You know those really perfect school days? When everything goes just right?

Well, today was NOT one of them. Today I felt so congested and icky I felt like I was teaching underwater. BUT... we did get a lot done. We are working on my Stone Soup Unit and my students are LOVING every second of it. Tomorrow we are making soup and I think they might explode from the excitement - which is kind of funny, because soup is sort of the opposite of exciting, but when you are in second grade,  everything has the potential for excitement, which is why I love it.   Here are some pictures of what we have been working on.   You can pick up my Stone Soup unit here - http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Stone-Soup-A-Folktale-Literature-Study

 

 

 

My class really is the sweetest group of kiddos ever.   We received bean bag chairs from a Donors Choose grant this week and it was like Christmas had come early.   They were so excited!   They were also super excited when I had to run around, throwing them in the air while chasing a scorpion that was running underneath them this morning. - LOL!   But it all comes with the territory... right? 

 

 

When I got home this bit of awesomeness was waiting for me!  I ordered this from an incredibly talented (and funny) former classmate of mine.  She is a high school art teacher and a clay artist!  I LOVE it so much!  If you would like one you need to check out her facebook page right here... https://www.facebook.com/pages/aj-clay/247148188628716?ref=ts&fref=ts .  

Happy, Happy Friday Friends!

 



 

I love a contest!

 

Check out this great contest for a $50 Kohl's giftcard!  And get to read an adorable blog!!

So what did ya get???

I have been so excited about the TpT sale I have been placing things in my cart for days.  I wanted to share some of the GREAT things I bought today and I want to know about yours!  First,  I found these two ahhh-mazing units by Linda Kamp...

 http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Catch-Me-If-You-Can-Activities-for-Favorite-Versions-of-the-Gingerbread-Man

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Tomie-dePaola-An-Author-Study

 

They are so cute and SOOO thoughful and complete.   I will use every bit of each one!  I am terribly impressed with this lady!   I can't wait to see what else she comes up with!

 

 

I also picked up this FABULOUS Geography packet!   I am so excited about it,  I already have a copy of the entire thing ready for my class TOMORROW!  



 

 http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Geography-Challenge-gr-1-3

 



I also picked up this fabulous set of doodle frames from The 3am Teacher!

 

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Sweet-Doodles-Frames-Borders-Lines-Accents

 

 

For math I picked this little treasure...

 

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Aar-You-Ready-To-Learn-Addition-With-Regrouping

 

 

 

Finally, I picked up these great little sets about economics and wants and needs - so important this time of year!!!

 

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Wants-Needs-Goods-Services-Producers-and-Consumers

 

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Economics-Consumers-Producers-Goods-Specialization-Assembly-Line

 

 

I also picked up every awesome set of  Second Grade TEKS that Sweet Dixie at  http://teachinlittletexans.blogspot.com/ has created!  I love them!  Texas teachers - DO NOT MISS THESE!  We are required to post objectives daily... now I am just going to laminate these guys,  stick a magnet to the back and HELLO - done!

 

Y'all,  along with my own Auntie Claus and Hot Chocolate, Mittens and Snowmen set - I am set until the NEW YEAR!  Woot- woot!

 

 

This does not mean I am done.... YET.  Tomorrow is another sale day!  Oh my!  Loving it!

 

I hope you are having as much fun as I am!  

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 



 



Got Entitlement? You might need Lydia Grace!

So we hear about it all the time right?  About every 6 or 7 words or so during the election... entitlement, entitlement, entitlement.   And with Christmas season and the "gimmies"  right around the corner,  I started thinking about this.   We all see it in our classrooms.   Sadly,  I sometimes even see it in my own babies.   So this time of year, I like to add a dose of a precious little character... Lydia Grace Finch.  Lydia Grace is the antithesis of entitlement.   Do you know her?   You NEED to.   Lydia Grace is the main character of the beautiful book The Gardener by Sarah Stewart.  She is growing up in the 30's and her parents are out of work.   She is sent to live with an uncle she doesn't even know,  and she is an example of how a positive attitude changes everything.   It is a series of letters from her to various members of her family that show their thankfulness in hard times, and their ability to keep giving,  even when things are difficult.  It is a great letter writing book,  but it is so much more than that.     It gives kids so much to think about... and maybe a chance to look inward?   It is a great book to get a discussion going.   I made a little unit to go along with it, which is up on TpT.   It is inspired by the questioning in Debbie Miller's amazing book - Reading with Meaning.

For the next month,  I will send a free copy to anyone who follows my site and leaves me a comment (and an email address I can send it to!).

Liebster Award!!!

Today I was nominated for the Liebster Award! Thanks so much to these lovely and creative ladies:
Jennifer at http://hitechcoach.blogspot.com/
Kim at http://www.literacysundae.blogspot.com/
Bren at http://theteacherdiariesk4.blogspot.com/
and Amanda at http://rockstarsatwork.blogspot.com/


for the nominations. The Liebster Award is given by bloggers to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. It is to show new bloggers that they are appreciated and to help spread the word about new blogs in hopes to get them more followers! (I'm definitely in need of followers!) So thank you, thank you, thank you!

