Story Bots...Ta Da!

I LOVE Story Bots!  My kinder kiddos LOVE Story Bots!  My four year old has begged for Story Bots all Summer, and now comes up to me and says crazy things like, "Mom, did you know that birds, bears, and bread sticks all start with Bb!" I love it!!!

You can check out their website and apps HERE (sadly ios only!  I am an android girl at this house, I know gasp! I LOVE my Samsung phone!  I just can't make the switch to mac. CAN NOT DO IT!) So I have NOT used their apps but I do use their you tube page OFTEN!

 They have the Alphabet Songs that my kiddos and I LOVE.  They also have Classic Songs that are cute.   Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/user/storybots

If you haven't already discovered Story Bots I hope you love them as much as we do!  If you have tell me your favorite thing about Story Bots!

Happy Summer!

Getting Started

We are working our way through our alphabet review.  Curriculum is really minimal these first few weeks as we mostly focus on class rules, school rules, manners, expectations, how to move from place to place, what to do at each center (we learn one new center each day), where our supplies go, how to ask for help, etc. etc. etc.  It is a lot for these little kiddos to take in.  It is so important though. These first few days, weeks set the tone for our entire year and so far we are doing GREAT!  We finally busted out some playdough today and they were so careful.  I think I am feeling gutsy enough to teach the sand table center next week.  We have to have some serious procedures in place before we lift off that lid... otherwise I will find 100 pounds of sand in our carpet, the custodians kinda frown at that.  Last year during Teacher Appreciation Week we had our hallways filled with mom's and their kiddos as they decorated doors and the hallways after school to show their love for us!  I was in a team meeting with my other kinder teachers and when I went back to my classroom I discovered just that, all of my sand on my carpet!  A few pre-schoolers had wandered into my room and discovered sand... mom was distracted and so they just started to play... my room was a sandy MESS!  For the next 2 months my custodians lovingly called me 'Sandy' every time they saw me!  I have a bit of a sand phobia now.  That is also why I had to replace all of my sand over the summer.

What else will I be introducing next week?   ABCmouse.com  I love it!  It is FREE for classroom teachers to create an account!  My students love it, it is often their first choice at the computer center.  I will be spending part of my weekend getting my new class all loaded up so we are ready to log on next week and begin learning and exploring.  One more week of review and getting started and then we get down to business.

Have a great long weekend!

Freebie, Freebie, Freebie!!!

It is late... the house is silent.  All three kiddos and the hubby are sleeping.  I tried to join them, I really did but my mind is racing... so much to do!!!  So I crept out of bed and got to work.  I needed nameplates, I need to get them printed PRONTO and laminated so I can stick them on my kidlets pencil boxes... yep that's right pencil boxes.  (I got them for $.54/each at Walmart)

You see with 2 sessions of Kinder I HATE sticking nameplates to the tables... for some kiddos it confuses them, to have so many names adhered to one table... and it gets kinda cluttered.  Plus when they move around during centers they can't see their name, which so many of them need to see so that they can write it on their papers at the beginning of the year.  Solution?  Pencil boxes.  I stick their name on their pencil box.  they take it with them everywhere.  At the end of the day they put it in their cubby and we repeat the process again in the afternoon.  I love it.

So what am I doing at midnight?  I am stressing about my nameplates because my kinder classes start Tuesday, I am testing my last 2 kiddos on Monday... I will have my final class lists as soon as I am done testing and I can FINALLY put their names on things, finally.  Just in time for them to walk in the door.

I made them in yellow and green, since that is how I divide my classes.  Yellow for AM and Green for PM.  I hope you can use them.  I am loading them to my Google Docs.  Feel free to download HERE.
Now maybe I should try and get some sleep, otherwise I may be snoring through church tomorrow... or today rather.... but my house is so quiet, it is hard to not just sit here and enjoy it.

It's Freebie Friday!

It is Freebie Friday and I am linking up with my alphabet line freebie!   This is the alphabet line I use in my classroom, except that mine has a green border.  I hope that you can find a use for it in your classroom.

Speaking of classroom, we start back to school in just over 3 weeks... gulp.  I have so much to do!  My classroom is still not even close to ready but they are waxing the floor outside my hallway and I have been forced to stay away... while being ousted I discovered Downton Abbey on Netflix, have you seen it?  Total addiction!  I watched all 8 episodes in 48 hours... I probably shouldn't have just admitted that!  I should be deep cleaning and getting my house ready for the neglect that is soon to come in say 3 weeks anyone else live, sleep, breathe school  those first few weeks?  I have never been great at multi-tasking, I have a tendency to be all or nothing.  So before I start watching season 2 on Hulu maybe I should go tackle the kids bathroom and sort some laundry.   Wish me luck! Now I am off to check out some Friday Freebies.  And then maybe tackle some housecleaning... maybe.  Just keep me away from season 2 of  Downton Abbey!  (Did you know there is even a Christmas Special!  I have a serious problem!)

The adventure begins...

My name is Mindy and I have been teaching 9 years.  I am currently teaching kindergarten, which I adore!  I live in Southern Utah with my cute hubby and our three amazing kiddos!  I love creating things to use in my classroom and I hope to be able to share a few ideas with you!

After blog stalking for a LONG LONG time, keeping a class blog, and a family blog I am finally taking the leap and starting a teaching blog.... thanks to all those amazing blogger friends who inspire me every day!!!

So to kick off my first blog entry here is my first freebie!  (click on the image below to upload)

(thanks to KPM doodles for the graphics and Hello Firstie for the fonts)