc_nUBNxde4UPe1isQtrJ9fRltMB47usN33K9WPYA9XKZyqIiBaDdHR3xxkMYzCV9vzGHaJH-EZyeL-vnYprKJTKlB-y8NLadei/s1600/12661894_10207701710478087_7573007239470534394_n.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This was like the first 80's party I have ever like been to. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was born in the 80's. I lived the 80's, but I had no idea what to wear. I put a message on facebook and one of my retired coworkers brought this. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj43c2otbBxatWDzNBPPqoqBGVCY92s7yU4q_OjcfZeBruacRDulNGzmdNsLP8bvIW5VgL1zJoW2I9fDG_tthOM5p3ZQdTUJ_kWfeMBDtnxtP5FLZSM84iOWrajtxgbHfFb48ZBOTwoFVQ8/s1600/20160312_203339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj43c2otbBxatWDzNBPPqoqBGVCY92s7yU4q_OjcfZeBruacRDulNGzmdNsLP8bvIW5VgL1zJoW2I9fDG_tthOM5p3ZQdTUJ_kWfeMBDtnxtP5FLZSM84iOWrajtxgbHfFb48ZBOTwoFVQ8/s1600/20160312_203339.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was a nervous wreck about wearing it because I knew almost everyone would be in neon and leg warmers. That was mostly true, but Vera (<a href="http://www.thetututeacher.com/" target="_blank">The Tutu Teacher</a>) encouraged me to be different and go for it.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHGq65VBgBXM4r0odcPwYzj7youZP-kNadwlR9gWd1r5kD8vnzpCco4yOU6DpNhVDe92pduIz1EnMd05q325Mv3zYQmP1fQ2yPDcAIuvysIzDZpj9ukOY-kE9yhW0EuUR6vNrg1bir0S9f/s1600/IMG_4105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHGq65VBgBXM4r0odcPwYzj7youZP-kNadwlR9gWd1r5kD8vnzpCco4yOU6DpNhVDe92pduIz1EnMd05q325Mv3zYQmP1fQ2yPDcAIuvysIzDZpj9ukOY-kE9yhW0EuUR6vNrg1bir0S9f/s1600/IMG_4105.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The shoulder pads were a huge hit!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://seusstastic.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Mel D</a> and I arrived early because she and a group of amazing teachers were planning a Flashdance surprise. I got a chance to get a preview and take this picture of the crew.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg11y900lyVrLLmbqGe7EjbSdBelYGEAClBbSnUOkMPkER1S576Mu2lCnKbSW0_yqSsqbGubVczHEF52coEiKcpUYYtrtzi45DphMBIXdUN-zvi-pATVMw16nfefwoWpCkFPnwwP-cHD6S/s1600/20160312_202514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg11y900lyVrLLmbqGe7EjbSdBelYGEAClBbSnUOkMPkER1S576Mu2lCnKbSW0_yqSsqbGubVczHEF52coEiKcpUYYtrtzi45DphMBIXdUN-zvi-pATVMw16nfefwoWpCkFPnwwP-cHD6S/s1600/20160312_202514.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here is the epic dance caught on video!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Holly and her crew once again out did themselves with 80's posters ALL over the room, a perfect 80's playlist, board games on the tables, and themed glasses and pins. It was totally cool!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ZuA7kzOrukTke7SHySwebH_GfBmakLka71FoQIIXheUjNjlIaII6G17wKJT1C8vDsu7EA4_lHQkJG_HWQlOXL7wkRqPBDzsF6nTE9OvrJZergLcXugtol0JGrpkf0UrXcwwEcITv2Fxb/s1600/IMG_4109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ZuA7kzOrukTke7SHySwebH_GfBmakLka71FoQIIXheUjNjlIaII6G17wKJT1C8vDsu7EA4_lHQkJG_HWQlOXL7wkRqPBDzsF6nTE9OvrJZergLcXugtol0JGrpkf0UrXcwwEcITv2Fxb/s1600/IMG_4109.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Mel and I took advantage of the photo booth provided by <a href="https://www.gonoodle.com/" target="_blank">GoNoodle</a> before a line formed. I never know what to do in those things.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijoE5nKIbgBNwpTUFHMSQiRGC7ipbYmaNPhpWkmyOSu8c8fuRoobJMKGTxs7HYd9hFg8DWhyphenhypheneClNJKvzk-RL9Nl-yFaLqSjMsJ9Dik5NfVrpHD92q2BDf-CMdV0e55p66GCZip-pjYQX-A/s1600/IMG_4107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijoE5nKIbgBNwpTUFHMSQiRGC7ipbYmaNPhpWkmyOSu8c8fuRoobJMKGTxs7HYd9hFg8DWhyphenhypheneClNJKvzk-RL9Nl-yFaLqSjMsJ9Dik5NfVrpHD92q2BDf-CMdV0e55p66GCZip-pjYQX-A/s1600/IMG_4107.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If there were a Best Dressed award these two would definitely get the biggest prize. They walked in and OWNED the place. I couldn't stop watching. They stayed in character for the whole night. It was radical!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">How could you not have a great time when this is the group of people you get to spend the evening with. I love this meet-up!!!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi708CQO9XItFWzQEputoOlWq6SGUM9YOTF9OHqnKJLjfxx-OzJCNaOC2o3GoNDniDeDmwJIQ1kRE-XL0K3owqlYPl1ze9ngiGw8y-uqdXP0jM4LLQWj_icnzTqCpNvZR365LORd5fGZBLo/s1600/French+Lick-224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi708CQO9XItFWzQEputoOlWq6SGUM9YOTF9OHqnKJLjfxx-OzJCNaOC2o3GoNDniDeDmwJIQ1kRE-XL0K3owqlYPl1ze9ngiGw8y-uqdXP0jM4LLQWj_icnzTqCpNvZR365LORd5fGZBLo/s1600/French+Lick-224.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I can't wait until next year!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Stacey</span></div>
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Staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17984222407411625806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147720707314348010.post-21099995699589425602015-06-17T07:59:00.000-05:002016-04-06T13:35:46.466-05:00Wishlist Wednesday- Writing Activities featuring The Groovy Cat<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Eekk! I am so excited to be linking up with Jen from <a href="http://theteacherscauldron.blogspot.com/2015/06/wish-list-wednesday-math-with-deck-of.html" target="_blank">Teacher by the Beach</a> for my first Wishlist Wednesday. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I will be highlighting an item from my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Teaching-Ever-After" target="_blank">TPT store</a> that is the most wishlisted item. The item will be put on sale Wednesday through Friday. I will also be giving a copy away to the first three to show me some love on this post. (Comments make my heart happy, so the more the better). **Be sure to leave your email address**</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Today I am highlighting <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writing-Activities-Featuring-The-Groovy-Cat-946244" target="_blank">Writing Activities featuring The Groovy Cat</a>. This item is not only the most wish listed, but also the best seller in my store. I am not even joking when I say this item was completely inspired and practically created by my class. They LOVE that Groovy Cat! I blogged about it {<a href="http://teachingeverafter.blogspot.com/2013/11/6-random-things.html" target="_blank">here</a>}.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">-Groovy Cat and His Brand New Costume</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">-Groovy Cat is Feeling Thankful</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I also included a large Groovy Cat to compliment Groovy Cat Goes on a Trip. Send paper Groovy Cat to a friend or relative or take him on your field trip. The students can then write about his adventures.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The last thing I included are MULTIPLE Groovy Cat themed writing papers. Students can create stories about the Groovy Cat. Then they can add a cover to make a student or class book.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Don't forget to comment below or run to my store to grab it while it is on sale! Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to visit <a href="http://theteacherscauldron.blogspot.com/2015/06/wish-list-wednesday-math-with-deck-of.html" target="_blank">Teacher by the Beach</a> to see more Wishlist Wednesday post.!</span></div>
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Staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17984222407411625806noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147720707314348010.post-80407394967390692342015-06-15T15:25:00.002-05:002016-04-09T18:21:26.582-05:00End of the Year Teacher Gift Book<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I want to share a great idea I found for a gift to give your child's teacher at the end of the year, but before I do I have to be a mommy and share some exciting news. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> My son just graduated from Kindergarten {insert sobbing noises}!!! I cannot even wrap my mind around the fact that I am going to have a 1st grader. I feel like I was just sitting here on my computer blogging about our summer Kindergarten prep plans. Seriously if you are a new mom or heck even a seasoned mom stop reading this, go hug your babies, and then come back. They grow up WAY TO FAST! Look at how his baby face changed over the last school year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">FIRST DAY...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Kindergarten Graduation</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Is he not the most handsome boy ever?!