What Happens When Teachers Get Together?

Here we are at the New England Blogger Winter Warm along with links to their blogs!

Front row:  Katie (official blog stalker), Furnell (Owl Always Love Second Grade), Rae (Mindful Rambles), Sally (Elementary Matters)

Back Row: Wendy (Ms. D's Literacy Lab), Susan (TGIF: Thank God it's First Grade), Deirdre (A Burst of First), Bex (Reading and Writing Redhead), Vera (The Tutu Teacher), Sara (The Colorful Apple), Dianne (Hopelessly Devoted to Teaching)

A special thanks to Deirdre who organized our get together!

Another special thanks to Sara, who knew I was a New Englander and got me on the list!

For a whole group of people who had never met, we certainly had a whole lot to say to each other! 

 Here are some of the topics:  

How long have you been teaching?

How long have you been blogging?

Desks or tables?

Chairs or balls?

Testing

Recess

Indoor recess

Are you going to Vegas in July?

Have you been to Vegas before?

Have you been to Hawaii?

How many students do you have?

How long have  you taught _____ grade?

Have you met other bloggers?

How amazing Deanna Jump is! (She's the youngest grandmother ever!)

Our children!

Our husbands/ boyfriends/ significant others!

Sara's upcoming baby!

Vera's recent wedding!

New England pronunciation of some things, including local towns!

The great food at the Cheesecake Factory!

How much we love teaching!

How much we don't love some of the things going on in teaching right now (ie. testing!)

The hard part was that I was at one end of the table, and couldn't really hear all the conversations at the other end of the table. 

We really were never at a loss for information.  I've been with other groups where that happens, but when teachers get together, we always have something in common.  Well... several things in common!

I had another special treat:  my daughter is living in Boston and going to college.  She had some time Saturday afternoon and was able to get together!  We were going to get our nails done, but she was delayed, and I was getting stressed about the price of parking, so we quickly bought something at Sephora (her favorite) so I could get the parking ticket validated, had a quick frozen  yogurt, then I drove her back to her apartment.  (I did manage to keep it under 5 hours in the Pru parking garage, phew!)

So, I never actually went outside, and never needed that big bulky coat that makes me look huge in the group picture!  I went from garage, to parking garage, back to my own garage!  

It was a really great day!

New England Bloggers Meet Up!

Well, I'm excited about meeting some local bloggers this weekend!  I read about bloggers from other parts of the country getting together, and now it's going to be us! Deirdre from A Burst of First was kind enough to pull this together.  I'll make sure there are photos to share!  

Last time I got together with other bloggers, it was 108 degrees in Las Vegas.  This time, we'll be lucky if the temperature hits 28 degrees in Boston.  But I don't care, we'll be sure to warm things up!

Speaking of New England, we are all sad that our Beloved Patriots won't be in the Super Bowl.  In my attempt to feel better, I updated this freebie for this year's teams and locations.  I also added some writing paper to use as you wish. 

I think I'll be turning mine into some opinion writing, since everyone in my class seems to have an opinion about which team should win.

Click the image for the Super Bowl mapping freebie, and leave a comment with your opinion on who should win!

Ten Seasonal Freebies

It's that time of year when the special days come one right after the other, and I'm getting ready!

I thought I'd give you a taste of several upcoming special Days!

Sometimes I think all these special days are the only things that get me (and the kids) through these New England winters!

The Super Bowl is indeed coming up, which means many of our students will have football fever! 

Try this: Football Game Board and Cards - Counting to 1,000.

Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. (Thanks, Dr. King for all you did for peace as well as the day off!)  Here's a popular freebie to get the kids thinking about justice! Click the image below for Just or Unjust!

Some of you have already passed the halfway point.  

For us it's tomorrow (if we have no snow days).  

Celebrate the concept of one half! Explore the image for the link to this freebie, or see here: Halfway Day!

 

Ten days later, we'll be celebrating the 100th day of school!  I have a little tradition I started years ago, I take my kiddos from class to class singing Day 100 songs.  Here's a link  for one of my songs: 100 Days Smarter!

Another Day 100 treat, a math game for active kiddos!  

Here's a link to this freebie:  Beanie Toss to 100!

That groundhog will be peaking out of his burrow in just a couple of weeks! (I sure hope spring comes early, I've had enough!) Check out the link here:  Groundhog Consonant - l-e Sort!

I often begin doing research projects with my students mid-year. The ABC book is a great way to present the information! ABC Booklet

Pretty soon, we'll be celebrating our presidents!  

Here's a fun one: Presidents Day Mini Books Freebie!

Here's another way to celebrate our presidents!  Click below for President Writing Prompts
 

And, of course, Valentine's Day is less than a month away, and the kids are getting excited about that too!  Valentine's Day Mini-Books

Yes, that's ten, but I'm sneaking in just one more, a leap year freebie: Leap Day Freebie

Wow, we have some busy days ahead of us!  I hope these 10 freebies help you through!

January Freebies!

Looking for some freebies for the month of January?  

I know where you can find some: right here!

January is a good time for Thank you cards! I like to start the year with a lesson on Thank you cards, and let the children write thank you cards to each other.  They love it!

For more about the parts of a Thank You note, see THIS POST.

We celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. in January.  This is one of my favorite freebies.  It really gets the kids thinking. It's an opportunity for children to decide on the fairness of decision in their lives.  I've heard some very passionate conversations when we work on the Just or Unjust activity!

For more resources to teach about Martin Luther King Jr. see THIS POST.

Many people are getting ready to celebrate Day 100, but we have another month before that happens. However, I do think Day 90 is a great opportunity to celebrate my favorite fraction!  Halfway Day includes a couple of fractions to practice 1/2, and some badges for the children to wear to celebrate 1/2 way through the school year!

I've been working on a series of No Prep Printables. These are perfect for when you need something quickly, but want a valid learning activity which will engage the children.  Here's a sampling of Winter No Prep Activities!

January is a great time of year to decide to be happy, and you can help your students by encouraging them to be grateful! You can learn more about these Gratitude Journal Labels in this blog post: Five Finger Gratitude!

Enjoy your January, and give those kiddos an extra happy greeting back from vacation!