CURRENTLY.... July

Happy July 1st Dear Friends!

It's been awhile since I linked up with Farley at Oh Boy 4th Grade for a Currently.

Here it is:  My July Currently

As my kiddos get older they seem to get along with one another so much better.  This summer I have so enjoyed listening to my kids play together, giggle together, and just have fun being with each other.  My 3 boys enjoy playing Minecraft together.... I can't lie.. I can tell you there were some disagreements ( VOICES RAISED)  when their little brother decided to destroy their homes.  

Although summer is very busy for my family with baseball and other sporting events, it's still so much of a more relaxed pace than the school year.  I LOVE this down time.  No homework to rush to finish, school events to race to after supper, and late night papers to grade.........  

I have a long list of TPT units that I hope to create over the summer that I can use in my classroom this next school year.  BUT  I've finished NOT ONE.   Sigh....

I would LOVE to hire someone to clean my house but it hasn't happened yet.  Someday....  Maybe....  Actually, I don't mind cleaning a house.  There's some satisfaction to things looking all nice and tidy for a few minutes anyway.    ... I have four children.    

For the Fourth of July we have a tradition of having family and friends over to our house.  My husband grills hamburgers and hotdogs.  We have the traditional 4th of July backyard barbecue.   Our house is located on the outskirts of town, so we are able to sit on our back deck and watch the fireworks displays of 3 nearby towns.  Then we have our own fireworks complete with the "snake", "sparklers",  and the "flying parachute" men.    My kids love it!

Don't forget to check out all of my FRIENDS' July Currentlys.

Just click on the OH Boy 4th grade icon at the top of this post.

Thanks for stopping by!

It's Currently February

Hi Sweet Friends!

Normally it feels as if these months fly by, but I have to say that January was not one of them.

I am not a fan of cold weather, AT ALL.  This has been the worst winter I can remember in such a long time.  We only had school 12 days out of the whole month of January!

It's been awhile, and I couldn't wait to link up with Farley at Oh Boy Fourth Grade for her Currently Linky.

 

I'm loving how incredibly sweet and thoughtful my students have been this week.  Seriously!! It just warms my heart.  I tore my meniscus while doing a crazy workout that no one that will be 40 in a few months should be doing ( lesson learned), so I literally hopped on one foot to school the next day.  My sweet students were so concerned because I spent the day rolling around in my office chair around the classroom.  I'm one that NEVER sits except during my lunch.  I had so many sweet notes and help during the week.  I even had one sweet boy who can be a bit challenging say to me, " I feel kind of different today because I know you aren't feeling the best."  It was even his best week yet!!

I've been thinking that with all of this winter weather, my hubs and I need to sit down and plan out our warm weather vacay with the family.  We are thinking of taking the kids to Tybee Island this year.

I really WANT to getaway to a warm tropical place NOW.  Seriously!  I don't like the cold.  I much prefer the sun, sand, and beach.  My favorite place to go would be St. John.  Unfortunately our state tests are just weeks away, so this teacher won't be going anywhere warm and tropical for awhile.

2 truths and a fib:

Truth 1: I can't watch scary movies.  I just can't.  My hubs loves them. 

Truth 2: 
My hubs and I hiked up to the top of a mountain in Alta, Utah last Fall.  It took us only 4 hours to get to the top, but it was worth it.  The view was incredible, and we were literally standing above the clouds.  It wasn't an extremely tall mountain ( elevation of about 11,000 feet) but nonetheless it was challenging.  

Fib:

I spend my summers in the Caribbean.  While my hubs and I joke about retiring and buying a home on Water Island ( near St. Thomas) someday, I am lucky enough to visit somewhere in the Caribbean about every other year.  Love that crystal clear water and sunshine!

Thanks for stopping by!  Don't forget to check out the other February Currently's.  Click the link below to be taken to them.

Currently... August

Did I hear someone mention the word "August"?

Where has the summer gone?  We go back August the 12.  10 days away!!!

I'm linking up with the Amazing Farley at Oh Boy 4th Grade for Currently August.

 I've been working like a mad woman trying to plan and complete preparations of my classroom. I am one of those teachers who feels so much better if my room is completely ready, plans have been made for the next 2 weeks, and copies and etc are in their bins BEFORE school ever begins.  It's a sickness, I know.

I have mentioned before that we have 3 boys and 1 girl.  Sometimes I think my sweet daughter probably feels  a little left out with all the boy activities that seem to go on at our house.  She prefers the calm and quiet.  Unfortunately that's just not how it normally is at our house.   So this summer one day a week we had mother/daughter date days.  Loved this!!! 

Today is my Sweet Mom's heavenly birthday.  She passed away from cancer 4 years ago.  I miss her terribly! 

My house is in need of a Back to School cleaning frenzy.  Seriously! 

