It's almost time! The Cyber Monday and Tuesday Sale is right around the corner! Get your wish list filled and ready to shop (from the comfort of your own home) on December 2nd and 3rd! I am offering 20% off all of my products and TpT will give you another 10% if you use the checkout code CYBER. This makes for a total of 28%. (Not sure how they figure 20+10 equals 28, but some mathematician says it does so go with it!)

Follow this linky party for some Fabulous Finds on TpT and read some Favorite Feedback.  I appreciate it when anyone takes the time to leave their thoughts on my products! I read each and every one. Here are a few kind comments I have received about my Scoot games and my memoir writing set.

Remember if you leave feedback you earn FREE MONEY to spend on TpT! Can't beat that!

Now on to a peek into my shopping cart. I have a TON of clip art on my wish list. I am ADDICTED. I seriously need some help. Ashley Hughes, Creative Clips, and Melonheadz are among my most favorite. These artists just blow me away with all this cuteness!

I'll definitely be purchasing more of these wonderful Flip Flap books from Anna at Simply Skilled in Second. These books are amazing and creative. I have completed two so far this year with my 3rd graders and they LOVE them!

What's in your cart? Scroll down to find out what other bloggers have in theirs! Join the linky, too!

Read more »

Beach Sand and Lesson Plans

I am SO happy to be off the next three days for the Thanksgiving holiday. We usually only have Thursday and Friday off. Having Wednesday makes life a tiny bit easier! I'll be getting ready for dinner at mom's. We all bring something so she doesn't have to do all the cooking. It's Tuesday and I'm still not positive what to make. On my list of possibilities are homemade dinner rolls, apple pie, and sweet potato latkes. (We aren't Jewish but I thought they sounded yummy!) If you have any suggestions, send them my way!

My friend Molly over at Lucky to be in First is hosting the Thankful Thread. Hopefully you will join in, too!

I think it's so important to remember what we have and to be grateful for it. I know sometimes I take things for granted. I like to step back and think about what really matters in life. It's not the small stuff, that's for sure! I may not have everything I want, but I know I have what I need and I'm happy!

I hope you all remember what you have. Cherish it. Give thanks. Enjoy a most wonderful week!

Read more »

Beach Sand and Lesson Plans

AHHHH! Vacation! I wish I was on one! It's been a rough few weeks. I can't seem to shake this crabby feeling. I'm trying. I try each day. It somehow creeps back in.
Thank you  Denise at Sunny Days in Second Grade  for inquiring about a perfect vacation for My Truth Monday. I need this little fantasy!

I'm snapping out of my vacation fantasy for a moment to share this little freebie with you. I enjoy working with words in my classroom. Adjectives was the study of the week and we had a good time with vocabulary interviews. I gave the kids questions that they had to answer as if they were the word being interviewed. We completed a few together as a whole group then I sent them off on their own.  I allowed them to create their own questions or they could use the ones I provided. With a partner,  they interviewed each other answering as the word. They had to put on their creative and critical thinking caps for this one! Stop by my TpT store and download this free activity! Let me know what you think!!

Now back to my vintage camper search! 

Read more »

Beach Sand and Lesson Plans

Do you have a celebrity crush?? Join Sunny Days in Second Grade for My Truth Monday and share it with the world!

Here is my secret revealed....

I'm so glad I was able to share that! Thanks Denise! LOL!


I can't end this post without acknowledging Veterans Day. THANK YOU to all who have served to protect our freedoms. There is no greater sacrifice!

I hope you were able to spend a Monday off doing something you love.

Read more »

Beach Sand and Lesson Plans

Children's books make me

So I wanted to share a few of my favorite MUST HAVE November reads for the classroom.

Scarecrow by Cynthia Rylant is by far one of the most beautifully written books I know. My favorite line is "His hat is borrowed, his suit is borrowed, his hands are borrowed, even his head is borrowed. And his eyes probably came out of someone's draw." I just love the feel of this story. Read it once for the sheer enjoyment. Read it again and focus on the author's craft. Type up the text and allow students to find examples of Rylant's wonderful craft. Connect it to writing by asking students to try something the author does.

Squanto's Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving by Joseph Bruchae 
tells the story of the first Thanksgiving from the perspective of Squanto.  Perfect read for discussing point of view and comparing and contrasting the Pilgrims view point with the Native Americans'.

Thanksgiving Is Here! by Diane Goode is a fun personal favorite! It reminds me of our family gatherings. The preparing of the food. The excitement of the day. Crazy relatives. Being with family. Just a fun read aloud for the holidays.

The Thanksgiving Story by Alice Dalgliesh is a classic (originally published in 1954) story of the first Thanksgiving. I love the artwork in this book. Good for upper elementary since it has a chapter book feel.

