Hoppy New Year!

It's amazing to me that a single year can literally be the best and the worst all wrapped up into 12 months...but here I am. While I became a Mommy in late 2011, I truly felt that I came into my own in 2012. I took on incredible responsibility and my heart opened in unimaginable ways. He is my heart. He is the reason for me. I became a better and stronger person in 2012. I have thrown everything I am into being a good Mommy and a better teacher. I can't begin to tell you how much I am looking forward to 2013...there is a tiny light beginning to shimmer at the end of this tunnel.

I am ever so grateful for the support that I have found in the Blogosphere. I know I don't always email back, but you should believe me when I say....I love you all. You have helped me get through this year. You have helped me support myself and my son...and not just financially but emotionally, as well. So many of you, I just know I would hug if we met...and someday, my head will not be in the clouds and I will reach back to you.

I sought to change things in my classroom in 2012. I felt that I had control there. I revamped my room and by doing so, I changed it for the better. I am more in tune with the Common Core....but I will never lose sight of what my students need. They absolutely need to learn but they also need to love school. I feel that I am succeeding within my classroom. I have always loved teaching; however, this year has made me love teaching in a greater depth.

I just finished up my newest unit. It is Transportation...ya know, one of my favorite units of the year...LOL. Anywho, I just know my little Kinder-Hoppers are going to love the centers! There are a total of 14 centers (7 math and 7 literacy), each with a response/worksheet that corresponds. Here are some pics...

It has been a while since I posted just some free stuff and for that I am sorry. I wish I could just put everything for free, and hopefully one day, I will be able to go back to that. For now, I am putting up a few penguin things that I created a while back, as always, I hope you find something you can use within your classroom! Click on the images below to download :)

 

May 2013 bring you much love, great healthy, and lots of happiness! Happy New Year, my friends!
Love,
Shannon

Merry Christmas!

From our home to yours, Cooper and I wish you a wonderful Christmas! May the New Year bring you much love and happiness!

Silence for Sandy Hook Elementary

12 in 12

12 favorite things! 

12. Favorite movie you watched: I would have to say Hunger Games. I loved reading the books sooooo much that I couldn't wait for the movie! I loved The Dark Knight Rises, just not as much.

11. Favorite TV series: I am a TV junkie. Not really, but there are times I feel like I am. I love The Real Housewives of, well....any county. Love those Jersey ones the most I think. 

10. Favorite restaurant: Panera or maybe Noodles and Co.. Coop and I eat soup like every other day and both of these places have soups we enjoy!

9. Favorite new thing you tried: Teachers Pay Teachers. It was such a hard decision for me to open up an account and sell stuff, y'all have no idea! It was something I truly HAD to do. I am truly amazed that there are so many people buying my stuff. Wanna know where that money is going....honestly....it goes for daycare and rent. Without your purchases, I don't know where we would be. I.am.forever.grateful.

8. Favorite gift you got: I received some donations on my blog. Those donations allowed me to purchase clipart and get the ball rolling for TPT. Those donations brought me to my knees.

7. Favorite thing you pinned: I'm not too sure. I love Pinterest. It has helped me organize new teaching ideas, so that has been helpful!

6. Favorite blog post: The Great Giveaway. Two little flashdrives that was all I was giving away. I had 366 comments and was simply stunned. 

5. Best accomplishment: Standing on my own two feet. I haven't given my entire story on here...to be honest, I was embarrassed. But, here goes....this is the shortened version.

My husband and I had been married for 13 years. We rarely had any big problems at all. I would have said he was the best person I had ever met. We struggled to get pregnant. Encountered loss and heartache. We finally had Cooper in December of last year. Between the months of January and March, the company we had used to landscape our yard sued us. My husband claimed he had paid, but when I started going through the accounts, no money was to be found. He claimed someone stole his identity. Our entire savings was gone. In April, he was suspended with pay from his job. He was eventually fired. They accused him of stealing. His story was absurd. I thought we could still work through it with counseling. He was arrested. He never called me. I sat alone one night with a five month old terrified that something had happened to him. None of his actions made any sense at all. He was indicted. His parents bonded him out. Trial for a class.2.felony. Big scary stuff. Between June and July, I found out that he stopped paying our mortgage a year prior and that he had extracurricular activities. No phone calls came in. No notices. I was oblivious and embarrassed that I was so clueless. He became a completely different person all in the span of 3 months.

I am alone now. I support myself and Cooper without any help. Best accomplishment in my life so far.

