Who Inspires You?

Hello, friends!

Have y'all seen this adorable video floating around You Tube?  I LOVED it, so I just had to share.   We all need a little encouragement and this "Kid President" has put together a video that is worth watching.  I am planning on showing this to my kiddos.  We ALL need a little piece of encouragement every now and again!


"What would be your Space Jam?"  "We can make every day better for each other."  "We were made to be awesome".  WOW...such encouraging words from a little kid.  Take a look, friends.  

Have a wonderful evening!

Lots of love,

What a GREAT week!

Happy Saturday, friends!

I meant to post yesterday, but schools were dismissed at 10:00 due to icy weather hitting where I live.  So, I spent my day playing with my munchkin!  I just love my little man!

This week we talked about Dr. King.  My students had SO much fun learning about him.  We had some great conversations and some conversations I had to stop.  One of my smarties brought up assassination and wanted to know why people kill people.  What a hard question to answer to a 2nd grader!  We discussed how there are some mean people and the world and we moved on.  My smarties were connecting Dr. King with Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks, and even Harriet Tubman.  GREAT conversations were happening in my classroom!

We read Martin Luther King books during our Interactive Read Aloud Time.  Here were a couple of our favorites.

I bought the adorable Rachelle's, What the Teacher Wants, mini-unit on Martin Luther King Jr. My students loved reading about Dr. King and making their own mini-book.  LOVED her unit! Definitely check it out, friends!  I was planning on taking pictures of my kiddos and their books on Friday, but since we dismissed at 10:00 that didn't happen.

These past couple of weeks in math we have been learning all about graphs and even getting to create some. Once again, picture opportunities didn't happen on Friday.  I'm hoping to take some pictures this week!  I created a Winter Roll and Graph packet.  When I was in college I visited and got to learn from some of the best teachers.  I remember that one of the teachers I visited had her student rolling a tissue box with sight words on them.  They loved it!  So, I made a winter themed packet for our new unit in graphing for my students to use during their game center (one of my 5 math centers). My students have been rolling around a tissue box with pictures of snowman parts on them and tracking their data.  Such fun!  Pictures to come soon! Next week they will be rolling around different penguins!  :-)  

If you're interested in checking out my newest packet, click the picture below!  

Have a WONDERFUL weekend!

Martin Luther King Jr. Freebie

Happy Saturday, friends!

It's finally sunny here in South Carolina.  It's been nasty, rainy, and kinda chilly all week.  The weather man was calling for snow, but we didn't get any.  I hope everyone who did get snow is safe and warm! Little man's been sick and I've been exhausted, but I finished two things this week and wanted to share with y'all. 

First, I wanted to let everyone know that I finished my 100th day of school packet. The 100th day of school is always so much fun. Our 100th day is in a couple of weeks.

Here is everything that's included.

Click on the picture below to go to my TpT store to download.

Second, we are out of school on Monday to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. day.  I created some writing prompts that I plan to use in my writing center next week.  Click the picture below to download your copy.  They are FREE! I wanted to give all of my followers a freebie.  I truly appreciate all of your support.  Y'all are the best.  I do ask that if you download, please leave me a comment.  

Lots of love,

Five for Friday

Hello, friends!

It's Friday so that means it's time to tell you 5 random things about my week. I'm linking up with the ADORABLE Kacey from Doodle Bugs. Click the button below to link up!

Number 1: I was off of work today!  Today was an exchange day in my district, so I used my exchange points and am so excited about having such a long weekend.  My munchkin and I slept until 9:30.  Good for me...I've been exhausted this week.  I think it's the weather.  Good for Brayden...he's been sick and needed the chance to sleep until he woke up instead of me waking him up.  I learned that the "booger suckers" are the devil.  I hate seeing Brayden cry, especially when it's me that's making him cry.  Pray that he gets better SOON, friends!

