New Valentine's Products! A SALE, a FREEBIE and a GIVEAWAY!

Hi friends! Can you believe that in just a few hours 2012 will be history?! I look back and cannot believe how much time has gone by! I cannot wait to see what 2013 has in store :)

 

I wanted to say thank you to everyone who follows this little blog and my TpT store! I have hit {and surpassed} my goal in earnings for this quarter and I cannot thank you all enough!! I am so glad that I decided to become part of this wonderful blogging community. I feel like this blog is coming along slowly, but surely :) I think the best part of blogging is that I get so many wonderful ideas from you all, and I feel like blogging has been the best professional development! So as a THANK YOU, I am running a sale today and tomorrow. HAPPY NEW YEAR :) Click the picture below to get to my store.

 

{picture courtesy of Graphics from the Pond}

 

Here are some wintery items to check out while they're on sale! {Click pictures to check them out!}

 

 

 

FREEBIE:

Next thing!! I posted a Valentine's Day Making Words Freebie! Click the picture to download your copy! {Please leave feedback on my store if you download!}

 

GIVEAWAY:

 

And lastly! I just posted a new product called Valentine's Candy Heart Fun! It is a fun pack to use this Valentine's Day-just add candy hearts :) I am going to start something new that whenever I post a new product, the first person to comment will get it for free {the giveaway!}! Just be sure to leave your email address!

 

Here's a preview of what's inside...

 

 

Click the picture below to pick up a copy! {It's on sale now through 1/1/13!}

 

 

Thanks again for all your support this year! I hope that 2013 is a wonderful year for everyone!!

Our Gingerbread Week!

Hey all! I am feeling a lot better today, and even though Christmas has already come and gone, I wanted to share with you some highlights of our Gingerbread Unit!

 

Each day we read a different version of The Gingerbread Man and we compared and contrasted the stories with one another. {Common Core: RL2.9: Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story (e.g., Cinderella stories) by different authors or from different cultures}

 

 

Then the kids filled out this journal page each day! I apologize for not photographing their work-they did a great job! {Click on the picture to pick up your free copy and tuck it away for next year!}

 

 

Here's our gingerbread house to help us compare/contrast each story!

 

 

Each student got a gingerbread cookie. They took one bite, and we tallied, graphed, and used our Parts/Total model {from our Everyday Math series} to do a little math!

 

 

We did Abby's Gingerbread Science again this year, which was a big hit!

 

 

We decorated gingerbread houses! {Perfect activity for those last couple of days!!!}

 

The kids also had to disguise a gingerbread man for homework. When they came back to school, they wrote a piece convincing Mr. Fox that they were not a gingerbread cookie, but ______. I promised our kids that I would post ALL of their cute disguises on here, so that is what I will leave you with :) ENJOY!

 

Snowman Glyph {Quick Post}

Hello, friends! I hope everyone had a wonderful, relaxing Christmas!! We had a WHITE CHRISTMAS! So exciting :) It's been really nice just hanging out with the hubs, pups, and family!

 

This is going to be a quick post because I am feeling a little blah. Of course I'd get a cold over break! I had every intention of posting all about our gingerbread unit, but I just do not have it in me right now to upload the gazillion pictures, edit them, etc.

 

I wanted to share a new product from my TpT store real quick. It's a cute little Snowman Glyph Craftivity that I plan on using during our snowman unit when we get back from Christmas break! It's only a buck! Click the picture below to check it out :)

 

 

Enjoy your break!

Giveaway Winners & Elf for Hire Persuasive Writing Craftivity!

Thanks to everyone who entered my giveaway! :) My favorite Christmas song is actually "Baby It's Cold Outside!" So I will be sending my Penguin Pack to everyone who guessed :) Congrats Wendy, Amy, and Kristen!

