Techy Tuesday

First, I am not getting paid in any way for this... I just love the product. I LOVE DR JEAN!
I can never keep up with the movements to the Dr. Jean songs.
I got this over a year ago on DVD and LOVE it. My kids love it even more. It is so visual and fun.

Here is an example of the DVD on YouTube.


I didn't have my assistant today, so this was a perfect filler so I could go set something up to do next, or write nurse's note... all those things. It is also great for rain days or days without PE.

I also go through my curriculum map and add these songs in where they fit best, like the Wiggly Willy song on the letter Ww. I highly recommend using this DVD in your classroom.

What Dr. Jean song is your favorite?

Sharing This Week

This week in my room we hare learning about the

letter Vv
the -un family
sight word- little
adding with 3's and 4's
and light.
I added my snowman unit I created in for this week because we did snow and ice last week and here in GA we have NOT had anything close to snow. (I was saving it for a great weather tie in, but it was 60 degrees this afternoon!)

I found this cute new book this weekend. I wish I discovered it earlier, because I would have mixed by emergent reader pages around to match it. (The readers were stapled and ready for today!)

In centers we did this...

This was my phonics center this week. The idea is from Hubbard's Cupboard which I LOVE! I added the construction paper and sun notepad to make it extra fun. This is a great way to practice handwriting and spelling words at the same time.

Our handwriting center, yes I do one EVERY week, is something I make all the time. I take the Smart Start paper and use a marker (in yellow here, but I learned orange works even better!) to write words, numbers, letter, etc. I laminate and cut out. They use dry erase markers and go to work.

The best thing is you can use it again and again!
I didn't take pictures of my other centers because I was a little, busy! haha

Lastly, we began my Light and Shadow Unit! Today was intro, but it is already a hit. I made this chart for the unit and here is what my kids and I came up with. (No idea can be bad or wrong here, because we were "thinking out loud." It all goes up on the board.)

They struggled a LOT with the has... they kept thinking what has light in it... which is fine. I was looking for light has... colors, heat, etc. But again... this is what they think and know.

The great thing is I KNOW that THEY KNOW and I KNOW what to hit hard tomorrow. We read our book listed in the unit and crossed off a few things we learned were not true and circled a few great things. (I have a kid who's dad works on power lines, so she is the one who said electricity- meaning electricity gives us power and light.)

They also don't think that light can move. I asked, they said no. haha- ALL of them! Even after I read about it in the book. I guess I am going to have to prove it to them. FUN!

Lights, Shadows, Action!

I know you all have all your lesson plans for the week written, prepped, and ready to go...

right! Right?

Okay... well SOME of us might need a little help this week. SOME of us may be looking for a complete lesson plan to teach about light and shadows this week.

How does this look to you right now?

I compiled and typed up my lesson plans for this week's science! Here are 5 days worth of Light and Shadow lesson plans, along with book lists, supplies needed, charts already made, activities planned, including links to great online resources. I am putting it on sale for this week to help you out as much as I can!
I have to say, this is one of my favorite units to teach, so I hope you choose to purchase this and use it this week. It is so hands on and fun! And I did all the work for you!

Don't forget to download and use my Groundhog Day Mini Unit this week too! It is completely free.

Awesome Giveaway

This giveaway is HUGE and really great! I already purchased one of these games and LOVED it, so I was excited to see this. Go check it out at

PS- I am working on something I think you guys are going to LOVE! Stay tuned... I want to finish it and post by Sunday!

An Awesome Valentine Game

I LOVE games and make them constantly for my class. I am now trying to re-create digital copies of my students' favorite ones for you guys. Here is a classic FUN and educational game!

It is called Sweet Secret Code Words. There are 5 code breaker mats for centers or small groups and 50 hearts with different secret code words on them. The student breaks the code using numbers and letter recognition to write a sight word. You just cut out the heart sight words you like (I put the answer beside each one for you) and laminate. EASY!

