Five Days of Groovy Cat Fun

It's GROOVY CAT WEEK!  I'm teaming up with Pre-K Pages to bring you 5 days of learning fun with our favorite blue cat.  Check back every day this week for new ideas in reading, phonemic awareness, phonics, reading strategies, close reading, and math too.

First up!  Increase your students' reading fluency with this fun song.  I sang this song my sophomore year during my school's production of Bye Bye Birdie. You can find the clip art on these pocket chart strips on the Harper Collin's Website.  I used the pictures from the "Making Valentines with Pete the Cat" download.  While you are there, check out their new video of Old MacDonald and Pete the Cat. Love it!

Here is a link to Pandora that has a sample of the original song tune.  CLICK HERE. 

Here is another example of the tune from YouTube.  

Check back tomorrow.  I will have some ideas for math with the Groovy Cat and a FREE download too.  And head on over to Pre-K Pages for more ideas.

Thanks for stopping by!

Angels in Oklahoma

I wanted to share a personal story with my blogging friends today. I had 2 angels with me on Tuesday. One in heaven and one in Norman, OK. I was presenting at the Oklahoma Conference for Kindergarten and PreK Teachers Monday and Tuesday. Tuesday morning during my keynote, I realized that my diamond was missing from my wedding ring. During my next session I shared that my diamond fell out. Now teachers are just amazing. They helped me look and I retraced my steps for that morning. The whole time, I was thinking how I had just lost my Mom to cancer and now my ring. So I told my Mom that I missed her so much as I was scanning the hotel, and I really needed to find my diamond. And this angel here on earth walked up to me at the end of my first session and asked, "Is this it?" And it WAS!!! It was under her table (covered by a tablecloth) by her foot. Thank you Mom for listening and thank you to this amazing teacher who happened to glance down and see a needle in a haystack. I think I hugged her 10 times, there were tears from me, the others in the room were cheering, and I felt my Mom's presence too.  

To my Angel in Norman: I was so excited and full of emotion, I forgot to get your name.  Remember I have something for you :)

This is Kaci from Mrs. Hoffler's Spot.  We originally met through the blogging world.  We live in the same state but have only managed to see each other at conferences.  The first time was this summer at the I Teach K Conference in Vegas.  She is full of energy, ideas, and I think she is just amazing. I was so happy when I found out she was going to present at this year's Oklahoma conference.  Thank you Kaci for your friendship the last few months.  I have been so blessed to meet so many life-changing teachers at conferences and through the blogging world.  You can check out her blog HERE.

Brain Breaks for Winter Days

Welcome to the blog hop "Bright Ideas."  We hope you find some ideas to brighten up these winter months with tips and tricks for your classroom.


It's been a COLD, Snowy, Icy, Rainy type of winter unless you live in the western United States.  And with that comes inside recess and a lot of "togetherness."

How do I manage those types of days?  We move, move, move!  YouTube videos are my friend, and there are so many available to us as teachers.  If you do not have access to technology,  you can play the music portion from your computer just like a CD player.

The first site is Adventure to Fitness.  You can check out their website HERE. Teachers can sign up for free.

Here is an example of one of their adventures.  Learning, moving, and fun all mixed together.

Stephen Fite:  I own this DVD but here is a sample of his music to get your children moving during inside recess or anytime your class needs a movement break.



And of course you can't forget this classic.  Your students will love doing the "Continental Drift."



And if you haven't checked out all of the Wii Just Dance Videos on YouTube, there are too many to link too.  Here is one for the little ones in your class.  But there are dances for all ages, so look around for those that fit your students' ages.



The last link that I would like to show is Story Theater with Miss Booksy.  She does "Cool School Story Time." She is creative and her stories are unique and will keep your students engaged.  Don't just stop with this one, she has many more.  And do what I do, subscribe to her channel to be notified when she adds more.



If you don't know about SafeShare.TV, check out their site to share safe view videos on YouTube.  It will remove all of the ads and put a gray border around the video to put it in safe view.

I put red arrows where you will need to enter information or push a button for a  safe link.

If you are looking for more ways to get your students moving, check out my Pinterest board TECHNOLOGY for more ideas.   Click HERE.

If you are looking for more great ideas, please visit the next blog on this blog hop, written by Valerie Young!  She writes the blog "All Students Can Shine."  She shares some great solutions for copycats.



Check out these other blogs for other bright ideas.

