WHOOOO Doesn't Love an Owl Valentine bag?!

Oh, my word.  Can you believe your eyes!?  A blogpost from little old me?!?!?  I'm back to work--barely above water, yet I have to share this with you.  Since moving to second grade, I could no longer make the adorable penguin valentine bags that we've made in the past in first (click HERE to read and see those)... since, well, they have done it!  So, this week I was on a mission to find something equally adorable.  I had no luck online, so I whipped something up myself.  {You'd think by now that would be my FIRST step...}

First, I have to tell you that Target has patterned lunch bags now!  I've found these dot ones and also blue/green striped ones.  (I may or may not have gone back to my Targets and gotten quite a few of the dot bags to supply me with YEARS more of these bags... I think they make the bags even sweeter)  I THINK they are $1.99 for 40....  You know.  You go to Target for like 1-2 things, and come home with like $200 worth instead....  Thank goodness for the Red card and Cartwheel! :P

Our OWLdorable Owl bags!  Aren't they a 'hoot'?!  My kids love them.

If you'd like to make them for your kids, you can click {HERE}  There's nothing fancy with it.  I had NO time to cute-sy it up for ya.  I traced what I made onto paper and scanned it (really, so I had it on my computer for the future, when I'm looking around my classroom like a madwoman looking for the patterns.... especially right now since I'm in a new room, back from a 4 1/2 month maternity leave... lol)  PS-the eyeballs--the kids drew hearts in their favorite color--there is no template for those!  Gotta have something a little different to make these stand apart from each other! ;)


Happy Valentine's Day friends!  Hope your week is filled with love and happiness!

Class Books, snow, freebies..

So much for sharing what I'm working on with writing on Wednesdays!  We have had quite a memorable winter, to say the very least.  And snow days for me mean---I get nothing done.  My kids keep me busy, or are sitting right on top of me doing things...  :(  (In fact, it's been really difficult to find things that will help you all, or inspire you because we haven't had consistency and are behind!  We haven't had our 100th Day yet, and it appears that our Valentine's Day party will be after President's Day!!!) :/

I wanted to share what I do in my classroom with class books.  By no means am I the creator of this!  We frequently, weekly/bi-weekly write to a prompt that I turn into a class book.  Sometimes it's more than a prompt and it's the kids writing "research" about different things we've done in other areas.  I bind them with a page in the back for parents to sign and write a positive comment to the class.  The students love sharing these books with their parents!  (Not to mention, it also gives parents a glimpse inside the classroom to see how their own child is doing!  Are they writing as much as the others?  Is their handwriting readable??)

Of course, my freebie is a little late to use this year, if you are one to want to do it BEFORE Valentine's Day, but it is something you can do afterwards.  I had my kids write what they thought "Love is in the air" means.  I LOVE their responses.  This one was all their writing--no rewriting.  I did underwrite a few words to help parents out.  Take a look at a few of their pages:

Click {HERE} to grab yourself the writing page and the book cover for "Love is in the air."

I also had my kids write to Mother Nature before we left on Wednesday, since the big nor'easter was heading our way.... and we might not see each other for 5 days...  Here's a few of their adorable responses! 

Click {HERE} to grab yourself a copy of the writing page and class book cover for Mother Nature.  (Mother Earth is also in there, since that's what I used first... It was a spur of the moment activity and what I had created for Earth Day last year!)

This is the parent sheet I put behind every book made, and I also have a copy of the note I send home with the first few books.  I send the books home in ziploc bags.  I tried big envelopes... laminated and not.  Neither lasted.  Ziplocs are cheap and easy!  And so far the books have held up just fine by going to all 20 homes!  {click on the pictures to download a copy for yourself!}

LAST-what I do with the books at the end of the year!  I disassemble the books and create books for each student to take home filled with all of their writing throughout the year.  It's a great keepsake.  If you read THIS post, there's a little bit of info about the covers I used at the end of the post.  (freebie too!)

Valentines-Freebies

Well, I had my first full day today---in what feels like forever.  I'm a bit jealous of all the pics out there for the 100th day.  Sad to say ours isn't until February 19th, so my festivities will not be of much help for you all this year!  ;)

I wanted to share what I'm doing for my Valentines this year in class and what I whipped up for my oldest for his at school!  Mine is a repeat from last year.  You can read about that post {HERE}  We've had 6-7 (I lost count) snow days in January alone... and I'll be going to school till just about July!  ugh.....  (and I know all about how February has major snow storms!  I was born in one!  My bday is always around President's Day...)  Fingers crossed for a mild and snow-less February (and March, while I'm at it!!!!!)  My littlest and I made these for our classes on one of our snow days.  My tip for this project is at the end of the school year, collect all the crayons from the kids....  BONUS!  Have them peel the crayons before giving them to you.  My class LOVED doing this last year, and it was super quiet while they did it... almost therapeutic!  haha!

Here's what I whipped up for my oldest.  He just got that Rainbow Loom for the holidays.  Of course, he doesn't like to stay in one place for very long... so I talked him into making his classmates bracelets for Valentine's Day.  After explaining to him how it's a nice gesture making things for others because it means you were thinking of them......  He made his bracelets.  (Of course, they are the VERY basic... cause, it's what I would expect of him!  lol  I feel like I need to add that he is in his school's gifted program... so he is smart---but he's a "work smarter, not HARDER" kind of kid...)  I created this little card to use.  I punched a hole (with a heart hole puncher of course!  That's how I roll!) and we attached the bracelets through the hole!  All he needs to do now is write everyone's names!  I LOVE how it turned out! 

