Getting Ready for Back to School and A Freebie

Well, it is that time again Back To School !!!!!  Are you ready??  Our first day is August 20th, and the planning has officially begun.  Yeah!!  Before I really start anything, I like to take some time to reflect.  I think about last year, the previous years, the good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between.  lol

Two of the things I think that have worked really well in my classroom are our Line Up Song and our Quiet Signal.  (Classroom Management and Procedures)  I can't wait to share these with you.

This will be my 5th year teaching kindergarten, and I truly believe that we can learn something new every year.  Believe it or not, how to line up was one of the biggest changes/challenges I had when I moved from 6th to Kindergarten.  Wowwzers!!!  In kindergarten there is a line leader, a caboose, and a door holder.   So......... I figured out how to get everyone to the line, but now, how do I get them quiet and ready to walk in the hall.  Our kiddos walk with hips and lips - one finger on your lip and one hand on your hip!  This keeps our hands from touching others, the walls, or anything else.  So, with the help of a friend, we now have a fun little Line Up Song jingle to sing/say while we are getting ready to walk down the hall.   Click on the picture to download this great little freebie poster!!

Now, our Quite Signal!  How do I get the attention of 20 little 5 year olds who are busy at work??  Our principal uses a raised hand for our building wide quiet signal.  The entire building knows that when they see a teacher or administrator raise his/her hand, they need to raise their hand as well and get quite.  This can be a little difficult for 5 year olds with their attention going in every which direction.  So, I decided not only to give them the visual clue (my hand raised), but an auditory and kinesthetic clue as well.  It takes us a few days to really figure it out, and lots of praise, but when we do......it's great!!  I also made picture clue cards for our classroom wall.  (Which, once they learn all four letters in the word STOP, they are totally excited that they can actually read the word!  :)  I clap 5 times, say S...T...clap twice....say O...P  and we all end quiet with our hands in the air!!  YEAH!!!!!  (I had the blank cards up, but this year I decided to make them colored to match my classroom decorations.)  These STOP Signal cards are available on TpT in color and black and white. Click on the picture below to find them.

Click below to hear how our classroom Quiet Signal.  Click on the picture above to hear it on You Tube.  (Of course you could do any clapping rhythm, this is just what worked for us!)

And I am sure like almost all of us out there, there are areas that we really feel we want to change/improve.  One of the areas that I still need some help reorganizing/figuring out ...... is my 30 minute independent center time.  We are a Title 1 building, so this is also our Tier time.  I know what activities I want them to do, but it is the organization part I need a little help with.  Like how to rotate them, keeping track of who went where and who did what!!!  Help!!  If you have any great resources or ideas, please let me know!!  Thanks, and I hope you have a great year too.

"An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge." Proverbs 18:15

Bloglovin!

I am getting ready for July 1 when Google reader disappears and we all try to keep up with our awesome blogging buddies with Bloglovin!  Follow me here!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin 

In the mean time, I am praying for the people in Colorado and the fires that continue to threaten their homes!  Our vacation is going well, and a little change of plans never hurt anyone! This where we were going.....

This is us now at the top of Crested Butte mountain......

Psalm 107:28-30 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven

Faith

Everyone is Famous, Autograph Book

It is here, the end of the year!!  I am sad but happy all at the same time.  I will miss my kiddos, but I sure do love the summer and getting to spend time with my own 3 wonderful kids at home.

One of my favorite last day of school activities is our Everyone is Famous, Autograph Books.  We talk about the future and what some of them might be when they grow up.    My classroom helper,  Grandpa Mr. Brown, read them a book a couple weeks ago.  Make Believe was given to him on his 8th birthday, and it is about kids pretending to be all the different people they could be when they grow up.   "Rock Star Mrs. Rucker, I am going to be a Rock Star!"  Yes, sure might be sweet heart.  I just love kindergarten kids!  Everyone knows what an autograph is, and I tell them that really in my classroom, everyone is famous. So......let's get their autograph.

Life Touch comes every fall to take our individual pictures, and they always give the teachers a little set of "sticker" pictures of the kids for classroom use.   I use those pictures for our autograph books.  I put a picture of each child and myself in the book, and then I make a copy for each student.  I pass out our colored pens, and the autograph signing fun begins.  :)  I use the original book.  This is such a great keepsake. Who knows, one of them may really be famous some day, and I have their autograph!

I hope you have/had a wonderful year!  Click on the link below to find this memorable classroom resources.