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">LAST DAY... </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">#notababyanymore</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yes, the chalkboard did go unused all school year and sat in my garage still written on. Don't judge. ;) It was a little dusty, but all I had to change was 1st to last.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2UnlfGmzU5rfWBG6Y3tJC_VCl1BQjPEi5n_4AXHX20Ydqog7FF_NV59LA7yuIfLiAG4yzy8Jo1NCVcBULme8mE3OBZDBJMN1dYYQoo8BY8HdAtY6Hh0mx9HEDVWe0c-JJx-uRNiWhKYqu/s1600/IMG_8389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2UnlfGmzU5rfWBG6Y3tJC_VCl1BQjPEi5n_4AXHX20Ydqog7FF_NV59LA7yuIfLiAG4yzy8Jo1NCVcBULme8mE3OBZDBJMN1dYYQoo8BY8HdAtY6Hh0mx9HEDVWe0c-JJx-uRNiWhKYqu/s1600/IMG_8389.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I love the picture below. I have done this favorite things picture 2 years now. It is crazy to see how he has changed. The only thing that remained the same for him was his favorite color. I used the <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/a-beautiful-mess/id603092599?mt=8" target="_blank">A Beautiful Mess</a> to add the text. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So as you may have picked up from the pictures my son has a disability. He more specifically has Cerebral Palsy. He currently is unable to walk and communicate effectively, so he has a full time para with him. What do you give the person who has spent every school day with him all day? Really I don't think there are the right words or gift to give such a special person, but we tried our best. I saw this idea from a couple of teachers in my building that received this as a gift and I thought it was too cute. With my son's disability it would have been difficult for him to write a complete sentence and draw and decorate a book like I had seen from the other teachers. So I decided to create a template. The final product really turned out amazing. The pictures I took were not so amazing though, but I think you get the idea.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">How did I know which gift cards she would like? I sent a teacher favorite's survey from<a href="http://thefirstgradeparade.blogspot.com/search/label/teacher%20gifts" target="_blank"> The First Grade Parade</a> at the beginning of the year. It was perfect for picking out a great Christmas gift too! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://thefirstgradeparade.blogspot.com/search/label/teacher%20gifts" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZsDZK-FoeIXnk74X4zlyRDepY8BSCeFdC9Vobu3ASLkfnFXdTpW4n8WLUVl2dmkD0iY_oUQFmTy3NwEc8NT0s1ZWeIF-FqLtXUVuzTB4cVyG2OvU_PFAM91g5L1lPynrKRcfhDRZfIIH/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-06-15+at+2.59.38+PM.png" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> You can find the End of the Year Teacher Gift Book {<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/End-of-the-Year-Teacher-Gift-Book-1907239" target="_blank">here</a>}. I did update it a little from the pictures you see above. </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/End-of-the-Year-Teacher-Gift-Book-1907239" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfnD-4IDq2w-0msCOEsxImiSknTa0z2bGqUUI6-PF7jwuzlau-YdLMxtvYJUxHJHXsPv0LICsv8OnDjiMSNtDe4InIprzJ2eXU48e0imkOnsnbIpaKZITiQ2S-yKRSRz6CYrn_yEtXkzzo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-06-15+at+2.52.39+PM.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> I included 3 different cover types- with ombre, light blue, or white backgrounds. Each set of covers has 5 character choices to fit any teacher or special helper. There are 2 different titles for each cover type. One is a generic "my teacher" and the other is a fill in the blank format.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The filler pages come with two different borders and also the generic "my teacher" and fill in the blank pages.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I also created a note from the parent(s) page.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I can PROMISE you that any teacher would LOVE to receive this gift!</span></div>
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<br />Staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17984222407411625806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147720707314348010.post-69473452545083505842015-06-14T08:00:00.000-05:002016-04-15T19:03:27.972-05:00Art Themed Birthday Party<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIuLth0uEoS7U_4aq0jVxO4WIy5XWrZybXA_TjANHOBkLVQn03TepWWgtFsJ3h47wAZUNElZmF3ucbjvNzihNsT32zqBdQIBQVLkmpkDimjZZcNB4_xuUbMuBx29LESr-qIWnRwOnzMfJ_/s1600/IMG_8153.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIuLth0uEoS7U_4aq0jVxO4WIy5XWrZybXA_TjANHOBkLVQn03TepWWgtFsJ3h47wAZUNElZmF3ucbjvNzihNsT32zqBdQIBQVLkmpkDimjZZcNB4_xuUbMuBx29LESr-qIWnRwOnzMfJ_/s1600/IMG_8153.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have been dying to have an Art themed birthday party for one of my little ones for a few years now. I was finally able to convince my soon to be 3 year old daughter that this was a perfect party for her. I can give her a set of watercolor paints and she will paint for about 30-60 minutes. It is a magical time for mommy! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I started prepping for the party by scouring Pinterest for ideas. I created a board with some of my favorites. Come check it out along with past theme ideas I have used.</span></div>
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<a data-pin-board-width="400" data-pin-do="embedBoard" data-pin-scale-height="200" data-pin-scale-width="80" href="https://www.pinterest.com/shemphill2012/art-themed-party/"> Follow Stacey's board Art Themed Party on Pinterest.</a><!-- Please call pinit.js only once per page --><script async="" src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js" type="text/javascript"></script> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This was meant to be an outdoor party, but it was practically a monsoon outside and our lake town had flooding everywhere! It actually couldn't have been a better themed party for such a yucky day. The kids were busy and had a blast!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I found most of the decorations and party items at <a href="http://www.hobbylobby.com/home.cfm" target="_blank">Hobby Lobby</a>. You can find similar paint palettes {<a href="http://amzn.to/1Ul7Li7" target="_blank">here</a>}. They seriously have everything you could ever want for an <a href="http://shop.hobbylobby.com/search/?keyword=paint%20party&perpage=12&match=AND&F_Sort=2" target="_blank">art party</a>. I may have gone a little overboard, but honestly spent under $100 for everything.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I chose to use the colors of the rainbow because that is what I think of when I think of art. It was such a bright and cheerful color palette, especially on such a dreary day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4fHsCg89E6BhOJQz3mERJmtQ-r92C385umkYI_tI7qwz-IKI7fzLcA0yBvpYq_rNvj4wEGDgdYqRZqUVBUemsdrlFsM-H8IKAXT6f_yiM6FH7fOyWCh8Oppr8ItIvApR-mZUUFN-PDVWe/s1600/IMG_8137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4fHsCg89E6BhOJQz3mERJmtQ-r92C385umkYI_tI7qwz-IKI7fzLcA0yBvpYq_rNvj4wEGDgdYqRZqUVBUemsdrlFsM-H8IKAXT6f_yiM6FH7fOyWCh8Oppr8ItIvApR-mZUUFN-PDVWe/s1600/IMG_8137.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I kept the theme going with some of the food too. I created a fruit tray using the colors of the rainbow. It was bright, yummy, and super easy to prepare.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-40UyVZBPd2uwYkU0mS7vfYSzYoazUNd86WYwy8E-g0W2dFCVBw5HaUYlx_70r6LGOKqPs6JuOt3sth0HFJnLVYsQcufO8R4dflWZza5LRZYdY1XlhHFyYQGugLCaEkfESR73PDeX4gP8/s1600/IMG_8134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-40UyVZBPd2uwYkU0mS7vfYSzYoazUNd86WYwy8E-g0W2dFCVBw5HaUYlx_70r6LGOKqPs6JuOt3sth0HFJnLVYsQcufO8R4dflWZza5LRZYdY1XlhHFyYQGugLCaEkfESR73PDeX4gP8/s1600/IMG_8134.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So ask anyone and they will tell you I can get nervous or excited and my brain begins to go in a million directions. In order to combat this during our activities I created a schedule. It was honestly only for me. One of the little girls caught a glimpse of it and kept referring to the schedule from that point on. She totally made my heart smile!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRR4aKbA4ZvqUPqBzk-mqih-aAMjMOUtp924KtrNpTMPK_agM7fRxrvn8u23TYGYdpPtKB4WU4VACypE0z3IsYa7Nu1MG2mtKCAxZEJtrO4UM976a5hFenunMsCTGdbxB_fIhPUkRGvbM/s1600/IMG_8139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRR4aKbA4ZvqUPqBzk-mqih-aAMjMOUtp924KtrNpTMPK_agM7fRxrvn8u23TYGYdpPtKB4WU4VACypE0z3IsYa7Nu1MG2mtKCAxZEJtrO4UM976a5hFenunMsCTGdbxB_fIhPUkRGvbM/s1600/IMG_8139.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Turns out I should have cross checked it with my awesome hubby. When we were done painting the canvases I looked and saw it was time to eat. Well guess what... he had not started grilling yet AND it was pouring. Ok then... onto plan B. