100 Fabulous Followers Giveaway

I've made it to 100 followers. I'm having a giveaway with the help of some super fabulous bloggers. These bloggers are donating great items. For many of them, you get to pick out what you like or what you can use from their Teachers pay Teachers stores. They all have SO many great products. Am I allowed to win my own giveaway??!! I know I can't, but it sounded good! :)

Wow! I am completely amazed at these ladies. They are too kind!


I used graphics from Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah, and My Cute Graphics. The font is from Kevin and Amanda.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

St. Patrick's Day Sale

I'm linking up with a sweet blogger, Amy, from Albuquerque Amy's First Graders for her first Linky party. We are offering 20% off at our TpT stores on Sunday, March 17. 

Click on the picture if you'd like to link up, too!

Thank you to the ladies who are participating in my giveaway. All of those who commented on my post should have gotten an email. If you didn't, please let me know. I'm waiting to hear back from a couple of gals, and I will be all set. 

Ta-Ta for now!

I really made it to 100 followers!

Hi folks! I've made it to 100 followers!! Wow! I would like to do a little giveaway. I need a few of you great bloggers to help me out. If you would like to be part of my giveaway, I would be happy to have your contributions. Please email me, and I will get it together this weekend. Thank you all in advance!
Update:
I have enough people to donate now. Thank you!

:)

Yayy!

Inspiration Monday

It's time to link up with Dana at Fun in 1st Grade for her Inspiration Monday Linky. 

There are so many new things coming down the pipes, especially with Common Core. Some of the skills are quite tough for my first grade babies (and for myself to make sure I'm teaching the standard to the best of my ability). It's all overwhelming at times. I  want to teach my kiddos, and I want them to enjoy learning at the same time. Common Core is new, so it will take a lot of time, practice, and commitment to learn it to it's full extent. 

I'm not a baseball fan, but they saying is great! 

I will keep calm and teach on!! :)

Go by Dana's blog and link up your inspiration!

Inspiration Monday Linky

I'm linking up with Dana over at Fun in 1st Grade again for her Inspiration Monday. Click on the button if you'd like to link up and find some inspiration. 

This is what I posted last week because I truly love my students. 

This is my inspiration for this week. :)

Dear Mrs. Key

You are sweet. You are nice. 

You have a heart that shines. 

(She drew a picture of us.)

That is a note from a first grader. Does it get any sweeter than that? I get notes and pictures on a daily basis from my kiddos. They just make me smile. However, there is something extra special about a sincere note. It inspires me to continue doing what I'm doing. I may not have every lesson perfectly planned. I may mess up from time to time but in their eyes, I'm doing it just right. 

March Currently

Okay, so I finally got to watch Breaking Dawn Part 2 last night. Oh man! It was so good. I'm kinda sad that it's over though. I didn't jump on that bandwagon until all four books were out. It was bad. I read all four books in a week. I skipped sleep and meals, and that's something I just don't do. haha

A new month means a new currently from Farley over at Oh' Boy Fourth Grade. 

Listening

My girls are in the bathtub playing with their barbies. They were arguing earlier, so it's nice to hear the giggles. 

Loving

There is so much progress to be made in every grade, but my little first grade babies are working so hard. Sometimes their progress doesn't come when I want it to. This has been a 'Ruby in Her Own Time' (A Scott Foresman reading story) kind of year. They are all learning in their own time, and that's A-OK!

Thinking

We were told that there will be walk-throughs starting in our schools next week. It's not just our principal. I can handle that with only getting small butterflies. It's the big guys coming. That makes me get those extra big butterflies. 

Wanting

There are some things that have been weighing on my mind. I have issues with making small decisions now (like where to eat). I used to make on-the-spot decisions about big things (like buying a car). Some of my decisions didn't turn out to be the smartest thing I did. When I bought my last car, it took me months to make the final decision.  

Needing

I am a worry-wart. I worry about everything. I know I ultimately don't have control, but I can't help it.

Like, Love, Hate

My first name is Dawn.

I like Donuts.

I love Dew (Mountain). It is my drink of choice. Do the Dew!

I hate driving. I drive 48 miles to school and 48 miles home. Our home is for sale. That's one of those decisions I'm struggling to make. 

