Veterans Day

It is almost that time...Veterans Day. A day to honor those who have served and continue to serve. Since I teach on a military base, my military munchkins know what military life is all about. We decided to make Miss Kindergarten Love's adorable Soldier Boy & Girl Craftivity. You can find it HERE. The, since we get the grade level hallway bulletin board for November, I jumped at sharing our appreciation for our service members - their parents!

Here are a few pics of our bulletin board.

 

 

And just like all of their parents, my little military munchkins serve, too.

 

The Military Child’s Creed

inspired by the US Army Soldier’s Creed

I am an American Military Child.
I am a Warrior in my own right, and a member of a Military Family.

I serve with my Military Parent, who serves the people of the United States.

I will always place the mission first: to stand beside, behind, and with my Family.

I will never accept defeat.

I will never quit.
I will not leave a fellow military-brat hurting. 

I will stand beside them.

I am disciplined, but young; physically and mentally tough, but vulnerable. 

I will ask for help when I need it!

I am adaptable and I am resilient.

I stand ready to say “Good-bye”, whisper  ”I miss You” , and shout “Welcome Home”.

I am a representative of the American Military Family and the American way of life.

I am an American Military Child.



 

-I cannot find the origins of The Military Child's Creed. I did not write it nor claim to have written it.

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Educational Apps!

Have you seen the list of apps Verizon has compiled and collaborated with for discounts for educators and parents? I love me some bargains. Better yet, I love me some bargain apps. :)

Click HERE for the deals for iPads!

Click HERE for the deals for Android devices!

Last day...enter soon!

It is the last day for the awesome giveaway going on right now!

Think you already entered? Well, they added a last minute basket worth $800!!!!!! Go check them out now! Click on the image above to enter for all 18 baskets!

How to Leave a Clickable Link in a Blog's Comment Section

I have had a few of you venture to my page and ask how to comment on blog posts and 
leave your blog's address under your name as a clickable link. Want to learn how so that 
it takes people directly to your blog? It's easy peasy lemon squeezy. 

Type your comments and add your name. On the next line you want to type
<a href="URL of target site">anchor text</a>

The word "anchor text" is a description (the title of your blog) and is what will be displayed. 

For example, my blog should be typed as:
<a href="http://poshprimary.blogspot.com">Posh Primary</a>
and will display as Posh Primary 

If you want to display your URL and have it clickable just type
<a href="http://poshprimary.blogspot.com">http://poshprimary.blogspot.com</a>
And it will display http://poshprimary.blogspot.com

Told you it was easy peasy lemon squeezy! Leave me a comment and try it out.

Pen Pals - do you dare?

I have done pen pals and postcard pals every single year I have been a classroom teacher...except this year. However, I am jumping in again this upcoming school year with my fabulous firsties because I know how much it means to my kiddos. I mean, I teach military children who sometimes feel as if they don't have roots anywhere to really call home or they are in transition and missing friends. They feel so very special when they get mail from their pen pals. They actually look forward to writing their pen pals and it makes letter writing a breeze!

So have you ever wondered how to get matched up? Well, the fabulous Kelley at Teacher Idea Factory has arranged this....

Source: Teacher Idea Factory

Kelley has created a quick form for you to fill out by Sunday, August 4th. Then she will take everyone's responses and match us up with a pen pal that meets our specifications! How awesome is that? How fabulous is she??!!

So, if you are looking for an amazing writing opportunity to engage and challenge your students' minds, check out Kelley's post.

Farley's BIG Giveaway!!

Did you see who Farley teamed up with to offer all of us teachers a chance at $100 to spend?!
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SCHOOL OUTFITTERS!!

Source: Oh' Boy 4th Grade

She is trying to decide how to spend her $100 and now School Outfitters is offering us all the chance to spend $100 in their store, too. So visit Farley at Oh' Boy 4th Grade to enter her fabulous giveaway!

Free Classroom Subscription to ABCmouse

All U.S. and Canadian teachers can get a FREE classroom subscription (with up to 40 licenses) to ABCmouse.com. Also, for a very limited time, preschool and private school teachers can get a free subscription, too!

Source: ABCmouse.com

Go grab yours up now! This is great for PK-2nd grade teachers. While the site is dedicated to prekindergarten through kindergarten, it is a great site to use with struggling learners in first and second grades, too.

Moving Back to First Grade!

Well, I am so excited to announce that I am moving back to...

Source

...first grade! Not only will I be back on the first grade team, but I will be GLC (Grade Level Chair/Grade Level Coordinator). I am up for the challenge! Our team is different, even after just 1 school year (remember I looped with my class from 1st to 2nd?!), as 1 moved to Houston, 1 retired, and 1 is moving to 4th. Luckily, all those on this team were already at my school so I already know my entire team! It will be a GREAT year!

Aussie Pouch Chair Covers Giveaway!

Have you heard of Aussie Pouch Chair Covers? They are covers for your students' chairs with pickets to hold journals, just right books, folders, supplies, and more!

Source: Aussie Pouch Co.

