Tomorrow is February 1st! Looking for some activities for the month? I have just what you need!

For me, I need activities that cover our standards and are not just "for fun". We have so much going on in 3rd grade this year that every minute has to be spent working on our Florida standards. So when I create a product, I have just that in mind. I want it to be fun for the kids and I always try to bring an element of creative and critical thinking.

For Groundhog Day, I created this Reasearch in the Round project. (I call it that because it's a round booklet. Clever right? Heehee!) My students will use their own devices or a classroom laptop or iPad to research facts about the groundhog and his special day. They can take their research to writing with one of the 3 prompts I've included. Check out the preview below. I think this project is appropriate for high second graders and 3rd and 4th graders.

If you are doing some preplanning for Valentine's Day, check out this product. Conversation Hearts Activity Cards will give your students a variety of challenging tasks to complete using a bag or box or candy hearts.

My newest products are these monthly ELA Skill Cards. I love using these cards in my classroom for a game of scoot or for practice in our word work center. I have created these with 3rd grade ELA standards in mind, but they would be useful in 2nd grade for a challenge or in 4th grade as a monthly review. If you like these be on the lookout for March cards coming soon!

I hope that you can find the "fun" in February with these products. Enjoy your week!!

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Beach Sand and Lesson Plans

What a week! There was so much going on! Here are my 5 random things from my week. Link up with Doodle Bugs and join the fun!

#1: Monday was our 100th day of school. My 3rd graders spent the afternoon working on my "All About the 100th Day" poster. They loved moving around, working with their friends, and thinking "outside the box". I think it's so important for ALL levels to have a chance to think creatively. Sometimes our lowest babies get "stuck" with too much "drill and kill" and we don't allow them to shine in their own way!

#2: If you do not use Adventures to Fitness in your class, SIGN UP TODAY! My kiddos have so much fun moving with Mr. Marc! On Wednesday, we Skyped Mr. Marc. He came right into our classroom! He asked the kids questions and they got to ask him a ton of really good stuff. We brainstormed before we hooked up so that they had some good ideas prepared, but some of my smarties really surprised me with their thoughtful responses!

#3: On Monday we worked on a cute little groundhog fact/opinion activity from Gina at Third Grade Tidbits.  I shard the Punxsutawney Phil website and we read the book How Groundhog's Garden Grew by Lynne Cherry. This book doesn't tell anything about Groundhog Day, but it's a great book about planting a garden and the pictures are pretty!

#4: This next picture is gross! (Just warning you) 

My hubby is our in school "motivation committee". He works on getting the kids pumped up about using an online program called  First in Math. If your school doesn't use it, it's definitely worth looking into to. It's an internet based math program with tons of math games and great practice of basic skills. The kids earn virtual stickers as they complete games. Hubby's challenge winners (students and teachers) were able to slime him this week. Let me tell you...he gave one up for the team! He was slimmed with tomato sauce, salsa, relish, BBQ sauce, Italian dressing, pudding, and French dressing. It was TOTALLY disgusting, but the kids went wild! They were so pumped up watching this event unfold live with our principal as the MC. At the end he gave our principal a big hug (preplanned of course). The sticker count after this event went through the roof! I'm so proud of my hubby for motivating the kids!

#5: I was super duper excited this week to finish revising my Social Studies Task Cards for an Australian teacher. She purchased my cards and then realized they were more suited for American students. She asked me if I could create them for her students. So, she revised the originals and sent me a copy. I then revised my set and created this Aussie version! It was so cool to work with a teacher on the other side of the planet! I learned a lot, too!!

It was really a full week of fun! 

On a personal note, my 6th grade son's science fair project was entered in the county science fair. I am SO proud of him for completing that project ON HIS OWN!!

Hope you all had a wonderful week!!

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Beach Sand and Lesson Plans