Sitewide TpT Sale!

As I'm sue you know, tpt is having a little sale...
YIPPEE!!
Because Lord knows I don't have enough resources and clipart! ha! I have so much goodness from my friends at TpT, I don't even know what I have anymore!
But that has never stopped me before!

Here's a few March-y things I'll be using!

I love a graphic organizer, Yes I do! I bet you would love this pack of them too!

Tons of silly activities and centers for your special stories!

We started our weather unit this week!

If you loved my Saint Valentine unit, this one is just like it! LOVE these little holiday history lessons!

tons of St. Pat's fun!

We'll be getting our Mush on the second week of March! I have these centers for your littles (1st and 2nd grade).

and here's a collection of my most favorite activities with the Iditarod in mind! It also comes with a big freebie tucked away inside! At least until March 7!

five for friday Read Across America week!

It's Friday and I'm enjoying a surprise little snow day here in southwestern NC!
so I'm working away on a few things we have coming up! And of course I brought nothing home from school, since I wasn't planning on a snow day! and of course this completely ruins our seuss-y day but that's ok!

I'm linking up with Kacey for a Read Across America Week 5 for Friday!

we noticed our tarantula on it's back Monday morning. This means he's going to be molting! There's always a cry of terror because they look dead! On Tuesday morning, there were two! haha! I pulled out the molted shell. Ain't no thang but a chicken wing! I'll be posting over at Critters in the Classroom about it!

I was also featured in an article over the weekend along with a few other teachers from my district! I had to be sure to shout out my Owls! Love them all so much!

{you can read it here}

It's Seussical the Musical! Awesomeness for an hour! The show is a mix of lots of Seuss books, but mainly focuses on Horton, Gertrude McFuzz, and the cat as the narrator. 

See if it's coming near you if you live in the southeast!

Wacky Wednesday at school! 

I love target's men's shirts! they are the best! and thanks to my hubs for the sock hookup!

aren't these precious! CLOUD chefs>!?

This one is like perfection! 

I loved this idea from Traci at Dragonflies in First! Check out her unit!

and here's today's excitement! ha! I start every morning with McDonald's diet coke. today is no exception

and this is happening! Come back Sunday!

whew, the water cycle works!

We had some unexpected guests that arrived a tad early on Tuesday, so this little teacher is scrambling to finish up weather because...

our mealworms have arrived! a week early!

I tried to convince them it was NOT anything alive, but there is no foolin' kids who are expecting mealworms, crickets, butterflies, and chicken eggs! We will have lots to show you, but not yet!

So to keep them fully invested in weather for a few more days we made the water cycle!

Of course this is Pinterest inspired from Primary Reading Party. 

And thank the good Lord above it worked!! and within the hour.

So there are 23 water cycles taped to the windows!

We added a few details to help them remember what each "tion" actually is.

Waves for accumulation, up arrow for evaporation, down arrow for precip, and a cloud for accumulation

They are super excited about checking them...too often, but what kind of teacher shoos the kiddos away from Science in action!

My teammie told me about "art snacks" on YouTube

they are 5 minute videos about drawing things for kids

they are awesome!

Obviously we did the water cycle scene

Not sure if it's a man or woman {no face}

but they talk to the kids while they draw and explain how things do not have to be perfect

We watched it twice with some pausing

Love them!!

and what would the water cycle be without a song or two!

I have no clue where I heard this or if I dreamed it up, but I've used it for three years and it works like a charm!

My 2nd grader volunteered to be videoed for this! bless him!

and here's the words...you know, just in case! haha!

Playing catch-up favorite fonts, projects, and books

I love doing series of common topic posts, but I miss out on all the fun stuff sometimes! I am taking a break to join in on some linky parties from these fab bloggers.

Whooo loves fonts?! I do! I’ve done a linky like this before, but my font preferences change with my moods. I am quite moody! Here’s something I HATE though. When I save previews {as in below in ppt picture format} a lot of fonts get cut off….boo! Hopefully you can still see them! And they’re all free cause that’s how I roll

and Miss Nelson also led me to Wordmark.it! Hello!

Next, Amanda’s Favorite class project linky. Honestly I use a lot of hers even when I taught 4th grade. However, my favorite project we do all year is the green screen weather reports. I will post more closer to my unit. But check this out! These are priceless and super easy. I actually did not have access to an actual green screen until this past year. Before I used bulletin board paper!

