How could I resist a Target and Lakeshore GIVEAWAY?!

Erica, at Erica's Elementary Excitement is giving away two amazing gift cards to my favorite store (Target.... as if you didn't know) and Lakeshore!! Check her out and enter to see if you will win!

Tagxedo is co cute!!

I found this through the Teaching Blog Addict blog! Head on over there for the link and how to make your own! I used my blog as a site to generate the words.. it's similar to Wordle, but you can make it into shapes!

Do you SMARTboard?

I'm so lucky and excited to have a SMARTboard in my new classroom. I used one daily in student teaching and I think they are the greatest tool! I'm planning on doing my attendance, calendar, and "morning message"on it with the students. Are there any other SMARTboard activities that you do with your students that they just love? How do you feel about your SB?

Happy Monday! :)

Considering changing blog title to *target addict*

I'm afraid to tell the world that I am posting yet again on Target :-x Not only do I need to enroll in a Target AA, but an Organization AA. A certain someone walked into my kitchen today and saw (below) and said "Are those ALL for you?!?" I think he's worried.. ha. The green /light blue/ dark blue buckets are from Dollar Tree and going to be used at students own book boxes. I am going to put a label on each with their name, number in the class, and title like "______'s Book Box" although probably more creative than that; I will post them when I make them! As for the yellow, green, blue, red stack of baskets, these were $2.50 each in the Target dollar spot. I wish they'd been a dollar, but still compared to Really Good Stuff- Lakeshore-Oriental Trading, they were a great price so I bought out the store! I am going to use these for the class library. I also bought out the store with the next set of colorful bins. I'm not sure what to use these for though.... ideas? maybe manipulative? Hmm.

My other target treasures included pocket charts, "gems" for when they have good behavior the whole week- they can choose a gem to hot glue to their pencil/tool boxes. I found 75 packs in the dollar section, and these can get pricey at Michaels/ JoAnnes, what a steal :). I also found little pom balls, plain colored and sparkly... I'm sure I'll come up with some project for them! Any ideas!? 


*AND I found the $1 dry erase boards :) I bought 60! 30 for myself and 30 for a team mate*

OH! I also found magnetic letters and numbers! I was giddy about these for a center :) I am planning on buying a magnetic board like this (below) when I venture out to the Lakeshore store in August. 

I wish I could go sooner, but my school is still under construction until Aug 12!! Yikes. I will be running around to try and cute up my room for a few weeks straight!

My School's Progress as of today!

Target Pictures!!! Woo!

Sorry some of them are turned, it's been a long day and fighting with the blogger isn't on my list of things to do tonight! :) You can get the gist of what great things I found today though! Also, I went back this evening and I saw book boxes! But only 2 left :( .......do one of you live in my town!? Only kidding, but other teachers must be on the prowl! Good luck at your Targets.

Target FREAK OUT!!!!!!!!

I realize my last post was about target... but this one is as well, because yes, I'm that obsessed!

SO, I went today right as it opened to scope out the dollar section, and boy was I happy I did! My target started putting out the teacher/school stuff TODAY! It will slowly be trickling in over this week and the next few is what I'm told ( I asked the lady stocking the shelves). So as I jumped up and down like a nerd, I loaded my cart with what you see in the pictures... (There was a lot of Dr. Seuss stuff out). The Dr. Seuss re-useable bags are genuis! I'm planning on using these as the kids book bags. They can take home a book from the class library every monday and friday and these bags will hold up nicely! Those cheap-o name plates I'm going to use for 1st week or so before I break out my cute ones... because you never know who is or isn't going to show up from your class list! The name tags for their shirts I'll just use the first day :)

The work books I thought I would make copies of some pages and use it as "I finished early" work.
                                                      

**the pictures were not working! I will try to reload them tonight so you can see my goodies!**

Dear Target...I Love you.

My Dearest Teacher Bloggers...

TARGET DOLLAR SECTION is going to be bursting with teaching items very soon :) I am on the hunt for :

$1 white boards that are plain on one side and lined on the other

Book bins

Pocket charts

and probably anything else teachery since it's my first year!

Here's where you come in!! Can you let me know when this stuff starts popping up in Targets near you? I'm a Michigan girl... so if any of you are like me or mid-westerners, maybe our targets have similar timing?! I was googling around and saw on Proteacher.com that a lot of people said it starts showing up after July 4th... which isn't far away! 

Also, target in all it's teacher glory has the cutest wall decorations! I found polka dots, letters, "educational", numbers, owls, sea life, sports, treasure, animals, etc... pretty much any classroom theme you can imagine, they have wall decor for it!!

I'm stalking you...

Blog Stalker Linky Party :)

Okay so I must admit my faults, I too am a blog stalker! The Cooperating Teacher I worked with this past year got me into the blog stalking. Her daughters (my best friends conveniently! ) call her a "Blog Lerker" hehe.

I stalk all the blogs you see over there ----->

Whenever there is a new post, I head on over to their pages and check it out!

Link up with CFC to admit you're one too!

TPT Store giveaway and CUTE classroom!

Head on over to Mrs. Kelly's Kindergarten for her giveaway with Mrs. Patton! Everything in their TPT stores!!

Also, Have you visited The Polka Dot Patch? Her classroom is so insanely cute I cannot even handle myself! I would pay her to come decorate mine like that!! {Now you know you want to check it out ;) }

And the winner is...

