To Desk or Not To Desk...?

So, I am thinking about giving up my teacher desk to make more room for the 32+ Firsties that will be coming next week.  I would love to hear about anyone else who gave up the desk and if you love or hate the idea.  BTW, this cute picture is how my desk NEVER looks!  :)

Have a great week, Everybody!  I'm FINALLY going to get in my classroom tomorrow!   Pictures will come later...

Corinna

Teacher Week: Wednesday--Freebie Friday!

So, I've not posted since Tuesday because Blogger was making me crazy!  It wouldn't let me upload any images.  I tried many times and then decided I needed to smash my computer take a break before I lost my mind.  It still isn't cooperating, but I found a way to work around the weirdness.  One person said to post the pictures in HTML mode instead of Compose mode, so...  TA-DA!  It worked.  Has anyone else ever had that problem?  So, close your eyes and think back to Wednesday...OK.  Open your eyes.

WHERE I WORK WEDNESDAY:
I haven't even been into my school yet!  I could have snuck in this week, but then I would have had to put Real Clothes on, not Vacation Clothes (a.k.a only acceptable at Walmart).  Staying home was soooooo much easier!  I prefer not to think about unpacking and organizing my room in the 2 days we're given.  I'm OK with denial.  In any case, here is a picture of Harvey Clarke Elementary in Forest Grove, Oregon!

 

THERAPUETIC THURSDAY:

After Blogger was being obnoxious, I decided I REALLY needed a therapuetic day which consisted of  snuggling my Hubby, watching movies, and some Medicinal Ice Cream.  What is that, you ask?  Why, that is the ice cream you eat for "medicinal" purposes, so you won't need real medication when you lose your mind.  You may have already tried Medicinal Dark Chocolate, which works, too.



See? It says so on the tub! It's for therapy!





FREEBIE FRIDAY:
Well, I decided to whip up a new Word Work sheet so that I have another option for kids to practice their spelling words and/or word families.  So, click on the picture if you're interested!  If you liked and downloaded the sheet, please leave a little love in the form of a comment.  Thanks! :) 


Have a wonderful weekend!  I'm going back to school/work on Monday!  Hmmm...perhaps I should have practiced going to bed early/waking up early before now?  Oh, well.
Corinna

 

Teacher Week Blog Hoppin'

I'm a Late Linker, but I'm going to make up for it in one post. :) 

 

MUST-HAVE MONDAY: 

Hmmmm...Where to start?  One thing I'm OBSESSED with are Super Sticky Post-It Notes!  I "loves me some" Post-Its, but when they came out with the Super Sticky versions, I had to have them.   In every size.  In every color.  Regular and Pop-up.  Then, I started telling all of my teacher friends about them and now they have a terrible obsession, too!  I also love the plastic tabs.  They are everywhere in my books and planners.  I had two that just hopped through my planner and they only started to fall off after about one year of use!  I know, right?!?  I even joined their FAN CLUB Post-It Perks group, which sends me coupons and notifies me when there is something I must have really can't do without.  Now they have SUPER STICKY FULL ADHESIVE notes for when you really, really, REALLY want it to stick!  *Sigh*  Post-It Heaven!

Schneider Slider Memo XB Pens (the purple one, especially).  They write like butter and the pen has a slightly rubbery texture so they are easy to grip.  Ooohhhh!  Imagine how awesome they'll be writing on a Super Sticky Post-It!!!

Paper Pro Staplers and Easy Punch Hole Punches save you from wrist injuries when you're trying to staple posters to your walls that aren't meant to be stapled (yeah, you heard me, Mr. Wall).  I found out they even staple into nice thick, hardwood doors. The hole punches and staplers are easy enough for little kiddos to use.  In fact, a child ended up finding out that they are easy to use and they will staple into your finger (if you really want to find that out the hard way).

 OK...I have more must-haves, but that will have to wait for another post.

 

TECHNOLOGY TUESDAY:

 I make computer log in sheets for the kids so that they can use them at school to log on and I send a copy home so kids can use the sites for homework.  Easy-peasy.

 

 That's it for today!  You may want to head over to see Megan at I Teach, What's Your Super Power? She is having a 400 Follower Giveaway.  I don't know why I'm telling you because I really want to win hope you enter! :)

Corinna

 

 

Giveaway Winner!

Thank you to all who entered my 100 Follower Giveaway!  I appreciate all of my followers and I'm looking forward to sharing more ideas once school starts.  So...without further ado, the lucky winner is Crystal Jones from  www.msjonesjunction.blogspot.com!  Congratulations, Crystal!

