Lesson Plan Template

I'm breaking records today!! Second post in a week...or month! Yay me!

While the toddler is sleeping I thought I should work on my schedule for next year.  I like to make my daily lesson plans in word then fill in by hand what I will be doing that day.  Just what works for me. I don't like the lesson plan books you can buy at your local teacher store, they never have enough space! So I make my own.  Its nothing fancy, but it's a format I am used to and I can usually just leave this out for a sub!

Click here

Okay, I'm still new to all this technology stuff and when I uploaded the document to google docs it didn't load right.  On my Word version the 2 boxes are on the same page next to each other. I couldn't figure out how to fix it...so I am just going to deal with it!  Anyway, if you like it, use it!  


Hope everyone is enjoying the heat wave! I'm taking Colt swimming now that he is up!


Steph

Summer Time

It's summer, yay!!!!!!!   I was so happy to see the end of the year...it was a tough one, but we made it!  I will be teaching Transitional K this coming year, so I have spent this month doing a little research trying to find out how and what to do with this level.  Even though I am not in CA, the state has mandated TK classes this coming year because the entry date was changed. So, kids who now are not old enough for regular K can sign up for TK and then attend regular K the following year. Anyway, there is some info out there if anyone else is teaching TK let me know! I would love to know what you are doing!

I went into my classroom yesterday to paint my bulletin board and almost cried when I saw my room! NOTHING was where it was supposed to be! Instead of crying, I took a breath and started moving...my desk, a big bookshelf, filing cabinets, and tables. After getting that all moved I was able to start painting...well after I removed all the staples that were left in the board from the previous owner!

Here is the before picture...isn't it a lovely color?

I decided I was tired of hanging paper so I painted the board instead!

The pink side will be where I put my birthday cakes and the blue is for calendar and other works of art. I will post again when I have it done.

If anyone else is teaching TK or has any ideas let me know!!

Before I sign off I want to thank Marlana at Lil' Country Kindergarten for posting a link to my blog! If you haven't been to see her you better get moving! She is a great resource and has been very helpful to me!

Enjoy the sunshine!
~Steph

Wowzers!

Well it happened again...that thing called LIFE!!!  Only this time it was a downpour!  March came in like a lion and left like a lion with the death of both of my maternal grandparents within 10 days.  My grandmother suffered a massive stroke on March 11 and passed on March 16th.  She had just turned 81 (March 3), relatively healthy, very outgoing and a talented quilter.  My family is blessed to have her gift of quilting to remember her and we know that we are wrapped in her love when we snuggle one of her quilts.  She made each of us numerous quilts, each one made with great thought as to our likes.  She made them for special occasions, like birthdays, weddings, graduations and births.  What a treasure!  My grandfather was 93!! He passed just 10 days after my grandma. What a love affair they had after being married for nearly 58 years. That is something to be proud of as this is becoming a rarity.

April has left me with 7 weeks left of the school year.  This year has flown by! We met the incoming kinders last week and I will be teaching the students who just aren't quite ready for the rigorous curriculum.  I'm excited and nervous all at the same time and I know I have a lot of prep work to get done over the summer.  I am really hoping to become a more avid blogger and maybe with my new class I will begin creating things for them! We will see...not making any promises!

We have a plant unit and a farm unit coming up and I think we will try to squeeze in butterflies too! I will try to take pictures and post what we are doing!

Happy Spring (and Friday the 13th!)

~Steph

Lovely Blog Award

Thank you to Stacey at 3rd Grade Times for giving me the Lovely Blog Award!  It's nice to wake up and feel the love!

Here are the rules:
1. Link back to the blogger who gave it to you
2. Pass the award on to 15 other lovely bloggers
3. Follow the person who sent it to you

Easy enough, right?  Here are the lovely bloggers I am passing it on to:

Barbra and Mary at Happy Teaching First
Marsha at Differentiated Kindergarten
Lidia at Kids Reading Activities
Hadar at Miss Kindergarten
Kristin at Little Miss Glamour Goes to Kindergarten
Holly at Crisscross Applesauce in First Grade
Kristina at Coloring Books and Funny Looks
Miss S. at Just Teaching Kindergarten
Shannon at Kindergarten Hoppenings
Melissa at Dilly Dabbles
Camille at An Open Door
Amy at The Resource(ful) Room
Vanessa at Kinder Love
Jeannie at Kindergarten Lifestyle
Kerri and Lindsay at Teacher Bits and Bobs

Check out these amazing blogs and pass on the love!! I need to get busy and keep up with posting!

~Steph

Help!

I'm still trying to get into blogging, life just seems to get in the way! Someday I will be better at keeping up and maybe posting more than once a month!

Any who, with so many WONDERFUL resources out in bloggy world I have come upon a HUGE problem: storage!  How do you fellow bloggers store all of the things you have made?   If I knew how to do a linky party I would try it out with this post...more to learn I guess!

I can't wait to hear how you store/organize your games/activities!

~Steph

My first award!

Thank you to Melissa at Dilly Dabbles for my first award, the Liebster Blog Award.  This award is for bloggers who have fewer than 200 followers. Here are the rules:

Thank the award presenter and post a link back to their blog
Put the award on your blog
Pick 5 blogs with less than 200 followers, let them know about the award, and encourage them to pass the award on!

Here are the blogs I am passing it on to:

Kristina at Coloring Books and Funny Looks
Miss S.  at Just Teaching Kindergarten
Julia at Loving and Learning in Pre-K
Barbra at Happy Teaching First
Staci at Lets Teach Something

Enjoy your first award!!

~Steph

Penguins

Last week we finished up our penguin unit with an activity day.  There are 4 kindergarten classes at my school so the students had 4 activities to do. 

Their first stop was to play Iceburg Number Toss. Here pairs tossed an ice cube (bean bag) onto an iceburg (taped off shapes on the floor) with a number.  The pair decided who landed on the bigger number (more and less).

Next they did the Blubber Hand.  I have seen this on other blogs and the teacher who did this station had done it before.  The students put one hand in a bag of blubber (crisco) and the other just in a bag then put both hands in ice water.  They got to feel how blubber helps keep animals warm while swimming in the ocean. 

Next they competed in an Egg Race.  The students had to take of their shoes and put an egg (sock filled with rice) on the top of their feet like the male penguins.  Then they had to waddle the other side of the room.  Hilarious!!

Last was an animated video about penguins on Discovery.  It talked about the life cycle, finding a mate, predators, and the Antartic. While watching the video they ate blue jello with a sweedish fish inside to remind them of where the penguins get their favorite food!  These were horrible to make...I don't know what happened but it was not fun!

The kids made and wore these cute hats we found on Kreative in Kinder

Each teacher made little penquins on tounge depressors.  Here is how I made them:

First,  I painted half of the stick white.

Then colored the other half black. I used a marker but you could paint it if you wanted.  After coloring black draw wings and feet, add googly eyes and a beak.

All in all it was a fun afternoon, but boy were we pooped!!! 10 bucks says we will do it again next year though!!


Penguin kisses!
Steph