Picture Books for Springtime

It is officially SPRING!   Spring Break is right around the corner for me.  Did you have your Spring Break yet?  If so, hopefully it was a nice relaxing, rejuvenating break!   

Spring, to me, signifies that the end of the school year is near.  Don't get me wrong - I love teaching and I love my job... but this year has been a doozy.  I'm ready for the sunshine, flowers, and the happiness that spring brings to get me to June!

Springtime is a magical time when flowers are blooming, the sun is shining, and the animals are out and about - there is new life everywhere.  Today I'm sharing some of my favorite Springtime picture books.  I'm hoping they give you and your classroom that energized springtime boost that we all need right now! 

Fonts: PB Fonts (PBFrenchVanillaBold), AG Fonts (AGFluentinSarcasm)

Happy Springtime by Kate McMullen - After a long winter, everyone celebrates spring in this cute, colorful picture book. 

Bloom by Anne Booth - A man is upset when his flowers won't grow until a little girl teaches him about the importance of using kind words. This book teaches about kindness, impact of words, and emotions. 

Spring Stinks: A Little Bruce Book by Ryan T. Huggins - Bruce's friend Ruth the bunny can't wait to smell the smells of spring with Bruce.  But Bruce thinks spring stinks! 

Abracadabra, It's Spring! by Anne Sibley O'Brien  -  This book celebrates beautiful spring - trees and flowers blooming, birds hatching, butterflies fluttering.  

Kite Day by by Will Hillenbrand - Bear and Mole build a kite of their own - studying, collecting, measuring, and constructing - until their kite is flying high. 

Spring is Here by Will Hillenbrand - Another cute Bear and Mole story!  In this story, Mole is ready to experience spring but his friend Bear is still fast asleep from Winter.  Mole has to figure out how to wake Bear up so they can celebrate spring together. 

I hope you find these books enjoyable and you are able to fit them into your springtime lessons and activities.  If you're looking for some more spring activities, check out these Boom Cards or these free digital papers to create some colorful, bright resources of your own. 

What springtime picture books would you add to the list?

In-Person Unknowns...and a FREEBIE!

I am just crossing my fingers (and toes..) that we're not starting Fall in person.  There are so many unknowns....

*How many students can we safely fit into one classroom?

*When will we have time to sanitize?

*What if students show up with the bare minimum of supplies?

*How will I walk my students in a line and make sure they are 6 feet apart?

*How am I going to reach all the different levels of learners if we can't do small groups?

*How am I going to manage and sanitize all my math manipulatives?

....I could just keep listing unknowns.

When I taught 1st grade we always used cubes.  When I taught Kindergarten we always used cubes.  When I was the K-4 title teacher WE USED CUBES. 

If we are going back in-person, I'll be a small group Title teacher again.  I usually see an average of 20-30 students per day- hopefully that number will be a lot smaller because of the risks.  I DO NOT have enough cubes for 20-30 kids to each have their own set.  I don't have enough of anything to make sure each student has their own set.  

I figured out a solution to one problem.  Now I WILL have enough cubes for every single student to have their own set.  Well....kinda. 

They aren't real cubes.  But, they are a safer option - especially when you need LOTS.  There are 21 different colors - so everyone should be able to have their own color.  There are also white cubes so you can save your colored ink - and students will get to color their own.   If you laminate them, you could easily spray them down with Lysol every now and then.  If students lose them, you can print off more.  

Are they as good as real cubes? No way.  But, they might be the only option for some teachers who are struggling to make individual sets of materials for their students.  I hope they can help you out.  If you're interested, click the picture to download them.  :)

That's it for now.  School talk stresses me out.  LOL.

Anxiously Awaiting Back to School... with a Freebie!

I am STRESSED and ANXIOUS over the plans for Fall.   I go back on August 3rd.  Our student start date was pushed back to September 2nd, so I'll have almost a month of professional developments and preparations for the new school year.

I still don't know what it'll look like.  We had three choices: in-person, blended and virtual.  I requested virtual because it's scary being immunocompromised and having to go back to a classroom of germs. I work with K-4 students (if I get to keep my same position) and, so far, K-2 students are not required to wear masks.  But, things are changing constantly and I really don't know anything - how I'll be teaching, where I'll be teaching, what grade level I'll be teaching.

So, how am I preparing? I'M NOT!  Usually my classroom is set-up, my first week plans are copied and I'm feeling ready to go.  Not this year.  

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I have been updating products in my store though.  :) 

This opinion writing freebie is perfect for your students who are at the point of transitioning from just supplying an opinion to being able to support their opinion with a reason. Click the picture if you'd like to see more about it!

Do you know what school will look like for you in the Fall?  Are you teaching virtually?  Are students required to wear masks?

Trying to Tackle Digital & Distance Learning

I don't know about you, but I am struggling with figuring out the best way to reach my students.  I could sit here and list the struggles I'm facing, but we all have struggles.  All we can do is the best we know how to do.  

