I Appreciate Teachers!

Happy Friday everyone! Today marks the last day of Teacher Appreciation Week! Have you felt appreciated this week? I know I have! Even though I'm not able to be in my classroom because of my injury, I have been able to snatch up tons of freebies offered this week! Getting such great freebies that I can use in my classroom for years to come definitely makes me feel appreciated! Here are a few you should check out before they're gone!

This adorable freebie is a bee-themed addition activity that was created by A Special Kind of Class. She did such an amazing job creating this activity, and it is PERFECT to put out during our Daily 4 Math with Someone rotations! It is such a fun way to practice addition, I know my kinders will LOVE it! Go grab one for yourself, and don't forget to leave some feedback love!!

These amazing freebies are the creation of Jill Green over at Chevron and Centers. She has been making a new freebie for EVERY DAY of Teacher Appreciation Week!!!  How awesome is that!?!? I haven't downloaded Day 5 yet, but I am IN LOVE with the first four freebies! The picture above will take you to Jill's TPT store to grab her 'I'm a Sight Word Ninja' packet, which is an incredibly adorable sight word game! You'll need to search her store for the rest of the week's freebies. 'Gone Fishin'" is an adorable place value center activity, 'Summer Fun' is an CVC/CVCe activity that will fit perfectly with Daily 5 Word Work rotations, and 'Too COOL For School' is an adorable addition activity that will be great at a center during Daily 4 Math with Self or even used as a Write the Room activity! My kinders LOVE Write the Room, and I know they would really enjoy this activity! I can't wait to see what Day 5 brings! You really should go snag these super awesome freebies, and don't forget to leave some feedback love!

The incredible clip art creator over at Educlips has also been making freebies for each day of Teacher Appreciation Week! She has created an incredibly cute set of clip art for each day of Teacher Appreciation Week, and I am in love with ALL of them! I don't want to tell you what they are and ruin the surprise, so you'll just have to click on the image above to snag the first one! Then you can search her store for the rest of this week's freebies. You won't be disappointed, and don't forget to leave some feedback love to show her you appreciate her hard work!

I wanted to let all of you wonderful and incredible educators that I appreciate all your hard work and dedication to your kiddos! I know how challenging, stressful, wonderful, and rewarding this profession can be, and I know that it takes a very special person to commit to this lifetime career! I would like to share with you my newest creation, 'Knights versus Dragons'. This activity is one I use for dismissal and down times to help my kinders stay calm and quiet while they wait for their bus or for special to start.

This activity includes several sets of cards that address various Reading, Math, Social Studies, Science, and Health concepts in kindergarten. Each page can be copied on a color of construction paper, cut out, and then added to a binder ring. This binder ring can be easily hooked onto an apron, belt buckle, or clip board. That way you will always have the cards with you, so you can keep your littles busy while they're waiting!

Here is a set of Math cards. I tried to include a Common Core Standard where applicable, so you can make sure you're hitting those standards!

Here is another set of the math cards. I tried to include a wide variety of skills and concepts, so that you could add to your ring as the year goes on. Also, they could be used to give extra reinforcement to kiddos who are having a harder time mastering certain standards. I copied the math cards onto red construction paper and them laminated them.

This is a set of Reading cards that practice a lot of different phonics skills. You can pick and choose which cards you want to include on your ring, or put them all on!

Here is another set of the Reading cards. They involve reading some high frequency words and identifying different literary terms. Remember, you can pick and choose which cards to add to your ring throughout the year. As you teach a new concept, check to see if there's a card that can reinforce that concept. I copied the Reading cards onto green construction paper and then laminated them before adding them to my ring.

Finally I included some cards that touched on different Science, Social Studies, and Health topics we cover in kindergarten. We do a lot of work with seasons, weather, trees, and community helpers.

We also work with animals, rules, and where we are in the world. These cards I copied onto purple construction paper and then laminated. As we learned a new concept, I added the cards that dealt with that concept to my ring.

