Back to School Books!

My baby is starting Kindergarten this year! 😭😭😭 I plan on reading The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn the night before school starts.

School is starting in the forest, but Chester Raccoon does not want to go. To help ease Chester’s fears, Mrs. Raccoon shares a family secret called the Kissing Hand to give him the reassurance of her love any time his world feels a little scary. Since its first publication in 1993, this heartwarming book has become a children’s classic that has touched the lives of millions of children and their parents, especially at times of separation, whether starting school, entering daycare, or going to camp. It is widely used by kindergarten teachers on the first day of school. Stickers at the back will help children and their parents keep their Kissing Hand alive.

On the first day of school, I always read First Day Jitters by Julie Love to my 3rd graders.

Everyone knows that sinking feeling in the pit of the stomach just before diving into a new situation. Sarah Jane Hartwell is scared and doesn’t want to start over at a new school. She doesn’t know anybody, and nobody knows her. It will be awful. She just knows it. With much prodding from Mr. Hartwell, Sarah Jane reluctantly pulls herself together and goes to school. She is quickly befriended by Mrs. Burton, who helps smooth her jittery transition. This charming and familiar story will delight readers with its surprise ending.

Here are some other wonderful books to read before school starts back from summer break. Just click on the book. 🙂

I Love You All Day Long by Fancesca Rusackas is a favorite in our house. The main characters name is Owen!

Owen’s anxious question prompts this heartwarming, comforting tale of how a parent’s love stays with a child whether they are together or apart — all day long.

The Night Before Kindergarten by Natasha Wings.

It’s the first day of school! Join the kids as they prepare for kindergarten, packing school supplies, posing for pictures, and the hardest part of all–saying goodbye to Mom and Dad. But maybe it won’t be so hard once they discover just how much fun kindergarten really is! Colorful illustrations illuminate this uplifting takeoff on the classic Christmas poem.

Pout-Pout Fish Goes to School by Deborah Diesen.

Mr. Fish is nervously awaiting his first day of school, and he frets about not knowing how to write his name, how to draw shapes, and how to do math―until he’s reassured that school is the perfect place to learn how to master all of these new skills, in Pout-Pout Fish Goes to School from Deborah Diesen and Dan Hanna.

Splat the CAt Back to School Splat! By Rob Scotton.

It’s the first day of school and there’s only time for Splat to share one of his summer adventures with the class. Will it be the time he went searching for pirate treasure? Or the time he went swimming with sharks in the ocean? But before the end of the day, Splat knows exactly what to talk about—and it’s the biggest surprise of all!

Back-to-School Rules by Laurie Friedman.

School’s in session! When it comes to surviving school, Percy’s at the head of the class. If you can follow his ten simple rules, making the grade will be a piece of cake (and school will be a lot of fun). But there’s more to school than showing up on time and staying awake in class. If you have any doubts, Percy also shows exactly what not to do.

What’s your favorite back to school books?

School Shopping!

With the new school year right around the corner, I wanted to share my favorite online boutique! Neither of my children enjoy trips to the stores, so I tend to shop online. Sydney So Sweet has some of the cutest outfits! Reasonable prices and free shipping have really taken the usual stress out of back to school shopping!

Use the coupon code REPFF4 for an extra 15% off on your entire order! 💜

Quinn loves dresses!

 

School shopping is done and no tears! It’s a mom win!

Water Balloon Math Wars!

As a reading teacher, I know I have a tendency to neglect math from time to time.  Well the kids were begging to have a water balloon fight, so I decided it would be a perfect time to throw in some math practice.

 

Bunch O Balloons have these awesome instant water balloons. You can have 100 water balloons ready to go in minutes! The time and hassle saved is worth every penny! I wrote some addition equations on the balloons. As they grabbed one to throw, they had to call out the problem and solve it.  With Owen going into 3rd grade, his tub had a few higher level problems.

They had a blast without even realizing I made them work and review over the summer! ha

 

Summer Reading!

Being a 3rd grade public school teacher, I know the importance of early literacy. Every summer, I know I haven’t done a great job of keeping the kids reading.

I decided this year would be different. I challenged the Owen and Quinn to read 100 books this summer. The very first day of summer, made a special trip to the local public library. They each checked out 2 books and we plan on going every Tuesday. Not only did I put incentives in place to keep them focused on the goal, the library has prizes for every 2 hours they read. It even had a play room for children up to 4 years old, Quinn is already begging to go back. The county library has events from magic shows to movies planned throughout the summer as well.

Our school library is also open for the summer. I plan on taking the kids next week to check out some more books.

