My New Obsession!

This weekend has been an eventful one, one that I will never forget! On Saturday my {future} nephew and {future} Godson was born! It was beyond exciting to find out the sex of the baby and the name... my {future} sister-in-law & brother-in-law didn't want to know the sex and kept the name choices a secret. As hard as it was to wait, I love that they did it this way! It made the wait that more exciting! Although I am not positive, I feel when I have my first born, that I will do the same.  This little one has brought so much joy to the family  and my fiancé and I can't get enough of him!!! I literally stare at his pictures when I am not at the hospital visiting and dream about his precious little face when I am sleeping! It's amazing how a baby can bring so much joy to people... he's just perfect!

The little bundle of joy!

My {future} brother-in-law and I

Five for Friday!

This is my first time linking up for Five for Friday and I wish I had more interesting things to share for the week, but here goes...

On Sunday, my fiancé and I went to the Garden States Outdoor Sports Show. I love spending time with my future hubby although all the fishing gadgets and hunting stuff aren't quite my thing. My favorite part was seeing these beautiful animals {don't be alarmed, there were signs saying these animals are not often caged}! 

My class has been working with ten frames for the past couple of weeks. Here is the "display" I started with this cute and effective Name in a Ten Frame activity. Thank you Sam from Fun with Firsties! Although I teach pre-k, I was able to complete the activity with my class by reading them the words and writing letters, words, or numbers in yellow marker for my students who were not able to form them. They were able to independently count how many letters in their name and how many more (how many are empty) they needed to make ten.

This week we covered the letter Rr. Although there are many Rr recognition, formation, and phonics activities we complete, my students absolutely loved making these "R is for rocket" watches that I recently created. 

I was born and raised a Steelers fan and one of my students got me this thermos for Christmas! I use it everyday because it's not only cute but it actually keeps my coffee hot unlike many others I have purchased in the past! It's helped me get through the week...it's the little things that matter in life ;)

As a new seller on TpT, My MLK Mini Pack has sold the most... hold your britches by most I mean 6... but yes, it is my top seller thus far! But I am proud that within a month I have been able to see the benefits of selling work that I have always created, but never had the resource to share with others... until I discovered TpT. This week my students will be completing many of these activities from this pack and other activities that I have had in my filing cabinet. 

I'd love to hear about your week... link up with Doodle Bugs to share with others!

A Day in the Life of Pre-K

Hi all! I'm linking up with Amelia from Where the Wild Things Learn for her linky! 

 

Here is a brief glimpse of my pre-k schedule below... I will explain it in more depth soon!!

Reception Tasting

 A week ago from today, my fiance and I had our first food tasting at The Primavera, where we will have our wedding reception. Boy was it amazing! They gave all the future brides, grooms, and family members a full cocktail hour and full Viennese dessert! I was not a bit shameful as I tried every horderve and dessert in sight! In between there were a few vendor presentations. We had such a great time and we were even picked to be the "pretend bride and groom", where we were told to run out to the dance floor with the fog machine going! In less than 11 months, I will be getting married! Wahoo! If anyone has any recommendations for a reasonable priced band in NJ, I'd love the input!

You Have My Heart... Math & Literacy Activities

I know my kiddos are going to love these new activities I created for the month of February! Some of the concepts covered are: counting, ten frames, sequencing, CVC words, & sight-words! I hope some of you can use them in your classroom as well! 

 

Must Read Linky

 

Happy Friday! It is the time of the year, where I feel my more advance students can be challenged and are slowly being introduced to CVC words. One skill the children will work on is sorting real CVC words and nonsense words. There's a Wocket in my Pocket by Dr. Seuss is a great way to introduce and give examples of nonsense words. It also is a great book when working on rhymes. The children love this book and find it absolutely amusing.

Top 10 Teacher Tips Linky

Although most of us here in the U.S. have started our school year well over four months ago, Aussie teachers are getting ready to go back for a new year.  It's great to share advice for novice teachers and also inspire veteran teachers to try new things.

Thanks Lauren from Love, Laughter, and Learning in Prep for hosting this fun linky. Here are my top 10:

 

1.  Top Tip for Classroom Organization

Don't only organize your files and resources but also make everything organized for your students! This helps them know exactly where to put and retrieve their papers, books, supplies, etc. Labels and pictures of where things go, help for smooth transitions and a neater classroom! It also encourages students become more independent.

2. Top Tip for Behavior Management

Be consistent and don't become a yeller... easier said than done, but find other ways to talk to your students at an appropriate tone. Students should know what is expected of them and what the consequences are. Remind students what the desired behavior is, by pointing out others who are behaving. You do not want to become a teacher who is known as a "yeller", so be sure to find other ways to communicate to your students.

3. Top Tip for Being a Team Player

The one I have struggled with is asking others for help. As a Chair of two committees, I sometimes overwhelm myself by stretching myself in too many directions due to feeling that I will burden others when I ask for help. I realized over the last couple of months that in order to keep sane, it is necessary to! Usually, others are very willing to help, especially the areas they are strong in! 

4. Top Tip for Time Management

Write down your class schedule each day for yourself and your students. If needed, set a timer. SMART notebook has cute timers for the SMART board.

5. Top Tip for Engaging Students

Be innovative! Keep things new and fun... such as hands-on activities and activities that allow your students to move throughout the classroom! Find, make, or purchase resources that make a great addition to your students workbooks.

6. Top Tip for Getting Along with Parents

Communicate with parents and highlight the GOOD not just the bad! Sending e-mails and making calls about areas of strength and growth, go a long way!

7. Top Tip for Teacher Fashion

Wear comfortable shoes, and add accessories to jazz up an outfit! High-heels may be adorable, but you don't want to be the teacher who is sitting down all day because your toes can't take it anymore! As Brooke from Teachable Moments stated, flats are a common favorite! My personal accessory favorites are chunky necklaces and scarfs!

8. Top Tip for Bargain Hunting

Dollar stores, Target's dollar section, and garage sales! 

9. Top Tip for Eating Well at School

Have healthy snacks in your closet or desk, to help avoid all the yummy treats others bring in! 

10. Top Tip for Staying Sane

Have reasonable expectations for yourself. I think all teachers are multitask-ers, but try not to take on too much at one time. I think by doing this, we are more successful in the areas/things we are working on.