Let's Get Aquainted Part 3

I am linking up with LaToya again for another fabulous linky party. This week it is about all of your favorite things. Click on the picture to link up.

Favorite Place to Shop: Nordstroms and Amazon

I love Nordstorms. They have the best shoes. Thankfully, I am not close to a Nordstroms. Otherwise I would spend my entire paycheck there. However, my other favorite place is Amazon and I can access that store whenever I want.

Favorite TV Show: Big Bang Theory and Criminal Minds

I love cop dramas but my favorite is Criminal Minds. I have been following it for years and I am totally invested in all the characters. When I need a pick me up, I watch The Big Bang Theory. It makes me laugh so hard!

Favorite Sweet Treat: pistachio gelato

It is so much creamier than ice cream. It is delicious! Perfect on a hot sunny day.

Favorite Food: Sushi

I love sushi. There is a place near my house that makes non-traditional sushi. They have similar rolls but they are all unique to that particular place. It is just as good.

Favorite Restaurant: Cosmo's

I really like to support local businesses. This place has great homemade pasta and bread.

Now head on over to Flying into First to meet some other bloggers. Head over to my Teachers Pay Teachers store to catch the last hours of the sale that I am throwing.

Have a good week.

Spring Cleaning and Five for Friday on a Saturday

Hello all!

I am officially on Spring Break. Whoop whoop! I love being a teacher and I really enjoy my kids but boy did I need this break. I'm a day late on linking up with Kacey at Doodle Bug Teaching.

Here are my 5 random things this week:

1. We started the week off by making these dinosaur models out of marshmallows and tooth picks. Every single student was completely engaged with the activity. They even broke the tooth picks to make the claws and beak.

2. We also got to make these awesome noodle fossils. The students even dug out the noodles like real paleontologists.

3. I got completely funded for my Donor's Choose project on Monday and yesterday I already got my I-Pad! I haven't told my students yet, but I can't wait to see their faces when we get back from Spring Break.

4. I don't know about you, but my wishlist at Teachers Pay Teachers is L-O-N-G. I am sure that I am not the only one. I am linking up with some other wonderful teachers to offer a 20% off sale today and tomorrow to help you "clean" out your wishlist.

5. I am on Spring Break and I have absolutely nothing planned. I can't wait.

Have a great weekend.

Fossils, Fossils, and Fossils...Oh My!

Happy Wednesday!

I am so close to Spring Break, I can feel it! Our school district gives us 2 full days with no kids to do conferences. Most teachers meet with parents throughout the week, so they can have Friday off. I have 10 conferences tomorrow standing in between Spring Break and I. (Boy, am I ready.) Today the students were practically buzzing with excitement. My 2nd grade team and I decided to pull out all the stops this week. We came up with 3 different activities to try to keep the kids engaged.

The first activity we did was building dinosaurs using marshmallows and tooth picks. Some of their models were HUGE but they loved it. (Especially eating their dinosaurs.)

The next activity we did also invloved fossils but the students used noodles and play-doh. The play-doh acted as "dirt" and the students formed the noodles into what they think a fossilized dinosaur would look like.

All the play-doh and noodles.

I love the last couple of dinosaurs.

The last activity we did, I got from Abby's The Inspired Apple blog. The students get to become palentologists by digging out chocolate chips from chocolate chip cookies.

Of course the best part was they got to eat the cookies after they were done.

We topped the day with a root beer float party that the students earned for good behavior. Oi, I am tired. I just keep telling myself...one more day, one more day, one more day.

Noun Linky

Happy Monday!

I am linking up with LaToya at Flying into First Grade again for her "Let's Get Acquainted" Linky. This week she is asking we post our favorite nouns: a person, a place, a thing, and an animal.

Person: I'm going to cheat a little bit and say my family. I know they are more than one, but how can you just choose 1?

My brother and I.

Place: I love to travel so this was a hard one to choose. However, I have to say that my all time favorite place to be, is up in the Cascade Mountains. It is so peaceful and relaxing. It always makes me feel so small and that all of the stress in my life is not that important.

