BubbleGum Ideas --Chewing and Learning

So we do Accelerated Reader at our elementary school.  We have school point goals each quarter.  The 1st graders work hard to do their part, but with their books only worth .5 per book...it's really a small part.  I create my own goal chart in my room with flowers that work their way up the vine -- to go along with the progress flower on the computer program.  The kids love it, I love the simple way of keeping track of their goals...it's a win-win.

But the school rewards are kind of odd sometimes.  This quarter the school reached the school-wide goal and so they get to chew bubblegum!  The principal delivers it to our rooms....the kids love it, but I want it to be a bit more fun and meaningful or rather memorable!

This year I decided to turn the bubblegum into a mini theme for the day.  Here are a few ideas and things I found to do that day.

Here is a fun math bump game with the bubblegum theme. I found it on TpT:

Here's the writing project I'm going to do....How to Blow A Bubble: 

Then of course I had to get this Opinion Writing Activity too....Should Bubblegum Be Allowed in School?  There is no such thing as too much writing...right?

This next one on TpT has a combination of math, science and art.   It's a clever approach to bubblegum chewing..

My 1st graders are going to have fun while they are learning on bubblegum reward day this year!  It might just make it fun for me too!  If you don't have a bubblegum reward day at your school...maybe these are good reasons to give it a chew and ponder it.

The Third Wheel

Today's blogger is Mrs. D at The Third Wheel.  She is a special ed teacher turned 3rd grade teacher turned instructional coach.  This morning I was reading her class management tips.  As an experienced 20 year teacher, it is still good to sit and read and be re-inspired about class management.
This year I do have the dream class...the kind of class that substitutes leave gushing notes and messages about and can't wait to return to...15 um, I mean 16 as of last week of the best 1st graders ever!  If only I wasn't being dragged down by meetings and more meetings and new curriculum to ponder, then I could spend more time enjoying their 16 smiling and eager faces!  Ah, such is a teacher's life :)

Back to Mrs. D....

She shares great insight from the perspective of a teacher and a coach.  She also has a very well stocked TpT store HERE.

I love the Edible science experiments, as I'm sure her students do as well :)  They say they are geared to 2nd-4th grades, but I'm sure you could find some inspiration for a 1st grade or for you STEM class lessons!


I also found that she has a large number of novel studies...for many popular titles. I bet you could find one that you use each year!






And for those of you who haven't gotten a raise in a number of years...like me...there is the FREEBIE STUFF.  I mean A LOT of Freebie stuff!  Very exciting to find a talented author/teacher with free stuff!

My last weekend of Summer 2014

Yeah....life is busy and life is full and life is flying by....But this blog is something I really want to revive and move forward with because I realized I am neglecting some of my hobbies I love the most!

This is the blog post that inspired me to blog again!   Post --> {Click THIS}  

Kathy has a whole list of great math game ideas for levels K-3.  My first graders will be coming right after Labor Day, and when I saw this I knew exactly what I needed this for!  

I am going to make one of these...

• My version: The game will be for two-4 people.
• Each person gets 6 linking cubes of of one color (or little bears or whatever you have that they can have six of one color per person) 
• They will roll one die and they get to put a color token in each section when they roll it.  
• If they roll the same number twice, they lose a turn.  
• The winner is the one who gets one of their tokens in each section first!
• This is a very easy beginning of 1st grade center game which won't take adult involvement to participate.

Kathy has other great resources on her website...check her out!

KathyGriffinTeach.com 

Day 113 Clever Classroom Blog

Here's a new blog in the Teacher Blog realm of creativeness.  It's the Clever Classroom a creation of Emma Farrell.  Emma is an Aussie teacher who has been teaching, making and creating for quite some time.  She started on Ebay and moved toward TpT a few years ago.  Her specialty is primary...from pre-school to 3rd grade.  Her blog is brand new...but her eBay store and TpT store have been around for quite some time.  

Emma has over 250 items in her TpT store.  And she has gobs of great FREE stuff...which this time of the month is a blessing to find! (payday is only a week away...man, getting paid once a month really stinks!)

She is a woman after my own heart...she is organized.  She has nice category links to her blog posts making it really easy to find the needful thing you are looking for!   See...functional and cute!  And she has more too...but this is just a few of them....

