Fun Friday

So today I wanted to share with you some fun things we do in our classroom.  One of my favorite things we do is Go Noodle.

What is Go Noodle?  Well, Go Noodle helps take all that energy that the little ones have and channel it into something fun.   There are many ways you can do Go Noodle in your classroom.  When I started using it I had the all the letters to spell "Go Noodle" out and every time I caught the class being good we would add a letter to the board until we spelled it out and then we would perform the activity.  But...... as you can imagine, sometimes that takes a little longer than expected and the kids need something fun to do everyday to get their wiggles out so we started doing it in the afternoon every day.   It was something that they looked forward to and I saw a huge improvement in their afternoon performance.  (we had a really long afternoon!)   The kids love it because they get to 

choose a character and watch the character grow.  If you have never heard of Go Noodle, you definitely need to check it out.  

Another way I incorporate positive behavior is by using Class Dojo.  You can set Class Dojo up to suit your needs.   You choose what you want your students to get points for during the day and then you can have them go up and give themselves points or you can do it right from your small group using an app on your phone.  In my school, all of the classes connected together so if we saw another class being really good or we saw a child doing something kind or showing fabulous behavior, we could give the class or a child in another class points too.  It is a fabulous teaching tool.  You can even set up parent accounts so that the parents can see how their child is doing.  

Now for a few freebies from my store that the kids love to do.  If your students have a hard time learning their right from their left this is a perfect game for them.  The children will all start with three counters and depending on what they roll, they will either keep their counter, pass it to the right, pass it to the left or place one in the center.  The kids love it and I love it because everyone always stays in the game until the final counter is placed.   It really keeps the kids on their toes and they learn their right from their left really quick.   Just click on the picture to grab this freebie.

Another thing the kids love to do is practice their numbers especially their teen numbers.  We all want them to be able to say them quickly without thinking so this fun Speedy Race game featuring Pete the Cat will certainly help them.  The students roll a dice and whatever number they roll, they go to that line and say the numbers as fast as they can.  I also have this for lower numbers, letters, sight words, sentences.   They never get tired of playing this.  

I hope you liked these Fun Friday ideas and center games.  What fun things do you do in your classroom?  

Check out all the great ideas on the Freebielicious Gals blogs to see more fun activities.  

Wonderful Idea Wednesday

I have thought about what is a wonderful idea ...... what was my most time saving tip in my classroom and this is what always comes to mind.  

Homework Clips

My friend Karla told me about this last year and I am so glad that she did.  I love it.  We had special first thing in the morning so the kids would come in and have about enough time to put their stuff away, hand in their homework and line up to go to their special.   That may sound like a great deal, having your first period as a planning period and sometimes it was, but most of the time it wasn't.  It was very hectic.  We lost a lot of our plannings during the week to meetings also so when the kids got back I needed to know right away who did not hand in their homework or who was absent.  Well this was my saving grace!

It is so simple, yet made my life so much easier.  All you do is get a clothes pin and put a number on it for each student in your classroom.  Each child has their own number.  I could easily look down at the number and know that number 5 was Ashley and ask her where her homework was for the day.  It was such a great organizational tool for me.   The kids loved it because they also started putting their number on their papers so when they would forget to write their name, they had their number so I could easily tell whose paper it was.  I love this. It is quick and easy and worked like a charm.  I hope you can use this in your classroom.  

What is a wonderful idea that you have that I can use in my classroom this year?

Tell Us About You Tuesday

Hello Friends,

My name is Donna and I am a teacher in Delaware.  I have been teaching since 1993.  To me that seems like just yesterday, but I realize it was a LONG time ago. haha   I have my B.S. in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education.  I have my Masters Degree in Reading and I am also Special Ed certified.  Most of you know me as Kinderglynn because I have taught Kindergarten for a really long time, but did you know that last year I moved to 2nd grade?  It was a big change, but I really enjoyed it.  I had taught 2nd grade many years before, so it was neat to go back and teach it again.  I had most of my same kids that were in Kindergarten with me so that was a lot of fun to see them again and all they have accomplished.  You never know what the future will hold so I am always looking for new adventures in teaching.  

(This is us back in 1996)

I have been married since 1996.  I first saw my husband at a Temple University Gymnastics meet.   I told my mom that day that I would marry him.  I didn't even know who he was at that point, although he looked like Shaun Cassidy and who didn't love Shaun Cassidy.  (Ok, so I am really showing my age now)   LONG story short, although I saw him during my college years (he is 5 years older than me) I didn't really talk to him.  After I graduated we met up again through a mutual friend and from that day forward were together.  I guess I did know what I was talking about all those years before.  Oh and for those of you that do not know both my husband and I were both gymnasts at Temple University.  

(This is one of my favorite pictures of us)

 We have 3 kids and 4 dogs.   Needless to say, there is always something going on in this house.  My oldest son is going to be a Senior in high school.  I can't believe I have a Senior.  Where does the time go?   My middle son is going to be a freshman in high school and my daughter is going into 6th grade.   George loves to play volleyball and he is really good at it.  Anthony is going to try out for the football team this year and I am so excited for him.  Ashley does gymnastics.   If the kids schedule weren't enough we have 4 dogs.  Dudley, Charlie, Bear and Brownie.  I think they keep us on our feet more than our kids.  And if anyone can tell me a way to make them stop shedding I would SO appreciate it. haha   

Head on over to Freebielicious and find out more about all of us.  I hope everyone is enjoying there summer.  Tell me something about you!

Must Have Monday!

Hello Everyone!

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer.  This week the Freebielicious gals are all sharing some fun things with you.  Today is our MUST HAVES for our classroom.  

For me, there are always the obvious things I need every year such as bins for the kids to put their work and cups for their pencils, scissors, glue and crayons.  I like the seat sacks so that their folders are not all over the place and it helps them stay organized and also helps my classroom stay neat.  When I got to thinking about what the MOST important things for me would be this is what I came up with as the things I couldn't live without.

Dixon Ticonderoga Beginners Primary Pencils

Everyone who knows me, knows I LOVE these pencils.  They stay sharpened for longer periods of time which is the number one reason why I love them.  I also like the way the students are able to grip them and also I do not know if it is because they are fatter than a normal pencil or not, but the students don't lose them as fast. haha   That is always a good thing!

           

Dry Erase Sleeves

Another must have for me are the white again dry erase sleeves.  If you are lucky and have a dollar store close to your house they actually have them there or you can order them online.  A dollar that is a great bargain!  You can also purchase them from Really Good Stuff or Amazon.  I love these because the kids can keep them in their seat pockets and they do not take up any space and they are really light.  We use them ALL the time so it is much easier for them to carry around the classroom then the white boards.  

*** A good idea I have used for many years is to have one side with a white piece of paper and the other side with a colored piece of construction paper.  I use red construction paper.  When the students have completed what you asked them to do on their white board, they flip it over to the red side and then I can scan the room and see who is done and who needs more time.  ***

The Folding Crate on Wheels 

I know I am not the only one who carries tons of things home on a daily basis.  This is so much easier to use then a lot of bags that end up hurting my shoulders.  I can remember when these were 15.99 and you could get them on sale for 9.99.  Although the price has went up, I still think it is worth it.  Usually before schools starts Staples has them for 19.99 on sale.  

Coffee

And finally, a good cup of coffee never hurt anyone.    

Hop on over to the Freebielicous Blog to check out some other great resources for your classroom!