Shop 'Til You Drop

Kristen, over at Ladybug's Teaching Files, is hosting a Summer Shopping Linky Party... which is all up my alley.  :) I did all of my back-to-school shopping the weekend after school let out and promised myself I wouldn't buy anything else over the summer.  So far, so good!  Good thing is - I totally forgot about all the goodies I bought!  Unpacking the bag for this post was like Christmas morning, y'all!  

 I laid it all out on the table and just stood there giggling.  He he he he he!  :D  Woohoo!  School supplies!

I L.O.V.E. color.  Therefore, it was physically impossible to turn down pink pens, pink expo markers, and a pink iPod cable.  Notepads and post-its are a weakness of mine.  Apples and an octopus?  Come on!

I decided to break down and buy some items I've always wanted but didn't want to spend money on.  I love the cute magnetic whiteboard erasers (to match my jungle theme).  I've always wanted a bell for recess, a "completed with teacher's help" stamp (and of course I got some pink ink!), and one of those line master marker holders for the board.

The basics and some cute finds!  Gotta have name plates and birthday crowns.  Got a handful of finger grips... those disappear like crazy.  The maraca was an impulse buy at the register.. but I love it!  :)  Those pointers are extendable!  Love!

Student grouping pencils I found at Lakeshore Learning Store!  Sort by color, shape, or number!  Score!

Welcome back goodies - bookmarks, silly bands, and banana scented monkey stickers.  :)

...I saved the best for last... neon chart paper and notebook paper!  Ah!  Swoon!

Head over to Kristen's to link up, window shop... or just live vicariously through others' purchases.  ;)  

Parent Contact Log

I'm horrible when it comes to tracking parent-teacher communication.  Improving with that is one of my goals for the upcoming year.  I have a generic log I've "used" in the past... but I thought if I had something pretty I might be encouraged to actually use it.  ;)  I threw something together for myself.  Click to download for free if you're interested.

Master info. list

Log page

Building Stamina!

I'm looking ahead to the beginning of a new year... complete with meeting new friends, learning procedures, and building stamina!!!  After being "Pin-spired", I made a stamina poster and reading stamina graph to share.

This is simply a definition poster:

Click image to download

{Inspired by: Julie @ A Literate Life }

This graph is to chart stamina growth over the first 20 days of school:

Click image to download

{Inspired by: Melissa @ F is for First Grade }

Amazing Giveaways!

Jenn, over at Finally in First, is hosting Spring Break Countdown with 5 Days of Giveaways.  Looks like these prizes are not to be missed.  Head on over to check it out!

More Measurement Fun

We had a splash measuring our pond animal friends {click here to see the fun}.  We decided to put our mad measuring skills to the test by exploring the sizes of objects around us... like:

our math books, 

and our partners!

We recorded our measurement data in this table.  Click {here} if you'd like a copy.

That was fun, but we needed something a bit more interesting...  This one was inspired by Rachelle at What the Teacher Wants.  

Our pond friend, Kermit, had a present for us on Thursday!  CANDY!!!  He wanted to add some sweetness to our measurement fun.  We measured and compared the sizes of different candy bars.  And, of course, he had some more reasonably-sized sweet treats for us to nibble on, too!

Visit Rachelle for more on this SWEET activity!

Our current math unit is on comparisons (including measurements).  Here's the assessment I gave the kiddos on Friday.  It includes comparing numbers with the symbols <, >, or =.  Click {here} if you'd like a copy.

Happy Birthday, TBA!

Head over to TBA for birthday celebrations and a HUGE giveaway!

What's for Lunch?

Tara, over at 4th Grade Frolics, is hosting a fun Linky Party - with a chance to win a cutie-patootie lunch bag!  She wants to know what's in your lunchbox... and what lunch is like at your school.

I actually have a bit of a lunch box obsession.  I find it difficult to turn away from a cute lunch accessory, including those darling Pocket-Bac sanitizers & holders from Bath & Body Works.  Here are the lunch boxes that happened to be piled in front of my office closet:

I'm sure I'll find more hiding the in the closets during Spring Cleaning.  

This is the tote I'm currently using.  It's a big ol' Lily Bloom lunch tote I found on sale at Ross.  It holds so.much.stuff!  Plus, gotta have a Tervis tumbler full of tea everyday!  {I may hoard those, too.}

So, what's inside?  I like to pack leftovers.  Sometimes I'm too busy and stock up on Lean Cuisine meals.  I love the parmesan crusted tilapia, portebello steak tips, and spinach & mushroom pizza.  And sometimes I'll bring a fried bologna and cheese sandwich with salt & vinegar chips.  Ohmygoodness yum.  This picture is from Thursday... leftover broccoli cheddar soup with french bread.  ...And diet coke.  My staple.

Now, on to honesty.  Ever read the Baby-sitters Club books?  As much as I wanted to be a Stacey... or a Dawn... I can't deny that I've always been a Claudia.  Creative, dramatic, boy-crazy... and a junk food hoarder.  

{More Coke... pop tarts... sour patch bunnies... Reese's eggs... brownie... cereal...}

...And, what's that "peep"ing out down there?

Not that I would eat all of this in one day.  Or even in one week.  But I do have it with me!  Ya know... just in case.  ;)

So, how does lunch work at my school?  Here's the rundown:

10:39 - Lunch begins.  I must stay in the cafeteria with my class.  If I can secure an approved parent volunteer, I may use her for a duty-free lunch.  I'm fortunate enough to have a lovely mom volunteer for me every Wednesday.  Thank you, Mrs. Heather for the gift of sanity!

11:04 - Lunch ends.  25 minutes.  That's it.

11:05 - 30 minute recess.  I am responsible for this duty each day, as well.

I'm so stinkin' jealous of districts with duty free lunch and recess.  I think my team manages well, though.  We've banded together and choose to sit at a small table at the front of the cafe together.  We are still responsible for our students, but the chance to have adult conversation is priceless.  At recess, we've designated a covered picnic area as the "Teacher Hut."  Students aren't allowed to hang out there... only if they're sick or hurt or in need of help.  This gives us a chance to breathe.  It also makes it easier to keep scanning the entire playground - without being distracted by little ones.

What's up with your lunch?  Hop on over to Tara's and link up!