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Once all the children had arrived I gathered them to the table and gave them a picture frame to color anyway they chose. I got these cute FREE frames from <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Free-Frames-Backgrounds-by-The-3AM-Teacher-196582" target="_blank">The 3AM Teacher</a>. They were absolutely perfect for our needs. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWKAuIo5KQ8LAE_bCFsfBHuNZZ0-7TPI7N7rTB9GqgDgvuTrBQGFmH01XmrOeBenG5QIOBFiKybPQy_1vQYykM13q-6_UtUSC48dxaYsQUO66gF5BsKOLKUA5KU3e8BcWpOsRVmIcH_1M/s1600/IMG_8164.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWKAuIo5KQ8LAE_bCFsfBHuNZZ0-7TPI7N7rTB9GqgDgvuTrBQGFmH01XmrOeBenG5QIOBFiKybPQy_1vQYykM13q-6_UtUSC48dxaYsQUO66gF5BsKOLKUA5KU3e8BcWpOsRVmIcH_1M/s1600/IMG_8164.jpg" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKHAo1hrrmnM9rVl8ifTRXR-qlr2_e9NdKIu8WRH7gMd0WHm0vKcFG5B6MavAC-uG9glz-hwEDIkNRxQa8-UqtWNY8qCJL1ijMI8Ug0CLNLWoKGLOQArYDC6rptuan-oynxT8JbSJKwCvj/s1600/IMG_8166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKHAo1hrrmnM9rVl8ifTRXR-qlr2_e9NdKIu8WRH7gMd0WHm0vKcFG5B6MavAC-uG9glz-hwEDIkNRxQa8-UqtWNY8qCJL1ijMI8Ug0CLNLWoKGLOQArYDC6rptuan-oynxT8JbSJKwCvj/s1600/IMG_8166.jpg" />When the kids were done coloring we hung them up in our Art Gallery. Truth be told we kept this up for almost an entire week. My daughter kept walking up to it and telling me to look at the art. Such an easy and inexpensive decoration!</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Next up was Canvas Painting. We needed to do this early on so the paintings would have time to dry. I purchased tiny <a href="http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/3-x-3-white-4-pack-mini-stretched-canvas-973289/" target="_blank">canvases</a>. They were 3 x 3 and came 6 in a package. They were the perfect size for the little ones who have trouble filling a page. I also bought <a href="http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/plate-dessert-farm-party-363523/" target="_blank">paint palettes</a>. They came 10 in a package. Believe me when I say all of the supplies were really affordable!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It was fun to see each age group create age appropriate art. This party theme really could be repeated in a few years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Since dinner was not ready yet we moved onto Fruit Loop Necklaces. I took a piece of ribbon and knotted a Fruit Loop on before the kids arrived. This prevented the cereal from falling off. We later discovered that we should tape one end of the ribbon like a shoe lace to make it easier to thread the cereal. This helped the little ones a ton! It was a great fine motor lesson. One of the little girls made a pattern too!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It didn't take the kids long to figure out they could eat their jewelry. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">After the kids had some play time and were fed it was FINALLY time to decorate the cupcakes. I used more paint palettes as a plate for the cupcake. The little paint holders were perfect for holding sprinkles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Finally, each guest received an art themed gift bag. Included in the bags were a box of Skittles, crayons, tub of Playdoh, and a watercolor set. This was another inexpensive and fun idea!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I created name tags by hand drawing paint palettes. I then wrote each name and used my daughters watercolor set to paint the paint splotches. I couldn't have been happier with the way they turned out! I tied them onto brown paper gift bags using ribbon of all the different colors of the rainbow. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> We were supposed to do some pictures in front of this board, but time got away from us. I did have time before the party to snap some pics of the birthday girl. She is so much fun!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> I think it is safe to say that the party was a huge success!</span></div>
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<br />Staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17984222407411625806noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147720707314348010.post-72122902072568955182015-05-31T09:00:00.000-05:002016-04-28T17:20:35.825-05:00Academic Field Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So this concept of Academic Field Day has been bouncing around my mind since last May. I had BIG plans to create it during my maternity leave after I failed to come up with nothing over summer break. Well 8 weeks of maternity leave came and went with no progress on my idea. May came around again and this idea was still tugging on my brain strings. Our school's annual field day was quickly approaching and there was rain in the forecast. Usually our field day is a whole day event, but the rain plan was to cut it down to just our 45 minute specials time. Ummmm there is a big difference when lesson planning for a whole day vs. small spurts of time between events. I wasn't about to show movies all day! That was my plan for the last day after all. Hehe! When I found out this rain plan it was Saturday afternoon and field day was on Tuesday. I told myself it was time to bring my idea to life and form Plan B. I scrambled and created over my entire Memorial Day break and I have to say I am so proud of the outcome. I got all of the items you see at <a href="http://www.dollartree.com/home.jsp" target="_blank">Dollar Tree</a>. This was such an inexpensive event! Keep reading to see <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Academic-Field-Day-1877356" target="_blank">Academic Field Day</a> in action. My kids had a BLAST!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I wanted each event to have an academic twist, but still get the kids up and going. I created the events to work in fairly small spaces. I came up with 6 events. They are a mix of ELA and Math previously taught skills.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I decided to bring 2 of my other teammates in on the action. One teammate included Mel D from </span><a href="http://seusstastic.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Seusstastic</span></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">. You may or may not know that she teaches High Ability 1st Graders, so when I was creating the academic portions I knew I had to make some things a little more challenging. There is a nice mix of higher and lower level questions. I should also mention she was the photographer of this event. I think she did a great job!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I do strongly suggest if you do this with more than your own class that you have a few parent volunteers to help at each station. We divided into 3 groups since their were 3 classes. There were about 22 students per team. If you were doing this with your own class you could divide them into smaller groups and the activities would run a lot quicker. Next year I will be reserving our LGI room to spread out the activities a little more. Luckily for us it did not rain on our regular field day, so we were able to use these activities as a last day wrap up. What a fun way to end the year!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The 1st activity we did was Beach Bucket Dig. The students lined up in a single file line as if they were walking down the hallway. The first person in line was in charge of digging through the beach bucket that was filled with shredded paper and foam shape pieces that had words written on them. The last student in line was collecting all of the shape pieces to form 3 different sentences. The kids in the middle were doing an over/under pass down the line. Boy was this a noisy time. My teammates and I were yelling, "over, under, over" and "pay attention." The kiddos did not get the concept at first that more pieces were coming their way. It was so fun to see the last few kids in line work together to build the sentences.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The next activity was the Dice Throw. I originally was going to do this as a Bean Bag Throw and have a numbered target drawn on plastic tablecloths, but I couldn't find the bean bags at the Dollar Tree. I did find these awesome foam dice. They came 2 in a pack for $1. I was so excited about the possible uses for them in my math centers, but for now I was going to use them for the Dice Throw. Each team had to roll 3 dice then add them up. Another version of this could be to toss 2 and find the difference. See so many possibilities! The team with the largest sum received a point. After all players rolled once the team with the most points was the winner. I loved seeing their hard work with facts this year pay off.