Ready-Set-Print Word Work: Same Vowel Word Families

You will probably think I'm crazy, but I started a to-do list for next year back in March! I'll prep all summer long and I'll love every minute of it. I know some teachers don't want to spend a single minute thinking about school until August, and I DON'T BLAME THEM. But not me. I feel like I get my best ideas during the summer when I don't have an approaching deadline and I can work on whatever I want at whatever pace I feel like it. Before blogs and Pinterest (seems like forever ago, right?) I used to checkout other teachers' websites during the summer in search of fun ideas. And, I found lots of great resources and ideas that way. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? Then, about two years ago I discovered edu-blogs and Pinterest. Anyway, I digress....

We do a different activity each day of the week. Wednesday is word work workbook day. One of the things I would like to change for next year is my word work workbook pages. And I just finished the same vowel word family pages!

I'm giving away a copy on my Facebook fan page tomorrow evening! Check it out here.

Summer Wish List

Ya'll. 9 school days. That's what I have left until I turn off my alarm clock. That's how long I have until I disregard time altogether, and stay up as late as I want watching tv with zero concern what-so-ever for the that annoying buzzer jolting me awake before I'm ready. I don't plan on getting out of bed at 5:30 AM, not even one single time, until mid-August. But, I do have plans! 

1. In July my husband and I are going to Vegas. I'm attending the TpT Conference and then we are hanging around a few extra days to celebrate our wedding anniversay. Five days with no children??? This will cause me a little stress. I can't turn off the mommy button. I won't be able to relax completely. My children are always in the back of my mind. My husband, on-the-other-hand, has totally figured out how to zone out and completely enjoy himself on vacation. As soon as he hears the hum of the plane's engine he is transported to a totally different universe or something. So, the first thing I want to do is master this trick for at least an hour a day. Sheesh! 

2. I want to see BRITNEY. Am I concerned that I'm a little too old to see a Britney show? Nope. I totally dig Britney. For the record, I'm 35 ;-)

3. I want to take my girlies to Sea World. I've never been, but I know Isa and Evie will love it! 

4. In nine more school days, my oldest son will officially become a Senior. My goal is just to deal with it gracefully. He drives. He's had a job for over a year. In August, he will begin his last year of high school. Deep breaths... This summer is the last summer of his boyhood. After this summer, people may refer to him as an adult!!!! So, this summer, I need to spend some quality time with Jeremy.

5. Yep. I say it every year. I need to move more. I want to work out consistently. I need lose weight. Blah, blah, blah...I don't have a good attitude about the subject yet. 

6. I want a backyard pool. Our backyard is huge. We have the space for one. It's not going to happen, but I do plan to spend a considerable amount of time hanging out at friends' houses by their pools. In the middle of the day. When everyone else is still working. I envision all of my teacher friends with frosty beverages hanging out pool side and no one is thinking about school. Ya, right! School always comes up. 

7. I want a new laptop. Any suggetions?

8. Some people wanna bungee jump. Some people wanna sky dive. I wanna ride in a hot air balloon. Maybe when we're in Vegas! Do people hot air balloon over the canyon?

9. I want need to organize the closets in my house. Our master closet is not a closet. It's more of a horder's paradise. It's insane. I can't stand it much longer. 

10. And, of course, I want to spend lots of time with these cuties! Zoo trips, splashing in the pool, bike rides, sprinklers and snow cones, swinging at the park, and more!

Share your summer wish list by linking up with Mrs. Jump.

First Graders Appreciate Moms and Teachers & Sale Loot!

Five for Friday starts now!

Ya'll! I took full advantage of EVERY SALE around this week!!! First, I went to the Scholastic Warehouse Sale. I want to beef up my nonfiction book collection, so I decided  to check it out the sale. It is advertised up to 80% off, but the majority of books are 50% off. This is what I got for about $55.

Then, I heard from some other teachers that the local teacher supply store is going out of business. Everything is 75% off! So I picked up all of this for $35.

I have many types of dice, but I didn't have these. On sale they were 17 cents each. I'm certain I can find a use for them!

I bought four bulletin board packs. I will use the money and Judy Clocks when I redesign my calendar area for next year. I got the tree & owls for my Behavior to Hoot About Board. And, the pizzas are sure to come in handy when we study fractions. 

