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Friday, August 2, 2013

Back to School Preparations and a Giveaway!

Now that it is August, I guess I have to come to terms with the fact that back to school is right around the corner.  I have been working on things here and there this summer but it has been such a tangled and disconnected mess that I really don't see what I have actually accomplished.  I admit that my summer organization has been less than perfect but I also will admit that I finally spent time with my family, which is AH-MAZING!  My family takes the back seat during the school year so it was nice to spend time with them. 

I want to show you a few things that I have worked on in the past week to help get my focus back on track.

 

 

 
 
 
In previous posts I mentioned how I share a room with another teacher and her class.  This means that I only have half of a classroom to work and teach in!  One of my big goals this year is to maximize my space.  I figured I would start with the owls community supplies.  I have always done community supplies and put everything on the tables in buckets or bowls.  However, this year, I want those buckets to not be a constant on tables.  I want the owls to put them off on a shelf when they are done.  I put together these crayon buckets for each table to use in just that way.  As you can see from the second picture, they stack wonderfully together.  Each bucket is the color of the table it will go on and the color word is on the lid of each bucket as well.  There are three, 24 count crayon boxes inside.  I bought the Target brand to see how they work.
 
 
I also gave each table toolbox a makeover.  I added pencil and scissor labels to the part where I want those supplies to be placed.  I am super OCD when it comes to supplies and dislike GREATLY when they are all mixed together in that larger section.
 
 
 
The last thing I did was revamp my literacy workstation signs and rotation cards.  I am in LOVE with these!  We are required to have five literacy workstations.  I break my work work into two stations and have a separate alphabet station.  The owls need that focused practice and it keeps the number of owls in each station down.
 
 
Last thing before I am off to get some more back to school work done, I recently hit 200 followers via Bloglovin.  Thank you so much to all of you who are following!  In honor of this quick leap of followers, I am having a giveaway from now until Monday, Aug. 5.  One lucky winner will receive a $10 Target giftcard, a $10 Starbucks giftcard, and an item of their choice from my TpT store!
 
So what are you waiting for....enter on the Rafflecopter below.  (Please let me know if you have any trouble with the Rafflecopter.  This is my first time using it!) 
 
 
 
 
 

36 comments:

  1. I love reading First Day Jitters and then making Jitter Juice.

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  2. I love doing a scavenger hunt with Pete the Cat on the first day.

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  3. My favorite thing is reading No David. So much silly fun!

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  4. I love getting to know my sweet kinder kids and showing them how much fun we will have in kindergarten. Singing and dancing, reading Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Pete the Cat Rockin' In My School Shoes!!1
    hdderamus@gmail.com
    Heather

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  5. Love reading the kissing hand and having them draw a picture of what they did over the summer! jenruthb@hotmail.com

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  6. I love playing getting to know you games!
    mjc6255@lausd.net

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  7. i have the same exact boxes for my crayons and they worked wonderfully last year with my kinders! I LOVED them. I love reading Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and doing subsequent activities for the week. Taking a tour around the school is always a fun time as well!

    ---kristin
    --kristinknny@yahoo.com

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  8. I love reading and making Jitter Juice! The kids talk about it all year long!

    jkroske@gmail.com

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  9. I love getting to know the kids and reading a story with them like First Day Jitters.

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  10. I like to do a scavenger hunt around the school with clues (bear cut outs) and then when they get back to the room there is a snack of teddy grahams.

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  11. I like to read some Welcome back to school books. I also have them draw a picture of themselves to compare the first and last days coloring.

    PS I totally label my tubs too. :)

    Katy

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  12. My favorite would be watching all my new Kindergartens empty out their backpacks and having them put it all way. They are in awe of all the supplies and wonderment in "What are we going to do with all this?" Once all the supplies are in their place we talk about just what we are going to do with, how and when we can use all our "learning tools". Then we go back to our cubbies pull out our Journal, and we write (draw) about our new class, new friends, and our new Journey in Kindergarten. Some even make the connection of Journal and Journey, "they sound the same", Love love love the newness everything is to them.. Can't wait, my new kinders will start on the 26th of Aug.

