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Friday, November 28, 2014

I'm here!

Wow, I have neglected my little ole' blog this month!  I usually try to do Five for Friday each week, but I have either been too exhausted or we have been busy on Friday night and so I have just let my blog slip.

Yesterday was Thanksgiving and I want to let you know that I'm so thankful for you, my readers!  I started my TPT journey a little over 13 months ago and decided in January to start blogging.  I am thankful for you following what we are doing in our classroom!

I wanted to drop in tonight to share with you some holiday goodies that you may want to scoop up during the Super Cyber Savings Event next week on TeachersPayTeachers.  My entire store will be 20% and with the TPT code: TPTCYBER you can get a total of 28% off!!



First up - December Math Centers!

This set of math centers has a variety of activities to bring a little Christmas cheer to your math centers.  True/False equations, 100's board hidden pictures, skip counting, money, and lots more!

Next - do you Elf on the Shelf in your classroom??  We do!!

I have done Elf on the Shelf every year and this year, I made a morning work and daily elf journal for my kids to do each morning.  The top part of each day's page includes a place at the top to record where you found the elf in the morning and what he/she did the night before.  At the bottom students complete either a math or reading activity this a Christmas theme.  There are lots of other pages to include in this booklet such as writing prompts, wish lists, and more!  I'm so excited to use this with my kids!  All of my booklets are copied and in our elf box ready for Monday morning delivery!

Polar Express Day!

For the past three years, 2nd Grade at my school has done a unit on Polar Express.  We concluded with Polar Express Day.  Last year, I created a whole unit full of language arts and math activities that we did the week of Polar Express Day.  It makes for a great way to end the quarter and celebrate the holidays!

But this year, 2nd grade is doing something a little different...

Since some other grade levels do Polar Express Day, we decided to do something new and different for our grade level - Grinch Day!  I am so excited about Grinch Day and am trying to make it a memorable experience for my kids - ornaments, crafts, activities, and so much more.  Our Grinch Day is December 18th, but we will be doing Grinch stuff all week!

Head over to my TPT store and load up on some holiday goodies!
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and will enjoy the Christmas season - don't forget the real reason for the season though!

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Holidays Around the Blog Linky


I don't know about you, but I my favorite time of year is from November 1 - December 31...I LOVE the holidays, especially the whole month of December!  So I was really excited when I saw that I could join the Holidays Around the Blog Linky hosted by Mrs. Labrasciano!  One reason I love December is that I get to do Elf on the Shelf with my kiddos!  When Elf on the Shelf first came out several years ago when I was in college, I bought one at my local Hallmark shop because I loved the concept and said "maybe I can use it in my classroom one day..."  And I definitely do!  I usually make out a plan of activities for him to do each night after spending a lot of time scooping out ideas on Pinterest!




A couple years ago, I found a journal on TPT for my students to journal what our elf, Curtis, did every day during December and loved that idea, but also want my kids to do some morning work like they do already.  So, I created a morning work and journal booklet that will allow my kids to journal about our elf each day and do a reading or math Christmas-themed activity at the bottom. BUT, this pack includes a lot more than just morning work and journal pages!  Check out some sample pages below.











Here is what is included:
Morning Work & Journal Book with numbered days (up to 18 days)
Morning Work & Journal Book without numbered days (up to 18 days)
Elf Adventures Log
Other Activities:
Letter to Santa
Naughty or Nice? Opinion writing
Nightly Elf Adventures imaginative/narrative writing
Christmas Word Search
My Wish List
Classroom Scout Elf Behavior Notes
Naughty Behavior Warnings
Teacher Naughty Behavior Log
Notes to the Elf



I printed my copy a couple weeks ago and got so excited to use this yesterday as I was going through planning on how to copy it for my kids.  I plan on having Curtis bring these with him from the North Pole when he arrives on our first day back after Thanksgiving break...along with his new reindeer friend - Chet!  They keep adding something new every year - but with the Elf Pets, the kids can actually touch, hug and cuddle them to help their heart pendant fill with magic so that they can fly Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve.  Got mine at JcPenney about a week ago and was able to use a coupon so I got it for pretty cheap!


I know it's early but Merry Christmas friends!  I hope you enjoy this season with your family and classroom kiddos as much as I do!