Random items: idea book, magnetic storage holder, post cards and more.

Lots of border! I restocked on owls and birds border because I've decided to keep that theme for next year. 

Can you believe it?! $35. Blows my mind. 

TpT was also having a sale. Since my daughter, Isa, is four years old, I decided to take this opportunity to buy some resources to help her grow as a reader. But, I forgot to enter the promo code to get the 10% off. Sad face. Brain fart. Anyway, Isa is four so she doesn't start Kindergarten for another year,  but I'm certain her Kinder teachers will be happy when she does start school if we accomplish this much and more!

I'm helping The Moffat Girls pay their bills this month! 

Thursday and Friday we worked on some Mother's Day goodies. Here are a few pics of some of the pages in the mini book we made. 

I love how this mom has some serious highlights. 

This mom has some serious hair ;-)

The kiddos' illustrations of their mothers make me smile.

Hmmm...what do you think this mom's favorite meal is???

And we made handprint bouquets.

This week was Teacher Appreciation Week at my school. I gotta tell you, the PTO out  did themselves by providing lunch or breakfast for the teachers every.single.day this week. 

My firsties brought me plenty of notes, sweet treats, and drinks. But, my favorite day was Thursday when I received all of these beautiful flower arrangements. 

Some of the kids picked flowers on their way to school. They were so thrilled with their finds. I tried to wear some in my hair all day. But by the end of the day, most of the hand picked flowers were done for. 

I have a goal for next week: SPEND LESS MONEY! 

Do your kids need help with inflectional endings? This is my newest creation and you can find it here. 

Don't forget to follow me on Facebook! Summer of Giveways begins in June. 

Facebook Fan Page Teacher Appreciation FREEBIE

I lost some hair and some sleep in the process, but thanks to Ashley Hughes' video tutorial, I was able to set up a Facebook Fan Freebies Page just in time for Teacher Appreciation Week! I consider myself fairly tech savy, but it's complicated :-(

I'm currently working on a resource for kiddos to practice inflectional endings and you can get a FREE SAMPLE just by following me on Facebook and clicking on the fan freebies tab.

AND...my Summer of Giveaways gets started in June!

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week :-)

Favorite Pins Friday

I'm mad obsessed with cute Mother's Day and Father's Day craftivities right now! I've been Pinning away...because that's what I do. PIN EVERYTHING NOW. Choose something later. For this edition of Five for Friday, I'm sharing my favorite pins for mom and dad. 

Mother's Day

I love this craft from Fluttering through First Grade. It makes me giggle. This mom...errr...craft is rockin' those cucumbers!

I really liked these hand print bouquets, but ...

The link to this was blocked by Pinterest, so I'm not sure where it originated. 

...I knew I would need to modify it a bit for the classroom and my teacher's budget! So I did. 

My firsties can't cart home glass vases AND I can't afford to buy 20 vases either :-) Instead I bought decorative paper party cups to use as a mock vase. I made a few other changes and this is the final product. I think I've got it simplified enough that my class can make this adorable craftivity for their moms. The instructions for this handprint bouquet, an interactive mini book for Mother's Day, and more can be found 

here and you can see the mini book in it's entirety in this post.

Father Day

Bailey Jones

I'm thinking about designing a Father's Day tool box card or craftivity. To accompany the card or craft, I wonder if I can find mini hammers at Dollar Tree??? I've got some decorative duct tape left over from other projects that my students could use to decorate the handles. 

If the hammers prove to be too expensive, clothes pins and rocks are cheap :-) Here's some of my back up plans:

Pup for Pop

A doggie pen holder made from clothes pins. I think my class would love painting the pins! 

Dad Rocks

Or, a "Dad Rocks" paper weight made out of a stone. 

I've gone social! Memories Made in First now has a Facebook Page. I'm gearing up for a summer of give-aways! Don't miss out on the fun. Follow me https://www.facebook.com/memoriesmadeinfirst.

P.S. Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week! TpT is throwing a sale. And, me too! 

Be sure to check out this Mother's Day resource:

Mother's Day Resource

Visit Doodle Bugs Teaching to check out the Five for Friday line up!