Opposites!

When you were a kid, did your siblings or friends ever say, "Today is Opposite Day?!" We used to have Opposite Day all the time, and I remember it really annoying our mom! :) A few days ago we had Opposite Day in our classroom... Opposite Morning, really. It was so much fun!

We read Eric Carle's Opposites... what a cute book! It's simple, but the colorful illustrations really held my kids' attentions!

After reading, we talked about the opposites in the book and thought up some more of our own. Each child illustrated a card with a word I had written at the top. Then, they had to find their opposite partner and present their opposite pictures to the class. What a great way to practice the Common Core standard SL.K.6: Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.

After we finished our opposite cards, we put them on a poster!

Let's Talk Ten Frames!

Ten frames have become one of my favorite math tools in this classroom this year! I love how versatile they are and how they can be adapted to teach so many math skills... especially those in the Common Core!

We started using ten frames very early on in the school year to work on counting. Even before I explained to the kids what a ten frame is, we used them to lay out our manipulatives during counting practice. They started to see that there were ten boxes on their counting mat and, before long, they were able to recognize how many objects they had laid out without having to actually count!  Hello subitizing!

This year I also hung new number posters on the wall that have ten frames on them... I love having these posters up because the kids can refer to them anytime and they are able to see the ten frame formations for each number.

Now that we've moved into making number combinations, and will soon be working on addition, ten frames have become my best friend during math! We are using them in so many ways... our favorite this week has been a build-it game using two ten frames and number cards 0-20. My kiddos draw out 2 cards and build one number on the ten frame using one color unifix cubes, then add the second number onto the frame using a different color unifix cubes. Then, they see how many they have all together. They've caught on really well!

We are also loving Ten Frame Bingo!

If you need some ten frame activities to use in your classroom, check out my Ten Frame Fun pack!

Back to reality!

Well, today is the end of my long and wonderful Christmas Break! I've really enjoyed staying up late and watching episodes of Friends, and I've loved sleeping in as late as I wanted to! But, it all ends tomorrow morning when that alarm clock goes off at 5:30! The school was open today and I did break my rule about never going in on a weekend... but, our carpet was cleaned during break, so my tables and some other furniture needed to be put back. I was dreading the thought of doing it before school on Monday, so I stopped in for a short time to get everything put back in order.

As much as I feel sad about break ending, I'm excited about seeing how much my kids have grown during our 18 days apart! We have some fun things planned this week, too! We're going to work on some New Year goal setting tomorrow and make a cute 2013 hat to wear to lunch! Our theme for the next two weeks is Winter, and I can't wait to pull out all of my Winter books for our read-alouds. Living in the south, our kids don't see much snow, so it's up to our books to help us experience Winter! :)

We're going to be making snowman glyphs, completing a book study on Jan Brett's The Mitten, and writing about what we'd like to do in the snow! Next week we're focusing on Polar Animals... penguins are my favorite!

If you're looking for some fun Winter activities to get your kiddos back into the swing of things, check these out...

And my Snowman Glyph Freebie!

Have an awesome week!

Wrapping up 2012...

Wow, it's so hard to believe that 2012 is almost over! This has been a tough year professionally and personally, but it definitely had its good points and it's still a year that I am so thankful to have experienced!

In 2012... Professionally... we started the school year with both a new assistant principal and a new principal. Having completely new administration is a challenge for them and for the teachers as everyone gets used to one another, but I think everyone's doing really well! We also made the switch to the Common Core Standards, so that's been a big adjustment for everyone. On the upside, my Kindergarten Team is the strongest it's been in a really long time, and that's been such a wonderful highlight to the year!

Personally... we've had a tough year as we continue to go through our adoption journey. My husband and I are pursuing adoption to start our family, and we're closing in on 2 years of being a waiting couple with our agency. So, it's been tough to go through another year of not being parents, but we're strong and we're hanging in there! :) We've had a great year with our families, though, and enjoyed an awesome summer beach trip in July!

This year was also the year I started my store on Teachers Pay Teachers! I opened my shop in June and I am still in awe of the support I've found and I'm humbled every time a teacher spends his or her hard-earned money on my products to use in the classroom! Creating products for my TpT store has made me a better teacher and it's helped me get a grasp on those Common Core Standards!

For 2013...
Professionally... I plan to continue to learn and develop a deeper understanding of the Common Core Standards and how to best implement them in my classroom. I also plan to continue my goal of being more organized in the classroom... so far, so good!

Personally... I am hoping and praying that 2013 will be the year that my husband and I will match with an expectant mom considering adoption and bring home our baby! Starting our family has been our biggest goal for the last 8 years and we are so ready to reach that goal!

Wishing everyone a healthy and happy 2013!

Countdown to Christmas Break Sale!

We only have school for 3 days this week, but there's a TON going on in those 3 days! After that, we're on break! I know some teacher friends who have already started their breaks. But, for those who still have time left in December, I'm taking 10% off all Christmas items in my TpT shop! Grab something to use with your kiddos before break, or save it for next year!

And for the biggest savings, check out my December Bundle!

Hope your last few days are full of fun before you're off for a well-deserved rest!

Silence for Sandy Hook Elementary

This week has been SO busy!

We have been going non-stop in our classroom this week! We've been working on shapes and learning about Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Christmas! The kids have made some super cute crafts, but I just haven't had a chance to take any pictures!

 One of the most surprising parts of the week was when one of my little active boys was having a really hard time settling down to finish his Roll-a-Shape activity. I decided to sit him down at a table by himself and away from distractions. I sat Barney across from him and told him that Barney was going to watch him finish his math activity and that he was really excited to watch him work on his shapes. I was shocked that it worked! It was so cute that I had to grab a picture!

Tomorrow is Polar Express Day and I'm so excited! We're going to spend the morning working on activities from my Polar Express unit and spend the afternoon watching the movie and drinking hot chocolate!

Holiday break is just 4 days away for us!