Novemeber... ALREADY???

Yes... November is indeed right around the corner. Tuesday is Halloween... the start of Holiday insanity here. It does not end for me until mid-January as we not only have holidays but birthdays galore to deal with.

That is why I am truly loving my new monthly series and I know many of you are as well!! It is now in stores and ready for your use.

I took a poll on FB and election information was not included in this package by request. My election unit and freebies are also in stock. Just a few more days until the move is over and I am hoping to complete a few more items I have been working on. =)

Instead - we are focusing on families, harvest, fall, and Thanksgiving. I hope you enjoy it. If you have any suggestions on additions you would like to see in future packages, leave me a comment. I am trying to add more to each one to make it truly one stop shopping.

I polled my children and this month they wanted to make 3 different sets of calendar numbers and letters. I also changed it by making the vowels a different color than the consonants.

One of my personal favorites of these packages are the monthly sight words. I included an easy way to track these with my Sight Word Magic set as I use the same method for both. We all know how important vocabulary is.  We have all seen and used the Fry's list for sight words but I wanted something more.

Each monthly kit includes 50 seasonal "sight words"! These are words that are specifically related to the season and the events that occur in this month. These are words your students will encounter while reading seasonal books. By creating a list of words for them to learn, I know that no matter what they check out of the library, they will know these words.

It is also a great way to challenge your "gifted and talented." =) 

As a bonus... my students know that these words MAY show up as challenge words on their vocabulary and/or spelling tests. I may require them to use these words in their writings this month. There is so much I can do with these lists!!

Just like last month... this kit includes calendars, journal prompts, newsletters, center labels, stationary, and interactive notebook pages. Some of the fun this month includes:

Creating a family tree! Writing about our families and traditions. Exploring our origins and learning more about the trip to a new land.

Math in action... recipes! There are 2 different versions. I am hoping to complete a freebie to go with this to take this one step further math wise. =)

Speaking of math... I have been working a lot on a math project lately! But I realize that many students are still struggling classifying numbers. So this month's packet focuses on identify odd, even, and prime numbers.

In addition I spent A LOT of time this month going through my personal library (well the boy's library anyways), polling teacher friends, and researching to find books for this months collection! I found some new favorites and hope you will as well.

Please leave me a comment with your book suggestions for fall, Thanksgiving, or the upcoming elections and I will be sure to add them.

As always... there is a lot more inside but this is just a sneak peak at what is in this month's  packet o'fun! You all enjoyed my freebie weeks this month and so I am going to try and schedule another freebie week and linky party too!

As always - leave a comment and I will have one of my boys pick a lucky winner! =) 

Presidential Election Writing - FREEBIE

Yesterday, I discovered that I cannot list an item for free on Teacher's Notebook and later change the item to a paid one. Sooooooo.... I am gonna be listing the items for free ONLY on Teachers Pay Teachers. Sorry if this is a disappointment to anyone.

So today's freebie... is more stationary! I never seem to have enough or a wide enough variety. When I teach I often find myself giving students unplanned work depending upon the responses I receive in class. It's one of the reasons I like to have a lot of variety available. This way I am ALWAYS prepared.

This set includes 9 pages..  3 different design and 3 different graphics. This way you can use it for anything your heart desires this week!

2012 Presidential Election - FREEBIE

As the Presidential Election draws closer my son's have begun to ask more and more questions. While their teachers are trying their best, the information available on how to teach about the Presidential Election is limited.

Soooo... I set out last week to create a packet that could used for both of their classrooms.

This packet has 40 pages of activities! It includes a complete lesson via Interactive Student Notebook pages on democracy, voting, the president, political parties, and more. There are 2 different types of student notebook pages. One is more of a "worksheet" that my kids still put into their notebooks. The other page is my actual lesson. I am planning on creating a PowerPoint to go with it just no time to do so yet!

In addition there are writing prompts, word work, sight words, graphic organizers, and even materials to hold your own polls either as a classroom or a school.

I have had a few people ask if my items are aligned to the Common Core. I forget to state this but yes... every item I created is aligned to standards. That is how I was trained in Grad School so it is automatic to me. All items have to also be related to the real world.

So... I wanted a few other items as well but I wanted to get this in stores for all of you. However, I am nearing 700 followers (YIPPEEE!) And thought it was time for some fun!

Are you ready for today's freebie?? One of my most popular products are my series of Picture Prompts. These are great for early finishers, guest teachers, and literacy centers. I have also been known to use them with my ladybug as morning work.

I created this set just for the election. It is free until I remember to change it and then it will be available for sale for $2. So get it while ya can! =)

Check-in tomorrow for more great election-themed freebies! If you have an election freebie you would like me to share this week, please leave me a comment with you email address below.

Here comes October!

