Father's Day Freebie

Hi everyone!
Well, I am off on a field trip today! We are going to Legoland! The kids are holy-moley-super excited! It's a new field trip for us, so that always makes me a little nervous, but we are organized, packed and ready to go...I'll update later to let you know how it goes- in case any of you are looking for a new field trip ;)

I had a terrible night's sleep last night- no idea why (end of the year overdrive, perhaps??).  Couple that with 90 degree weather...ooooof, should be a fun trip!

But the cherry, oh, the cherry on top would have to be that once we return from the trip, our team has to work to correct our end-of-year math assessments.

Perhaps that is why I am inspired to give a little freebie to you today- in hopes to make your crazy end of the year days a little easier! Father's Day is right around the corner, so here is a little writing project and craft that can double as a cute keepsake gift... I was inspired by a print I saw on a Father's Day Card.

This is my plan...

• We will brainstorm what a hero is and what traits a hero has.
• The children will compare these traits to the traits of their fathers and rough draft three reasons why their dad is their hero.
• After conferencing and editing, the kids will be ready to publish.  They will write their final copy on the paper below.  They can color in the border and block lettering if they wish.

• After that, the children can work on coloring the block lettering and frame on the Father's Day card inspired print below.  Our plan is to glue the writing and the print side by side on a large piece of construction paper, but the print would also look really cute mounted on construction paper and hung with ribbon.

• Once the above sheets are mounted to the construction paper, the whole project can be folded like a card.  Then the students can work on the following project. They can make a portrait of their father on the sheet below.  Another idea would be to illustrate their father as a superhero.  I think that is the idea that we are going to go with.  I think the dads will get a real kick out of that!

 

You can get your free copy by clicking below...have a great day everyone! Now, who's going to have that Friday-after a field trip-on-a-90-degree-day-margarita ready for me????

Teachers Notebook Moore Relief Effort Bundle

I woke up to the same devastating news I fell asleep to last night. The tornado that destroyed over 2,000 homes and a school has our hearts heavy, so heavy.  We've all been through drills with our students; practicing dutifully what to do in the event of such a horrifying event...you just don't think it will happen. Is I moped into the kitchen to my early morning coffee, I began to go through emails.  I was touched that my friends over at Teachers Notebook were up and working for this cause already.  Having worked with Co-Founders Steve and Debbie Esemplare before, I've seen first hand their generosity and kindness.  Their email helped to elevate my mood to a feeling of hope, if even slightly... You see, they are pulling together a Relief Effort Bundle of Educational Resources.  100% of the proceeds of sales from this bundle will go to aide the Moore, OK victims.  I loved this quote from their email:

"As a teacher we know that we give 100% of ourselves to the children we teach. We should honor those teachers and school staff that acted as heroes and protectors of little lives. We are asking you to please donate a paid product to be sold as part of a Relief Effort Bundle. As educators we make a difference, and as a sharing teacher community we help each other in times of need. Together we can help to rebuild hope and show our support when it is truly needed."

I am honored to be part of this effort.  You will find me, my donated products as well as other shops and products by clicking below...

#Teacher Talk Tuesday

Every once in a while, I see something on a blog and think, "Oh, geez, I should have been doing that all along!"  This time it's Instagram!
I take pictures constantly and although I've maintained a healthy "Insta" (as my pre-teens call it) account for my personal life, I was not posting what was going on in my classroom.  Although I can't take pictures of the kids' faces, I've managed to capture game-play, bulletin boards, organization and more.  
Fast forward to the last month of school and I stumble upon #TeacherTalkTuesday.  Although a relatively new linky by What the Teacher Wants and Apples and ABC's, I see many teachers out there are having as much fun as I am with their Instagram accounts.
In one short week, I've seen a lot...from classroom management ideas, to bulletin boards, and projects - it's like a quick glimpse into the classrooms of all your favorite bloggers in seconds.  Being able to see snippets of personal lives is very cool too.  For instance, this was my first weekend with my teacherschair Instagram account activated, and I felt like a kid getting to see what her teacher does outside of school! It was really nice :)
So, I'm activated, I'm clicking and I'm posting...You can find me on Instagram under the user name TEACHERSCHAIR.