Well, Ashley over at Just Reed is having a HUGE giveaway! The winner will receive a class set of up to 30 of these chair covers! That is like a $300 value! They are available in several colors, too. Be sure to check out Ashley's blog post HERE.

Teacher Rewards...Can I get a heck yeah!!!?

Okay, so as many know, I absolutely LOVE to find great deals, discounts, coupon and promotion codes, etc. If there is a deal to be made, I am trying to make it. :) With that said, there are a lot of teacher reward clubs/cards/offers, etc. out there and I just learned of a new one. It may not be new to you, but it sure was to me.

Jo-Ann Fabric (where I can pick up the new polka dot or pirate fabric I need) now has a Teacher Rewards program! You can visit Jo-Ann Fabric's Teacher Rewards sign-up HERE. You will receive your Teacher Rewards card in about 3-4 weeks (still before school starts for some of us!!) and you will be emailed a 20% off coupon. Yes, please!!

Phonics Phones...Whisper Phones... all for cheap!

Okay, so I was reading an old post on Teaching 4 Real's blog when I saw her mention her whisper phones. I commented, even though it was an old post because I wanted to share about the phonics phones I purchased through the CANDL Foundation. Well, I already had 6 emails within minutes asking me for more information. Therefore, I am passing on the information here, too, for all of you.

Source: The CANDL Foundation

The CANDL Foundation offers teachers phonics phones for $2.50 each OR you can purchase a case of 24 for $48 ($2.00 each) which includes the shipping! This is a HUGE savings over teacher retail store whisper/phonics phone prices.

Source: The CANDL Foundation

My students beg to use their phonics phones! They use them independently, during guided reading, and even like to twist it around and let their reading buddy (even stuffed ones!) hear them. Did I mention that you can pull them apart and throw them in the dishwasher to clean them? Yep, they are that awesome! I am in no way associated with The CANDL Foundation, PhonicsQ, or any other entity. I simply googled them a few years ago, requested the free ones with my principal's permission to see their quality, and ultimately ordered a case for my class. Oh, I guess I should mention that if you have never tried these out, you can request 6 for FREE. Yes, you read that correctly. Here is what The CANDL Foundation states:

"If you have never ordered a Phonics Phone, you can request six free phones for your school. Simply download the printable order form and have it signed by the principal of your school."

Yes, please! That's exactly what I did. Therefore, I wanted to share the information with you. Oh - I guess the link would be nice. :) Phonics Phones with The CANDL Foundation!

Do you use phonics phones or whisper phones? Don't you love the results you see with them?

Follow Me on Bloglovin'

Hello everyone!  I'm switching over to Bloglovin' with Google Reader going away July 1st and I want to be able to blog stalk learn and share with all of you fabulous bloggers!  Click the link below to follow me on Bloglovin:

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

from Kickin' it in Kindergarten

If you need a tutorial on how to import blogs you follow, check out this post from The Brown-Bag Teacher.  For tips on how to claim your blog, check out this post from Kickin' it in Kindergarten.

I Won! I Won!

Have you ever visited Surfin' Through Second? Corinna has amazing ideas, is a creative designer (I just love her papers), and gives me a bit of "Hawaiian beach" when I can't get to it from here in Texas. Well, she blogged asking about our favorite papers in her store and we could "Pin It to Win It" and guess what.....

O.K. You already know from the post title: I WON! Oh yes, I did! See, look, I did for real. :)

Source: Corinna @ Surfin' Through Second

If you haven't visited her blog, take a second to show her some love. She has free papers in her TPT store (and now to brag, I got the Colors of the Rainbow papers I love!!!). Thanks, Corinna!!

Colors of the Rainbow by Corinna @ Surfin' Through Second

Then, I check my email to find out I won another giveaway! It was definitely my lucky day (which helped since my stomach issues have made me feel like death!)

Maria at Everyone deServes to Learn was offering her iMessages Anti-Bullying Activity to a lucky reader...and guess who that was? Yep. ME!!

Source: Everyone deServes to Learn

This will be great with my entire class, but especially my Russian speaker. He easily becomes frustrated so this will really equip him with a phrase I can teach him to use. Thanks, Maria!!

A Super Bowl Sized Super Bowl Giveaway

Have you seen Queen of the First Grade Jungle's Giveaway? She's teamed up with some other power players to offer you some awesome Super Bowl team swag!

Source: Queen of the First Grade Jungle

You can get up to 18 entries to win one of the 4 football and Super Bowl themed learning activities. Don't only enter the giveaway though. Check out her amazing blog. I love ALL of Katie's posts here and on FB. Then throw in Kelley from Teacher Idea Factory, Michelle from Fabulous in First, and Susan from TGIF and we have one heck of a collaboration!

Check them all out now!

Chinese New Year FREEBIE

Do you teach the Chinese New Year in your classroom? Or do you simply like to get free stuff to give your kiddos? Then check out what Panda Express is doing to get U.S. teachers to teach about the Chinese holiday.

Source: Panda Express FB page

Their post says: "Attention Teachers! Chinese New Year is just around the corner. Sign up today for Panda Express's Learn with Me Program. This educational kit is a great resource for you to teach your students about this important Chinese holiday. This program is fantastic, fun, and free! Say that three times fast...Click here to sign up http://bit.ly/CNYLWM."