We watch a lot of weather channel clips, brainstorm what a good report needs using a brace map, then they write a script. I type them up in proper script form and give each partner a copy. They only had the script for 2 days this year! Our tech guy had a last minute change up, but we made do!

And finally, I wanted to link up with Ms. Lindsey because I love picture books. I have my go-to ones I read year after year, and I love finding more ideas. I find so many new ones from your blogs!

Don't let the Pigeon Stay up Late. Love Mo Williems! His books are easy text, but fabulous fun. This is the perfect book for teaching problem and solution! And this little guy is part of my Monday Made It!

{source}

Grandfather Twilight by Barbara Berger. I’d never have known about this one if it wasn’t for the reading lady! It’s old and tucked away in our public library. I finally got a copy when I got $300 to spend on books this year. Questioning…questioning, questioning, it leaves you with so many!

{source}

Any VanAllsburg book, but The Sweetest Fig is my favorite to read aloud because it’s  just plain crazy! Another great one I use for questioning.

Popcorn  by Frank Asch. This is a childhood favorite. It was in my dentist’s office. I always headed straight for it. I have no idea what the draw is, but I love anything from my childhood. It could be used many ways, but this year I read it in conjunction with Tomie DePola’s Popcorn book.

{source}

Another fun book is Piggie Pie. I first heard this book when our then curriculum specialist helped me host a Mystery Month with my 4th graders. We journeyed to her classroom and she read this aloud. It’s hilarious! And I found out there’s a sequel. Think a mix between The Night Before Thanksgiving and Three Little Pigs.

So that’s catch up! I hope you saw some new book ideas or fonts, or a project you’d like to try!

Wanna Be the Coolest Teacher EVER!? {Just add shaving cream}

I saw a post on Lesson Plan SOS about one of the gals having students write on their desks with their dry erase markers. I wasn’t ready to believe it would really erase well {and I hate dirty desks}, but as we were pulling apart cotton balls making clouds, I needed a quick way to name them before they blew off the desks in a frenzy of kids lining up for lunch.
So…get out your board makers
Now they are pretty trained, so they dragged out their boards too
Nope you don’t need them…huh?
Now do not EVER tell anyone what we are doing…we are going to write on our desks!
OMIGOSH…won’t we get into trouble…will you get in big trouble…
what if the custodian tells the principal!!
{I love innocence}

Let me tell you…these kids would throw me under the bus!
when we lined up for lunch 5 minutes later I saw one little gal had written “Mrs. Lamb told me to do this”, at the bottom of her desk!Sheesh!

Well it all came off with a little shaving cream! I had a stockpile from our cursive writing practice at the end of last year, so I broke it out, squirted massive piles on each desk and let them at it.
After each one had shaving cream, we did our math lesson in it. It was great. We are drawing diagonals and what discussing the shapes that are created going corner to corner or midpoint to midpoint. Needless to say, they think they officially have the best teacher ever!

In other news
Yesterday a local meteorologist visited and I can’t remember the last time I learned so much! It was wonderful and we got on Facebook! Always a little plus.

How a tornado forms demo!

We like to give guests little gifts! All 90 kids drew weather symbols to add to the planter.

Thank you John Wendel from News 36!

Happy Seuss Day tomorrow!

Bubble Blowing and Tornado Warnings

Sometimes…
things really happen at the wrong time

So today we are watching clips of storms on United Streaming
Just after the clip begins talking about the tornadoes in Kansas in 1991
"Attention staff, our area is under a tornado watch”

ok, really??!!
Needless to say, the kids were a little freaked
but I subdues them with reassurances it was just a “drill”
like the fire drills
only it wasn’t! eek!
Guess the conditions were ripe here in southern NC today

But on to a fun little weather/wind activity we finished up
Last year I had luck with mixing dish detergent, paint, and water to make the perfect blend to blow bubbles and have the pop onto our paper for a little art. This year for the life of me I could not get the mixture right, but we worked with what we had!
Each student came over to the sink and blew as many bubbles onto their paper as they wanted. I tried to keep them from smearing and dripping, but they make for interesting pictures regardless. Sometimes I just gotta let go!

After they dried all morning and we watched the weather clips, I guided them through writing what type of weather their picture reminded them of. You can’t see my bubble picture in the shot, but it just had 2 perfectly popped bubbles with a little bit of “shrapnel” all over. I asked them to tell their reader about the “what”{the weather} and the “why” {they chose it}

Here is how they turned out. I am pretty pleased

And here’s a little freebie to write their weather blurbs. 2 versions, same file in Google Docs