Showing posts with label giveaway. Show all posts
Showing posts with label giveaway. Show all posts

Sunday, October 2, 2016

Flocabulary Review & Giveaway!

 How many of you are using Flocabulary in your classroom? I’ll admit, I didn’t hear about it until last year, but once I discovered it, I was quickly hooked!  So what exactly IS Flocabulary?  I’m glad you asked! Flocabulary is a web-based learning program for all grades and subjects that uses educational hip-hop music to engage students and increase achievement. Flocabulary offers more than 750 instructional units to support instruction in math, science, social studies, ELA, vocabulary, current events and life skills, with new content every week.


I’m excited to be partnering up with Flocabulary and giving away free memberships! Read on to find out more about what the site has to offer and the chance to win a FREE year-long subscription! You also have the opportunity to earn a 45-day extended free trial that is accessible to not only you, but everyone at your school just for entering! How awesome is that?!


As a school technology specialist, Flocabulary saves me so much time -- I have to create lessons to teach across K-6, so I love being able to go onto Flocabulary, search by topic, then narrow the results by grade level.  Each video comes with a lesson plan, so once I find the perfect video, I can download the ready-made lesson plan and I’m good to go! The best part is how engaging these lessons are -- the students love singing along with the printable lyrics, and I love having things ready to go, no matter what grade I’m teaching that day.  You can check out some of their great lesson plans by following their boards on pinterest: they have one for elementary and one for middle and high school.  In addition to all the awesome things you get with a paid subscription, Flocabulary has a free section accessible from their home page.  One of my favorite free lessons is the “area and perimeter” lesson -- my students were struggling with area and perimeter until I taught this lesson.  Once we did this lesson, it wasn’t uncommon to hear them singing:


With the area, that's the space inside,
For a rectangle, its length and width are multiplied.
And perimeter, the distance around a shape,
Just add the sides together and then you'll be great.


Check it out and you’ll find yourself singing along too!


Now I know what you’re thinking - well that’s cool, but how do I try it out myself?  Well, just for signing up below, you will receive a FREE 45-DAY extended trial that’s not only for you, but for your ENTIRE SCHOOL! I mean, it can’t get much better than that! Also, you will be entered for the chance to win a FREE ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION! I will be giving away THREE OF THESE! Winners will be announced on or around October 18th. Even if you don’t win, remember that you will still get that 45-day extended free trial for your whole school! Everyone's a winner!  After signing up, you will receive information to access your free trial the week of October 18th. Sign up now! You’ve got nothing to lose!! Be sure to enter every field in the sign up box and your free trial information will be e-mailed to you. You must enter by OCTOBER 16 @ 11:59pm EST!



Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Savvy Curls - A Teacher's NEW Best Friend!

Hi friends, notice anything different?  My blog got a little facelift over the weekend… I am thrilled with the results!  Special thanks to Laine from A Little Peace of Africa for this beautiful blog design. I absolutely love it!  
Now, let me just say, I don't normally do posts like this... But when I find an amazing product, I sometimes want to share it with all of my wonderful teacher friends out in bloggy-land. AND, if you follow me on facebook, you know I am NOT a morning person... So getting ready in the morning is a daily struggle!!  I recently stumbled across "Savvy Curls" which claimed to be a simple headband that would curl your hair while you slept and didn't require any heat. I was totally intrigued and decided to order one. If this headband could deliver on its promise, I knew it would be my new best friend!! What could be better than going to bed and waking up with perfectly curled hair??
My headband arrived on a Saturday, so I decided to wash and wrap my hair and give it a shot, knowing that if I totally messed it up, it was the weekend and I wasn't rushing out the door to get to work the next morning. I followed this simple video tutorial and went to bed. The head wrap is not uncomfortable and I didn't notice it at all while I was asleep. I woke up, started getting ready for church, and unwrapped my hair... And guess what?? IT WORKED! On my very first try, it worked!! I was in shock!  I continued to use my wrap each night and found that my hair was more and more curly each day. I couldn't believe that I could spend only 5 minutes on my hair right before bed, and have awesome curls all day long the following day! Below is a simple photo tutorial showing how easy it us to use the Savvy Curls Curling Headband - one thing that makes this headband unique is the special thermal insulating material and it's cylindrical shape; both of these elements help to form the most amazing curls I have ever seen!