There are 2, 3, and 4 letter sight words here. I want to expand the pack with more hearts soon, so buy now for CHEAP and you can re-load it later without paying more.

I just found out I got a HUGE shout out onI think this teacher is AWESOME and I think this person is even nicer. She helped me BIG TIME with a tech problem. THANKS doesn't even begin to cover how grateful I am to her.

This is the pack her kids used!

Guest Post tonight!!!

Please check out my guest blog on

go check it out to get a peak at my classroom calendar.

Here is a link to some of the games we play at calendar from a previous post. One is a skip counting game and the other is a 1-100 number game.

I would LOVE feedback on your calendar time and what your students' favorite part is. What games do you play? Am I missing something you think I need to add?

Techy Tuesday

We played this app today and I had to share...

They have a a "sound out" and a "sight word" version. I gave my class a 1 minute brief on how to play the free version of the sight word game today and they did great. (They play in an independent small group.) I asked them all to start on level 1 first. Many got to level three, some even to level five.
My students like... the speaker to tell them the word whenever the needed it and the graphics, esp if they penguin gets the fish... meaning they got the word right.
I liked... the levels and the fact my class could play this game for FREE for 20 minutes happily with.

Some of you told me HAVE to play free apps, so this would be a great option. I am interested if it gets better if you pay for the app. I LOVE the view report aspect. It tell you how many times they asked and percentage of correct for each word. It give you a good snapshot of what words you need to teach and which they have mastered.

Tomorrow I will be feature on

to share pictures and details on my calendar time! Please stop by to see and read what we do with the BEST time of the school day.

ART!

I am finally able to use my center unit I made for There Was a Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow! I have been waiting and waiting!

We read the book today and my class went nuts for it.

We sequenced it using my cards from the pack. Then this one of their centers this week.

I got slightly inspired this morning and created a cute little art project to do with this book!

I updated the unit on TpT, so if you already purchased it, you can go there and re-download it to get the tracers for this. I also put it on sale for anyone who hasn't bought it yet.

5 Winners and If You Give a Dog a Donut

I used the random number generator to get these numbers... the 5 winners are

7-

KellyJan 16, 2012 06:55 PM

I follow your blog and I look for apps that my students can use independently, doesn't cost too much, and has different levels of difficulty. Thanks!

* I need your email! Thanks *

13-

christineJan 17, 2012 04:06 AM

I follow your blog and am excited to explore apps for kinders on our new classroom ipad!

8-

katieneuJan 16, 2012 06:56 PM

I follow your blog!! I am always looking for new and fun technology ideas to use on the classroom!! Thanks for sharing!!

18-

RachelJan 20, 2012 09:30 PM

I follow your blog and I look for apps that will keep the students interested for a while.

2-

Erin KleinJan 16, 2012 06:23 PM

I follow your blog... I look for apps that are easy to use and do not include ads.
All winners have been emailed except Kelly, who I am wait for contact info from. Congrats!!!

Do you get excited about new children's books like I do? I LOVE when a new one comes out that fits in with my plans!

This one came out in the fall and I bought it asap because I always make donuts with my class for the letter Dd.

So... I made this unit to go with it.

I have some BIG plans for this book, so here are some of the elements you can get!

I created this game board to go with it. It has reading comprehension and addition questions to go with it. (My class is learning addition this week, so I had to throw it in.)

This morning, I created this art in my kitchen to go with the story as well. (We had copy paper not construction paper, so excuse the thinness!) I made and scanned in patterns for you all in the unit too!

You could use the whole thing or just the head.

So... the good news is I really think this unit is great, the bad news is that the graphics used here have specific terms of use that say I can NOT give anything with the graphics away as freebies... I have contact who I have bought it from days ago and I am waiting to hear back. If they will allow me to, I promise to give away a freebie, but until then or unless I don't hear back, I priced this unit low to make up for it.