Brag Tags Giveaway!

Have you heard of Brag Tags?  What am I saying-- of course you have!!  I've always wanted to try them out in my classroom, so when Boost Promotions offered to send me some for my kiddos AND host a giveaway, I shouted typed YES, please!

In case you don't know what Brag Tags are, take a look:

They are PERFECT for rewards and incentives in the classroom!  And there are SO many different Brag Tags to choose from!  Here are a few:

*Honor Roll

*Perfect Attendance

*Star Student

*Caught Being Good

*Good Manners

and more!

I was able to choose four different designs to try out, and I was even able to personalize them!  {I just covered my name in this pic}:

I can't wait to introduce them to my firsties!! I know they will LOVE them!  I plan on creating a cute board to display the tags, like this one that I found on Pinterest:

Source: firstgradeblueskies.blogspot.com via Mandy on Pinterest

Want to win 100 tags {4 designs/25 each} for your classroom?
Simple!  Just use the Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Groundhog Display and Freebie

Last week, my hallway bulletin board was green and Christmas-like.

This week, it's bright and ready for February!

My girl Michelle and I decided to do it up for Groundhog Day!  Her class completed the cutie little ones {see them up close on her blog}, and my firsties made the taller ones.  Here's a close-up!

This little boy melts my heart with every project he makes... his crafts ALWAYS look exactly like my samples!!  According to him, spring is comin' early!

This little lady thinks the groundhog will find his shadow because he likes winter!

And this cutie is hoping the groundhog doesn't see his shadow, because she likes to see the flowers grow. :)

You might remember that I made these groundhogs last year.  The original idea comes from First Grade Fever.  I just love it!! :)  And the writing prompt that I used comes from my newly UPDATED groundhog day {printables} freebie pack:

Here's another sample:

Pick up your free copy in my TpT shop!  As always, please let me know what you think!!

Five for Friday!

I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching to share five things from my week! :)

1} My kiddos earned 12 compliments!!!!

They actually earned the last three in one day!  My littles have been trying so hard to earn compliments... it's really cute to watch :)  And whenever they hear someone compliment them, 21 hands shoot up into the air to tell me "We got one! We earned a star in the jar!!"

2} To celebrate the above, we had a hot chocolate party!

I heated the water with an electric water kettle, borrowed from another teacher.  It was so easy!  I am going to invest in one for future hot chocolate parties :)

3} No day in my life hot chocolate party is complete without a craft!

This little sweetie liked her hot cocoa because "it had marshmallows and NO whipped cream!"

Another cutie liked her hot cocoa because she "never tasted it and liked it very very very much."

And this little one would mix his cocoa "with a lot of cool whip."  And he did!

4} This one is non school related... but I took a kitty nap photoshoot the other day:

Little Zoe <3

Little Jack <3

I can't stand how cute they are!!  :)

5} I stumbled upon this ecard while browsing Pinterest today:

Always true, right??

Head on over to Doodle Bugs Teaching to link up, or see what pics others have shared!

Have a great weekend!!

The Big Game!

The big game is just around the corner... time to place your bets!

Get your kiddos involved in the fun with a little craftivity!

You might remember this guy from last year.  Well, he's back... but with a new name!  Because I don't want to get in trouble with the NFL, I retitled the unit to football buddy {a craftivity}!  While I was at it, I updated the pack a bit!

You can still practice predictions with one of two writing prompts:

And now you can complete a class survey, too!

Last but not least, I updated the patterns for easy printing :)

If you already own this craftivity, head to your "My Purchases" tab and DL the revised copy.  Don't have it, but want to learn more?  Head to my TpT shop!!  I hope you {still} love it!

For a chance to win a copy, leave a comment with your email!

I will choose a winner tonight before bed!

Congrats to #24, Briawna!

Rainbow to 10 Freebie

Last week, I introduced a new math chapter to my kiddos.  We will be working on adding and subtracting numbers to 20!  Our first strategy is to add by making a 10.  I quickly realized that some of my kiddos needed a little making 10 refresher, so I whipped up a "Rainbow to 10" anchor chart:

This idea comes from First Grade Garden!

My kiddos were fascinated by the rainbow... hey, whatever works, right?!  Of course, I had them help me fill in the numbers and create the addition sentences.  They did a great job!  But since this weekend was a long one, I thought we could use another refresher tomorrow:

I printed and laminated the above poster and plan on displaying it, as well as making it available for kiddos to use in small groups.  I'm also making b&w copies for my students to color and keep in their folders and/or take home.  Aaand, I turned the poster into a worksheet for extra reinforcement:

Want to do this activity with your kiddos?  You can grab your free copy on Google Docs {HERE}!  For even more practice, head to The Littlest Scholars and pick up Jessica's freebies... her post inspired me, and I'll be using her worksheets, too! :)

A Super Sweet Giveaway!

{This giveaway is now closed.}

I'm teaming up with two fabulous ladies for A Super Sweet Giveaway!

Caitlin from Kindergarten Smiles, Nicole from Rowdy in Room 300, and I are all giving away a sweet Valentine's Day treat to one lucky follower!  Take a look at the goodies!