Teaching Fabulous Firsties 100+ Follower Giveaway!

I am amazed at all of the wonderful support bloggers out there have given me over the past 6 weeks of my Newbie Blog!  Thank you to all of my followers for joining me!  Now, for the goodies....

Alison at Maths With Meaning is donating her adorable Pirate Math packet from her Teachers Pay Teachers Store!

 

Amanda at Sweeties in Second is donating her patriotic Morning Announcement Companion Pack!



 Christy and Tammy from Fluttering Through First Grade are donating one of their wonderful September Writing Pages for class share time!





Teresa from Fun Games 4 Learning is donating her Ultimate Math Games Collection! 

Kristin from Taking a Walk on the Teaching Side is donating her Behavior Management Comprehensive Packet!

Michelle from Mrs. G's Kindergarten in Heels is donating two excellent PowerPoint lessons--with animation and sound effects, (one for addition and one for subtraction), plus a My First Writing Journal from her store!

Liann from A Grade One Nut and Her Squirrely Crew donated her Bring Your Stuffy to School set. 

Stacy at Leading and Reading is donating her Owl Themed Read and Welcome Banner decorations from her Teacher's Notebook store!



Heather at the Busy, Busy, Hive is donating any one item from her Teachers Pay Teachers store.  One item you may choose might be the Magical Silent E game.



Leslie at The Groovy Teacher is donating any one item from her Teachers Pay Teachers store.  One that I really love is her Super Math Pack: A Problem a Day for 100 Days!

I will be giving away an item from my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  You may want to look at my brand Explorer Themed new student of the week packet.

Thank you, again for all of your support!!!  Now, it is time for you to enter with Rafflecopter!  Be sure to explore all of the great blogs and products that my friends have generously donated.  Thanks!!!
Corinna
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway Winners

Thanks to everyone for entering my very first Rafflecopter giveaway event!  It was easy to use, even though I was learning as I went along.  My winners should check their email for their prizes!

My BIG giveaway is coming soon...

Corinna

Freeeeeeeeeeeeebie Friday!

So, this is technically an addendum and not the faux pas of (gasp!) blogging twice in one day! Now that we've got that covered, here is a little Back to School freebie for you. It is a packet of basic handwriting practice sheets for K-2. One is old-school ball and stick style and the other is a "modern" style (I won't mention the D' name for fear of a cease and desist letter!). 

So, pop on over to my Teachers Pay Teacher's Store for your freebie!  When you pick up your freebie, check out some of my other items.  If you're feeling the bloggy love, I'd love to have you rate me/comment/follow my TPT Store while you're there.  Thanks!

Happy Weekend, Everybody!

Corinna

Faux Friday Post (aka Thursday's Post)

Guess what!  I  lost my mind  really wanted your weekend to start sooner, so I said it was Friday yesterday in my post.  So, for those of you that don't really have to go to work today,  You're Welcome!  For those of you that didn't show up for work Friday because of my post, you should really pay attention.  To a calendar.  Not me.  So sad.

Now, it is really Friday... 12:48 a.m. to be exact.  So, you say I'd better give you a Finally Friday Freebie, huh?  I may have to make a double post an addendum later...if I feel like it.  If not, you have my permission to enjoy your real weekend.  :)
Corinna

Family Friday & Lots of Thoughts

Hi Friends!  Sorry--no freebie Friday today.  Instead, I was able to spend some family time with my Dad, Mom, and Grandpa.  *Happy Sigh*  I've got a happy heart!  Mom is eager to help me in my classroom to get it all set up!  Mom is "retired" from teaching, but that doesn't stop her from subbing (just for my school!) and putting in lots of hours dreaming up ideas we can do with my kiddos.  Does anyone else have a teacher Mama or Dad?  Love it!

Is anyone else out there tempted to change your classroom theme after seeing some of the adorable class pictures on blog sites and Pinterest (Crystal Jones, you know you're one of them that I'm talking about...you and your Western Theme!)?!?   It is a good thing I've already invested (rather heavily!) in my Explorer/Jungle Safari theme or I'd be changing my theme over and over!  I like to make my own reward charts, but after I saw this, I just had to have it because it is so cute!  A little safari trail and jeep stickers to move along the path.  My local school supply shop didn't have these, but luckily Amazon did--and I just had to buy the matching bulletin board set, right?  Then, they magically appeared on my doorstep via Amazon Prime.

Blogging buddy Vicky is having a big 113 follower giveaway, so click on her picture below and get yourself entered!  She's giving away an Amazon.com gift card and Mrs. Jones' Junction is giving away a gift certificate to her Teacher's Notebook store.

