Pencil Caves and Clifford Freebie

It's hard for me to believe that three months ago I didn't really know what blogging was.  I have so enjoyed writing new posts and hopping from one blog to another.  Teaching at a small school has given me great opportunities, but being able to blog hop has let me feel as though I'm part of a large collaborative community.  I get so excited when someone leaves a comment.  It's as if I suddenly have the support of a whole community of teachers and friends!  Thank you for your kind words and encouragement.  Getting to know you has been so much fun.

Morgan also has her "I am not lost finger" in her cave.  This helps her follow along when we are all reading the same text together.

These caves are ready to be decorated with Easter stickers before being attached to the student's desks.

My students each have a pencil cave on their desk.  I ask them to keep two pencils in good operating condition in their cave at all times.  They may also keep a pair of scissors and a highlighter in their cave.  I take old toilet paper tubes and cover them with a color of paper appropriate for the season.  Their names are written on their cave and then attached by taping it to the top of their desk with wide packaging tape.  They love their caves and sometimes find messages or treats in them.  This month each cave was covered with a different patterned green paper.  That has allowed me to easily group children for instruction.  The striped cave dwellers might start the rotation by  writing.  The polka dotted dwellers may start by going to the listening center, and the plaid group may start by reading with me on the rug (rug readers!) After a predetermined time has passed they all switch stations.

I recently got a new purse.  I just have to show it to you because it's so cute!  If you didn't know I loved birds then you probably at least knew I had a great fondness for owls.  Shortly after I started blogging I saw this purse on pintrest.  I followed the link and chose the cheaper less expensive green owl purse.  When the package arrived it was the purse that I REALLY wanted!  I e-mailed right away and told them of  the mistake and the people at joeleather on ebay said to keep it.  I was quite happy to agree with them!  It's supposed to be handmade.  I found a tag inside that says, "Made in China"....I'm not so sure that it is totally handmade, but I love it anyway!

Is that Clifford in the background?

We are going to spend  the week finishing up Clifford and achievement tests.  All of my students love Clifford and have enjoyed using my laptop with the new app from Scholastic.  Have you tried Storia?  I think it's pretty sweet!  My students give it their stamp of approval, too.  It's free and it comes with 5 books!

It comes with three of these books and two scary story books.  I didn't put the scary stories on the bookshelf.  I added  Mr. Rover Takes Over  and Clifford the Big Red Dog.
Scholastic Storia

Finally, here are some Clifford freebies I'd like to share.  I got the graphics from melonheadzdoodles.  I love all of her work, but especially the packages that feature well loved book characters.  You can purchase her work directly from her blog or at etsy.

MelonHeadz

Clifford Package of GoodiesImproved Link!

Clifford math stories

Label Clifford

My firsties love searching for their spelling words hidden around the room.

I'm Not an Artist!

I wish I could inherit some of my children's artistic abilities!  All three of my children are very creative and can draw and create awesome pieces of art.  I can sew, but I wish I could pick up a piece of paper and draw something besides a stick figure.  Once a friend of mine asked me to paint ceramics with her.  I told her I couldn't paint.  She was sure I could handle it and insisted that everyone can paint.  I proved her wrong and she had to finish painting my project for me.  Over the years I have asked my kids to draw things for me, but they are growing up and moving out of the house or busy with other things like homework when I need something drawn.  Luckily I have now figured out how to make technology my friend.  I can use my computer projector to project an image and all I have to do is trace!  I love it!  My students are so impressed when they see my work.

I guess I'm not totally unartistic!  I like to sew.  I made this for my daughter 19 years ago for Easter.  I haven't been able to part with it.  I hung it up where I usually have a quilted wall hanging!  The same daughter is currently making a quilt of the periodic table!

For many of my students, Clifford is a bit easy.  However, they all started trying to read every Clifford book they could get their hands on last week.  I'm going with the crowd and we're going to use Clifford this week for sequencing, character, setting plot, nouns, pronouns, verbs and adjectives!  It's going to be a big red week! 

Ahhh...Technology!  I can't believe I taught so many years without you...
Clifford will be red, but I'll let some of my kids who love to color take care of that for me!  I have several students that visit at the end of the day and love "helping" me.  Be sure to come back on Friday so you can see what kind of job they did!

Need some eggcellent ideas?  Here are a couple!

I used paint samples to cut out egg shapes. (See how unartistic they are?)  My daughter looked for words in magazines that were one, two and three syllables long.  They can sort these later in the week, but tomorrow I'll hide them around the room and they will find them and record them on the sheet below.
Eggcellent Idea!

Whoops!  I see a mistake already...Entertainment has more than three syllables!  

My students all know this word.  It's one of my favorites, but it must be dark!

My other egg idea involves money....Now I've got your attention.  If chocolate didn't get it, money will!  I've put money into the clear eggs I got for $1.00 at meijers.  I programmed an empty egg carton with different money amounts.  Students need to count the money in the egg and then put the egg in the corresponding egg holder.  My students love anything that has to do with money.  They study each coin and look for the date and where it was minted.  I've never had a class so interested in money!

Are you jealous of my floor?  My husband refurnished them last summer.  I love him more than the floors!

Close-up!

Finally, I have a challenge for you!  I just received a box full of tiles. I want to do something awesome with them.  You now know I'm not so artistic!  Do you have an idea you could share with me?  I know they could be sorted and counted.  I'm looking for something really awesome to do with these and I'm hoping YOU can give me an idea!  PLEASE leave me a comment with an idea for these awesome tiles, or my man will just have to make a back-splash at the house we're moving into this summer!

I know YOU have an awesome educational idea for these!