TPT Cyber Monday & Tuesday Sale!

I am enjoying the ease of making some purchases this Thanksgiving weekend... got some holiday items checked off. I am looking forward to Cyber Monday, so I can shop for my classroom and move a few items from my long 126 wish items to my shopping cart.

My top 5 items are 1. Chit Chat Morning Messages #2 by Deanna Jump
                               2. Writing Through the Year Unit 2 by Deanna Jump  
                               3. Monkey Love by Growing Kinders  
                               4. Curious George and the Firefighters by April Larremore
                               5. 3 Cheers for Red, White, and Blue by Growing Kinders

I love creating things for my classroom. It is a slow process in making it accessible in digital format, as well as including the common core standards. Currently, my TPT store is small, with 9 items. Meanwhile, I continue to work on some units. It's a learning process!

I also love "hunting" for new innovative ideas too. Deanna's Chit Chat Morning Messages are great! I love using them on my Mimio interactive whiteboard. I have fun teaching writing to my students, but am always on the look out for different anchor charts, and the Writing Through the Year Unit 2 seems to have ones I could easily incorporate into my classroom. In checking out my upcoming units, I will be using Curious George books... this week! So, even though I already have monkey activities, I don't have one created for Curious George. I think April's cute monkey craftivity is just what I need. After the holiday season, I will be focusing on American symbols. I will need to beef up my 2 week unit into a bigger unit.

Here are a few places I am linking up to...

Remember to use the code, CMT12 at the checkout to get an additional percentage off!

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Holiday Recipe Linky Party

I am super excited that Thanksgiving is only a few days away! That means my sisters and their families will be in town soon! We are all meeting over at my  mom's house for Thanksgiving this year. Usually, my husband and I travel around to visit both sides of the family. This year, I am in charge of desserts. I love making something sweet! I will make a pie or two along with a tray of cookies. One of my favorite desserts is one that I have made at least once a year for Thanksgiving for over 15 years. I believe it originally came from a Kraft recipe? I was never a fan of pumpkin pie, but with some chocolate, I love it! I checked to see if it's online, and I found it! Click on the picture to go there.

 

 

More than 5 years ago, I decided to change it up from pumpkins to cranberries. Cooking Light had a lighter delicious version of a white chocolate cranberry speckled cheesecake. It takes time to make it, as it calls for a homemade yogurt cheese... but it is well worth it! It looks plain, but I decorate it with a dollop of whipped cream. Delicious! Click on the picture to go there.

 

 

Yesterday, I made some delicious pumpkin cookies. I was too tired to roast the pumpkins. So today, I found an easy and delicious recipe that uses pumpkins. I roasted a small pumpkin in my oven and blended the flesh in a blender with some broth instead of using canned pumpkin. This is a creamy hearty soup! I think it will be delicious with leftover turkey too! Click below to see the original recipe.

 

 

 

This year I am thinking of making something different, as I like to change it up every so often. So, I am definately on the look out for another pumpkin dessert idea. If you would like to join in on the holiday cooking, check out this linky:

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 





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Thankful (& A Math freebie)

It certainly has been an interesting week full of ups and downs in kindergarten. In the midst of all the going ons, I went to a Regina Spektor concert with a friend. If you haven't heard of her, you may want to check out this youtube video of one of her recent songs. It is not as upbeat as some of her other songs, but this displays her passion and spectacular voice.



One of the tougher parts of this week involved supporting my coworker as her family deals with the lost of a little 5 year old to a nasty brain tumor. It is not my story to tell, but if you want to hear a touching and inspiring story from a mother's point of view, please visit Cheering for Caitlin.

Amongst some other stuff, I found Storie's linky party that focused on the positive, and thought to myself I needed to join in.

 

Here's the link so you can join in too!

 

 

Are you off for Thanksgiving week? We are in school on Monday and Tuesday. Every year, I have Thanksgiving Centers with my students in whatever grade I am teaching (K-2). We have fun making a variety of turkey items. I wish I had easy access to some photos to share with you, but I only have scrapbooks of these older pictures. Here are a few activities from previous years:

 

 

In first grade, I usually incorporated some type of cornucopia math activity. My first year of teaching, I had created a cornucopia using an ice cream cone filled with treats for my students to graph and sort. Then one year, I wanted my students to practice addition and subtraction stories. I used bugles to represent cornucopias and Trix cereal as the different fruits. I would tell them a story problem, and they would act out the story using the cereal. Then they would use a dry erase marker to write the math sentence on the mat. It was great way for us to review addition and subtraction. So I created a mat for you- just print out and laminate. Click on the picture to get the Cornucopia Math freebie.

 

 



May you and your family have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

 

 

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Random Picture Takes

It has been busy around here. I wanted to share lots, but it seems I just cannot keep up with photo ops and getting on my blog. I really admire those who can juggle a classroom and a blog! I am currently working on a nocturnal unit, but it has been a slow process, especially with my new MimioTeach, Reading Endorsement class, report cards, Halloween, Teach-In, upcoming holidays, lesson plans, meetings, etc. So, I thought I would share a few random picture takes of what's been happening in my classroom: MimioTeach, Scarecrows, Farms, and S'mores!

I got the scarecrow pattern blocks template free from The Virtual Vine's website. CLICK HERE and scroll down her scarecrow page and look for links to Tricia's scarecrow or scarecrow with pumpkin links.

I am off to go and enjoy a birthday dinner with family and friends. Have a wonderful weekend!

 

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November Currently

Sometimes, I just love a little quiet on a cool morning, taking time to browse the internet and drink a coffee. Yesterday, my husband help me rearrange my classroom to set up my MimioTeach. I am so excited to be able to start using it with my students next week. They are already loving it!

Living in Florida, I take it for granted that hurricanes occur in other places. I didn't realize the effect it can have up north... especially the flooding. I wish for those up there that they will be able to return to their homes, and hopefully not another power outage.

It has been some time since I've read a good grown-up novel for fun. I love to read. Lately it has been the internet, magazines, and children's literature. Last December, I read the Hunger Games series within a week. Over the summer, many of my friends seemed to be reading the Gray series, which I did not get into. Any suggestions for a good book?

I am looking forward to this Thanksgiving, as my sisters and their families will be coming to town. It has been about 2 years since the 3 of us hung out. I am looking forward to playing and teasing my nephews. We will have a big get together with our 3 families and in-laws at my mom's house! I am hoping to make a delicious pumpkin something!

I thought Regina Spektor is coming to Miama only, but found out she is also coming to my town! I can't wait to see her live!

If you get a chance, check out my previous post. I made some skunk freebies. Have a great weekend!

 

P.S. Check out the other November Currently's...

 



 

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