New Year Promises

OH wow!!! So I have not blogged since September but it really does not feel like it has been that long. When you have a wedding to plan, a honeymoon to go on, a Master's program to complete, conferences & "progress reports", and end-of-semester-craziness to finish, the months just shoot right on by. 

But I am back, baby! I still have my Master's program and general work stuff to do but the wedding and honey moon are done! Whew! 

What they don't tell you about a wedding is how fast it is over with. It seems as though you spend countless hours and an embarrassing amount of money for something that is so beautiful and over in the blink of an eye. Needless to say, it was totally worth it. I wish I could suspend time, though, and stay in that moment for a little longer. 

I will give you a little treat of the loveliness captured by Haley Sheffield. *Sigh*

                         

   

                   

After the wedding, we went to Universal Studios for five days. Boy! Was that fun. I finally was able to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We also went out a few times and had lots of random fun. 

But on to what this post is really about...

The new year seems to be all about starting over and coming up with resolutions and promises to be a better you. I see a lot of memes over social media that are giving a huge eye roll about this. I have to admit, I sometimes agree that it can be annoying and pointless to see the same resolutions over and over again but it is fun. Here is my list of cliched resolutions that I hope to fulfill in the new year. 

This is not my photograph, I found it on Tumblr and could not find the original source.

1. Obviously, I need to be a better blogger and at least post weekly! I also want to start posting more things that are meaningful to you teachers. Things you can actually use and implement in the classroom. So here is to hoping. If you have any advice or feedback, let me know!
2. I am a procrastinator. I will admit it. That's the first step to admitting you have a problem, right?! I would like to be better prepared in all aspects of my life: as a mother, a wife, and a teacher. I feel as though I am always one step behind. It is due to my laziness and procrastination that I do this. I will wait until the last minute to clean up, give K a bath, do my lesson plans, or even my school work. So this is it...the year I am going to be better prepared. I think I will start tomorrow. ;)
3. Here's the old cliche resolution. I want to be more active. I am not saying I want to start getting fit to the point where I am competing in competitions or anything (which is awesome btw), I just would like to move more and get outside more rather than sitting on the couch like always. Maybe learn how to hike and be one with nature? Maybe.
4. I love my friends, I really do. I just feel as though I am stuck in content zone right now. I would like to get out of my comfort zone and meet new people who I have not given a chance or a second thought. It also would be nice to have a few new friends that are not just mine or E's. Maybe friends that are ours.
5. Now this one is just silly. But seriously... who is A? I am watching PLL for the *cough3rdcough* time and there are so many clues and details that I am starting to think I am A. Give us some answers, darnit!

What are your resolutions? Let me know in the comments or post a link to your site with your list! :)


PS: since it is the end of the year and the end of a reign, let me take a moment to say goodbye to the 11th doctor. Bow ties will forever be cool.

Five for Friday!

OMG! I am so excited that it is Friday! Here is another Five for Friday post!

1. Tomorrow is Saturday and we are headed to Music Midtown! If you know me, then you know that I LOVE Tegan and Sara. I have seen them several times and it never gets old. We also get to see another band that I have been wanting to see for like ever: the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Karen O is a dream boat! There are many more bands but I don't want to brag or anything. ;)

2. Yesterday was International Talk Like a Pirate day which I had no idea about until that morning. I dropped all of my plans and threw together some pirate fun at the last minute! It was FUN!!! We read "Pirates Don't Change Diapers", made pirate hats and eye patches, dug for treasure with our special treats, and drew a treasure map! ARGGG WHAT FUN!

To make the snack: get 2 boxes of shape treats (they were $1 at Kroger!), Twizlers, and Oreos. Put two shapes at the bottom, crush Oreos and put them on top, then make an X with the Twizlers. Afterall, X marks the spot.
*This was a great way to teach the letter X, teaching about maps, and we even added a little shape recognition in there.

3. I don't know about you, but my kids were CRAZYYYY this week. We needed a lot of dancing and fun in order to calm ourselves down. I like to show a video I made in college to remind them of making good choices and consequences. It is a song that I wrote with a friend. It is very catchy....you've been warned.


The kids loved it! We  even made our own version for parents with us singing and dancing.

4. We have been talking about shoes this month and one of the quick activities we did was Shoe Graphing. I got out a long piece of butcher paper and labeled three different types of shoes: sandals, sneakers, and slip-ons. We talked about each type of shoe and decided to see what shoe was in our classroom the most! I am going to blog more about it next week so here is a sneek peek!

5. Kinley had a school get together that showed us what she does at school! It was so cute to see all of the fun things she does and what she likes to do the best. She remembered the class rules, how to make a magnet sensory bottle, and hold scissors. AWWW! This makes me happy for next year when she will be in Pre-K at my school. Mom is proud! :) 

Family Fun

At my school we have a book of the month (BOM). This is where a family signs up to donate a specific book to our class. For September, our book was "Bat Loves the Night." I asked the parent who donated if she would like to read and do a quick activity with us. She agreed!

