Welcoming Parents and Freebie

My school has many parents who speak Spanish. I can't count the number of times they have come to the school asking how they can help their child. I just started a series called "Bilingual School Stuff". My vision is that the set will contain across the curriculum items that we use or activities from the classroom and explain it to parents in Spanish. As I was creating the set, I was thinking of all of the various situations we have in the school. I realized I also needed to make a set that contained English and Spanish because we also have families with language barriers. The older some of the kids get the less they use their Spanish, or in most cases, many of the students never learned how to read it or speak it. I figured having both languages on the cards would help those families because the child and the parent can read the card and both understand what questions they need to answer before, during, or after reading.

Of all of my work, I am really proud of this set. I struggled with reading when I was a child. My parents, bless their hearts, tried to help, but the language barrier was such a problem. Hopefully, these cards can help a few parents and teachers out there!

Please check out READ WITH ME at my TpT store!

Here are what some of the pages look like!

Now...for all you cute template people out there! As for now I am making these free. I had so much fun making these cute, that I couldn't sell these. I have made, what I (hopefully) think, is a cute nurse pass/note set. These should make you life easier when you send a student up to the nurse with a note. Everything has been filled in and all you have to do is check the child's symptoms! I think I covered all of the reoccurring symptoms. If you happen to catch one that I overlooked, let me know and I will add it on the nurse list. Enjoy! Here is the link to my store to grab these!

Happy Blogging!

Going on a Blog Hunt

Well as many of you know, Google Reader has vanished. Laura Candler created a fun blog game called Going on a Blog Hunt. I will admit I am having to go through and find everyone I was following on blogger and now add them to Bloglovin. This site is wonderful. If you haven't joined yet do it after you read this. It is super easy! All you do is create an account. After your account is created, all you have to do is go through and search for blogs. When you find one, click follow and it automatically updates for you. The most updated posts are in your feed for the day.

Take a moment and sign up for Bloglovin. I would love for you to follow me and go to Laura's blog and find some new blogs to follow!

Snazzy Stools!

Finally! I have come up with a solution on how to get my chairs to match my room theme! My room colors are vibrant, so my OCD self would like everything to match :) These are what I have from Ikea. They are under $6 a piece. Great deal! I have seen them around for $10 per stool.

By the way, these stools work great under tables. They save a lot of space. I have had them for 2 years and they have held up marvelously. I definitely recommend them if you teach upper grades. I have had other stools before and my 4th graders have broken them before the year was over.

I found a new spray paint that works on metal and plastic, which is great considering the stools are made up of both!

Spray paint away and the final product is a bright stool! Below are the three that I finished. I have a total of 6 in my room, but I am considering buying another set since my kids love to sit on these and they're better than pillows. They keep any unwanted critters away.

Aside from painting, I have been dabbling in clip art. I have a few things designed and hopefully within the next few weeks I will be able to get out a scribble pack freebie.

As always, Happy blogging!

Making Interactive Notebooks More Personal & Fun

Summer has kinda kept me away (ok A LOT) from blogging. After this year, I needed a break from everything. I am back! I wish I was still in Puerto Rico on my honeymoon because we had a blast! Here are some photos from our trip. I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a getaway (no kids). Best of all it's considered part of the U.S. ... no passports!

Bio Bay lagoon! The only lagoon in the world that glows every night.

One of MANY iguanas all over the island!

A waterfall we found while hiking the El Yunque Rainforest.

Having some fun at Senor Frogs!

Alrighty... now on to what you're probably here to read about. How to personalize a composition notebook. First of all I will warn you this does take some time, but the end product is wonderful and the kids LOVE them! Before you begin gather the following:
* wallpaper sample book (many store that carry wallpaper books will give them to you for free if you call ahead of time and let them know you are working on a project for school)
* Xacto Knife
* Spray glue Scotch Super Adhesive Spray ( I have done this for years and it has to be this brand. All of the other kinds don't stick very well)

* Composition Notebooks
* A big piece of cardboard.

One big can of Scotch makes about 20 composition notebooks. The first thing I do is use the knife to cut out the sheets of wallpaper that I want to use. Once I have a stack and am ready to spray I work outside. The smell is strong, so you may also want a mask. Take your cardboard and place it on the surface you are working on. Next lay a piece off wallpaper, design side down (you should be looking at the back of the page). Grab a composition notebook and make sure the wallpaper fits the notebook. Spray one side of the notebook and cover with wallpaper. Flip your notebook and wallpaper over and spray the other half.

Once you have sprayed let the notebook dry for a few hours. When they're done trim off the excess paper with a Xacto knife. Here is what the finished product looks like. I also add name labels to each notebook. The wilder the wallpaper patterns the more the kids love them. You will be surprised at how much they enjoy getting to choose their own design.

Hsppy Summer & Happy Blogging!

Many Thanks & Setting up Interactive Notebooks

Before I begin, I need to thank EVERYONE who took the time out to read the last post on Ruby-doo. Thanks to everyone's efforts, we raised over $3900! Thank you Thank you Thank you for your generosity! Her mother was surprised and speechless. She wanted us to share her gratitude!

The newest craze in education a few years ago was moving towards interactive notebooks.

