Five for Friday December 5th

I am linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday. Thank you for hosting, Kacey!

How can this NOT be #1?!  What a wonderful time I had seeing Dr. Jean on Wednesday.

This was the first time she had ever come to Binghamton for a conference, and I got to go.  If you haven't had a chance to see her conference, GO! Even if you have been, go again!  I feel like I could go tomorrow and pick up more ideas that may have slipped past me on Wednesday!  She packs so many ideas into each and every minute, and then gives you ideas on top of ideas.  I left so refreshed and ready to have fun teaching and using her gifts.  Check out her FREE ACTIVITES on her website. It is truly all you would ever need to teach. I can't even begin to pick a favorite.  Just GO and see for yourself.  I do know I am going to be making lots of her free books on her site.  They are so much fun.  One of my favorite quotes she shared was from Jim Trelease:

Dr. Jean reminds teachers (and parents) to play board games with children, talk to children, sing songs with children,  read to children, laugh with children, and give children REAL lap tops instead of just sticking  them on a laptop.  I found this picture, and it just reminded me of Dr. Jean and the love she shares every day, with children and adults.





3 Words... Target.  Dollar.  Spot.   These are the kids' new magic "winter reading glasses!"  $1!  They had Santas and Reindeer, too, but I liked these because they work all winter.  

They will be great for our Snow Sight Word Write.

I used a big white bin for my "snow sight words." Here are some snow ideas you can use, shown in large bowls.



The children dig through the snow to find sight words and record them on their Snowy Sight Word Sheet.  I'm just showing you some ideas I use for "snow." The items work best when there are a LOT of whatever you use,  in a big container.  The more to "feel," the better!

(I had LOTS of these left from my daughter's wedding. They came is a big container from Walmart.)



Rice

(This is just showing the sight words hidden in the rice.)

Snow Storm! I used packing peanuts, cotton balls, plastic snowflakes I had, beans, and rice. This makes a really fun sensory table in a big tub or bin!.

Cotton Balls

Plastic Snowflakes

Packing Peanuts

Beans are some of my favorites. If you put them in the freezer before center time, and they stay really cold! Plus, I can write the words right on the beans.

I found this pack of snowflakes 75% off at Walmart! WOOHOO. I am going to write sight words on these snowflakes to use for my snowflake words.

Here is a copy of my Snowflake Word Recording Sheet. Click on the picture if you would like a copy of it. I used Susanna Westby's adorable snowflake background for the first page in color, and just black and white for the other page.

 I had some extra paper snowflakes - and two extra Frozen plates from snack one day, so I dressed up our white board a little bit for something different- and so simple. Anything for the kids to  notice words!

The children made these Christmas presents to hang beside the outside of our door.  

They thought of something they would give to someone, and wrote it on the present.  They colored the present, cut it out, and put a real bow on it.  I did this in small groups so we could talk about what each child was going to write, but it was a very independent activity.  I made a couple different presents the children could use, if you would like a copy.  Just click on the picture below! I didn't have them color the bow, because I used a real bow. (I used the picture with the smaller bow so I could cover it with a real bow.)

                             

Lisa from Pawsitively Teaching and Marissa from Inspired Owl's Corner have started a new monthly linky.  It's called Pick 3 and will be on the 3rd of each month!  Here are my three pins that I shared. It's such a fun linky because we all have TONS of fun pins we love.  You can link up all month!

 (It looks like I cheated and picked 4... but the last two go together. Don't report me.)

Just for fun, when we are reading our sight words in December, using different voices, I like to use Rudolph, Frosty, and Santa.  For Rudolph, the kids flash both hands in front of their nose, like it's lighting up.  For Frosty, we shiver like we are FREEZING- and for Santa, we have to say the word 3 times in "ho, ho, ho" fashion.  The kids' favorite words to read in the Santa voice are "no, no, no," "so, so, so" and "go, go, go!"  Anything to change it up a little but to keep reviewing those words!

                              

Here is a sweet little story to link up with Kathleen's Funny Kid Friday at Kidpeople Classroom.

I had a substitute on Wednesday (because I was out seeing DR. JEAN...)  and when I got back on Thursday, during morning rug time, I asked the kids how the day went when I wasn't there.  They were very serious telling me the good, the bad, and a little ugly.  But then one little boy said, almost in tears, "She didn't even let us hum at the end of the day."  I said, "What?" And everyone was so serious.  They said, "Yeah, she didn't even let us hum."   For some reason that sort of broke my heart, so we hummed Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and they were all smiles. That was such a great reminder that it really is the little things.  That was one of my favorite moments of the week. Link up with Kathleen and share one of your fun stories! 

One more thing- stay tuned for something fun coming with LOTS of prizes...  LOTS and LOTS!

Have a wonderful weekend! Thank you for stopping by!