If you'd like a copy of these cards, click on the picture below!

Happy Valentine's Day friends!  I hope to have more things to share soon... that is, if we can just get this winter OVER WITH!!!!  

Double Digits and Valentines

So, I'm gearing up for the tackling of the double digit adding and subtracting!  I feel like each year I teach this, things can go either way...  This year, I feel, is going to be one of those years.  So, what I did this past weekend, you may ask?!  lol  I created a packet to help me teach!  123 pages worth!  I am IN.LOVE with the results!  Now the task of copying, laminating and cutting sits ahead of me...  guess it's good that we've been stuck indoors for what feels like months!

Here's what is included:

{Click on this picture to read more about it over at TPT or here: TN}

 {6 double digit addition games and recording sheets}

{6 different subtraction games---most of which have 3 different levels of difficulty---aka-3 games that can be played--and recording sheets}

{2 Mixed games and 20+ practice worksheets; AND essential question posters!}

The best part is that you can use the games as reinforcement, practice or even assessment!  You can use the worksheets at the end as assessments too!  I made sure to cover many NBT standards.  Pair this with my Place Value Perfection packet, and your kids will master ALL NBT standards for first grade!  Yay! :)

While I was off doing this, I also created some generic comprehension pages to use this week.  

Click {HERE} to grab yourself copies!  

*The Love Is In The Air page is going to be a writing assignment this week for my kids to write what they think "Love is in the air" means.  ;)  I'm going to bind them as a class book to send home for parents to read.  

I have a few favorites I read every year including Love, Splat and Slugs in Love.  What are your favorites?

Penguin Valentine Bags!

Here are the Valentine bags we make with our kids!

Click {HERE} to get the templates!  All you need is a black bag for each student--or you could just have them color white ones (as long as it's the ones that can be colored on---that aren't the shiny kind)  I realized I forgot to trace the heart for you.  They could make their own or you can provide some already made (from the diecut?!)  I had my kids trace their glue stick caps for the eyes---we have the fat ones.

Also-I just posted what I think is my new most favorite packet!  I found the most adorable borders from the Moffett Girls----and inspiration hit!  (actually, I've been planning on creating stuff for Click Clack Moo, but not at this very moment.)

Click {HERE} to read more!

Valentine's Day and a freebie!

Valentine's Day has taken a different "feel" this year at our school.  We are currently on the way to banning all food from school, other than lunch or things purchased through our food department.  Knowing whether or not we/students were allowed to give candy with Valentine's was questionable.  The verdict right now is that if they gave candy, they must take it home for parents decisions on what they may eat.  So, I haven't really been in the "festive" mood.  We've been doing a lot at home with furniture and painting as well as my daily work for school---that I'm quite behind.  My youngest son, 22 months, JUST got his Valentine list for his daycare room on FRIDAY!  I wasn't going to go out and buy a box for 6 kids.... so I got creative.  We melted crayons in a heart shape to hand out.  I originally found it in pinterest.  While of course that idea is not NEW, I decided to give it a try.  And OH.MY.GOSH!  they turned out to be the CUTEST things..... that I just HAD to make them for my kiddos!  Yesterday.  That's right.  The night before Valentine's Day!  I googled searched for a "saying" cause I did not like the one on Pinterest, and figured there was something "cuter."  Of course, I was right!

Here's all 32 of them for my classes.  I should have made more, but ran out of time.  My 5 extra math kiddos will just get a card from me this year :(  (My 5 year old just told me last night that he needed Valentine's for his friends in his wrap-around Kindergarten class.... which happened to be 5 kids... sigh) 

Up close of the cuteness!  You can find the adorable paper at this blog here: http://www.ourbestbites.com/2012/02/how-to-make-muffin-tin-crayons-and-a-printable/

You'll need to scroll down to the end of her post to download it.  The folded over paper has this cute saying on the back:  "This may look like a sweet treat, but take note, it's not to eat!  Just grab a paper an write 'be mine' and give it to your Valentine!"

Last week in Reading group, my kids were discovering more and more words that just aren't following the rules!  It's so hard to explain to them rules... but then tell them that there are many exceptions.  I was reading around the 'net over the weekend and came across this fun idea at First Grader...at Last and decided to give it a little "tweak" to fit my room and style.   I can't wait to get them displayed with the kids!  (I glued them onto some bright pink cardstock-for the correct spellings and black for the incorrect)

 Once I get them back from laminating, I'll post a picture of how they look displayed in my room!  Grab a copy for yourself here or click on the picture!!

Thanks for reading!  If you like what you read or download-don't forget to follow me!  I have more freebies and also have some freebies listed at my Teachers Pay Teachers store!  I can't believe I'm up to 35 followers on that site!  What a whirlwind the past 4 weeks have been!  Thank you all for your support and Happy Valentine's Day!  Hope you have a LOVELY day with your kids and loved ones! <3


Edited Feb 15, 2012:  I added more words to the file above---is, done, love and give.