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The 3rd activity was called Use Your Noodle. The kids had to answer a math question from the task cards I created. Some of the questions were really hard for my class, but really easy for Mel D's, so I created a level 1 and level 2 set of task cards. They look exactly the same, but are differentiated to meet the needs of many! After they got the answer correct they got to pop a noodle popper into the pool. My husband cut these for me, but I could have easily have done it myself. Don't tell him that though! He cut the noodle into about 1 1/2" rings. We just eye balled it. Then he cut the rings in half. You hold the cut side toward you and pop. Kids of all ages enjoyed this. I know because I tried it with my own and the neighbors kids. Cheap fun! After all players have been through once we counted the different color poppers. The team with the most won!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We moved outside for the next 2 activities. The 1st was called Scrambled Egg Relay. I got a heck of a deal at Target after Easter and bought a ton of plastic Easter eggs. I suggest the big ones for this game, but we used small ones too. Each egg contained a scrambled up sight word. The player was supposed to unscramble the word, put it back into the egg, and walk to the cone and back. Well I am here to admit that this was HARD! I have since added plain 'ol sight words too. I will use this next year and have them use the word in a sentence. The first team done is the winner.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The final activity was the Beach Ball Relay. This activity uses the ELA task cards I created. A player has to answer the question and then put a beach ball between their legs. They have to waddle or jump to the cone and back. I purchased 20" balls and that was a big mistake, so we pulled a Tom Brady and deflated the balls to make it easier for all the kids. LOL! It was so fun watching them try their best!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We had one more game, Watermelon War, but we ran out of time and had to go to lunch. It is a version of a game we play often in my own classroom. Each player draws a card. The player with the largest number gets to keep the card. The team with most cards after 1 time through wins.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We ended our day with a cool freeze pop as a reward for being great team players and working so hard throughout the year. I got 100 for $4.99 from <a href="http://www.target.com/" target="_blank">Target</a>! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is hard to believe another school year is over, but this was definitely a fun note to end it on!</span></div>
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<script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script>Staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17984222407411625806noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147720707314348010.post-58850200635701680242015-03-30T07:40:00.002-05:002016-04-03T18:37:53.122-05:00Ninja Bunnies $1 Sale!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Some ninja bunnies broke into my store last night and slashed some prices to $1!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Check out what everyone has discounted. Here is what you will find from my store.</span></div>
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<!-- end InLinkz script -->Staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17984222407411625806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147720707314348010.post-44955496316774129022015-03-28T19:04:00.002-05:002016-04-09T18:28:11.255-05:00Spring Teacher Blogger Meet Up 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOGKe16niYadj9yQu58MGbGBL2YJ5GmHTBsdGr_EjhrPTs_pRu_6nF92_hRtMxwFg2KdSuETEYg68ltInNCfr349TZvO5A65OC8xwz6LnxJBYw7a0tMTQdKK74_2mVAodPUC4sMsCJIl8c/s1600/18800_878578105527099_8690404003291178447_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOGKe16niYadj9yQu58MGbGBL2YJ5GmHTBsdGr_EjhrPTs_pRu_6nF92_hRtMxwFg2KdSuETEYg68ltInNCfr349TZvO5A65OC8xwz6LnxJBYw7a0tMTQdKK74_2mVAodPUC4sMsCJIl8c/s1600/18800_878578105527099_8690404003291178447_n.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Whew! What a FANTASTIC weekend it was at the #springteacherbloggermeetup2015! Have you seen all of the pictures with the longest hashtag in the whole world of hashtags? If not, you need to go check them out. The weekend was EPIC!!!! I was horrible at taking pictures, but thankfully my friends weren't, so I am going to share some of them with you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">First off, I was very up in the air if I was going to attend this year. I just had my newest bundle of joy only 3 1/2 weeks before the meet up and it was a C-section. I wasn't sure I would be up for toting a little one around. But I went last year and it was so much fun! I could not stand the idea of not going again. I convinced Mel D to go with me again and just like that we were on the road to French Lick (ok a little more planning went into it then that, but not much). There may have been some behind the scenes husband <strike>conning</strike> charming first. We couldn't help it though we just HAD to be there again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We arrived in French Lick right by the skin of our teeth. We left my house just before 6 am (a little early for Mel D, but this new mommy had been up since 3:30) and thankfully the baby slept and slept and slept. Otherwise we probably would have been late and I HATE to be late. It took us a little extra time to navigate through the town because they had massive flooding from all of the snow melting. I kept thinking to myself what if we get flooded in? I was almost ready to turn around.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We started with some mingling and putting our tickets into the prize bags. There were so many awesome prizes to be won. Seriously, people and companies were generous! It was so great to see some of my bloggy friends again. Can I just say how surreal it is to have all of these friends who you have only met online and then you get together and it is like you have known each other forever. It is just the coolest having so many like minded people together in the same room.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then, we did a getting to know you activity. Every table had to decorate a letter with information about yourself. Then we had to go in front of the WHOLE room of over 100 bloggers on a MICROPHONE and introduce ourselves. I was literally shaking like a leaf. Thankfully I am really good at making fun of myself and did just that. Then I found DeeDee Wills' friendly face and just focused on her. She really put me at ease without even knowing it. The tables combined ended up spelling out the mantra for the weekend...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">After that, we had the teacher tool gift exchange which I blogged about last weekend. You can read all about that {</span><a href="http://teachingeverafter.blogspot.com/2015/03/teacher-tool-gift-exchange-its-worth-it.html" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">}. Trust me, if you haven't read about the tool I received you MUST do it now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then, we got together for some table talk sessions. I went to Crystal Radke's session and got to hear all about RCA. I have to say that is the newest addition to my teacher bucket list. I hope I get to go there someday soon! I also went to Christina DeCarbo's session and learned about the business side of TPT. I took a ton of great tips away from her session about how to do things the right way. Finally, I went to DeeDee Will's and Deanna Jump's session. Can I just say how down to earth and funny they are! We talked about Writer's Workshop. So much great information!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Finally, it was time for the GIVEAWAYS! It was like going to Oprah's Favorite Things show or Ellen's 12 Days of Giveaways show. The swag was overflowing! Check out the goodies we ALL went home with! My teacher heart was pounding with excitement! There was so many great things including new <a href="http://www.weveel.com/scentos.html" target="_blank">Scentos</a>, a <a href="http://www.verabradley.com/" target="_blank">Vera Bradley</a> bag, AND an <a href="https://www.erincondren.com/" target="_blank">ERIN CONDREN</a> PLANNER! Shut the front door!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">After we all squealed with delight about our amazing swag we all began making dinner plans. We decided to leave the hotel and we went to this little hole in the wall Mexican restaurant. I got to share a table with some of the best in the teacher world. I seriously couldn't believe I had landed there. And wouldn't you know it, I didn't take a picture! There is NO proof that I had dinner with Mel D from </span><a href="http://seusstastic.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" target="_blank">Seusstastic</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">, Katie from </span><a href="http://littlekinderwarriors.