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Nibits for Newbies 2.7.16 Valentine Bags

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If it’s Sunday

It must be time for….

NIBITS  for NEWBIES!

This week’s theme…

  VALENTINE  CARDS

It’s that time of year…

Kindness cards, Friendship Celebrations, Valentine Parties

Whatever YOUR site chooses to call it.

IT’S  HERE!

The time of year when we color,cut & glue

to show our FRIENDS  that WE LOVE THEM!

Pinterest has LOTS ( I mean LOTS )

of Valentine IDEAS!

These are a few from one of my collaborative pinterest boards..

Click on link to follow..

https://www.pinterest.com/firstgradeflair/valentines-day-elementary-resources/

( Click on this pic for a FREEBIE on my blog)

WE LOVE VALENTINE’S DAY!

But WHAT TO DO WITH ALL OF THOSE VALENTINE CARDS???

How to MANAGE them ALL?

2 days before our “Friendship Celebration”..

*we are NOT allowed to call it a VALENTINE celebration

(seperation of CHURCH/STATE thing..)

we make our BAGS!

Now I have done LOTS & LOTS & LOTS of different types of  card holders…

(Again…THANK YOU PINTEREST!)

But I think the MOST important thing to remember is…

WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO PUT THEM?

If you have 25 students…these take up a LOT of space!

So the choice is yours!

Just remember…

ALWAYS…ALWAYS…make 1 extra!

(That student who was absent on CRAFTY day…will want a bag on PARTY day!)

ALSO….

Have your kiddos write THEIR NAME ONLY on the cards.

One in each bag…PLOP..PLOP…PLOP!

NO need to MATCH their friend’s name to the bag.

One for EVERYONE!

When we open our bags…we say THANK YOU to each person who gave us a card!

MANNERS COUNT!

So good luck.

Check your CRAFTING SUPPLIES.

Find our where you want them be..they will be there for two whole days.

AND enjoy!

Don’t forget to make one for yourself!

I am sure your kiddos will have “TREATS” for you too!

Happy Friendship DAY!  🙂

Nibits for Newbies 12.6.15

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If it’s Sunday…

It’s time for

NIBITS FOR NEWBIES!

This week’s theme…

KINDNESS  CARDS!

Kindness cards are nothing new.

But, I think in the classroom they can take on new meaning.

We have been doing kindness cards for years.

I work in a Title 1 school where the holidays can be very…different.

Santa DOESN’T come to EVERY child’s house.

A new pair of shoes is….MAGIC!

So please…be very careful when you talk of the

“JOLLY OLD MAN” bringing

ALL

the “good little girls and boys” presents!

( What if he doesn’t? Were they ‘bad”?)

So I leave the “gifts” to the parents.

Instead…we give kindness cards.

We start the last two weeks before

Christmas.

Together, we brainstorm a list of kindness “traits” we see.

We make a list for school and at home.

This list stays up until vacation!

(Sometimes ALL year!)

Tomorrow we begin!

Our sequence goes like this:

Day 1…

Write a kindness card to a friend in OUR class.

DON’T write your name on it.

(Secret Santaish)

Put it in their cubby before we go home.

*Teacher secret….

I make up a LOT of extras the night before.

Make sure EVERYONE gets the first one! 🙂

Day 2…

or a couple of days later…

Write a kindness card to a friend in ANOTHER class.

DO write your name on it.

Hand it to them at recess!

Day 3…

or a couple of days later…

Write a kindness card to an ADULT  at our school- not the teacher!

DO write your name on it.

Hand it to them at recess!

Day 4…

or a couple of days later…

Write a kindness card to YOUR PARENTS or GRANDPARENTS!

DO write your name on it.

Take it home & give it to them with a HUG!

Day 5…

or a couple of days later…

Write a kindness card to an ANYONE at our school!

DO write your name on it.

Hand it to them at recess!

They get SOOO excited!

Both to write one…and to receive one!

( I always make sure I have extras…NO ONE wants to go home empty-handed!)

