Showing posts with label Five for Friday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Five for Friday. Show all posts

Friday, June 28, 2013

Five for Friday (Two Giveaways)

It's the final Five for Friday post until August 2nd!  But no fear, there is a wonderfully fun linky happening in place of Five for Friday and it's perfect for the summer!!!!



1. As of next Friday, I will be joining Cara at The First Grade Parade for her linky Favorite Pins Friday.  This has been in the works for a while.  Can you just see it now?  Great projects, yummy foods, and design/fashion all exposed! 


2.  There is one day remaining on my decor pack giveaway.  This offer is for Facebook Fans.  Link over through my sidebar buttons and join the fun!  If you missed my Daily 5 freebies, link here.



3.  I've been working feverishly on a new pack for this school year.  As you are aware, I'm looping up to first grade?  Excited!!!  I spent 5 years on first before I began looping and it's my favorite!  Each sheet contains the standard and the kid friendly I can statement!  Here's a sneak peek at unfinished business... 



4.  I received a little package in the mail yesterday.  My sweet friend Kacey at Doodle Bugs has the coolest business outside of her teacher store.  Doodlebugs Paper just released their new 8x9, 80 sheet notebooks with darling designs!



5. Only a few more days before Google Connect goes away!  You can keep up to speed with Primary Graffiti on Blog Lovin'!  Here's a little incentive for doing so...

My darling friend Anna made this button.
With permission, I can use!
Thanks Anna!!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Crafting a Planner to Fit Your Needs (Five Planner Products for Friday)

Oh, My!  I finished summer project numeral uno and I'm over-the-moon about how it came out!  I have a passion and a nemesis wrapped up in one product.  Daily Planners!  Yep, I love them and don't hesitate to abandon them.  I'm obsessed with them and then misplace them.  I won't lie, I truly HEART Erin Condren's Life Planners.  I bought one once and then... well you know the rest!  

Each school year I ooh and aah over planners.  We all have a need to buy one that fits our daily lives.  I've yet been able to customize one for my needs at home and school until now!

Here's a collage of my Daily Planner Contents!
 

Sooo...It's not brain surgery.  You can do this too!  With a few simple supplies and a couple hours of dedication, you can have a labor of love for half the price of those found online. And better yet, it's refillable which makes this planner a remarkable option.  

Okay, I hear you speaking to me through the screen... Where did you buy the supplies?

I purchased my materials at a local scrapbooking store.  With digital scrapbooking a bit more efficient in the day of technology and digital images, there are fewer stores locally.  No problem.  You can shop two online websites.  Both sites have supplies to make a dreamy planners BUT the companies are not compatible with each other.  One has two ringed supplies and the other is three ringed supplies, so research the colors, designs, embellishments, and inserts before you purchase to ensure you have the company that fits your needs.

One company is Snap Studio by Simple Stories which is the one I decided to go with.  I felt their look was a bit more bright and whimsical.  Snap Studio had more versatile options, and the prices were a few dollars less per package.  The other company is Misc Me by Bo Bunny.  There are some desirable options in this collection too. They provide a few more pieces per package making the extra few dollars still a contender for purchase. 

I decided forgo an album because it's a bit more chunky than I desire.  Do you remember when I said I abandon my planners? Size is a factor in this decision.  No kidding!  I become a minimalist by the end of the school year, taking fewer things home.  Chunky planner or binders are often on my cut list. I also decided the colorful rings, papers, and ribbons to give the planner the cutesy factor!  

Down to the meat and bones of the project...

I purchased the 6x8 craftboard dividers and the color vibe collection papers!  This is where you'll spend some time.  Designing color combinations, cutting, gluing, and giving it an extra pop with embellishments... otherwise, you have a plain planner which is NO fun!!!  I took a few pictures at the store.  Below are snapshots of the products linked above. 




The craftboard dividers come in a pack of three.  They're similar to firm particle board.  Two were used for the front and back of my binder.  I used the third divider in the middle to separate my planner into two main sections.  A pouch protector (holds pens, pencils, etc) and the 6x8 calendar pages are on one side.  The other side has pocket pages.  Specifically, I purchased a ten pack of 4x6 pocket pages for student information cards issued to each teacher with all parent contact, doctor name/number, and student enrollment information AND 3x4 pocket pages for student breakfast/lunch cards.  We are given a shameful finger when the kiddos lose their tags, so I keep the original on hand and make photo copies for the kids to use.  These cards can be used to check out library books and log into the computers with a district id for each kid.  You see, important!




The calendar pages are two sided.  One with a plain color and the other with the actual calendar.  To add a little flair, I purchased embellishments to spruce up the plain pages on the back side of the calendar. Some embellishments I scooped up where stickers, brads, and pockets. 


