Capturing Memories

One of the best projects I have ever done, was created  a personal family recipe book.

I have SO many cookbooks but I only use a handful of recipes from each one. There was no need for me to keep them all and it became more of a hassle to guess where each recipe was.

I went to Zazzle and searched for kitchen binders. If you have never been to Zazzle you need to go and check them out! If you are looking for a personalized gift... this is where to get it! There are thousands of choices (these are just 2 of them).

After I did that, I purchased white dividers for my cookbook. The areas I created for my binder are breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, parties, edible projects, desserts, and drinks. As you can see I broke it down into when we eat particular foods. This makes it easier for my kids.

Lastly, I typed up the recipes and placed each one into a page protector in the right section of the book. It is an ongoing work in progress but so much fun and so worth the time and effort it took to create. I notated who the recipe came from and any special memories tied to it.

This would make such a fun project for families to work on together over the winter break. Make a copy and purchase an extra binder to give as a gift.

Since I am baking galore for the holidays, I thought I would share my favorite cookie recipes with all of you. Just click on the picture above to get your free copy!!

Capturing kitchen memories is a Zebra Quest for my students. Each month I create a family style Zebra Quest for my students to complete. The November quest was to collect at least 5 recipes from various family members and then try them! Students then brought in a copy to share with the class.

Once all the recipes have been completed, I created a recipe book for my class and sent home a copy of the recipes collected. It was a lot of fun and a great way to involve students and parents. I saved the recipe book and can add to it again next year.

Each recipe includes the student's name, grade, date, and which family member they collected the recipe from. The recipe and a picture are included. Reviews of the dishes are discussed with the family and not included.

In case you missed my St. Patrick's Day Green Pie Tradition. 

This is a great dessert for the holidays as well.

I am always looking for new cookie recipes to add to my personal collection. Please feel free to share your favorite recipe on your blog and leave me a comment with the link OR just leave the recipe in the comments. 

Zebra Quests Revisited

Good Morning Everyone!

I thought about showing you all of the goodies I have purchased for the upcoming year but instead I decided to share a secret with all of you. Several people have purchased my Zebra Quest materials and noted that way back in February I stated that the answer guide would be coming soon.

I slacked off. 

Then I got an email asking me if it would be ready by the beginning of the school year... summer has been insane! Who knew I would be busier over the summer than during the school year??

But its true. I have been. 

I haven't even been able to "blog in advance" like I normally do. Its been a daily effort to get something up here for ya'll to read. My current grad school class is offering very little in terms of ideas to share with you.

US & Arizona Government

Anyone interested? 

I thought not!

Two more weeks and the class is over then we can move onto more interesting topics. My final project - 15 page paper is due tomorrow - I haven't started it yet. Instead, I have been reviewing my list of requirements for my thesis and student teaching application. Its daunting but more exciting than government. 

But then I received MORE requests for the Zebra Quest Teacher Guide. So I decided to try and get that finished and up for sale for all of you by this weekend. When I began working on the project, I realized that a "web page" would be a better teacher's guide than a printable version. As there are so many possible answers to these questions. 

The teacher's guide will be part worksheet, part web page. The links can double as assistance for helping students locate the information to study. Remember, most of the quests the students present the answers to you orally. 

Now here is the secret... go up two paragraphs. There is a link to the answer guide. Shhhh! Don't tell! It is a work in progress and it will be a hidden page in my classroom blog. Don't share this link. The site is not ready for sharing and this page will be part of the information given to those who purchase the packet but since so many are waiting... here it is! I will deactivate the link sometime in the future. 

If you notice the pages changing... don't be alarmed. It is just getting a makeover. Speaking of makeover... check out my new Zebra Quest logo... 

It is a boy and a girl zebra heading off on a quest. I wanted to do away with the Dr. Seuss type hat for fear of the Seuss lawyer people. And I am still working on Family Quests. It also has a new logo... a daddy zebra!!

My oldest son said he needed an Indian Jones type hat. The mama zebra looked like she was wearing a turban so has been exiled to the trash can! Nikki from Melonheadz Illustrating designed both of these for me.  

What do you think? Love it? Hate it? Bring back the Seuss hat?

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!

Zebra Quest Club Members

Yesterday I introduced Zebra Quests. I want all items to match my classroom (as always) and just love the fact that the quote was so perfect that it used an animal to match my classroom theme. No I am not obsessed... okay yes I am! I decided that all the Zebra Quest items would either be in Zebra Print or have our Zebra Quest Mascot on it.

Speaking of our mascot... he needs a name! Anyone have any ideas? First person with a name I love wins a secret prize! What is the prize? I don't know yet! That is why its a secret!


Off to Vistaprint I went to create away and then I will wait for my newest project to arrive in the mail. First up... how to track which quests the student has completed and/or how many. I am not sure how this will work yet as I was originally going to punch the card by quest number but now there are more than 100 quests. Perhaps, I will require my students to complete the original 100 and then start on the 100 more afterwards. I actually like that. Then I can use the same card just write MORE on it somewhere.

I need to add a spot on future reprints of this for the students name but other than that I am happy with the way this one turned out. I also created our membership card, students will receive this after completing 25 quests I think it was. They are a lifetime member and their name will be forever listed on my classroom website. They will serve as motivators and role models for future students.

YOUR SHOPPING LIST:
~ Decorative hole punchers (I wonder if I can find a Zebra shaped one.....)

Zebra Quest

In a previous post, I shared with you the Dr. Seuss quote which inspired my philosophy of education. I wanted to further this idea by challenging my students to "go beyond zebra" as often as possible. I want them to love to learn and to seek out new information. And I want to reward them and motivate them so that seeking out new ideas, exploring more places, and learning more is a lifelong habit that they take away with them after spending a year in my classroom.

So I came up with the idea of a Zebra Quest... and adventure that they can participate in if they finish early in class or to do at home. Imagine my surprise when I discovered Mrs. Renz's Mastery Club! It was exactly what I had envisioned but the work was done for me already. I simply moved it from her site to mine... with her permission and joined the hundreds of other teachers using this idea.

Here is my Zebra Quest mascot all dressed up in his Dr. Seuss hat. The quests were designed for use with fourth graders and come from all subject areas. These quests serve as review items of materials the student should have mastered in previous grade levels as well as things the student should know by the time they complete the fourth grade. Prizes are earned for completing so many quests (future blog post). The original club has 100 questions, I am currently working on 100 more. Got any ideas I can add?

UPDATE: A Zebra Quest Kit has been created for your classroom! Purchase it from my TpT store and join in the fun!

I found this great scrapbook paper holding box and deciding it would be perfect for turning in Zebra Quest forms. My mascot and Zebra Quest now decorate the top of this. I forgot to take a picture of the finished project. It is currently packed in some box waiting for our move. I will try to remember to post it another day. For now... you are stuck with your imaginations!

YOUR SHOPPING LIST:
~ Scrapbook paper organizer box
~ Mod-Podge
~ Sponge Paintbrush (to apply Mod-Podge)
~ Colored Cardstock