I'm an aunt!! Well, for 5 months now..

Okay so I didn't JUST become an aunt...My sister had her first little guy last May, but my life has been nothing short of busy since then.  Something about being an aunt is super exciting.  It's like being a teacher.  You get all the benefits of being around kids (the fun stuff--get messy, be silly, help them discover the world around them). Then you get to hand the child back at the end of the day and go home to relax by a fire with a good book and a glass of wine (or like my fellow Californians...walk to the beach) :) 

Isn't my little nephew the cutest?  I laugh every time I look at this picture and the look on Josiah's face!

It's now been 2 months since I've seen him (you know how crazy the beginning of the school year is!) and I'm counting down the days until I get to see him next!  (2 weeks!)   So not exactly school-related,  BUT I get one blog post to brag about my nephew right?!

Hope all ya'll's Octobers are going great! 

I'm back!!! with a FREEBIE!

Okay so we all get busy...but I have been EXTREMELY busy!  I think we get a Christmas break just so that we can't complain when we get back and things are hectic, rushed, and full of events, short weeks, etc. (Did I miss anything?)  

Not only does my birthday appear on the list, but I've had everything from preview days (observed by prospective families,  Kindergarten Roundup, Lutheran Schools Week (full of activities and no time to get things done!), Open House, Social Sciences Fair, etc. Whew!! I've also been trying to get services for one little boy in my class and it has definitely been a challenge...especially being in a private school.

My sister is also expecting her first baby and there is a BEYOND ecstatic auntie right here!! :)  I can't help but ask people with babies where they got their strollers, carriers, blankets, etc....I've seriously gone off the auntie deep end!  :) I now am neck deep in planning a shower for her.  Does Pinterest know I have NO time to do creative things for it?!  I seriously think its sole job is to taunt me! LOL.

Okay the rant ends....and if you've made it this far, I also wanted to touch on one thing teacher-y and leave you with a freebie. DID I JUST SAY FREEBIE?  

Our favorite little guy in my room just so happens to be a one-eyed, green jokester named MIKE.  Mike Wazowski that is.  This character from Monster's Inc is one of our "Take Home Friends" (or class mascot as some call it) that the student of the week gets to take home for some mischief and mis-adventures.  My kiddos count the days to when they get to take him home during their special week! :) Enjoy!  

October part one: Centers Reorganized

So today marks the first day of my new centers organization...yeah I know, it's already wayyy past September!  I liked the way I ran my math & literacy centers in the past but for my class this year it simply WAS NOT WORKING.  Yep, admitting is the first step. ;)  Anyways, for those of you that do not know (probably everyone) I gave the students MUCHO freedom when it came to centers.  I liked them being first thing when the kiddos walked in the door, and both math & literacy altogether.  The students had must-dos which were important centers they HAD to make time for each morning.  And they changed EVERYDAY.  It worked well, and taught them time-management skills while also giving them choices.  Me like.  Until this year.  

This year's class has a little trouble doing anything.  I'm not kidding.  Love them to pieces but they require quite a bit of hand-holding.  And the parents don't help.  SO....Now I switched to the dark-side and chose centers for them.  I have them complete 2 literacy centers and 2 math centers a day.  They can go to the free centers (i.e. kitchen, science, and blocks) after they complete their must-dos, instead of spending all their time at one center (and then arguing about who's been there too long, etc.).  I still don't use a timer (some centers just do not take as long as others) but my students rocked them today (I forgot to take a picture)! We'll see how the rest of the week looks....

My chart...sort-of.  Minus the names and model and insert pale, white California gal with sweat dripping off her temples (no a/c in my room) and you've got it! Lol.

Five groups of 3-4 students.  Centers stay the same all week but the students rotate--Smooth sailing for me the rest of the week! :)  Ah breathing in that sigh of relief right now.  I could get used to this!

How do you manage your centers?

Spiders and Bats and Owls, OH MY!!!

I can't believe in two days it will be OCTOBER! Already?!  Weatherman says we are getting a heat wave this week...its gonna be in the 90s!! Okay so I grew up with weather this hot in the desert of Bakersfield but Newport really????  And I don't have air conditioning in the classroom.  Sommething's wrong here. LOL.

Anyways, this week my class is going to learn about apples and pumpkins..Love Kim Adsit's unit!  A Nice way to start off this busy, hectic month....

AND!! I'm almost finished with my unit, Spiders and Bats and Owls, Oh My!  I'm super excited and can't wait to show you guys pictures of my kiddos using it! :) 

Happy October All (well minus 2 days)!

Are we there YET?!

Okay blog world....are you still there?!  Oh wow!  It has be FOREVER since I last posted!  The beginning of the year is always crazy but OH MY WORD this year’s bunch is making ME go crazy!  I come home every day and crash for a 2 hour nap and then I can’t sleep at night…aagh tired teacher over here! Is it November yet?!  Anyways, my kinders this year are cute as I’ll get out but they are a very YOUNG class and I have several that have special needs.  SO I’ve been busy finding peace in my classroom and doing a whole lot of reading up on ways to help some of the kiddos.  And now that we are finally starting to get into somewhat of a routine, I can breathe again…hahah just kidding! 

Anyways, here’s what we’ve been doing in my neck of the woods…

 

 

Hope ya'll (am I allowed to say that?--California lingo is no fun!) are having a great and relaxing weekend, I sure am (still in pjs here)!  I just got a CAMEO----yeah I'm so stinkin' excited!!---so I'll definitely be spending my weekend playing with it and catching up with the rest ya'lls projects! :)

 

 

Back to School Books

Who doesn't love books?!  And since I just spent the last 3 days sorting through all of my classroom books, I have a BAJILLION (kinderterm here) picked out that I want to read--like right away!  Too many choices...Anyways, I posted my favorites below:

 

Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten is an all-time favorite of mine and of my students. The kiddos love all the alphabetic names!

 

Click on image for source

 

I love The Kissing Hand and how it really helps calm some of the shy and timid students of mine that miss mom just a little bit more than the rest of the bunch. 

 

Click on image for source

 

 

And third, I absolutely adore You Are Special by Max Lucado.  It talks about not letting others' words and opinions affect you.  Perfect for establishing a loving and caring environment where each child knows they are appreciated for their uniqueness! :)

 

Click on image for source
 

Take a look at some other back to school book choices!

 

 

 Only ONE more day until my new students arrive!! Almost there! :)

 

 

Teacher Week: Therapeutic Thursday

It's Thursday and I'm TIRED.  Still working on my classroom and I have to have everything clean and DONE by 3pm tomorrow--then its ice cream social time for incoming preschool, TK, and Kindergartners.  Aaah! 

So after tomorrow I WILL be relaxing and doing a little R&R before school officially starts.

Here's the breakdown:

Can't beat good ol' fashioned SLEEP. I love it. Lots of it.

Invested in one of these this summer...CAN'T... PUT.. IT ...DOWN.  Hunger Games- Check.  What next?

Listening to my fav-- country music :)

And I can do all three of these.....wait for it...at the beach.  While getting a tan!  Yeah I'm spoiled, I know!  

Sometimes us teachers just need a break!