Spring is Around the Corner!

With SPRING right around the corner (HURRY UP SPRING!!), are you 

ready for some Spring cleaning--cleaning out your bookshelves that is? 

I have enjoyed doing a little book swap with my students for the last two years!! Download it for free.

And, have some fun with these bright colors used in your SPRING activities:

And, Saving the Best for Last...

Announcing a Sale Celebrating THREE MILLION TEACHERS STRONG!!!

Almost every single item in my store will be 20% off during this two day event, including a few hard goods (such as used novels and teaching resources)!

Don't forget to enter the PROMO CODE TPT3 to receive up to 28% off at checkout!

Exchanging Positive Comments with Classmates on Valentine's Day

I love Valentine's Day! 

Along with Valentine's Day comes the exchanging of little "love tokens" ("love tokens" especially in middle school...) between those who "like" each other, have boyfriends/girlfriends, crushes, admirers, etc. But, we also know plenty of people (children, teens, adults too) who like to receive sweet little notes on this fun day! (Cupid does not absolutely have to be involved, right?) Sending a sweet note, positive comment, or smile someone's way is a great idea for the students (teachers too ;) ha!) 

That's why I ended up making this resource to encourage my students to exchange little notes with positive comments to each classmate--there's something positive in all of us and those positives should be acknowledged. It's a way to lift spirits, put a smile on a face, or just to let someone know you've "noticed" something good in him/her. 

So, why not have your students do the same. It's an inexpensive way to exchange "valentines" or "kind thoughts" on Valentine's Day! Grab the free resource in my TpT store! 

I'd love to hear your ideas for encouraging and promoting a positive environment in your classroom--for Valentine's Day as well as any other normal day at school!

We can all use these kinds of tips/ideas to boost the morale and warmth surrounding us each day at school. 

Happy Valentine's Day! (early..)

Borders/Backgrounds-- Freebie for You!

Hey all! Hope your October is lovely!

I meant to load these a long while back and forgot I had them.. HELLOOO! ;) Anyway, these are just a few backgrounds I drummed up one evening when creating my own agenda books for the week. I thought I may as well load them on Google docs and share with you guys!

Download these swirly corners frames/backgrounds for FREE--either from pic or google docs link above!

They work great for backgrounds in power points, smart notebooks, promethean flipcharts, pdfs, and all sorts of documents/files! 

Hope you enjoy!

A. Smith

KinderKay of Love Those Kinders, Innovative Teacher-Author and Back to School Freebie!

Learn a little bit about this fabulous teacher-author-blogger!! 

Welcome, KinderKay!

Classroom Experience:

I have been teaching for 24 years! Wow! It is hard to believe that many years have gone by! I taught second grade for 7 years and thought that was the perfect grade for me. Then my children came along and I became a stay at home Mom which I thought I would be doing for the rest of my life. But this was not to be the case! One evening as I was finishing up the dishes, I received a phone call from our priest. He told me that he wanted to start a kindergarten and that he wanted ME to be the first teacher. Now get this.... It was June and he wanted it going by August! There was nothing - no books, no table, no chairs, not even a classroom! He had ordered a portable classroom that hadn't even arrived yet! Yikes! Only a crazy person would take this job, right?? Well, I took it and here I am.... 18 years later and LOVING it! Since then, we have built a new wing for our kindergarten and I now reside in what the rest of the school calls "the palace!"

Valuable info learned...beneficial to teachers/teacher-authors, bloggers: Oh gosh, since joining TPT in June of 2011, my whole teaching life has been transformed! Before becoming a part of TPT, I thought I was a good teacher, but I didn't realize how sheltered I had become. Some of it, of course, was from teaching in a private school. But much of it was from the fact that the only teachers in which I shared experiences with were from our local area. I am not saying that I did not grow as a teacher, but being able to bounce ideas off of other teachers from around the country (and other countries) has enabled me to become more focused on the changing needs of my students. When I started a blog in January of 2012, I found even more of an opportunity to improve myself as a professional. For example, I participated in a book study this summer with other kindergarten teachers as we explored how to implement the Daily 5 into our literacy curriculum. My blog gave me the opportunity to learn this new skill and now my students will benefit from the knowledge that I have gained!

Advice for a beginning or veteran teacher?
Be flexible and accept the fact that your students may know more than you know! Instead of getting upset about this, rejoice in it! As teachers it is our job to inspire and guide, but after we have done that, we have to let our students turn our lesson into something that becomes their own!


Great ideas, lessons, or pieces of advice learned from other blog(s): I have learned so much from SO MANY blogs! There are so many really, really GOOD teaching blogs around! I guess the thing that I have learned the most from all of them is how to organize my classroom. Being able to find materials when needed has always been a weakness of mine, so reading blogs that show how to organize a classroom have been so helpful. The biggest help I have received, I think, are the classroom library bin labels. I am presently re-designing my library and these labels will come in SO handy!

A Freebie KinderKay Has Chosen to Share! 
I have quite a few freebies to offer! I really believe in sharing and also love FREE things myself!Here is one for Back to School...