Number 2: I have a student who tells jokes all the time.  Most of the time, they don't make ANY sense, but I always laugh anyway.  On Thursday during lunch this was the joke that he told me:
"Knock, knock."
"Who's There"
"Justin Bieber."
"Justin Bieber who."
"Baby, baby, baby, ooooo, baby, baby, baby."
I busted out laughing because he is such a quiet kid and when he busted out the Justin Bieber lyrics I lost it.  He asked me if he could tell one of the 3rd grade teachers when we were coming back in from lunch.  He'd never talked to her before.  I need the laugh!  He's such a cute kid!

Number 3: This week in reading, we read Cinderella stories from around the world.  I'm always shocked when I learn that some of my kiddos have never seen the Disney version of Cinderella. This makes me feel so old!  Anyway, my students had no idea how different cultures tell the story of Cinderella.  They enjoyed reading and learning about different cultures in the process.  Definitely one of my favorite Common Core reading standards.

Number 4: Since I had today off from work, I finished up my 100th Day of School Activity Packet.  I can't believe the 100th day is almost here.  Time sure does fly!  Click the picture below to check it out.

Number 5:  Coffee!  I ran out of Dunkin Donut's K-cups this week.  I LOVE their Mocha flavored coffee.  Maybe this is the reason that I've been so tired this week.  I think I may be addicted! What other flavors should I try?  I like my coffee sweet! :-)

Link up with Kacey and share some things about your week! Have a WONDERFUL weekend!

Lots of love friends,

And the Winners Are...

Happy Sunday, friends!

Thank you to those of you who commented on my blog and my facebook page.  I had my husband choose a random number for me.  For some reason, blogger decided that I could not insert pictures today. :-(  So he chose number 2.  I choose two winners.  The 2nd person who commented on my blog and my facebook page are the winners.

The facebook winner was Michelle LaRussel.
The blog winner was Rachel. 

Ladies, please email me at jhunter0724@gmail.com and let me know which 3 items from my TpT store you would like.

Thank you to everyone who commented.  I loved reading all of the fun activities that you like to do during winter.  My favorite is just watching the snow fall and drinking hot chocolate.  We don't get a lot of snow in the upstate of South Carolina, but when we do it's always so pretty to watch. 

Have a GREAT Sunday!

Lots of love,

Magical Product Swap

It's time for the Magical Product Swap!  I absolutely love being able to swap products with a fellow blogger.  I was paired with Sandy from Second Grade Spots and Dots.  I love that I was paired with her because she is a newbie blogger like me.  She's super sweet and her products and ADORABLE!  Make sure you go check out her blog.  I can't wait to stalk read her blog. Make sure you show her some love! Click on her button to see her review of my Let's Build a Snowman packet.

Now for the fun part! :-)

I swapped my Let's Build a Snowman packet for her Winter Suffixes packet.  My kiddos LOVED walking around the room and writing down the word, the suffix, and the meaning.  What a great review!  Some of my smarties had forgotten what a suffix was and this was a great activity to quickly remind them!  LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it!

I had my printed papers on my desk and some of my kiddos came and asked if they could cut them out and place them around the room.  I so love my kids.  It's great to have some amazing helpers!

Their favorite part was walking around the room and trying to find all the cards.  They thought of it as a scavenger hunt!

Here's a couple of pictures of some of the cards.  Yes, they come in color but my printer decided to run out of ink.  My smarties are used to black and white images anyway! ;-)

So, if you need a quick and super cute activity to reinforce suffixes or you are just beginning to teach suffixes make sure you check out her packet.  Click on her picture below to visit her TpT store.

AND...I will be giving away 3 items from my store to one lucky winner.  Yay! All you have to do is leave me some love.  Tell me your favorite thing to do in Winter.  I will pick a random winner on Sunday. Good luck!

Lots of love,

Hot Diggity Dog! The birthday boy is 1!!!

Hello, friends!

On January 12, 2012 at 6:45 pm a little boy came into my life. He was 6 pounds 11 ounces and was 19.5 inches long.

