Spring Math Centers (and random shots of Wednesday)

Hello all! Goooood evening! What a busy week this has been! I am so excited exhausted! (as well as excited, but more exhausted) 

So, I just uploaded my new Spring Math Centers to my TPT store. YOU can find them here.

I have had a hard time in my first year organizing and implementing center time. Our days are SO different I feel that others. We don't do common core, and we as a district don't implement daily 5. BUT -- I LOVE the concept of Daily 5 and I want to learn more about it. I have finally figured out an organization method to center madness. 

My room is TINY, and shelving is seriously scarce. I have purchased almost all of my own shelves. So before I was using this awkward shape shelf for all of my centers. Wasn't working. 

I have researched a ton of ideas from Kristen Smith over at A Day in First Grade. Her stuff is AMAZING. I find myself constantly stalking her blog.

ANYWAYS - this was what I ended up with my math station looking like: 

It looks super messy right now, forgive me, but the kids put everything back themselves, so I'm not complaining! 

I have the math tub labels, and I play on putting them for my usual freebie on Sundays on my Facebook page.

Here are a few shots from the first day of these math only centers. 

So here, I guess I didn't get a during picture. But this is also a freebie on my Facebook page. You have to be a fan :) 

They roll the dice twice and put the flowers down for the addends, then count them up and write the answer in the sum. Then I have them record the problem on a dry erase board. Looks like the picture below! 

This center is from my friend Keri's TPT store! Love it. You can find it here. 

This is my Bear-y True / False addition game!

This is not included in my Spring centers, but it's available FOR FREE on my Facebook page! :) 

These two kiddos were playing bingos. The cards are in my little chick holder. They loved this. 

The March erasers were their manipulatives to help them count! 

 

This is my skip counting! I love it. They were so excited to work together and then switch to the next person! There are 2s, 5s, and 10s included! 

So not only did we have a TOTAL blast with math centers. We worked on CvC, CCvC, and CvCC words this morning as well as spelling our sight words. This is how we worked on that: 

Then we wrote to our pen pals! My sweet friend Elyse from A is for Apples! You can find her at her Facebook page here. 

WHAT a DAY!!!! So now I'm going to leave you with my THIRD clue for my secret admirer.

Remember if you guess it correctly, you can choose a prize from my store! 

Have a great night y'all! Love you all!!! :) 

Mrs. Thomas

Secret Admirer....

I am so excited to share with you what I am a part of now! :) Amanda, over at The Primary Gal, has set us up with bloggers we've secretly been admiring. Now, I have a TON and being new I know I don't have many people who know me or about me, plus a majority of my information is ALWAYS on my Facebook page! Once again I apologize for that, but Facebook is really so much easier for me. I'm SO busy! 

ANYWAYS --- I want to involve you all in on how much fun this is for me! I will give you clues ALL this week Monday-Friday (Yes I know it's Tuesday, forgive me, we didn't have school yesterday) so I will share with you TWO clues today!! 

Each clue guides you closer and closer to the blogger who I've had my eye on, and would love to be friends with ;) 

If you guess my blogger admirer I even will throw in a product of mine for you from my store! So with that being said, he's my first clue:

Hmmmm.... Pretty tricky. I know SEVERAL who have been nominated for this amazing award.

So now I will give you my second clue: 

Now I know some of you don't know what my puppy looks like, that's why you should head to my instagram --- @mrs_cmt1489

Guess away!!!!!!!!! 

Have a blessed evening! Stay tuned!!!!! 

Mrs. Thomas 

Five for Friday

I am liking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday! I haven't done this before, so I am super excited to finally be able to participate! 

So, today and Monday are considered "school holidays." We are out for a mini "spring break" due to the ever so popular Strawberry Festival, in Poteet America. I heard someone refer to it as the resurrection of Poteet for the weekend. I teach in a town of hardly ANYONE, but let me tell you, they come from all sides of Texas to attend the Strawberry Festival. 

Here's one of my kiddos drawings about the Fest. 

They were SO excited to write about the festival. I should have taken more pictures of their amazing drawings, but the rides were definitely the most popular!

