Getting a Little Mushy

So you know the saying, "It takes a small village to raise a child..."? Well I have come to the conclusion that it truly takes a small village to set up a classroom. Every year, without fail, my entire family plays some part in helping set up my room.

Today, my sweet mom came by (and brought me lunch I might add) to help cut out all the dreaded laminated "stuff." I used to like to cut out all the glossy laminated paper. I got really tired of it really fast. Thankfully, I have a mom who still likes to cut it all out for me. Not only did she sit and cut it out, but she took a huge bag home with her to finish.

In all seriousness, I am so very thankful that I have the support of my family. They cheer me on all year. They are especially encouraging when I am discouraged. I am so blessed and so thankful for all their love and support.

Teachers could not do it without the support of loved ones. Thank you to all those who support us and cheer us on!

Some Reading Resources

As I look through all the reading skills I have to teach, I am feeling overwhelmed with all I need to create. Then I realized that I do not have to create everything.

Here are some great freebies from other teachers that I use in my classroom. Click on the links to be directed to these awesome resources!



[From Pitner's Potpourri]




[From The Third Grade Gridiron]




[From One Extra Degree]



[From Classroom Compulsion]

Feeling a Little Overwhelmed

So I have truly been avoiding going into my classroom this summer. I just have not been able to bring myself to go into that building quite yet...until today. I finally worked up the energy to go in and get some work done.

Our amazing custodians have worked so hard to get our rooms ready for the kids coming back on August 12th. My floors are sparkling! I am so thankful for all their hard work.

When I went in today, I realized just how much I have to do before all my kiddos come back for the year. I had planned to do LOTS of laminating to get centers prepared. Unfortunately, both the machines were jammed. Instead, I started reorganizing my furniture to get it the way I wanted. It always is like a puzzle getting all the furniture to fit just the way it should.

Thankfully, I left my room feeling motivated. I have spent the rest of my day making my plans for reading. Thankfully we have full access online to our new reading program (Reading Street). I wish we had out textbooks in, but I will settle for the online access for now.

With all this motivation (maybe just stress), I have made another activity for a reading center.

This goes with Reading Street Unit 1, Story 3 (Kumak's Fish).

The skill is finding the meanings of unknown words.




Get your own copy of my activity here.

Thanks!

Getting Organized

So while I spend a lot of time working on planning and creating for my 3rd grade classroom, I also spend time trying to stay organized in my personal life.

One area where I am currently needing LOTS of help is in my menu planning/grocery shopping. I find that I am at the grocery store WAY too often. I really hate wasting my time being there. I need a way to streamline my planning and shopping to save time and money. I have been looking online and have found some really great stuff through Pinterest.

Here are some of my favorite freebies...

This one from the blog Artsy-Fartsy Mama is cute and simple.

You can get this here.

One set I like comes in 4 different colored chevron layouts. Super cute!! These 4 come from the Cupcake Diaries.

Grab these here!

There are so many great menu planners available online, but these are two that I thought seemed to be very helpful.


Of course I had to contribute! I made a couple of freebies as well. Hopefully these will be helpful to your planning and organization of meals!


Here are some weekly planners for you to use.

To get my freebies, click here.

Credits:
Font-Kevin and Amanda
Graphics-Clipart Cuties (find her things here and here)
More Graphics-The Wizard of Boz (find her things here)

Binder Cover Freebie

As teachers, we get a lot thrown at us. Every. Single. Day.

Sometimes I feel like I cannot keep up with all the paperwork.

I have a terrible fear that I am going to misplace something very important. Always.

In an effort to stay organized, I try to have binders that I keep up with and that are clearly labeled. Very important.

If you would like a freebie, I have one just for you! I always have a "Classroom Information" binder. I keep important papers/information on my students and my classroom routines here. Nothing confidential since I leave it out for subs.

So if you would like a colorful, cheery binder cover, go here to get your freebie!

[The download comes with the 3 color options.]

Free Printable

I love free. I love printables. I love chevron.

If you love all these things as well, then this is a freebie for you!

Grab it here if you would like!


[Please let me know if you have any trouble with it. I do not normally use GoogleDocs.]

Credits:
Font: Kevin and Amanda; Fonts by Kimberly Geswein
Chevron: Mel Stampz
Clip Art: Lettering Delights

Contraction Cupcakes

I am keeping myself busy making new goodies for my classroom next year!

Here is a simple activity to use as a center in your room. Just laminate and cut it all out (so fun, right?).

One of our 3rd grade skills is contractions. I made this colorful matching activity to reinforce this skill.

I have included 18 contraction cupcakes. The students match the tops (the contractions) to the bottoms (the two words) to form a complete cupcake.



You can grab your activity here.