Be sure to sign up! You only need your name, school name, city, state, country, email address, and number of students. It took less than 2 minutes!

OT-OT-OT Then the Teacher "Stuff"

This post is so off topic it isn't funny, BUT it relates to my absence from blogging and transferring my old blog posts to this blog.

I have been sick. REALLY sick. As in, I haven't been able to digest food since November and have extreme abdominal pain. I finally saw the doctor who referred me, but military referrals take forever for approval so I finally was just seen. Of course, I regret it am thankful he decided I need a HIDA scan, colonoscopy, and endoscopy. Doesn't that sound like great joy? Oh yes. Tons of fun. It also means missing work. If you know me, I H-A-T-E abhor  dislike being out of my classroom and having a sub. We're forced to use CSCOPE at least for pacing in our district (if you're not from Texas, CSCOPE is a curricular framework created by teachers - but different teachers write the curriculum separate from the people who write the tests but you don't want me on that topic!). So anyway, I hate missing any time in the classroom because it is important that though I don't teach it in the order of CSCOPE, I make sure my pacing matches the TEKS (our state standards) and concept as I am supposed to. So throw in a sub and I feel like I am drowning.

A shining light? Notice the name in the lower left corner!!

Yep, that's right! I won Queen of the First Grade Jungle's Brrr...It's Cold Outside 10 Literacy AND 10 Math Centers. You REALLY need to check this out at Katie's TPT store. You're essentially paying 50 cents a center! WHAT WHAT WHAT???! I immediately emailed these to my room parent who printed in color, laminated, AND cut them to have ready for my absence. (Don't worry, I don't share the file in accordance with policies, but she could print and do the side work for me).

I am trying to learn how to bling up some of my work to post on FB. I bling it up for my kids then see things from Katie King, Cara Carroll, Amy Lemons, and too many others to name that I think mine are subpar in comparison. I've seen some "scary" work shared on TPT and I don't want to be one of them. So, I'll keep learning. But seriously, check all these amazing bloggers and TPT authors out. You won't be disappointed!

Great Giveaway - Letter Writing Packets

There is a great giveaway going on at a fellow Texas teacher's blog, Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits!

Source: Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits

She has linked up with Kelley from The Teacher Idea Factory to offer some great letter writing packets. (If you teach CSCOPE in Texas, this is what we are starting when we get back next week...or at least, that is where we are :)) As always, Reagan's packets are absolutely amazing. I love her blog and her ideas. You don't want to miss out on her Mailbox Station packet or Kelley's Pen Pals Packet. You can get up to 11 entries and it ends at midnight tonight!

Crossing my fingers and toes that I win my first giveaway...so I am entering NOW!

Currently for 2013

I am linking up with Farley at Oh' Boy 4th Grade for this year's Currently. I have been reading these for a couple of years, but am glad I get to participate in my first one!

I am listening to Glee on my iPod. I have every.single.album. Yep, I am a Gleek!

 

I am loving my new SUV. I traded in my 2008 Toyota Highlander for a 2013 Toyota Highlander Limited last Saturday. (in my head I am singing...."Movin' on up...")

 

I am thinking about how much I have to do before we go back to school Monday. I had high hopes of rearranging my room, putting new bulletin boards up, getting my guided reading area more organized, redoing all of my book bins, etc. then this lovely IBS attack intensified and I've had to turn to an all juicing diet to even exist. Needless to say, I barely have any energy with all this pain!  (ouch!) But...I am headed back up to my room today and can't wait to make major headway!

 

I am wanting to go back to the Florida Keys. I spent Spring Break 2011 in the Florida Keys for the first time with some amazing fellow wounded warrior wives. I loved it so much I had to take the fam so we went in July 2011. Then we had to go back June 2012. I am sure you see the trend. Well, we normally do a Christmas in Vegas vacation, too, but since we bought our new house in August (on the 5th day of school!!), I had a lot of unpacking to still do. So....I really am missing the Keys, the sun, and all the fun we have as a family!

 

I am needing a hug and a kiss from my kiddo. Since we moved and have had this horrible internet fiasco (moving 8 miles down the road from unlimited wifi to very limited satellite has been life changing for our family including transfering my old blog to this one), my child wanted to stay at his grandmother's house and use her unlimited wifi to game on XBOX Live with  his friends. I know, I am a horrible mom for doing that, but when you live out in the country, this is how a lot of the kids get together. It is actually quite humorous to listen to them talk, sing to each other, and play the games. My mother texts me how she is cracking up while listening to him! So...I miss my daily hugs and kisses from the kid who is bigger than me now and is only in 6th grade. :(

 

Finally, my one little word is a bit of a cheat. If I say 3Cs all squished together like that, doesn't it make it one word? Ha! I read the most poignant quote which sums it up quite well.

"You must make a choice to take a chance or your life will never change."



So that is my word: 3Cs. I have to make the choices to take a chance, loosen up, stop getting so frustrated when others aren't "in it" for the kids, or when I need to take a risk, otherwise, nothing will change. I can be the change!