Everyone is Famous, Autograph Book

"Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: rejoice!"   Philippians 4:4

Tornado Alley

We are working on our weather unit right now in science, and today we talked about tornadoes.  Yes, living in Kansas we are right in tornado alley!!

Last week had to practice our school wide tornado drill before school even started.....right during our morning transition time.  Good thing we were prepared and had practiced several times.  The kids knew right what to do and where to go.  Our principal thought we needed to practice during one of our more "crazy" times of the day.  Really?!?!?!?  (He actually had a real tornado warning occur during this time of the day at his previous school.)  Okay.......good idea.......we can not tell the tornado to wait until we get the kids backpacks and stuff put away.  lol :)

After talking about how a tornado forms, what it does, what it looks like, what happens during a tornado, and what we should do during a tornado warning, of course we had to go outside and be a tornado!

When we were finished whirling and swirling around, we picked up 10 things for our tornado art project.  We finger painted black tornados and glued on the items we picked up from out side.  Up in the tornado they went!!

"Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced crops." James 5:18

Teacher Appreciation Sale! Yeah!!!

I am sooooo looking forward to the TpT Teacher Appreciation Sale this week - May 7th & 8th!  My wish list is filling up!

Everything in my store will be 28% off.  Yeah!!! Come check it out!

Here are a few buyer favorites for spring.

"Be the Word" Large Letter Flashcards

High Frequency Word and Phrase Cards

Those Crazy b's & d's!

Lessons From a Lemonade Stand         Crossword Puzzle Phonics Fun

Click on the picture above to find my store!

May Day Fun!

I can not believe it has been 10 days since my last post!  It's been a little crazy with only 12 days of school left! :o)

Today was a lot of fun.  We made May Day baskets.  We used a flower stencil, and 10 flowers later, I think they were finished with their baskets.  Really, I think they just stopped because I said it was time for recess.

We don't have "art" class anymore, so I try to introduce the kids to as many art terms as I can.  Today we used stencils.  We started with a circle.  I had them cut it out of white paper, and then they got to trace it on a color of their choice.  Then we rolled the circle up for our basket and cut a strip for the handle.  Next, I had them cut out the flower stencil.  I laid out several different colors of paper and the precut stems, and.........they were off.

  My instructions were to try and make at least 3 flowers, but........I couldn't stop them!!

"As for man, his days are as grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth." Psalms 103: 15

Product Swap

This week I teamed up with Diana from Sticky Notes and Glitter for a little product swap hosted by Jessica Stanford.  Diana teaches first grade, but I thought my kiddos could handle the challenge.

We just finished our 10 week vowel review where we focus on one vowel sound per week, starting with the short vowels and finishing up with the long vowels.  Diana's product, Long and Short Vowel Sounds Word Hunt Pack fits in great.  I haven't had it for very long, but I am already planning to use it next week and again next year.  This time starting with our "short a" review! :o)

I love this idea because it gets the kids up and moving.  You know I am all for that!!  During the activity the kids walk around the room and hunt for words.   Then they write them on their log sheets.  Diana has pages for the short vowels, long vowels, and for multiple vowels.

Next week we will be playing some long and short vowel sound comparison games, and I can't wait to get them up hunting and sorting again.

Thanks Diana!

Check out these other great products from the product swap as well.

"One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace will have the king for a friends." Proverbs 22:11

Burping in the Classroom & A Freebie!

Who doesn't love those There Was An Old Lady books!!  I know my kiddos sure do.  Last week we read There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly and There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Shell.  After sequencing the events, we had to compare and contrast the stories.  The kids blew me out of the water!! (lol)  They actually told me I didn't have enough lines in the circles for them.  "Don't worry Mrs. Rucker, we can just smoosh the words in there!"  So, just like any good teacher, we did it.  :o)

Now, I don't know if you can do this next part in your classroom (or would want to), but boy did we have fun with it.  Of course the boys were sooooo excited because in the shell story the old lady didn't die, she burped!!  Here it comes, yes, we had to burp!  We burped and built a sand castle.  Here are their adorable drawings.

I had them go to their tables and draw their sandcastle.  If you notice, some of them even included everything from the story.  Then yes, here it comes, we got back together and burped!!

If your kiddos love these stories too, click on the picture below to download this compare and contract freebie.  Caution, you might have to add more lines or "smoosh" in all of the things your class comes up with!

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2