Happy Easter!

Happy Easter :] I hope you all enjoyed your holiday and spent it with loved ones.  I just finished my Spring Break so I am a bit tired from going back to school today.  I missed the kids though and my set schedule [now I can try to eat healthier!]

 

Cute bunny picture found on www.cutenessoverflow.com 

 

I want to share first that right before my spring break, we had such a special visitor at our school.  Sweet Hudson [the Railroad Puppy] who was in an "accident" with his sweet brother and sister.  Hudson has a prosthetic leg and will live with that for the rest of his life.  To read more about his story, please visit his facebook page, as I do not know who my audience is and I do not want to reveal any information that is too much for children :]

 

Hudson and his daddy Mr. Nash make visits all over the area and all he asks is for donations to our local Mohawk Humane Society.  Look at all the donations that my wonderful school provided.  And they kept pouring in! I love animals so much and to be able to share that love and show our children how wonderful of a dog Hudson is meant the world to us.  It teaches children about disabilities and I love that they were so accepting with lots of caring questions to ask Hudson!  

 

My students are developing so much in their reading and writing.  I am so proud of them!  Here are their sneaky E puppets that they made before break too :] We are going to start working on a lot of sneaky E words to reinforce the short vs. long vowel sounds!

If you haven't checked it out, you HAVE to look into Deanna Jump and Deedee Wills' Writing Units for Kindergarten... very worth money, and can be used year after year for your students.  Here is an anchor chart that the students still love referring to with how to writings. :] I love to see themselves as young writers and writing about what interests them!

 I also have to share our bulletin board with our Rainforest animals... this freebie can be found HERE and there are so many different ways you can use it! I decided to have each student focus on one part of the rainforest and research it.  They all went by the type of animals that lived there, and LOVED it!

Enjoy your week :] I hope to have a BIG giveaway sometime soon... follow me here and on my facebook page to stay updated!

Unifix Cube Writing

Hi all! I am so excited to link up for the month of April with my bright idea... so many amazing bloggers and ideas that I can't wait to shuffle through and see how I can become a better and more efficient teacher.  Bright ideas rock! Thank you to Shelley Gray who has made this monthly blog hop possible!

 

I learned about this bright idea about 4 years ago when I was a reading teacher, and a woman had her first graders use unifix cubes to demonstrate where they were in the writing process.

This helps to keep your classroom more organized and less disruptive.  You are able to meet with individual students and not have all of your kids coming up to you at once with questions.  It's a great check in process that I know can be used for any grade level!

  All you need for each student is a green, yellow, and red unifix cube.  It's kind of like a "traffic" tool! : ) Feel free to make it your own and use any colors that will best fit your classroom.  

Below shows the different colors and what they mean:

 

If you enjoyed my bright idea, please consider following my blog, facebook, and my TPT store : ) I also have a Pinterest!! (Got to love social media!)

For more bright ideas from 150 different bloggers, please browse through the link-up below and choose a topic/grade level that interests you! Thanks for visiting!

An InLinkz Link-up

April Currently 2014

Happy April Fools Day! :]
I hope everyone is having a great 2014.. My year was off to a rocky start, but I am starting to take more time for myself and get healthy.. that's what my Currently from Farley seems to be based on.. bettering myself as Spring continues and the warm weather comes!

Listening: Saved by the Bell... who loved this show in the 90's?! Well my boyfriend and I don't have cable so we definitely collect a lot of old school DVDs to help us get through the evenings... lately, we have been on a Game of Thrones kick too!

Loving: I love my Kindergarteners... hands down, they are the joy of my day and make me so happy to be their teacher.

Thinking: I am starting a new program - a cleanse and eating clean.  I will let you know how it goes! I am excited and nervous all at the same time!

Wanting: More..time.  I want more time to myself, to even paint my nails, watch a TV show, read a book... but I unfortunately also need more time to make TPT products for YOU and my wonderful children.  I am trying hard.. I hope you can stop by my store and become a follower :] It means so much to me!

Needing: To take care myself (hence the cleanse/eating better).. the warm weather is coming too, I want to look good and be healthier!

Hours and the last day: Well, silly me didn't even include the last day of school... it's June 25th! And the kids come to school 7:50-3:00 every day :]

I just have to share this ADORABLE FARM FREEBIE from Reagan Tunstall.. she's such an amazing person and has wonderful primary products on TPT. My Kinders are learning about different animals in different habitats and this was a great product for them.

Hope you have a wonderful April!! XO