Ali from What Happens in Kindergarten, Lasts a Lifetime! Congrats :) 

Please send me a message with your email so I can send your Classroom Yellow Pages to you!

Fill in the blank LINKY Party :)

1.   The last movie I saw was Just Go With It... it was alright, nothing to write home about!

2.  I want to  get a back massage!

3.  Surprises are   always accepted and fun :)

4.  The best accessory is a purse, or shoes.... it's a tie.

5.  My favorite warm drink is soy cinnamon dolce latte from Starbucks

6.  My favorite cold drink is  Blueberry Roobios and Pineapple Kona Pop iced tea from Teavana!!

7.  Currently loving Tyler Ward's song/video "The Rescue" on YouTube... seriously check it out.. it's touching.

GIVEAWAY reminder

Have you entered my giveaway yet!? Post about it on your blog and leave me a comment :)

I smell a GIVEAWAY!!!

Well I'm not at any special number of followers or anything yet, but I have created something for my own classroom and I'd like to give it away to one of my blog buddies :) ! I made a "Classroom Yellow Pages," this was an idea that came about during my student teaching by another teacher and I decided to act upon it! 
How many times a day do you hear " Ms. _____ Can you tie my shoe? Open my snack? Zip my coat? Sharpen my pencil? etc" This can get a little over whelming hearing it 3458739320 times a day when you're trying to get work done! So the classroom yellow pages is a way for students to "look up" other students in the class who are good at things like tying shoes, opening snacks, zipping coats, etc, so they do not have to ask you! 

Preview of pages: 14 included :)

Ways to Enter:

1. Follow my blog

2. Post about my giveaway on your blog

3. Comment on this post telling me you did both :)

Back to School Giveaway

Miss Kindergarten is giving away an awesome Back to School kit!! I would love to win this kit, how great for a first year teacher!? You can enter by clicking on her blog on my sidebar :)

Ikea, Labels, Tubs, and Cute!

I have been gathering things for my classroom, as well as creating things because I believe some of the stuff you find at the teacher stores can be made even cheaper (and cuter!)... Let me know what you think! Sorry about the odd picture placement, the blog was fighting back!

Ikea children's stools and bath mats that I will
use for reading spots in the room :)       

TARGET!! has sets of 5 of these tubs in different
colors for $6!
I found the labels a few months ago
on a blog,
I will poke around
and see if I can find who's they are to give
credit :)

The rest of the cute labels! I did not buy enough
tubs yet to put them all to use.

Plastic drawers from Target, I got this idea from my cooperating
teacher during student teaching. You can put all the papers
and supplies you need for each day of the week and just
pull the drawer right out of the holder and you're ready to go!

Have you seen this book? A first grade teacher I know uses this
 book to teach looking for details in reading and writing!
The glasses are those 3D glasses you get at the
movies with the lenses punched out!! The
kids get a kick out of wearing them :)

Bought the jar at Target, and used paint pens to decorate!
Filled with Hershey kisses :)

So Honored :)

Have you visited the Teacher's Market?! There are so many links to coupons, and other great ideas :) She mentioned me in a post and I am giddy!!

Check it out, you'll love it! --> kindergarten-teacher-tips-needed.html

Bed Bath and Beyond

Yey to Mrs. Randall's Learning Library for 300 followers! She is giving away a $25 gift card to Bed Bath and Beyond, and everyone knows you can always find something there!


Her Blog: 300-followersgiveaway-time.html

Cute things in 100 degree weather

First let me say... how is anyone supposed to be productive when it's 100 degrees out!? If this is a preview of what summer is going to be like, I'm scared. I was clicking through blogs the other day and saw Mrs. Lemon's Blog and her CUTE phonograms! I immediately hurried over to Kinkos to print out the alphabet so I could have it read to put up in my room this summer... but apparently PDF files take foreverrrrrrr to load, so that failed. None the less, I will be printing them somewhere because they're adorable! 




Question Time: Do your students have their own "book boxes" with a choice of books at their level for reading workshop? I know this is kind of a Daily 5 type of thing- which is what was used in the district I student taught in- but I'm curious if anyone who doesn't use Daily 5 uses the idea of personal book boxes? I know I am going to be getting familiar with the Imagine It! Reading program for my new school, and I'm not sure if they use this....


#2: We all know that Target's dollar section and just Target in general are like God to teachers, but do you "Dollar Store" as well? There is a Dollar Tree near my house and it has a whole isle of teachery type stuff! Not to mention, gobs of plastic bins and baskets! Best Target/Dollar store finds anyone?

NEW JOB!! :)

So sorry it's been over two months since my last post!! I finished up student teaching, which was an amazing experience. I learned SO much from my CT, other building teachers and principal. I just found out today that I GOT A JOB!! as a kindergarten teacher at a brand new school opening in the fall :) :) I used my thick portfolio, letters of recommendation, and confidence and it paid off! 


SO: to all you KINDERGARTEN teachers out there... HELP! I will need tips for the first day of school as well as the first week, I have never experienced the first day of Kinder and I'm imagining there is a handful of tears!! Also, any advice in general or *one thing you wish you would have known* sent my way would be amazing!! Ask your other blogger friends as well!


Thanks and I'm so so so excited.