Terrific Tuesday Linkies with Spiders in My Hair!

I have found quite a few fabulous linkies for Tuesday and am super excited about ALL of them. So without further delay, let's get started!!!

Tasty Treat Tuesday with Mr. Greg @ Smedley's Smorgsboard of Kindergarten

We all love tasty treats, right? Well I have a super easy and super yummy one for you!!!!

Dairy Free Fruit Smoothie

1 cup Coconut Milk (you can use any type of milk you like but I like the sweetness the coconut adds.)
2 cups frozen fruit - any kind, any mix
2 packets of Truvia (or any kind/amount of sweetener you like)
Blend until smooth!!!

What is your favorite treat? Leave a comment and link up with Smedley's Smorgsboard to share!

Book Talk Tuesday with Deanna Jump @ Mrs. Jump's Class

Now on to my FAVORITE topic, BOOKS!!!! have you been following along with Mrs. Jump's class? I just completed an Amazon order for all the fabulous books I have discovered thanks to all of all the fabulous teachers that have linked up!

Lets talk about the Spiders in my hair! I have been trying to narrow down which book to share with you and let me tell you, it is hard. Inspiration struck the other night when I was brushing out my hair. My hair had been in a messy bun on top of my head all and and was full of knots. Those painful stubborn buggers reminded me of my favorite local author, Sheila Booth-Alberstadt, and her lovable character, Maggie McNair!!!!

In  Sheila Booth-Alberstadt's first book, Maggie McNair refuses to brush her hair and so in move the spiders and hilarity ensues!! What is so great about the Maggie books is that they are written based on  Sheila Booth-Alberstadt's own struggles with her little girl not wanting to brush her hair!
This book is amazing and will delight you and your kiddos! 

Above pictures from SBA Books

My kids and I are so lucky that Sheila Booth-Alberstadt is a local author and LOVE when she comes to school to read her books. Not only is she a brilliant author, she is an amazing woman! She started SBA Books for authors to have a publishing platform for books that focus on helping children and teens deal with daily life and more. I strongly recommend that you check her and her books out!

Click books below to get more info from Amazon!

I am still reading my last Jinx Schwartz book but have also started re-reading PBL in the Elementary Grades. If you are interested in implementing project based learning in your class, this book is a must read. I have read it once while going through my county's Digital Leadership Academy but next year our school is starting collaborative planning and we will be teaching project based lessons. This is a big change for us!! (Prayers appreciated, we are a group of 9 strong and amazing teachers!)

(Click book to check it out on Amazon - sorry it is so fuzzy??!!)

Do you have a favorite local author? Are you reading a great book right now? Share in the comments and then head over to Mrs. Jump's Class to learn about more great books and share yours!

July Currently

It is the first of the month and time to link up with Farley at Oh Boy Fourth Grade!

Two for Tuesday with The Teaching Tribune

This is my first Tuesday linking up with The Teaching Tribune for Two for Tuesday. Today I am sharing two of my "FROG-tastic" Teachers Pay Teachers products for 50% off.

First up is my new "Where Are We" cards that I featured on yesterdays post {here}.

Click on the picture to take you to my store!

Next is my updated Frog themed Space Writing Unit. Writing graphic organizers and class rubric based on the book The Common Core Writing Book, K-5. (Five for Friday post {here} about our Space Unit.)

Click on the picture to take you to my store!

Starting Five For Friday (a day late)

This week has been crazy busy - just like the other three weeks!! I am linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for my very first Five for Friday (a day late)!

1.

AMSTI Science

 I am loving AMSTI Science and so are the kids. So far we have learned about three different types of clouds while making them with shaving cream. We have discussed what the weather is like in Daphne right now and graphed if we like hot, cold, or warm weather best. We have begun learning about the water cycle by making puddles in pie plates. The kids were astonished when all that was left was a blue stain 3 days later. The kids and I both are learning a lot!!! I am now working with a wonderful teacher from AMSTI to incorporate Talk Moves into my science lesson. (More info coming soon! Talk Moves mini posters here.)

2.