You can win my new Valentine's Day centers:

Caitlin's Valentine's centers:

AND an adorable burlap heart from Nicole:

Umm... can I win my own giveaway?!  hehe :)

This giveaway is a quickie and will end TOMORROW night!  Use the Rafflecopter below to enter!  Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Organize Your Centers!

It's been a while since I wrote an "Organize Your..." post!  I realized during center time yesterday that I never blogged about how I keep my centers organized, so now sounds good to me :)

I split my class up into five groups: Giraffes, Elephants, Zebras, Lions, and Tigers.  They are grouped according to skill level.  The Tigers are my resource kiddos, and they work on the Wilson's program with the resource teacher during center time.  Here's a picture of my work board:

We have four centers that we complete weekly: writing, word work {this week it's Rainbow Write}, math, and buddy reading.  We complete those centers M-Th.  For each of the centers, I pull activities from either Treasures {our reading series}, or from the fun packs my bloggy friends make :)  In February, I'll start pulling centers from my oh so sweet pack!  On Friday, my centers are Teacher's Choice.  I like to do holiday/themed centers on Fridays to shake things up a bit :) 

I assign each group a center captain, who is responsible for gathering the materials for center work.  I keep the supplies in baskets {which are kept in cubbies}.  I have a bunch of baskets ready to go so I can switch them out from week to week, as necessary.  Here's a pic of one of the baskets:

There is a clothespin on the front of the basket holding a pic of the giraffe... so the Giraffes know that this is their basket for the day.  I rotate the pictures daily.  Inside this basket are all the supplies for this particular center:

*pencil bucket

*dice in little containers {to prevent them from flying everywhere}

*crayons in a slider case

*Rainbow Roll-n-Write directions

*folder with recording sheet & word lists:

My kiddos are pretty much pros at center time.  It took them a few months and a lot of practice, but now they know exactly where to go, what baskets to grab, and where to put them back.  I love a good routine!

How do you organize your centers?

I Caved... and a January Freebie!

I caved!  I bought myself an Erin Condren Life Planner!  I've been going back and forth over it for what seems like months.  Do I really need it?  Is it worth the money?

In the end, after discovering about 10 post-it reminders in my lunch bag alone, I made my decision:  YES, I do need it, and YES, it will be worth the money!  Even my husband said to go for it, so I did :)  And it came today!

{Please don't mind these less-than-fab pics... and the big blur on the cover where my last name should be!}

So excited to fill up those blank pages!  I even bought myself a new set of colorful pens... 

Ahh, it's the little things :)

Now for your freebie!

My kiddos love to put together mixed-up sentences!

I hate to disappoint, so I put together a little set for January:

Here are a couple sample images:

Just print, cut, & laminate the word cards for durability.  Make enough copies of the recording sheet for your entire class.  Pop it in a center, and you're all set! :)  Click {HERE} or on the cover page to head to the Google Docs download.  As always, please leave me some *love* below if you grab a copy!

I'm off to fill up pages in my planner! :)

...It's an MLK Giveaway!!

When my sweet friend Stephanie of Falling Into First asked if I wanted to join forces for a little MLK giveaway, I said ABSOLUTELY!

Two winners will recieve both of our packs!

Here's a peek at Stephanie's adorable unit:

Look at all that's included!

Check out the awesome timeline on Stephanie's blog {HERE}!

And here's another look at my craftivity unit:

I posted about it {HERE} if you want to see more!

To enter, just use the Rafflecopter below!

We'll pick a winner on Saturday afternoon :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Valentine, I "Chews" You! & an Incentive Idea

About a month ago, I drew a picture of an idea on a pink post-it note.

Yesterday, I finally turned it into something!

What do you think?!

valentine, i "chews" you! {a craftivity} is a cute little pack that would be just perfect for Valentine's Day!!  Your little ones will make a sweet bubblegum Valentine for whoever they "chews!" :)  Or, you could use the completed projects to create a fun February display!

I also included two writing pages in the packet:

Students can write a note to their Valentine...

...as well as describe the best Valentine's gift!

Writing pages are also available with secondary lines.

If you're interested in valentine, i "chews" you! {a craftivity}, then hop on over to my TpT shop for a closer look! :)  I hope you LOVE it!!!

And before I run, I have an adorable incentive idea to share with you!  The idea comes from Mrs. Sheehan of Learning in Wonderland.  It's a compliment jar!  Here's mine:

Every time our class receives a compliment-- whether it be for working quietly, walking in an orderly line, or behaving during specials-- we will earn a star in the jar!  Once we earn 12 stars, we'll "celebrate" with a little something, like free time or a yummy snack.  Today we earned two stars... my littles are trying really hard to fill up the jar!  I'm so glad I stumbled upon this idea, because it was the just the incentive we needed after holiday break!

I'm off to grab some dinner... have a great night!!

Leave a comment with your email address for a chance to win my new pack!

I'll choose a winner before bed :)
Congrats to #29, Charlotte!