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" target="_blank">Little Warriors</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">, Erin from </span><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Erins-Ink" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" target="_blank">Erin's Ink</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">, Crystal from </span><a href="http://kreativeinkinder.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" target="_blank">Kreative in Kinder</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">, Deanna from </span><a href="http://mrsjumpsclass.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" target="_blank">Mrs. Jump's Class</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">, DeeDee Wills from </span><a href="http://www.mrswillskindergarten.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" target="_blank">Mrs. Wills' Kindergarten</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">, and Kim Adsit from </span><a href="http://kindergals.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" target="_blank">Kindergals</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> (she blogs with her daughter, Megan, who also joined us). Ummmmm are you kidding me!!! Yes, I totally just name dropped! Wouldn't you?! I enjoyed every second of dinner and laughed out loud more than once.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So if you remember from earlier Mel and I barely made it to the meet up on time. We never had a chance to check into our hotel. Since we were so last minute with our plans we had to stay at the West Baden Hotel. Normally it is a quick shuttle ride to the hotel, BUT the entrance was flooded. We seriously had to drive through B.F.E. to get to the hotel. I was convinced we were going the wrong way, so we turned around only to find that we were in fact going the right way. Ugh! After some roads out of Deliverance we made it to our hotel. We only had enough time to check in and change into our PJ's. Then we were right back out the door for the PJ party complete with pillows from the hotel. We were a sight to be seen!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> When we made it back to French Lick hotel the PJ party sponsored by <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/" target="_blank">Teachers Pay Teachers</a> and <a href="https://www.gonoodle.com/" target="_blank">GoNoodle</a> was in full swing. Teachers in pink were dancing to GoNoodle, eating pizza, decorating pillow cases, and acting silly in the photo booth area. It was a riot! It really took me back to my sleepover days. Thanks TPT and GoNoodle!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There is SOOOOO much more I could share with you about the weekend, but this forever post would seriously be a novel. You should just come next year and experience it all for yourself. You will not be sorry, unless Holly decides to organize a murder mystery party like we chatted about. Might be a little too scary for me!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Can't wait to see you all next year!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Be sure to enter to win your very own swag from this EPIC event!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Also check out my other friends thoughts on the meet up</span>.</div>
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<a href="http://new.inlinkz.com/luwpview.php?id=508317" rel="nofollow" title="click to view in an external page.">An InLinkz Link-up</a></div>
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Staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17984222407411625806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147720707314348010.post-47912020395080384282015-03-22T09:00:00.000-05:002016-04-09T18:26:27.403-05:00Teacher Tool Gift Exchange- The It's Worth It Box<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://secondgradesugarandspice.blogspot.com/2015/03/2015-teacher-tool-gift-exchange-linky.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-gqr79iFniszT5a2nLxTEJo-XCYuH6AlzWM85J-kVpy5Jwgmn-K3HheaKxuut6Cub9o_awDow8UN4s38uaSvVU_bZ43qxM0a2Io7s1r4kwg6FznCW6vnDGj9HJqy_13xn-8Xx-5GCeryW/s1600/11074296_850218101712183_7941288210104747110_n.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Wow! The 2nd Annual Spring Blogger Meet-Up did NOT disappoint once again. What an amazingly well executed meet-up by <a href="http://mrsehleskindergartenconnections.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">H</a></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://mrsehleskindergartenconnections.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">olly Ehle</a> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">and <a href="http://iheartkindergarten.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Brittany Banister</a>. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Well done ladies! I will talk more abo</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">ut the awesome time we had in another post. Today I want to share with you the teacher tool that I received during our exchange. For more great tools visit</span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://secondgradesugarandspice.blogspot.com/2015/03/2015-teacher-tool-gift-exchange-linky.html" target="_blank">Second Grade Sugar and Spice</a></span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">where there is an great linky happening.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The tool I received seriously made me tear up. It could have been my rampant hormones since I just gave birth only a month ago, but I have a feeling it had more to do with this sweet gift.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">She honestly slept like this the ENTIRE weekend at the meet-up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We started the exchange with a fun left and right story written by Amanda Pauley from <a href="http://mrspauleyskindergarten.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Mrs. Pauley's Kindergarten</a>. It was hysterical because she wrote a part about taking a wrong turn and getting lost and it just so happened that DeeDee Wills and Deanna Jump got lost on their way. They got so lost they needed a police escort. We were all cracking up!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I first opened my bag I have to admit I was a little confused. This was the first thing I saw...</span></div>
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<a href="http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/y459/Stacey_Hemphill/c0d6f1a7-58ba-4644-8889-5c42a77b9ee7_zpsywmkwh1l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/y459/Stacey_Hemphill/62219f49-d3d9-4203-b40a-973015b0078e_zpss6wbukxm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/y459/Stacey_Hemphill/62219f49-d3d9-4203-b40a-973015b0078e_zpss6wbukxm.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">How perfect is this quote. I am a busy lady with being a teacher, wife, and mom of three. I do need to start living this quote.</span></div>
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<a href="http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/y459/Stacey_Hemphill/47878048-e900-4e20-a059-41511241f8ae_zpsza4q9xcg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/y459/Stacey_Hemphill/47878048-e900-4e20-a059-41511241f8ae_zpsza4q9xcg.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Is this not a beautiful box? Still wondering what it has to do with a teacher tool? I was still wondering too. Then I opened it up and read this poem...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I say that I had to choke back tears I am not exaggerating. We have all felt this way a time or twenty right?! This tear jerker poem was written by Christina DeCarbo from <a href="http://secondgradesugarandspice.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Sugar and Spice</a>. Can I tell you that her blog name is PERFECT for her. She is the sweetest little thing with the cutest voice. I absolutely adored meeting her and receiving this great teacher tool from her. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I got home I knew exactly what items I was going to put in my b</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">ox first. This year I got a handmade necklace from one of my sweet kiddos. We have all gotten them, but this one was different...</span></div>
