1-2-3 Come Celebrate Birthdays With Me

Since I just turned the big 60, I experienced first hand, how even the smallest acts of kindness, can make one feel special, and are wonderfully appreciated.

Birthdays truly are a "big deal" to a child. I enjoyed thinking up new ways to help make my Y5's feel extra special. One of their favorites, was simply getting to sit in the birthday chair (old piano stool that I decorated), while everyone sang to them.  When we got to the part: "Are ya 1 are ya 2 etc." I'd spin them around once, when we stopped at their new age.  They absolutely LOVED this and it didn't cost a dime.

I like designing student-made bulletin boards, and thought it would be fun to make one centered around birthdays.  It's a wonderful way to get to know your new students and review or introduce the months of the year.

Having a little "craftivity" the 1st day of school is nice, because a teacher has so much mandatory office trivia to get accomplished for each child.  If they can independently work on something, you have a few moments of sanity to figure out who's getting what for lunch, and how everyone is getting home etc.

Getting to color and decorate a paper cupcake is perfect for little ones.  Older students can complete their cupcake via glyph questions.  I LOVE glyphs.  They are terrific for assessing listening and following directions, and completed glyphs make adorable bulletin boards.  In this case, your birthday one. To make the cupcakes even cuter, take a group shot of your students and cut their faces into a circle that they can glue to the middle of their cherry.

Print off the Birthday Graph Glyph header, laminate and put it at the top of your board.  Choose whatever monthly cards are appropriate for your classroom (There are 27 to choose from.) and then hang them up, starting with the beginning of your school year (August or September).

Children complete their cupcake, and wait their turn for their month to be called.  Students show and share their creation, or if you did the glyph, the teacher asks: "What's Kelli's favorite color?"  "Does she have a brother?"  etc. This works as a nice icebreaker and fun way to get to know your students.

The completed bulletin board will be a graph, and provides a perfect teachable moment to explain or review what graphing is all about.

Click on the link to view/download the Birthday Graph Glyph packet. 

If you're looking for more birthday ideas, click on the link to zip on over to that section of my site.  I have quite a few more birthday ideas coming up, so be sure and check back.  I also try to blog daily, writing about my newest FREEBIES.  Be sure and stop by tomorrow for some more back to school ideas.

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN anything you think others may find worthwhile. My "Pin it" button is at the top.  If you'd like to see the awesome educational things I spend way too much time pinning, click on the "Follow me" heart on the right.

"Sometimes you never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory." -Dr. Seuss

1 page.

A nice reminder to students of the true value of real friends.  This poster makes a great writing prompt: What does the poster mean? Do you agree with the poster? Why or why not? Is this good advice?

1 page.

A "makes your think" poster that can be used as a writing prompt. "Is this advice true? Good? Why or why not? How can changing places with someone help you understand them better?" This is a great poster if you're doing the "Fill A Bucket" program.

1-2-3 Come Decorate And Hang Up Some Posters With Me!

Has anyone else out there lost an entire morning on Pinterest?  I swear their new pop up windows with suggestions of other boards is rather addicting.  I kept saying: "You are only going to PIN and putz around here for an hour!" Well it's 3 hours later, and the "just one more peek" has certainly gotten me away from my "to do" list, that I now have no desire to do.

The good news is that I stumbled upon some wonderful quote boards.  I LOVE a quote that makes you laugh, nod in agreement, or come away with a wonderful bit of advice to reflect upon.

I chose a few favorites and turned them into posters, suitable for the classroom.  Hang 1 in your closet that will make you smile, when you go in there to sniffle, to remind you of why you became a teacher, as we've all had one of those days.  Print off some extra's and tuck them in the mailboxes of your teacher friends, as a sweet surprise on the 1st day of school.

The "I've got sunshine on a cloudy day!" poster is a great one for all of the above. My Girl, by the Temptations, is a personal favorite.  I thought I'd give the poster a unique twist by adding: "I teach!" after the lyrics.  I believe that all great teachers truly LOVE kids.  Children have a way of stealing your heart and leaving footprints there. Their empathy, sense of adventure, and wide-eyed wonder, can't help but bring sunshine to your life.  Their boundless energy, and enthusiasm can be contageous if let it. 

Click on the above link to view/download this "hope it makes you smile" poster.

I also like to use posters as little life-lessons; pearls of wisdom that can become writing prompts.  The poster "Remember you don't need a certain number of friends..." is a great springboard.  Do you agree with the poster? Why or why not?  How is this good advice?  The "Put yourself in their place" poster, is a nice "make you think" poster.  What does this quote mean?  Would putting yourself in another's place help you understand them better?