This has been the best year of my life. Today was his day! He turned the big 1!! So hard to believe!!

Mickey Mouse is his FAVORITE, so a little splash of Mickey was everywhere. Take a look at some of the pictures. :-)

Here is his cake. 1 to smash of course and 1 for everyone else.

I was most looking forward to my munchkin tearing into his cake. This picture says it all! :-)

So, happy birthday Brayden!  Momma loves you!

Lots of love,

Five for Friday

I had SO much fun linking up with Kacey from Doodle Bugs that I had to do it again.  What a great way to share some random things about my week!

First, I am SO, SO glad that it is Friday.  My husband was at school for 3 days this week and I realized that I need my partner in crime to help with Brayden.  I sometimes forget how much my husband helps me with him.  I'm thankful that I have such a great husband!

So, here are some random things about my week.

Number 1-My students learned about Bossy E this week.  Last year I came across Sarah Cooley's packet "Beware of Bossy E".  First, I love Sarah (from First Grader At Last) and her ideas.  She's one of my favorite bloggers.  Inside her packet is a story where they learn that the reason that the vowels say their name is because Bossy E kicks them in their pants. I used it again this year and my kiddos LOVED it.  Now when I read with them they remind me that that sneaky E kicks the vowel in the pants.  Can you say CUTE!!! Click on her packet to download her freebie.

Number 2-I sent home my weekly newsletter and added a sentence to see how many of my parents read my newsletter.  DISAPPOINTED!  It was very sad Tuesday morning when I realized that not a single one of my parents read my newsletter.  I had one student who followed the directions.  He said that he read the newsletter not his grandma.  So, I told my kiddos to make sure that they have their parents read the newsletter.  They really listened when I gave this little boy a prize.  On Wednesday, I had so many more participate.  I felt so much better.  Hopefully, next week I'll have more participation.

Number 3-I gave our Multiple/Triple digit addition test on Tuesday.  We have been teaching this unit for what feels like FOREVER.  Our district has adopted the common core standards for math and 2nd graders are suppose to be fluent with the basic facts.  I am so pleased to say that 12 out of my 14 students made an A, B, or C.  I had one student fail the test, but he was just having one of those days.  I was so pleased with their grades.  They have become so much faster with their basic facts.  We will be continuing to review all year long. 

Number 4-We read one of the Frog and Toad books this week.  In reading we were really delving into the 2nd grade common core standard where students have to understand challenges that characters face and how to handle them.  I chose to read Frog and Toad because these stories have easy to understand problems and solutions.  My students really understood how characters are people in the story and they often face challenges.  I really like the common core standards.  I have seen such growth in my student's reading this year! I heart reading.  It's my FAVORITE subject to teach!

Number 5-I have cried multiple times this week.  My Brayden will be turing the big 1 tomorrow.  Party pictures to come tomorrow!  I am reminded of how fast time goes and I am realizing that he is not a "baby" anymore.  Even thought it breaks my heart, I know that he'll always be my baby.  He hasn't outgrown my lap yet!

Link up and share some fun randomness! :-)

Lots of love,



Newsletter Woes

Hi, friends!

I've heard from a lot of blogger friends that a great way to see if your parents read your weekly newsletter is to put something for them to do inside the newsletter.  Well, I tried that on Monday.  HIGHLY disappointed today!  I wrote that if they drew buttons on the snowman then their students would receive a prize the next day.  I had 1 student bring their newsletter back with buttons on his snowman.  He told me that he read the newsletter and did it.  So, that means that not a SINGLE parent in my classroom reads my newsletter.  Any suggestions or tips that y'all have?  It was kinda sad.  I gave this student his prize and told the rest of my class to make sure that their parents read the newsletter or they read the newsletter to their parents (I have several Hispanic families in my classroom).  So, friends if you have any helpful tips please let me know.

Other news...I uploaded a Valentine's Day Packet. I love adding holiday stuff to my reading centers.  My kiddos get so excited! Here's a preview of what's included.

