I'm BAAACCCKKK!!!! Plus a giveaway and a TpT sale!

Okay, so I have been gone over two months.

Agh! I seriously logged in and cringed when I saw my last post date.

Things. Have. Been. Crazy.

That's the long and the short of it! If it's too early to make a New Year's resolution, oh well - mine is to be a more dedicated poster.

Despite my blogging absence, I've been working on a few projects. One of my newest products is a little goodie called "Mad About Science."

It includes an info sheet for kids and parents on the steps of the scientific method, a little assessment, and blank experiment recording sheets that are appropriate for any experiment. This file goes for just $2.00 in my TpT store, but the first two posters to comment on this post and include their email addresses will receive it FREE!

Also, my entire TpT store is on sale now through Tuesday. Use code CMT12 at checkout Monday and Tuesday for an extra 10% off!

Have a great week back from Thanksgiving!

Freebie labels!

Is anyone else OVERWHELMED with the year so far? I am! My room isn't quite how I want it to be yet, and I'm trying to get ahead (okay, who am I kidding? CATCH UP!) on planning and such. Our school day was extended this year, and while I'm LOVING the extra time, it's wearing me out a bit.

Anywhoooooo.....

Well, folks, these are probably superduper late for many of you, but maybe they'll be helpful for some of ya!

I've created six labels to label notebooks/folders for your kiddos, plus a bonus label for birthday books. (I give my students a book for their birthday. Many of my students don't have books at home, so I try to give my kiddos books for their birthdays, holidays, as rewards, etc.)

Click on the picture below to grab yours!

(Note: These can be printed on 4x3.33" labels. Make sure the page sizing is set to "none" so the labels print correctly.)

Revamp Your Classroom - FOR FREE!

Oh boy. That about sums up the past few weeks. Things have been CRAZY around here. We are already in week 4 (!) of school, and I won't lie - I'm still trying to get things ready for the year. Long story short - we've had major changes in the length of the school day, how preps work, and all the Common Core fun we're all adjusting to. Let's just say - I'm exhausted! ANYWAYS... I felt inspired to post because I had a DonorsChoose project funded today! Woo hoo!

Math game organizer... Yippee!!!

To those of you who are unfamiliar with DonorsChoose, it is a website that links donors to classrooms in need. All US public school classrooms are eligible to post projects. You request materials you need or want for your classroom from a variety of websites (Lakeshore, Quill, and Best Buy are my faves), write a short essay about why your students should receive donations, and VOILA! Within a couple days, the project is posted and ready to get donations.

In five years, I've had 38 projects funded, almost entirely by strangers. We've received awesome donations, like whisper phones, BOOKS, a field trip to see a Mo Willems play, netbooks... Great essentials and fun things I could never afford to buy myself.

Here are some tips for getting funded:
1. Keep your requests small. DonorsChoose recommends less than $400... But really, I think less than $200 is best (ALL of my requests under $200 have been funded). So if you can request items in smaller sets, do so.

2. Time your requests with corporate partnerships. Sonic is donating hundreds of thousands of dollars this month, so it's the perfect time to post a project.

3. Write really awesome thank you notes. Bind student thank yous, or create a neat presentation for them. Many donors will come back to help you with future projects.

4. PR! Use Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest to share your project with family and friends.



If you've used DonorsChoose, what have you requested? Do you have any funding tips to add?

A Back to School Sale!

Okay, these blog posts are getting so super short... But we officially go back with kiddos tomorrow! I am trying to squeeze as much work as possible into nap time, knowing that I'll be up late tonight (but I always am the night before school starts - I still get nervous)!

Anyways, I am having a SALE in my TpT store! Everything is 20% off, and if you enter the code BTS12 at checkout, you save an extra 10%! What a great way to stock up on goodies for your classroom!

Many stores, including {MINE!} are participating. Click the picture below to go to Blog Hoppin' for their full list of participating stores!

Super cute image courtesy of Amy Lemons

More Binder Covers!

I had a request for more binder covers that go with the black and white freebies in my TpT store, so I added more! There are three new ones:
Benchmark Assessments
Staff Information
Student Information
Grab them {HERE}.

(So this is ridiculously short, but I am in minor panic mode... Scrambling to set up my room + Open House on Thursday + kids coming Monday = AGH! I'll post more this week - hopefully with PICTURES of my finished classroom - and some more files for ya!)

Freebie Behavior Charts for Parents

Well, summer break is officially over as of tomorrow... Teachers (in my school anyway) have to go back tomorrow for PD. Three days this week, three days next week... Then kids come on August 13th. Summer FLEW by (maybe having a baby and getting no sleep has contributed to that... Ha!).

Soooo... My to-do list has 183,672 items on it, and this was one of them... Behavior charts that match my clip charts!

My plan for these is to print them on white cardstock each month. I will probably print in color (since it's not that much color... the squares are tiny), although the file includes all the same pages in black and white that the students can color in if you desire. We have hard plastic homework folders with prongs, and I typically put three or four page protectors in the prongs to hold the school-distributed calendar, prep schedule, and other important info. (Side note: I also put in a zipper binder pouch to hold notes and money for book orders, field trips, etc... It works wonderfully!)

When I go to Lakeshore this weekend, I'm going to pick up these:

Here's my thinking: At the end of the day, as students are writing homework and packing up, I'll call kids by table (or maybe by color they end on?) to meet me for a stamp (using the Do-A-Dot stamper) on their calendar. You'll see on my behavior chart I've included reasons why a student may have clipped down... I'll mark those on the chart before stamping. The paint/ink dries fast, so I don't think I'll have much of a problem. Bonus: The pink is in a separate pack that is allegedly glittery - so fancy for my kiddos who reach the top of the chart!

Interested in grabbing the behavior charts for yourself? Click {HERE}.


I linked up with 4th Grade Frolics for Monday Made It!

Spreadin' Some Blog Love :)

I'm so happy to be able to have a teeny tiny bit of time to blog this summer and also to check out other teachers' awesome ideas on their blogs. I want to send a big thanks to First Grade and Fearless for awarding me the Versatile Blogger Award!

Now it's my turn to nominate some great blogs!

Versatile Blogger Award:

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you.
2. Include a link to their site.
3. Include the award image in your post.
4. Give 7 random facts about yourself.
5. Nominate 5 - 10 other bloggers, include their link,  and let them know.

 7 Random Facts About Me!

1. Before I entered teaching, I actually wanted to be a doctor and had been in physical therapy school. After a trimester I got my act together and started taking education courses. Best. Decision. Ever!
2. I have never been west of St. Louis, with the exception of Hawaii. Maybe I should add traveling to my bucket list!
3. I love to read young adult lit. My absolute favorite series ever is The Hunger Games. Divergent is a great book that is much like HG if anyone is interested!
4. My first year of teaching, I taught 8th grade science. Not quite my cup of tea. I'm going into my sixth year of teaching first and I'm SO happy with the young ones!
5. When I was in kindergarten, my dream job was being a magician. 
6. I love me some cupcakes. We have a lot of great cupcake shops around here, which is both a blessing and a curse! I like 'em plain, too... Vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting!
7. Seven is my lucky number... I was born March 7 at 7:07am!

Who else should receive this award??
Teaching in a Nutshell

Leading and Reading 

Adventures of a Super Mom 

Keeping it Core 

Peace, Love and Kindergarten  

Mrs. Ehle's Kindergarten Connection 

Go check 'em out!