Go link up with Farley, and remember the rule of three. 

Read Across America Week and a St. Patrick's Day Freebie

Where is this year going? I thought it just started, and here it is already March. 

We had a blast last week as we celebrated the love of reading and Dr. Seuss' birthday during Read Across America Week. Most of my students participated all week. Pure greatness. I love participation. 

Thanks to a parent, I had the cutest door. She did most of the work. She's so awesome! I taught her daughter last year, and she still helps me this year. We adopted each other. 

*Monday was crazy hat day. I'm so sad that I forgot to take pictures. One of my students wore a huge hockey puck hat. She was too stinkin' cute!

*On Tuesday, we wore red and white. I went to an AMSTI Training, so I wasn't at school. Boo for missing the fun, but it was a great meeting. I learned more about Common Core Math. 

*Wednesday was foxiest sock day. We walked around in the classroom with no shoes. My kiddos thought that was the greatest thing ever. 

*On Thursday, we wore our grinchiest green. The little fella standing beside me even sprayed his hair green. I should have thought of that. 

*Friday was dress as your favorite Dr. Seuss character. Two of my Cat in the Hat kids painted their whole face white. They were all very adorable. 

+My girls and I...look how cute they are as Cindy Lou Who. I didn't know the secret of getting their hair to stand up higher until I got to school. I used construction paper and put cardboard inside of it. It was standing up a little bit before we left home. By the time we made it to school, it was barely standing up anymore. 

Here's the freebie St. Patrick's Day Vocabulary Cards I made. 

You can grab them on 

Teachers pay Teachers

or

Teachers Notebook

I'm off to enjoy a movie with my family in the comfort of my jammies. 

Enjoy your weekend! :)

Inspiration Monday Linky

We all need inspiration. Having an Inspiration Monday Linky is perfect. I'm linking up with Dana from Fun in 1st Grade for her first linky party. 

This saying is close to my heart. I love it because it's true. I love my students, and they know it. 

Also, I'm part of an A.M.A.Z.I.N.G Giveaway. Ciera Harris of Adventures of Room 129 has reached 600 followers, and her number is steadily growing. Y'all, she has the cutest twins!! Go check it out. 

Reptiles-A Science Unit for Little Learners

Last week, we started studying reptiles. I went to our school library and checked out 19 books on reptiles to go along with the few books I have in my personal library. Most of the books were nonfiction. I introduced reptiles to my kiddos, and it was on from there! Once they saw all the real pictures in the nonfiction books, they were hooked. I couldn't have been happier with their reactions.

We started with a reptile chart that I traced using the cover of the unit I created. Somehow, my "turtle" looks more like an "alien". Thankfully, my kiddos didn't mind. :) We filled out the chart throughout the week as we learned more. We actually aren't done with it. We will finish it next week along with Read Across America activities. 

After the introduction of reptiles, I let my kiddos go with the books I borrowed from the library. They got to choose a reptile to create a report. After choosing their reptile and finding a book, off they went to get comfortable and read. I think this was my favorite part. Total engagement in reading. They read these books all throughout the week every chance they got. It makes my heart so happy. 

After reading their book on their chosen reptile, I had my kids go back and fill out their reptile fact page. I told them to think about what they thought was interesting. Things they would want a friend to know about their chosen reptile. 

Then it was time to transfer the facts onto a writing page, draw a picture of their reptile, and glue it to a piece of construction paper. I'm sad that I was out of the large green construction paper, so we had to improvise. That was a quick life lesson (use what you have and make it work).

A little funny piece added to a nonfiction unit...I made 3 funny journal prompts for this reptile unit. For one, we wrote about a reptile coming to dinner. I laughed and laughed and laughed when I read what they came up with. Let me tell you, first graders have great imaginations. They were all funny!

This is what this child wrote: 

A reptile came to dinner. It was a salamander. We ate chicken noodle soup. We played dominoes. The salamander slept with me. We ate waffles in the morning. Then we went to school. 

You can check this unit out on 

Teachers pay Teachers

or 

Teachers Notebook

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Oh Me Lucky Leprechaun

Bring on the Luck O' the Irish!! 