Thing: My favorite thing these days is my Kindle. When I am actually able to read for pleasure, I love to camp out on my couch and get lost in my favorite book.

Animal: I absolutely love wolves. I think they are a beautiful animal.

Last week, I posted that I had just subscribed for another Donor's Choose project to try to get an I-Pad in my class. Yesterday, I found out that my project was fully funded! I am over the moon with excitement. I'm not sure how I am going to wait the 3 weeks for it to get here.

Happy teaching!

New Blog and a Sale!

Take a look at my new blog! The lovely ladies at Honey Bunch Designs were so patient in helping me find something that was exactly looking for. (Success!)

I also just put the finishing touches on my Springtime Showers Literacy Center pack.

I included color and black and white sets for each activity. It is also 20% off today and tomorrow. Head on over to my Teachers Pay Teachers store to pick up your own copy. I will randomly pick 2 people from my followers to receive a free copy later tonight. (Julie and Jenny check your email.) Don't forget to follow!

Enjoy your Sunday.

Five for Friday, Donor's Choose, and Writing

Hey all! I’m linking up with Kacey at Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday. If you don’t know, this is where you post 5 random things you did during the week.

1. Have you heard about Donor’s Choose? If not, it is a wonderful program that allows educators to write grants and collect money for their projects. After approval from the Donor’s Choose team, people can donate money to your project. At the beginning of the year I wrote a grant to get an easel and math manipulatives.

 

A couple of months later, I was informed that my project was funded! A couple of weeks ago I was informed that next year we will be drastically cutting our copier/toner budget. (Yikes!) So posted a grant to try to get an I-Pad in my classroom but I am also searching for other ways to cut down on my paper consumption. Any ideas? I have looked into using math/reading spiral notebooks but I’m not really sure how it works. Does anyone use these in their classrooms?

2. I have been a little late on my spring centers but it has not felt like spring around here at all. Plus, we won’t be diving into the centers until after we come back from Spring Break.

 

3. We made these adorable umbrellas and Spring poems.

4. We have been getting hit with snow. For Washington at the end of March that is an odd occurrence. This is what I wish I was doing today.

5. I officially have 3 days and 25 parent/teacher conferences before Spring Break. I am SO close.  

Have a good weekend!

Krystyn

Spring has Sprung!

Hello hello!

Sorry I have been MIA for the last couple of days. I am barley hanging in there. Whew! We have a week and a day before Spring Break with conferences thrown in there. (Do you see my happy dance? Oh I’m doing it!) I think no matter how much we love our kiddos, I don’t know any teacher that isn’t ready for a break right about now. In the mean time, we have been working really hard on finishing up this fossil unit. (Take a closer look at my TpTstore.)

Last week we also made these adorable leprechauns from A Cupcake for the Teacher. (Doesn’t she make wonderful craftivities? I love her stuff.) When I was explaining the directions to the activity, one of my kids launched into this story about how he made leprechaun traps in kindergarten. He also described all the crazy things the leprechaun did to his class. Like tip over desks, put things in the wrong place, and generally cause chaos in the classroom. How adorable is that?

Today we made these umbrellas and a spring poem in honor of the 1^st day of spring. It sure didn’t feel like spring today! It has rained almost 2 inches in the last 48 hours. (Yikes!) I am just happy that is not snow.

I am just now realizing how long this post is. If you are still with me, I would love to tell you about this linky party that Christina at Bunting, Books, and Bainbridge is hosting.

All you have to do it talk about your favorite blog. (I think this is a great idea.) It was really hard to only pick 1 blog.

Drum roll please…..

I love the ladies from Across the Hall in 2^nd Grade. They share wonderful ideas and the reading comprehension packet is perfect for helping your kiddos with their comprehension.

Also, I have this little springtime craftivity for you! All you have to do is follow my blog and leave me a comment. (Don’t forget to include your email.)

Happy teaching!

Krystyn