If you're in south Texas come on out this weekend! I'll be there tomorrow working!!! Come say hi! :)

So along with this crazy week, we also talked about weather, quickly. I wish I could have my units lasting a week or even two (it's my plan to work on this summer). Our curriculum gives us a time allotted for each, and I do not like it at all. There are things our kids need and want more time on, for example, weather. They had so so so so much fun!!!!

They were so excited to see how rain really worked. I just love this little girls face in the picture above. 

All I did was fill their cups with water and then squirt the shaving cream on the top. Let it settle, where you see a flat line of water and shaving cream at the top. Then you add in food coloring mixed in with a little water. The water is important to add with it, because if not the food coloring won't go down the shaving cream. Then the color starts to go in the water (see picture 2) and then it will slowly start to float back to the top (evaporation.) Coolest experiment ever. They thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Then we read 

and they had such a good time with this story. 

I have to say, I am SO SO proud of my kiddos and how far their writing has came. It has truly been the most amazing sight to see. 

I created these quick sight word writing pages last week just to get them familiar with using their new words in their language/sentences. They pick 2 or 3 and write with them, then draw a picture. 

Picture 1: This child's handwriting is amazing, and he always surprises me with what he comes and shows me when he's finished. He gets so proud too and makes my heart so happy!!

Picture 2: I just love little 5 year old imaginations. Their pictures tell it all to me. So I always love seeing how they connect their drawings to their words. :)

So this weekend I am participating in The Primary Gal's 

I have included a freebie of my HUGE Plant Unit in this freebie! Go check out my page http://www.facebook.com/mrsthomaskinder

Then you'll download the freebie and click on the arrow above to follow the map! 

There are so many amazing teachers involved that there's something for everyone! Enjoy!

So, I have never done this before, but this is a look at my next week in a quick easy version. :) This is my newsletter I send home to my parents (in hopes it gets seen) 

Next week is crazy again, I am off Monday. Tuesday I TPRI test. So that leaves me 3 days to cover a plethora of ideas I have. Thank goodness the next week is review and end of 5th six weeks! If you have any questions about things I do, email me at miller.cmarie@gmail.com

Have a great weekend everyone!! Thanks for taking the time to read :) 

April Currently

Good morning friends!!! 

My new years resolution of blogging more isn't that great. haha. Sorry! I seriously post all my stuff on my Facebook page, and then I totally forget I have a blog sometimes. Whooooops. But I do make sure to always do Farley's Currentlys I loveeee these for some reason! I think it gives us an insight on each other that you may not get a chance to know otherwise. 

Listening - I get to work EARLY. I keep the lights off and turn on my projector and listen to Michael Buble. It's seriously the most relaxing routine I have gotten in to. Try it :) 

Loving - This weather. It's so nice. I love the flowers. They make my heart happy. I especially love I didn't get home till 7:30 pm last night and it was still super bright outside! 

Thinking - It's been a long night. I left my computer at work and was STRESSING. I do not like that feeling. So needless to say I didn't sleep very well so I've had coffee AND a Dr. Pepper this morning. Hopefully it gives me the kick I need! 

Wanting - I am going to be an emotional wreck at the end of this year. My first class ever, and my first year is almost done. Holy cow!!! I can't believe I have survived ;) I have had the best class, too. It's not going to make saying good bye any easier.

Needing - Okay so my husband works out of town usually Mon-Fri and I have this bad habit of watching these shows before I go to sleep so yeah, not good. I wake up in a panic I'm about to be stabbed 47 times haha. But, really. I usually have to turn on cartoons for about 10 minutes afterwards so I can laugh and then pass out! 

Hors and last day - Now The kids hours are 8:10-3:20, I work a lot. I prepare a lot. It's fine. I also live an hour and 15 minutes from work. My days are LONG. School ends for the kiddos on June 4 and we have Staff Development on June 5 and then HS graduation is June 6. So crazy, it's 2 months away. I think I might cry. Okay I need to get off here. 

I will try and write more. I promise. TRY -- key word.

Have a blessed Tuesday, y'all. 

Mrs. Thomas :)