I divide the kiddos into two groups, one group are Knights and the other group is Dragons. They take turns answering questions from the ring while standing up. If they are unable to answer a question, they sit down. Last team to have kiddos standing wins!

For TODAY ONLY I am offering this packet up as a FREEBIE! It will be available until MIDNIGHT EST on Friday, May 8th. After midnight on Friday, this packet will go on sale in my TPT store. For the first 48 hours it will be marked 50% off, so if you didn't get it as a freebie you can still get it at a discount!  I really appreciate all the hard work teachers do, and I hope you have been able to feel appreciated this week! Did you get any sweet gifts from your kiddos? Were you able to snatch up any awesome freebies this week? I would LOVE to hear from you!!

TPT Crazy!

It's Thursday, which means tomorrow is Friday! In my district tomorrow is a professional day so there is no school for students. Since I'm still injured, there's no school for me either, but my team will be learning all sorts of new things! How does your school handle professional days? Do you have them during the school year or only before and after the school year starts? I'm always curious about how other districts handle professional development. It's neat to learn about the differences!

So yesterday was the last day of the TPT Teacher Appreciation Sale! Did you buy any goodies? Were you able to show restraint or did you go all out? I pretty much went all out! I bought SO MUCH clip art! I shopped on three separate occasions throughout the two day sale, and my cart was full each time! I bought over twenty new sets of clip art! I can't wait to get started creating. All I have right now is time, so now is the perfect time to put my creative mind to work! Did you buy any clip art during this sale?

Did you know Krista Wallden offered this awesome Teacher Goodie Bag surprise? If you have come and 'Liked' my Facebook page then you have already read about how awesome I think this is! If you're not following my Facebook page you can click the Facebook tab at the top of the page or visit www.facebook.com/kinderdragons. It was available until last night. Each day of the entire Teacher Appreciation Week, Krista adds a new set of clip art. I have gotten three of the sets so far, and I am IN LOVE! I hope you were able to take advantage of this awesome opportunity! If not, make sure to sign up for her Summer VIP Membership Club or one of her upcoming Monthly VIP Graphics Clubs. Trust me, you won't regret it!!!

I would love to hear about what you bought during the TPT sale! Please leave me a comment, and I might have to go add what you bought to my Wish List! Can't wait to hear from you!

Last Day to Save!

It's Wednesday! Today is the very last day of the TPT Teacher Appreciation Sale! My entire store is 20% OFF, and with the TPT code 'ThankYou', you can get an additional 8% off  the products in my store!

Have you already been shopping? I have! Sure I've spent a fair chunk of change, but not buyer's remorse here! Here's a few of the things I have gotten so far during this sale! See something you like? Just click on the image to head right to that seller's TPT store and snatch up their awesome creation!

I am a HUGE fan of Krista Wallden, and I happily join every VIP/Graphics Club she puts out! I have never once been disappointed with the awesome clip art sets I get each week of the membership. If you have never participated in one of her clip art clubs, you really should give it a try! This one is on sale during the Teacher Appreciation Week sale, but then goes back up to regular price. Get it while you can!!

Another of my favorite clip art designers is Ashley Hughes. I love her creations, she uses such a great attention to detail! This bundle has been on my Wish List for a while now! I was so excited to get to snatch this up during the sale, 5 complete sets with 140 graphics to help my kinders better understand the concept of digraphs. Love it!

Since my digraph clip art is seriously lacking, I also picked up this awesome bundle from Whimsy Workshop Teaching. I really enjoy the graphics she creates and I love how cute they are! I can't wait to start creating some digraph resources for my kiddos!

I am just starting to delve into the world of using interactive journals in my classroom. These graphics from Mel over at Graphics From the Pond are such an incredibly important resource to have when I start creating journal activities! They are going to make it so much easier, and I love all of the many choices she includes in this set!

If you know me, then you know how much of a Font Addict I am! I can't seem to ever get enough fonts to add to my Font Book! I love using them in my classroom decorations, parent correspondence, and the activities and resources I create! I purchased this amazing bundle of 147 fonts plus the commercial use license! I'm so super excited to add these to my collection!