I am so excited... October is almost here. A few more weeks of 100 degree temperatures and we will finally hit the 90s. By Halloween... we should be in the 80s and if we have any kinda luck by Thanksgiving we will be in the 70s. That's fall in Arizona peeps!

I remember a story several years back from my youngest son. He came home crying from Kindergarten because he thought his teacher lied to him. When I asked what she lied about he said she kept telling him about all these seasons where leaves change and snow falls but that only happens in the movies. After I stopped laughing, I had to explain where we live is different then planned a trip to a nicer climate to prove his teacher didn't lie afterall.

From that moment on, the child never really like his kindergarten teacher or trusted her despite getting proof that she told the truth. It is one of my favorite memories of fall....

Since I am always HOPING for fall to arrive, I always end up in full decorating mode. You should see the amount of decorations stored in my garage or maybe you shouldn't..... This has carried over to the classroom. I have files and files and files of Holiday STUFF!

But I admit, I forget the digital files exist. I need something all in one. Click... print... go! That theory is what prompted my new line of products. Each month, I will be introducing a new packet with lots and lots of resources.

So this guy here has everything that I need in it for the month of  October. I will probably add to it later but for now it is 39 pages and has everything I need as a teacher to prepare for the month ahead!

Calendar numbers (in both formats!) and letters for my classroom boggle board. Boggle is one of my early finishers options for the month. I have a wide variety of things they can do if they finish early but they are all grade-level common-core aligned activities.

Interactive notebook pages. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my interactive student notebooks... known as Brainy Matters in my classroom. It keeps both me and my students organized, it doubles as a portfolio and review tool. You will notice that a lot of my products are now including these pages as it is what I need and use.

There are also writing prompts that cover retelling, inferencing, and creative writing, 2 sight word lists with words that pertain to the month of October, and 2 word hunts.

Math review worksheets. Again, these are core-aligned and skills that all students need to know. My fourth grader was using this one tonight as he needs a refresher on basic math facts. I use these for my students who finish early during math. This way I know they are still getting those instruction math minutes!

There are also 2 roll and cover math game boards. I use this in multiple ways... matching numbers, creating a problem equal to that number (have students record in math journals), and use that number in a problem and have you buddy solve it (mental math). 

Now while all of the above stuff is awesome... Teachers need things too! So I created a 2 newsletter (1 Halloween & 1 Columbus), labels for this months centers, 2 letters home, and 4 pages of books to read (picture books and chapter books!) for the month.

There are also 3 October calendars which I use in my classroom. I have a plain calendar for behavior and a math calendar that we use with our circle time. None of the calendars are dated as I have my students do this to help reinforce counting skills. On the math one... the right the digital date as part of our calendar time on their math calendar.

The one pictured here is the reading log. Students record minutes on the calendar and books to the right. The rubric is on the bottom. No daily minimums are listed on this calendar so you can use it as you wish. This goes home in our file folders which stay inside out binders. The left side has the instructions and the right the calendar.

We worked on this bundle for 3 days solid and I wanted to get it to you before this weekend so you would have time to use it for the upcoming month. In future packets, I am planning on adding the Family Zebra Quest Challenge and our monthly book project. I just ran out of time and steam this month.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this project. This includes clip art from 5 of Melonheadz Illustrating sets as well as exclusive pieces made just for TWT. Each month's kit will be created in a similar fashion and cover two different topics. This kit covers Halloween and Columbus Day. I will do Fall next month when it kinda feels like it here.

Leave me a comment and I will randomly select a winner!

Football Sunday!

Have you all seen this sign? I totally need one for my house!

My oldest son's first word was football. Not mama, not dada, not even baba... football. I should have known what life had in store for me from that moment on.

Many of you know that I homeschooled my children for awhile but I have never shared the story of how it began or the frustrations that came with it. When my oldest was 2 I found him reading a book. Not the pictures.... the actual words. What sounds he hadn't figured out he made up.

I thought it was so amazing! He could read!! Little did I know the heartache this would cause. (To catch you up he has a form of Autism known as Asperger's Syndrome. He is very high functioning. He excels academically across the board but struggles socially).

Because he was so intent on learning, I taught him. It was sooo hard to keep up with his need for knowledge. One day when he was 4 he suddenly stopped learning. I was so happy but also concerned. He only wanted to know about football. I needed resources but couldn't find any. So I made everything myself... a huge massive collection of all things football. He loved it!

I have learned that sometimes to get students to move ahead we have to meet them where they are. My bff went into teaching before I did and has often pulled my football resources to get her reluctant students to write, learn vocabulary, or to do math.

So... Melonheadz and I have decided to create a complete line of football products! I am finishing them up now so they will be appearing in my store in the next few days BUT you can get a set early by leaving a comment below!