So…here is a FREEBIE for YOU.

SPREAD  THE  KINDNESS!

 ENJOY!

Let the Christmas CRAFTING begin!

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December is here!

I AM SOOOOO  EXCITED!

My  FAVORITE time of the year!

I am linking up with my BFF’s @

iTeachFirst

to bring YOU some FUN!

YEAH!

It’s here!

The time of the year when we can CREATE!

MAKE messes, try new things, Make MEMORIES!

( I sound like Miss Frizzle..HAHA)

No..Not science…..CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS!

WAHOO!

I Love to collect, create, and share

CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS!

Our tree is fake with lights …no judging! 🙂

 FOR YEARS, we had real..

pine needles EVERYWHERE,

water DAILY…

DRY, DRY, DRY… fire danger????

And THOSE strings of lights???  UGH!!!!

NOT A PRETTY SIGHT!

So..I became the “out of the box” FAN!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!

My tree comes out of the attic and into MY living room

WHENEVER I want it to!

Mid-Novemberish.

*Disclaimer…I don’t have kids at home anymore.

Hubby doesn’t mind if I make it the 100 days of CHRISTMAS!

Back to my fav.

I don’t put the ornaments on MY tree right away.

Each time one of my kids comes over..they have to help put THEIR ornaments on the tree.

We laugh, reminise, talk, share about the past, present, & future!

( DO YOU SEE WHERE THIS MAMA IS GOING?)

We TALK!

 If we share memories…we make memories!

HALLEUJAH!

And so…we make ornaments…the MORE the MERRIER!

Now…I stalk PINTEREST!

I admit it.

I LOVE to follow a plan.

( JUST GIVE ME THE PLAN.)

So..here are a few of my

“PLANS”… NOT ALL MINE..

Thank you if these are YOURS!

And so..we  begin.

I have 4 grandchildren under the age of 6.

I teach 24  FIRST GRADERS.

And I am CHEAP  FRUGAL..no  CHEAP!

I will use anything I can find!

Here are some of  our “final” products.

And so…

LET THE CRAFTING BEGIN!

Here is a little FREEBIE

From ME to YOU!

Click on Picture…

So now…GO and check out my BFF’s at iTeachFirst for MORE ideas & goodies!

Please..HURRY UP FALL!

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Please..HURRY UP FALL!

It cannot STILL be SUMMER!
The calendar says..SEPTEMBER!
We should be seeing leaves turning colors, pumpkins & apples,
We should FEEL a chill in the air…
NOT!
Today in NORCAL it was..
106 degrees!
 YES..you heard it right..
106  degrees!
  UGH!!!
WHAT HAPPENED TO FALL???
So..we wait..and wait..and wait.
Our district today said it was
“TOO HOT for kids to go outside & play in the afternoon”
so….
INSIDE RECESS!
WHAT???
 It’s the 5th week of school.
We haven’t gotten to
INSIDE RECESS…yet..
So???What to do?
 We had inside recess.
When..IF..it ever rains in NORCAL,
we will have inside recess, again.
I AM READY!
This summer spring.
.whenever…
I purchased building blocks
 & things kids can build with!
And so today..I told them to…
BUILD A CITY!
I didn’t care how, or with what MATERIALS,
 but they had to work together to build a city!
AND SO THEY DID!
( What fun to watch collaborations, negotiations, and experimentations at it’s best!)
Here is the process..
.NO FINAL PICS…
WE ARE NEVER DONE! 🙂
So..as I do wish the temp. would lower about 20 degrees or so..
We will be OK.
We can build a “VILLAGE”  of our own!
*  BUT…we REALLY would like FALL to
HURRY UP  &  GET  HERE!
🙂
Here are some goodies from 1stgradefireworks to help us FEEL like FALL…:)
Click on the pics…
Ok..FALL???  We are ready! 🙂

