Less Mess!

2011 is the year to organize and declutter!  I started with my house, and quickly realized that I could use some of the the same techniques in my classroom.  One thing that at found over on A Bowl Full of Lemons blog was the "mobile command center".  This has worked so well for organizing the mail and bills at my house-that I created one for school! 
"The Modile Command Center" is a slim filing basket.  On the front of the basket, I have a 2011 calendar clipped to it. This calendar includes weekly themes and events for my classroom, as well as, events taking place in our school.  I have file folders inside for the important things I need throughout the day/week.  I have the following files:
Mailbox (incoming mail from school-make sure to clean it out once a week!)
To Copy (things I need to copy)
Next Week (sticking items I need for the next week-helps me stay ahead)
To Check (work I need to look over)
To Send Home (notes and graded papers to put in students' notebooks)
Class Rosters (always needing one of these)
This elminates a lot of clutter on my desk.  It is portable and easy to move around the classroom or even bring home. 
If you are thinking like this sounds like a good idea, head over to A Bowl Full of Lemons and checkout her Modile Command Center.  Remember you want it simple and useful!  Information organized and easy to access.  Think of folders you use on a daily/weekly basis when creating the "guts" of your command center!  I will post pictures of my mobile command center (also known as my Happening Hive Basket) soon!
Happy Organizing, Friends! 

Printable Valentines

Does your child need some Valentines to give out at school or to friends and family?  OR, do you need some Valentines to give to your students?  Are you just not satisfied with those commercial Toy Story and Glee Valentines on the shelves at Walmart?  Well, I have the answer for you AND it will save you money too ~ a win/win!!

I have travelled all around the blogosphere so I could bring you a collection of the cutest and most stylish printable Valentines for your children (or for you)!

 The Long Thread

One Charming Party

The Rubber Punkin

Bunny Cakes

Skip to My Lou

Pure and Lovely

A class full of precious valentines is just a click away! Have fun!

What I'm LOVING Wednesdays

As Babbling Abby would say---- {STOP.THE.WORLD}... I absolutely LOVE these tumblers! Tervis tumblers has a really fabulous product here. Queen Bee (Heather) gave us one of these for Christmas and I have not put it down since I washed it. Of course mine is pink with a matching pink lid- but it leaves no rings on your gorgeous table tops, and keeps all liquids cold when you want it cold and hot when you want it hot! It's practically amazing!

I am dying to buy one of these! I can already tell you what I want to put inside each drawer. So wishing I could find one slightly used at a garage sell for under $30...

Love this lip gloss by Victoria's Secret---it's called Beauty Rush in "Hot Cocoanut" and it's my absolute FAV!

I love to swing over at The Tin Roof Cafe --and have a nice cup of Caramel Latte with extra whipped cream! Yummy!!

My new obsession----my husband has actually told me on more than one occasion to "just put down the computer and walk away."  Is that hard for anyone else other than me?

And at the end of the school day I love to retreat home to this----which often times is made by my sweet husband. Couldn't be the teacher I am without a HOT bubble bath!

What do you love this Wednesday? 

Little taste of Heaven on Earth

My friend, over at The Tin Roof Cafe has made some of the most delicious macaroons or as Summer calls it- "the new cupcake!" On her blog she includes the recipe, but I'm telling you--if you have not  ever tried a macaroon you are MISSING OUT! So, I suggest you get into your car and drive on over to The Tin Roof Cafe in Pigeon Forge and try these out! TODAY- seriously. They are fabulous and I thank Summer for sharing with us!
One very important thing that I would like to add is that Summer has the ability (or the talent rather) to change the color of the filling to match any shower you are planning. These would be PERFECT for a bridal shower and very sweet for baby showers! I'm leaving you with one of the pictures included in her blog, but really this picture does not depict just how FABULOUS these "cupcakes" are! You just have to try one out yourself! 
 

FREE Calendar Download for Preschoolers

As many of you know, I taught Kindergarten for 6 years before I had my little one and now, I'm at home with him.  He will be 3 in April and I thought it was time for him to start learning about the days of the week, the months of the year, and the weather.  So, I racked my brain about how to do this with such a little one and I found some amazing Mamas out there in blogland who are way ahead of me.  So, with their inspiration, I made my own calendar board.  


I bought a pocket chart calendar from Oriental Trading that is perfect for little hands. Then, I bought a foam poster board at Walmart to put my other skills pages on that I can move down on Noah's level for him to manipulate. 

I bought the calendar here.

Here is my completed Morning Meeting board.  I'm loving it!

To download my printable calendar pages, go HERE.


You can download the weather chart from Confessions of a Homeschooler.


You can download the color of the day chart from 1+1+1=1.


To read more about how I set up my calendar & Morning Meeting area, go HERE.

Reading Activities

I have been doing some research here lately because we've been out for snow since Christmas, so I've had plenty of time to look for awesome ideas! I am looking for several different (fun) ways for my kids to practice their spelling words and not to mention read their weekly stories that sometimes even I find boring. I found the most FABULOUS website and thought I would share it with you! Go on- head on over and check her out- I even snagged her lesson plan template and I LOVE it! Thank you so much Mrs. Oakes!  Here is the link for her awesome lesson plans ladies. 

Christmas Party Idea

Have you ever noticed around this time of year that your classroom supplies dip low? Well, last year I came up with an idea that I thought probably would not work, but it actually worked out beautifully! I sat down and constructed a list of items that my classroom needed to run for the remainder of the year (i.e. glue sticks, crayons, construction paper, labels, printer cartridges, markers and such). I then cut up the wish list into strips and put them into a bowl so that the kids can draw an item from the bowl. After they have drawn an item, I send a note home explaining the process to the parents along with the item that their child had drawn earlier that day. I usually have them bring in their gifts as soon as possible and bring in extras just in case someone forgets theirs (you do not want any child to go without). I then ask that no matter how many items they bring they need to wrap them up in one box. Otherwise, children will want to know why they have more to open. On the day of the party, I call each child by name to sit in the share chair and open their gift. Once they open their gift, all the children give a round of applause and say thank you for contributing to our classroom. THEY LOVE THIS! The kids feel like they are doing something and they really ARE! Last year a little girl brought in wiggle eyes and every time I got them out to use them they would say "Oh these are from Emily! Thank you Emily!" That kind of thing went on for the remainder of the year and it relieved me of having to go out and purchase things with my own money. I realize that this may not be a "FUN" gift, but the kids have fun. I feel that children get SO MUCH for Christmas and a $5-$10 gift does not seem to go far these days and most of the time ends up in the back seat of the car before you even get into the garage. So, this benefits everyone. Trust me- it's been fabulous the past two years! I'll upload pictures from my party on Monday! Click here for the note home to parents explaining the process (as this can be the most difficult to explain). MERRY CHRISTMAS!