Jungle Theme

So as I sit at home and see all my friends pack up their classrooms, I like to think about what my classroom will look like when I get back to teaching one day.  My Lily just turned 1 a few weeks ago and she is totally in love with all animals from the jungle! She makes elephant and lion noises.  Because of this, I built on this inspiration and decided to make Word Wall Headers in a Jungle Theme. This was my first attempt at making these and I am quite pleased with them. Head over to my TPT store and check them out!! Here is a little preview (they repeat in the same pattern after this). Is it too early for you to be thinking about what your classroom will look like next year?  Any suggestions that you are looking for?  I am up for a challenge!

In loving memory

The world remembers the 26 innocent lives that were taken on Friday. The beautiful young lives of children and adults that was so tragically taken in a blink of an eye will continued to be remembered as they are being laid to rest this week.

We remember
- Charlotte Bacon, 2/22/06, female
- Daniel Barden, 9/25/05, male
- Rachel Davino, 7/17/83, female.
- Olivia Engel, 7/18/06, female
- Josephine Gay, 12/11/05, female
- Ana M. Marquez-Greene, 04/04/06, female
- Dylan Hockley, 3/8/06, male
- Dawn Hochsprung, 06/28/65, female
- Madeleine F. Hsu, 7/10/06, female
- Catherine V. Hubbard, 6/08/06, female
- Chase Kowalski, 10/31/05, male
- Jesse Lewis, 6/30/06, male
- James Mattioli , 3/22/06, male
- Grace McDonnell, 12/04/05, female
- Anne Marie Murphy, 07/25/60, female
- Emilie Parker, 5/12/06, female
- Jack Pinto, 5/06/06, male
- Noah Pozner, 11/20/06, male
- Caroline Previdi, 9/07/06, female
- Jessica Rekos, 5/10/06, female
- Avielle Richman, 10/17/06, female
- Lauren Rousseau, 6/1982, female (full date of birth not specified)
- Mary Sherlach, 2/11/56, female
- Victoria Soto, 11/04/85, female
- Benjamin Wheeler, 9/12/06, male
- Allison N. Wyatt, 7/03/06, female

May you all rest in peace. May the families take comfort that they have a nation, a world, behind them in support and prayer.

Story Elements

A co-worker of mine came to me and asked me to create something to help her students with retelling stories. Many teachers in our school use something called Braidy. Well know- lots of props out there to aid with Braidy, but my co-worker said it is just too much for her 1st graders.  I thought long and hard on what to come up with- picture prompts that will help students retell a story and I finally came up with something I really hope helps her. See my new product at TPT! I hope it helps more than just her students succeed in retelling stories!

Also- tell me what you think! I love input and suggestions! :)

Why is this so hard?

I don't know why I have such a hard time keeping up with a blog. I see all these people writing blogs- I follow a lot. Lots of them are moms with jobs. Some are stay at home moms. (I know there are other people out there who write blogs but these are the ones I typically follow.)  How do they keep it up?  I see some people that keep up their blog, create things for TPT, teach all day, and go home to a family. I stay at home with my little one. I try to make things for my TPT shop- although I find it hard to stay motivated since I am not using the stuff right now. Any advice from you out there to keep myself motivated to keep up with my blog?  Would love to hear your thoughts!!

In other news- I am currently working on a fraction unit to place up on TPT.  I have made a matching game. I have come up with some problem solving problems for a math notebook. I want to do more but am running out of ideas. If you blogging community have ideas on what you would want in a fraction unit- let me know! =)

So I know it has been quite a while since I last posted. We traveled to PA this last weekend with Lily to see my in-laws and to see a whole bunch of friends both Jason and I have up there (him- from growing up and from both of us going to college up there). We had a beautiful time!  We also headed out the weekend before for some apple picking.  It got a little chilly (and a little drizzly) and while Lily won't remember her first apple picking experience- she seemed to be happy to be out and looking around at the trees. I carried her on my and pointed out all the beautiful trees and apples.  I am hoping to take a few apples and make them into applesauce for her to eat a little bit down the road.  We even picked out her very first pumpkin and took the cutest picture of her propped up on our front step with the bag of apples on one side of her and her little pumpkin on the other side.  I just love fall!!

So our lives have been a little busy. However, I am currently not working on any projects for TPT and I am in need of some inspiration.  I am sure if I sit down long enough to think, I will come up with something that I needed in the past or something I will like to use with Lily but I am just drawing blanks at the moment. If you are reading this- please feel free to leave a comment with any ideas that you would be interested in purchasing that you need for yourself or classroom.  If I make your idea I will give it to you for free!

Dramatic Play Center

I am proud to say that I finally finished the dramatic play center signs and printables. It was certainly time consuming and with a now 4 mo old, it was a little harder to sit down and get together than I thought.

I am looking forward to using them myself- even in our own home when my little Lily makes our basement into her own little world!  My posts and items make me so excited to one day get back to the classroom.  I look up new ways to be a better teacher and parent and it all begins at home!!

I hope you all have a wonderful start to your week!

Back-to-school

Hi all! Happy back to school for most of you. As this week began, I found myself a little depressed.  All of my co-workers and most of my friends began a new school year. My facebook newsfeed was full of back to school comments and even my non-teacher friends and family- many of them have kids- were also so excited to comment about it being a new school year.  My husband and I both decided a long time ago- before we even got married- that I would be a stay at home mom when we had children.  Especially now that we are no where near family, it seems to be even more important that I stay home with our little Lily.  While I am thrilled to stay home with her, I couldn't help but be a little sad as I watched so many friends set up their classrooms, say hello to new students, and watch their students from last year go on to bigger and better things.

This morning, as I went out to buy Grandparents' Day cards, I looked in the rearview mirror at my Lily. I had a wave of happiness that I can be in the car with her at 10:00.  If I was at work, I would be up to my eyeballs with school supplies, papers, runny noses, and everything else an early childhood classroom is filled with. While I LOVE my job as a teacher and I cannot wait to go back, I am so blessed that I can be home with my little girl and watch HER grow and develop. God knows that in a blink of an eye she will be headed to school.  Until then, I get to enjoy her company everyday!!

As I still have an urge to teach and look forward to setting up "school" for Lily, I continue to make things I look forward to using in my classroom. Today I uploaded morning message greetings and activities. I used many of them in my classroom and the kids love them. Check them out on my TPT store. I hope you enjoy them and feel free to comment below on any greetings and activities you use in your classroom!