Also, you have about one more day to enter to win my Hollywood Star of the Week packet.  I'm also planning a BIG 100+ follower giveaway with over ten awesome prizes from many generous bloggers (anyone still wanting to donate prizes can email me cwoita@aol.com)!  Be sure to stop back here this weekend to get in on the fun!

Anyhow, I'm going to start working on some other goodies, so enjoy your weekend, especially all of you that have already started back to work!
Corinna

Blogs, Bloggers & Prizes!

Finding new, exciting bloggers is made even more fun when you enter for giveaways!  So, here are some links to great blogs, with fabulous bloggers, and fun prizes!

Rulin' the Roost is having an $80 Vistaprint giveaway, so go check it out.

Second Grade Perks is having a big giveaway with products from a ton of great bloggers!

Fourth Grade Flipper is celebrating 100 followers with a $25 Amazon.com giveaway!

Learning in Spain is having a Teachers Pay Teachers clipart giveaway from many talented artists.

Fluttering Through First Grade is having a "Back to School Style: giveaway.

Teach on a Limb is having a big 100 follower giveaway with great bloggers' products.

My new bloggy buddy, Rikki, is having her 150 follower giveaway at her site, The Hive.  She's giving away a cute necklace from Home Studio on etsy.

Jessica Ann Stanford came up with a great idea for a linky party--anyone who wants to get to know other bloggers can link up to share our blogs/facebook pages/Pinterest pages and, hopefully add some new followers.

Also, don't forget about my 100+ follower giveaway that is coming soon!  Let me know if you want to participate with the giveaways and get your name out there to more bloggers. :)

OK...one last thing that just made me laugh...When spell-checking my post, it said "Blogger" was not a word...in the Blogger program... :)

Happy Wednesday!
Corinna

100 Follower Giveaway & We Give Books.org

I am almost to 100 followers, so I'm starting to plan a big giveaway to mark the occasion.  If you would like to have your Teachers Pay Teachers product(s) or other item as part of the Rafflecopter giveaway, please let me know.  Thanks! :)

I had to share with you a really great website that you can use with your kids in your classroom on a SMARTboard, individual computers, and/or have kids use at home for more exposure to great books.  The best part is that by reading these online books, WeGiveBooks.org gives free books to a variety of charities!  Each book you read helps. 

There are lots of quality books available to read.  Here is a a bit of information from the site:

"We Give Books is a free website that enables anyone with access to the Internet to put books in the hands of children who don't have them, simply by reading online.Simply choose the charity you want to read for and then select the books you want to read. For each book you read online, we donate a book to a leading literacy group on your behalf.  The more you read, the more we give. Choose a title from our growing digital library and start reading. Once your book is selected you can then choose the organization on whose behalf you wish to read.  The book you select appears in a special reading window, and you can page through it exactly as you would if you were holding it in your hands.  When you finish reading, you need only to confirm your effort to let us know it's time to share another hardcover or paperback book with a child in need. Read as many books as you like, as many times as you like."

You can put their link on your blog to share with others and to make it simple for you to access.  So, spread the word!

The Great "Edu-Pinner" Link Up & A Big "Thank You!"

Come and link up with other Pinterest-ing educators!  You don't have to have to be a blogger--just a pinner!  Disclaimer:  Teaching Fabulous Firsties/Corinna Woita will not be responsible for any time lost from your day due to Edu-Pinning! ;)

I am sending a big THANK YOU to Katie & Beth at Simply Sweet TEAching for the wonderful Common Core Math Game Unit that I won while visiting their blog!  Check out their site and their Teachers Pay Teacher's site for more great teaching goodies!

Happy Pinning!
Corinna

Hollywood Theme Star of the Week Packet Giveaway!

I finished my Star of the Week packet with a Hollywood Theme.  Before it goes on sale at Teachers Pay Teachers, I wanted to have a GIVEAWAY for my followers!  The packet includes an 11x17 Star of the Week poster, a parent letter that describes what they need to have their child do to complete the poster, two choices of Star of the Week class-written book covers and two choices of Star of the Week pages using handwriting lines and plain lines. 