Right away I found a really cute Mother's Day art idea.  Perfect for framing or mounting on a fridge :)  I think
it will be a fun card to go with our Mother's Day tea and our flower pots my 1st graders are making for their moms.

You also need to check out her description and how-to for keeping your table cloth on the table in your classroom...or if/when the table is outside in a breeze.  This has been a battle over the years....masking tape, binder clips, chip bag clips and even the attractive roll of duct tape to no avail.

This looks like a cool idea.  Click {HERE} to go to her blog and find out how to make it.  You may need a conversion chart because being Aussie she talks in that strange metric language...lol

Thanks for hopping by today!  Come back again real soon and see who else I find!

Day 68 Run Miss Nelson's Got the Camera

Miss Nelson has a love affair with her camera.  I can totally identify with that.  In our house it's "Run, Mom's got the camera!"  No, actually, my daughters have learned to appreciate my picture taking proclivity.  They are cheerleaders...and both on the same squad at their high school.  If I don't bring my camera to practice, they all complain :)

I found these colorful "behavior beads" in her TpT store.   Behavior Beads seem to be popping up all over TpT lately.  They are colorful, fun and cheap but are a big hit with my students. They will actually work hand in hand with the Self Manager reward system we have at our school.  I won't have to buy too many chains because they already get chains from either the p.e. teacher or the school counselor and earn wolf paws for displaying all the character traits and p.e. feet for participation.  I could easily add these behavior beads to my classroom incentive program!

Day 67 Mrs. Patton's Patch

I love technology.  I would love to have Ipads or tablets for my 1st graders.  I am trying to wrap my mind around all the ways that I can use them with my students.  I believe that technology doesn't and shouldn't replace what I do in my classroom, but in our ever evolving world, it would be like burying your head in the sand if you didn't at least try to mix technology in with what you do in class.

Mrs. Patton uses technology with her students...particularly Ipads and Macbooks.  Here is a post that lists some very useful as well as engaging apps to use with your students.  Some have free versions and some have fee versions....but they are all Ipod and Ipad apps....Check them out!  Those of us with PC schools...well I will just have to keep hunting.

Day 57 My (Not So) Elementary Life

Today's blogger is a delightful newbie teacher named Heidi.  I'm not sure where she is from...though from reading her blog she has had bad snow days and scary tornado scares at school.  I'm so happy that is not one of the drills we have to do up here in North Idaho!

Her blog is called My (not so) Elementary Life and it is full of her fun experiences as a new teacher and great ideas she has created.  I love her enthusiasm and positive outlook on even the worst of those teachable moments!   Heidi teaches title I math and is a Kindergarten Reading teacher.  She has great ideas for helping the little ones understand big concepts.

Heidi also has a TpT store and a Pinterest board with her creations and other fun things she has found.  And I am happy to say...she is one of those OCD organized people like me :)  So it is really easy to find your way through her Pinterest Board!

Be sure to stop on your next blog hop and see the creative units she has posted!

Day 51 Sunny Days in 2nd Grade

I would love to have some sunny days in Idaho right about now :)  Don't get me wrong...I love winter.  I love cold weather.  It's fun to snuggle up with a good book in front of a warm fire...but some days I feel my body just craving sunshine or even just sunlight.  Living this far north, by December the days are so short that by the times the kids leave and I pack up my bag, it's dark outside.  Yup, by 3:30 it's time for the headlights on the drive home.  There are a couple weeks when I drive to school in the dark and drive home in the dark.  That's the rough part.  I know it's harder for those that live farther north, but I can still whine just a little bit :)

So when I found Sunny Days in 2nd Grade...the name just drew me right into her blog....

Sunny Days lives, teaches and creates in Florida.  Perhaps all those hours of daylight help inspire her :)  Whatever her inspiration is, her blog is delightful.  She teaches a gifted group of 2nd graders...what a dream that would be!

Sunny has a fun thing she does called Show and Tell Tuesday.  She has a different topic each week.  Some of these include: Literacy Centers, Book Shares, 100th Day, but she has many more....check it out.  And the fun part is you can link up your blog with her topic.

On her Winter Show and Tell Tuesday she has found some very clever winter ideas including the best ever snow globe project!!  You absolutely have to go check it out!  I will have to file it away for next year....I would much rather move on to spring ideas.