Two sections just won't do, so I purchased additional inserts to divide the planner further.  The collection has dividers that are smaller than the craftboard which provides a bit more division within the pocket pages without overwhelming the main two sections.

I also decided to purchase paper inserts to log phone calls, emails, and parent conferences.  Oh the pains of teaching.  I'm sure shopping lists, blog post, and pd meetings will sneak their way onto the pages.  The beauty of this planner, it's all held by colorful rings so I can insert additional pages or take away unsightly doodles.  HA!


A little ribbon...


Within a few short hours I had a planner beginning to take shape... <---Keep in mind, I'm OCD.  It may take you less time then me but I obsess over everything.  It's one of my many flaws.  LOL





It really is as simple as that!  I hope you decide to create one too!

 FYI, I just found a wonderful website that sells the Snap Studios by Simple Stories for half the price I purchased items in my local scrapbook store!  Check them out and search the above name.


After speaking with Kacey, I'm linking up with her Five for Friday post.  This is an unconventional post for her series but figured five fun things to add in the planner could work.  She agreed!  Yay!  Click the image to link over to DoodleBugs Teaching.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Five for Friday

I might actually slide this post in on Friday, only minutes before Saturday begins!  Here's my week in review...

This week was Police Appreciation Week.  As a wife of a police officer, I decided to use Mrs. Hoffer's cute mini unit to inform my kids police officers.  We read Officer Buckle and Gloria which is one of my favorite stories!  In addition, we watched the Brainpopjr video on Community Helpers.  With a collection of ideas from our learning, we complete our can, have, and are chart.  The final page of the book contains a class photo of the kids wearing their police hat.  They have been successfully sent to various stations and units across my city!


This week was filled with excitement.  We dove into our newest core centers, putting to work our addition and subtraction strategies and tools.  Place value blocks were a blast. Click the first image to see additional previews.


I just love their little minds at work!  The video camera was a hit this week.  I pulled out the video again during our daily sight word practice.  You can grab the freebie here.  Before playing sight word games, the kids review their sight word rings.  Take a look...

We also worked on our school wide book of the month. A stuffed python was given to each teacher to build excitement for the new book. We will have a snake assembly in two week which is over the top exciting. Verdi has been the talk of my classroom for days and our Kindergarten hallway is growing full of responses and bulletin boards full of bright colors. 


 The talk of the week went to our bean seed which began sprouting.  This process began a few weeks ago.  We hung our seeds in the window.  Each kids received several seeds.  At first sign of rot, I pulled the seeds from the windows.  The kids looked their seeds and their teams seeds.  Luckily most had one seed that began to grow roots.  After observations and creating a journal entry, the kids planted their seeds.  This week we started to see sprouts.  During this process, I had one of my seeds hanging in our reading room.  The kids came to some great conclusions on why it only began to grow roots but not showing signs of sprouting.  It didn't have nutrients from soil, no true sunlight, no additional water.  Today we arrived with shrieks.  You'd have thought Justin Beiber enter my classroom.  The plants had grow so tall over night!!!




If you've followed on with my instagram account, you've seen some of these images and many more.  If you aren't a follower yet, please link here and check Primary Graffiti out!  The videos were posted earlier this week on my Facebook Fan Page.  There are additional videos that can be seen.  If you aren't a follower and would like to see more, link here.

Okay, I think by the time this post, it will be officially Saturday.  Oops, I did it again!  Sorry, I'm a night owl!!!!  Don't forget that you can link up with Kacey at Doodlebugs Teaching each week for Five for Friday too!


Saturday, May 11, 2013

Five for Friday

1.  Ahhhh, it's Saturday and my prepared post has yet to go live.  Booo!  It was my goal to come home last night and add a few additional pictures before posting Five for Friday.  A turn of afternoon events led to a student breaking their radius and ulna at field day.  Worst nightmare!!!

Before

After

On a positive note, 18 other students had a remarkable experience.  Here are a few snapshots from our afternoon fun!!!


Notice Gangnam Style Dancing!!!

2. This week began with Cinco De Mayo.  Although time as past, I found a wonderful packet worth a look for next year AND a video that made me laugh!!!!



Gladys from Teaching in High Heels has amazing units for her little learners.  I always enjoy the background support for teaching various holidays which are part of my state social studies standards.  If you get a chance, take a peek, purchase and save, or place on a wishlist!!!  Click graphic to link. 



3. We've been diving into learning about the life cycle of plants.  My kids began with bean seeds which are doing amazing, and planting Mother's Day bulbs for a Gladiolus Mix!  They were thrilled to take home their plantings and painted pots!