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<a href="http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/y459/Stacey_Hemphill/4486530b-ba60-4545-a68d-c77bf65939c0_zpsayymdcnp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/y459/Stacey_Hemphill/4486530b-ba60-4545-a68d-c77bf65939c0_zpsayymdcnp.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Can you see what it says? Miss-is-Hemphill! Oh my word is that NOT the cutest thing you have ever seen?! This brings a smile to my face every time I look at it. I just adore that I have impacted their lives so much that they are thinking of me when they are at home doing crafts. I love my job!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This next item was delivered to me via one of our ENL teachers who goes from school to school. This student is in 5th grade now, which is located at our middle school. I taught her when she was a 2nd grader. This melted my heart and makes all of the bad days SO worth it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I look forward to filling this box with more sweet sentiments and treasures from students. This is going to be the perfect pick me up for those days that I just need a reminder of why I love my job. </span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Inside the box I also found Energizer Tap Lights. Christina uses these during her Guided Reading groups. She uses them to have students show their thinking or they can light them up when they are ready to discuss their ideas with the group. I really think my students are going to have a ball with these. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><a href="http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/y459/Stacey_Hemphill/68d989d8-e9f5-4d69-93ea-49bb7394d39b_zps7dju9yrx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/y459/Stacey_Hemphill/68d989d8-e9f5-4d69-93ea-49bb7394d39b_zps7dju9yrx.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My teacher tool was simply a <a href="http://www.target.com/" target="_blank">Target</a> gift card. It was a bookmark too. Isn't is cute? </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWEDxJOZfIMf4HIoYHsJTBRCQywlWdA-S4s5n2Lb5cAEGyFiu33Qj0sbB_E92a5fsnK8HKX-XCaz5LU_bvVoYPCvFG_wcX30OeamDRxuvAL5EYcDBMRUdVHkKr3Oe9Ufnse6OE7XygMhX/s1600/target.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWEDxJOZfIMf4HIoYHsJTBRCQywlWdA-S4s5n2Lb5cAEGyFiu33Qj0sbB_E92a5fsnK8HKX-XCaz5LU_bvVoYPCvFG_wcX30OeamDRxuvAL5EYcDBMRUdVHkKr3Oe9Ufnse6OE7XygMhX/s1600/target.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Thanks for the picture Em!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Em Hutchison from <a href="http://curiousfirsties.blogspot.com/2015/03/french-lick-teacher-tool-swap.html" target="_blank">Curious Firsties</a> received my gift. Head over to her blog to see the essentials she bought with her card. I am constantly shopping in the Dollar Spot or frankly anywhere in that store for things in my classroom. I love to find things to use for fluency trackers, math manipulatives, or fun and engaging ways to keep my kiddos interested. I have found witch fingers and laser lights to follow along with reading, white gloves to use for questioning strategies, erasers to use with ten frames, and fun glasses to wear to keep their little eyes focused. It can also be used to spruce up your work attire. Or lets face it a beverage other than coke for a rough week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here we all are sporting our new teacher tools. What a wonderful group of 1st grade teachers!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I almost can't wait to get back into the classroom to start using my tap lights and maybe collect a few more things for my "It's Worth It" box. I think I will try and enjoy my 3 more weeks of maternity leave though.</span></div>
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<!-- end InLinkz script -->Staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17984222407411625806noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147720707314348010.post-89788821769714058462015-02-25T11:18:00.000-06:002016-04-03T18:38:34.311-05:00My Teacher Hero<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There are many reasons or people that led me to my chosen career path of teacher. When I look back through my years as a student there are two people in particular who stick out to me the most. Thank you to <a href="http://luckeyfrogslilypad.blogspot.com/2015/02/my-teacher-hero.html" target="_blank">Luckeyfrog's Lilypad</a> for helping me to remember the why.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzWG9dOqS3bPGgYB-tbJq0f8_cKmdeONGLB_Y4OrAymg5SFon5OZk7e09pj5-05mvJFCmb5ZaHQ7OxvbLiNbMoyquFrS7U_CsyKwg638CrhDkKdv-MVYFTH_WzZBZe8Vr6ei4xaXBqkMUq/s1600/my+teacher+hero+logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzWG9dOqS3bPGgYB-tbJq0f8_cKmdeONGLB_Y4OrAymg5SFon5OZk7e09pj5-05mvJFCmb5ZaHQ7OxvbLiNbMoyquFrS7U_CsyKwg638CrhDkKdv-MVYFTH_WzZBZe8Vr6ei4xaXBqkMUq/s1600/my+teacher+hero+logo.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The first wonderful lady in my life was Mrs. Buffington. She was my 2nd grade teacher and I thought the world of her. When I look back on our time together I see how she really helped me to embrace my love of helping and teaching. One story in particular makes me giggle when I think about our year together. Please keep in mind I am not proud of this event, but it was a tell tale sign that I would grow up to be a teacher. One day Mrs. Buffington was out sick or at a meeting (because you know we attend a ton of those). There was of course a substitute and you know nothing good usually comes from having a sub. Mrs. Buffington had a stack of worksheets on a shelf in the back of the room. Anytime there were extras she would put them on the shelf. A couple of friends and I got the bright idea to take some of those worksheets, so we could play school. I took it to the next level and also took some workbooks. We were able to carefully sneak them into our backpacks. When I got home, my friend and I were playing school in my room with the door closed. Again, nothing good comes from a closed door. My mom came in and caught us with the stolen goods. This is where I gave major props to my parents. The next morning they marched me into school and took me to my classroom. I had to tell Mrs. Buffington what I did the day before. I was mortified! She was very sweet about the whole thing and just had me return the workbooks. I'm pretty sure she was able to see what I would one day become. Thank you Mrs. Buffington for a wonderful year!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The second lady came into my life much later. She was my high school Spanish teacher and we all called her Señora Shinovich. She was the spunkiest and most exciting teacher in the whole school. She was the reason I continued to take Spanish classes in high school. She actually made me want to become a Spanish teacher (I ended up in elementary education). The other day I ran into her in COSTCO. I looked at her and said, "Señora?" She recognized me immediately! It has been over 10 years since I sat in her classroom, not to mention I was 9 months pregnant with two other children climbing out of the cart. That meant the world to me that after all of the students who came and went through the years she remembered me. Thank you Señora for being a positive influence in my life!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Both of these ladies are the reason why I am who I am today. I love teaching and I am sure it is because of their infectious personalities and desire to teach. I hope to one day become that for one of my students.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I would love to hear about your teacher hero and I bet they would also love to hear it too! Reach out to your teacher hero while you can.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">To help celebrate all of you teacher heros TPT is having a sale. Today you can get up to 28% off anything in <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Teaching-Ever-After" target="_blank">my store</a>. Just be sure to use the code HEROES.</span><br />
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<br />Staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17984222407411625806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147720707314348010.post-30060875195930953532014-08-30T07:06:00.000-05:002014-08-30T07:06:00.181-05:00Dog Days of Summer $1 Sale!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My Indiana blogger friends and I are at it again! This time with a Dog Days of Summer $1 Sale! This sale blows my mind every time we have one. The amazing discounts are out of this world!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">For the next two days I will have 4 of my favorite products discounted to $1! If you buy all 3 it is a savings of $5.50. Who couldn't use a little extra cash in their pockets to spend on more amazing classroom materials?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have included some of my favorite beginning of the year and fall products.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fall-Fun-with-Nouns-and-Adjectives-911974" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8hk3EGywzM7SadOX19rtg0BVSIwjI7klz0epHsyYeOMLWHYJXwyYRT8sCKh81E6sk5ZisasafUyS0o6HS_U9aSRnzOweBLxvVQY9VvdGD1ORnEQ7aSqcIh4GjPVUSkGpmngkKZW7oigIN/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-08-30+at+6.48.35+AM.png" height="239" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is probably one of my all time favorite products! <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fall-Fun-with-Nouns-and-Adjectives-911974" target="_blank">Fall Fun! with Nouns and Adjectives</a> features activities for both whole group and small group including Nouns Sort and a I Have... Who Has game.