I packed my head wrap with me when I headed to Disneyland last week and decided to put it to the ultimate test! The great thing about the savvy curls band is that it can be worn during the daytime to keep your hair up and out of the way. I tried doing my hair curly the first day at Disneyland, but my hair was definitely not used to the California humidity, so I decided to wear my hair wrapped up for the remainder of the trip. I was a bit worried about how well my hair would stay wrapped while I rode Splash Mountain, Tower of Terror, and other fast / wild rides at Disneyland, but I think the photos speak for themselves. I took these pictures at the beginning of the morning, and again around midnight as we waited for the shuttle to come pick us up. WOW!! I was sold!!

Before & After photos - a day at Disneyland with my Savvy Curls band!
I reached out to Tami, who is the genius behind "Savvy Curls" and was pleasantly surprised to learn that in addition to being from Utah, like me, she was also a former school teacher! OF COURSE this was invented by a school teacher! Why was I not surprised?? Tami was so sweet when I contacted her, and offered to let me host a giveaway here on my blog. She also sent me the "convertible wrap" to try out as well. The convertible wrap is great for long/thick hair or hair with lots of layers, or for anyone who wants more curl and body. I will admit, this wrap had a little bit of a learning curve for me, and I think some of my layers are still a little too short for the extra band, but the great thing about it is that the additional piece is detachable, so I can still wear the single band on its own until I master the second part of it. And, hello?? It's PINK!! I am all about the pink!!! I actually LOVE wearing my hair wrapped up with just a little bit of pink popping out :) it looks so cute and I get so many compliments on my hair. Take a look at some of the fun things I've been able to do with my hair using the Savvy Curls head wrap:
Top: I put my hair up for a Halloween party (hence the mouse ears); bottom: getting ready for school the next morning. WOW!
Top: Single band; bottom: Convertible Band; the cylindrical shape of the headband forms the curls while you sleep, workout, shop, etc. It's amazing!!

To enter the giveaway, use the rafflecopter below. Also, if you want to order a Savvy Curls curling headband for yourself, you can save $2 by using code krysp1 at checkout (I plan on ordering a few more colors so I can wear these at school!)  Be sure to follow me on facebook and instagram to see more fun photos too!

**GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED** Congrats to the winner! If you didn't win, you can still use the coupon code "krysp1" at checkout to save $2.00 on the headband of your choice. Enjoy!





Sunday, September 20, 2015

New Blogging Adventure + a Giveaway!

I'm so excited to share a big secret with all of you today. The darling Kelsey from "Wife, Teacher, Mommy" had this great idea to create a collaborative blog featuring all Utah teachers, and I'm honored to have been chosen as one of the authors for this new blog. I was able to meet up with about half the group last week and am so excited to be a part of such a talented group of teachers representing the "beehive state". FUN FACT: Utahans relate the beehive symbol to industry and the pioneer virtues of thrift and perseverance. The beehive was chosen as the emblem for the provisional State of Deseret in 1848 and was maintained on the seal of the State of Utah when Utah became a state in 1896. Because Utah is often referred to as the Beehive State, "busy bees" seemed like a natural name for our blog... I couldn't be happier with how darling the blog is and how fun it has been to watch it all come together over the past few months. 

To celebrate the launch of our new blog, we are having a HUGE giveaway. But before you head over to the new blog to get the scoop, let me tell you about my giveaway too. Two lucky followers will win the product of your choice from my TPT store!!

Here's my little bio that is featured on the Busy Bees Blog :) So fun!

Use the rafflecopter below to enter, then head over to the new blog to enter the BIG giveaway. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Click on the image above to visit our new blog!


Saturday, September 5, 2015

Top 5 Ways to Use GoNoodle in the Classroom!