These are the original materials that I used all those years ago with new graphics to jazz it up! This packet includes 20 sentence stems/journal pages, 7 compare & contract activities, 2 goal pages, 4 pages of math, 6 pages of vocabulary, 1 geography activity, 3 class books/bulletin board projects, 1 research project, and 1 creative writing project. Over 60 pages of football fun!

My kids still love this packet. This is my baby's worksheet from today's game... he is working on adding more than 2 numbers together. Since adding is too simple for him he then groups each picture together and multiplies those and then adds. So the 2 field goals would be 2x3... it gets harder as the game goes on. =)

This is 17 weeks of greater than/less than score fun! Students record the score and then using > or < determine the winner. My son never understood Allie Alligator but he understood he wanted to be on the winning team and that the arrow always pointed toward the loser as their score was smaller.

And of course I had to do matching calendar numbers and a boggle board! We are working on getting a set out for every NFL team so if you are looking for a set, please let me know as I will put you on the top of the list.

What could be even better for football fans?? I will be selling exclusive Melonheadz Graphics for each of the teams as well. Again... I am a big tease as they are a work in progress but I couldn't wait to share with you!


I also wanted to share with you a post from Kinderzoo. I cannot imagine the grief she is going through at suddenly losing her husband, her best friend. I know that I would be devastated. She would hate it if she knew we were doing this but several of us would like to show our love and support during this difficult time.

If you have a moment - please visit her store and make a purchase. She has some amazing products. My favorites are her emergency Kinder plans. I could have so used them for that first week in school!!

Help Wanted! = Freebies

Hi all -

I have a dilemma that I think with your expertise I can resolve. I recently opened a TpT store as you all know (and are hopefully following) but I need help with it. I need followers and reviews. I also need honest opinions about content, to check for editing errors, and to help me with pricing. I want to know what you think is a fair asking price.

So... I have decided to start something new. Each time I create a new product, the first three people to respond will get a free copy in exchange for reviews. Why 3? Well... I have 3 sons, for some reason I always liked odd numbers, and all the other peeps I saw were doing 2. Two sounded boring... three sounds fun. I am weird... I know.

So... I have a lot of products in my TpT store tight now that need reviews and edits. I am breaking them down into "packages" so that it won't be overwhelming. Please leave me a comment with which packet(s) you would like to review for free. Remember the first 3 to request the item gets it free!

Tic-Tac-Spell... this is the only spelling item I have at the moment.

I am planning on uploading a free copy of the form I use for both pre- and post-tests.

Zebra Quest Club Kit and Zebra Quest Binder Kit

There are two more products in this series that I need to finish working on.

Brainy Matters and Core Standards for Brainy Matters (always free!)

My Seuss Collection

Lorax Calendar Numbers; Goldfish Calendar Numbers; The Cat's Hat Calendar Numbers; Read Across America Bulletin Board Letters; Lorax Poster (always free!); Read Across America Picture Prompts; Read Across America Binder Set;

My St. Patrick's Day Collection

Shamrock Calendar Numbers; Pot o' Gold Mystery; St. Patrick's Day Binder Set; St. Patrick's Day Picture Prompts (always free!);

My Spring Collection

Spring Binder Kit; LadyBug Letters for Bulletin Boards;

My Easter Collection

Easter Egg Calendar Numbers; Easter Bunny Calendar Numbers; Easter Binder Set;

There are other items in my store as well but they are free... multiple kits of picture prompts, a guest teacher form, the beginnings of my lesson planner.... they need reviews as well but I wanted to "giveaway" as much as I can as a thank you and focus on that!

OH!!! I almost forgot... I am working on a top secret project for a top secret mission (you will see at the end of March. SO excited!) and need some opinions from 3 teacher friends in the 1-2 grade range.

Besides... I really want to giveaway something! I have been so tempted to close the 50 follower giveaway early just so I can pick a winner. Insane! I know! So this allows me to give stuff away before I announce the winner tomorrow.

It also appears that I will be hosting the 100 follower giveaway in the next week or so. YOU WILL NOT WANT TO MISS IT! I don't want to miss it! I want one!!!! In case ya haven't figured it out, I tend to giveaway the items that I am currently most coveting.

Make sure you leave the kit(s) you want and your email address so that I can send these out to all of you right away. Happy Tuesday!

TpT GRAND OPENING!

I spent the day working on a project.... I couldn't wait for tomorrow so I am breaking the "one blog per day rule."

I created a TpT store!

First thing I created was some picture prompts - these I designed to be double-sided laminated prompts to take with me when I am a guest teacher. My boys have been playing with them and loving them! They are enjoying them so much that I am planning on making a second set and a holiday set.

I still need to finish up the Brain Book (UPDATE: The name has been changed to Brainy Matters due to copy right law!). 

I also loaded two of my favorite sets of letter clip art that I have created and use on my classroom website. These were so fun to make and it is perfect timing to share some Seuss inspired items!

I hope you all enjoy!