So, check out your local libraries. I bet they have lots of fun activities planned throughout the summer. Because, well…Libraries Rock!

Bookroo Books

As a third grade teacher, I can not express enough how important it is for children to read at home at least 20 minutes every day! Thank you @bookroo_love for adding a little extra excitement and love for reading with individually wrapped books delivered right to our door! The Best Birthday Present Ever by Ben Mantle and Chicken Lily by Lori Mortensen make amazing additions to our bookshelf. Thank you Mimi for helping set such a wonderful example for her to look up to. I know she’ll follow in your bookworm footsteps. 💜
Use the code PASTPRESENTPURPLE to get $10 off your own #bookroo order!

Brain Break Websites!

As the standardized tests creeps closer I have been adding more independent reading passages into the school day. While I understand that test strategies are not the most interesting thing in the world, it is a necessity. I have found over the last few days that throwing in a brain break about every 45 minutes has really improved my students attention and added some motivation.

 

Our favorite website is GoNoodle! Seriously, it’s awesome and free to sign up! You can’t beat that! It has math and reading practice built into dance moves and songs. I put on the Word Jam vocabulary practice every morning.

 

Another favorite is just finding YouTube videos of Just Dance. We love the Super Mario song!

Next time you see your students starting to zone out give GoNoodle a try! They’ll love it and you can get them engaged again!

Spontaneous Road Trips!

 A few weekends ago we decided to be spontaneous. We loaded up and headed to Hot Springs, Arkansas. Once we got there we did a google search for family activities. We ended up at Garvan Woodland Gardens. It was so beautiful!

They even had activities to engage the kids. The children received bingo cards to look for certain attractions throughout the trails. It had everything from pink flowers to fairies on the card. The kids had a blast trying to get Bingo first! I would highly recommend if you’re ever in the area, stop by and take a walk. I could have spent the whole day there.  

A Farmer’s Life for Us!

Owen’s been begging to start a garden. While browsing through Tractor Supply yesterday I spotted the Miracle-Gro Root Viewer Rainbow Carrot kit.

While we are still planning on planting an outside garden with him, I thought this would be a neat experience.

We had so much fun putting this together this morning!! I mean who doesn’t love dirt?!?! They got the biggest kick out of adding the water to the dirt and watching it grow.

 

Both kiddos had awesome questions about how much water, how long they would take to sprout, & where the perfect spot with enough sunlight would be. I love watching them learn through exploring.
I can’t wait to see if we end up with purple carrots! 💜💜💜💜

Dr Seuss Week!

Dr Seuss Week is one of my favorites! I look forward to it every year. Our librarian does such an awesome job of planning enrichment activities throughout the week. Plus, she turns to whole school into Seussville! Every detail is so well planned out. The students enjoy every moment and hopefully will motivate them to open more books!  This year’s schedule-

Monday: Cat in the Hat Day. Student’s wore their favorite hats and a guest read the Cat in the Hat to every grade level.

Tuesday: Fox in Socks Day. Students wore crazy socks!

Wednesday: One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish Day. Students wore red or blue and a special guest read the book. She did the dancing milk activity and explained how having a fun positive attitude will spread out to everyone you meet. 

Dancing Milk Materials

  • Tray
  • Dish Soap
  • Sponge (for wiping up any mess)
  • Plate
  • Food Coloring
  • Milk
  • Object to Dip into Dish Soap (q-tip)

Directions: Pour a thin layer of milk into the bottom of the tray. Add the drops of food coloring. Dip the q-tip into the dish soap. Last, dip the dish soap q-tip into the the milk and watch the colors spread out and dance!

Thursday: Green Eggs and Ham Day. The cafeteria served green eggs and ham for breakfast. Then, we had a guest come read to every grade level.

Friday:  Hop on Pop Day. Wear pajamas for popcorn and movie during specials rotation.

Next year, I hope we can fit in Oh, the Places You’ll Go and have students dress for what they want to be when they grow up.

Some of our classroom activities:

  • Reader’s Theater.
  • We also wrote an essay explaining who we were, then made ourselves into the Cat in the Hat. http://www.learnandgrowdesigns.com/2012/03/dr-seuss-cat-in-hat-craft-template.html
  • Image result for Lorax quote

We thought about what this Lorax quote meant to each student, then wrote a paragraph explaining how we could show we care a whole awful lot everyday.

We had a blast this week! Thank you to everyone who made this week possible. I can’t wait until next year!

Check back! I’ll add more Dr Seuss activities as I find them!

