Show what you bought!!

Well, I am a shopper.  I  L-O-V-E the tpt big sales!!  I bought a bunch of stuff ( 3 different carts!), here are a few of my purchases...


I really wanted to try these readers theater - with the sale, I had to have it!


These GR passages look fantastic. I love the fact that it is a bundle and I have 4 levels to meet the needs of my kids.



I saw Elizabeth post about this on her blog and I was very intrigued.  Now I just  have to get some kid dictionaries...



Sight words - using them in sentences - YES, please!!



I looked and looked at the growing kinders WW packs last year.  I am buying the Jan for now - possibly rest of them later.



I already have 1-7, so I bought 8 & 9 - I LOVE THIS MATH PROGRAM!!!!!! I cannot recommend it enough (AMAZING!!)


For math tubs.....


 Well - that's some of my collection :)
Hope you had some fun too!

Amazing Giveaway at Keepin'It Kool...

I love Khrys at Keepin' It Kool in Kinderland.  She is a fellow Florida blogger and has the **best** ideas on her blog (I steal a whole bunch!!)
Khrys is having a super holiday giveaway - you've got to check it out (or don't, so I have a better chance of winning!!)
She uses her amazing ideas and creates awesome products - making a little easier for mere mortals like me to look like an awesome Kindergarten teacher. 
Be sure to check out her blog, you won't be sorry!

Feeling the need to vent!

I want to do a good job. I try very hard. I go into work almost every Sat (and do work stuff at home - planning computer searches, etc - every night, Sundays too).  I can bet almost very one of you does the same (or close to it)
Today, at our PLC, in a continuation from last week, we talked about text marking.  And how by doing this now, it will make it so much easier for the teachers & kids in 4th grade.
Why do most of our PLCs and other really great ideas have to do with making the upper grade levels easier, later??  Why can't I teach the kindergarten kids I have in my room today and focus on what they are needing/working on???
Do upper grade level teachers need to deal with peeing in pants a few times a week - probably not.  Or re-packing folders and agendas when everything falls to the floor (times 18), um, no.  Somewhere people came up with the idea that if we present stuff to kids earlier and earlier to kids, they'll get it. 
Okay, so why don't I start teaching them how to drive, too??? It will make high school so much easier.
I am realizing that the more we ask kids to do, the more resistant they are becoming.  Little by little, they listen less, squirm more. Act like 5 year olds.
Why don't we all potty train 3 month olds newborns?  Oh, yeah. Because they're not ready.  You can put them on the potty all you want. But they are not toilet trained.
A kindergartener is not a 4th grader. I am not a fourth grade teacher.  I teacher 5 year olds.  Please let me.
Thanks for letting me rant :)
Have a happy hump day!

I'm still here`

wow - the last time I posted was in Aug-Sept.  Here it is nearly November and I'm still overwhelmed!!  In fact - I feel like I need a new word.  Overwhelmed doesn't really sum it all up.

Between the testing: holy cannoli, the amount of testing (state for both reading & math, then all over again for report card grades), the humungous amount of paperwork (oy vey!!), and let's be honest, the kids!  I am swimming in the sea of insanity.  I see my blog, but, I'd rather spend time reading what others are doing.
I have seen some amazing things - both posts that make me feel better; because other peoples kinder kids are loopy-do, or, sometimes a little worse when I see all that others are accomplishing (me, green with ENVY!)

Are we doing better than in Aug?  Of course.  Room for growth - absolutely!!

I was super lucky enough to **WIN** Vickie Plants Fall Unit.  This is filled with tons of awesome literacy & math games to keep anyone busy in November!  Thanks a bagillion, Vickie!!

I just finished buying and printing an amazing pack - Party Like a Pilgrim from The Printable Princess (on tpt).
If you teach k, BUY THIS NOW.  (no endorsements or anything, it's just that good!)
Thanks to all of you who keep posting amazing ideas - it keeps me on my toes.  Luckily I have an easy to edit lesson plan program on my computer ")

Kindergarten - days 1 and 2

Wow - I really believe the only way to continue to be a teacher each and every year (and maybe this is only for elementary) is to develop some sort of back to school amnesia.  You think you remember How tired you'll be.  How much talking you do.  How many times you call a name, looking at a child, pointing at said child, saying things like "that's you. I'm saying your name". 
But - even with all of this, day 2 was better than day 1.
I planned a ton, did about half.  Did a little more than half today.  Tomorrow will **hopefully** go even a little smoother and we can do a little more, building that stamina.
Haven't even really talked about centers yet, but we will be starting that really soon - planning to start on Monday at the latest.
I hope all of you who have started and getting it done.  Those who haven't started yet, enjoy the break, you know your time is coming!!
Happy Tuesday!

Busy Day

Today was the last day of summer VPK.  All the kids progressed from where they started - not all started in same place :)
1 week "off" and then on the 12th teachers go back for pre-school week - a week of mostly meetings, a little bit of worktime in classroom and open house on Thursday.

This past Monday, our school was rocked with shocking news. Due to another elementary school earning an F (first ever in our county), our principal, who I love on both a professional and personal  level - is being moved to "fix" the F.
Can she do it - well, if anyone can, she can.  I wish her all the best. She will have quite a challenge on her hands.
As for us - as of now, no principal named yet (next week, hopefully). I do worry for our direction/focus.  Our principal has such a clear vision - it helped keep us on track, always moving forward.
A bit nerve racking for me - one more thing to worry about as a new school year dawns.
My goal - keep teaching and carry on - guess it's time to print one of the signs of tpt :)

All about math

After a five year absence from kindergarten, I feel like I'm a brand new teacher - all over again!  When I left Kindergarten to go to prek, I thought I was close to the top of my game.  Now, its a climb.
I'm thinking a lot about math - specifically math centers. Math in my k class was mostly calendar activities (not just days/months, we did a lot!), math journals and the math lesson. Any math centers were an add-on for literacy centers. Fast forward to now. I am re-doing my math journals (found a great math journal set for our math series, Envision, on tpt) and a new common core and more "calendar" math (its so much more) - by Marta Almiron (tpt) - this is seriously amazing!!
That leaves my math centers - I was planning on having 5 main "areas" to practice, modeled after a conference presentation by Deanna Jump. Measurement, Number & Operations, Counting & Cardinality, Data & Sorting and Geometry.
Figured I'd start with "table" centers - exploring math manipulatives. 
How are you planning on doing math this year?