My Top 3 Back to School Must Have's are:

1.  A Teacher Planner

This year I broke down and ordered an Erin Condren Teacher Planner.  I am loving it!

2.  A teacher bag

I love my Thirty One bag!

3.  A B2S Outfit

Seriously!  I'm just like my kids.  I always love to have a new outfit to wear on the first day of school.  My favorite places to shop are The Limited and The Loft.

Don't forget to check out all of the amazing Currently's by clicking on the photo below.  Thanks for stopping by Friends!  Please stop by Sunday for an AMAZING Back to School Giveaway with lots of FREEBIES that I am participating in with some bloggy friends.  I can't wait!!!

Currently July... Almost

Hi Dear Friends!

Can you believe it's almost July?!

Seriously, it just seemed like it was May.

June has flown by.

I am linking up with Farley from Oh Boy 4th Grade for the July CURRENTLY.

It's no secret that I am a St. Louis Cardinal's fan. Today my favorite pitcher, Adam Wainwright was pitching.  I just had to watch the game while finishing up my newest back to school unit.

I am in LOVE with this summer weather we have had.  Normally in the St. Louis area, it's HOT and HUMID.  I think last year our temps were in triple digits at this time of the year.  It's a beautiful 72 degrees right now which is supposed to continue through the 4th of July.  Woot!  Woot!

My little ole laptop and I need some time away from one another.  Seriously!  I've been putting in some late nights working on all the back to school projects I want to have completed.  After my little ones are tucked in and my hubs is fast asleep, I am typing away on my laptop.  

I would LOVE to have a new printer.  I have LOTS of new task cards and activities that I want to get printed.  I have the printer below on my wishlist from Amazon.com.

I am needing large table for small group instruction this school year.  I am going "deskless" this year in my classroom with hopes of filling the area where my desk once was with a large table for small group instruction.  I wrote a Donor's Choose project in hopes of having this project funded.  My time will soon be running out on this project ,and it makes me a little nervous.   Click HERE if you would like to take a peek at my project.

I have learned so much from all of you sweet bloggers.  I am so thankful for all of you!  You are all so sweet to share, help, and inspire me. Thank you!  I just have a couple of tips.  First, I would definitely add a Facebook Fans Only Freebie tab to your fan page.  It's easy to do, and is a great way to share with your followers.  Second, join those summer linky parties.  There are so many going on right now.  It's a great way to become more visible, and meet other bloggers.

I also just had to share my newest Back to School Unit.  It's called Back to School Writing Activities for grades 2-4.  This unit contains 5 fun and engaging writing activities.  These would also work well for a bulletin board display or an open house display.  Take a look at the preview pictures below.

I 've included a Common Core alignment page with this unit as well.

Writing Activity 1:  Includes a Goal setting activity in which students create learning goals for the new school year.  These goals can either be written on the ipad format or on the ipad with the apps format.

Writing Activity 2: Friends Through the Year Paper bag Album Activity

In this activity students create a paper bag album.  This album includes writing activities on friendship.  Students can also keep pictures of their friends or those character building notes from classmates in the pockets created by the paper bag album.

Writing Activity 3:  "Pinning" A Great School Year

This craftivity is Pinterest inspired.

Students are to write down activities, lessons, or units that they hope to learn this new school year.  These ideas are written on the triangles of the pinwheels that students will make.  These pinwheels are then adhered to the writing sheet " Pinning" A Great School Year.  Boxes for categories are included.

Writing Activity 4: Bubble Writing Activity

Writing Activity 5:  I Am Special writing activity

You can learn more about this writing unit by clicking HERE.

Have a safe and happy 4th of July Friends!

It's Currently.... 11 days and counting

Hi Dear Friends!

I cannot believe it is already May !

Thus begins the end of year  stress RUSH at school... grades, benchmarking, and inventory.

AND at home the month of May begins baseball games, birthday celebrations, and family get togethers.

What a busy month!!!

I couldn't wait to link up with Farley at Oh Boy 4th Grade for her May Currently.

It is finally spring like around here, AND I am loving it.  I was able to plant some flowers over the weekend, AND I love to hear the birds sing in the morning. It brings a little "calm" to my world.

I am loving that we have only 11 more days of school!  The year has gone by so fast.  Even though I am eager to start the summer fun with my own kiddos, I will miss the students I have had this past year.  They were such a fabulous group!!

Yesterday, the 3rd grade classes had a field trip.  We changed it up a bit this year and kept it local.   We were blessed with a beautiful day of sunshine.  The students walked to a local park for a picnic lunch and games, and then we walked to our local movie theater to watch a movie with popcorn and soda.  It was the most relaxing field trip I have ever been on.  NO bus ride was such a bonus!!!

On my Summer Bucket List are several things, but I'm looking forward to a trip to the beaches of the Virgin Islands in June with my hubs.  I would also love a personal IPAD for home for my family.