Day 50 The Schroeder Page

Monica teaches 2nd grade and posts her teaching ideas and adventures on The Schroeder Page.  She has a lively blog...full of ideas and activities...lots of videos and pictures.  

Yesterday her post about dental hygiene has me wanting to teach about teeth in my class too...wish I had a school nurse who wanted to do fun stuff like her school nurse!  Hmmm...homemade toothpaste?  That sounds like lots of fun for the students!  

This year we adopted a new science curriculum...the National Geographic one.  It looks like it has great reading material and ideas for experiments, but our district didn't purchase the lab kits...so to do the units we have to buy it all ourselves!  I'm not sure how to describe how I feel about that. :(

But science is one of my favorite things to teach and my goal for next school year...after being in my new school for a year...is to see how I can work it in to my lesson plans.  In the meantime I file away cool ideas that I find.  And Monica had the coolest science activity for Valentine's Day.

I love the scientific method.  All the built in questions and the potential for problem solving and writing are huge!  So when I saw this activity...it made me crave to teach some meaningful science again!  Monica even includes the directions for how to make the goggles.  Yes, the kids MAKE the goggles they wear!  How cool is that!?

Day 41 Rockin Teacher Materials

I am sharing this blog today because of this post about the tooth!  Hilary Lewis has been a teacher for 28 years.  She has tons of ideas and resources on Rockin Teacher Materials...but this story about the tooth sums up what all teachers become...the surrogate parent, the dentist, the doctor, the repair man, the seamstress...the list of what we do never ends.

But this tooth story just got me.

I hate teeth.

I hate wiggly teeth.

I hate pulling wiggly teeth (and I say this as with the additional comment that I have NEVER pulled a tooth out for anyone --not even for my own daughters!)

So the post made me laugh...but also grossed me out!

On to other things...Hilary has some clever ideas on her blog.

I liked the way she linked her TpT and TN sights...She should get a creativity award for them!

She also recently shared an idea that I think I might just have to change to in my classroom.  I currently have these boy and girl beanies.  When they go to the bathroom, they put it on their desk.  That reminds me that I have said yes to someone already (as well as which someone) and lets  me know quietly when they return.

But this was an even better idea that one of her coworkers has done...I love it!!

What a lovely reminder to sanitize your hands after using the bathroom!!

Then here is my favorite part of her blog...her resources.  I have purchased a few over the past few months.  And I've scored the occasional freebie too.  But this one is so cute I just popped it into my cart on TpT! 

This one is the cutest presentation of an age old problem...retiring those boring words that get used over and over in 1st grade writing.

It's called Say This, Not That and has a cute french 'fry' theme.  Very clever Hilary!

Day 37 1-2-3 Teach With Me and the Most Amazing Pencil Sharpener

1-2-3 Teach With Me is created by the very talented Tammy Ferrell.  She is a classroom teacher who currently is a stay at home mom helping at least one of her children prepare for kindergarten.  Not only does she have amazing primary lessons and resources from her primary teaching experience, but she has started a series of posts on how to get your child ready for kindergarten which is very useful to a lot of moms out there.

One of the other hobbies she has is creating digital art.  She has another blog that features that work, but you will have to wait until tomorrow for that one :)

If you are a 2nd grade teacher and your school or district is looking for some well made assessments for tracking common core math standards per quarter...Tammy has some great resources she's in the progress of posting and she is selling them on Teacher's Pay Teachers.  I wish she would have the 1st grade version!

On to another subject....

Pencil Sharpeners

I hate the darn things.

There is nothing worse than one of my kids saying: "Mrs. C, the pencil cup is empty."

That means I have to stop what I'm doing and try to quickly sharpen a few which inevitably turns into a dozen because as soon as you sharpen one...half of your class will discover that their pencil is broken or just too dull to write with any longer!

This is supposed to be the teacher's savior:

The legend of this pencil sharpener has been floating around out there in the blogosphere for awhile now.  My teaching partner last year bought one and just loves it.  I need to just buy one of the darn things...but in the mean time maybe I can win one...or so can you.  Go to Classroom Friendly Supplies and sign up for their giveaway or just get a group of you together and buy one.  They are $24.99 a piece or buy 3 for $53.97.  Get a jump start on your Christmas shopping and buy them now! (just don't forget where you put them like I do!)

