Sail & SALE!

I’m baaaa-aaacckkk!!!! I just spent a wonderful/restful/computer free week sailing through the Bahamas! It was just me and the hubs, and we had the time of our lives! Such a fun week!

Well…it was me, the hubs, and Marge!

When we were at Atlantis, we swam with a few friends! I was crazy nervous, but I honestly enjoyed every second of our visit with the dolphins! After dancing and a few dolphin kisses, (yes…I went there! Trust me, I am shocked myself!) we actually got to dive with our new friends!

 

Now, back to reality! I promise to respond to emails and questions within the week! I haven’t forgotten about my bloggy friends! :)

Speaking of sailing, it is time for a HUGE back to school SALE at Teachers Pay Teachers! Beginning tomorrow, all of my products will be 20% off and TPT is offering an additional 10% off with the coupon code: BTS12. Be sure to stock up on all of your back to school must haves!

Thanks, Amy for a super cute graphic!

Here are a few of my back to school units:

It is the perfect time to build on that Olympic fever with my Going for the Gold Back to School Unit! 

Units that Motivate:

Motivational Subway Art

Oh Snap Reading Incentives

Economy: A Token Economy

 

Classroom Instruction and Displays

Writing to the Core 1st-3rd Grades

 

Get “Reel” with Writing

First and Second Grade Word Work

     

Math Centers for the Year {Bundles and Single Units}

PSA Math Wall

 

More units are available at my TPT shop, so head on over and check it out!

Hope you all had a wonderful week! Happy Shopping!

Cameo Love! Linky & GIVEAWAY!

Oh my goodness…oh my goodness! Yes…it’s true! No need to have your hubby or kids pinch you…you are not dreaming! ;) We are so excited to be hosting a Cameo linky party and giveaway over at Blog Hoppin’! One lucky winner will be winning their very own dream machine!!!! But first, we want to see some Cameo Creations! Annnd GO…
I recently became a Cameo lover, so I have just started to unwrap all of the goodness that this little gem of a machine has to offer! I mean this baby can even cut fabric! WHAT?!? This could be bad! I can’t wait until I get back from vacation to get my crafting back on! I still have several things that I want to create for the classroom, and my little Cameo will be the perfect helper!
Here are a few starter projects that I have been working on…don’t judge! Remember, I am a beginner! :)

I posted about these cute little banners a few days ago that will hang above my content vocabulary walls…

Here is how they look in the classroom:

 

One of my favorite {of many} things about the Cameo is that it will cut and manipulate any of the fonts that are already on your computer! Amazing…right?!?

Along with creating the banners for my content walls in the classroom, I have also been working on another little project. I usually purchase name tags for my desks from Really Good Stuff. This year, I am changing things up a little! Who doesn’t like change?!? {Don’t answer that!} I have graduated to tables in my room, and I don’t want to clutter the clean tops with a bunch of name tags. So instead, I had a vision outside of the box!

When we went to our big Vegas Blogger Meet-up, I was in charge of making a million name tags for our bloggy friends!

Ok, so it wasn’t a million, but the Cameo could have been a huge help! So, I decided to follow a similar design for my kiddos’ name tags!

These are a large scale of what we had in Vegas, and I LOVE them! After I laminated the name tags, I used my Cameo to cut out each student’s name. Then, I used a thick tape to attach the letters which gave it a 3-D look!

 

Then, instead of cluttering up the desks, I used ribbon to hang them on their chairs! I love it…I really do!

So that is all I’ve got so far! I told you…very beginner{ish}, but creating with the Cameo is so much fun!

Now, it’s your turn! If you have a Cameo, go link up over at Blog Hoppin’ to show us your latest creations! If you haven’t yet experienced the Cameo, head on over and get your name into the giveaway so that you can get your crafting on!

Easi-Speak Giveaway Winner & Math Center Update

Up First…

I am sure that Deirdre already has a plan for how she will use her new Easi-Speak in the classroom! If you did not win, you can purchase the Easi-Speak from Learning Resources anytime!

Next Up…

 

I had to make a few changes to my March Math Centers due to a few Seusssational rules. ;) If you have already purchased these centers, you can download the new version under your “My Purchases” tab at TPT!

I won’t be around much this week, but I am busy on several things that I can’t wait to share with you when I return! I hope that you have a wonderful weekend!

Who goes back to school next week?!?

Writing to the Core…Common Core That Is

It is going to be short and sweet for me today, friends! I have SO much to finish in my classroom and this is my last day that I will be able to work in my room for the next week! {WHY am I not there yet?!?}

I did want to share my newest unit with you. It is called Writing to the Core and is a content writing word wall for grades 1-3.

I don’t know if it is just me, but I truly feel that content walls really drive home essential skills. This word wall encourages self-questioning strategies through planning, revising, and editing that will build students towards becoming independent writers. I do not have a picture of my wall, because this is something that we build as we go! Instead, here is a look at the cards that transform one of the walls in my room into one of the best sources of information for my kids!

This pack also includes additional resources to reinforce the parts of speech that will be introduced in each grade level!

 

The complete set is designed in bright colors so that it will match any classroom theme!

You can pick this up at my TPT shop anytime! I am off to print, laminate, paint….and the list goes on! Wish me luck! ;)

Oh So Random!

Getting a classroom ready for a new year is something fierce! Don’t you agree?! Sometimes I feel like every step forward is ten steps backwards. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that the more I look at my classroom, the more I want to change! I hate that I love crafting so much…it gets me into BIG trouble with a little something called TIME! There is just never enough! :)

I don’t know how much I will be posting the next few days, so I wanted to share a few classroom updates!

First, as promised, here is a view of my classroom rules.

By the way…my feet are about 10 shades of neon! My poor friends at the nail salon have their work cut out for them! They will see me first thing Friday morning! :)

I loved how this turned out! My first thought was to frame them much like my positive thoughts wall, but it just wasn’t working! My room was become a little frame happy and it wasn’t growing on me! So, a clothesline was the next bright idea that I had. 

{Yes…please!}

These rules are part of my newest unit Desire to Inspire! You can pick this up at my TPT shop!

Since my feet were already multicolored, I decided to add a little more splatter art to my room! This was a dirty {and I do mean DIR-TY} old lamp sitting around in my room. Poor thing needed some serious work! Nothing a little spray paint, ribbon, and a new lamp shade couldn’t fix! Are you having a total 80’s flashback yet?

Speaking of ribbon…I think I have a slight problem!

This is what I purchased…JUST TODAY! I am convinced a little ribbon can make anything look better!

And finally, while all of my splatter art was drying, I finally got a chance to try out my new Cameo! SO in love!

I made a few banners to hang on my content walls for math, science, and social studies! Loved how they turned out! I am telling you…you NEED a Cameo! It is so super easy to use and can cut any font that you have on your computer! Amazing!

I am pretty positive that my Cameo is not going to help this craft addiction that I’ve got going on!

One more day and I think I can have this room of mine finished! Can’t wait to share all of the fun that I have been having! Also, don’t forget to enter in my giveaway for the Easi-Speak below!

Hope you are having a great week!