I heart my CLIP CHART :)

I love my clip chart! I have used the card system before in class and it has worked wonders. This year, most of the teachers at our school are using the clip chart system. We are a departmentalized school where the students switch classes for different subjects so we wanted a cohesive system that all the teachers use. Of course, I used the Pinterest inspired clips and made mine with glitter paper and modge podge! I added the buttons for an extra touch!

Here are some pics! I have also attached a rubric for the colors that we devised as a team.

Clip Chart Rules

First Week FREEbies!

While driving back from L.A. late last night, (*sigh*, the last vacation of summer), I was thinking of all the first week of school activities I love to do.

I came up with the Getting 2 Know u Game that the kids LOVE. I created cards with questions on them, printed them on bright paper, laminated and cut. You will need one set of cards per pair.

How to play:
- The students sit across from each other and take turns drawing a card from the pile. They ask their partner the question that is on the card (example, "What is your favorite Disney character?" or "What would your dream birthday party be like?").
- When all of the questions are asked, each child is responsible for sharing one thing about their partner to the class.

This game is a great first day ice breaker...for EVERYONE...
Getting Know Game

I also love doing the Friend Find! I came up with things that relate directly to the kids and where we live.
Friend Find


And last but not least, The Time Capsule! Just a reminder to put these in a spot where you'll remember to pass them back at the end of the year!
Time Capsule Questionnaire

And last, here are a few books I always read the first week. My favorite being, The First Day Jitters :)

My first day back with the kids is Monday...Here's to a great, FRESH, creative school year!

Vistaprint, you ROCK!

There is nothing better than getting a package in the mail...especially when it's a Vistaprint order! I ordered owl postcards to have on the kids' desks on the first day. I'm so happy with how cute they turned out...

I also ordered magnets to give the parents on Back 2 School night...They were free (along with the 100 postcards) so I only paid for the shipping. How is that even possible?!

The magnet idea came from another blog...not sure which one...so if it's yours, please take credit!!!

Glass Magnets

I had bunch of left over glass gems and magnets from Andrew's summer camp (I ran the crafts with the kids) so I decided to use em' up!!! I plan on having a daily language arts question on the board each day....

Example : "Sea and See are Synonyms..." There will be a "yes" and "no" column that the kids will move their magnet to in order to answer the question. (If answered correctly they would move it to the "NO" column since they are homonyms...)

Providing a safe and comfortable learning environment is crucial for these activities. Students need to feel that it's OK if their answer in a different column than others and that it's OK to make mistakes. I try to make it a point EVERY DAY to emphasize how important mistakes are because we can LEARN from them..

All you need are glass gems, scrapbook paper, pen, magnets, hot glue gun and glass/bead glue!

Other ideas for these could be:

- Daily 5
- Write a letter for each gem so students can build words
-Hanging Student Work
- Utilize your whiteboard and hang projects with their name magnets
- Vowel Sound Sort
- Write words with long and short vowel sounds for students to categorize
-Math
- Write numbers...Students randomly grab...multiply, divide, add, subtract, etc!
- Gifts
- Students can design their own for Mother's Day, Father's Day, Holiday gifts, etc!

Modge Podge Letters

In the middle of all my DIY wedding projects, I have somehow been able to squeeze in multiple school projects. Maybe because I have been in my pajamas all day and have had endless refills of coffee. Thank goodness for my amazing fiance who has been cooking all the meals, so I can CREATE!!!

I found a project on Lesson Plans SOS that I just knew I had to make :) I give them all the credit for my creation and newfound love for MODGE PODGE!

All you need is a bottle of Modge Podge Satin, brush, scrapbook paper, exacto knife and wooden letters!

I love how they turned out! I plan to make the word WRITE as soon as I find some time...

Scrapbook paper Owls :)

One of my generous parents gave me a gift card to Paper Source :) It has the cutest paper EVER. I went there with a friend this week and found inspiration for my new Back 2 School bulletin board. I saw these cute owls on a notebook and decided to make them with scrapbook paper for my board. I must say, they turned out pretty darn cute. Here is the notebook I saw...

And here are my owls...can't wait to put em' up!

I was thinking the title of the board would be, "Look Whoooo's Having a HOOT this year!"

Here are a few other things I want to try...

The owls in the last picture are made from pillow boxes...so clever. and so cute.

File Folder Games!

File folder games are fun for me to make and fun for the kids to play! I think of the game on my own and put them together with cutouts (usually from the Dollar Store) and scrapbook paper. These are great for centers, early finisher tasks, partner work, and "smart choice" activities. Sometimes I let the kids check one out and take it home for extra reinforcement on concepts!

First, here is the shower caddy turned file folder holder that I made!

I weaved ribbon in and out of the squares to give it a little spunk!

I am posting pictures of some of the games I have created below! The first game is titled, Don't monkey around! Learn your proper nouns! Match the proper nouns on the circle cards to the basic nouns on the board (state/California, place/Disneyland)!

Next up is, Soarin' Synonyms! Find synonym pairs and match the rocket with the star.

Hoppin' Homonyms! Read the sentence on the lily pad (The wind ________ my hair ) and place it on the frog that has the correct homonym spelling (blew)!

It's Party Time! practices the parts of speech (noun, verb, adverb, pronoun, etc.) Read the sentences on the board and match it's underlined word with the cone that has the correct part of speech!

If you have any questions about the games, leave a comment! I have a few more in the making and will post when they're done!

A few things about Me

Since I am a "newbie" blogger, I thought I'd list a few things to know about me :) Here goes...

1. Palm Trees- I am obsessed with them! I am so lucky to live in California so I can see their natural beauty every day! A palm tree wrapped with Christmas lights is just absolutely priceless.

2. Mexican Food...I could eat it for every meal and never tire of it. Chips and salsa, guacamole, enchiladas...So. dang. good.

3. Michaels - I shop there WAY too much. But I love it. It makes my heart happy as soon as I walk through the door. It feeds my brain the creative food it craves. CONSTANTLY.

4. Golden Retrievers - I want one. Like, ridiculously bad. I have a HUGE spot in my heart for animals. My fiance jokes, "If we get a dog, I will never get attention from you.." (haha, he's actually probably right ;) )

5. Working Out - I will admit, I have to force myself, but when I get done, I feel like a million bucks.

6. Wife in Training - I am truly blessed with a wonderful fiance who *adores* and *spoils* me. He is also a teacher...we met at the school where I teach....one of the best days of my teaching career was telling my students, "Guess what! Miss Adams is marrying Mr. Slayton!" (cheers, screams, tears, you name it, my students did it )

7. Enjoying the Simple Things - It doesn't take much to make me happy. A hot cup of coffee. A good craft project. Sunshine. Bubble baths. A good book. Taking pictures. Two hour talks with my mom on Saturday mornings. Christmas lights. The list is never ending :)

8. October - I absolutely love fall, Halloween, the pumpkin patch by the ocean, carving pumpkins, decorating (both classroom and home), apple cider, Halloween crafts, etc. There is an overall special "feeling" of fall that just warms my heart. Not to mention, I am also getting married on October 14th :)

9. Boots - I could wear them every day and NEVER get tired of them. Boots with skirts, dresses, jeans, tights, leggings...I should have named by blog, "Teaching in boots.."

10. Flying - I have a fear of flying. Growing up as a pilot's daughter, I used to LOVE to fly. After one fateful plane ride where the emergency masks dropped and we thought the plane was on fire, my love turned to hate. I am trying to overcome my fear, one plane ride at a time.