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Lemonade-Themed-Pack-for-Use-With-Accelerated-Reading-738661" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7oYYg3nzwt324w9RpHQKEVW3ogfS34DN8oWCnjC9Dy7frj1cncL0-LWTjX4ojntvkyPBRj92we05ZUvez20mgLmYWOK1BSbYwLT0yNTuKZ4K6YqLpIYpZg9P9XkqxtSap6Kti_At19dAx/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-08-30+at+6.48.55+AM.png" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Lemonade-Themed-Pack-for-Use-With-Accelerated-Reading-738661" target="_blank">Lemonade Themed Accelerated Reader Pack</a> is the perfect way to encourage little readers to reach for their goals and become stronger readers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mystery-Reader-Pack-1357809" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMNak6s2D06JxvM3nPVy7ALt3KNKouv90eLtQRfjdlcvjUYqbHK6M2j2iFVUKq-0x08cN39_gjKt8BDGACp1lXNX62V7ijhumhsp9TdFe7hJ-jdtCqcxXLPOF2DP6EEQVDVlraHS5jiI6z/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-08-30+at+6.49.15+AM.png" height="320" width="240" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I love that I have <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mystery-Reader-Pack-1357809" target="_blank">Mystery Readers</a> come to the classroom! We had our first reader for the new school year come yesterday and the kids LOVED every minute of it. I even got the sweetest email from the mom. Check it out:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMlg0EmDqPnvLQJQlfNsrY1NWTLLyxVoPvwXQuG-QXKTSfnsXiEEmRjsDrs5MBGOGmYZDihLunmQvImUQ86CrqdZMVTg3l_HkiwfH0ZPXN4_SMkNdR3HzfmFS54LEc35i7mEVtnIuncB5b/s1600/photo-5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMlg0EmDqPnvLQJQlfNsrY1NWTLLyxVoPvwXQuG-QXKTSfnsXiEEmRjsDrs5MBGOGmYZDihLunmQvImUQ86CrqdZMVTg3l_HkiwfH0ZPXN4_SMkNdR3HzfmFS54LEc35i7mEVtnIuncB5b/s1600/photo-5.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Pumpkins-Galore-An-Addition-Math-Facts-Game-927740" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0K_SDtiKsFm7tgkqhhn-73fDELY-4coPQmnWCr2fhZJzLhe7zSeI3cX0T0FWxyMwTC7Adjf60bJIk2Tf-gcDElUrhztuXxCi6-LLVyMgX2SPt92r9tFsZBdRXocKE6CNbbQwywDf2vEbS/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-08-30+at+6.49.35+AM.png" height="245" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Pumpkins-Galore-An-Addition-Math-Facts-Game-927740" target="_blank">Pumpkins Galore</a> has been a huge hit in the past with my kiddos. They really love Pumpkin War and even requested that I create more themed war games so I did with <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Love-War-A-Comparing-Numbers-Game-1-99-1057669" target="_blank">Love War</a> (more to come this year).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thank you for stopping by! I hope you are having a wonderful start to your new school year OR are enjoying the last few days of summer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Check out the amazing products from my friends below.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Stacey</span></div>
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<a href="http://new.inlinkz.com//luwpview.php?id=441194" rel="nofollow" title="click to view in an external page.">An InLinkz Link-up</a></div>
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<!-- end InLinkz script -->Staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17984222407411625806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147720707314348010.post-58827872603651443022014-08-19T21:04:00.000-05:002016-04-03T18:39:36.149-05:00Pop to Win Math Game Review<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I recently had the opportunity to do a review for <a href="http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/product/productDet.jsp?productItemID=1%2C689%2C949%2C371%2C929%2C058&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=1408474395181113&bmUID=1408499939465" target="_blank">Lakeshore Learning</a>. I met up with Scott from Lakeshore Learning while in Vegas this summer and I fell even more in love with their products! What a great guy with awesome ideas!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif3-D_GtkCPWxh6P-xIjWpTEO__qGR4pRFlYk10U8wguMLINgM_HwUa7544594oXgUqowfhW0UFyON11dpmrjuJ7Hm-PKEGxfRml2F6EhmKqWRCUVKTMqUh_b4RmK1A-Oce2Y-XDwLqICd/s1600/photo-4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif3-D_GtkCPWxh6P-xIjWpTEO__qGR4pRFlYk10U8wguMLINgM_HwUa7544594oXgUqowfhW0UFyON11dpmrjuJ7Hm-PKEGxfRml2F6EhmKqWRCUVKTMqUh_b4RmK1A-Oce2Y-XDwLqICd/s1600/photo-4.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I reviewed the <a href="http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/product/productDet.jsp?productItemID=1%2C689%2C949%2C371%2C929%2C058&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=1408474395181113&bmUID=1408499939465" target="_blank">Pop to Win Math Game</a>. I have been searching for almost a year for different activities to use in Math centers. This game fits right in with my idea. It is for 1st grade, but there were other grade levels to choose from AND it relates to the Common Core Standards. LOVE IT!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3SazVt5Ks5AWxhoLvn2uaNobS-Vr0GzrjxC3MyRrbWo3q9bWQ_i8tducVcFF1gWpMWX9bXlA6UfVXfWYnsdI3pl-G06Zoiv60Dl-Z61ySXbAQSuJo1CxY2qjeuDT86klNSorV7bpeSf9O/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3SazVt5Ks5AWxhoLvn2uaNobS-Vr0GzrjxC3MyRrbWo3q9bWQ_i8tducVcFF1gWpMWX9bXlA6UfVXfWYnsdI3pl-G06Zoiv60Dl-Z61ySXbAQSuJo1CxY2qjeuDT86klNSorV7bpeSf9O/s1600/photo+2.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC2RvCqXB13FgUGuwoe6b_3TKxLFkNCWLHPofJr6frnfyqfmGDbn83NfwVOlit8jotuKuYYB3AeHmuzdHZzl7_U9TKyh06e-1y1LIYIndU0IvLoY6h_kBhDlK_grPInP3yZbzjDuvCyNeW/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC2RvCqXB13FgUGuwoe6b_3TKxLFkNCWLHPofJr6frnfyqfmGDbn83NfwVOlit8jotuKuYYB3AeHmuzdHZzl7_U9TKyh06e-1y1LIYIndU0IvLoY6h_kBhDlK_grPInP3yZbzjDuvCyNeW/s1600/photo+1.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This game can be used at the beginning of the year with a small teacher led group and as the students gain familiarity and independence it can be easily incorporated into Math stations. My kiddos had so much fun playing together! We used only the Operations and Algebraic Thinking cards to wet our feet. For some it was a challenge and for others it was a great way to review skills they already knew.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxB8tinBfFm84F7Fs-XIe_AMzNL0NGw0RvEJNp74BWxTwhVFQ6xrvxy89e_Rf1lGNGTkK8ONS-2LGmRPk1ZyTd7comn-4Yv90ufw9bJheEt_4ew2Mgr4mELjJivhouhTyZrYWT5EjG5CRI/s1600/photo-3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxB8tinBfFm84F7Fs-XIe_AMzNL0NGw0RvEJNp74BWxTwhVFQ6xrvxy89e_Rf1lGNGTkK8ONS-2LGmRPk1ZyTd7comn-4Yv90ufw9bJheEt_4ew2Mgr4mELjJivhouhTyZrYWT5EjG5CRI/s1600/photo-3.JPG" width="240" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKjVHPHVTfH15jmTUairoWCcPOn-7zoFAzQFUsrvfQMWiLdVXY3ojt9zoi1jjyrFG0-D7w_5oKswA-Z0G8AAEIw1Uq8mTkLWYJSH7gze2eVlcPcl17VcHeg5oNGaIjoRgt4hxkzGVrMk6T/s1600/photo+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKjVHPHVTfH15jmTUairoWCcPOn-7zoFAzQFUsrvfQMWiLdVXY3ojt9zoi1jjyrFG0-D7w_5oKswA-Z0G8AAEIw1Uq8mTkLWYJSH7gze2eVlcPcl17VcHeg5oNGaIjoRgt4hxkzGVrMk6T/s1600/photo+4.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is a must have for my classroom! We cannot wait to play it again!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">~Stacey</span></div>
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Staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17984222407411625806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3147720707314348010.post-46805719870549943502014-07-31T12:22:00.002-05:002016-04-09T18:28:54.937-05:00Mystery Reader<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I started having Mystery Readers in my classroom last year. Have you heard of it? A fellow teacher did it in her classroom and I decided it was a great idea.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGazf4NJ2K4IzdzuG3UpQ-XJVsHusBjArP9b5IDlgaRuJ0trfwQtGtgKW-fuwks1zXHuF8R1NcnQCRrdYqxb2JTYfQSG0V4PWnRF71Q0_ce3gT61P2jCvAYwMe4gZH51H_ZPXyxWq5izxH/s1600/Mystery+Reader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGazf4NJ2K4IzdzuG3UpQ-XJVsHusBjArP9b5IDlgaRuJ0trfwQtGtgKW-fuwks1zXHuF8R1NcnQCRrdYqxb2JTYfQSG0V4PWnRF71Q0_ce3gT61P2jCvAYwMe4gZH51H_ZPXyxWq5izxH/s1600/Mystery+Reader.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I invite all parents to sign up for a day to be our class Mystery Reader. When they sign up they give me 3 clues about themselves. My students try to solve the case prior to the reader coming in. It was so fun watching them deduce who it was. I even invited staff from around the building to join. The kids were thrilled when that happened!</span></div>