When I used this with my second graders last year, I would send home the parent letter with one boy and girl who would be the Stars the following week.  I chose to have new students go earlier in the year so we could all get to know them.  Then, I "randomly" chose students for the rest of the year (but I had my shy kids and kids who needed to make new friends go first--don't tell!).  On Mondays, the Stars would share their posters that they worked on over the weekend.  Also, they were allowed to bring a special item for sharing.  This was a big deal because the kids don't get to share toys or things like that--only items related to what we're learning in class.  Each day of the week the kids had the option to share other items or stories about their hobbies, families, etc...  On Thursday, the class would write a page to go in each of the Star of the Week's class books.  Usually, they gave a compliment or told the Star about mutual interests.  Then, at the end of the week, the stories were collected and bound into a book for each Star to take home.  The kids LOVE this!  Even the shy kids want to talk about themselves!  If this sounds like something you'd like to try, you can enter to win a copy using the "Rafflecopter" below. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks, Bloggy Friends!
Corinna

Shopping Finds!

So, Monday I went shopping for a TON  a few things that I wanted really needed for my classroom.  Really, could I teach 30+ new first graders using (gasp!) stuff that I've used with second graders?!?  I don't think so!  Plus, when I see things that are purple, that pretty much is a sign from above that I must have it.  I'm also sure it is because I've been drooling over Pinterest and teacher blogs reading Professional Education Resources that encouraged me to shop.  So, I ventured out with Hubby, who was there because I needed him to buy some things that were on sale that had a quantity limit he really enjoys shopping with me at Learning Palace, Dollar Tree, Target, Walmart, Office Depot, JoAnn's Crafts and Fabrics, and Walgreens.  Did I mention that this shopping trip was fueled by my Dutch Brother's Peachy-Colada Smoothie and Hubby's Dutch Freeze Expresso drink?  Yeah, we were power shopping!  So, here are some pictures of the goodies Educational Resources that I purchased. 

 

 Purple pocket charts?  Yes, please! Plus, I found some double-sided dry erase boards.  Also, I scored some shallow purple trays, reading bookmarks, super star erasers, and Write On/Wipe Off addition and subtraction cards for math centers.  They had some good addition and subtraction flashcards and some Insect cards with great pictures and facts.

 Target's caddies, baskets, and flash cards!

Dollar Tree had a lot of great items.  How cute are these pink oblong buckets?!?  I also scored some animal print mechanical pencils (to go with my Explorer/Jungle theme), colored ball point pens (for correcting papers), and shiny pencils for birthday goodies.

Dollar Tree had these foam letter tiles (for Word Work) and foam cubes (which are going to become dice once they meet my Sharpies!).

To go with my Explorer/Jungle theme, I found cut-outs of Monkeys and compasses, and cute computer printer with a jungle border.

I needed to stock up on Goodie Box prizes and I found, toy tops, bracelets, bouncy balls, glittery snakes, and "No Homework" passes.

I found cute stick-on name tags with fun stars, cardstock crayon "sorting sticks," and *Victory Music* PINK AND PURPLE PAPERCLIPS!!!  I was in love!  Those will look super cute in one of those pink oval buckets!

On to Walgreens...

I had been looking for containers for flash cards and other card games that needed replacement boxes.  I found these 3x5 card holders for only 35 cents each!  They have two snaps on the front and removable dividers inside.  These would be great for holding cards for literacy and math center, too.  I bought TONS of those.  Also, Walgreens had a 4-pack of Bic ballpoint pens for 99 cents each, but they were out, so I got to have a fancier, larger pack instead!  Woo-hoo!

Office Depot had their pocket folders for 1 cent each!!!  They had a limit, but said I could get 30 since I was a teacher.  Yay!  Then, Hubby went bought me a few more since our class sizes are going to be big.  They also had 25 cent composition books and hand sanitizer key chains. 

I didn't quite share all of my purchases, but I decided I needed to do some more pinning work around the house.  So that's it for shopping finds today! :)

One last thing...
I won some great prizes from Anita Goodwin's Teachers Pay Teacher store for her 100 follower celebration!  You can visit Anita's site at iLive2Learn iLove2Grow.  She has a lot of fun items that are freebies or inexpensive activities for download on TPT.  I won her SkippyJon Jones Scavenger Hunt center activities and some SkippyJon Jones notecards.  Thanks, Anita!

Until next time,

Corinna

Webby Wednesday: Literacy Websites

I joined Brenda at Primary Inspired ABC for a Webby Wednesday blog hop about fun literacy websites to use for Word Work activities.  She shared a fun site, so be sure to visit her blog, too.

One of my favorite sites is BBC Bitesize.  They have different levels of animated literacy games, plus other content areas.  The kids get a kick out of the games and they are great for use on a SMARTboard or other interactive whiteboard.  I plan to have this site as one of the choices my students can use during our Daily 5 literacy time.

I hope you link up and join in with other great literacy sites.  If you are new to my blog and you want to share ideas, be sure to follow me, leave a comment, and I'll be over to visit!

Corinna