Yes, you read that right! SUMMER! Can you believe it's just around the corner? I am so ready for it! I am starting to get of year gifts ready and I wanted to share a few ideas with you! My absolute favorite gift to give is memories! I love putting together this photo book for my students every year! You can read more about them HERE or make your own HERE. Another fun way to share memories is with an end of the year slideshow! Just download and add your own pictures! It can easily be put on a CD as a gift or shown at an end of the year ceremony! Check it out HERE. I also wanted to share this little gift tag with you in case you are looking for a simple ... Read More about Have a Poppin’ Summer Gift Tag
Latest from the Blog
Easy Valentines
Looking for an easy valentine card? Need a super sweet card to send to loved ones? Check out this easy valentine card! Looking for class gifts? Don't put off making valentines for your sweet class! Get those done RIGHT NOW! I ordered these precious miniature valentine ducks and attached them to this gift tag with glue dots. Download this gift tag from my TPT Store for FREE HERE. Sunglasses and kaleidoscopes are fun too! They go great with this FREE gift tag! These valentine airplanes also really tempted me! ... Read More about Easy Valentines
Celebrate Freedom Week Teaching Ideas
Have you ever heard of Celebrate Freedom Week? It's okay, I hadn't either until teaching first grade in Texas! September 17 is Constitution Day, but the entire week that contains September 17 is called Celebrate Freedom week! Actually, five states celebrate this week, but actually not all at the same time which is interesting! I know the constitution is a big concept for our little ones to grasp, but I think it's so important to introduce them to it and talk about how lucky we are to have our freedoms. Constitution Day is included in the state standards in Texas too. The standard states that students should identify Constitution Day as a celebration of American freedom. I'm ... Read More about Celebrate Freedom Week Teaching Ideas
The First Day of First Grade
I will never forget my first day of teaching. At around 8:15 all of the teary parents finally left their Kindergartners in my care and all of a sudden I realized I was in charge! ME! People actually left 21 year old little me to care for and teach their precious child...times 22. What an honor and what a terrifying moment! I've had a few first days since then, but every year I still remember how that first year felt! Maybe it's your first year teaching or maybe it's your first year teaching first grade or maybe you just want see how someone else makes it through the first day...this post is for you! Let's walk through the first day of first grade minute by minute... 7:30-8:00 Hello ... Read More about The First Day of First Grade
Getting Ahead of the Game 2017: Week #7
It's the last Tuesday in July, which means it is also the final week of my summer blog series: Getting Ahead of the Game! I hope you are feeling a little bit more ready for August and back to school season! This post does contain affiliate links. The first day/week/month of school is always just a blur! The beginning of the year is just so fun and so, so, SO exhausting. Let's get a head start on planning! Your challenge this week is to start planning that first day and those first few weeks of school. Here are a few tips and ideas to help you plan that first day and make it go as smoothly as possible! Create a photo booth or at least take some pictures! Oh how I LOVE ... Read More about Getting Ahead of the Game 2017: Week #7
Let’s Make This Year Notable!
Back to School season is creeping up! Yikes! Y'all know that I am all about getting ahead; which means I already have my back to school gifts ready for my coworkers! Of course, I want to help you out too! Target had the most adorable little teacher note cards in the dollar spot this month! I grabbed a pack for each of my team members and just used washi tape to attach this little gift tag. You can grab the tag FREE in my Teachers Pay Teachers store HERE. It would also be super cute attached to these or these too! You could also use these gift tags for student gift too! Just attach them to mini notebooks! How cute are these little notebooks? Looking for ... Read More about Let’s Make This Year Notable!
Getting Ahead of the Game 2017: Week 6
Happy Tuesday! Welcome to Week 6 of Getting Ahead of the Game, Summer Edition! Each Tuesday of the summer, I will give you a small task to complete that will help you get ready for that crazy back to school school that waits for us in August! First impressions are huge. This week your task is to prepare for that first time you meet your students and their parents. For me, this is Meet the Teacher Night! It's always so fun to meet all of my new students and their families for the first times, but it can also be a little bit overwhelming! After all, everyone is there to meet one person...YOU! Let's spend a little time preparing this week so that things go as smoothly as ... Read More about Getting Ahead of the Game 2017: Week 6
Getting Ahead of the Game 2017: Week 5
Happy Tuesday! Welcome to Week 5 of Getting Ahead of the Game! Each Tuesday of the summer, I will give you a small task to complete that will help you get ready for August and a new school year! I want you to feel like you got something accomplished this summer without sacrificing anytime at the pool! Let's jump right in! This week's task is a fun one! Are you ready? GO SHOPPING! If you haven't noticed already, school supplies are popping up everywhere! And guess what else....IT'S PRIME DAY! Be sure to sign up for an Amazon Prime Membership and take advantage of all of these amazing deals. I will be posting some of my favorite deals on my Facebook ... Read More about Getting Ahead of the Game 2017: Week 5
Getting Ahead of the Game 2017: Week 4
Happy Tuesday and Happy Fourth of July! Welcome to Week 4 of Getting Ahead of the Game! Each Tuesday of the summer, I will give you a small task to complete that will help you get ready for August! I want you to feel like you got something accomplished this summer without sacrificing anytime at the pool! Last week we got all of those beginning of the year papers ready to go! This week's task is easy, fun and meaningful: Reach out to your team! Maybe your team consists of all of your teaching BFFs and you have been in touch all summer, AMAZING! Maybe you are brand new and haven't even met all of your team yet, that's okay too! Take the time to reach out this ... Read More about Getting Ahead of the Game 2017: Week 4
First Grade Math Journals Prompts Made Easy
Are you looking for math journal prompts and ideas to make your math block the best it can be for your students? This post will walk you through the basics of math journals and how to use them with your students. This post contains affiliate links and I may be compensated for your purchase. This won’t cost you anything but helps to offset the costs of running this website to help parents and teachers like you! First of all, I am all about getting ahead when it comes to lesson planning! Weekends are too precious to spend every minute preparing for the next week at school. I have really been thinking this summer about what I can do to save myself some time next school year and ... Read More about First Grade Math Journals Prompts Made Easy
Getting Ahead of the Game 2017: Week 3
Happy Tuesday! Welcome to Week 3 of Getting Ahead of the Game! Have you gotten you taken control of your summer yet? If not, check out this post. I created this blog series in hopes of getting you ahead before the school year ever starts. Each Tuesday of the summer, I will give you a small task to complete that will help you get ready for August! I want you to feel like you got something accomplished this summer without sacrificing anytime at the pool! This week's challenge is to get all of those beginning of the year papers ready to go! You know what I'm talking about! The student information sheet, volunteer forms, classroom handbooks, all of that ... Read More about Getting Ahead of the Game 2017: Week 3
Getting Ahead of the Game 2017: Week 2
Happy Tuesday! Welcome to Week 2 of Getting Ahead of the Game! Have you gotten your planner set up for next year yet? If not, check out this post. I created this blog series in hopes of getting you ahead before the school year ever starts. Each Tuesday of the summer, I will give you a small task to complete that will help you get ready for August! I want you to feel like you got something accomplished this summer without sacrificing anytime at the pool! This week's task is set some summer goals! What do you need to get done this summer to feel good, both personally and professionally? If you set up your planner last week, you should have a really good ... Read More about Getting Ahead of the Game 2017: Week 2