Freebielicious T-Shirt Giveaway!

I am super excited today!

Wanna custom t-shirt with bling? Well, really -- what teacher doesn't? I swear I'm the queen of the "blingin' teacher t-shirts"... I love them and wear them all the time. (I know kind of corny :0)

Anyhoo, I'm going to tell you how YOU could win 1 of 23 blingin' teacher t-shirts of your very own. Then you can pick the one that makes your heart sing!

 We at Freebielicious are so proud and excited to announce we are teaming up with A+ Teacher Images (the greatest t-shirt company for teachers and more, in case you haven't heard of them!). We all received the fanciest custom designed t-shirt we've ever owned AND now we can give a t-shirt to a winner from each of our blogs (23 WINNERS IN ALL).

Check out my picture below. You guys - I LOVE LOVE LOVE this shirt! How stickin' cute am I? (OK, well let's pretend......and be nice). I don't take many pictures as my Freebielicious friends can attest to.......so you should feel honored that I am putting it here! :0) 

Heather Gray is my fav color :) It's definitely me!

I just love my t-shirt because it is so much more than just a shirt.  It represents friendships, fun, and business relations (oh wait and STYLE, of course!) all in one blingin' design.  Where else could you get all that from one t-shirt?  A special thanks goes out to Doug from A+ Images.  He worked with us to make just the right shirt to represent our company and is still giving us a shirt to give one lucky winner for each of our blogs!

The other thing I really like about the t-shirt I got was the quality -- The graphics are clear and thick -- I can tell it will really last me. The rhinestones are on perfectly......I LOVE RHINESTONES :0)

We have made this giveaway super easy for you to have almost 50 chances to win one of 23 t-shirts.  It is a blog hop, so you can enter as many or as few giveaways as you would like!  The contest begins Saturday, May 18th, at 8:00 a.m. EST and ends on Sunday, May 19th, at 12:00 a.m. EST.  Winners will be announced on the following Monday.  Easy peasy, lemon-squeezy!  Start by entering my giveaway here:

All you have to do for my giveaway is follow my blog using Google Friend Connect -->
(I'd also love if you'd follow me on Pinterest and Facebook, but I won't make you unless you just really wanna. I hope you wanna :0)


Also, follow A+ Teacher Images on Facebook (you'll get to see great designs and other stuff as they add)....

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Next, you will head over to my friend Lori's blog Teaching with Love and Laughter and enter there and keep going until your fingers are too tired to hit click (that is how simple we made it for you!).

Go to our Freebielicious Facebook page and like us so you never miss a freebie or giveaway like this one!

Guest Blog from Kickin It In Kinder

I am so grateful to Jeannie to allow me to guest blog for her! 

I threw this question out on one of my Five for Fridays a few weeks ago:

I am happy to say that Jeannie is open to Guest Bloggers. Whew...that is a relief! This is my first try at guest blogging and I am honored that I am able to do it here at Kindergarten Lifestyle!

My name is Elizabeth Hall and I am from Kickin' it in Kindergarten. I love Jeannie's blog and all of her fabulous ideas! Kindergarten teachers are kindred spirits. I hope to find some other K teachers (and others) through this post! I'll tell you where to find me at the end of this post. 

She is allowing me to take over for the day so here is my topic...

dummm...dummmm...dumm..

Co-teaching.

I know you are thinking that is a boring topic, but entertain me for 2 minutes. Here are my deepest darkest  thoughts that I had about co-teaching...

No.

 I'm not going to share. 

This is my classroom, my kids, my books...mine mine mine. 

Even if that doesn't come to your mind immediately, it would. This was the second year that I had volunteered to take special ed. I started off with 20 students, 3 on an IEP and ended the year with 21 kids and 4 on an IEP. With this responsibility there were quite a few adults in the room with me. In the classroom, at any given time, you could see 5-8 adults. My aide (all day), special ed. teacher (her students teacher) speech therapist, OT, and school physiologist. I also had a student teacher at the beginning of the year. 

Omg. Let me get my Beyonce sparkle onsie on and do a song and dance for the crowd.

Some of my friends were out of control at the beginning of the year. Rolling on the carpet uncontrollably, running around the classroom during carpet time, crawling under the tables, running away on the stairs, meltdown galore...etc etc....You get the picture. 

When the special ed. teacher (also one of my besties) brought up the idea of having them in the classroom during my 90 minute literacy block....I thought I was going to lose it. How will I get all 20 students to reach mastery of all of these lofty goals and standards with the added distraction of more teachers and students with special needs?
 "We didn't do that last year!" was what I wanted to say. 

That's when I said that I really needed to keep the other kids in mind and she asked me to give it a try. She also offered to come in and help teach. 

