Fall Math & Literacy Centers

Hooray! September is here.  I absolutely LOVE fall (and not just because I'm a fall baby).  There are so many fun themes this time of year...apples, seasons, pumpkins, just to name a few.  I love to incorporate our themes into all parts of our day.  My Fall Math & Literacy Centers do just that!

Here are a few of the activities that are included:

Apple Pickin' Rhymes

Fall Letter Match Up

Gobblin' Up Shapes

Apple Seed Count & Match

There are 10 activities in all, 5 for math and 5 for language arts.  Other skills covered in this resource are color words, ordering uppercase and lowercase letters, sentence building with sight words, non-standard measurement, numbers 0-20, and matching number to quantity to 10.  You can see the complete unit by clicking here!

How would you like to win a copy, just in time for fall!?!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

I've linked up with my friends Jennifer and Sara for Winner Wednesday!

All you have to do is enter the rafflecopter below!  Then head over to A Dab of Glue will Do or Sara J Creations to see some of the other fabulous products you can enter to win this month.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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#2getherwearebetter: Classroom Reveal!

The 2015 - 2016 school year is in full swing!  We are in week 3 and already rockin' and rollin'!  I'm linking up with Ashley and Angie again this month for the #2getherwearebetter linky party.

After a second summer of construction keeping us off school property, I came in the week before school started to find this...

That's sawdust...all over...everything.

Once I got over the shock of the mess, I spent the first days cleaning up.  So, my room is still a work in progress but I know things will come together as the year goes on.  

The love of my favorite baseball team has certainly influenced my room!

This is a panoramic view of my room from the interior door.  I have two walls of windows and I love the light it brings into the room.

This is a view of the front of my room.  

A view toward the back of my room.  That's a lot of orange & black!

I love this area of my classroom.  My word wall is at kid level so students can access the words and take them to their tables as needed.  I keep alphabet and phonics activities in this part of the room for students to use during choice times.

We have a built in playhouse/dramatic play area in our room.  My students love it and I love to observe how they interact and learn to socialize and communicate with each other!

The book center.  I have books in baskets by reading levels as well as by themes.  I love how accessible the books are for my students.

These are our school agreements.  I created these posters this year and I absolutely love them!

I hope you enjoyed this little tour of my classroom!  Head on over to Schroeder Shenanigans in 2nd & Lucky Little Learners to check out some other great classrooms!

 

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Five for Friday

Whew!  It's been a busy few weeks and I've neglected this little blog 'o' mine.  So sorry, friends!  I'm so glad for Doodle Bugs Teaching Five for Friday to catch you all up on what's been going on.  So here goes...five random happenings from the last few weeks.

We spent 10 glorious days in Lake Tahoe at the end of July/beginning of August.  It's always a great time.  Both girls are much more comfortable in the water now and love the beach.  While we were there, the mister and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary.

The day after we got home, I headed back to my classroom for the first time all summer.  As many of you know, my school site has been under construction for the past year.  Although I didn't have to unpack over a hundred boxes this year, I was greeted with this mess.

The sawdust was EVERYWHERE!  It took me days to clean it up.  I am really looking forward to this being over.  

This is a big year for us.  Our youngest daughter started Kindergarten and now I have both girls at school with me!  Everyone had a fantastic first day of school.  The mister came to see us off on our first day.

We've spent the first week of school working on procedures, agreements, and exploration.  Before asking them to do any "work," I always let the students explore our materials.  

Do you let your students play in Kindergarten?  We do.  It's so important for language and social development.  My favorite quote of the week, "Mrs. S, do you want hot sauce on your hamburger?  

Yes, friend.  Every time.

#letthembelittle

How was your week?

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Tell All Tuesday: A Wish, A Goal, A Dream

Hey, friends!  It's time for Tell All Tuesday again with Jayme and Diana.  It's hard to believe this will be the last one of the summer!  I have really enjoyed linking up, learning more about some amazing bloggers and all of you, and making some great new friends.

With Back to School on the horizon, this week's topic is a great one.  

The start of this year is an extra special one for me.  My baby girl is going to Kindergarten.  (cue the tears)  This girl.  She's just the best and I'm so proud to be her mama.

It's going to be so amazing to have both of my girls at school with me this year. 

Here is my Goal, my Wish, and my Dream for the school year:

A GOAL:  I consider myself a pretty organized person.  It drives me bananas when I know I have something and I can't find it.  But with our school construction, things have gotten a bit out of whack and I haven't had the time to get it together.  I'm hoping that I can get things RE-organized this year and really know what I have and where to find it.  

A WISH: As a Kindergarten teacher, there is a lot of pressure on us to start our students off right in elementary school.  I have this wish every year for my students.  I want them to LOVE school.  If we get to the end of the year, and my students love it, then I've done my job.

A DREAM:  As teachers, we work hard to differentiate the needs of our students so they all succeed.  So why then do we (they) expect our kiddos to take tests that are standardized.  This just makes absolutely no sense.  I want to see an end to all standardized testing.  A girl can dream...

What is your goal, wish, and dream for the new school year?

Leave a comment below or link up with
  Teach, Talk, Inspire & My Day in K.

Here's how to join in on the fun:

1. Grab the picture and banner above and use it to link back to this post on your blog.

2. Write a post about the topic of the week.  

This week is: A Wish, A Goal, and A Dream for the School Year

3. Add your link below.

4. Advertise your post using any social media of your choice.

An InLinkz Link-up

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My Best Back to School Tip

With back to school right around the corner for many of us, we are all looking for ways to be efficient.  There is so much to be done at this time of year that it can be overwhelming.  Today, I'm joining Hanging Around in Primary & Pop Into Primary for the latest #littlefishteacherblogger link up!

I always put my class list on the back of my teacher badge.  It's great for line order and to make sure you have all of your kiddos when transitioning to different places at the beginning of the year!  My biggest fear has always been that I could lose someone else's child.  GASP!  Having my list at hand helps me keep my sanity when I'm counting my students and the number doesn't seem quite right.  We've all had those panic moments when we're not sure we have every one, especially during the first few days when we are getting to know our new students.  I always leave room to add names of students who may join us later in the year, too.

Now head over to Hanging Around in Primary or Pop Into Primary to see what other tips have been shared!

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