Writing Giveaway

Have you seen the giveaway over at Crisscross Applesauce in First Grade?  She and several other amazing bloggers are giving away some the their writing products.  I don't know about you, but I am always looking for ways to spruce up my writing.  Go and check it out!

It's another Fun Friday and my very first freebie!

We have had so much fun this week in room 503!  Once again I am linking up with Teaching Fourth for her Fun Friday linking party.

 Our Science this week has been the 5 senses.  I got so many great ideas from Pinterest as well as my fellow bloggers.  Before I get to some of our 5 senses activities, I want to share our 9/11 lesson.

I got my ideas from TGIF.  Go there for the Eagle template and a link to the brainpop video.

My kiddies are so little and I didn't want to scare them so I just kind of shared what the day was and why we remember.  I showed them the beginning of the brainpop video.  It was a lot so we just did a little.  I was really surprised that very few of my kids had any idea what I was talking about.  Sad!

The main focus of our lesson was heroes. When I asked who their favorite hero was I got all the Batmans and Supermans of course but then one of my babies says..."my daddy because he was in the army and saved us."  Love!  Then they got the idea and figured out that there are many real life heros too!

We made some eagles and did a writing on our heroes.

Here are some of them...

How adorable are they??  Is it bad that I love it when teachers walk by my room, see the students work in my window, and pop their heads in to tell me how awesome I am they are.  I just put them up this morning and I have already had several pop ins.  Can you see how big my head is???
 
Click here for the heroes writing paper.  It is a freebie from Just A Primary Girl.

Now for some 5 senses...

We started out in our Science books...boring!  Then we had some fun.  Can you believe that the week I am doing this unit I won a 5 senses unit?  Well, I did!  All I did was guess her correct birthday!  I knew I had some psychic abilities.   Jen from Jen's Kinderkids created this fantastic unit.  My kids love all of the cut and paste sorting activities!  She also has really cute mini books for them to make and some great posters .  Click here to go and get one for yourself.  Thanks Jen and happy birthday!

 Here is one of my cuties at work on one of her pages...

These were great as assessment pieces!

Another project we did came from Pinterest.   This is the original project but I couldn't find the source.

Here is my version...

The potato head patterns I found here. 


Now for my First Freebie!!!

 Don't get too excitied...

1. It might not work.  I am having a very hard time figuring out google docs.  Any suggestions, leave me a comment.

2. It isn't that spectacular.  I am very proud since it is one of the first things I have created but it is nothing fancy.  It serves its purpose.  I have all of this cute clip art and frames but I have no clue how to get them in my documents.  I am a hot mess!

Click Here to hopefully get the form I created to go with the potato head activity.

If it doesn't work and you want it, leave me your email and I will email it to you.

To finish up the week, we had a tasting party today where we sampled some sour gummie worms, salty popcorn and sweet graham crackers.  I have no pics because I had to leave early to pick up my son but I am sure a super fun time was had!

Now go to Kelly's page...not only can you check out what everyone else is doing and link up with your ideas but she is also having a FANTASTIC GIVEAWAY...go!

Update:

I just came across another great giveaway at Smiles and Sunshine.  She is giving away a $15 Amazon GC.  Go!

Tamara

Fun Friday 2

I'm linking up again with Kelly over at Teaching Fourth for Fun Friday.  What is not fun about Friday?  I love them so very much...especially when you end up taking half a day off (although my little boy is sick, which is not so much fun). 

This week we got very serious in 1st grade!  We had to jump in head first into our reading and math programs.  We did, however, bring in some brain break fun.  I discovered Harry Kindergarten through blogging and fell in love!  That led me to discover so many other fun and educational songs on You Tube.  I had no idea how fun You Tube was!  You have to check it out.  Here is the link to my pinterest account where I store all of my you tube videos I use (hopefully it works, otherwise find me...Tamara Marken....and then look for my you tube board).  I haven't quite figured out how to download them into a file yet but I just pull up my pinterest account at work and keep it minimized and then when we need a brain break, it is ready to go. 