 

You all, I am so impressed with how my kids did with their Elf Applications and Elf for Hire persuasive writing! First we talked about an elf's job, and what you'd have to be good at, etc. Then the kids did their fun little applications that I made {idea inspired by many bloggers and pinners!} :)

 

Our elves, Jingle and Jangle, even brought the applications up to the North Pole for Santa to check! If they got a special sticker on their application then they were approved!! {Everyone was approved, of course!}

 

Then we discussed persuasive writing.. First we asked the kids why we should give them a Christmas party. They had to give us reasons why they deserved it, what they'd do to make it a successful party, etc. This was all done verbally, and they really got it! Then they worked on their rough draft of their Elf for Hire! We have found that these graphic organizers REALLY help our kids with their writing. It helps them organize their ideas, and also to remember their capitals and end marks :)

 

 

We edited and revised, and the next day they did their final drafts, along with a cute craftivity!

{I sooooo wish you could see their CUTE little faces!! I printed 5x7 pictures of each kiddo for this}

 

 

 

{Page 1 of about 3 from this little elf!!!}

 

 

{And this is one of our ELL students! She does not speak much at all, but she still got it!! And she did 2 or 3 pages of writing!! We were so proud of her!}

 

This is definitely a writing craftivity we will do every year with our kiddos!!

6 more school days 'til break!!!

Elves, Streamers & New Penguin Unit {GIVEAWAY!}

Just wanted to share what Jingle and Jangle did over the weekend...

 

They got into our streamers! I wonder if they should be on the naughty list...? :)

 

Today we started our Elf Applications and Elf for Hire persuasive writing! I can't wait to share them with you :) Tomorrow they are writing their final drafts and making their craftivity! Should be cute!!

 

I just uploaded a new Penguin Unit on TpT!!

{Click the picture to check out the preview in my little store!}

 

 

 

I want to give a copy to one of my followers!! Sooooo the first person to guess my favorite Christmas song will get this unit for FREE :) Be sure to leave your email address! And all I ask is that you follow my little if you are entering this giveaway! THANKS!

 

9 more school days until break :) :) :)

Grinch Week! The best week of the year!!!

You all. I love Grinch Week. LOVE IT!! It is so much fun and the kids absolutely enjoy it!! I have been looking forward to this week for a couple of weeks now.... And now it's already over!! Today was our school's 2nd Annual Grinch Day {I HAD to get that started last year!!}. Our kids led our morning assembly, and sang Deanna Jump's Mr. Grinch song! Amy and I added a few lines to the song to make it longer for 2nd graders... I may be a bit biased, but our kids ROCKED it!

 

 

 I absolutely LOVE this book. It is probably my favorite Christmas book! I read it to the kids twice, then they practice a reader's theater for it all week {and they were AWESOME!} We did a lot of activities found in my Mean, Green Christmas Pack and I just wanted to share some photos with you :) ENJOY!

 

After reading the book the first day, we discussed character traits of the Grinch. We also brainstormed adjectives about how his heart was at the beginning and end of the story.

 

 

The next day after reading the book again, the kids wrote a few sentences about the Grinch at the beginning and the end of the story. They also wrote adjectives to describe his heart :)

 

We worked on antonyms....

 

 

We wrote "How to be a Grinch" and made a mini class book out of it!

 

 

We measured the Whos' gifts with partners...

 

 

We worked on Grinchy Fractions...

 

 

The Grinch wasn't feeling Grinchy anymore, so he brought us a little treat from the store :)

 

 

Then we ended our unit by watching the cartoon movie and enjoying Grinch Punch and Grinch Grub!!

 

 

And the kids got to go home with this little treat from the Grinch {Cindy Lou Who dropped it off for the Grinch!}...

 

{The green notes are not my original idea.. I found these tags through Pinterest}

 

All in all it was an AWESOME week!! The kids had so much fun, and so did we :) Next week we will work on our Elf Applications and Elf Craftivity {pictures to come soon!} And then on to our Gingerbread Man Unit!

 

HAPPY WEEKEND, FRIENDS!