(I have great parents, y'all!)

She read the book to us and the kids really enjoyed hearing someone besides me read! LOL

After we were finished reading, I showed the kids a picture of the LARGEST bat and the SMALLEST bat side-by-side.

*SmartBoard pics are never any good!*

Then I told them that the largest bat had a wingspan of 5 feet! I of course explained that a wingspan is how long our arms are when we hold them out to our sides. Since they have no concept of 5 feet, we measured using rulers. This gave a great visual, counting practice, and measuring activity (all which are important indicators for GA WSO).

 

Then of course we measured the smallest wingspan (5 INCHES)! This was a great way to show the differences between feet and inches. We discussed more and less as well. 

After the measuring, We took pictures to see if our wingspan was longer or shorter than the biggest bat!

We made it into a fun book! 

The next day we did an activity to where we could get a visual of how many mosquitos a bat eats in an hour. My para was so kind and cut out 600 bugs and then sorted them into groups of ten. This activity was a lot for the Pre-K kids. They needed a lot of help since they are unable to cut and glue very well. This gave them great glue practice. We did this during work time and called them over few at a time to glue. If you are willing to go through a lot of work, this mosquito activity is a lot of fun and looks great when you are through!! 

 

I loved doing this bat activity! I will have to revisit this book and come up with more activities in October. :) 

Currently slacking

Oh my gosh! I have been quite the slacker with this blog and I apologize. I promise I will be better this September. :)

I think I am still getting used to all the newness of the students and my Master's program. I will get there. I can do it. I think...

1. I don't even know why Teen Mom 3 is on my TV. It is a little interesting though. It has been playing in the background as I have been writing my lesson plans and I have to say that the drama is ridiculous. 

2. I am totally loving this 3 day weekend. School has been crazy so it was nice to have an extra day to get caught up and relaxed. 

3. I think this is self-explanatory. Ya feel me, right?

4. I am wanting it to be October already so I can get this wedding over with! The closer it gets, the more anxious I get. Also, I am a comma abuser. I am unsure that I even use them correctly anymore. They are my favorite thing it seems. 

5. I need money$! Weddings are expensive and the closer it gets, the more worried I am about having enough money for it. So I am hoping this month and the next I can save a little extra to have for the honey moon. *Here's hoping!* As the date approaches, I need to be getting in to shape. I am such a procrastinator that I need to get going. My poor Kin. I have been so worn out from school that I feel like she has been pushed aside for a few weeks. But I WILL get better with all three of these things.

6. AHHH! That is so soon. I am excited. 

Check back at Oh Boy 4th Grade for other great blogs!

Learning All About Ourselves

So the first month of school is really a great time to learn about the rules and procedures (obviously) and this is especially needed in Pre-K. These kids are literally such young babies that they don't know about rules and how to walk in line. It is actually crazy how you forget how young they are because towards the end of the year, they are so much "older" and mature than when we started school.

Our AP at my school even said that he couldn't believe how much work Pre-K is. He never realized that you had to teach and help 22 kids open their milks, walk in line, use the restroom, sit criss-cross, and all of the other little things we take for granted or assume everyone innately knows how to do.

To be honest, it is a struggle those first few weeks. There is so much to go over and it is very intimidating and overwhelming. I started to feel angry and even upset. As a mother (maybe it's only me) I noticed that when Kin isn't listening, I take it personally. If I get on to her I am doing it with my emotions and she does not listen at all. My mom or Eric can get on to her and she listens. The difference is that they do not put there emotions in to it. After I realized this about myself, I knew that I was doing this in my room because, let's face it, we are together 5 days a week for 8 hours. If the kids were not listening, I would react with my emotions. I now know that there is no need to do that. It has made my class 100 times better and I feel the love everywhere.

PS: When I say I used my emotions, I am talking about you could hear that I was upset in my voice or that I would holler. JUST WANTED TO BE CLEAR ON THAT! LOL :)

Anyways, the first month of school is also a great time for kids to learn about themselves, their friends, and their family. The first thing we did was draw a self-portrait. My school uses handwriting without tears and so I gave no instructions. Just simply draw a picture of yourself. I mostly got pictures of scribbles and such.

The next day, we did teacher labeling. My co-worker saw this idea on Pinterest and shared it with us. The kids LOVED this. They told me how crazy and silly I was. They definitely had a blast. I wanted everyone to have a turn nso I wrote 22 body parts on sticky notes. I posted them on my teacher board and let one student at a time pick one. I will say that the sticky notes did not stick on my body or clothes too well. But it was workable.

The body parts I used were as follows:
eye, foot, toes, hand, wrist, fingers, ankle, arm, arm, leg, leg, elbow, neck, nose, mouth, ear, knee, hair, chin, chest, tummy, back.

