Getting Ready for February! {freebies}

I have a lot of things planned for this month... especially a month that is a short month! And even more especially since it's my first month back.

BUT...

I may not get to all of it....

Some are only 1-2 days of talking about it

I integrate a lot and do themes in my small group reading

I always over plan. Always.

Better to have too much than not enough??

So here are some of the things I will be using this month. This does not include things that I will be using from other fabulous bloggers, but I will be sure to share as I use them!

One of my must haves/go-tos is my February centers.

Grade 1 {HERE}

Grade 2 {HERE}

  

Grab these bookmarks for FREE {HERE}

     

Need to send  home student names for Valentines? Grab my freebie below!

Get these freebie cards at {THIS} post

And for phonics, we'll be working with long vowel patterns. I will probably be updating these packs as I use them, since I've added some new activities to my newsest phonics packs.

And of course, we always use my Spelling Dictionary - read more about it {HERE}

    

   

You can grab my monthly poetry covers and writing journal covers for free by clicking on the pictures!

Get the Calendar for free {HERE}

Check out my post on my plans for themes for First Grade {HERE}

4

Recipe and Leap Year freebie

Yesterday and today have not been my best days.

I know we all  have our days. 

Yesterday was mine....nothing a good cry can't fix though (remember - still hormonal here, people!)

and today?? 

MONSTER headache. And on the day I can start working out and running again. 

Thank you Universe...

And, I have a question for y'all 

How can I be IN my Google Reader, and get through all the posts so it reads that I have "0" updates...then 

BAM!

129 posts!!! (Dating back all the way to January 28th....)

Something is wrong.

Why is it doing this? Anyone else have this happen to them?

So, I'm sorry if you think I've forgotten about you. I haven't. But apparently, Google Reader has. :(

Ok. Moving on.

I wanted to share with you one of my favorite go-to desserts....for home and to take to parties.

It's my version of a strawberry shortcake...well, my momma's version.

I'm doing this recipe in honor of the Strawberry Festival in Plant City, FL that I always used to go to - it's hike to get over there,  but it's a huge event....

That's my friend and me sitting in the "Strawberry Queen" chair a few years ago..lol! See our YUMMY strawberry shortcakes??

Anyway...here's my dessert:

All you need is 

~a container of strawberries, and cut them all up nice and small...if I was taking this to a party, I'd leave some strawberries and slice them up thinly and lay them on the top for a pretty presentation.

~pound cake (I use Sara Lee from the frozen section) - you could also use Angel Food cake

~Big box of vanilla pudding (prepared as directed)

~cool whip

Mix the cut-up strawberries in the vanilla pudding.

Slice the pound cake (I do thinner slices, but you can make them as thick as you want)

Layer:

pound cake, pudding, pound cake, pudding.....then cool whip!

Voila!

It's best if you let it sit over night to let the pound cake soak in the flavors,

But um.....I never can! lol

Also, I uploaded a math game for Leap Year in my TpT store...I did it yesterday, but since I was having a day, I never got around to letting y'all know.

It's 3-digit place value review.

It's not new - just made it purttier.

It's free :)

Click the pic to go grab it.

I hope to get caught up on my blog stalking tonight...I'm sure I'm missing out on some good stuff.

18

February Holidays and Bloom's Taxonomy Rainbow

February "Holidays"

So, I"m going back to work in just a little over 2 weeks. Right after V-day (It's one of the holiday I actually despise, so I'll let my sub have fun with it! ha!)


I know.


It's bittersweet, really. 


And not the chocolate kind of bittersweet.....


I LOVE my job (and you guys are making me love it even more! It's so great to be "surrounded" by people who love their job, even when you don't! lol).


AND I LOVE being with my little girls - 95% of the time, anyway!! lol!!


But, I'm excited to go back. I'm a creature of routine. And teaching is a big part of who I am. PLUS, I know that my girls are in good hands. Their daddy (the hubs) watches them most of the time, and when he works, I have a FABulous friend who has an in home daycare who watches them.  


The only thing I'm NOT looking forward to when I go back to work?? Well, besides paperwork and RTI and PGPs?? Pumping  in a closet. Sigh....BUT it's for the GOOD of my baby girl, so I WILL do it!


Oh.


And probably my lack of blogging....and worse - blog stalking!! Will I have the time?! Hmmm.....we will see. What will I do without my daily dose of pouring out my life onto here?? Or reading about all y'alls fab ideas!? 




ANYWAY, I thought I'd look into what holidays I can plan around when I go back. Now, I know there's Groundhog Day, and Super Bowl, and Valentine's Day, and President's Day. But I also like to make my thematic-plans around not-so-traditional holidays.....


PLUS, this is a GREAT time for y'all to insert your shameless plugs!!! If you have a TpT product or a post that you can share the link to in the comments section, please do! I would LOVE to check them out! As I'm sure others would too. :)  I wish I could do a linky - but I don't belong to that site thingy...you have like pay for a membership, right??? yeah...don't wanna pay. If I'm wrong, let me know!


Anyway, here are the "holidays" for February. I left out the usual-suspects though.




Feb 4 - Thank a Mailman Day - do some letter writing!
Feb 5 - National Weatherman Day - do some weather map activities 
Feb 7 - Send a card to a friend (works in conjunction with thank a mailman day)
feb 11 - Don't Cry over Spilled Milk Day (idioms!)
Feb 13 - Get a different name day
Feb 15 - National Gumdrop Day
Feb 17 - Random Acts of Kindness Day
Feb 18 - Battery Day (the lightbulb and battery circuit activity?)
Feb 20 - National Cherry Pie Day! yum!!
Feb 26 - National Carnival Day ( I KNOW some of you have some cute activities with      
             this theme!! Care to share the link to them??)
Feb 26 - Fairy Tale Day - and I KNOW I've seen some of ya'lls fairy tale packs - share  
             the link!! I need to plan :)
Feb 28 - Tooth Fairy Day
feb 29 - Leap Year!!


Next.

Bloom's Taxonomy Rainbow

This activity is something I do with my kids everyday after I do my chapter book read aloud. I got this idea from MY intern teacher 10 years ago, and it's something I will do for the rest of my teaching life. The kids love it!

It uses the different levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. 

Copy off the posters on the colors of the rainbow, ROYGBV, in order with the red being the first, which is knowledge and V being evaluation.

I laminated them and put them on the board.

After each day of reading for 10-20 minutes out loud, I pull a stick, which is how I randomly call on someone, that was on the floor listening. They close their eyes and pick ONE skittle – whatever skittle they pick is the color they get a question from (they don’t understand that the levels get more difficult)… If they get the answer right or at least attempt to give a good answer, they get to have one more skittle of their choice. I don’t use M&Ms because I would eat them all! HA!!

Seriously. TWO Skittles and you'd think it was like GOLD to them! lol

You will have to get two different bags of skittles, the regular kind, and a bag that has the blue color, since the regular bag of skittles does not have all the colors of the rainbow.

Hope you find this useful!

Click the pic to download to go to my NEW TpT store to download!!!  :)


Don't forget to leave some lovin' - and I guess you could follow me too, if you really wanted to. :)

Happy Teaching!

23