I am so excited to be participating in GoNoodle’s Back to School Blogger Blitz today. GoNoodle is definitely one of my favorite websites and it is always a big hit with my students too!

Today I'm going to share with you my Top 5 favorite reasons to use GoNoodle in the classroom:

1. Brain breaks: when the day gets long and we've been sitting too long, I like to get my kids up and moving. Zumba kids and ultimate champ training are some of my favorite "get up and get active" videos.

2. Calming / de-stressing: we've all had days where our kids seem to have ants in their pants and can't sit still to save their lives. Maximo yoga style videos and airtime are great calming activities to help the kids settle down and focus again.

3. Test prep / motivation: Flow is one of my absolute favorites for a lot of reasons.... it is the perfect combination of calm and motivation that my students often need.  There are two categories in flow: attitude and stress.  Within each of these categories, there are three videos to choose from.  My personal favorite is found in the attitude category, called "Victorious".  I love the message of this video. Seriously, go listen to what it says. Such a simple yet powerful message for students as they prepare for a test.

4. Indoor recess: one of the greatest features GoNoodle added last year was the "indoor recess mega mix" videos. These videos are like a pre-made playlist: a variety of fun GoNoodle videos with different lengths of time already set to accommodate different recess lengths (you can choose from as little as 7 minutes up to as many as 19 minutes! Woot woot!) These videos came in handy when it was snowy and the kids couldn't go out to recess. I especially appreciated that I didn't have to keep starting new videos every 2-3 minutes - the mega mix just keeps going!

5. Being silly: sometimes, you just need to take a break for no other reason than to laugh. When it's time for a good laugh, my students and I LOVE LOVE LOVE pop-see-ko. Seriously, how can you not be in a good mood when the kids are doing this?!

So tell me, what do YOU love about GoNoodle? Comment below with what you love about GoNoodle and a random winner will be chosen to win a free pencil pouch from GoNoodle! (Be sure to include an email address so I can contact you if you win!!) How cool is that?!



But wait - there's more!!If you're interested in picking up some GoNoodle swag for your classroom, you can save15% off your purchase in the GoNoodle shop! Use the code: BTSwithGoNoodle - this code is valid until September 11th.

** And the winner is....

Congrats Breanne!!

Monday, December 22, 2014

All I Want For Christmas Is...

What is the best gift you can give a teacher?  I'll give you a hint... 

It's not another "#1 Teacher" coffee mug!

How about a TeachersPayTeachers gift certificate?  Every single teacher that you talk to would LOVE a TpT gift certificate!



A TpT gift certificate is worth gold! Seriously! Being able to purchase top-notch teaching resources instead of having to create them yourself saves precious time, time you can spend over the holidays enjoying special moments with family and friends.

That's why I'm excited to be teaming up with some of my teaching blog friends who are each giving away a $10 TpT gift certificate. You'll find all of their links at the bottom of this post. You have to enter each contest separately, so be sure to read the directions on each blog.


TeachersPayTeachers recently gave their gift certificates a make-over, and now each certificate has it's own unique color. You can purchase a gift certificate for any amount between $10 and $200. Wow! Imagine what you could do with a $200 gift certificate! Click over to the TpT Gift Certificatepage to take a look. After you log in, you'll see the page below.


How to Enter

I'm using Rafflecopter to host my giveaway, and you can earn up to 5 entries if you complete all the items listed. To enter the contest, complete any or all of these entries before midnight EST on December 23rd. 
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Visit these blogs and enter each contest for a $10 TpT Gift Certificate!

Sunday, December 7, 2014

12 days of Christmas Giveaway

I'm so excited to be participating today in a quick giveaway with some of my favorite bloggy buddies, in conjunction with Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Designs.  If you don't follow Zippy on facebook, you'll definitely want to so you don't miss out on any of the fabulous giveaways going on all month!