Click the picture below to download the packet. 

Lots of love,

 

Five for Friday

I'm linking up with the adorable blog Doodle Bugs Teaching for a super fun linky! Such a cute idea!  I was thinking about sharing a peek into my week and this is a GREAT way to do that.  I stayed in my pajamas Monday and Tuesday.  It was SO hard to get up early.  I sure did miss my students though! If you started back this week, I hope you had a relaxing week. 

Number 1:  On Monday night my Clemson Tigers beat the LSU Tigers.  I was estatic.  Oh, how I love football!! I'm so proud of my boys and how hard they've worked this year. 

Field goal in the last minutes to win the game. My blood bleeds orange...

Photo from www.clemsontigers.com

Number 2:  I sent out birthday invitations on Wednesday.  How in the world is my little munchkin' turning 1.  It makes me so sad.  But, I'm definitely not having baby fever (yet). Here's what the invitations look like. Of course they had to be Mickey Mouse, his favorite show!

Number 3:  We received an email from our AP that the administrative team wanted to see our Guided Reading notebooks.  We have not been told what to put in them or what is expected.  So, I was flipping out.  However, I have bought so many great packets on Guided Reading that I knew what should be included.  Drum Roll...after school today she gave me my notebook back and said it looked fabulous! Yay!  I've been nervous ALL day.  Thank you to Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers.

Number 4: One of my students who is repeating this year came up to me at the end of the school day and told me that he was going to miss me.  I told him no worries because he'd see me on Monday.  Then, he told me that he was moving.  He said his dad told him that since he got in trouble at school (one of the other teachers that help him with his reading called his dad) that he had to go to another school.  I was so upset.  I've worked so hard helping this little boy.  This is my second year having him.  His brother is in my class as well. I asked him if they were moving and he looked at me like I was crazy and said no.  Then, my little boy said, "I lied to you.  I thought it would be funny.".  My heart just sank.  Why, oh, why!

Number 5: I finally uploaded my new packet to Teachers Pay Teachers.  My students love to read and write around the room. I thought they'd love to read new words each month that are related to each month.  All 12 months are included.  This is biggest packet yet.  I am so excited about it. If you download the preview, you'll get the January Read and Write the Room portion for free.  Hope you and your students enjoy!

I hope y'all have had a great Friday!  Link up and let us know about your week or Friday, too. 

Lots of love,

My 1st Currently! I'm So EXCITED!

I am joining the linky pary from Oh' Boy Fourth Grade and filling out my FIRST Currently.  I am so excited to be joining in on this fun linky party. 

Right now I am listening to my husband play Tiger Wood's golf on the X-Box.  I just completed a new packet since he's in golf world. 

I am IN LOVE with  my Cameo that my husband got me for Christmas.  This little machine is AMAZING!! I can't wait to share some pictures of some of the things I've done so far.

I am thinking that it is starting to get WAY too cold.  This southern gal dislikes the winter months with a passion.  I hate to be cold.  I can't wait for Spring and Summer to arrive.  I love to look at the snow and I love Christmas, but I absolutely hate to be cold.  I should move to Australia.  Christmas in July sounds good to me! :-)

I am wanting time to slow down.  I am currently planning my son's first birthday party. How in the world did my sweet little muchkin' get older.  Time needs to slow down.  He's growing up way too fast!  I love every minute of it and he is so much fun right now, but I miss rocking him to sleep and just "holding him". 

I'm gonna be honest and say that I am in need of some extra money right now.  Hahaha!  Christmas has made me broke.  I wouldn't change a minute of it.  Brayden's first Christmas was well worth every penny spent.

My one word for January is humble.  I am so honored that God choose me to be Brayden's momma.  With the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, I have learned to take life day by day.  I love being a teacher.  It is the best job in the world.  I want to listen more to my students and just be "humble".  I want to let them know  know that I am not perfect and it is okay to make mistakes.

Click here to link up to and let us know what you are "Currently" doing in January.

Lots of love,