Another great purchase from GFTP is this amazing set of 'tear' puzzle pieces! This bundle is stuffed full of amazing puzzle pieces, perfect for creating activities my kinders can work on during their Daily 5 and Daily 4 rotations. I'm very grateful to have found this set!

Finally, I scooped up this sweet little creation from GFTP. I have so many different counting bear manipulatives in my classroom. Getting to use these images to create resources to go along with those counting bears means I'll have lots of awesome resources for my kinders to work on during their Daily 4 math rotations!

I would LOVE to hear about what you have gotten during the TPT sale! Please share with me in the comments, because I might have to go back and buy some more stuff!!

It's a Laser!

Happy Tuesday everyone! Today marks the second day of Teacher Appreciation Week! Has your school done anything special for this week? I am missing it, but my school does such an awesome job during Teacher Appreciation week. The administration works alongside with the PTO to make sure we all feel super appreciated! Yesterday the staff enjoyed a lunch catered by the Olive Tree, which is a local Italian restaurant.  Today they will enjoy a Dessert Bar, which will be a long table full of yummy desserts that they can mix and match during their lunch time. They definitely make us feel loved at my school!

Ahhhh Ryan. I definitely appreciate that you appreciate me!

So yesterday was my very first laser surgery treatment to help my ankle heal. I was incredibly nervous and didn't know what to expect. Luckily I have an awesome doctor who is so kind and comforting! I had to wear these crazy glasses with greenish-yellow lenses to protect my eyes from the laser. The actual procedure didn't hurt, which I was super grateful for! The doctor passed the laser over and over the injured areas. It sure did get hot, though, which makes perfect sense but was something I wasn't expecting. When one side of my ankle got too hot to handle, the doctor switched to the other side.  This process lasted about 30 minutes, and then I was done! I'll have to try to remember to snap some pics of the snazzy glasses and laser wand next week. I go for my second treatment on Monday, and the rest of the Mondays in May. The treatments are supposed to help with the blood circulation, which will aide the bone in it's healing process. I'm hoping to walk come June, but the doctor says it could take longer. Fingers crossed that they work and I can be up and moving around come June! I would like to thank you all for your incredible support and kindness through this process, I can't begin to tell you all how much your kind words, encouragement, and positive vibes have meant to me! Thank you all so much for being so awesome!!

How is your school celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week? I would love to hear from you! Don't forget that EVERYTHING in my TPT store goes on sale tomorrow! I have marked everything down 20% off, and if you use the TPT coupon code 'ThankYou' you can get an extra 8% off! That's a grand total of 28% savings! Awesomesauce!! Click on the graphic below to go right to my TPT store and start adding things to your cart so you're ready for check-out tomorrow!!  Don't forget to follow my store while you're there, just click on that little green star near my name! If I can reach 250 followers, I'm going to CELEBRATE!!

Magic Monday and Much Thanks

Well, today's the day. This Monday marks the very first of my month-long laser surgery treatments. I head to the doctor's office this afternoon to begin what I hope will be my final road to recovery. I have no idea what is in store for me, though I am told that it won't hurt. I am excited to begin this journey, and am thinking super positive thoughts that after my month's worth of treatments my ankle will be healed and I will be able to walk again. I am so very excited at the possibility of walking again!! I can't thank you all enough for the incredible outpouring of love and positive thoughts that have been sent my way recently! I owe an incredibly HUGE thank you to Susan Jennings from My Happy Place for giving me my very first shout out and helping me smile and feel so appreciated during my recovery! I would also like to send another HUGE thank you to Bonnie Kathryn from Kinders & Beyond and the incredibly sweet ladies at Teachers and Company. They have shown me such kindness by taking the time to give me a few shout outs on their Facebook Pages. Please click the links in their names or the pictures below to go 'Like' and 'Share' their Facebook pages, trust me you won't regret getting to know such fabulous people!