Today's giveaway includes a $30 gift card to amazon, as well as a winner's choice item from each of the following TPT Stores:


Use the rafflecopter below to enter.  Good luck!  Also, be sure to stop back here on Tuesday... something great is coming :)



Thursday, August 21, 2014

UISchoolsupply.com {Giveaway & Review}

This is my first week back at school, and I've spent most of my time in meetings and trainings. I'm almost ready for my big classroom reveal.... But first I wanted to tell you all about UIschoolsupply.com

Ever since I started teaching ten years ago, Utah-Idaho Supply has been one of my favorite places to shop locally for school supplies and classroom decor. Their website recently got a big makeover and I loved being able to find everything I needed for my classroom this year all in one spot!

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I decided to go with a chevron theme this year, and I loved the huge selection of chevron things they had on their site (here's a sneak peek that I posted on instagram last week:)


Here's a few things I chose for my classroom this year:

Black chevron calendarWelcome bulletin board (which also doubles as my helper chart), Chevron style Bulletin board lettersFirst day name tags, and no pink classroom would be complete without pink chevronborders (these borders were sold out all around the valley, so I was so excited to be able to get them!)

In honor of their new website design, UIschoolsupply.com has offered to give one lucky reader a $25 gift certificate to shop on their new site!

All you have to do is visit their new website and let me know what you would buy. Comment below telling me what you would buy, then use the rafflecopter below to confirm your entry (which will make choosing the winner easier :) )

Thanks and good luck! Giveaway closes at midnight August 29th.


I will post my classroom reveal next week when I announce the winner :)

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Math Mania Giveaway!

As much as it kills me, I think summer is coming to an end... and I have kind of been in denial about the fact that I'm changing grades because I am so unprepared... so you can imagine how THRILLED I was when the darling Gina from Third Grade Tidbits asked if I would be interested in reviewing her new "Math Mania" packet for third grade??  UMMM, YES please!! As I've said before, as much as I love to create things, why reinvent the wheel, right??  This was one thing that I had been looking EVERYWHERE for, and just couldn't find something that I loved.... Until now!

Math Mania consists of 36 weeks of math practice for your 3rd graders.  Each weekly page has 20 problems, and follows pretty much the same format from week to week, so once you do it with your students a few times, they start to get the hang of it.  I used something similar with my 2nd graders last year, and was surprised at how quickly they caught on.  After a few weeks, they were able to do the whole assignment on their own.  Now as I'm moving into third grade, I think this will be perfect for their weekly math homework... I'm going to try it with them in class for the first few weeks and see how it goes, but I think they will be fine!  In addition to the 36 weeks of practice, there is also an answer key for each week, which makes this packet perfect for emergency sub plans as well as self-starts, centers, homework, fast-finishers, or any other time you need something to enhance your math instruction.

Gina is offering two lucky readers a chance to win a copy of Math Mania... and if you stop by her TPT store, you can download a free preview and see what the first 2 weeks look like up close!  Ready to win??  Use the rafflecopter below to enter.  It closes Sunday at Midnight and the winners will be announced on Monday... along with another announcement that you won't want to miss!  Thanks for stopping by :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

3rd grade CCSS Objectives Posters

Welcome back to part two of the longest post ever :) I promise to keep this one short... so yesterday I mentioned that I am switching to 3rd grade... once reality set in, panic erupted... I have SO MUCH STUFF for 2nd grade... and nothing for 3rd... this is just one of the many reasons I am SO THANKFUL for TPT.... as much as I love making things, I really don't have a lot of time, so I am happy to  buy things to get me started... Don't get me wrong, I definitely have a few things in the works, I just don't have enough time right now (well, I suppose I do, but the swimming pool is only open until Labor Day, and winter is just so long and miserable, so I want to soak up the sun as much as possible while I can!)

Okay, enough with the rambling... as soon as I knew for sure that I would be teaching 3rd grade, I decided that one thing I was definitely going to make was objectives posters similar to the super darling ones I had been using from Denise at SunnyDays (click here if you don't know what I'm talking about....this is one of my all time FAVORITE purchases ever!!)  Denise's posters are actually part of an assessment pack, and I hope to make something similar in the future, but right now, I don't have time.