Whatever you're doing is enough. 💓

I thought I'd share some of the resources I've created.  Hopefully you find something you'll be able to use with your students while you're trying to figure out what works best.  Or maybe you're one of the lucky ones and you've already established a routine.  That's awesome!  Maybe these resources will fit in with your distance learning plan. 🙂

Click any of the images to get a closer look at the resource. 

     

      

    

   

       

     

   

   

                                                

Thanks for reading!  Come back for more digital & distance learning ideas.  Remember - you're doing enough! 💗

Happy Sunday!

Happy Sunday!

I just wanted to let you know about a product that I've spent LOTS and LOTS of time on.  Although I'm not in the classroom right now (thank goodness for short term disability...!), I'm looking forward to using this product with my small groups when I get back.  I've found that SO many of the students in my groups (K-2) need so much help with CVC words.

I feel like short vowel sounds and CVC words are the first necessary stepping stone to harder phonics skills. CVC words follow phonics rules - exactly how they were first learned in preschool or Kindergarten.  The letter a says /a/ like apple.  Cut and dry.  Piece of cake. Easy to understand. Right?

Once they really grasp that, then we get to trick them and say, "HA!  The letter a doesn't only make a short sound...guess what!  It says it's name, that's called a long vowel.  Oh, and the long sound can be spelled in so many different ways!"  It just gets so confusing. 

Some of the students in my groups didn't even know their letter sounds.  So...how on Earth are we going to be successful in sounding out CVC words....let alone the long vowels that they're learning in class.  To be honest, it's scary that a student has made it to 2nd grade without knowing their letter sounds and being able to sound out CVC words.  We have LOTS of transient students, so that's not my business.  My business is catching them up...showing they CAN and WILL crush their goals in Tier 2, so they aren't pushed to Tier 3.

That's why I'm loving my new position (RtI small group teacher).  I get to work with the kids that really need me.  I get to figure out exactly what they need and start at that point.  Then, I get to watch as they meet goal after goal.  Although each and every student in my group has my heart, my favorite is when I get to push them back down to Tier I and keep them in the classroom.

How are they meeting their goals?  That's a whole different blog post (that I'll get to eventually).  For now, I just want you to check out my newest product.... something I'm excited to use in my groups.  A FUN way to help my students master CVC words and meet their goals....

 We LOVE I Have, Who Has games in group.  YES.  I play them in small groups!  Although there are 24 cards in the complete game (and I only have about 6 students), I just give each person more cards!
(Click the picture to take you to my store)

If you only need a specific vowel sound.. I also listed them as individual products.  Click on the pictures to see the product on TpT! 

       

      

       

       

        

Crazy About Clip Art

Is anyone else obsessed with clip art?  When I purchase a new set, I immediately have so many great ideas for products running through my mind.

My only problem is - I WANT ALL OF THE CLIP ART. All.Of.It.

I love, love, love Whimsy Clips.  Big heart eyes love.  Everything is so cute!

While I was in the hunt for some shape clip art, I stumbled on a brand new (to me) artist -  Creating4 the Classroom

I think I've purchased 5 different sets from her this week.  The clip art is so clear, clean, and cute.  You HAVE to check it out!  I'm sad that I didn't find this shop years ago!

Go check those two shops out if you haven't seen their clip art sets yet!
(click the pictures to go to their TpT stores)

New Position, New Product!

I wanted to tell you a little story...

...a sad story that has a super happy ending!

THE SAD PART:
I left the classroom this year... kinda.  I still have a classroom, but not my own group of students.  You see - I knew in my heart that I'd be getting a kidney transplant (even though, at the time, I didn't have a donor).  With kidney transplant surgery and the crazy immune suppressant meds you need to be on after, I knew I'd be out for 3 months. So, instead of having my own classroom, having to create sub plans for the 3 months that I'd be out, hoping they found a sub, hoping my students grew/learned as much as they needed to - I took the opportunity to take a small group intervention/Title I position. 

...AND GOOD THING I DID. 

Turns out I ran out of FMLA time in January...but, I'm out until March.  I'm not guaranteed my exact position when I return.  Which is scary and sad.    Luckily, they did not fill my position with a sub while I was gone.  So, it makes my chances of getting my exact job back that much more secure.  Hopefully!

Bottom line... it was a huge life change after 13 years with my own family of students.

Ready for the HAPPY PART??

I DID get a kidney transplant!

I was able to have my own classroom space to teach my small groups.

I work with amazing students in grades K-4.

I was still able to create strong relationships with the students I work with.

I greet every single student from K-8 when they walk in to school because my morning post is right at the front door.

Everything is hands-on in my small groups.  I love having the students being the ones doing.  There are incredible results when you meet them at their level.

I collect SO much data....data is my favorite! Ignore how sloppy it is.  It's just my way of tracking our daily activities, jotting notes about how they performed, and tracking weekly data. 

Oh, and with these 3 months off... I've done a lot of updating and creating.  Here's one of my newest little creations.. on sale for $1 (only for a couple days).  Click the picture if you want to go take a look!