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<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVTovDdc5a4W0BqA2PECrBeXaZ7N7UnA48aOenqy29S_fYBks1FojAF0nVZA5ncsuxcJIALxeGbQwXnqxGSVk28ABYVKYlz4iY77aztr2LmsGFhjAdT6MFRGVNxvg0juX1CUeQO7I6TRO/s1600/MysteryReader1.jpg" /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcUsJNiMeEb69uQks-QPsciRHfHqNTgwXOcCyAVuQtP8-BKETiEwTGEsJgwHoymeZClp7yMoODfVMHz1wohPQGFlkv7kRe6wR3Pe0OLt1Q3ztRmYD32oujMxOA7p6cCXe88l-EkUs6sOZ/s1600/taylormom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcUsJNiMeEb69uQks-QPsciRHfHqNTgwXOcCyAVuQtP8-BKETiEwTGEsJgwHoymeZClp7yMoODfVMHz1wohPQGFlkv7kRe6wR3Pe0OLt1Q3ztRmYD32oujMxOA7p6cCXe88l-EkUs6sOZ/s1600/taylormom.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I love these collages because you can see the joy on both the parent and students face! I am helping to create a memory that will last a lifetime!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Last year, I invited people through email and they signed up using a Google Doc. I liked the Google Doc because people could see what dates were taken immediately. The problem was a lack of participation from parents due to them not reading their email. Shocker I know!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Most of my schedule was filled up with staff, such as the Dean of Students, Librarian, Secretary, and Art Teacher. It was loads of fun seeing another side of them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Mystery Reader is in charge of choosing and providing the book to read. Our Secretary shared a book about snowflakes called "Snowflake Bentley".</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0547248296/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0547248296&linkCode=as2&tag=teaeveaft-20&linkId=PJ4EOU6OADFNOQFX"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0547248296&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=teaeveaft-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=teaeveaft-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0547248296" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The kids were entranced by the different snowflakes and how they were so difficult to be photographed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Our Art Teacher's old neighbor published a book about the area where she grew up. She ordered it online and shared it with the class. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Our Dean of Students read "Skippyjon Jones". He did the voice perfectly! Lets just say that the students weren't the only ones cracking up!</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0142404039/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0142404039&linkCode=as2&tag=teaeveaft-20&linkId=XRWPUK7N2YPTLYFN"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0142404039&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=teaeveaft-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=teaeveaft-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0142404039" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I think your class would love to add this new tradition to the classroom. I created a <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mystery-Reader-Pack-1357809" target="_blank">Mystery Reader Pack</a> this year to encourage more participation. </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mystery-Reader-Pack-1357809" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7AmQr-ziDykN0pFoK-Enhv5ZK7mn62WkG3JQSmY7WO0x0CugnHW5nJpNcZJnq-4QHUg4yhXG-wjlJ1lWmT_4BA7CLsNiz8uDK4DjbUBid9UstveHzaZDN70gKwW8xZBtoHY7THKE-Vl-P/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-07-31+at+12.13.07+PM.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I will be handing out the invite letters at Meet the Teacher night. I also included a thank you card in the pack that can be signed by the whole class. There is a space inside of the card to print and attach a 5x7 photo of the Mystery Reader with their child or the class. They will love the memento!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">~Stacey</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Today I am going to share with you how I made my crate seats. There are many blog posts about this very topic, but in case you haven't seen them I will share my way. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">These crate seats have got to be the easiest project my husband and I have tackled! Keep in mind that there are different dimensions for different milk crates, so I will not be giving you cutting dimensions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You will need milk crates, fabric, sturdy wood, padding, a staple gun, and tools to cut the wood.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpZtcAcjjoQ3Lg0SI1OHvgNUytJitlPx67rpRIckOrF6Ia245gfPQmlvYGjHRZqOns1X9WmCg_WeedCmUdsMxrOr_wcANsUsZVGlNem5prgZHe2oBacMbM2VOUb-h1kLIIEuB4kKfcANho/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img alt="Teaching Ever After" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpZtcAcjjoQ3Lg0SI1OHvgNUytJitlPx67rpRIckOrF6Ia245gfPQmlvYGjHRZqOns1X9WmCg_WeedCmUdsMxrOr_wcANsUsZVGlNem5prgZHe2oBacMbM2VOUb-h1kLIIEuB4kKfcANho/s1600/photo+1.JPG" title="Fabric for crate seats" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I seriously got over 2 yards of fabric for $13!!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I purchased my milk crates from <a href="http://www.target.com/p/room-essentials-milk-crate-black/-/A-14089509#prodSlot=medium_1_5&term=milk+crates" target="_blank">Target</a> a few years ago. When I was there a few days ago they did not have green, but had pink and another color. The fabric came from <a href="http://www.joann.com/" target="_blank">Joann Fabrics</a>. I got a yard of each color and that was MORE than enough. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Step 1: May or may not have started with my husband dumpster diving for wood. We live in a developing neighborhood and there are tons of scraps. I am not advising you to do this, but it is an option. Hehe! I don't have a picture of him doing it unfortunately.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAtoXM3Z87pT0icZJhZ1HMcMLizVl-yBvLg2QxeuDwPFnu2umj9MXaeBXdVaRtssVMnQRU-ifah0HD__BY1ifsTLDtFdprMfZpUosnudEYOdjLk2flGjFJtLoZd_h9eY2sJeeenuriIEkC/s1600/photo+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img alt="Teaching Ever After" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAtoXM3Z87pT0icZJhZ1HMcMLizVl-yBvLg2QxeuDwPFnu2umj9MXaeBXdVaRtssVMnQRU-ifah0HD__BY1ifsTLDtFdprMfZpUosnudEYOdjLk2flGjFJtLoZd_h9eY2sJeeenuriIEkC/s1600/photo+5.JPG" title="measuring for crate seats" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He was able to score some 3/4" plywood. It wasn't perfect, so he had to square it off with his circular saw. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Step 2: He took the dimensions of the inside lip of the milk crate. The wood will sit on the lip. I am sure this project could be done in a different way if the crate does not contain a lip, but the crates I purchased from Target had the lip.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyL7ec7BLwNXrKIhmn4IXbc9WiIU4HYSM4RHWVpN-OgWXpS5t23EoAF0zHXz_SbSmsCC5N33c8U2wUty4vJocWTQ7Po5LCPPkisE0cWaPIlfwMa6hGjjbwBfNgKkyVGx_wSnwGn7UQfDWr/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img alt="Teaching Ever After" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyL7ec7BLwNXrKIhmn4IXbc9WiIU4HYSM4RHWVpN-OgWXpS5t23EoAF0zHXz_SbSmsCC5N33c8U2wUty4vJocWTQ7Po5LCPPkisE0cWaPIlfwMa6hGjjbwBfNgKkyVGx_wSnwGn7UQfDWr/s1600/photo+1.JPG" title="Crate Seats" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Step 3: Using the circular saw (and all of the proper safety gear) he cut the plywood to the proper dimensions. When he was done we tried to fit it in. It did not work because the corners of the crate were rounded. He took off a small amount off of each corner of the plywood to make it fit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Step 4: We used foam mats to pad the plywood for a more comfortable seat. It isn't like sitting on a comfortable couch, but it did the trick. We trimmed the foam mat to size. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Step 5: This is where I had some fun. Up until this point my awesome husband had done all of the work. I laid out the fabric face down and put the foam mat and wood face down on top of it. I decided to cover the whole bottom portion of the plywood with fabric to prevent splinters. I used my husbands air nailer that shoots staples with 18 gauge 1/2" staples. I am sure that you could use a regular staple gun. We just didn't have one at the house. I stapled one side at a time being sure to pull the fabric tight each time. When I got to the last two sides I wrapped it like a present. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">That is all there is to it! Easy Peasy! I hope I explained this clearly. If there are any questions PLEASE feel free to comment below.</span></div>
<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">~Stacey</span></span><br />
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