NOW, let me just say... I know that I am NOT the first person to make objectives posters, and I'm sure I'm not going to be the last person to ever make them.... I just have this little problem with fonts and clip art now that I'm making things on TPT.... I'm a bit of a font & clip art snob...it's a real thing, people!  So instead of settling for something that I didn't LOVE, I set out to make my own.... and let me just say, HOLY MOLY, the 3rd grade CCSS is confusing.  I feel like making these posters was mostly for my benefit because I learned SO MUCH in the process... {pssst... keep reading... there's a giveaway at the bottom!}


Not gonna lie, I am kind of in LOVE with how they turned out. These posters are going to make my life so much easier!! I am required to post my objectives each day, so I designed these posters to be displayed on my board at the front of the room. As soon as I can get into my school, I will take pictures of my objectives in action.... But for now, here's a little glimpse of what all is included in the packet...OH, one more important thing... someone asked on TPT about the size of the posters.... these have been saved as a PDF and can be printed on a full-size sheet of paper (standard 8.5 x 11)... You can make them smaller and print 2 or 4 posters per page by adjusting the print settings in adobe acrobat (I plan on doing 2 per page to save both paper and ink; 4 on a page might be just a little bit too small for the purpose of displaying your objectives)... these posters can also be enlarged at your local print shops (fedex-kinkos has an online uploading tool)... not sure that these would need to be enlarged seeing as there's so many of them, but I suppose if you have a burning desire to have jumbo posters, it is possible :) Now, without further ado, I proudly present to you my 3rd grade CCSS posters:


CCSS English Language Arts posters: includes a total of 58 posters!  Click on the cover to view the full description in my TPT store.
Here's a Language Arts poster - notice the kid-friendly language and graphics, as well as the "we are learning" and "we can" statements clearly printed at the top of each page.

Sample of one of the reading posters
Sneak peek at a few of the posters!

CCSS Math posters: includes a total of 34 posters! Click on the cover to view the full description in my TPT store.

Here's a math poster - again, all written in kid-friendly language with examples and hints to help clarify the CCSS standard being taught.

another cute math poster :)

I can't even handles the cuteness! These turned out even better than I pictured in my head!
both packs include two CCSS checklists... a student version that you can use to track data on each individual student, and a teacher version that allows you to track either the DATE you taught the concept, or the LESSON that covers the concept, if you have a required text to teach from... principals LOVE these!!
Click on the photo to buy the bundle (you save 25% when you buy them as a bundle!)

Still with me?!  I would LOVE to give a few packs away to some of my awesome readers... use the rafflecopter below to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, February 24, 2014

3 new products, pin it to win it!!

Woah.... I have been busy this past week!! If you're not following me on facebook  here's what you've been missing! Keep reading to find out how you can win one of these awesome packs!!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Time-o-telling-time-to-5-minutes-card-game-1125362

 Up first is "time-o" -- a fun and educational twist on a popular card game that kids know and love :) This packet features colored and black line cards and has EVERY TIME to five minutes (in both digital and analog). That's 200 pages of time-telling goodness!!

No sooner had I finished making "time-o", I had a lightbulb moment and decided to make another uno-style game for all of the basic math facts.... Thus "math-o"  was born!!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Math-o-addition-subtraction-multiplication-division-card-game-1127659
 
Math-o features 4 decks of cards: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Each deck of cards has 36 problems along with their respective answers. The problems are called the "basic 36s"... If you are not familiar with the basic 36s, you can read more about them here. This is a great review game for any time of the year.  I plan on making a few sets to keep on hand for indoor recess!!

And as if those games weren't enough, I also made a whole pack of first grade common core aligned math vocabulary word wall cards  This has been requested for a while, but I just haven't had the time or energy to do much of anything! I feels good to be back in creation mode again :) I am hoping to make the 3rd grade set soon, so hang tight if you teach 3rd grade. Ummm, hello?! These are even cuter than my original second grade set!! I think I might have to give those a little makeover. I'm already jealous of the adorableness of this set!!
 