Day 30 The Houndstooth Teacher

I guess it only seems fitting to follow yesterday's blogger with today's choice.  This is Amy Hope's 2nd grade blog.  She is the twin sister to yesterday's blogger Julie Lee.

Amy is newer to the blogging world...and she only just came back from a maternity leave...funny thing...her twin sister just came back from maternity leave as well.  So looking back at posts...it gets even more twinsy.  Apparently Amy has two boys and just had a baby girl while her sister Julie has two girls and just had a baby boy!

Amy has a lot of items in her TpT store.  Perfect for your 1st or 2nd grade classroom.  She seems to lean more toward literacy than her sister.  She has a freebie of a 3-2-1 book activity that I really like and will give a try with my 1st graders soon.

Students have to write 3 things they liked about the story.  2 things they didn't like and 1 character they liked and why they liked him/her.

Making those kids interact and think is what it is all about. Awesome!

She also did a fun crystal ball activity instead of the New Year's Resolution January writing idea.  Very cool idea!  It is actually from her sister's TpT Store...but since it's her twin, she should get half the credit, right?...lol.

Day 28 Step Into 2nd Grade

Teachers have lives that extend past the walls of the classroom or the building it is housed inside. Students and their parents (and sometimes your administrators) forget that Teachers have families and friends and social lives.  Yes, there are some that can go home at the end of the day with only their purse on their arm.

But most of us leave with a full bag or two or three of things to do at home.  Of course this is on top of making dinner, doing the laundry, keeping the house clean, unplugging the toilet, feeding the chickens, going to the grocery store, watching your children's sporting events and helping them with THEIR homework, giving your husband some one-on-one time, calling your friend or mother (so they know you are still alive and well), paying the bills that are stacked in your inbox or on the desk....

Then comes the grading papers, writing lesson plans, calling a few student parents, finishing your coaching duties for the extra stipend at the high school, and THEN if you have free time... you start creating some lesson plans to sell on TpT or TN or Etsy or surf the blogosphere for ideas to make you better at what already consumes most of your waking hours.

Oh my goodness...by then it is midnight and there is sleep to be had...though occasionally I wonder if it would ever be worth it to stay up all night.  The house would be quiet. Nobody would be asking me to do something...I'm just slightly tempted...but then I remember that I have 1st graders waiting for me at school each morning and the lack of sleep will only give them the upper hand that they deep down have been waiting for -- kind of like when the substitute walks into the room -- they are poised to strike!

Mrs. Lemons at Step Into 2nd Grade reminds me of two things...that teachers do have lives outside of school and that sometimes that life can be tough!  But we still come to school every day with a smile on our face and excitement for teaching our charges what they need to know with creativity and enthusiasm.  Mrs. Lemons will inspire you with the struggles she has had the last few months but that with the Lords help, she and her husband continue to start each day with hope!

While you are being inspired by her personal struggles...be inspired by her creative units she has created.  I like the freebie math center she has posted.  My 1st graders are getting close to being able to do this one.  This quarter we start to dive into strategies for adding double digit numbers.  If you do it right and you do it well...you can end the year with many of your 1st graders being able to do double digit addition with regrouping.  It's all in the Number Sense...and making it fun of course.

Spending money?  They love this idea!  With supporting money posters on the wall, most of my 1st graders will be able to do this.

Candy, cookies, cupcakes?  Well that will get their attention for sure!

This center is a FREEBIE on her blog.  If you want more centers relating to money, she has a whole unit on her TpT store.  

Perhaps add it to your list of things to purchase this weekend at the big sale!

Day 8 2nd Grade Pad

Pad...now that is a word I haven't heard in awhile.  Then I saw the Frog on her blog and went...oooooooooh, now I get it!  I was having a 'duh' moment there.  Haven't had my morning mocha yet!

Cynthia is from Georgia and I'm betting even this time of year they can hear toads croaking and frogs going ribbet.  Here in North Idaho...they are all asleep for the long winter under a layer of ice and snow.  I woke up this morning and it is only 12 degrees! brrr

Cynthia is a second grade teacher (I know, obvious from the title huh?...remember, I haven't had my mocha yet) and she has over 90 great items in her TpT store.  I do have to chuckle...some of my best finds regarding winter and snowmen are from the southern teachers...because of all the snow y'all have down there? tee hee  Or is it because you wish you had snow??

Cynthia has a Linky happening that you should take part in...so hop on over and check it out.