Image Map

07 February 2016

A SUPER GIVEAWAY


Happy Super Bowl Sunday! I am so excited to be linking up with some of my blogger friends to celebrate the Broncos' trip to the Super Bowl. We have got some SUPER classroom tips, SUPER resources, and a SUPER giveaway!


First things first...let's talk about a SUPER classroom idea. At the beginning of the year, I linked up with Ashley from Schroeder Shenanigans in Second and Angie from Lucky Little Learners for their #2getherwearebetter Classroom Reveal. (You can check the original post out HERE.) I mentioned these colored sticker dots I use in my classroom. Y'all...they are a total life saver. I use them to assign jobs, to call for answers for table discussions, to get supplies, to line up...the possibilities with them are endless. But...


Then these little beauties came into my life. Look how they MATCH!!!


Now, after Winter Break, I strategically moved students around the room. These colors became even more significant to our learning. I paired students together for a myriad of reasons, and I wanted to make sure that even when we transitioned to the carpet, they would be near their talking buddy (and not their BFFs). I had seen Sit Spots on different teachers' blogs and Instagram, and I immediately bought a set that matched our desk stickers.

(#truth...It bugs the ever livin' bejeebers out of me that they're BRIGHT colors and everything else in my room is very muted and calm. But it's FOR THE CHILDREN! At least that's what I keep telling myself.)

So here's how it works...desk buddies must be next to each other when they come to the carpet area. If you have a pink sticker, you sit on a pink spot, and your green sticker buddy sits right next to you. If your buddy gets there before you do, you go sit by them. No questions asked. I don't care where they sit...as long as they are on the correct color and right next their buddy. If a buddy is absent, move over to the nearest pair and join them. No more of me saying, "Scoot up!!! Move over! Why are you behind that desk???" It's a huge time-saver and they're still paired with a "successful" buddy.

Oh! One more thing! I taught my kids to sit with their bottoms directly on the spots. I shouldn't be able to see the spot when they sit criss-cross. This prevents them from messing with it. I have not had to say ONE THING about messing with the dots. Seriously...I am so happy these Sit Spots came into my life! I bought a few extras for some games I have in mind!


I'm all about making transitions smoother in my classroom, and that also includes my students being prepared for our lessons. We go to specials first thing in the morning, and when they get back, I want to get straight into our lesson. Kids trickle in from 7:50am-8:05am, and I don't want to repeat directions over and over again in regards to what they need to get out to use when we get back from specials. I could write in on the board, but usually whatever our skills lesson is has already been written on the board, and...well, I just don't want to! So, I created these supply labels for my white board:


Every morning, before the kids come in, I stick up on the whiteboard whatever supplies they need for our lesson when they come back from specials. That way, they have everything out and ready to go for when they get back. No more digging for workbooks or dry erase markers when I'm ready to teach. If they can't find what they need, they have 10 minutes to figure it out before we leave the room. Can you say LIFE SAVER???


I laminated my set and put magnets on the back. I even made a special one to represent our curriculum workbooks! They're about 5" around. Here are a few examples of what's included:

 

You can head over to my store at Teachers Pay Teachers to see the entire list. I keep adding more as I catch myself needing more in my room. Just click HERE to go check them out!

Now...how about that SUPER GIVEAWAY??? Want to win a gift card for some Sit Spots and a set of my Supply labels??? How about even more that that?!?! One lucky winner will win this fantastic GRAND PRIZE, which includes a Tieks giftcard!!!


And two more lucky winners will receive these prizes! Like the grand prize, it includes GoNoodle Swag, A Knowledge Bound Gift Card, a set of Grips From Pencil Grip Inc., a Classroom Friendly Sharpener of your choice, Educational Resources from your giveaway participants, Sit Spots Gift Card, a bling whistle from Champagne and Polka Dots and a $50.00 Amazon Gift Card.


All you have to do is enter in the Rafflecopter below! I'm so jealous because I would LOVE to win this prize pack! And don't forget to head over to my friends' blogs to check out their SUPER classroom tips and resources.





02 February 2016

Currently-February!

What better is there to do on a snow day than link up with Farley for her monthly Currently? It's been a few months, and I've missed the fun. So...here we go!


Listening: My 3 kiddos (plus one friend), have been tromping up and down the stairs all morning. I think they might be having a little cabin fever, and it's starting to drive me a little nuts! We might have one more day of this ahead of us based on the 3-4 feet of snow drifts that are surrounding the entire neighborhood. Yikes!

Loving: The valentines I made for my daughter's class turned out too cute! I used heart-shaped glasses from Target. They were a pack of 12 for $3. I wrote a blog post about the HERE. You can download an editable copy of the valentine to use!


Thinking: I procrastinated on all my work this weekend anticipating at least one snow day. Then one turned into two at about 7pm last night, so that allowed me to procrastinate even more! And lookie at what I'm doing now...procrastinating more by blogging!

Wanting: I really, really want to finish my Snow Day School pack. I started it in December when we had a snow day, thinking it would be a great resource for families on snow days. And...we're going to be out of snow days if I don't finish it soon!

Needing: I'm taking part in a SUPER giveaway with some other fabulous bloggers to celebrate the Broncos' Super Bowl appearance. We have some great prizes including Sit Spots gift certificates, pencil sharpeners from Classroom Friendly Supplies, and Tieks gift card, and MORE. It's definitely going to be SUPER!!!



Swooning: I am in LOVE with my new glasses. My contacts were just killing my eyes, so I gave in and bought some new glasses. Can you say SWOON??? My BTF said I was channeling my inner Amy Harris...which I will take as a BIG compliment!


Make sure you head over to Farley's blog to join the link up! Click the button below!
Oh Boy It's Farley

Well, I'm off to be productive. Maybe!