4. We truly were in Mother's Day overload this week.  Besides painting pots and transplanting their sprouts, Publix came out with premade cakes for the kids to design.  


While my students were being pulled to design the cakes, I worked with the remaining class on an activity from TpT.  I found a cute file that just so happens to be FREE!  Within the unit, you'll find an acrostic poem recording sheet for the word MOTHER.  The kids and I brainstormed a list of words for each letter. We just so happened to have a buddy group of students from 4th grade that put their brains to work too!  My kinder kids decided which words they'd use to describe their mother and made a torn picture portrait!  They turned out so cute!



Don't you just LOVE!?!  You can find this file from Bright Concepts 4 Teachers!  Link here!  I just love the organization of Jaime's blog.  You can find the link here!

5.  We finally began our Summer Countdown.  The kids are having a blast!!!!  We've checked off Art, Bubbles, Career, Experiment, Fitness, and Game Days.  I don't have pictures of all but I do have the days for ABC!!!  Link here to grab a copy!

 This project come from The Teacher's Wife's Plant Unit!






I hope you had a wonderful appreciation week!  If you have five fun things happening in your classroom, link up with Kacey from Doodle Bugs!  


Saturday, April 20, 2013

Five for Friday on Saturday

The Love of Shopping and Friendship

Are you a Jane Austen Fan?  I'm obsessed! Northanger Abbey is the first of Jane's novels to be complete for publication.  A quote from her novel in the words of Isabella on friendship states, "There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves; it is not my nature. My attachments are always excessively strong." 

I'm a bit late on my post for good reasons!  I had a wonderful night out with a darling friend and her hubby!  We get so caught up in life AND before you blink too much time has passed!  Life changes drastically in a year.  A loss of a loved one, a new significant other, and a beautiful new home.  Each event, my husband and I dropped everything to be by her side.  Last night was the first time in a year that we just enjoyed each others great company without a significant reason for the visit.  

We scheduled the double date last weekend.  Determined to find a cute outfit for the visit, I stalked a few of my favorite online stores: Hazel and Olive Boutique, The Blue Door Boutique, The Mint Julep Boutique, The Red Dress Boutique, and 834 Boutique!  You have to follow of the boutiques on Facebook because once the item is posted, they sell out QUICK!  On Monday, I scored an adorable chevron maxi dress!  I spent my entire lunch break fighting the bandwidth on my phone to get this precious dress for my night out at the beaches.



Establishing Independent Early Finishing Activities

Establishing independent activities for early finishers in Kindergarten has been a challenge for me this year. I've tried various activities to ensure students are working towards the standards while awaiting friends in the class to complete their work time activities.  

Recently, I pinned this cute picture on Pinterest from The Modern Teacher!  

I'm certain I need to an intervention but I find so many wonderful ideas on the site.  These bins are from Walmart.  They're ice bins!  Brilliant right?  I ran out and immediately scored a set of ten!  I knew instantly that I wanted to create center like early finishers to cap off the remaining weeks of this school year.  The bins are assigned to a student for an entire week.  I rotate the the students names at the end of the week for a controlled choice.  Each bin has several activities or books to choose from.  In addition to the bins, students have their library book, leveled books, and sight word rings to practice!  After two weeks in rotation, the novelty hasn't worn off which makes this tired teacher happy!!!



You can find the above mentioned pin on my organization board.  I'm also linking other of my favorite boards.  Must Buy and Various <--- you know, all those pins that you have no idea where to put but know you need to refer back to them one day!  ;-)


Earth Day Love

This past week the kids and I dove into Earth Day Learning!  Between my Eco This! Core Centers featured on Thursday and Cara's What a Wonderful World Unit my kiddos are becoming a bit more environmentally friendly in their thoughts and actions!  The kids assisted in the illustrations for my charts to align with her unit which was fun!  They took such pride!  I traced with a marker to give them a bit of pop!

Here are a few pictures of activities we completed from Cara's Unit


And a few pictures of our core centers!

 

 Kelly Moore?  Yes, Please!

Last week I shared that I celebrated my anniversary.  I'm over the moon about my new gift.  A Kelly Moore bag.  I'm grateful for Kathleen from Growing Kinders and her FB friendship with my significant other!  She was on hand to guide my hubby in his selection because he is a true dude with zero ability to make such an amazing gift decision on his own.  HA.  I'm thrilled to have a camera bag for my Canon Rebel.  Now I can actually keep my lens attached while rolling around in style!  


Countdown Days

With only a 34 days remaining in school, I've begun preparing for my annual countdown day!  If you'd like to join me in our end of the year countdown, please grab a freebie copy!  Both images have a direct link to the file!



Don't forget to Link up with Kacey!

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