10 Cold Snowmen Math, Literacy, & YouTube Video Fun

Are you snowed in? Do you need some movement? I found a cute YouTube video about a snowman melting (see below).  I made this snowman math and literacy activity to go with the 10 (or 5) Cold Snowmen  poem that I wrote.  You can use the large cards during whole group and let the children act out the poem. Then the children can build the poem as a station and also work on their math skills too.

Pass out the snowmen cards and weather card (print sun on one side and snow cloud on the other).  Have the students act out the poem.  Let them build the poem with the cards to word on reading fluency too.  There are dots under the words according to how many syllables are in each word to help with tracking. If the word has 1 syllable, touch the word 1 time.  If the word has 2 syllables, touch the word 2 times.  CLICK HERE to download it.

Need a fun video to provide the "hook" for this activity?  The Snowman Song is one of my FAVORITES to play before this activity.

MOVEMENT + LEARNING =  FUN, ENGAGED CHILDREN

What Does the Groundhog Say?

Who's tired of winter?  I'm in OK, so I'm not yet.  It's been cold, but I still would like some more snow.  I was watching a friend's YouTube video of a school singing "What Does the Fox Say?" and I can't get it out of my head!

So in the spirit of Groundhog's Day and all things early childhood, I whipped up this just for you.  And while browsing the internet trying to find out "What the groundhog says," I found this great website so your students can actually HEAR for themselves and watch some video clips too.

GROUNDHOGS AT HOGHAVEN

Have a great week!

Thanks for stopping by!  What does the fox say?  See I told you I can't get it out of my head :)

Weather, speech bubble, and frame clip art by:  Creative Clips

Groundhog clip art by Educlips

                                                                Font by KG Fonts

DIY Foam 10 Frames

Do you have any 100 foam peg boards taking up space in your classroom?  I had 2!  Young children learn so much from working with 5 and 10 frames.  The added bonus here:  fine motor skill practice too! Here are some of the ways you can make 10 frames with these boards and ideas to use as the "pegs" if you do not have any.

Use the gradual release method to teach your students how to use these 10 frames.

Model using the 10 frames with your class during whole group instruction:  You do.

Pass out the 10 frames and their manipulatives to your students.  I put mine in a pencil zipper bag to make them easier to manage and pass out.  Students work in pairs as you call out numbers or number combinations.  Monitor your students and adjust instruction as needed:  We do.

Place the 10 frames and their manipulatives in a tub for children to use independently during math centers:  They do.

Thanks for stopping by!

A Teacher's Dream

I have the privilege of seeing teachers from all over the United States as I present at conferences for educators.  And although we face some different challenges state by state, as a whole, the teachers that I see at my sessions deal with many of the same issues.  And despite the challenges, policies, evaluations, and everyday crisis that occur in their classrooms, these extraordinary educators make a valiant effort to continue their learning.  Why?  Because teachers care.  Teachers reflect.  Teachers never give up.  We may get tired.  We may feel overburdened.  Our classroom sizes may be large.  The paperwork may be never-ending. Our teaching budgets may be non-existent. Our students may come to us facing challenges that make learning to read seem trivial.  But teachers do. not. give. up. on their students.  They want them to succeed.  They want them to love to learn.  They want them to know that someone cares about them.  So today as I was reflecting on Martin Luther King Day and his famous "I Have a Dream" speech,  my mind drifted to the ever present spirit of our educators.  Many teachers will be teaching about this speech, Martin Luther King, the sacrifices he made for our country, and inspire their students to have their own dreams.  So tonight, I will have a dream for teachers.  For I know teachers have dreams too.

FLIP the 5 and 10 Frames January Contest

I'm back in creative mode finishing up some projects that I started in August.

January's Winter Pack

is

Finally 

Here!!!!

And it is on sale until Sunday night :)

These flip frames work great for whole group, small group, as a center, and even for homework.  Send the black and white version home to help your students use a ten frame for practice without losing all of the pieces.  I use these with all of the poems that work with 5 or 10 too.  For example:

I'm giving away this set to 5 people on my blog and 5 on my Face Book page.  I'm letting my husband pick the winning picture this time as Tessa has taken off for an evening with friends.  So . . . guess which object/animal he chose. No hints this time because there are only 8 to choose from.  I will give the packet to the first 5 who guess it correctly.  Remember you can click on my Face Book page to the top right and make a guess there too.  

Click HERE to see it on Teachers Pay Teachers.

I'm excited . . . February's packet is ALMOST finished! And it has the cutest groundhog in it! As I finish up, what themes will you be doing in February?  I have Groundhog's Day, Valentines Day, and Transportation.  What would you like to see in the next Flip Frame set?