The following day we listened to the Mat Man song and used our listening skills to put Mat Man together. There are several curves and lines that you use to put him together, so I explained what each part was. I gave everyone a piece and let them listen to the song. When the song said, "Mat man has 2 eyes, 2 eyes, 2 eyes..." The kids with the eyes had to put them where they go. This is a great song to help build listening skills as well. If you would like to learn more here is the site from Handwriting Without Tears. I made my own parts out of foam and googly eyes for the eyes. Here is our finished product. 

The next day I explained that we made Mat Man using shapes. When we draw ourselves, we can use shapes. We even drew Mat Man on chart paper together. After we drew him together, they went to their seats and made themselves using shapes. We talked about how girls can wear dresses and I let them guess which shape that would be. They guessed triangle. *ding ding ding*

Here are their before and after Mat Man. Can you guess which is the before? :) 

They really enjoyed this week and learning about themselves and their bodies. 

Teacher Week + Leibster Award

Okay, y'all! It is teacher week 2013. I am excited that this is a thing! What more could you want?!

Well before I tell you 10 things about me, I wanted to tell you that Ashley Copeland at Tacky the Teacher nominated me for the Leibster Award. I just could not believe it when I read my comments. Thank you so much! 

To accept the nomination you must:

1. Link back to the blog that nominated you

2. Nominate 5-11 blogs with fewer than 200 followers

3. Answer the questions posted for you by your nominator

4. Share 11 random facts about yourself

5. Create 11 questions for your nominees

6. Contact your nominees and let them know you nominated them

I nominate the following blogs:

1. 2 Preschool Pals
2. Fun in Pre-K 1 & Kindergarten
3. Mrs. Brown the Bookworm
4. If you Give a Teacher a Treat
5. Paula's Place

To answer Ashley's questions: 

1. How long have you been blogging and why did you start?

I just started blogging this summer. It has been something that I have been wanting to do for a long time. I just love sharing my ideas and getting ideas from others. It is also a great way to see how others would do it. There are so many lovely blogs out there! 
2. When do you get into your classroom for the first time in the summer?

Well school has already started and I am enjoying being back. (I know, crazy!) I went back to work on my room in July because I found out that I was moving in to a different room with a different Para. There was so much work to be done so I spent most of my July days in the room. It looks fabulous, by the way. 
3. If you were not a teacher, what would your career be?

I am obsessed with tigers. It is a weird fact. I even used to save pictures of them on my computer when I was young. I would love to work with tigers, if I wasn't a teacher. 
4. What children's book is your favorite to teach with and why?

I love to teach with the "There Was an Old Lady..." books. I feel as though they are a great way to teach math patterns and have fun. The kids love them! There is so much to do with them. 
5. What is the most embarrassing teacher moment you have had?

This may be TMI, BUTTTTTTT one time I was hanging something up and I farted so loud. I didn't even know I had to do it. It just came out. It was so embarrassing and hilarious! GROSS.
6. If you could eat one food every day what would it be?

Cheesecake. I love cheesecake. (I blame it on Eric)
7. What is your favorite classroom theme you have had?

This is my second year teaching and both years I had a polka dot theme. I love it because you can do anything with it. This year my theme is a mixture of colors and patterns. I call it: "Dr. Seuss Threw Up" Theme
8. What is your favorite blog to read? 

I love the Tattooed Teacher. She is one of the blogs I follow religiously. She just puts it out there and I love it. 
9. What is your favorite subject to teach?

I love to teach Math. It is so hands-on and fun. That is one thing I miss about the older grades (K-5). 
10. What color would you use to describe your personality?

Oh gosh, do I have to choose. What color says happy, carefree, and a little bit sassy? What ever it is, that is me. 
11. What professional development book would you recommend?

I have not had to read one. I am dying to get my hands on that Talking, Drawing, Writing. I feel as though it can be beneficial for all grades. 

For my 11 random facts I can incorporate the All About Me Monday! 

1. Seriously, I love Tegan and Sara. They are my favorite band and they have been since I was 14. I own like 8 band T-Shirts and I have seen them in concert 4 times. I get to see them again at Music Midtown in September and I am stoked. It is actually quite ridiculous. 

2. There are several TV shows that I have a guilty pleasure for. The biggest is Pretty Little Liars. I know I am an adult and I should be in to cool, mature things but I just cannot help it. The mystery is too inciting. (I do like good, adult shows too)

3. I have 4 animals (5 if you count Kinley) living in the apartment with me and Eric. One is a little Chihuahua named Chewie (Chewbacca for you Star Wars lovers) and three rats. There names are: Whisker White, Saul Goodmouse, and Jesse Pinktail. *insert Breaking Bad pun, here*

4. I have a shopping addiction. Seriously. It. Is. BAD. If I cannot afford to buy too much, I go to the Dollar Tree to get my fix. I just can't help it.