Thanks for stopping by!
Don't forget to check out the other May Currently's by clicking on the link below.

It's CURRENTLY April!!!

Hi Sweet Friends!

I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday weekend.

I sure did!  I ate way too many Reese's peanut butter eggs and Starburst jellly beans.

They are my favorite!  It's back to my diet today.

I couldn't wait to link up with Farley for her April Currently!

Sadly, it's the last day of our spring break.  I could use a few more days for those things I procrastinated about completing.... grading papers and organizing closets.  You know... all that "fun stuff".

I get to listen to the quiet as I work on this post.  My kiddos are at the sitters for a couple of hours while I try to get those last minute things accomplished before I go back to work tomorrow.  

I LOVE that I live in small town America and am an American.  The body of a Fallen Marine Hero will be arriving to our small town today.  As I drove though our small town this morning, there were flags everywhere.  It was a sea of red, white, and blue.  I had chills and tears in my eyes.  What a beautiful sight, and such a great tribute to this fallen Marine.  Hundreds of volunteers gathered together on Easter Sunday to place these 2200 U.S. flags in our small town to honor the fallen Marine as his body arrives back to his hometown today.   I had to take the opportunity to show my kiddos this sea of U.S. flags this morning.  I thought it so important for them to see.  My two youngest boys LOVE to play soldiers.  They have their battle tanks, plastic soldiers, helicopters, and so forth.  They were touched to see the flags and had many questions.

Thank you Marine Corporal Aaron Ripperda for your honorable service to our country!

Thank you so much for all of you who serve in our military!!

Now that spring has finally sprung around here, I'm thinking a picnic and trip to the park is in order on this last day of spring break for my sweet kiddos.  We've had so much fun!

I'm ready for SUMMER!  ..... so much time off has had me spoiled.  Sleeping in until 7 a.m., fun activities, no homework or other school related responsibilities...  We have 36 more days of school!!

My advice is "Be True to Yourself" and " Be the Best You Can Be".  Don't pretend to be someone you're not or create products that you wouldn't use yourself in your classroom.  Do what works for you!  Also, be the best you can be. Don't stress out that a product isn't completed right away or that you can only post to your blog once a week.  Life is busy and all of us understand that there are many other responsibilities that come first and are more important.  I remember when I started this blog over a year ago, I felt pressure to put a new post out each day.  I would spend hours up during the night working on this when I should have been sleeping.  I was worn out and a just a tad bit  grouchy... I've since realized sleep is very important ,and that I'm not going to lose followers because I don't have a new post every couple of days.

Don't forget to check out all of the other April Currently's by clicking on the photo below.

One more thing... I couldn't wait to share with you two of my newest TPT units.  I am using these things week and for the next few weeks in my classroom.  Just click on the photos below to learn more about them.

A novel study on " A Taste of Blackberries"  This is aligned to the Common Core for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade.  It contains 89 pages.  It includes a 26 page student workbook of vocabulary, comprehension questions, and language activities.  It also includes 3 close reads and activities that go with the theme of this novel.  It also contains a bee research project.  My favorite part is the lap book over essential story elements.  It has 7 foldables and I will be using these with our mini lessons with this novel study.  I also have included 3 vocabulary stations and a guide on how to implement the activities in this unit into stations.  

This last unit is my Solar System Mega Pack Unit aligned to the Common Core.  It includes a Student workbook with informational text on our solar system, an assessment over the solar system, a research project, and a solar system lap book with 7 foldables.  Just click on the photos above to find out more.

Have a fabulous week friends!  Thanks for stopping by!!

March Currently and March Freebies!

I am SO hApPy that it's March!

I am SO not a winter person, and March means spring is just around the corner.

Woohoo!!!  

I'm linking up with Farley at Oh Boy 4th Grade for her March Currently.

My 3 year old is currently obsessed with Spider Man.  He LOVES to watch the movies over and over and over and over...    His clothing choices must include a Spider Man logo.  AND thanks to his sweet aunt, he has many Spider Man characters to play with.  

I do NOT like winter.  It's never been the season for me.  Don't get me wrong.. I love snow days and watching the pretty stuff fall while in the comfort of my own home.  I just don't like to be cold.  Luckily I live in an area in which the winter blasts aren't so bad and snowfall is limited.  So when March comes, I know that spring is just around the corner.  My boys are stir crazy, and ready to be able to run and play outside after school.   

Our state testing begins this week.  I've been working on planning some fun activities for my students to do between tests.  They work SO hard and really do try their best. 

I must be in a winter slump  with this little ole' blog.  I am in need of some inspiration.  Anyone else go through those slumps of no creativity??  I'm hoping that after this testing week is over and we can get back to our normal school routine, that the "inspiration" will begin.

Since my name begins with a "K", I chose three words for like, love, hate that begin with a "K".

