Keeping Up With Kirbys

Remember I told you that I LOVE baseball?!?!  Well, we spent this week reading books about baseball and stories with a baseball theme.  Our goal this week was to practice recalling the beginning, middle, and end of the story.  After reading Luke Goes to Bat the kids had to write something important that happened in the beginning of the story, an important event in the middle of the story, and how the story ended.  We used baseballs to record our answers and then.......I gave them 1 piece of manilla paper and told them to incorporate their baseballs in a picture.  Have I mentioned how creative my class is????  I think that they are fantastic.  Look at some of the pictures that they came up with.... A few of the kids made their picture 3 dimensional!!  Greatness!!  I didn't get any pictures of the our notecard sort BUT you can use the template if you want.  I would stop periodically throughout the story and allow the kids to write an important event from the beginning, middle,

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE when the kids complete a project and they are SO proud to share it with the class.  This was a project that was sent home and the kids were expected to do on their own time with their parents (help)........now as a parent I understand a little of the dread of an at-home project BUT that's because we are looking at it ALL wrong.   What an awesome and precious time that you get to spend with your child learning new things??....talking??....asking questions??  Your are making treasured memories!!--and if you could only see your child's face when they bring their project to school!!  They are beaming with pride AND CANNOT WAIT to share all their new knowledge with their classmates.   The kids get to picked from a list of 50 or so people and then I sent home a list of different ways to present their information to the class. Pizza Box (Abigail Adams) Hanger (George Washington) Power Point (Jackie Robinson) Shoe

Hi Sweet Friends!!  It's been a wonderful weekend.  I would just like to suggest to my school district.......a teacher workday at the end of each six weeks.......would be perfect.  If you know someone from my school district that handles this kind of request would you kindly pass this message on for me???  Thanks!  I had a workday on Friday and then we were out today for MLK Holiday.  I feel ready to begin a new six weeks tomorrow. :)  My plan is to spend some time discussing MLK.  I like to read  { click here to purchase} and I found a free mini unit on TPT that I will use with it.  I couldn't get a picture but you can click the TPT link to see if it's something you could also use.  We will also be spending time reading  { get it here } Have I mentioned that I {heart} baseball??  Well I do and I realize that I am a little early but this story is next in our basal and because the weather was so nice this weekend my sweet family was able to spend a little t

I have linked up with TBA to share some freebies!  Here is a small freebie: { Click here } This is something the kids can fill out each Monday to take home and share it along with the classroom newsletter.   Not REAL big but I have lots of freebies at my TPT store.  Stop by and visit.  Hope you enjoy!!  I just ask that you follow my blog and leave me some feedback<-I LOVE your SWEET comments.  

So.......I've been thinking........am I hurting other teachers by not charging for my activities??  I sure hope not and HONESTLY I'm quite sure I'm not even a competitor. {not that I'm trying to compete}  Remember, when I said in another blog that I am so thankful for other teacher bloggers??  Well I am......and I have purchased A LOT {TONS} of units that I am so grateful for and MOST were worth the money and more.  There have been times that I have NEEDED a unit but just couldn't spend any money and GUESS WHAT??? I would find the perfect FREEBIE {insert the party music here}.  I realize I am rambling so I will get to the point.  As I was uploading a unit onto TPT the other day and there was a message next to the price stating that I should at least charge $1 because otherwise I would be hurting sales for another teacher.  Oh no! So I went back through and priced the majority of my big units.  This has honestly been weighing on me.  Seriously!! I just don't feel

Am I blowing your mind???  Two posts within the same month {gasp!}....  This is probably throwing everyone off but I wanted to share the compound word activities that we are doing this week in class.......AND wearing our compound words to school.  FUN!!  We are going to be a walking Highlight Hidden Picture Activity.  Sound silly??  Good, the kids will remember them then.  I might post again later this week with pics but no promises.  I've already broke records with this post tonight.  It was such a busy, fun, and very productive day in my classroom...UNTIL...2:50.  This is when I realized that I hadn't copied my newsletter for this week because our school server went down.  So I quickly got the kids writing about the mission of the Navajo Code Talkers (not a lot info out...just saying) and I was going to briefly sit down and type something out real quick (seriously, the only time my principals visit..I'm thinking there might be a buzzer in my chair :)  Anyway, I was franti

Wow!  I have throughly enjoyed my time off but I have to tell you that I am getting excited about going back and seeing the kids.  Oh.....the stories they will want to share, I can't wait to hear them all!!  I cannot stress the importance of these breaks......I think it is super important that teachers are excited about teaching because it's infectious and the kids get excited about learning. I don't have fantastic BLOW YOUR MIND activities planned but I'm ready to jump back in and get started.  Part of my discipline/classroom management within the classroom is our BROWNIE POINT pan for the class.  Use the template to make your own.  Just cut them out, add magnets to the back, and place a cookie sheet in the classroom.  My is hung near my door in the classroom.  Sorry no pics. BOO! Each time my class receives a compliment we add a brownie to our pan.  At the beginning of the school year we made a list of rewards and voted on one to receive when our pan was filled,

Do you ever feel so blessed that your heart feels as though it will swell out of your chest??  I feel this way quite often but especially over this past week.  I have enjoyed my time with my family so much.  I LOVE the conversations, the fires, the food {CHOCOLATE}, and all the memories that we are making.   Tic-tac-toe decorating Then Santy made a delivery.....yes, Santa delivers 4 wheelers!!  I was a little surprised too.  It rained all morning Christmas morning then snowed all afternoon.  It was a BEAUTIFUL snow!!  The only thing that would have been better would have been snow on Christmas Eve {my fave!!} New Year's Eve was also a special family time.  I showed my little sass how I played with paper dolls when I was little.  I guess it wasn't really the dolls, it was more of a room designing and decorating.  She loved it. (me too!!)   We sat for an hour cutting from magazines and designing different rooms in our home.      Ummm.....excuse my nasty fireplac