Summer Vacation is ALMOST over

Hey All!

It's Caroline.  :)

So I haven't been blogging since...May???  Oops...  Alison did a FANTASTIC job working on this blog over the last school year as I was learning how to do this blogging thing while working as  a full time teacher with a baby and an almost 3 year old!  Love my little boys!  Love my job!  Love blogging!   I've figured out I have to blog and work on the computer when everyone is asleep...(including the hubby).  If I don't, I get A LOT of help from my little guys.  Smile!

I've noticed a lot of emails and traffic coming through about my bulletin board post I did last year.  Welcome!  I loved that bulletin board!  Of course, I'm one of those people who likes to do something new every year.  So I've started on my newest bulletin board craftivity.  Too bad I can't get into school to work on it!  I LOVE the look of shiny, clean, waxed floors but I HATE waiting to get in!  Know the feeling?

Since people have been checking out my Firsties Wanted bulletin board craftivity...I'm doing a Flashback Friday on a Monday!  I'm on summer vacation, it works!  Haha!

Last year, I had the idea to do a bulletin board that looked like a "Help Wanted" sign.  I created one for first grade last year and recently added one for second grade and third grade, too!  Thanks to everyone who was interested in my work!  Love seeing those downloads!!!

I'll be back soon to share my COOL (hint, hint, hint) bulletin board for this year!  Hopefully the hallways floors will be waxed by then!  :::crossing fingers!:::

Elephant and Piggie SAY WHAT?

Can I just tell you how much my kids this year LOVE writing in speech bubbles????? One of the big books we read during the first week of school used speech bubbles and ever since my kiddos have been adding speech bubbles to ANYTHING and EVERYTHING they write.  So.....I decided to take their interest in speech bubbles and run with it!!!!! We spent last week reading Elephant and Piggie books and learning why Elephant and Piggie are such great friends.  On Friday my kiddos were beside themselves when they learned they were going to make their very own Elephant and Piggie!!!!!   Let me just say you could hear a pin drop while my kiddos were perfecting these adorable little characters! If you would like the template, directions, and speech bubble for Elephant and Piggie you can get them here. 

                                                       

The follow up to our art projects of course was the creation of  speech bubbles on why Elephant and Piggie are such good friends.

Top Left:  You are a good friend because you share with me. 

Top Right:  You are a good friend because you pick apples with me.

Bottom Left:  Piggie you are a good friend because you share your toys.

Bottom Right:  You are my friend because you help me. 

 

Everyone did a great job on writing what made Elephant and Piggie good friends.  These examples are of the various levels of writing students are using in my classroom.   

 

One of our next lessons in writing will be on the difference between Wif and With.  :)

 

Here are just a few of the Elephant and Piggie Books we read last week.  I also used this link to the "Elephant and Piggie" activity guide for teachers. 

 

Did you know that Mo Willems hides a Pigeon in every Elephant and Piggie book?  You can usually find Pigeon in the back cover of each book!  Once your kiddos know this you will  NOT be able to move to the next activity after reading an Elephant and Piggie book until you find the Pigeon, not even if  you have read the book 5 times. 

~Alison

Back to School Bulletin Board

Hi bloggers!  It’s Caroline again.  If you’ve checked out our blog before, you might have noticed we’ve had a facelift!  Thanks Lisa at iCelebration!  So cute!

So in my spare time (cough cough) I thought of an activity to do with my kids and tie it into a cute back to school bulletin board.  I’m all about hallway bulletin boards.  I have a slight obsession with making them.  So, I decided I would do a newspaper background and a "Help Wanted" theme since I’m  on the look out for some new students.  Then I thought, “Wouldn’t a first grade application be cute?  Oh and they could make a little self portrait!”  So the wheels have been churning on this little project for a while. 

I finally got the first part of it up today in the hall!  Something is done! (ok, yes, I ran out of border on the bottom but it’s 99% done!)  Just don’t look in my classroom windows, please!

If you like the signs for the bulletin board, I made a Google Doc with them.  Click here to access them!  The Help Wanted sign is included in my Firsties Wanted!  Back to School Bulletin Board Craftivity Freebie on Teachers Pay Teachers!  Click on the picture to check it out!  If you would like this for another grade, just email me!

I just uploaded it to Teachers Pay Teachers.   Once my kids make this, I’ll either take their names off the board or tape their craftivity around it.  Depends on what I like!

Well, my room is still a mess but I have bulletin boards covered and bordered (is that a word?), so that makes me feel better.  At least you can focus on the walls and ignore all the mess on the floor, right?  I keep bouncing from one thing to another.  It will get done.  I know it will!  My next battle is where to put all the desks.  Sometimes I miss the tables I had in kindergarten!I’m also working on a back to school watermelon unit, so stay tuned!  I’m excited!