Oh Where, Oh Where, Has This Little Blog Gone...

Remember how I told you all that I don't have my own classroom because I teach half the day in one teacher's class and half the day in another teacher's class? Well... I have had to rethink some things and adapt a little. Because I teach math (calendar included) and I didn't have the wall space for my calendar materials, I had to improvise a little. A friend gave me one of those huge science project presentation boards (covered in clear contact paper) and here is what I came up with...

 I will obviously be sharing all of these files with you all in the post. But are a few things to note. I tried just using StickyTac to stick everything on and then used labeled clothes pins to mark the Days of the Week, Season, and Months. Both of those ideas did not work. Stuff was sliding off every other day and the kids were having a hard time with the clothes pins. I then switched to foam mounting squares to stick everything that was permanent down. This has lasted. I also swapped the clothes pins out for velcro. The calendar is a bulletin board set from DJ Inkers. The Days in School pocket chart is from a local teacher supply store.

 If you want to make your own... here are the templates. 

((I bought the weather one so I can't share it with you. Sorry.))

  

 Well, as always I hope someone can use this stuff and I really have missed you all! I will post again very soon.

Kinder Math Sorting Mats & Updates

Wow. After this last summer, I didn't think I could take a one month break from blogging... but look at me. I did. This last month has been nothing but C-R-A-Z-Y! I opened that kinder class that I told you all about, but two and a half weeks into it, I got an offer to go back to the school I taught at last year. I could not say no. I loooved my principal and had made sooo many great friends there that I took the offer and had one afternoon to pack up and move. ((I was secretly hoping this would happen and hadn't brought much stuff with me in case I had oh, a good 2 hours to pack.)) 

So my new position is kind of interesting. I am teaching math and writing in two kinder classes of 33 kiddos each. It's kind of weird because all I have is a desk and a cabinet to put my things. Not to mention, I am like a lot of you and obsessed with room environment. I have no control over that with the classroom. Plus the back and forth between the classes makes for a looong day. 

Now you know why I have been MIA... but I am BACK and plan on posting a lot. Especially when it comes to writing because our writing curriculum is awful and I just plan on using it very loosely. 

As a way of saying sorry for neglecting you and get you all back in my good graces... here are some math sorting mats I made. Just laminate and place in a tray or tub or baggy and you've got yourself some workshop activities. 

So... I hope that makes up for me being MIA. I really have missed you all and can't wait for things to calm down and get back to posting! 

I got my job back!!

Soooo first, I am feeling all kinds of guilty for not posting in forever. As I've mentioned before, I received a layoff notice last year and have just been crossing my fingers and hoping that California could get a budget together and my district could find the money to bring me back. Well guess what?! They called me last Tuesday and offered me a kindergarten spot at a new school. No more 2nd grade, which makes me a little sad, but I am really excited to be back in kinder. I wasn't really able to do much in my classroom until last Friday and we start back on Tuesday. Yes, TUESDAY. Not a lot of time. Crazy. 

The really good news is that now that I know what grade I am teaching, I can start creating things and taking pictures and posting very soon. I really have missed sharing with you all. Oh, and if you are a kinder teacher, please leave me a comment so I can come stalk your blog or Pinterest! 

Vocabulary Template and Exciting News!

I was accepted as an author to "Me and My Gang". It was originally made for 2nd grade teachers to find each other, but now the girls who started it are opening it up to other grade levels. Head on over and get yourself an author spot.

Also...

I made this page to go with our Imagine It!/Open Court adoption. I had the students write the word (broken into syllables) in the long box, a picture in the smaller one, and the rest is self-explanatory. Hopefully some of you can use it as well! :)

I have a confession to make...

... Pinterest has kind of taken over my blogging. I am loooving all of the ideas out there. When I first started using Pinterest, there were no other teachers out there using it and classroom pics were so hard to find. Now that we have all found each other through Blogland, I am spending hours pinning away. It's kind of crazy too because it seems like we all kinda like the same things -- even outside of teaching. So I just thought I'd share some of my favorite things I have pinned lately...

Obsessed with this balloon idea from Mrs. McComish at Monarch Madness. She is new to the blog scene and has some really cute classroom pictures you guys should check out. Not to mention she is having her first giveaway... $20 to Target. 

Cupcake Linner Ribbons?! Yes please. Totally cute and super easy to make. This idea is from Charlotte's Fancy. This site is super addicting. It's not all crafty and cutesy though. 

How cute would it be to get ahold of your teacher friends' class lists and make them these as a little Back to School gift. Adorable. The idea is from K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, sister)

I.need.these.now. How much cuter would everything be if this bordered it?! Print Candee on Etsy of course.

Not only does this look super colorful and cute... it's sooooo true...

Just when you thought Shark Week was over and you were safe...

And because I am hoping that I am not the only one who tortures myself by watching Criminal Minds, at night, in the dark, while I am home alone, which obviously makes me the biggest scaredy cat ever --- I leave you with this.

Matt Damon defending teachers! Looove it!

Have you all seen this?! I have always been a Matt Damon fan, but now I am going to leave my boyfriend for him  loving him even more! Check out this video!

Happy Birthday Freebie!

Hey Bloggy Friends! I just wanted to share with you all what I do for birthdays in my classroom. Mine is coming up -- 2 months away, but it's close in my mind. ((I've even started a Pinterest board full of gift ideas so when people ask me what I want I don't have to answer with the usual "hmmm. I dunno.")) 

Soooo.... back to what I do in my classroom. 