Here are the rules...
-You must post 5 random things about yourself.
-Answer the questions that the nominator set for you.
-Create 5 questions for the people you nominate.
-Choose 5 blogs you love (with less than 200 followers) and link them in your post.
-No tag back (but please leave me a comment on this post with the URL to your Liebster post  so I can learn more about you!)

11 Random Things about Me

1. I have never missed an episode of Grey's Anatomy.
2. I have four kids - 3 boys and a girl. 
3. My youngest son is cognitively impaired,  it gives me a whole new perspective on the world.
4. I can play the spoons.   I think I am really good.
5. I hate the feel or sound of velvet.   Christmas bows are the worst.   I can't even be in the room with someone else who is touching it.

Here are my questions from Jennifer! ( I answered Jennifer's because she was the first one to nominate me!)

1. What is your favorite quote, song, or movie? My favorite movie of all time is Shawshank Redemption,   I watch it everytime it is on!
2. What is your favorite TV show? Grey's Anatomy
3. PC or Mac? PC
4. Why do you blog?  I love to share ideas and I LOVE the idea of being part of a bigger blog community.   Reading other teachers blogs has resparked my love of teaching,   I would love to be able to do the same for someone.
5. What is your favorite app?  For work, I love Splashtop.   It makes my tablet a portable smartboard.  For home,  I love GoogleSky - I love being able to name everything I am seeing in the night sky!
6. What is your favorite blog?  This one is hard.   I have been following Amy Lemons - Step into Second Grade the longest - and I love it - but there are so many to choose from.  This week I would say Turn to Learn because of her incredible tech tips!
7. What is your favorite holiday dish?  mashed potatoes!
8. What is your favorite pin on Pinterest?  That is like asking me which of my children I love the most.... I just can't answer it!
9. What achievement are you most proud? Professionally,  I was named Teacher of the Year last year by my peers and that touched my heart.   Personally,  being the mom of the most amazing kids is what I am most proud of.
10. Real books or eBooks? e-books
11. What do you like to do when you are not blogging?  momming, teaching, or laughing~!


My questions for my nominees!

1.  In what word,  what is the worst thing about teaching?
2. What is the best?
3. If you could live anywhere in the world for a year,  where would it be?
4. Do you use Donor's Choose?   How many projects have you had funded?
5. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?


My Nominees!  I love these up and coming blogs!  Go check them out!

http://1stgradeowlcaholic.blogspot.com/
http://carlas23crew.blogspot.com/
http://teachergonedigital.blogspot.com/
http://www.mrsuggensclass.blogspot.com/
http://www.lakairways.blogspot.com/

Cyber Monday Linky Party!

No crowds,  no standing in line,   just great deals for 3 days!   Come on over to TpT and find everything you need to teach for the next few months! 

I have several items up for sale... my Hot Chocolate, Mittens and Snowmen Unit

 

My Auntie Claus Unit - this is my FAVORITE modern Christmas Story!

 

My Mitten Unit - A complete unit around two versions of  the story The Mitten by Jan Brett and Alvin Tresselt.

 

 

And my brand new Letter Writing Unit!  I am super excited about this one!  Please go check it out!

 

  Please go check it out and follow the linky party on to some amazing products from other TpT teachers as well! 

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The Lost Art of Letter Writing...

I admit it,  I never write letters anymore.  Well,  I write thank you notes,  but letters...nah.   But I wish I did.   When I was a little girl,  both my Aunt Kathy and Aunt Janet wrote me letters all the time and I LOVED it.   My aunt Janet traveled a lot,  and she would draw me pictures of places that she was visiting - either with her words,  or drawings.   My favorite was when she wrote me about a visit to Cedar Point (an amusement park in Ohio).   She drew me the picture of the then new Iron Dragon.   It was a great picture.   It stuck with me so much,  that this summer when we took our kids to Cedar Point for the first time,  I told them all about that letter.

I used to love going to the mailbox and seeing my name on an envelope.  I could always tell who the letter was from because of their handwriting.  E-mail doesn't hold that kind of magic.   One of objectives we have as second grade teachers,  is teaching children how to write a friendly, persuasive and business letter.  I want to do that in a way that brings in some of the magic that I remember in letter writing.  So I created this little unit.    I put it up this morning.   I contains a project to go with the book The Jolly Postman... and some work to go with I Wanna New Room.   There are so many fun resources to use with this unit - it was hard to hone in on what I really wanted to use.  I hope you will check it out!  Just click a pic!

 

I hope your day is full of magic!

 

 

 





Having a Cyber Monday Sale!!!

Monday is a fabulous day to do some shopping for the upcoming holiday lesson planning and beyond!  I have all my best selling items up for 20% and TpT is giving an additional 8%!  I can't wait to go pick up some of the great stuff that I have had on my wish list! 

Big Ol' Reading FREEBIE!

 

 Click the Pic to get this FREEBIE!

There are just some things I like to have on hand in case of a reading emergency.  Reading response pages fall into that category.   I like to have them in centers,  in case I have to spend some extra time on a skill or with a small group, and ready for a sub if I have a puking kid and have leave in a hurry.  I just posted a set of 30 fiction and non fiction reading response forms on TpT for the fabulous price of $0.00!  Go grab 'em.