My kids love it!

Here they are jammin out...

So cute!  They are always asking...is it time for a brain break?

And what made this Friday extra fun was this super awesome gift I found in the mail when I got home.  It is my new razor that I won from Tickled Pink's giveaway.  I never win anything and I actually won!  This is my 2nd giveaway win in 2 weeks.  I'm feeling lucky!

I can't wait to shave!!

So go link up and share your Fun Friday ideas!

 

Teaching Fourth

Monday Made It (food edition) and a Currently

Yes it is Wednesday but oh well.  I couldn't miss out on the fun over at 4th grade Frolics, so I had to think of something to make.  No fun school stuff this week but since we are all back in school now and so exhausted by the end of the day, how about a super easy dinner idea?

Easy Chicken Tacos

All you need is:

1. A crockpot (I'm in love with mine.)
2. 2-6 chicken breasts (I realize that is a weird range but use what you need)
3. A jar of Salsa (I did 2 chicken breasts and a 16 oz jar of salsa which was perfect)
4. A taco seasoning packet

Mix all ingredients and cook on low for 5-6 hours.  Shred chicken and serve on warm tortillas with all of your favorite toppings.

So yummy!  It was 2 year old approved and picky husband approved.


Here are some pics of this super easy meal...

Clearly I have no idea how to plate food and photograph it. Love the piece of cheese hanging off the plate.  It sure was tasty though.

Source 

Now for the September Currently from Farley.   Now that school has started and I am getting adjusted, I am so excited for Fall!

A little more detail:

My boys...love them.  Isn't my son a mini-me of my husband?  Right after I gave birth to him everyone came in and all they could say is, he looks just like you Mark.  What???  Did I not just labor for 26 hours and go through the worst pain ever to give him life? All Mark did is squeeze my hand a little.  Give me something people!

I have the best class ever!  Seriously, in 10 years, this is my best class.  They are so cute and sweet and I have no serious behaviors.  Crossing my fingers and saying tons of prayers that it stays this way.

In the last 3 years, I have had 2 pedicures.  Enough said!


How have I had 2, 3 day weekends in a row?  Issac and Labor day.  How will I work a normal 5 day week next week?  I have no idea!

All teachers know why we need more time.  I got my first intern yesterday and I was so upset and embarrassed by how unprepared and disorganized I was but at the end of the day I told her, this is the real life of a teacher.  When you don't get your planning time and you are missing a day of school, things are a little chaotic. 

My family is amazing!  If you have never tried Soft Lips, you must.  It is silky smooth and comes in delightful flavors.  And Big Brother...how do I love thee??  I got hooked last season after reading someone's blog about it.  This season is even better.  I even got my husband hooked! 

Go check out what everyone else has been up to.

That's it...have a great rest of the week!



Tamara

A new blog and an awesome giveaway!

So I found a new blog thanks to one of my favorite bloggers, Smedley, and I am loving it!  You have to go and check him out.  He has great freebies (loving his dominoes freebie), great ideas, and an awesome giveaway!  He is giving away a $25 gc to TPT.  Holla!

Go check out Mr. Michelbook and give him some love!! 

Tamara

No David!!!

This is so sad and embarrassing to admit but I have never read the book No David until today.  I knew of it and I have seen it but I never actually read it.  Thanks to my recent love affair with blogging, I am getting all sorts of great ideas.  Yesterday I saw Forever in First post about this cute idea for this book.  I thought it would be great to review our rules and then do the activity which has students listen and follow your directions to draw David.  Holy cow was this so fun!

We watched the you tube version of the book since I don't own it and I fell in love.  I swear if you had given the reader my voice and changed the little boy's name to Max, it would have been my life! David is much like my little Max.  Let's just say I have the book on order for my son because I know he will love it!  Oh, and my students loved it too!