I print out one of these... I color it and type their name on it. I obviously had to take the name part off so it would be more "blog sharing friendly".  ((I have such a love/hate relationship with PDFs right now. ))

You can click on the picture to get a copy of it.

Then I make a class set of this... the Birthday Boy/Girl gets to share some things that want for their birthdays and I draw a quick sketch of it on the board and label it. Then the students head back to their desk and draw what they wish they could give the birthday b/g. It can be something we discussed or something else. ((In kinder - I had a boy that would always give the girls a princess Barbie. Sooo cute!)) Then they sign their name, turn it in to me, and I make it into a book. Also, in kinder I would use a tracing font so the kids could trace Happy Birthday ____ and Love, ____. 

Classroom ABC's

So, I was doing some "Summer Cleaning" of my files and blog posts and accidently deleted a post ((totally thought it was a draft)). I didn't think anyone would miss it so I never reposted. Well, much to my surprise, people are actually reading this little ol' blog of mine and using the stuff I post. I have been getting a lot of emails for the Classroom ABCs form that was on the post I deleted, so I thought I'd put it back up here. 

I have to tell you... I did not come up with the ideas of ABCing your classroom rules/procedures. I originally saw it on Christina Bainbridge's website. I loved the idea so much that I googled "classroom abcs" and a ton of other teachers do it as well. If one of the letters' words on here doesn't work for you, check these websites and I am sure you will find something. 

1. Mrs. Bainbridge's Class Website

2. Mrs. Sano's Class Website

3. Pro Teacher

4. Mrs. Niemiec's Class Website

5. Mrs. Gerew's Class Website

Anyways, here it is and hopefully you can put it to good use!

If you want it in Word, just email me and I will send it your way - fonts attached! :)

Click the picture to download a PDF.

I am soooo loving all of these giveaways right now...

One of my most favorite blogs to read lately is Kristin's from A Teeny Tiny Teacher. Her friend's daughter just got a job at a charter school that is ... are you ready for this... IN A MALL! Seriously. Read her posts on it. Hilarious. Also, she is a Big Brother fan and I loooove me some BB! Anyways, she is having her first giveaway. (($20 to Barnes and Noble)) Head over and enter! 

Another fav, Doodle Bugs Teaching is having a sticker giveaway! I am sticker crazy and love just about every single thing she makes. I just need my job back to I can start buying her stuff. In the meantime, I will just enter her contest, cross my fingers and hope I win! 

Winner! Winner! Winner!

First of all, a big THANK YOU to everyone who entered my first giveaway! It was a lot of fun and I can't wait to do another one. This contest has gone on long enough and I won't keep you waiting any longer friends. The winner is ..... 

::: drumroll :::

Congrats Ashley, at Just Reed! Email me at brittmale@gmail.com with your grade level and the name of the incentive pack you want. She is actually having a giveaway of her own, so I am heading over there now to enter myself tell her she won some Cootie Catchers! ;) 

Last Day to Enter my Giveaway!

Today is the last day to enter for the 3 Cootie Catcher resource books and an incentive pack from Creative Teaching Press. Click the "giveaway" sign to link to the original post! Good luck!

So much free stuff in Blogland!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway. It's my first ever and I will be honest, I think I set it to last too long. The suspense is killing me. I just wanted to give bloggers some time to come and find me and enter. I love these Cootie Catchers and can't wait to give them away! 

Click here to go directly to my giveaway post!

Denise, at Yearn to Learn is having a giveaway of her own. Now, I have to be honest. I have been stalking checking in on Denise for years... even before blogging days. A long time ago, I joined a yahoo group for 2nd grade teachers, and then we moved to Ning. Well let me tell you, that "club" is the best ever! We all shared so much and Denise was one of those teachers. She probably doesn't remember me because I was very "small time" but she had/has this incredible website that really helped me get through those first few years of teaching. One of the things I always loved were her Task Cards. And guess what?! She is giving them away to 3 lucky winners! Here's to hoping I'm the winner! 

Click here to go directly to her giveaway post!

And last, but definitely not least, Jodie at Fun in First is having a giveaway. She is celebrating 1000 followers (I cannot even imagine) and is giving one item from each of the following sellers to a lucky winner. Pick me! Pick me!

Click to enter!

Erica, at Erica Bohrer's First Grade, is having a Back to School Bonanza contest! Check out all the stuff she is giving to a lucky follower!

Click to Enter!

My Very First Giveaway

Okay. Okay. I am so excited about my giveaway!! I have been working on this one for awhile and now I can officially announce that it is being sponsored by....

Yay! I love EVERYTHING that they make and I am sure you do too. They are being super generous and offering their new and VERY POPULAR Cootie Catcher Resource Books and Classroom Incentives to one of my lucky followers! They recommend these books for grades 2-5, but after looking them over, I am sure some of our super bright kinders and firsties could use the 2nd grade Cootie Catchers too! The Classroom Incentives come in a pack of 30, in color, and pre-creased. The resource books cover language arts, math, and science in grades 2, 3, 4, and 5!! They are great for reviewing, your kiddos will LOVE them, and they are reproducible! Even if you aren't the winner, look into purchasing these books... with 20 games per book, it works out to $0.25 per game - what a deal?! 

So here it is.... 

So that's 3 Cootie Catcher Resource Books and one pack of Cootie Catcher Incentives! Can I enter my own contest?!

There are 5 ways to enter... 

1. Follow me.

2. Add my button to your blog.

3. Blog about my giveaway.

4. "Like" CTP on Facebook. 

5. Follow Tommie's Tools.

Leave one comment for each thing you do and I will pick one lucky winner on Friday, July 29th.