Five for Friday June 12

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

Dr. Jean wrote these wonderful activity cards and is sharing them with you FREE! There are 60 fabulous, fun learning activities to do with children that would be perfect for over the summer.  It's a way to really engage with your child and make some wonderful memories together!  The cards would be great to print out and send home with your students for summer, too (if you are still in school, like yours truly...)

I added a little design and pictures to them for Dr. Jean, so if you would like them, just click on the picture or HERE to download them!  Have fun!



My books for my little sweeties came to the house!  How exciting to see this box!  It seems like a dream to me to actually have the real, live books!  The whole experience working with Dr. Jean and SDE was something I will remember forever.  It was perfect.

I signed each book, and then as the children sat on the rug, I went through each page to show them their fabulous pictures- and to talk about the activities on the pages that we had done over the year.

Then, they got a chance to look through their books.  They studied everything. It was so precious.  I carefully put each book in their folder afterward so I knew the books would get home safe and sound.

Hopefully, this will be something they can keep forever to remember kindergarten and some of the fun things that we did!

One of my students' mothers who teaches in another district took it to her school, and they ordered eleven for the district.  That made my day.

The book has  many practical, easy to implement ideas and variations for teaching literacy concepts. We each chose our favorites!  It goes with any curriculum or your own curriculum, because they are just fun ideas that work, and that both Dr. Jean and I have and do really use. Plus, the children really enjoy all of these activities and they help the students remember what they're learning.

Click on the picture below or HERE  if  you want to go to the link for the book! 



We are working on a Math Recipes book now! 



If your kids  really need to  get their wiggles out this time of year (or anytime of year) and get those feet moving- this is your song. We love it!

Our favorite part is when it builds and builds until we can yell, "GO!" at the top of our lungs! (at about 1:07 in this video... Luckily my sweet friend is in the room next to me and totally understands that sometimes we need this!)

BUT- it doesn't work well for quiet center time... My kids got on Prezi for iPad time- and guess what she was watching? I don't think they realize I can tell if they're not on the app they are supposed to be working on... because their feet are moving wayyyy too fast...

We had our Kindergarten Orientation for the new little sweeties coming to our class next year. I had my current class write a book for the new class about things the new kindergarten students will like about kindergarten. Each of my students had a different activity to write about. My current class felt so grown up to be sharing their wisdom- and it's a great time for discussions about what we loved about school when you read the book to your current class, too!

This would be fun to have your class this year do for the incoming class!  They are so proud to make the book.  

My friend Sarah from A Sunny Day in First Grade made and shared these wonderful autograph books.



She made covers for Kindergarten through 3rd grade so you can share these with all of your teaching friends.  I did!  My class had the BEST time writing in each others' books- and I had the best time watching them.

I put markers out on each table, gave them each a book, and let them go!

They will never forget their love of Minecraft...

You should have seen Albert beam when he read that he was "awesome!"

This was the page I used to write in each child's book.  I MAY have written "You are a bucket filler!" and added little hearts going into the bucket.  I love how she decided to do the same thing.  So sweet.

Thank you, Sarah,  for such a wonderful gift!


I was out for meetings one day last week, and this was on my desk when I got back the next day. It was the first thing I saw, and it MADE my day! 



And FINALLY...  My daughter Ellie made me these fun salts for my birthday!  I can't wait to use them.  The ideas for them sound fabulous!  She bought Kosher salt and added the other ingredients into the food processor!  YUM!

Happy Weekend! Thank you for stopping by!