I like Kit-Kats.   I haven't had one in two months since I began my fitness plan, but they are my chocolate of choice.  

I LOVE my 4 kiddos.  They are our pride and joy!  AND they are growing up so fast.  

I hate kleenex.  I need to explain this one a bit.   I put this because currently my family has been having colds and allergy issues with this CrAzY weather we have been having.  So kleenex is just an awful reminder of this nasty stuff.   We have gone through boxes and boxes of kleenex this winter, and so has my little ole' classroom.

Don't forget to check out everyone's March Currently by clicking on the link at the bottom of this post.

I also wanted to share with you a couple of March freebies I had created last year. Just click on the preview pictures below to be taken to this free download.

1.  Lucky Puppy Craftivity

2. March Making Words Activity

Check out the March Currently's by clicking on the link below.

Currently!

Hi Sweet Friends!

I hope everyone has been enjoying their weekend.

It's that time again!  Time to link up with Farley for the December edition of Currently.

I may have mentioned this before, but we have family traditions we do every year with our gang around Christmas.  One of those is visiting a historic downtown community.  It's complete with the old colonial brick homes and cobblestone streets.  Every year after Thanksgiving, begins a Christmas tradition in this town.  The stores along  Main Street are decorated in Christmas greens, old time carolers walk the streets, Old World Santas walk up and down the cobblestone sidewalks passing out their trading cards, and horse drawn carriage rides.    So today, we packed up our Armada and headed west to visit this Christmas tradition.  Such fun!!

That's my Dad on the right...

Even though it's not even Christmas yet, I've been working on my New Year's Resolution. I signed up with my teaching friend ( who is next door to me .. LOVE!) to begin a new fitness class and fitness regimen after Christmas.  I'm really excited about this!   So today, my friend ( who has been in this program for some time) invited me to a workout session with the trainer.  Wowsers!!!  As we are going through the circuits, my friend and the other ladies in our small group are barely breaking a sweat. AND me... I'm sweating profusely and had hair falling out of my ponytail.  I was one hot mess.  I am stubborn and refused to give up , but those last 10 minutes I couldn't even finish.  I thought I was going to pass out literally.   My pride was just a little bit wounded.   What have I gotten myself into?! 

I've been looking for an external hard drive to back up my Mac.  I generally keep my files on a flash drive, but after the incident that happened with one a few weeks ago, I realize my need for a more reliable back up for my files.   Any suggestions?

Random Act of Kindness... we have an amazing day care provider for my children.  She's amazingly SWEET and like a grandma for my kids.  We love her!!!  She's been having some health issues lately so I thought we would surprise her with some homemade chicken noodle soup.  My kids are excited to help make it and deliver it to her door.

Don't forget to link up with Farley for the December Currently. Just click on the link below.

Math Games and CURRENTLY

I have begun using math workshop in my classroom these past couple of 

weeks ,AND I love it!  I don't use math workshop everyday in math, but about 3 times

a week.  

One of the rotations I used with my students today was the "MATH IT UP" board.

They LOVED it!  Most of my students noticed this new addition to our classroom as soon

as they walked in this morning.  How observant!!  

I am completely out of space in my classroom for another board, so I used the back of

my BOGGLE board ( which is actually an oil pan). 

 You can find this fabulous FREE resource from Teacher on the Loose by clicking HERE.

I also found these fabulous math card games from Serenade to Second Grade.

  My students can choose to do these when they have finished with their work.  Today I used them in a math rotation.  After the students had finished their " At Their Seat" activity, they could pick a math game to play.  You can download these math games HERE.

AND here's my September Currently.  Don't forget to link up with Oh Boy Fourth Grade.

Okay, this Midwestern gal had her first trip to the mountains of Utah.  LOVE!  My husband and I had a getaway weekend ( without kids) to a mountain resort near Alta, Utah.  We did so much hiking, and I saw a mamma moose and her baby.  Very cool!  The views were SO amazing!

We have our first field trip of the year on Friday.  It is to a large farm near our school. Our local historical society now uses this property.  The founder of PET milk owned  this farm. Each year a weekend event called " Harvest Days" is held.  Students learn about life during the pioneer days.  They have so much fun with this.  Unfortunately it is supposed to storm and rain on this day, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we can get this field trip in.

I REALLY want a subscription to Tumble Books.  I have used this several times already this week.  I am using a month trial subscription for free.  The yearly subscription cost is $499.  Yikes!

Some of my favorite things lately are:
1. My Erin Condren planner...
2. Sunburst fruit snacks... I keep these in my desk for a quick snack after school.  My kids have me hooked on these snacks.
3. My pencil sharpener from Classroom Friendly Supplies... I LOVE this sharpener!

To find out more about this fabulous sharpener, click on the picture above.

Have a fabulous rest of the week!