Holiday Count Down!

Each year, my school has a transition afternoon where all the kids go and spend the afternoon in the class of next their next year teacher. 

 

Last year, my kids came up and I had balloons hanging from the ceiling. They asked me what they were for. I explained my class was counting down the 12 days to the Summer holidays by popping a balloon each day. Inside each balloon was a slip of paper that told the kids a special treat they were having the next day (boy, were those kids excited to come to school those last 2 weeks!). Anyway, those balloons have been mentioned a number of times this year, most recently today! I had totally forgotten that I was going to do it again! Just in a nick of time too, because tomorrow is the 12th day to our holidays!

 

Here's the freebie I posted last year in case you are wanting to use it. Just click on the pic.

 

NOTE: 3 days to go. The 'special surprise' is a big, long bubble wand that I get from Big W for $1 each. Day 3 is also our 'party day' when I give out presents to the kids (since most don't come to school during the last 2 days of school for clean up) so the bubble wand forms part of their present. I also give them a new book or two each, pencils, bookmarks and a 2012 calendar that has a poem and pictures of our year together on it (printed and laminated).

Quickie

Another quickie post today. Here's a freebie from my Cooking Up Gingerbread Fun pack. Click the pic to grab it from google drive.

I didn't get many pics of my kids doing these activities last week but here's a few I managed between running records: 

It's funny how adding some baking trays to the above adjective/adverb sort activity instantly made it the favourite for the week!

I hope to be back soon to show you some awesome buys I made during the TpT sales!

Freebie Reindeer Fact Families

A little while ago, I mentioned that I buy a lot of my books from Scholastic Warehouse Sales. Well, the last one for the year is on this week or next week depending on where you live. You can find the brochure detailing where the events are being held here.

I've also got another freebie for you. This one is Reindeer Fact Families. 

TpT and TN

Freebie - Number Sequence Elves

I'm gearing up for the last 15, YES 15, days left of the school year! Where has the year gone?? I don't know about you, but the first half really dragged on for me but the second half has just shot by!

I want to keep my kidlets working hard though... I find this keeps their behaviour under check. So I'm making up some math activities to review some things we've learned this year. We actually did my Gingerbread Man Activities last week, but I didn't really take any photos because while they were quietly (and they sure were!) working, I was pulling kids to do some final running records (arrghh, the bane of my existence!). 

Anyway, since I love you all I'll give you a new math centre each day this week. 

 TpT and TN

And don't forget the sales going on at Teachers Notebook and TpT, both my stores are 20% off at the moment. Teachers Notebook will automatically deduct another 10% from your order total - that sale is on NOW! The TpT sale starts Monday (U.S. time) and you can use the code CMT12 at checkout to also get an additional 10% off the reduce price of all items.

I sure do love comments so please leave one if you're feeling the love!

(and yes, for those who've asked me before, I did spell 'behavior' with a /u/ and 'center' with an /re/ but that's how we spell it here in Australia!).

Cooking Up Gingerbread Fun!

Today I just have a quick post to let you know I have posted a new 140 page pack called Cooking Up Gingerbread Fun! It has 20 reading, writing, literacy and math activities and centers. 

The good thing about it is that it doesn't include 'Christmas-y' type things (trees, decorations, presents, Santa etc) so could be used if you are not allowed Christmas themed activities at your school.

 

 

 

 

The above pics are from the preview which you can check out on TpT . It's 20% off at the moment. Now I'm back to reports.

Pinterest Christmas Craft

Well I'm back from my week of camping! We had a GREAT time, but I can't help but feel like I've wasted a week of my holidays! I ALWAYS feel like that! We've only got a month before we start to go back in! EEKK! Then the new kids! I totally don't feel ready to tackle a new bunch of kids! 

Before the end of the school year, we had a 'step-up day' so the Grade 1's came up to Grade 2 for an hour in the afternoon. Now, my school was not that organised so I didn't even have MY kids for next year... 1A simply went up to 2A, 1B to 2B etc. (I know, why  have a day like this if the the kids don't even meet their new teacher, know what room they're in etc, for teachers to see their kids, perhaps get a writing sample, see how they follow instructions etc). OH. MY. LORD. Talk about not being able to sit still, follow simple instructions, stay focused for even 1 minute, calling out, the constant asking to go to the bathroom - they were only with me for 1 hour and boy was that enough!! They weren't THAT bad, though it might sound like it, but I forget how young they are at the start of the year, and how much time we spent on routines, procedures and behavioural expectations to get them to the way they are at the end of the year. It didn't just magically happen and they were this great bunch of kids who knew that we aren't allowed to HUM, TAP or WHISTLE! GGRRRR! I think teachers need the break before a new school year returns just to get the energy back to go through it ALL OVER AGAIN!!

Now, to my post heading.. during the last week we made these great reindeer Christmas decorations - EASY PEASY to  make! Because it was a HOT day, the paint took hardly any time to dry so it was a very quick activity. I know you've seen it - it's alllll over Pinterest!

Don't you LOVE the red and green eyes-  CRAZY RUDOLF!

Freebie: 12 Days to Holidays Count Down

I saw this idea on someones blog and absolutely had to do it with my kiddos this year! I've made up these cards - one for each day of school remaining before we are finished for the year! Seriously, I CAN. NOT. WAIT. for this year to be over! I am buggered!

So, I've put one of these cards into one of 12 numbered balloons. Each afternoon, we pop the next balloon to see what our special treat or activity is for the next day. I started it today, and the kids just LOVE it!

If I had my kiddos again AFTER Christmas, I would pin up each days card with a photo of us doing the activity. It would make a really cute display! But since I'm in the middle of packing up my class for the year, that is just NOT going to happen!

 

 

I think I'm counting down more than the kids! To download, just click on the pics!

NOTE: 3 days to go. The 'special surprise' is a big, long bubble wand that I get from Big W for $1 each. Day 3 is also our 'party day' when I give out presents to the kids (since most don't come to school during the last 2 days of school for clean up) so the bubble wand forms part of their present. I also give them a new book or two each, pencils, bookmarks and a 2012 calendar that has a poem and pictures of our year together on it (printed and laminated).  

If this was your idea that I stole, thanks for sharing! And also let me know so I can provide a link back to your blog and give credit!

Sight Word Phrases - Christmas Theme

I've just uploaded a new item to TpT and Teachers Notebook. It's called Pack the Sleigh. It is a game for students to practice and consolidate sight words using Fry's sight word phrases level 1, groups 1-4. 

There are 4 sets of cards, with 25 cards in each set. You only need one set per game, so just swap over the cards and you have a new game or print out a game board and a different set of cards for different groups of kids! You can use the cards in their sets or mix and match according to the needs of your students. Easy to differentiate! I like keeping the same board, and just change the cards, so that it looks like everyone is playing the same game, even if they are at a different level.

This game is played the same way as my Crow Crisis game for r-controlled vowels and my FREE Planet Hop board game for the oi/oy sound. I like using the same format so I'm not wasting time teaching my kiddos how to play new games all the time. I can also use the same board, and just swap the cards out, to play games for other concepts in math, for example.

In this game, students are trying to be the first player to get from Santa's Workshop to the Sleigh - the first to get there (pack the sleigh) wins! But don't stop to pat the reindeer, or you'll have to go back! Land on the 'Carried extra gifts' space and you get to move ahead!

I've also included 'Lost a gift! Return your cards to the pile' cards so you can play BANG! with the phrase cards!

Later this week, I'll also have games for Level 2 and Level 3 sight word phrases. If your interested, you can grab it from TpT or Teachers Notebook.