In Memory of My Mom

This is an extremely hard post for me to write.  I haven't blogged in a few weeks.  There was no time. And then there were no words. And now I have decided that I need some type of closure on these pages to continue. After all, I've transitioned to unknown territory.  I created this blog to help inspire, encourage, and give ideas to teachers who are in the trenches everyday with our youngest students.  And if you have read my blog for any amount of time, you know that my own 3 children inspired me so much in my teaching philosophy.  But I don't think I ever shared who is "the wind beneath my wings."  My mother was my role model for wanting to work with children.  She loved working with children more than anything.  She was calm, patient, loving, creative, and inspiring.  And for that, I am so grateful that God chose her to be my Mom.      

My mother passed away on Saturday, December 21, 2013 from cancer.  She dedicated her whole life to taking care of others from caring for children with special needs, to creating a children's church program for over 30 years, to running a home daycare, to working in missions in Mexico, to being a "grandma" to over 1000 children as a foster grandparent at an early childhood school for PreK students. In fact, at the age of 79, she volunteered in 5 PreK classrooms each week for 6 hours a day, working with students and just being "Grandma Ruth" to those children who needed a little extra care, time, and assistance - even as she began radiation for tumors in her brain.  Even though I struggled with her desire to continue working with children as she fought her battle, I had to respect and admire her decision to continue making the difference in the lives of countless little children.

So as sad as I am that she is now gone, I am happy with the legacy she left behind. I will continue that legacy.  She would tell me to keep on making a difference.  Keep on caring for others.  Keep on being a cheerleader and advocate for those who take care of our children.  For in fact, she was the biggest cheerleader in my life for becoming a teacher.  I was the first in my family to graduate from college.  She cheered me on.  I had a child born with special needs.  She cheered me on. I myself was diagnosed with cancer 20 years ago.  She cheered me on.  I finally graduated with my degree as an early childhood teacher.  She cheered me on.  I became a National Board Certified Teacher.  She cheered me on.  I graduated with my master's degree in special education.  She cheered me on.  I decided to record my own songs for children.  She cheered me on.  I decided to start presenting at national conferences.  She cheered me on (even though she disliked me flying "all over the place").  Her last words to me were "I love you so, so much.  You are so beautiful.  Will you be good?"  Yes, Mom.  I will be good.  I will miss you. But I will continue on knowing you are still cheering me on in heaven.

Mom, I love you dearly.  I thank God that he chose you to be my mother.  I thank God for the many, many children who were able to call you "Grandma Ruth." And I thank God that he gave me the same passion.  After all, I had the greatest role model.

Happy New Year to my many  "blogging friends" and to those who also make a difference in the lives of children.

Random Acts of Kindness

I've been away from my blog for a few weeks.  My mother is battling terminal cancer.  Needless to say, its been a very hard 3 weeks.  But I wanted to post a picture and a video in memory of the lives lost one year ago today at Sandy Hook Elementary.  It is the community's wish that we perform random acts of kindness today and every day in their memory. So when you are out today with the busy holiday season, remember the children and help someone in their memory.  The video below is beautiful and a wonderful tribute to young life lost.  Evil did not win.

Building Math Concepts with the Elves

Twas the night before Thanksgiving, and I am giving away a Christmas FREEBIE.  I know I should wait until after Thanksgiving, but I can't.  Happy Thanksgiving and here's a little pre-holiday cheer.  Click HERE to get your FREEBIE.

There are 4 different options included with this activity packet.  Use the option that best fits your students' needs.  You can use Lego's or snap cubes.  I prefer to use Lego's because they stack easily and stand securely.   This activity packet works on number recognition, cardinality, building sets, addition, comparing sets, and ordering length.  You can choose the color version or I provided a black & white option too.

Get your "little elves" stacking presents and building math concepts after Thanksgiving break.

Thanks for stopping by!

Thanksgiving Coloring FREEBIE

I made this quick FREEBIE for those of you that have to work this week. Hopefully you only have a 2 day work week.  The students color the turkey according to the color words. Click on the picture for the link.  

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Julia Cook Blog Hop and a FREEBIE

What's my blog topic today?  JULIA COOK books!  She has to be one of my favorite authors.  I thought I owned everyone of her books, but it looks like there are a couple more that I need to buy.  Why do I like her books?  They are REAL!  They are RELEVANT! They help me TEACH social skills to my students.  These social skills are crucial to classroom management, which also impacts academic learning.

I am joining up with Laura Candler at Corkboard Connections for a blog hop about Julia's wonderful books.  So which book did I choose? Personal Space Camp!  How many of you have students or your own children who need to learn about staying in their space? ME!!! Actually, most children do at one time or another.

