Bye Bye Firsties and a Giveaway!

Hey all!  I’m a little embarrassed by how long it has been since I posted.  Hi! :::waves:::  It’s Caroline!  I haven’t fallen off the face of the Earth.  I had a super busy year with a class of kiddos and my boys at home that kept me moving until I passed out at 9 PM!  Haha!  Now I’m on summer break and ready to share some stuff with you.  Alison’s been great at sharing all year.  Thanks girl!

So, since I’ve been away SO long, I’m going to give away my new product, “Good-bye First Grade!”  I will give this product away to the first 2 people who comment (make sure you put your email!).  Comment away and I will send it your way!  I’m really excited to share this.  It turned out so cute!

Here are some pictures of the project during and after.  It always cracks me up to see how the kids draw their faces!

Can't wait to see your comment!  I also put it on TPT for $1.00 for a FLASH sale so if you miss the giveaway, it's still 50% off!

Smiles!

Caroline

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!

Just Getting Started

Ok, so while Caroline was busy last week getting this little blog started, my family and I were spending some much needed downtime at Sanibel Island in sunny Florida.  So, this is what I was looking at last week at this time…….

And this is what I got to look at today………...

Wow, did I have my work cut out for me.  Our rooms were all painted this summer so we had to take every stitch of cuteness off our walls, thus a lot more work ahead!  Although my room looks a lot better now, I still have a lot to do before my sweet new kiddos walk in the door. 

I am very grateful that after 18 years of marriage my husband knows that when it is back to school time that I am usually MIA for long periods of time, 12 hours today to be exact!    Although my husband understands my MIA status after all these years, my mom does not.  At the end of the day today my mom said to me, “So you are done now right?”..................................  Ahhh, no mom I’m just getting started!!!!!!  

~Alison

Classroom MESS and de-clutter

I just had to throw out there, does anyone else's family not really get the, "I have to get my classroom set up, decorated, and looking super cute as soon as possible" feeling I have going on?  My husband, who teaches middle school math and science, said something about "why does your room have to look cute?" while we were in the car today.  Oh hon...you don't get it!  I ran across this ecard while on pinterest tonight and had to post it!  Oh, and you can follow me on Pinterest!  Just click here.

This is SO me...

In classroom news...

Good news:  I unpacked all the boxes...

Bad news:  I think unpacking made the mess explode!  GAH!  Here is one sneak peek at the mess!

Did you ever "inherit" stuff from another teacher?  I swear, all teachers are hoarders!  We hate to get rid of things and we pack it all with us when we move...  Today, I decided to start de-cluttering (GASP).  Mission "open a box and get rid of it if I never use it" was a success!  It was actually easier than I thought it would be!  I put several boxes out in the hall for other people to look through and the broken stuff (or stuff from 1978) was placed (nicely) in the trash.  Of course, I had to put the trashcan in the picture!   If you have stuff lurking the corner of your closet, you can do it!  Get rid of it! 

P.S.  I think I'm (slightly) obsessed with blogging now.  Night, night!

Caroline's Intro

Hi bloggers!

My name is Caroline and I am half of this new blog, A Tale of 2 First Grades!  I am really excited to start this blog and share what I do in my classroom!  Alison (my first grade blogging buddy) and I are ready to share our ideas with you.  We’re still new so please be patient with us.  We love technology but it doesn’t always love us.  She’ll post soon but she’s off in FLORIDA (I’m jealous) on vacation before school starts in 3 weeks…

I saw some cute getting to know you posts on some other blogs so I’ll join!  Hmm…how about a 10 things list! 

Ten Things About Me: 

1. My hubs and I have been married for 9 years and have a 2-year-old (used to be sweet as can be) little boy who has recently turned into Tasmanian Devil/tornado/occasional monster.  He is our world.  I know “it’s a phase” but 2 year olds are…fun.  (See pic above, LOVES choo choo trains)
2. I’m pregnant with our second boy due in the fall so hopefully this one isn’t such a wild child (start laughing at me!).  I’m WAY outnumbered, unless you count the dogs.
3. I just moved for the 6^th time in the 8 years I’ve been in my building.  I have a nice view out of my window now and a lot of work to do to make it look like a classroom and not a junk pile!  Pictures to come of that shortly.  
4. This is my 10^th year of teaching and my second year in first.  First grade is my home but I’ll always love kindergarten (where I spent 4 years).  I also taught pre-k, so if any of you are working with those little ones, bless you!  I loved them but it wore me out!
5. I am this close to being a reading specialist (I’m finishing my last class online right now!) and I take the test in the fall.  YAY!
6. I love teaching writing, it is my absolute love.  I’ve got some ideas to share so keep checking!
7. I’m trying to redo my classroom décor since I moved (love the B&W line from CTP, found cute stuff at Ikea, and Pinterest has me way inspired!) and I'm figuring out baby #2's room at the same time.  Yes I’m nuts and the hubs will agree with you!!!
8.  I love technology and am always trying to find ways to use it.  Any of you try Animoto or VoiceThread?  Try them.  Seriously.  More on that later.  I promise!  Oh, and don’t get me started on Pinterest!  Love.  It.  
9. I am obsessed with parenthesis.  I am sorry.  I can’t help it (it’s second nature).  I also run on with the … (the dot, dot, dot as my kiddos call them) so just tell me to quit!  It’s an addiction.
10. I am so glad to share my ideas and units with you.  Welcome to our blog and I can't wait to get to know you!

I just put my free download on Teachers Pay Teachers.  Check it out!  It's a packet of papers I send home with my students' parents on Open House (a.k.a.: Parent homework!).  It includes a parent contact and communication form, student info form, parent volunteer form, transportation form all included.  I put all of it in a binder and keep it by my desk in case I ever need to call a parent right away.  Let me know what you think!

Alison (our photographer!) is going to put up pictures from our adventure to Hobby Lobby!  I found some scrapbook paper that I can (hopefully) help my bookshelves look cuter!  Pics to come once I can get to the bookshelves hidden in my pile of stuff!