                        

These ladies are simply amazing, and it is totally worth your time to go and check them out if you haven't already! Their kindness has encouraged me to keep doing what I'm doing, and to do it even better! I can't thank them enough for how they've helped me!!

If you read my post yesterday then you noticed on my May Currently that I am currently LOVING the Bright and Bold Paper Box I received from the ever-amazing Krista Wallden. We all know and love her clip art designs and creations, but did you know that she is not into the decorative paper business??  She has created an incredibly awesome line of paper products, everything from note pads to note cards. She is offering them for sale in her TPT store as well as her brand new Etsy store. I purchased mine through the Etsy store, trying to save a bit of money on shipping costs.Also in her Etsy store you can but the pieces in separate bundles if you don't what the whole Bright and Bold paper line. But, if you purchase from her TPT store you can earn those TPT credits towards future purchases! My box came in the mail Saturday, and when I opened it up here is what I saw.

How cute is that?? All the paper goods came wrapped up in tissue paper, with a sweet little thank you from Krista herself. I love that I got to unwrap the notepads, it's just like getting a little present just for me. After all, who doesn't like getting presents?? I was so thrilled with what was inside the box, too!

This is everything that was in the box. Two packs of blank on the inside notecards, two large notepads, and three small notepads. Aren't those colors so amazingly bright and vibrant? And of course, who doesn't love Krista's clip art creations??

Here is a closer look at the note cards. There were two packs of them. One pack contained cards that were all the same, and have some of Krista's super adorable animal clip art creations on the front. The other pack was broken up into five different styles of cards, which you can see above. All of the cards are blank on the inside so that you can personalize your own message. I always keep cards like this in my desk drawer so that I can send home a quick note of encouragement, praise, or to thank a family for a kindness they showed. I just love the colors used in the designs, and I really think that they POP on that black background!

These are the three smaller notepads that were included. There is plenty of space to write notes or jot things down during a meeting. I love how the colors and designs allow these notepads to be used at any time during the year, and fit perfectly in any school bag.

These are the two larger notepads that were included. One of them is a weekly To Do List, which is perfect for me because if I don't write things down and schedule them out, they never get done! The other notepad is lined, which is perfect to use when taking notes during committee meetings, faculty meetings, or parent/teacher conferences.

I am simply in love with these paper products and I can't wait to start using them! I haven't been in my classroom much lately due to the accident, but I know that these little beauties will fit perfectly on my desk so that I can use them next year! If you are a fan of Krista Wallden, you really need to check out her newest paper collections! Have any of you bought clip art from Krista? What's your absolute favorite (or two or three since it's so hard to chose!)? I would love to hear from you! If you have purchased any of her new paper line, what do you plan on using it for? You know me, always looking for new ideas!

Sales Are Coming and May Currently

It's Sunday, and tomorrow is that ever-dreaded Monday! How many Mondays do you have left before your summer vacation starts? Come on, you know you're counting down! :-)

At our school, tomorrow begins our week-long Teacher Appreciation Celebration. Our principals and PTO are AMAZING and totally spoil us all week long. I'm really bummed I'll miss it this year! Each day is designated something different, like a Candy Bar, Dessert Day, or my very favorite day, lunch provided by Jake's Hamburgers. Oh, how I will miss that!!! Also this week TPT holds it's annual Teacher Appreciation Sale. The sale lasts from May 5-6 and you can save using the TPT coupon code 'Thank You'. My store is marked 20% off EVERYTHING! I'm excited to get some things off of my Wish List during this sale, and I bet you are too! Make sure you have your Wish List ready to go, fill up your cart with amazing resources, and check out during the May 5-6 Sale! I'm excited, aren't you?? <click on the image below to go right to my TPT store and start filling up your cart!>

How does your school recognize Teacher Appreciation days? I would love to hear from you about the treats and goodies you get this week so make sure to leave me a comment or two! I hope you know that you are all SO APPRECIATED!!!!

I am linking up with the amazing Farley of Oh Boy 4th Grade to participate in her totally awesome monthly linky party! Each month she shares a template where you fill out what you are currently doing and share it on your blog. Make sure to head over to her blog and read all about this awesome linky party!