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  13. I love reading Twas the Night Preschool.
    Kate
    Fun in ECSE

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  14. I love to have the students bring items to share about them! They love doing this!

    kellybrown28021@gmail.com

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  15. I Love reading The Kissing Hand and making a handprint puzzle for them to take home. Clubmoore5@sbcglobal.net.

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  16. I LOVE Jitter Juice activities! They always bring out the smiles and create such a sense of relief for some of the students. It's always a hit:)

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  17. I LOVE giving my kinders a little bit of shaving cream towards the end of the day. I ask them to write their name, shapes and numbers. Easy assessment for me AND fun for them!
    Congrats on 200 followers!
    Sara
    Polka Dot Kinders

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  18. I like to get them outside and do water relays towards the end of the day!

    Ashley
    arclark2012@gmail.com

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  19. I love doing rhythm sticks with them at circle time. So far, no one has hit their neighbor with them! I also have them draw a picture of themselves. Some are very detailed and some still have just a head with arms and legs coming out of it! So cute. I have them write their own name on the pictures and repeat the process at the end of the school year for comparison of their skills.

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  20. Thank you for a great give away. I love that you call your kinders Owls. I will have to think of a nickname for mine. Love reading your post.
    Beth

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  21. The first week I like to read Little Yellow Little Blue and make play dough and Retell the story.

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  22. Taking first day of school photos!

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  23. I like to make "magic play-doh" with them, where the inside has food coloring and the outside is white. It comes with a poem that says something along the lines of if your play-doh changes color, you'll have a great year. I love to see their faces as it changes color.

    Heather (heathernnance@yahoo.com)

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  24. I love to do glyphs!

    Crystal Shepherd
    lucytumnus@gmail.com
    Lamppost in a STEM classroom

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  25. I read First Day Jitters & talk about how I am jittery on the first day. Others then tell what makes them nervous too. Right from day 1, we have something in common. dbednarsk@yahoo.com

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  26. I love reading The Kissing Hand. I also have my students make their very own Kissing Hand!

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  27. I like to read The Kissing Hand and do a special craftivity.

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  28. We read The Kissing Hand, and this year I found an adorable scavenger hunt with the Chester theme! YAY! At the end, we find ourselves in the Library, and I will have a special treat--hand shaped cookies :) I can't wait to meet my new kinders!! I am using caddies for my tables, too, and hadn't thought to put labels for the scissor/glue spots--great tip! THANKS!!

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  29. I love reading Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and allowing the kiddos to complete related activities - making their own trees and putting the letters of their names on it.

    Roxanne
    foxysexyroxy10@gmail.com

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  30. The Kissing Hand read aloud with a hand/heart art project and hand/heart cookies for both kinderkiddos and parents! We do a scavenger hunt, too!

    smckinnon@bethsd.org

    Thanks,
    Steph :)

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    Replies
    1. By the way, I LOVE owls! This is my new theme this year!!!!!!!

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  31. I love reading Pete the Cat and doing the scavenger hunt!!!
    Andrea :)

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  32. This is my second year teaching Kindergarten. I am doing a lot of things differently. Last year, was a struggle. I am in a private school and didn't have any mentors like some public school teachers I know. I plan on reading The Kissing hand and Pete the Cat books. I would love to know how you start out Literacy Stations? Do you do math stations also?
    Thanks,
    Tracy
    tgcrzy4u32gmail.com

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  33. On the first day of school, I take the students' pictures than we go on a tour of the building. I take pictures of each area (csfeteria, library, etc) and people (principal, cafeteria lady, etc.). Then return to the room and review our trip. Later I print out the pictures and have the kids match people to places. I also use the pictures on the daily schedule. Thanks for the opportunity to win. Hope everyone has a great year! (Our first day is Aug 26)
    Odie

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  34. I love doing first day of kindergarten self portraits! This way I can have students re-do the same assignment at the end of the year, and compare them side-by-side in a kindergarten memory book!
    Thank you for hosting this giveaway!!!
    -Jenny (banian.massabki@gmail.com)
    My Kinder Antics

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