Click on the above links to view/download these posters.  If you missed the latest new ones I posted, click on this link to zip to the Anchor Charts & Posters section.  I have over 100!  I hope you find just the right one to add some sunshine to your day.

Thanks for visiting. Feel free to PIN anything you think others might find useful.  My "Pin it" button is at the top.  If you'd like to see all the wonderful educational things I PIN, simply click on the "Follow me" heart to the right.  Be sure and set a timer so your morning doesn't fly by!

"So many PINS, so little time!" and "Thank you Pinterest for helping me feel so creative, even though I've just been sitting at my computer for hours!"

1 page.

A sweet poster to put up in your room.  Make a few for your teacher friends and tuck them in their mailbox on the 1st day of school.

1-2-3 Come Learn Some Hand Signals With Me and Take Control of Interruptions!

Ask any teacher what their students' most frequently asked question is and "Can I go to the bathroom?" will be in the top 3.  "Can I get a drink?" and "Can I sharpen my pencil?"  Will be right up there as well.

If their question was grammatically incorrect, as with the above use of "can", to help teach appropriate grammar, I'd often reply: "Yes you CAN, but NO, you MAY not."  I'd explain this from the beginning and pretty soon all of my students were learning the proper use of the word "may".

Young children, simply being kids, are often interrupting. An obvious remedy to this problem is enforcing the raising of hands. Because this is easily understood, I thought I'd take it a step farther.

If you want to go to the bathroom you make a fist and stick out your thumb. Displaying a specific number of fingers, to signal a need, has been around since I was a child, however, instead of putting up 1 finger, I found it especially helpful, to do the "fist and thumb" for a bathroom request, simply because my Y5's were often raising and waving their hands, but never with a fist. I could then see at a glance, who needed immediate attention.

This technique is so simple, yet really works. Start out by teaching the concept on the 1st day of school.  Choose one of the posters, print several copies, laminate, and hang up in several "sure to be seen" places in your room, and then practice a bit.

The hand signals are especially helpful when you are explaining something. No need for a child to raise their hand and state their need out loud.  They just put up a hand signal; you make eye contact with that student and nod yes or no.  This also avoids children getting out of their seats to ask you, and lessens "copy cats." Have you ever noticed how many kiddo's all of a sudden need to do something, just because one child got the ball rolling?

Some teachers add "Get a tissue" as another signal, but I feel if you need a Kleenex, because you just sneezed and snot is running down your face, no need to hesitate, just go get one and take care of business.  I let students know from day one, that they could get a tissue whenever the need arose, and then follow up with a squirt of hand sanitizer shortly after. In all of my years of teaching, no one ever abused the privilege.

Click on the link to view/download the Signal Me anchor chart-poster, and let the training begin! I've also designed a few more classroom posters for back-to-school week. To view the 2nd article I wrote for today, simply scroll down.

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN anything you think others might find useful.  My "Pin it" button is at the top.  If you'd like to see all of the cute educational ideas I PIN, click on the "Follow me" heart to the right.

"In the garden of my loneliness, trespassers will never be prosecuted." -Ashleigh Brilliant

1 page.

A sweet poster to help remind students that winning isn't everything. Simply participating and following through are extremely valuable life lessons.

1-2-3 Come Practice Writing Letters With Me!

Just because a child can write a letter, does not mean they are forming it in the correct way.

I was extremely excited to purchase a font that shows arrows, that students can follow, as they trace letters. By using these practice sheets everyday, for the first few weeks of school, you will help your students learn correct letter formation in a quick, easy and fun way.

Allow them to choose a different color highlighter or crayon each day, or for each line. These sheets work well for a simple Daily 5 activity too.

I've also designed a page you can send home to parents, so they can help a struggling child, or reinforce the lessons practiced in school. Many districts require homework for kinders and this is an effective thing to send home that parents can easily do.

Click on the link to view/download the Follow the Arrows Letter Formation pages.

Thanks for visiting.  Feel free to PIN anything you think is worthwhile. My "Pin it" button is at the top.  If you'd like to see all of the cute educational things I PIN, simply click on the "Follow me" heart on the right.

"Winning isn't always finishing first.  Sometimes winning is just finishing!" -Manuel Diotte

2 pages.

Help your students practice correct letter formation with these trace and write alphabet sheets. One is for daily practice in school, and another is a note home to parents, so they can help their child too.

7 pages.

This booklet is an easy and fun way to assess your students' name writing skills each month.  To help strengthen finger muscles and dexterity, I've included a themed coloring page for great fine motor skill practice.