Spring into Stress!

I feel like my time has really gotten away from me lately and haven't done such a good job keeping up with my blog.  Spring is always that time of year when I totally start to stress out and I am so counting down the days to Spring Break.  I love teaching with all my heart but my teacher hat is only one that I am wearing right now.  I always wondered growing up how my mother did it all and now I am learning you just have to pull up your big girl panties and go.  I have a lot of things outside of school that also involve a lot of my time but they are all things I love so I am still working on finding a balance.  Today I thought I would spend a few minutes just sharing some things that I have tried this year and found to be really helpful in the classroom.  The first one is the picture above.  I made a huge clock out of masking tape on the floor one morning before the kids arrived.  It took like 15 minutes.  The kids used their arms as the hour hand and their legs as minute hands and they had to show me times I called out on the floor.  The kids loved getting up and moving during math time. 

While working on greater than, less than, and equal to the children got to make their own creatures to eat the greater number.  I made mine to mimic Mrs. Pac Man since I am a child of the 80's.  The kids loved the flashback since this character has been brought back through other gaming systems.  I even made the actually wanka, wanka, wanka, noise when she ate the greater number.  The kids thought it was hilarious.  Some of the children made sharks, alligators, and monsters. 

Here is one of my students showing the other students which way the sign should face. 

Okay this is one of my favorite finds ever.  I found these finger lights at Rose's.  A three pack was $1.50.  We use these during our familiar read in our literacy groups.  The students were told if they were not reading and I caught them playing with the lights they would not be allowed to use them anymore.  Knock on wood, I have had no problems.  The kids LOVE it. 

One of the things that my favorite colleague made was a buddy checklist.  After the students read they are paired up and have to do a checklist using their dry eraser markers and the worksheet (put into a clear plastic sleeve so the students can use it over and over). 

One of the spelling centers I used previously was easy and cheap to make and I will definitely be using it again soon.  I called it Magazine Spelling because Ransom Note just sounds scary.lol  I had a friend help me cut out some of my old People magazines.  We only cut up the larger letters that we found.  I wrote the spelling list from the week on the counter top with a dry eraser marker (which wipes up easily with a Clorox wipe)  Then the students had to rummage through the letters and spell them out using the cut up letters from the magazine. 

I survived PTO

Last night we had PTO and it was the biggest turnout we have had thus far this year.  It was awesome to see so much parent participation but it makes for a super long day at school.  The school I work at is a good twenty minutes from my house so I ran and grabbed a bite to eat and went straight back.  Basically I worked a 12 hour day yesterday and I am truly feeling the effects today.  I'm beat.  Well here are two of the centers (Pinterest inspired of course) that we are doing this week.  The first one is the writing center, where students were asked to write a story about Roy. G. Biv.  After writing their story they are allowed to create a Roy G. Biv to take home. 

The other center is our spelling center.  The student take the paint chips and place them over a sheet protector (that I made Divalicious by adding Cheetah duck tape) .  Inside the sheet protector is the alphabet and on each paint chip is a word family ending.  Students slide the paint chips over the alphabet to see if they are making real words or made up words. 

It's only Wednesday?????

This is how I have my literacy groups' table set up.  Everything the children will need is already there so limit distractions.  I don't know how well you can see it but in the middle of the table I have a push l.e.d. light.  When this light is on other students are not allowed to interrupt my instruction. 

This week has been a really hard one for me so I haven't done a very good job of blogging.  I feel like I have been hit by a truck.  I don't feel bad but I am extremely tired.  Monday night I went to bed at 5:30 and slept 12 hours.  I NEVER DO THAT.  Went to bed fairly early last night as well.  I don't know if I am trying to get sick or not.  Anyway, thought I would share some ideas from this week. 

This is my bucket of warm fuzzies (pom poms)  The students have miniature sized sand pails on their desk.  If I "Catch them being good"  I may place a warm fuzzy in their pail.  After a certain period of time students count how many fuzzies they have and the winner gets a prize.  We usually turn counting fuzzies into a teachable moment math lesson. 

I saw this Quiet Spray idea on Pinterest and thought I would give it a try.  I will have to let you know if the students catch on but so far they aren't buying it. 

This was another great Pinterest find.  I am using it in the spelling center this week.  I wrote sight words, spelling words, and made up words on some pieces of recycled paper and balled them up.  The students have to pick a piece of paper and smooth it out and decide if the word is trash (made up) or treasure (spelling/sight word) 

She's Alive

After being out on Monday and Tuesday of this week sick.  I thought it was great this morning when my students came in and there eyes got big.  They were excited I was back and it never ceases to amaze me the things my children say.  One little girl said, "She's Alive!!!"  My teaching assistant (who is such a blessing), Ms. Bunch had surprised me by hanging up some of our 100th Day of School Projects.  The students were asked to make a project using 100 of anything they wanted to.  This was a family project and students were asked to present their projects in front of the class explaining how they made it, with what they made it with, and who helped them to make it.  Here is a couple of examples.  The students really got into it and I love sending home family projects because the kids love having their parents take the time with them to create something fabulous. 


One student chose to make a school using 100 toothpicks while another student did an underwater scene with 100 sea animals.



100 starts, 100 fruit loops, 100 fish

Because I wasn't there on Monday and Tuesday I am taking the time today to share with you some centers we are using this week that are Valentine's Day inspired.  The first one is called Valentine Candy Count.  This is a Math Center.  Each student is asked to bring a pencil to the center and fill out a worksheet.  The students have to sort the candy hearts by color and then count how many of each color there are and record the number on the worksheet provided. 

Another center we are working on this week was inspired by Ms. Colonna.  This is a spelling center.  The students work on blends by placing the correct pictures in the appropriate box.  The students get more excited when I add the blends to a candy box then just having to sort pictures.  They have Valentine's Day on the brain right now so anything to do with that theme gets them excited to learn. 

This was one of the spelling center ideas from the month of January.  The students practiced writing the spelling words in salt.  I must admit that this was an idea that was sparked by a pin on "Pinterest".  I think they used it in a kindergarten classroom to practice letters.  I bought acrylic picture frames from Dollar Tree and place directions for each center in them every week.  Another great idea Ms. Colonna shared with me at the beginning of the year.  Because there are only two first grade teachers at my school it is easy to bounce ideas off one another. 

This was a Math Center activity that same week.  The center's title was "Shoveling Sum"  The students were asked to get one shovel of snow (marshmallows) and then one more and add together on the worksheet provided.  In this picture you can see one of my center cones in the back ground.  Each cone is placed in the matching center.  In my classroom centers consist of Math, Writing, Spelling, Reading, and Computer.