Nibits for Newbies 8.30.15 & a FREEBIE

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Nibits for Newbies 8.29.15

If it’s SUNDAY….
IT’S
Nibits for Newbies!
This week….
Keeping IT  Clean!
So..WHO IS THE MOST IMPORTANT SCHOOL PERSON YOU NEED TO KNOW?
( OK…AFTER  the Secretary!)
THE   JANITOR!
This is the person who can help make your life easier…
 moving desks, tables, etc, etc..AND
KEEPING YOUR CLASSROOM
DUST FREE
BUG & MAMMAL FREE
and
GERM FREE!
( LOTS of GERMS on tables, floors, deks, etc..etc )
These little “creatures” can make kids stay home,
can RUIN the best lesson ( if no one is there..the lesson has to be done AGAIN..
or the absolute worst…
THEY CAN MAKE THE TEACHER SICK!
SUB PLANS???   NOOOOOO!!!!!!
So…Let’s worktogether to keep our classroom CLEAN!
So here is MY THEORY..
Our janitor only has “X” amount of minutes to clean MY room!
I want him to spend the MAXIMUM amount of time
cleaning the stuff
my students & I  cannot!
TEAMWORK!
So..I have 2 helpers each day who are the
CLEAN UP  CREW
(This sample is available for FREE..click HERE!)
Their job
 (while the rest of us are at the carpet listening to AUTHOR’S  CHAIR)
is to stack ALL chairs into stacks of 6…
to pick up ANYTHING on the floor ( under tables & desks)
AND
to use the push carpet sweeper to clean the floor!
THEN…..EVERY FRIDAY we
DE-GERM our classroom!
We take papertowels & SANITIZER
YES…SANITIZER
And wipe ALL surfaces!
I MEAN ALL!
Tables, desks, student whiteboards, chairs, pencils ( I know… “germy fingers” )
THE DOOR, pencil sharpeners…EVERYTHING!
WHY???
Because…I want my students to
TAKE  RESPONSIBILITY  for  their  ENVIRONMENT!
You “live here’ …YOU  ‘clean it!”
THEY  LOVE  IT!
Then..after we leave..
the janitor can spend his time doing DEEP cleaning…whiteboards, dusting, windows, windowblinds…
stuff I can’t get to & the kids cannot either!
Monday Morning….CLEAN CLASSROOM!
( I LOVE to start the week with a clean classroom!)
So…make friends with your janitor.
Keep your classroom CLEAN.
Get your kids involved!
After all…RULE # 5….KEEP YOUR TEACHER  HAPPY!
🙂

It’s THAT time! & a (Freebie)

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Well..it’s that time..

Next week…we go back!

Yes..Back to School.

BUT… when we left,

I DIDN’T CLEAN A THING!

REALLY?????

I confess…Really.

I was tired..really tired…I don’t have to move classrooms,

SO, I locked the door & walked away.

For 2 months!

But…eventually…

YOU HAVE TO GO BACK!

OK..I am ready.

When I opened the door to my classroom..here is what I saw.

AAAAAAaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!

Breathe…breathe….deep  breaths!!!!

Now what? Where do I start?  How will I get it all done??

UGH!

BABY  STEPS…BABY steps…baby steps.

My problem is I am highly distractable!

I  start cleaning one thing & then I realize something else needs to be done!

One step forward..two steps back.

BUT…TODAY I  MADE PROGRESS!

Classroom library ..DONE!

Desks into groups of 5 ( 5 groups )

  DONE!

Guided Reading Materials ready…DONE!

Binders all CUTE!  DONE!

Lables on EVERYTHING!   DONE!

MY DESK…TABLE..CLEAN!!!  DONE!

FOCAL  WALL ready!   DONE!

Books & Baskets…DONE!

Whew!  I am tired just looking at it!

Makes me sooooo  happy!

Next week I will tackle papers & planning!

Thanks for hanging in there with me…

Here’s a FREEBIE from ME to YOU! 🙂

Click on picture for FREEBIE 🙂

Now let’s get  ORGANIZING!

Where are YOU in the process??  Leave me some comments & let me know!