Then we did the following directions activity.  You could have heard a pin drop.  They were so into it and did such a great job!  I was so proud!!!  I just know that they are going to listen to everything I say now and follow all of my directions.  Hey, I can dream right?

If you want the directions for the activity, check them out here.

Here are my kids' finished Davids.  They are so cute!

UPDATE...Since this was so much fun, I am linking up with Kelly at Teaching Fourth for Fun Friday!  

Link up and share your fun activities.  I need more ideas!!!

Have a great rest of the week!

Tamara

1st week, a Monday Made it and a guy named Isaac

My first week is done!  It was long and exhausting but it was very good.  I have 16 kiddos and they are all very sweet and very cute.  This is such a nice change from last year.  It was a very very rough year.  Now 2nd grade is enjoying them...haha!  We had a lot of fun and did some really neat things from ideas that I got from blog stalking...my favorite past time.

First I would like to share my Monday Made It.  It's not much but I love it!  Check out my tree.

It is kind of hard to see but my adorable owls that I made out of scrapbook paper are perched up on the limbs.  One of my teacher friends came through and tried to rain on my parade by saying that the fire marshall is going to make me take it down because it is not 18" from the ceiling.  Bring it fire marshall!  Let's see if that tree comes down.  And I realize I need some curtains for my cabinets but first I need to learn how to sew.


That is all I have for Monday Made it.  Check out the rest at 4th Grade Frolics.

  

Now I would like to share a little bit about what we did our first week thanks to you all in blog land!

1st up is an idea that I got over at Heather's Heart.  Check out her post for her exact lesson.  Mine is a little altered.  What I did is cut out a large heart.  Then we talked about kind words and phrases (heart words) and words that hurt.  I had my class think of all the words that kids say that hurt.  Each time they said something I crumpled the heart.  Then we came up with a list of heart words or sayings.  I made a circle map with these (my school adopted thinking maps this year and this was my 1st attempt).  For each heart word, the heart got a little better.  Eventually the heart was totally uncrumpled but you could still see all the lines and damage from the hurt words, which we talked about.  Here is what it looks like hanging on my wall.  It's not pretty but it was very effective.

The next day we made some Friendship Salad.  This was on several blogs that I read but the actual lesson that I followed is here.  The kids loved it and I tell you what...no one wants to be the rotten banana.  Every time someone started acting up throughout the week, I would say...are you the rotten banana?  It was like magic folks!  I may revisit this lesson several times this year as a refresher.  Here is our finished product and boy was it tasty!

We also had some Chicka Chicka Boom Boom fun.  Here are my kiddos hard at work stamping out their names.

The finished product looked something like this (although this is where I got the idea).  I forgot to take pics of the them.  :(

Click here for First Grade and Fabulous where this came from.

We also did an adorable craftivity.  I got the idea from A Teeny Tiny Teacher.  She also made these with her class.  She has the slightly adapted writing prompt which I used.  The original craft is from Miss Kindergarten.  You can get it in her TPT store for free here.  I adore this craft!  We had so much fun and they turned out so cute!  I can't wait for parents to see them at open house.  Here is one of my darlings working hard.

And here is the finished product.  Notice that they are hanging on my cute owl displays (also an idea from blogland). 

Clearly I am not a photographer.  I wish I had gotten a close up but oh well.  You get the point.  Super cute!  The rest of them are on another wall.


We did many more fun things but this was all I took pictures of.  Thank you bloggers for all of the great ideas that I can steal borrow.

We also did a whole lot of testing...ugh!  Now I have some serious grading to do but luckily I am sitting at home today on this yucky Monday morning thanks to a little storm named Isaac. 

I live in Sarasota, FL.  A couple of days ago this guy looked like he was going to come right at us but in true hurricane fashion, he went more west, thankfully.  They still closed schools though since we are getting Tropical Storm force winds and rains.  Super nasty but I am super glad to have the extra day.  I sure hope the north gulf coast fares well though. I  am saying prayers for them.  Hope everyone has a great week!

Tamara