KinderKay's Online store---Check it Out!
Teachers Pay Teachers

Helpful Hints for Classroom:

Hmmm... This is hard, but I think the thing that makes me unique is how I try to bring Art into our everyday curriculum. I truly believe that children learn by doing and with all the curriculum changes that are occurring in our nation, the arts have slowly been replaced. So in order to give my students a taste of the world around them, I encourage them to use pencils, crayons, scissors, glue, and paint in their daily activities. For example, instead of giving them a printed worksheet of a plant to color and label, I show them how to DRAW the flower and then label its parts. Instead of giving them a pattern to trace and color, I show them how to create their picture using simple shapes and step-by-step illustrations. When children create their own illustrations, learning becomes real for them and they feel some ownership in their school journey.

Something cool, weird, funny about you, OUTSIDE the classroom: Let's see...My husband thinks I am weird because I like to eat sweet pickles wrapped in cheese and I put ketchup on my scrambled eggs! I take water aerobics classes and love lakes and boating even though I am petrified of water! I am afraid of cows even though my husband is a farmer and has a herd of them! I can sit hours watching the birds in my bird feeder! I love to use drawing and cutting in many of my lessons. I would so much rather sew, paint, draw, cut, or work in my garden than do household chores - yuck! :) My favorite vacation is spending a few days enjoying Lake Michigan!

Connect with KinderKay...

I just started a Facebook page in June and have no idea how to use it yet! But, This is what keeps our brain active, correct? Learning new things!

Visit KinderKay on Facebook! 

Here is my Pinterest link! 

I love Pinterest! 

_________________

I would like to say THANKS to Cindy, for sharing her ideas and freebie with us!  Be sure to swing by her blog, Love Those Kinders, and/or her store to see all of the other teaching resources she has! Please leave a comment below to let her know you stopped by and picked up some helpful info and her awesome free download! Show some love! 
Oh, I must also admit, I love Pinterest TOO, just like KinderKay!!!

Do you have a favorite idea, tip, or activity that you've found on another blog? Share it below!! We love to find and share new ideas, so give us one--maybe the blog name if you remember too!

Grab a Few Bright Borders...Free!

Bright Borders from Innovative Connections
I made these to go along with the pink, lime, and white paper lanterns I grabbed from the Target $1 Bins!!! Plus, I had to make "something" on my Bamboo Create! Hope you like! I'm not sure if I'll load to TpT or not--grab them up while you can!
FOR WHATEVER REASON, the bottom pic will not link to the google doc but above title and cover thumb below work!

6 PNG Files: Borders/Frames

This is the first set of borders I've actually loaded for others to use. I hope you can use them! Included in the zip file are the individual PNG files and the Terms of Use.

I'd love to know how they turn out, should you decide to use them! :) 

Enjoy,

No Homework?... Inform the Parents

As we get ready to go back to school, I spend the most time thinking about things that worked for me and my students last year and the things that didn't work as well as I had hoped.
One tactic that has worked well for several years (though I was blessed not to need it much last year) for me is notifying the parents of no homework....
I'm not a huge fan of homework, but as the students get older, it's harder to avoid ALL the time. So, when I assign it, I think it's something important! And, if it's an advanced class, it's an even bigger deal if a child shows up without homework.
I know it's not a perfect world, but in many cases, parents can and will be your #1 support system! Keep them informed!
So, I thought I would share the little note I send home. You can download it straight from Google docs! It's just a simple, basic form to keep on hand, should the need arise! Hopefully not! :)

Parent Information Document

Hope you are gearing up for a new school year!
Please tell us in a comment below...
WHAT IS your favorite tool, tip, or tactic you find very successful in your classroom?

Back to School Project: Making Personalized Student Journals

Show Some Personality: Personalize a Student Journal for Using All Year and Present Your Journal to the Class!

CLASSMATES GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER Through the presentations!
Students Decorate a Journal to Display Everything About Their Personalities! This is like an "All About Me" project but in the decor on journal covers! It's fun, creative, and successful. This is a project my students do, and I even did it too...

This goes with any subject or grade that has any type of journal writing or literature response type writing. (It is Not limited to Language Arts!) 
Student Handouts also come with a Sample Journal Picture, Step by Step Instructions with Diagrams, A Suggestion List for Journal Decor, and requirements
This freebie is complete with instructions to make a journal or doing this project with a binder. 
The entire point of the homemade journal is for students to think about what makes them "Unique!" AND---to have a personalized journal to write in all year long!

Show Some Personality: Journal Project

A Series of Educational Sites: "C"

Wonderopolis!

http://wonderopolis.org/

By the National Center for Family Literacy!

I am an email subscribed reader and enjoy the “Wonder of the Day” on this site…it’s pretty cool!

For Example:

4/26/12   #571

Should You Believe Everything You Hear?

4/25/12   #570

How Fast Can a Nose Run?

Some of these daily wonder posts come with  pictures, videos, etc. Many "Wonders" are quite informative and most useful, and others are totally unique in that they include cool points to ponder or interesting tidbits to learn! I love the Wonder "Why is it so fun to monkey around?" (I adore animals if you didn't already know!) It’s like a small dose of “Get your brain exercising…” that never hurts any of us to get on a daily basis!

There’s even a Twitter Wonderfeed: @wonderopolis

So, Question: What is something (maybe bizarre or truly mysterious) that you have always wondered? 

Imagine all of the journal prompts and creative writing activities you could do in class just with this as a springboard! 

You can download this printable for FREE in my TpT Store or directly from GoogleDocs! 

Wonderopolis Writing Prompt PDF

Please tell us in a comment below! I’m sure someone will either have wondered the same or become entirely curious too!

Have a great day!