I am only going to focus on the general notebook for the post. If you have taught at any level of elementary school, you know that children have a very difficult time staying organized. In the past, I have tried folders. Unfortunately, 4 months after school has started those wonderful folders begin to fall apart. I have tried binders because they were more sturdy. Nope, that didn't work because then I would find sheets of paper in the wrong section, paper in a desk, or even the occasional work period on the floor.

So... this was my solution to the madness!



Because I have two classes, I use different duck tape to separate the two classes. I place a strip of duck tape on the left side of their composition notebooks.

The second step is placing a label. One thing I have learned about composition notebooks is that the front cover is not very pencil friendly.

Depending on the subject, I spend the first week of school setting up notebooks. All of the notebooks have a table of contents. Table of contents are great. It keeps the kids organized, they know where to look for topics, and they are held responsible for keeping track of it.

The Table of Contents below is from Writer's Workshop. (By the way, I always model, model, model. Modeling is a HUGE step!)



In the past I have separated notebooks by topics. This year, for readers and writers, I separated the notebooks by units. However, for skills (grammar) I separate them by topics like nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.

There are many ways to separate pages. This year I used post it tab dividers. In the past I have used small Post its. To use the sticky notes, place the sticky on the bottom and write the title on the top. It works the same as Post it Tabs, except they are not a sturdy.



I have really enjoyed using these in class. My next few posts are going to be on how these are used in the class and different ways to make them special. I use these for Reading, Writing, an Grammar/Skills. It has been a work in progress, but in the end they have been the best option for keeping everything organized and together.

My next blog post will probably answer questions like: Where do they place worksheets? What about a project or page they are working on?

No worries, stay tuned, and hopefully I will answer all of your questions when it comes to use these in ELA.

Happy Blogging

A Place For Peace Fundraiser

One year ago, I lost one special little angel to Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. In honor of her, I am dedicating this blog post to Ruby.


I am not sure where to begin. It is a very difficult subject for me to talk about because I am a NO emotion kind-a- girl. It is hard to believe it has already been a year. The emotions are still raw. I have sat here for hours writing, deleting, writing, deleting, trying to find a way to express how much Ruby touched my life.

Four years ago, I was introduced to a sweet, darling child by her third grade teacher, Abby (from Third Grade Book Worm). She came with an open mind and an eagerness to learn. What I didn't expect was how much I would learn from her. Her parents welcomed us as family. I spent many "ordinary" and extraordinary moments with her.

Many people come in and out of our lives. I know Ruby had a special mission for being in our lives. Her sassy, positive attitude and plethora of knowledge and advice will never be forgotten. She will always have a special place in my heart (and many others.)




We recently learned that her parents were not able to afford a headstone for her grave. Her family is struggling to pay off Ruby's medical debts. My friend Abby at Third Grade Bookworm and I want to help give them the ability to give Ruby a proper "place for peace."






I cannot thank Abby enough for taking the time and putting this fundraiser together. Please take a moment to visit her blog for more information, Third Grade Bookworm and contribute if you feel a calling to do so.



Here's how this will work:

You donate $20 via the PayPal button at the bottom of this post.
Tell your friends, blog about it, and help spread the word.
Abby will send YOU the bundled files within 72 hours (hopefully faster!) to the email attached to your PayPal account. If you want them sent to a different email address, please note it when you are checking out in the "message" box. You can also email Abby at thirdgradebookworm@gmail.com

After the fundraiser is over, Abby will give all of the money raised (minus any PayPal fees) to Ruby's parents. They will be able to purchase a headstone for our sweet girl.
The total value of the files donated to this fundraiser is over $120!

If you'd like to donate, please remember the following:
You must donate a minimum of $20 in order for me to send you the bundle of goodies.
All donations are going through my PayPal account. PayPal has created a code that will tell me you have donated towards A Place for Peace. This helps her to keep all of the fundraiser funds separated and it makes it easier for me to verify your donations.

She will use the email provided to me through PayPal to send you your goodies unless you send her a message at the bottom of your transaction or you email her directly at thirdgradebookworm@gmail.com.

The donation button (located at Third Grade Bookworm) will be active for 1 week: April 17th - 24th.

Once you donate, please give her 72 hours to send you the link to your goodies.
Once the fundraiser is over, she will remove the donation button and give all of the funds to Ruby's parents. We promise to let you know how much we raise and pass along any messages from Ruby's parents.



If you have made it through this long post, thank for your time!

Long Needed Break :)

Apologies for my LONG needed break. I don't think I would have survived the past few months without my friend Abby over at Third Grade Bookworm. We just finished performing Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of the Black Forest! Hee hee... well, we didn't perform it, we just guided our students in preparing for the show. We had an AMAZING group of 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students (28 total)perform a full 2-act play. Every show sold out! Insane!!!


Here is the BIG BAD BOY I have been working on for the past 2 months...




We could not have made the show a success without many people. I need to give many thanks to the people who have made this years' play a success!


Thank you Thank you Thank to Crystal who made our Playbill cover! It looked FABULOUS! Please hop on over to her blog, The Library Fox and her store.

I think of myself as a secret blogger :) so I am sure no once will see this, but I truly am very grateful for ALL of your help.

Now....it's time for me to get all of my stuff together and update this blog with some new goodies and classroom updates.

Goodbye to spring break :(

Happy Blogging!