You'll also find a peek into my classroom at #TEACHERTALKTUESDAY.  The Instagram Linky that I mentioned above.  Want to link up too?  Click on one of the blogs below :)

                           See you on Instagram!

Color Me Rad

It was a super weekend! I had a great time with my girlies and our friends at the Color Me Rad race to Restore the Shore.  If you've never done a race like this and don't mind getting a little dirty, I tell ya...this kind of a race is pretty awesome.

Before heading out for this 5K, they blast you with color at the start. The color is basically just cornstarch and some sort of dye (don't worry, it does wash off of your body- with some scrubbing!) As you progress through the race, there are some color stations where volunteers are having way too much fun throwing color all around.

After the race, a big dance party broke out because they had a DJ as well as volunteers perched above everyone throwing - you guessed it- more colored powder! 

We brought some clothes to change into, but we were worried that we would ruin them with color.  So we opted to sit on towels for the ride home.  All I can say is thank God I have leather seats!  I cleaned the car for a half hour when I got home! But it was worth it for a great day of fun with my little ladies! Hubby was a bit jealous, but he had a golf outing planned for yesterday- maybe next year :)

T.G.I. Flash Freebie!

Happy Friday everyone! I know, I know...it's been a week since I posted.  Did anyone else have a wild week?  Assessments and paperwork have me spinning.  Throw in a grade-level play that we are practicing and whew!  I'm sure many of you can relate!

So, let me tell you about this week's T.G.I. Flash Freebie.  For the next 24 hours I am giving away my Subtraction Strategies Packet.  All you have to do is follow me here and let me know that you would like a copy!

Leave me a comment letting me know that you follow along with your email address and the freebie is yours {Please allow until Sunday for me to get it to you.}  If you prefer not to leave your email in the comments, just send me an email with the information I mentioned above.  {Click the envelope in my sidebar to email me}

Have a great weekend everyone!

Oh by the way...I am so excited for Sunday!  I am in the Color Me Rad race for the Jersey Shore with my daughters! Has anyone ever done one of these?  I'd love to hear about your experience!

Flash Freebie and A Giveaway!

Whew, that was a busy weekend! I don't know about you all, but my life gets really busy during the spring! Between sports and family events (all good!) the weekends pass by pretty quickly!

I had some fun doing a T.G.I.....Flash Freebie on my Facebook page.  For 24 hours, I gave away my superhero addition and subtraction games.  And let me tell you - they did move in a flash! I was happy to see how many people grabbed it :)

Shhhhh..I am going to let you in on a secret.  I took it off Facebook, but I kept it here for you throughout today.  I know some of you are not on Facebook and wanted to give you the same chance:)

So grab it by clicking on the cover below - leave me blog love to let me know you got it!

That's not all for you on this Sunday, folks!  How about a chance to win ANY TWO Items from my TPT store as well as other items from some fantastic teacher bloggers?

My sweet friend Charlene from Diamond Mom's Treasury is having her first giveaway and I am so happy to be part of it!  Charlene and I have been bloggin' friends since the "beginning of our blogging time."  Its been fun to get to know each other through this platform and I am thrilled that she is pulling this giveaway together - you go Charlene, you go!

If I am ever in her beautiful neck of the Canadian woods, I hope to meet Charlene someday!  She's a music teacher turned primary teacher who co-directs the Pacifica Ukes  and practices the sport of Geocaching!   Her blog name is Diamond Mom because through Geocaching, she searches for treasures and she is a mom (and a grandmom!) I find her fascinating...   Good luck to you, my friend :)

Click Charlene's button above to get a look at her first giveaway!  Enter to win!

Have a HAPPY CINCO de MAYO, everyone! 

Now, where's my margarita? It's my sister's birthday, too- time to celebrate!