 

Children’s Books For Valentine’s Day!

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, here are some books to have handy.

 

I Love to Cuddle by Carl Norac (PreK)

When Mommy and Daddy are gone, even for only a little while, Lola feels lonely.  There is nobody around to give her a hug!  Her baby-sitter is no fun, and the cartoons on TV can’t snuggle.  But then Lola comes up with a clever idea: she brings every cuddly thing she has into the living room and makes her very own Cuddle Island!  Now Mommy and Daddy are in for a big surprise!

Mr. Goat’s Valentine by Eve Bunting (Prek-1st)

After reading in the newspaper that it’s Valentine’s Day, Mr. Goat sets out in search of very special gifts for his first love. But just what would a goat choose as the perfect gifts to show how he feels?

Ollie’s Valentine by Olivier Dunrea (Prek-1st)

Ollie is looking. Looking for a valentine. Gossie, Gertie, Peedie, and BooBoo all have valentines, but Ollie wonders who will be his. His search leads him to a special valentine of his very own—a surprise for Ollie and readers!

The Yuckiest, Stinkiest, Best Valentine Ever by Brenda A. Ferber (Prek-2nd)

Leon has a crush. A let-her-cut-in-line-at-the-water-fountain kind of crush. And he’s got the perfect valentine. But this valentine has no intention of getting caught up in any romantic conspiracy. “Love is yucky, kid! Valentine’s Day is all about CANDY!”

Love by Matt de la Pena (Prek-3rd)

In this heartfelt celebration of love, Newbery Medal-winning author Matt de la Peña and bestselling illustrator Loren Long depict the many ways we experience this universal bond, which carries us from the day we are born throughout the years of our childhood and beyond.

Love Monster by Rachel Bright( Prek-3rd)

Love Monster is a slightly hairy monster trying to fit in with the cuddly residents of Cutesville. But as it turns out, it’s hard to fit in with the cute and the fluffy when you’re a googly-eyed monster. And so, Love Monster sets out to find someone who will love him just the way he is. His journey is not easy―he looks high, low, and even middle-ish. But as he soon finds out, in the blink of a googly eye, love can find you when you least expect it.

The Sweetest Valentines by Jane E. Gerier (k-2nd)

A classroom project teaches a little bear named Fred the true meaning and importance of Valentine’s Day.

This Is Not a Valentine by Carter Higgins (k-3rd)

This book is not a valentine. It doesn’t have lacey edges or sugary hearts. But it is full of lucky rocks, secret hiding spots, and gumball machine treasures. This is a book about waiting in line and wishing for cinnamon buns. About recognizing that if you care so much about someone not thinking you care, maybe you really do. But wait—isn’t that exactly what love is about?

The Trouble with Valentine’s by Elaine Moore (2nd-5th)

In an effort to play matchmaker, best friends Lexi and Ann Marie try to find a valentine sweetheart for their teacher, Miss Delaney, but set off a series of funny disasters instead.

Geronimo’s Valentines by Geronimo Stilton (2nd-5th)

Enter the world of Geronimo Stilton, where another funny adventure is always right around the corner. Each book is a fast-paced adventure with lively art and a unique format kids 7-10 will love.

BabyMouse Heartbreaker by Matthew Holm (2nd-5th)

Babymouse loves Valentines Day! A day for pink hearts! Flowers! Candy! School dances and romance . . . sweet romance! WAIT! Romance? Ew! And what’s this about a school dance? Does that mean Babymouse needs a date? Uh-oh! Looks like this Valentine’s Day may turn into a Valentine’s dud! Will Babymouse go to the school dance? Will she get any Valentines? Will she find true love?

Junie B. Jones and The Mushy Gushy Valentine by Barbara Park (2nd-5th)

Hurray! February 14—Valentime’s Day, as June B. calls it—is just around the corner. Junie B. can’t wait to see all the valentimes she’ll get. But she never expected a big, mushy card from a secret admirer! Who is this secret mystery guy, anyway? Junie B. is determined to find out!

213 Valentines by Barbara Cohen (3rd-5th)

Wade has trouble adjusting when he is transferred to a special fourth grade class for the gifted and talented, so he plans to send himself 213 valentines signed by celebrities.

Roses Are Dread, Violets Are Boo: A Vampire Valentine Story by Michelle Poploff (3rd-5th)

Fearing that she won’t receive many cards on Valentine’s Day, Wanda Doomsday decides to invite her Uncle Vex to class to teach her classmates how to make special holiday cookies, but when he is suddenly unable to attend, Wanda has to scramble to make the event a success on her own