It's a Wild Thing {Mini-Unit}

I know many of you cannot participate in any Halloween activities this month. I wanted to share this fun mini-unit that I was just inspired to make and use this week! My kiddos are loving it.

This mini-unit includes:

Wild Thing Chalk Craft
New Ending Writing
If I Were King/Queen Writing
I'm Wild About Writing
The Wild Race {Math Data Game}
Puppet Craft {with Template}
Puppet Talk Activity

Check out our fun bulletin board we made with one of the activities in this pack:

Check out this mini-unit in my TpT store! It's on sale for one more day!!!

Before and After Halloween

I LOVE Halloween. I am THO THAD that I am off-track for Halloween each year.  Don't worry, folks... we still do a Halloween theme before we go off track in mid-October.  So, this means that I have to start thinking about Halloween ASAP so I can have everything ready to go.

I've been using my Halloween pack for years!  I pretty much do every activity in the pack (and this is not the case with all of my packs).  It goes great with the Common Core!

 This unit integrates Halloween into math, literacy, and art! Differentiated for

 Kinder, 1st, and 2nd grades (with B/W options available).

Over 100 pages including:

Scoop and Sort Place Value

Patterning

Greater/Less

Problem Solving

Graphing

October Battleship

Place Value Game

Bat Writing

Spider Writing

Spelling Game

Q-Tip Skeleton

Paper Plate Spider with Writing

Paper Plate Scarecrow

Hand Print Spider with Poem

Spider Web Chart

Don't Munch the Mummy! (sight word game)

Reading Response Activity

Interactive read-a-loud

Original Poem

Green Witch, Green Witch book 

Student Mini-Book

Class Book

Word Search

In this unit you will get:

Math Centers

Patterning

Greater/Less

Problem Solving

Graphing

October Battleship
Place Value

Writing Centers

Spelling Centers

5 Art ideas

Q-Tip Skeleton

Paper Plate Spider

Paper Plate Scarecrow

Hand Print Spider

Spider Web Chart and Writing
Bat Web Chart and Writing

Don't Munch the Mummy! (Sight Word Game)

Reading Response

Interactive read-a-loud

Poem

Green Witch, Green Witch book 

Student mini-book

Class Book

I am also going to be subbing (that's the great thing about year-round, you can sub when you're off track and make some extra money) on the day after Halloween and I want to do this with the class!

This will be a quick, fun drawing activity. Then, we'll share our pages in small groups because you know your students are dying to talk about what they did the night before.  

I'm loving the Hello Fonts, Moffatt Frames and KPM Doodles!

I just wanted to quickly share my behavior management tip that I posted about last year!

During the day, if a student is following the rules and expectations, 

they will get the pumpkin on their desk.

I move the pumpkin all around on different students' desks all day.  If you are working nicely, you'll probably see the pumpkin once, maybe even twice on your desk! You can't play with him or touch him, but if you are the very last person to have the pumpkin on your desk at the end of the day..... YOU GET THE "PUMPKIN PRESENT" that is inside of the pumpkin!  I like to put pencils, or stickers, or maybe silly bands! *If you have lots of kiddos in your class...send around 2 pumpkins!

Check back this week for non-Halloween, 

but super fun October ideas!!!!!

An Apology, an Update, and a Freebie!

Seriously, people. I'm SO SORRY! I have been MIA because well... I'm completely overwhelmed with life. Between my ESL Endorsement, presenting for SDE this winter, my bestie getting married, trying to work out 4-5 times a week, catching a cold, updating some TpT products, teaching 1st grade, AND fitting some family time in there.... I'm T-I-R-E-D!

Here I am (far left) with my best friend at her wedding, and another great friend of mine on the right:

And now to my update!  I've updated my #1 product in my store, Being a Guided Reading Wizard!  I loved making this pack 2 years ago. Today, I gave it a much-needed facelift (my favorite is the new digraph posters I made with Melonheadz clipart).

Check it out {here}!

Here's your freebie:

Teacher Mamas!

Dear Teacher-Mamas,

I know life as a teacher-mama is tough work. I know you come home from school completely exhausted, but still somehow manage to find the energy to make dinner for your family, play with your kids, take them to piano lessons and soccer practice, help them with their own homework, put them in the tub, do the whole bedtime routine, and then kiss your kids goodnight. I know that on Monday and Tuesday this job doesn't seems so hard, but by Thursday and Friday, you can hardly keep your eyes open through dinner.

This post is dedicated to all the mamas (and daddies...) in the world who have to juggle two very important jobs: teaching your 20-30+ students and loving your own little darlings.

I send my love to everyone who has ever done any of the following:

• Woken up long before the sun comes up to get yourself and your kids ready and out the door, and still managed to make it to work on time.
• Waited until the kids are all in bed before you start grading the math assessments.
• Dropped crying and screaming kids off at the daycare provider.
• Was awoken at 4 am due to a sick child and immediately got to work writing sub plans so you could spend the day at home.
• Ever had a sitter bail on you last minute and ended up taking your kids to work with you until you could find someone to come pick them up.

And some extra special love goes out to all the pregnant mamas who have ever:

• Thrown up in a school garbage can at work. (Bonus points if you've ever done this in front of your students.)
• Taught a full day during the worst bought of morning sickness. 
• Scheduled all your doctor appointments on school holidays or after 4 pm.
• Spent the whole day on your feet teaching ON (or after) your due date! 
• Had your water break AT school.
• Had to leave your brand new baby for the first time after returning from maternity leave. (Worst feeling ever!)
• Hid in a closet during recess and/or lunch while pumping. 

And I'm sending ALL my thoughts, prayers, and love to anyone who has ever:

• Dealt with any sort of infertility issues.
• Gone through a miscarriage. 
• Had to bury a child.
• Dealt with sorrow and grief in any form while putting on a happy face in front of your students. 

The biggest reason I wanted to write this post is just to say THANK YOU! Your administration might not always appreciate you, your teammates might not have a clue about the heartache you're going through, the parents of your students might not always be understanding... but I, for one, am so thankful for the sacrifices that you all make on a daily basis.

Teaching is by far the greatest profession. Keep up the great work!

Love Always,

-What the Teacher Wants