Both of these things made me weary (see deepest darkest thoughts). I will work close with you...but not that close. What if the kids love you more than me? What if you are better teacher than I am? What if we can't control the other kids and show growth? What if the principal walks in and sees mayhem? 

My mind was reeling.

I, hesitantly, agreed to try it.

It was the best decision I have ever made and I am writing this blog post for those of you out there that give others the hand when they want to work with you. We split up guided reading groups so that some of the IEP kids were mixed in with my groups and her group. She taught Handwriting Without Tears whole group. I would teach whole group math lessons and should would pull any students that were struggling and vice versa.

I should have felt honored instead of hesitant. I think at that point I was so tired and run ragged that I couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel. I couldn't visualize what today looks like in my classroom. It has become a well oiled machine. 

Those kids that you pictures running around and throwing fits are now listening to stories on the carpet, volunteering and sharing by raising their hands and participating in various whole group activities. This could have not been accomplished with them being pulled out of my room. Students with special needs are not the problem of just special ed teachers and aides. Those students our your students just like any other child that might walk in to your room. Students without special needs aren't just the sole responsibility of the classroom teacher when there are exceptional students in your room. It's a team responsibility and I encourage everyone to embrace that. I can promise that if you can let go just a little bit, you will grow and learn more than you can ever imagine. I feel like we have all learned so much from each other this year. Not to mention, it is so nice to have other adults in the classroom to know your kiddos personalities and laugh at the little things with you all day. 

 Not only do I love my students like I love my own, but there are other adults that love them equally as much as I do. One of my students reached 200 books (the challenge was to do 100 books) and the three of us took her for ice cream. 

Not just her teacher, but her teachers. 

I am saddened by the thought of moving them up to first grade without the "dream team" as I like to call the three of us. 

Sarah, the special ed. teacher, is on to teach 2nd grade. 

Dana, TA (I'll call her teacher #2), will be going with them to first but the kids will all be split up. So her time with them will be split.
The other wonderful thing about teaching together is the friendship that you form. The three of us spent time together outside of school, so that is just an added bonus :)
So while I will still put on my invisible sparkle Beyonce onsie to do a song and dance for my Kindergarteners next year (I live my life in exclamation points), it won't be the same.

My hope for you is that if the opportunity presents itself, you take it.

Come visit me sometime over at my blog!

Ocean Fun and Teacher Appreciation Sale 2013

My kiddos are LOVING our Ocean Research unit..... I mean head OVER heels! First we talked about what we already knew about the ocean and what lives there. I was surprised by how little they knew this year. Usually kindergarteners have quite a bit of background knowledge here, but not this year. So, we definitely started from the ground up!

Do you like our octopuses/octopi? They were super easy to make......We taped a piece of construction paper long ways and cut 8 strips about 3/4 of the ways up. Then we used markers to curl up the arms of the octopus. It's actually a great fine motor activity! I got the idea from HERE. I adjusted and changed it a bit though.

Here are our jellyfish and the kids especially loved making these because they got to use my Sharpie markers. We started with clear plastic cups I got at the Dollar Tree. Jellyfish come in all colors so the kids loved coloring the jellyfish. Then we used bubble wrap to make the arms inside and curling ribbon for the tentacles.

Here is a shot of some of our research. We used books, magazines, and Internet sites to learn about jellyfish and octopus this week. Next week we will dive in with sea stars, sea horse, sharks, and whales.

Here is a shot of my kiddos playing a Dolch word wall game from my Ocean Commotion pack. Here are some more activities included:

Flipsy Flopsy - place value to 30.

 silent e words (I forgot to take a picture of the darn recording sheet)

sorting short and long vowel words

Ahhh yeah!!! It's that time of year when WE (teachers) get a little appreciation - BRING IT ON! It's time to put our feet up, sit back, and ............shop! Hey what teacher doesn't love to shop. I love this time of year. Yes we are all tired and have our eyes on the prize....summer, but I also love this time of year because I can start to think of next year -- I love new beginnings!

Anyways, TpT is having a Teacher Appreciation Sale and I would LOVE if you take a look in my store. My store will be 20% off and TpT will take another 10% off (don't ask how it turns out to be 28% off........some fancy finagling) Important thing to remember: when you check out, put in the checkout code TAD13.

Here are some of my favorite items for this time of year:

SeaLife Animal Research

Ocean Commotion Literacy and Math Centers

Safari African Animal Research 

Mom and Me: Our Book of Us!

Now, here are some of the goodies in my cart so far......

I have Caitlin's (from Kindergarten Smiles) Monster Back to School Activity Pack in my cart.....Yep thinking ahead and isn't this soooo adorable! My little ones will love this! It really sets the perfect stage for fun and beginning to discuss classroom rules.