Rockin' in Our School Shoes / Digital Renaissance

 We LOVE Pete the Cat and we are in the process of finalizing our very own Rockin' In Our School Shoes video. We are using Garage Band and iMovie to put together our own version of our favorite cat's book! It has been a slow process. I am still learning how to really edit music and video in both Garage Band and iMovie while letting the kids help as much as possible. We also found out that making projects like this is about to get a whole lot easier. Our school board voted to extend the county's Digital Renaissance, which has previously put MacBook Air laptops in the hands of student 8th-12th grade, to K-6th grade as well. All K-2 students will be receive iPads to use in class while all 3rd-6th grade students will receive MacBook Air laptops. How awesome is that! So, if any of you have any great lessons you teach using iPads, PLEASE feel free to post!

3. 

Gluten Free/Dairy Free Soy Protein Shake

 First, please, do not judge my messy desk! My teacher neighbor introduced me to these FABULOUS coffee flavored protein shakes. I have recently learned I am allergic to dairy and very sensitive to gluten. I have felt a little down over how hard it is to eat anything other than meat and fresh fruit & veggies. Don't get me wrong, I love those things but finding filling breakfast foods I can eat on the go has been hard (I can't eat eggs either). These shakes are now my new addictions and are really filling. I usually drink mine around 7:00 and I am just getting hungry at 11:45 when we go to lunch.

4.

piZap - Free Online Photo Editing

I have been using Instagram and the many different apps associated with Instagram to make collages and edit pictures I take on my phone. However, tonight when I wanted to make some collages using pictures already on my computer, I realized that my Instaframes app was not going to do me much good. I did a quick google search and tried the first site that showed up. piZap is a free online photo editing tool that is so easy to use. I am not an expert in photo editing so someone more picture savvy might feel differently. In my oppion this site (and app!!) is a lot of fun. I think it might even be easy enough for my kiddos to use. The picture of my beautiful puppies above is a little on the obnoxious side but I just wanted to show some of the different features of the site. The other collages in this post are also from piZap.com as well. You can make collages, edit filters, add text, backgrounds, and stickers all for free. You can save your creations or post them to the site (I think) or to Facebook and Twitter. I did not spend a lot of time of the site - I was watching a very tense football game (we won by 4) and just played with the parts I needed for this post. I will definitely use it again!!!!

5.

Scrappin Doodles!!

I have an unhealthy addiction to all things Frogs! I discovered Scrappin Doodles this summer when I decided to redo my room decorations/arrangement from the past 8 years. I have learned how to use PowerPoint to make really cute numbers, letters, calendar sets, and more for my room. It has become an obsession.  Thanks to the TOAD-aly cute Froggy series at Scrappin Doodles I can no longer use just any kind of sign in my room. NO! I have to make them myself so I can add frogs to it. I am now working on making Daily Five signs. (Update: Here is a link to my Daily 5 signs!)

Thank you for stopping by for my Five for Friday!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Melissa

Catching up with Teacher Week '13 Teacher Tips!

Teacher Tips!

I cannot believe I have caught up with the Teacher Week posts AND school starts tomorrow. It feels like summer just started and now we are back to work. Here are a few tips that have helped me over the past 10 years.

1. SMILE! It's hard to get too upset if you have a smile on your face. The more you smile, the more the people around you smile.

2. Fake it ~ well sort of! If something doesn't go the way you planned, keep going. No one will know but you!

3. Make notes! What works & what doesn't. Did something work really well? Write down in as much detail as possible what you told the kids. I like to make notes on my lessons plan page. That way I can add or take away from my plans the next year.

4. Be a life long learner! Learn new things for you and your kids. This year I am starting this blog and trying Remind 101. I also complete AMSTI training and will be teaching Math and Science in a new way.

5. Embrace change! We cannot teach our children the way we were taught. The job choices of the future are not the same as the job choices we had. In our school system we are implementing Digital Renaissance ~ computers and devices for all students. The city of Daphne is partnering up with the five Daphne School and SEEDS (Supporting Education Enrichment in Daphne Schools) to create a plan for Growing SEEDS: A New Vision for Every Daphne Graduate -- Learn more! http://conta.cc/114IeZn.

I hope we all have a great year! Share some of your tips for a great year in the comments section!!