4. Favorite picture:

3. Favorite memory: The day I held my little boy in my arms for the first time. Words will never describe how that felt.

2. Goal for 2013: To continue to make a good life for my son and I. I will make good choices which may not be the easiest. I will do right by him and always keep what he needs as my number one priority.

1. One Little Word: Grateful. Beyond words.

Link up here....

The Scientific Method

Hey there and Happy Almost Friday!

First some off topic stuff...

My little Mister is almost one!!! I can't believe how quickly time has flown by. It's hard to believe that his birth set into motion the craziest, most difficult, and shocking years of my entire life. I wished, hoped, and prayed for this little guy and he is simply the reason I am still standing....the reason I have not completely crumbled. 

I started planning his birthday. I cannot wait to share my craziness with you :0) The theme....Cooper's Souper Winter Onederland....oh geez! I've had to stock away every spare dime, but he deserves a first birthday. period.

oh.my.word.....scary!!!!

Thanksgiving!

Onto school...

Today we did the traditional sink or float experiment, but this year we added a little Cookie Monster! This Sesame Street You Tube is FABULOUS!

We introduced the Scientific Method using Deanna Jump's Scientific Method freebie.

Then we conducted our experiment as we watched the video. Here are some pics...

I created a worksheet for students to complete as we conducted our experiments. You can download it from Scribd or on TPT.

Investigating with Cookie Monster

Our little scientists did such an AMAZING job!!

I hope you have a wonderful Friday :0)
Shannon

Snow Much Winter Fun

Today we celebrate the marriage of Q and U!! I purchased two wonderful units one from Crystal over at Kreative in Kindergarten and the other from Kathleen over at Growing Kinders...

 

My kiddos had such a good time! We played the wedding march, danced, had cake, and had our little puppets get married. It was wedded bliss and the perfect way to return from our break! Thanks ladies your units were perfect.

I couldn't resist doing a little shopping over on TPT. I bought up a bunch of Teri's craftivities from A Cupcake for the Teacher. I am just in love with how cute they are! Be sure to check out..

Those elf feet are adorable!!! I seriously can't get enough...also bought Best Friends, Penguin Pals, and Hot Chocolate :0)

Also, purchased Cara's new North Pole or Bust from The First Grade Parade. Complete awesomeness!

Picked up some fabulousness from Katie over at Little Warriors.

 

Also, wanted to let you know I finished up my Snow Much Winter Fun pack. I uploaded it last night :)

Happy Shopping!!!

As promised....

Hey all!

Just wanted to give you an update, my Happy December Unit is up on TPT and it's on sale :)

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Love to everyone!!

Over 150 pages of math and literacy activities! There are a total of 14 activities!

Deck the Trees-RF.K.2. Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).
Holiday Hoot-CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.K.3b Associate the long and short sounds with the common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels.
Holiday Sights-CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.K.3c Read common high-frequency words by sight (e.g., the, of, to,you, she, my, is, are, do, does).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.K.1a Print many upper- and lowercase letters.
Marshmallows in my Cocoa-CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.K.3d Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.
Holiday Sense-sation-RF.K.1. Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.
RF.K.3. Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
RL.K.10. Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.
Plenty of Presents-RF.K.1. Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.
RF.K.3. Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
Peppermint Stick-RF.K.1. Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print. RF.K.3. Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
Holiday Sweets-K.CC.5. Count to answer “how many?” questions about as many as 20 things arranged in a line, a rectangular array, or a circle, or as many as 10 things in a scattered configuration; given a number from 1–20, count out that many objects.
Polar Express Memory-K.CC.5. Count to answer “how many?” questions about as many as 20 things arranged in a line, a rectangular array, or a circle, or as many as 10 things in a scattered configuration; given a number from 1–20, count out that many objects.
The Stockings Were Hung-CCSS.Math.Content.K.OA.A.5 Fluently add and subtract within 5.
Missing Stockings- K.CC.2. Count forward beginning from a given number within the known sequence (instead of having to begin at 1).
Burning Bright-K.MD.2. Directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common, to see which object has “more of”/“less of” the attribute, and describe the difference. For example, directly compare the heights of two children and describe one child as taller/shorter.
Holiday I Have/Who Has-K.G.2. Correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size.
1,2,3 Measure with Me-CCSS.Math.Content.K.MD.A.2 Directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common, to see which object has “more of”/“less of” the attribute, and describe the difference. For example, directly compare the heights of two children and describe one child as taller/shorter.

Time Flies When You're....

Busy, stressed, having fun! I can't believe Thanksgiving is upon us, can you believe how quickly this school year is flying by? Maybe it's just me, everything is moving at a warp speed these days!