Julia takes this learning opportunity to introduce us to Louis, a space expert.  He loves learning about space.  The only problem is that he has a hard time recognizing personal boundaries and staying in his own space.  However, his school has a solution for situations just like this:  SPACE CAMP!  And Louis is so excited that he is going to space camp after his teacher refers him to it.

Julia takes us through Louis' journey to "Space Camp" teaching valuable lessons that all children need. The book is humorous and thought provoking, giving specific visuals to help educators teach this valuable social skill.

So how do I use Personal Space Camp in the classroom?  We brainstorm a list of what we think the book might be about basing this on the cover illustrations and title.  I read the book all the way through the first time.  But it doesn't stop there.  I take each lesson that Louis learns at Space Camp and do a different mini-lesson each day with my class just like Louis does.  Personal Space Camp sets the stage for these mini-lessons.  Brilliant!  We build an anchor chart to help us become more aware of what our personal space "looks like," "sounds like," and "feels like."

We model personal space at:

Group Time

Learning Centers

Literacy Centers

Math Centers

Writer's Workshop

Walking in a LINE (YES!)

Going down the slide at recess (a MUST)

I've always taught my students about the space bubble that is around them. This book helps support that topic of a "space bubble."  I wrote two songs to reinforce this concept for young students.  You can grab this FREEBIE HERE.  This one is to the tune, "POP Goes the Weasel."

This adorable clipart is by Krista Wallden at Creative Clips.
The cute fonts are by Kimberly Geswein from KG Fonts.

Julia Cook is a former school counselor.  She's walked the walk right there with us.  I guess that's why her books resonate so well with me.  When I open one of her books, it's like having an extra school counselor on site, ready to help me tackle the social challenges of teaching.  

Continue on over to the blog hop at Corkboard Connections to learn more about the other books by Julia Cook.  My students have always loved them.  I am sure yours will too.

New Blog Design and a FREEBIE

First, let's talk about the FREEBIE.  I like to keep my students moving and standing as much as possible throughout the day.  I am definitely not a "sit-at-your-desk" type of teacher.  Engaged children are happy children.  Happy children learn more.  I use pocket charts a lot for literacy centers and hang them on door handles of cabinets and other areas of my room to keep my students moving.  So I decided to do the same thing for math.  Here is a picture of the center.

5 Frames Option

10 Frames Option

Teach your students the Turkey Poem.  Choose either the 5 Frame Option or the 10 Frame Option, depending on your students' needs.  I use the gradual release to teach.

I DO:  I model how to use the Turkey 5 or 10 Frame Pocket Chart Activity.
WE DO:  I call up a student to help me work the problem together modeling along the way.  I continue calling up children to practice together and adjust my teaching based on our work together.
THEY DO:  The pocket chart is then used as a math center to reinforce working with combinations of 5 and 10.

When working on subtraction with a 5 or 10 frame, always begin at the end (right side) of a 5 frame and the end (bottom right side) of a 10 frame to "take away."  When adding, always begin at the left side (5 frame) and the top left side (10 frame).   Practice this process with your students during the "I DO" and the "WE DO" part of your lesson.

Want to do more?  Use cards to play the game.

 Draw a card.  Add the same number of turkeys (7).

Draw another card.  Place it beside the first.  Add the same number of turkeys (5). Students can orally say the number sentence or record it in their math journals. Now start brainstorming about all the different manipulatives that can be used with this math pocket chart.  Here is on example that I used around Halloween.

We used the above 10 frame for subtraction using cards.  We placed the number 10 card on the left side of the frame.  We drew a 2 and placed it on the bottom 10 frame.  That was the number we were subtracting from 10.  The answer is 8 (top), so we placed an 8 card to represent the number shown. 

The visual 5 and 10 frames help students "see" the number too. The possibilities are endless!  And how many of you have all of those calendar pieces and small notepad shapes just sitting in your drawers waiting to find a purpose in your classroom?  I know I have many! 
You can grab your FREEBIE HERE.

Check out my Flip the Five and Ten Frames Activity Packet.  It has 590 pages of math fun.  Thanks for visiting my blog and helping me celebrate my new blog design.
 

Click HERE to view this teaching packet.

Stop by the Thanksgiving FREEBIE Linky at Tales from Outside the Classroom.

I am SO excited about my new blog design from Michelle at The 3am Teacher.  
Michelle - The 3am Teacher - YOU ROCK!!! I LOVE MY NEW BLOG!