The Story of the Pilgrims  by Katharine Ross is another great read about that first year in Plymouth. This book lends itself to younger readers, but is a great addition to any elementary classroom library. The illustrations really help tell the story, too.

One Is a Feast for Mouse: A Thanksgiving Tale by Judy Cox is perfect for an after Thanksgiving break read (that's when I use it). The story starts after the meal is finished. Mouse peeks out of his hidey-hole (love that!) and just wants a green pea. Well, then he spots a cranberry, an olive, a piece of turkey, and mashed potatoes. He has to find a way to get this all back to his hidey-hole. In the end he learns to be satisfied with what he has. It's good mentor text for descriptive language.

Click HERE for this little freebie to accompany your study of the Pilgrims. Just a fun activity to share with the kids about how the Pilgrims really dressed! Hope you enjoy it and happy reading!!

Read more »

Beach Sand and Lesson Plans

I'm linking up today with Denise from Sunny Days in Second Grade for her My Truth Monday series. 

Today's topic is all about what led us to this profession. Here's my story:

That's my truth! What's yours?

Read more »

Beach Sand and Lesson Plans

Hi all! I feel like I have been so out of the loop with blogging lately! Life just gets so super crazy sometimes! I'm sure you all know how that feels. I'm glad to be back today with  Doodlebugs for her Five for Friday linky!

The last few weeks we have been working on story structure, with an emphasis on characters. We have talked a great deal about character traits, motivations, feelings, and actions and how these all work to move the story's plot along and also how characters' actions can effect the events. I created some organizers that deal specifically with main characters. These organizers have a fall theme and are perfect for a seasonal bulletin board display. For November, I have included an acorn and turkey organizer along with a bat, spider, and pumpkin. For October, we used the bat organizer to write about what characters do and say along with the traits they show. The kids enjoy making these and they are perfect for a quick formative assessment.

Click HERE to find these in my TpT Store.

We are one of the few schools in my district that allows the students to dress up for Halloween. The 5th grade, though, has a tradition of assigning a scientist project where the students have to dress like the scientist they researched and present their findings as the scientist. My hubby changed his up a bit this year. He had his students research a science field. For example, students researched paleontology, astronomy, marine biology, botany, meteorology, etc. The written portion included research that explained the field, told why it matters to the world, and included famous scientists in the field. The real creative part came when the kids had to dress like that field. Well, our daughter happens to be in his class and she selected paleontology. Her and I worked on the project together, without showing Dad/teacher at home during the process. He did not see her costume or project until it was due. She created a newspaper using a template in Pages, added photos from a recent trip to the Museum of Natural History, and added some clip art. She wouldn't let me take a picture of her in class....said I was embarrassing her! LOL! Her costume had bones hanging from the sleeves and bottom of the shirt. I made her a necklace with skulls and bones. It turned out mighty cute. The other little girl in the photo below was anatomy. She made a sign with an x-ray on it.

Here is her newspaper:

This student was meteorology! He had a baseball cap with painted batting on top. Hanging down were blue beads and inside the "cloud" were little lights that looked like lightning. So clever! All in all it was a lot of fun and I'm so glad I was able to step in the class and see some of the presentations.

I made these little treats for my teammates. If you drink Starbucks coffee in the small bottles they come in handy for projects like this. On the lid I glued black ribbon around the rim. I stamped and punched out the orange card stock that I glued on top.

 The labels are from Martha Stewart which I purchased at Michael's. I simply tied a ribbon around the top and filled with candy corn. Super easy and cute! Everyone loved them!

Halloween week was packed with lots of fun activities. On the 31st we had our school parade in the morning. After the parade, we settled in for some owl activities. Cupcakes, owl pellet dissection, and an owl craft from Oriental Trading.

Our owl study is going to continue next week as we create this adorable Owl Flip Flap book from Simply Skilled in Second Grade. Check it out HERE.

On a personal note, I recently returned from a 5 day trip to New York City with my daughter, niece, and sister. We had a blast! My daughter, Lily, has been begging me to take her for a very long time, so for the past 6 months we have been planning and saving. We had the most fabulous time and we were able to see everything on her list!  She was so appreciative and I know she will have some fond memories!  The same weekend we were away, my son, 13, was on a trip to Denver to play in a water polo tournament. Though his team did not come back top winners, he played his heart out. His coach told us that "this was Dane's weekend. He was the pillar of the team." To be able to give my children such opportunities makes me feel so blessed. October was a month to remember!

Dane at practice, #8!  One of the highlights of our NYC trip was seeing Newsies AND meeting the actors after the show!


Thanks for stopping by!

Read more »

Beach Sand and Lesson Plans