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-Grade-CCSS-Math-Vocabulary-Word-Wall-Cards-1130757
One more thing before the giveaway.... Did you hear the big news from TPT?! They are officially THREE MILLION MEMBERS STRONG. And that is a great reason to throw a sale :) the sale is on Thursday and Friday this week, and you can save up to 28% in my store by using the code TPT3 at checkout. My cart is already overflowing with goodies. Go load up your cart now and the products will all go on sale automatically on Thursday :)

 

And now it's your chance to win. Simply pin whichever product you would like to win, and enter the link using the rafflecopter below.... I'll pick a winner on Thursday so that you will know who the winner is before the sale ends on Friday (but don't worry, I'll leave my store on sale all weekend just in case you forget!)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

If I were an elf {new pack + giveaway!}

If you recall my post about burnout this summer, you might remember some of the goals I set for this year... one of my goals was to work less, and live more... seems ironic to set a goal like that at the same time I open up a TPT shop and teaching blog :) LOL! BUT, I've been trying really hard to spend more time with friends and not spend so much time at school.  So between having a life and being sick (why am I cursed with sinus infections?!?!?!) I just haven't been on my computer much lately... and you know what, that's okay. There have been entire WEEKS where I don't turn on my home computer at ALL.  It's been nice... however, my TPT to-do list keeps growing by the minute as I get new ideas of things I want to make... sooner or later, I will get around to it {I hope!}

Anyway, it's been a while since I've posted anything new, but I finally got around to making up a new packet... mostly out of desperation... I have been trying to come up with things to keep my kiddos entertained during indoor recess. I don't know what the weather is like where you're at, but here in Utah it's been COLD.... and here's the thing... we can't take our kids out to recess unless it's at least 20 degrees... well, as you can see, we haven't had many outdoor recesses lately... thus my latest packet was born...
this was the forecast over the weekend... notice it says about 1 inch of snow possible.... that's because on Saturday night it dumped well over a FOOT of snow on us... and Monday morning I woke up to much more than just an "inch" of snow!



 
Today.... BRRRR!
 
So yeah, Sunday I was super sick, and woke up to a foot or more of snow... so I decided to hunker down, make some chicken noodle soup, and create.... And let me just tell you... I am LOVING my new packet! Just look how cute it is :)

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/If-I-were-an-elf-a-holiday-writing-craftivity-1014342
 
I *LOVE* the movie "Elf", and bought some super cute elf clip art this summer, but never got around to using it... so one day I just printed off some elf pages for my students to color, and they were in HEAVEN! I haven't seen them  this excited since I don't know when... So once I sat down to start making this packet, the ideas just kept coming.... 70 pages later, my packet was finally done (for now anyway... just found more cute elf clipart tonight... might be adding another art project soon! LOL).  Anyway, here's a little information about the packet, as well as a few preview pages... but keep reading for your chance to win the packet!!
 
The packet has everything you need to turn your students into Santa's little elves... this packet has been such a lifesaver for inside recess, but would also be great for a last minute sub or a time filler between now and Winter break (I have 7 more days...I think I can, I think I can!)
 
There are 6 graphic organizers (bubble maps and standard list-type organizers); elf applications, elf information sheets, persuasive writing pages (the kids get to write letters telling Santa why he should hire them or why they would make a great elf); and an assortment of "elf yourself" style pages where the elves don't have faces -- that way the kids can either draw their own elf-face, or you can glue pictures of the children onto the elf. How cute is that?! Here's a few pages from the preview:
 
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/If-I-were-an-elf-a-holiday-writing-craftivity-1014342
 
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/If-I-were-an-elf-a-holiday-writing-craftivity-1014342
 
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/If-I-were-an-elf-a-holiday-writing-craftivity-1014342
 