People, I rarely win anything. Yesterday, A Cupcake for the Teacher was giving away her newest craftivity-Catch a Leprechaun {a writing craftivity}. I left a blog comment, and I WON it!! Golly Gee!!! I can't wait to use it. 

Click on the picture to check it out. 

Valentine's Day

We all survived a crazy, busy, fun week!! Toot! Toot! After the Valentine's Day Party yesterday, I'm not at all ashamed to say that I was in bed at 8:00!!! 

We started our Valentine's Day off just like normal. Morning work, AR Tests, Reading (2 tests just like every Thursday), Recess, Intervention, then lunch. After lunch, we were all things cute, fun, and valentinesy (I made that work up..haha)

During math, we estimated, sorted, and graphed candy hearts. This activity came from the super talented Khrys from Keepin' It Kool in Kinderland. My little first graders still had the hardest time estimating. They were trying to peek through the back of the bag and count. 

 I was so very proud of their hard work. Maybe they were working hard because they knew they could eat the candy hearts when they had their work complete correctly, but I'll take it! :)

P.E. after math. 

PARTY after P.E. 

First, we ate. We had pizza, cheetos, a valentine snack cake, and a juice. Next, they opened all their goodies. They loved seeing everything they got. I personally think I got enough chocolate to last for a few months. Then, we played 'Don't Eat Pete (V-Day Style)' from The Teacher Wife. It was a HIT!! Oh my gracious! We will definitely have to play that again. I have pictures, but I would have to blur all of their faces out. It kind of defeats the purpose of posting it. Maybe one day I will send home a sheet and get permission to post photos. Last, we had to do the unthinkable and clean everything up. 

When it was time to go home, they got a BAG FULL of goodies to take with them. Some bags were busting because they were so full. I think we will need bigger bags next year. 

:)

Love Monsters

Don't children need the chance to be creative? The kind of creativity where the rules are limited. I think so. So often, we tell children what to do and how to do it. I let my kiddos make love monsters. The only rules were to make a body, arms, legs, and eyes. I didn't give any numbers for anything. Their creativity was shining. I love it!!! 

This is what their desks looked like. Many colors of construction paper. I made big piles of all different colors. They got to use what they wanted.

They had several options to punch out shapes if they chose to use them. I bought those cutters at Michaels. I bought them while they were on sale, plus I used the 15% teacher discount to score them for a great price. 

 This love monster looks like a jellyfish with three flower eyes. She has a little hairbow. My girly-girls are precious!

 Look at this love monster!! She's holding a toothbrush. We studied dental health last week!! :)

 Heart shaped love monster with heart eyes..way about her head. Too cute!

 This little fella must have great eye sight with all of those eyes!!!

They had the best time making these little monsters. 

On Monday, school dismissed at 11:30 due to all the rain we've had. There was so much rain that I had to move my car. There was about another inch or two, and the rain water would have flooded my car. After the tire issue and the rock busting my windshield, I didn't want to flooded, too! haha

Today, we finished making our Valentine bags. I can't wait to party on Thursday!!!!

:)

I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day! 

I am linking up with Farley from Oh' Boy 4th Grade for 

February's Currently. <3

Listening

The T.V. is always on, but I rarely actually watch it. 

Loving

Hip-Hip-Horray! Good-bye 3G! Hello 4G LTE! Out with the OLD DROID X!!! My poor old phone had a 15 second delay. I would start typing a text message, and it would show up 15 seconds later. It cut off all the time. Man, I hated it. When I went to get my new phone, I thought I wanted the IPhone 5. The salesman showed me the Samsung Galaxy S3. After 3 trips (yes 3--I'm very indecisive) 

to the store, I made my decision, and went with the Samsung Galaxy S3. 

Thinking

I love Valentine's Day. We started Valentine crafts today. There are so many to do, so we're starting early! All the pink makes me happy. 

Wanting

I go to sleep at night, but I wake up several times. I want to sleep for a good 8 hours straight. Or 9. Or 10. You know?

Needing

After my car incident over the weekend, I need to get my car fixed.

Pet Peeves

I despise to see people smacking or chewing with their mouth open. Gross!!!!!

Dawn :)