I've been working on my new December unit and I PROMISE it will be posted early this week :0) For now, I wanted to give a little love to my ABSOLUTE favorite unit in December....All Things Gingerbread!!!! So many cute activities and so many fabulous stories to read and compare.

I am hosting a Thanksgiving Sale at my TPT store, so be sure to get your Gingerbread on, LOL!

Over 75 pages of Gingerbread Fun! 10 math and literacy activities that are aligned with the Kindergarten Common Core!

Tasty Sentences-L.K.2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. * Recognize and name end punctuation.
Gumdrop Substitution-RF.K.3. Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
Scrumptious Writing-L.K.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. Print many upper- and lowercase letters.
Gingerbread Word Family Fun-CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.K.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. Four Gingerbread Men-RF.K.1. Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print. RF.K.3. Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. RL.K.10. Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.
Boy vs. Girl-CCSS.Math.Content.K.CC.C.7 Compare two numbers between 1 and 10 presented as written numerals.
Ginger Heights-K.MD.2. Directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common, to see which object has “more of”/“less of” the attribute, and describe the difference. For example, directly compare the heights of two children and describe one child as taller/shorter.
I Have/Who Has Gingerbread Ten Frame-CCSS.Math.Content.K.CC.B.5 Count to answer “how many?” questions about as many as 20 things arranged in a line, a rectangular array, or a circle, or as many as 10 things in a scattered configuration; given a number from 1–20, count out that many objects.
Gingerbread Spin, Write, and Color-K.NBT.1. Compose and decompose numbers from 11 to 19 into ten ones and some further ones, e.g., by using objects or drawings, and record each composition or decomposition by a drawing or equation (such as 18 = 10 + 8); understand that these numbers are composed of ten ones and one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, or nine ones.
Yummy Cookies-K.OA.5. Fluently add and subtract within 5.

Hodge Podge

Hey there friends! Blogging has definitely become a difficult task. My little mister is almost 11 months old and he is ALWAYS on the go! If I'm not chasing him down, I'm trying to figure out what buttons he pushed on my laptop that has made my screen all wacky, lol.

Here's a little Coop fix for y'all!

I tried very hard to resist that frog costume but I just couldn't. Coop came to school for our Halloween parade and he was basically a celebrity. I can't tell you how much I love where I teach! Both of us are truly blessed that I am there with such wonderful people that love us.

I know I have been neglectful, but honestly, I will eventually get the hang of this new life. There are so many unknowns right now and so much new responsibility that sometimes its just overwhelming, ya know? Anywho, a few weeks ago someone had asked if I could post the directions to the stained glass apples that we make in September. I was good...I got out my camera and took pictures and had every intention of posting them right away but then life just got in the way. Here are how they turn out...

Here is how to make them...

Pre-cut two apples with the centers cut out for each student. Lay one of the patterns on wax paper. I have students use Elmers glue and a paint brush in the middle. They just put glue all over the center and the edge of the apple. Then they get to choose what color tissue paper they want in the center. They layer the tissue paper in the center AND on the edge until it is covered. Then we lay the other apple pattern on top (this way it hides the tissue paper edges from showing). Allow it to dry overnight. Then you can peel it right off the wax paper! Viola!

I was recently contacted by MPM School Supplies to try them out and boy am I glad I did! So, last year I purchased this timer...

I LOVE this timer. I use it for guided reading and recess, lol. Well, last year during my maternity leave, my timer took a leave of absence, as well, and has been missing ever since. So, I ordered my little timer and Carson Dellosa Quick Stick Word Families. I have been wanting to try them out for a while. With all of our crazy fire code regulations I really needed to find new smaller posters and these are PERFECT!!

The order was super easy to complete online and it shipped really fast. I was so excited to have my little timer back, lol, it's the little things. Anyway, something was wrong with it. The screen was kind of wonky. I called the customer service and they said it was no problem and they would send out a new one. A few days later, I had the replacement and it works wonderfully!

If there is anything your classroom could use, I highly recommend MPM.

10% off your first 10 orders:

http://www.mpmschoolsupplies.om/redeem/S1210XDABECFE

I have been asked if I am making anymore units and I am, it just is taking me a bit to get them together. My December unit is almost finished and from there, I will be working on a Winter unit, I believe. If there is anything you are desperate to see in those units, please let me know and I will try my best to accommodate. 

In the mean time, here are some fall favorites from last year :0)
Hoppy Fall Y'all 2011

Here is my Fall unit...

Poetry Journals...

I hope you are all happy and healthy. I miss the blogging world soooo much! Hugs to you all :)
Shannon