 
In addition to all of the above awesomeness,  there's a few extra pages just to give you and your class a good laugh... I added a "can, have, are" page, because my students have been rocking those graphic organizers with our non-fiction text lately, so I wanted to see what answers they would come up with for elves... trust me, it's hilarious!  I also had a request for an elf "craftivity" of some sort... Don't get too excited, it's nothing fancy.... after all, I have  7 days of school left... I'm more concerned with surviving than making a cute craft at this point.  If we get our ornaments and cookie mats finished, it will be nothing short of a miracle... (and if I have time, I will post the cookie mats later this week) SO, if you're looking for a super cute elf that you have to trace and cut out of construction paper and scrapbook paper, and add ribbons and bows, then I'm sorry to disappoint you... but if you're looking for something that you can simply copy and let your kids color and cut, then you've come to the right place :) (After all, I am the "good enough" teacher, not the "over-the-top-I-never-sleep-at-night" teacher! LOL!!) See that little elf sample above... I think that is SUPER cute and will look darling in the hallway... my class hasn't finished it yet, but if we get it finished, I will take a picture of the bulletin board.
 
I really hope you will check it out on teacherspayteachers... it's on sale until Friday... but you can enter to win by leaving a comment on this post... simply tell me how many days of school you have left, and what the weather has been like for you. That's it. Super easy.  I'll post the winner on Thursday night :)


Saturday, October 12, 2013

Where are we?! {A sign for your door!}




I'm kind of in love with this little "confused" girl!

First off, do you "like" TPT on facebook? If not, you might want to head over there and like them :) just sayin' :) :)

Ok, on with the post. This year, my school started a "block" schedule.... basically we have all of our "specials" classes at the same time each day, which helps minimize disruptions throughout the day, and allows each grade level to have more time to work together, since we are all in and out of the classroom at the same time.  Block schedules are great, and I am a big fan of them... I'm just not a fan of block time being first thing in the morning... I have SO MANY kids who are late EVERY SINGLE DAY... how is it that by 2nd grade, parents still can't figure out what time school starts?! It drives me crazy, and I know it is frustrating to the kids, who walk into an empty classroom, or encounter a locked door, and have no clue where their class is.  And because all of 2nd grade is out of their rooms at the same time, there isn't a teacher nearby who can quickly point them in the right direction.  About the same time I was feeling frustrated and trying to figure out a solution to the problem, the ever-so-talented Nikki, AKA Melonheadz Illustrating, released the most DARLING school subject clipart, and thus my idea came to life! (I am kind of obsessed with her kidlettes... they are simply too cute for words!)

So... here's the details on how the packet works... first off, it's very versatile and can be used two different ways (maybe more, if you're more creative than I am :)... after making both of them and taking photos, I *STILL* can't decide which one I like more... #teacherproblems right?!

If you want a standard sign on your door, you can print one of the signs like this one pictured below. (And, since I am so indecisive, I made the poster in 10 different colors of chevron borders, and 2 black & white! LOL.)  With the poster, you can attach each "location" card with Velcro tabs, and swap them out as you come and go. (The packet has 23 different location cards, and I have included some directions so that your Velcro will line up perfectly!)

Standard sign on your door...
If you would rather not mess with the Velcro, you can make it this way instead... print off the location cards that you want, punch a hole in the corner, and connect it with a binding ring (available in the office supply section at Target).  You leave this hanging on your doorknob and quickly change it as you're heading out the door.
Doorknob hanging signs
Here's a little sneak peek of what's included in the packet.  I was having so much fun with the kidlettes that I just couldn't stop!  I ended up making hall passes and office passes, too!  I have seen other teachers make little lanyard-style hall passes, so I left room for hole-punching if you wish to punch a hole and put a string around it, then you have an easy hall pass!  I have my students set the hall pass on their desk when they leave the room, that way I know where they are in case of an emergency.

this is a preview of what's included in the packet!
So, you probably know the drill by now... it's currently on sale in my TPT store, but you can enter below to win it!  The rafflecopter closes at midnight, so hurry and enter!!  I will pick THREE lucky winners at some point on Monday!

Hope you have a great Sunday and a great week... we have "fall break" this week, so I only have 2 1/2 school days this week! YAY! Looking forward to a fun weekend with friends and family... my friends and I are going to the P!NK concert Thursday night... I'm both excited and nervous! LOL... P!nk has a bit of a potty mouth, but I've heard she's amazing in concert.

Also, one final shout-out for the educents bundle that's on sale right now.  Today is the last day to get it, so grab it before it's gone!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway