Got Eggs?!?

Well, if you haven't turned the calendar to peek at April yet, you may have not noticed that Easter is 'springing' upon us quite quickly!  We are deep into money in second grade and are needing LOTS and LOTS of change counting practice....

I absolutely LOVE those plastic Easter eggs.  They are SO wonderful to use in the classroom for SO many different things!  Counting change is just perfect.

While I could have hidden the eggs all over the room to begin with, I decided to work up to that eggcitement closer to bunny day.  We started the first session of eggstra-special coin counting with eggs in a basket on our desks.  {I bought a ton of those little baskets years ago at Target in the dollar spot..... and haven't used them till NOW!  See, I did buy them for a reason, right?!}

 I had a recording sheet for the kids to write the amounts that were in each egg.  I have enough space in the boxes for students to draw the coins too {that's only good on the 6 and maybe 8 egg page}  I labelled the eggs with letters instead of numbers, just to eliminate number confusion if I use them for something else in the near future!

We repeated this a second day with different amount.  TIP:  Don't just take all the money out and think of a new amount.  Just add or take away a nickel... or a dime... or add a few pennies to each.  They will not remember how much the egg had the day before.  Trust me.  {Also, make sure you write down how much is in each! ;) }

The third day I mixed it up a little and had all the same eggs in a basket and "hid" the baskets {in plain eyesight} around the room.  Getting up to get the eggs was just what we needed on a Friday of a L.O.N.G. week!

Next week we'll be moving up to 8 and 10 eggs...  maybe.

One last TIP:  Make sure to stress the point of making sure they are putting ALL of the coins back into their eggs so that the next person doesn't get the wrong amount. Check under papers and desks for lost coins!

Click {HERE} for the worksheets to use to count money in your classroom too!  It's always great practice, no matter the age!  {and if your littles aren't ready for money, you could always use pennies to practice counting and just add in how you write a cent sign afterwards!  Bonus!}

I have so many other plans for these little eggs in other subject areas!  Check back soon for a new idea!  What are some ways you use eggs in your classroom??

PS-I'll be updating my first grade Easter Math games soon, as well as having a second grade one too! XOXO

Fill A Basket--Bucket Filling for Easter!

This is our first year into Bucket Filling in my classroom and school.  I like to mix things up a little, to keep things interesting with the kids all year.  We've been busy completing our missions from my Bucket Filling Friendship Club packet.  It has been a great way to get discussions going during our class meeting times as well.

This month I created a little "basket filling" activity.  It's just like my "fill a stocking" packet from Christmas time.  This month we are filling baskets.

Well, I should stop there.  We aren't filling baskets.  I recently received a lot of fun goodies from Creative Teaching Press.  Among them are buckets!  I laminated them and wrote the kiddos names on each.  I then cut paper bags down a little bit, to be "bucket" size and and taped the buckets to the front.  Next year, these will be up all year.  The writing paper will be what changes.

{Bulletin board, using Creative Teaching Press Chevron cut out letters, buckets and fun and festive border!  It also includes our "anchor" chart that we created from my packet at the beginning of the year, as well as our posters about each "sentence starter"}

{Simple bucket bags.  Just laminate the bucket from Creative Teaching Press, write the students' names and tape to a bag!}

 

{Our bags are taped to the wall below our bulletin board and chalkboard} 
 

Check out the great "basket fillers" that we have in our class!  (We use sentence starters with our class meetings to compliment our friends.  Those starters are what is included in my packet.)

If you'd like to give it a try, click {HERE} to grab yourself a copy of the writing page and a basket!  (Baskets can be colored and attached to paper bags as well).  If you'd like the buckets, click {HERE} to find them at Creative Teaching Press!

Easter Math Review Freebie

I don't have class pics of this yet, but wanted to post it for all of you last minute planners (like myself).

Easy prep math fun!  Print out the math slips 1-10 on the first page 11-20 on the second.  Copy the recording sheet (double sided).  Cut and place the slips into eggs and hide in room, or have in a basket.  Students can work in pairs, groups, independently.  It can be a competition or not!  Click {HERE} to grab your freebie!

Oh!  and I wanted to share that the family whom I'm donating my proceeds to (for the fallen officer-read more here)  Lyndsey had her baby today, Brad Jr.  Mom and baby are doing well. Thanks again for all of your support too!  I can't wait to give them a donation to their family.  (And-just to clarify, I do NOT know this family at all.  I only have heard things through a friend on Facebook--of course!)  Article about the birth {HERE}.

Easter Bunny Application

Hi friends!  Have you all read this great book?!

Ohmiword!  If you haven't you HAVE to!  I got it from scholastic this year---it's probably too late for you to order it in time for Easter this year.  I just break out in full giggles just thinking about the book!

This week's theme is bunnies, of course!  I whipped up an Easter Bunny application to use with this book-though it can be used with any or none!  Click {here} to grab your copy!

**I fixed the blatant error on page 2!  I'm SO sorry for that!  My editing eyes were quite tired...**


Also, I wanted to thank all of you who are supporting the Fox Family with the purchase of my Sentence Writing Boot Camp!  Click {here} for the blog post or on the picture to go to my TPT store (or here for TN).  The proceeds from this packet will go to the family!!!  As of now, I have about $200 sold to donate to the family!  You ROCK!

Thanks for following me!  If you're not---make sure to follow me so you don't miss other great downloads/freebies! :)

Easter Freebie

Click on the picture below for a copy of my Easter ABC order that is out of my Easter Literacy Packet.

On a personal note, I had quite a horrible week last week that included me, an angry man in a car and a g.u.n. (not mine-I don't own one!) and police on the way to school.  I've been keeping my mind busy and have finished my May Common Core Math Games!  Wow-are they ever rigorous!  As I have said before, I have been trying to design games that would match the difficulty of the math concepts that are being taught.  I have 12 games included and a few "enrichment" versions too!  And---it's BUGS! :P   I will be working on one more set for the end of the year, and will spend some time this summer working on the beginning of the year!  I only started doing this in January and have had such an overwhelming support from around the world that it has just motivated me to make more and make them better!  Thank you SO much from the bottom of my heart for making me a better teacher along the way too.  It's amazing what the internet can do.  Click on the picture to check out my unit in more detail!

I started a Facebook page for the blog too!  Come "like" me and get updates and links to more freebies (coming soon!)  Hopefully the link works :)  Click on LIKE or click here: https://www.facebook.com/RulinTheRoost

Hope you have a wonderful week.  I'm jealous of all you on Spring Break now.  We don't get things like that!  I'm looking forward to our 4 day weekend instead :)

Eggs!

So, I'm planning for next week, which canNOT come fast enough!  Every year we have done the story Rechenka's Eggs (if you've never read this book, it is a great story.  Click on the pic below to take you to Amazon to read about it.

After we read this book, we have students decorate hard boiled eggs (that we asked them to bring in).  Each kid brings in 2, that way if one happens to break, there's usually extras.  The students use CRAYONS to decorate their eggs any way that they would like.  Once they are done, they choose a color to dye it.  The eggs turn out SO beautiful!  We started doing this a few years ago, and since then, it is what I do with my own children at home now.  (There's also a Reading Rainbow for Rechenka's Eggs that we watch too that actually shows Patricia Polanco designing eggs like the story-minus the goose of course).  Here are a few pics of my HOME eggs from last year.  They are kinda hard to see in the carton, but a few you can see.  The crayon color comes out so bright after being dyed!

Since we are having a 4 day week, I decided to make the theme "Eggs."  Thursday morning we will read Rechenka and decorate the eggs.  One other book I will be using is called The Perfect Nest.  I just absolutely LOVE this book.  If you haven't read this one, you definitely should check it out!  (Click on the pic to see about it!)

 
Other possibilities are:  Horton Hatches the Egg and Easter Eggs Everywhere.  I'm still looking for additional ones since the ones noted above are so wonderful.  :)

I quick whipped up some recording sheets to use next week.  3 are for reading responses and the last page is a writing activity for How to Find the Perfect Hiding Spot.  The "Read All About It" page is a page that I have included in my Literature Circles packet that is posted on TpT.

And about that!  I have finished my INFORMATIONAL book groups packet!  This packet will also have role cards and worksheets for the grouping.  Of course, I designed it with the Common Core Standards by my side, since we lack books to actually use.  I wrote a grant to get some books, so we'll see if I can get some for next year!  :)  I'm very excited to use it with my kids.  They have been doing a great job with the Book Groups from my story packet.  I have actually added a few things to the file on TpT for it---so if you have already purchased it before this past Tuesday, go back and download it again!!!  Click on the picture to read more about the informational book packet!

   
Back to the freebies!  Click on the pictures below to grab a copy of the recording sheets that I have made up for next week.  Graphics are from From the Pond and the 3AM Teacher.  Sorry that this pic is sideways.... 

Thanks for reading and stopping by!  I can't believe that I'm close to 100 followers!  W.O.W.!  I think something special will definitely have to happen when I reach 100!  Make sure to follow so you don't miss it! :)

Math Game Freebie

I changed the graphics from my St. Patrick's Day +10 Roll to have an Easter theme and also an April Showers theme.  Click on the picture to grab yourself copies!  Like before, there are 2 versions of each.  1 for using 2 dice and 1 for using 3.

If you need math center/game ideas I have an Easter packet and an April Showers packet on TpT!  I was in love with the bunnies, but then I created the April Showers and just LOVE the graphics for that one!  Just a friendly reminder that my math games increase in difficulty as the year goes by.  I try to create activities that they should be able to complete now (i.e. there is some place value and double digit addition/subtraction thrown in and no longer making groups of ten, etc..)  I have been creating some review games for things that I notice they have either forgotten or could use a refresher too.  Click on the pictures below to check out my stations!  :)

Math

  

 Literacy

OH!  I just finished my Easter Story Problem Math booklet!  I created 2 version with it.  The first version is exactly the same template as the ones in the past, with room to draw/work and also to explain.  The second version has a smaller workspace and larger area to write the reasoning with added lines and the word "because."  I also included questions about fair shares within it (along with the usual problems that I have had in the past with +/- 10, missing parts, 3 digit.  There is also double digit adding in it this time too!)  Click here to see it!  Easter Story Problems

Hope you are enjoying beautiful spring-like weather like we are!  If not, so sorry.... :(  but-the bad thing is that I have to keep reminding myself (and my students....) that it's ONLY MARCH!  We still have quite a ways to go!!!!