I haven't done a Currently in so long, I forgot how much I missed it! Let me explain a bit more:

Listening: I am currently listening to the movie 'Unbroken'. It is truly heart breaking to see what some of the soldiers had to go to when they became prisoners of war. The strength of this man is incredible. 'If I can take it, I can make it!' If you get a chance, you should definitely watch this! I haven't read the book, but I hear it's even better!

Loving: In the mail today I received a most wonderful package! I had ordered the Creative Paper Box: Bold and Bright from the AMAZING Krista Wallden of Creative Clips. In case you didn't know, she has branched out into the world of paper products. I am very pleased with my box, and am going to be blogging all about it on Monday so make sure to come check it out!

Thinking, Wanting, Needing: This month, these three go together for me. As some of you know, on January 27th I was in a horrible car accident. My car was completely destroyed, but I was lucky enough to make it out of the accident with minor injuries. I broke the talus bone in my right ankle, which is an incredibly hard bone to break and equally hard bone to heal. I have been on the couch now since the accident, unable to bear weight on my ankle so unable to walk.  I have been out of work since the accident, unable to do ANYTHING but sit here on the couch. Suffice it to say, I'm going stir crazy. I definitely took for granted having two working legs, and never again will I be so casual about having the ability to get up and walk whenever I want to. I have been to see many doctors, and finally found an amazing specialist who is going to start laser surgery treatments on my ankle in hopes of healing the bone. I start my first treatment tomorrow, and will have another treatment every week for the whole month. If they work and heal the bone, then I will finally be able to walk again. I can't begin to describe how excited I am about the prospect of walking, even if I have to use crutches until my ankle can bear my weight again. I really, really need these treatments to work. I am so tired of being stuck on the couch, not being able to do anything at all.  I want to be able to walk in the sunshine, take my dog to the park, and go back to work. I am most definitely thinking, wanting, and needing these treatments to work so that I can walk again and get back to the life I was leading before the accident.

Surprise: I have to give a HUGE shout out to one of the sweetest ladies I know, Susan Jennings from My Happy Place. She has been such a sweet and kind friend during my rehabilitation. She went so far as to offer me anything from her TPT store that might help in the creation of sub plans, which is a kindness I can never repay. She also took it upon herself to send me messages of encouragement and went out of her way to advertise my blog when I was able to get back into blogging. I am so lucky to have gotten a chance to get to know her during this journey of mine, through my blogging and Facebook page. She is such a wonderful person, I want all of you to get to know her too! Here is the link to her Facebook page, My Happy Place. I would love if you would stop by and become one of her followers, maybe leave her a little message about how awesome she is! Also, here is the link to her TPT Store. Please hop on over to her store and become a follower. She has some truly amazing resources that you can use in your primary classroom, and she is a super sweet lady to boot!

Don't forget to head over to Farley's Oh Boy 4th Grade to check out the rest of the awesome folks who have linked up for her May Currently, and so that you can get a template for yourself! Leave me a comment if you link up so I can go read all about what you are Currently doing this month!

Spending Saturday

Ah, the weekend. Are there any two better days fit into the week than the weekend? I know how crazy and hectic the school week can be, and that it doesn't stop when the weekend rolls around!

I know that this is a graphic that has been floating around for a while and that most people have seen it, but it's so perfect, right?? Now that it's the weekend, how will you spend your Saturday? Did you bring home papers to grade? Do you have activities to create? Report cards to fill out, narratives to write, or data to enter? Or are you going to spend your Saturday doing non-school related stuff? Maybe heading to a game or taking your own kiddos to their games or functions? Just reading a book or taking a quick trip out of town? Me, I'll be in the same exact spot that I have been since the end of January, one the couch with my leg up. I would LOVE to hear how you're spending your Saturday! I can live vicariously through your adventures, since I still can't walk! However you spend your Saturday, I hope you are able to relax and recharge from the week so that you can get ready for the upcoming week. There aren't too many weeks left before the summer comes!