I also have to have Crystal's (from Kreative in Kinder) Kindergarten Morning Work. I can't wait to use these for my morning work instead of constantly trying to scrounging up something new for them to do. Kindergarteners love doing "big kid work" so I know they will LOVE these.

And this little beauty, Diggin' Dinosaur Math Stations Galore,  I plan to use in about 2 weeks when we do are dinosaur investigation. Thanks to Marsha (from A Differentiated Kindergarten) -- LOVE these!

Love love love these Sight Word Texting Codes Bundle from Annie (The Moffatt Girls)..... so clever she is!

What is in YOUR cart???

Jellyfish and Octopuses! Oh my!

We are so busy in the classroom learning about the ocean and the critters that inhabit it. I wanted to share a couple of projects we've done this week.....

Jellyfish: 

The kids LOVED making these jellyfish....They were astounded to learn that jellyfish have no head -- it's just a belly with tentacles......no brain, no eyes, no heart.....but yet it moves and grow, eat and reproduces. Fascinating stuff!

Materials:

clear plastic cups (I got mine 10 for $1 at Dollar Tree)

Sharpie permanent markers in a variety of colors

curling ribbon

tape

bubble wrap

How to Make:

Color the inside of the clear plastic cup. It's just easier to color the inside so the ink doesn't smear and get everywhere. Then when it's finished the kids can hold without fear of getting marker all over them. I encouraged kids to color their jellyfish anyway they wanted to. Jellyfish come in all colors so it was perfect -- it also made each one so unique. 

Tape a rectangular piece of bubble wrap inside at the top (bottom of the cup). The bubble wrap only needs to be about 4 inches by 2 inches (these are the jellyfish's arms that are inside it's belly). Then allow the kids to tape about 10 tentacles to the inside edge of the cup all around.... Make the tentacles as long as you wish. I didn't measure them so many were different lengths (just like a real jellyfish).

Octopus

Materials:

9X12 inch construction paper in variety of colors

tape

2 round circles (or googly eyes if you prefer)

How to Make:

Wrap a sheet of construction paper round hot-dog style (long ways) until the end are barely touching and tape at the top and tape about 2-3 inches down. You have made a long cylinder. Then, cut 8 long slits up the cylinder to where the second piece of tape is. Make sure you have 8 strips as an octopus has 8 legs. Kids use a marker or pen and curl each arm up and then let go. The arm stays curled. 

Glue 2 large circle on the head and place a black dot in the middle. I ran a piece of curling ribbon through the top for a hanger. I got this idea from HERE. She gave great directions. I adjusted and changed what I made by her directions will definitely get you going!

I hope this gives you a couple of fun ideas to try with your ocean unit!

Currently! It's May!!

Ok I am linking up with Farley from Oh' Boy 4th Grade again this month for her Currently link. I just LOVE LOVE it and I especially LOVE LOVE May! Why May? It's nearly summer of course!

Here is my Currently: 

I'm going to try to make this snappy since I may just have to hold my eyelids open with toothpicks if I don't go jump in bed pretty soon!

My kiddos at school are loving our Ocean unit --- what is it about kids and animals??......they are like magnets I swear..... We started our week off with creating an ocean in a bottle -- now I'm all about easy so these are super simple.

and our jellyfish.....:)

Although we are having great fun in kindergarten learning about jellyfish, octopi, and seahorses -- I gotta tell you, I am really running out of steam this time of year? Do I hear any Amens from the crowd? Why does the school year always seem to last just a few weeks too long? I long for my carefree summer days. I know they are right around the corner, but seriously???? 25 more days????

Time to get out the ol' "Little Engine That Could" mentality -- "I think I can. I think I can." No way around it we have no choice but to pull it together these last few weeks and make them great for our little ones!

Instagram What??? Teacher Talk Tuesday

Good Sunday Morning Peeps!
I have discovered something over the weekend that I have absolutely FALLEN in love with......INSTAGRAM!!! Are you apart of instagram? If you aren't - you definitely should be! 

What is instagram?

Well, it's like the best combination of Facebook and Pinterest combined!!!! It's Facebook without a bunch of text --we are all mostly visual people and Instagram is all about pictures!

One thing I love most about blog hopping is finding great pictures teachers take of kids interacting and doing daily activities. I've learned so much from photos --you know the saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words".....and that is totally true.

So, I've discovered this amazing new resource and way of sharing. What better way to use it for professional development than hooking up with a bunch of other teachers?

Here comes the linky. I have linked up with Michelle from Apples and ABC's and Rachelle from What the Teacher Wants to join a great community of teachers sharing/commenting/connecting. 

My instagram name -- kindergartenlifestyle

Here are a few of my recent instagram pics (because I just got started - but I promise I will be posting plenty!)

 This is a pic I capture while at the zoo with my kiddos on Friday. It was tons of fun, but I was SUPER sore on Saturday!

