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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Giveaway Winners

I'm back with the results for the Pete the Cat giveaway! I used the random number generator on random.org but forgot to copy the pics so you'll have to trust me:) The 4 GROOVY winners are: #3- Mrs. Patterson, #10- Andrea, #18- Kristi, and #23- Mrs. Mack's Class. I'll be sending your things to you shortly so check your email.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Just 8 More Days... GIVEAWAY

Am I the only one counting down until the new Pete the Cat book is out? I'm not sure who loves Pete more - me or my students. I absolutely LOVE the enthusiasm for learning Pete brings out in each and every one of them. I just finished a Pete craftivity with him wearing his four GROOVY buttons of course. You can get it here for $1.50.
In anticipation of Pete's new book, I'm giving away a copy of my Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons Craftivity, Literacy Centers, and Math Centers to 4 GROOVY followers.
Just leave a comment between now and Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. EST. I'll use the random number generator to choose 4 winners and post the winners Wednesday evening. Don't forget to leave your email so I can contact you if you are a winner.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Popcorn Words Freebie

I'm over at Mrs. Miner's today with a popcorn word strategy and FREEBIE. Popcorn words are such important words for our little ones to know and considering all children learn differently, I think we have to make sure we use a variety of strategies to ensure all of our students learn these words. I hope you'll head over and check it out. Maybe you can use this strategy with a student who struggles learning popcorn words.
Mrs. Miner's Kindergarten Monkey Business

Friday, April 20, 2012

Weekly Roundup and a Freebie

My week has been crazy! I was thinking my little friends at school would be tired this week after being on Spring Break last week but that was NOT the case. They've come back with more energy than ever. We've been busy learning all about butterflies. We use Thinking Maps at our school and they are a great prewriting tool to get little ones writing successfully on their own. Here's one journal entry from our writing the other day.
Prior to writing we made a bubble map and added things to it that we had learned about butterflies. Click here to get a copy. Hope you all have a restful weekend!

Monday, April 16, 2012

Giveaway

Samantha at Ms. Smarty Pants is giving away 3 copies of her "What Does Your Garden Grow?" unit.
Head over and check it out!

Saturday, April 14, 2012

All Good Things Must Come to an End

Where, oh where did my Spring Break go? Isn't it amazing how we look forward to something for so long and then when it gets here, it FLIES by? Oh well. Here's to looking forward to bigger and brighter things--SUMMER BREAK:)
It looks like I've got 2 new class pets when I go back to school on Monday.The Easter Bunny left these rats sugar gliders for my 2 girls. You have to bond with them by carrying them around in a pouch so they get used to you and all and since we will all be back at school next week (plus there's no way the hubbie is going to wear them around at work), they're going to school with me. Looks like we'll be learning about sugar gliders soon!

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Math Journal Freebie

I'm so excited to have so many new followers that I had to make something for you all:) We begin our Butterfly Unit next week so I've had The Very Hungry Caterpillar on my mind. Click here to get a copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar Math Journal.

I'm also having a SPRING BREAK SALE at my TPT store. Everything is 15% off from now until Friday! I just added The Very Hungry Caterpillar: Math Centers.
Find it here.

WOW!

I guess everyone does love Pete the Cat as much as I do! By now everyone should have received their free copy of Pete's Literacy Centers. I did have a few people that I didn't get an email address from on their comment and I had a few sent back to me as message failures. If you still haven't received your Pete the Cat Literacy Centers, email me at thekindergartencenter@hotmail.com or kindergartencenters1@gmail.com and I'll get it to you ASAP. I also wanted to let everyone know that there is another Pete (Freebie) literacy center on my TPT store.


It includes a page for all the Pre-K and K Dolch Sight Words. Just print off the words you'd like to focus on to make a 5th center. You can get it for free here.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Pete the Cat Literacy Centers Giveaway

Do your students love Pete the Cat as much as mine do? I was fortunate to have Mr. Eric, the author, visit our school and share his new book, Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons. The new book comes out the first of May so I knew I wanted to be ready! From now until tomorrow (Tuesday) night at 11:59 pm, I am giving away a copy of my Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons literacy centers to everyone that becomes a new follower of my blog and TPT store. And if you are already one of my blog followers, just follow my TPT store. All you have to do is follow me at these two places and then leave a comment that you are following or send me an email that you are now following. If you leave a comment, don't forget to leave your email address. I will email each of you a copy of Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons literacy centers. Hope you enjoy them!

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Morning Message

Our morning message evolves over the course of the year and is used for teaching a variety of skills at different times throughout the school year. I find that it is such a valuable teaching tool that always keeps my learners engaged. I think changing it up attributes to that and keeps it from becoming redundant. However, when I introduce a new skill through the morning message, I do incorporate it for weeks until I'm sure the skill has been mastered and go back awhile later and use it again for a few more weeks. One of my students' favorite things for us to do in the morning message is write an alliterative sentence using our Top Toad's (our leader for the day) name. In today's message I wrote, "Emery eats Easter eggs." Without fail, these silly sentences result in a chorus of giggles and laughs from all of my little friends. A friend then has to tell me about the sentence. By now they easily recognize that all of the words begin with the same letter and that makes it an example of alliteration.

Another favorite of theirs is our Grammar Chants. We have been focusing on nouns and being able to tell what they name. We sing the Noun Chant and go back and ask if each word is a noun. If it is a noun, they tell what kind - a person, place or thing.

You can get a free copy of the Noun Chant and the other Grammar Chants here.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

A Freebie for You! Hurry!

Just wanted to let you know of an awesome freebie giveaway that one of my fellow blog friends is having. You have to hurry though! It ends at 6 pm Arizona time. Not sure what time that equates to in all the time zones. Sorry! Jennifer at Empowering Little Learners is giving away 1 of her 6 Best Seller Items (you get to choose which one you'd like). You have to be either a follower of my blog or hers (or BOTH!). Head on over and enter your name, email, and choose your freebie! Make sure you let her know that I sent you! Click here to head on over.