5. I pay Target's bills. I am there everyday it seems. Eric went to a birthday party once and one of the party-goers said, "I rang up your fiance today at Target. She is there like everyday." LOL They need a Target's Anonymous.

6. I don't exercise but I really want to. I just never feel like it. Does that make sense?

7. It is the 6th day of school and all of my students already know I am crazy! They tell me all the time how silly and crazy I am. I guess as I get older I can't hold in the "weird" as much. 

8. I really like ice cream. My favorite flavor is Mint Chocolate Chip. 

9. Going to the movies is my favorite thing to do. Forget the romantic, over the top dates, I just wanna go to the movies. 

10. I spend a lot of time watching youtube tutorial videos. Eric makes fun of me for it, but I just can't help it. You can learn how to do everything through Googling and Youtubing! 

*11. I enjoy fonts. I can spend several hours a day looking and downloading fonts. It is so weird. 

My 11 questions for my blogger friends:

1. When did you first realize when you wanted to become a teacher?

2. What was the hardest year of teaching you have had? How did you overcome it?

3. What is the most embarrassing moment you have had at school?

4. What is your favorite blog to read?

5. What subject do you enjoy teaching the most?

6. If you weren't a teacher, what else would you do?

7. What are your guilty pleasures?

8. What was your favorite classroom theme?

9. What past lesson you planned was the most successful? Why?

10. Name one of the most rewarding moments in your teaching career.

11. What has been your favorite class theme over the years?

Thanks for reading my blog. Check out the blogs I nominated and all of the great blogs that have posted their about me's on Blog Hoppin'!

Meet & Greet!

Sorry for the lack of posts lately! This last week has been a whirlwind of crazy! Thursday was the first day of school and we had Meet & Greet on Tuesday. It was a lot of fun. I had to make sure all of the things I worked on this summer were ready.

Here are some photos of my room for the lovely occasion. :)

I definitely am lucky that so many great ideas are floating around on the internet from seasoned teachers. All of their advice and ideas on Pinterest and blogs helped me to have a smooth Meet & Greet. Everything was in place and worked great. 

I had 5 stations. They are as follows:

As soon as the parents walked in the door, they had to sign in. The parents also had a choice to sign up to be a volunteer. It is always nice to see who wants to volunteer so you can see all of the options you have to lend a helping hand. Parents are just awesome like that! They love helping, so use them. :) 

Step 1: The parents followed the yellow signs. This took them to a table where they needed to pick up a baggie with their child's name on it. This baggie had everything they needed to know and sign inside of it. I even had all of the forms that needed to be signed and sent back paper-clipped. Easy and convenient for the parents. Remember, some parents have several children and have to sort through the paper work. This helps them a lot! Here is a close up of my baggies.

Inside of the baggies were as follows:

1. Meet the teacher letter
2. Remind 101 letter
3. 2 flyers about why reading is important *I found these on Pinterest..they are not created by me.
4. Lunch information
5. Student handbook pages that needed to be signed
6. Pre-K Handbook
7. Student information sheet *found on Pinterest

All of this information (except the handbooks) can be found below. 

*****One thing I forgot to put in the bag was what the students NEEDED for school**** 

Um hello! How could I forget that!? I did write that info on the board though.

Step 2: The next step was to find the brown paper bag with their child's name on it. This was a way for parents and the child to see that they had an important project to do together. The label says to bring in a few (5-6) items that tell us about you. I was going to put it in the baggie with all the other information,  but I wanted it to be a separate thing to that wouldn't get pushed to the side. On the first day of school, ALL of my bags returned. I credit this to it being separate from the baggies.

 

Step 3: This step is for the parents to tell us how they are getting home on the first day, the second day, and the rest of the year. This is definitely the most important step of the whole meet & greet affair. My Para manned the station and verified each address and made sure parents filled out everything correctly. This made for a smooth first and second day. 

I asked for the first and second day because we started school on a Thursday. Monday would be when each child really gets their routine down for dismissal. 

Here is the link for my how will your child get home.

Step 4: This step was the most fun! Parents were able to grab a scavenger hunt and explore the room with their child. This really helped to keep everyone moving and not standing around the room or talking to me the whole time. I was able to move and talk to all parents and students. It was nice! When the students were finished with the scavenger hunt, they were able to get a treasure from the Treasure Chest. 

Here is the Scavenger hunt that I used. I found it thanks to ....Pinterest, of course. Bu tI have made it easy for you to download here. It is from Little Kinder Warriors. It is a great blog! 

Step 5: This step was available for parents to grab a helping hand! I wrote down a few things we always need in Pre-K. It was a great idea. 

Meet and Greet was great! It was super busy and crazy but so much fun. I am going to have a great year this year. :)