And this is my new favorite painting activity -- shaving cream paint! I found it on Pinterest HERE. It worked wonderfully and then kids had a BLAST!

Can you tell it was for Earth Day??? :)

Post from a Momma.....

Usually when I post, it's about fun, educational activities to try with your class. I love teaching. I love making a real impact on the lives of my students. I enjoy making learning fun and meaningful for  my bunch of 5 and 6 year olds. Year after year, I get to repeat the best times with a new crop. For an entire school year, those kids become MINE -- we live and breathe together in the confines of a small room. And, each year, I send those very kids off to tackle to world -- never knowing if I'll ever see them again (I teach in a very transient neighborhood). Still, I hope and pray that I have made a positive impact on each one of their lives...........

But, I'm not JUST a teacher (as though one could be JUST a teacher).......I'm a mother (of 6 in fact). As a full-time workin' momma, I  send my 6 to school each day and entrust them to still more teachers. Of my 6, I have the gamut of students -- the studious one, the quick learner, the sponge, the lazy (yep - got one of those).........and I have one..............well.........who can't seem to pass anything except P.E.

I'm proud to introduce you to my son, Jaden:

(Don't you love the cheese face?)

He is a healthy, vibrant 11 year old! He likes video games, playing baseball, and burritos. The kid can take anything apart and put it together again!.....I mean it -- literally anything. I stare at my dvd player with confusion and he zips right along - fixing any problem I have.  He is the world's best helper and can lift stuff 3 times his own bodyweight! He's my little man!

So, what's wrong?

Well, Jaden is ADHD. He is hyperactive, impulsive, and highly disorganized. He struggles to attend, can't understand most of what he is expected to do. He lives in a world that operates against him.

Not only is Jaden ADHD. Last November we received a diagnosis (diagnoses) that was hard to handle....although not unexpected. Through the great people at Scottish Rite Hospital, we learned that Jaden is up against so many barriers -- he is ADHD, but he has a Learning Disorder in Reading, Learning Disorder in Math, and Disorder of Written Expression. AAHAHHHHHHHH!!!! Every damn thing we expect of kids in school - he has working against him. No wonder Jaden becomes so frustrated when doing school work. No wonder Jaden doesn't like school. No wonder Jaden thinks he's stupid!!!! Our education system points out all his weaknesses on a DAILY basis!

Jaden has so much to offer and to give, yet his self-esteem is in the toliet because everyday we expect him to do all the things that he CANNOT. What if you were told you were going to start school tomorrow and you were expected to learn how to shoot hoops like a pro? or flip like an Olympic gymnast?

Think about it for a sec......What is something you are really bad at doing? For me it's drawing.....oh how I wish I could draw. I've tried and tried, but it always looks like utter crap. Good for me our school system doesn't place much importance on drawing skills. If it did, I'd be a failure. I'm am simply not capable of being an artist. I was not born with the ability to draw well or even reasonably.

This is Jaden. Everyday Jaden is expected to "draw like an artist" and receives the clear message that, because he can't, there is something terribly wrong with him. He is stupid - that is the message he receives all day long.

Why do "we" do this to kids like Jaden?

As teachers we learn about differentiating and how each individual has special strengths and weaknesses. We learn about using strengths to help children achieve THEIR PERSONAL BEST. Yet,  day after day we force circle kids into square holes. I'm included - it's hard not to operate this way with all the high stakes testing teachers are confronted by. However, are we considering what we are doing to kids????? Is this really better for our kids??? Is it really making our kids smarter and more competitive??? Unfortunately, I think the answer is no.

I absolutely adore the teaching profession. I love working with and teaching kids. I really believe we have the most important job (besides parent). There is a part of me (a large part of me) that is sad that I am now finishing up my last year teaching in the public school system. Each day I think of something else I will miss -- birthdays, loose teeth, silly weekend stories, 100th day of school, last day of school......

....but there are so many things now that have changed the teaching profession - things that I never bargained for......coupled with the fact that I have a son that truly needs my help. If the public school system is NOT able to teach him....to reach him -- then I have no choice to do it myself.

This next year I will embark on a new journey -- one that is exciting, liberating - yet a bit scary as well. Instead of teaching in the public school system, I will be teaching in my home with 2 of my sons.

I will be homeschooling my about-to-be 6th grader AND my about-to-be kindergartener.

Here is Reagan! 

So, although I won't be "teaching" next year, I will be doing LOTS of teaching next year. I am excited to do all the things I've loved doing with other people's kiddos over the years with my own little kiddo. This blog will still be in support of kindergarten and the primary years. It's my "home" so you aren't getting rid of me.....hahahaha......I hope you will stick around for the WILD RIDE ahead!

You will be getting a better glimpse at my son Reagan and his learning throughout his kindergarten year. I can't wait to have this little one as my student!