Pumpkin "I See" Counting Book

Looking for the perfect little pumpkin counting book? Look no further! 

Choose to have your students trace the number... OR

Have them write in the number by themselves.

The books are easy to print off and don't use too much color ink. I made this book because I not only wanted to incorporate counting but the sight words "I" and "See."

Thanks for stopping by!

The Purple Box

Meet fellow TpT'er Stephanie Higgins of The Purple Box! Stephanie recently opened her store and already has loads of elementary teaching resources in both French and English! Check out her free colour charts! I love how simple and easy to read each chart is. Great for new learners!

How cute are those color shoes?? I'm also a big fan of her Visual Schedule Cards. These would have looked awesome when I was in french class way back when!

Though Stephanie is new to TpT she has plans to add back to school teacher packs, seasonal theme packs, curriculum works, clip art and more within the next couple weeks! Her products will be both in French and in English. Be sure to follow her page so you don't miss out! Stephanie is also participating in the teacherspayteachers one day Back to School Sale happening this Wednesday, August 20!! Don't miss it!

Puzzle Storage

I have a couple puzzles that the kids have a difficult time closing properly. They end up jamming it shut and bending the cardboard flaps. So, I decided to use these Target Sterlite containers instead! Easy to open and easy to see what's inside. I also took a picture of the back of the box and taped it to the top so that kids could use it as a reference in putting the puzzle together. Easy peasy!

Before

After

 What storage tricks do you have to share?

What's in My Teaching Bag? Winter Edition

I try to keep it minimal. I'm currently working as a SpEd para professional so I don't need to carry around lesson plans or papers to grade. I carry the same stuff around that I would to the mall or errand that I do to work. Once I get back in the classroom as a teacher I will edit and add to my bag as necessary. Until then, here are the details:

Michael Kors Kempton Nylon Bag in Black

I keep my ID badge and Yes To Grapefruit lip butter in the front pocket for easy access. 

Aerial view.

Inside I have a pair of gloves, my wallet, a mini cosmetic bag, trail mix, Clif bar, tinted lip balm, fruit strips, Kleenex and sunglasses. 

My mini cosmetic bag holds a pen, hand sanitizer, Advil, lip butter, cough drops, Nivea hand cream and a Crystal Essence deodorant wipe. Just in case!

What do you carry in your teaching bag?

A Year Ago Today

Last year on this day...

I just figured out how to delete useless apps like NewsStand, Stocks, Game Center, etc.! All those apps that I don't use and thought I had to keep. Check out this link to see how to do it. It's really as simple as going to a website which allows an X to appear on your apps and clicking on it.

Future reference, once you download a Software update all those apps you deleted will return and you will have to go through the process again. Be prepared and save the website to your phone's home screen.

Anyone else feel accomplished after de-cluttering your iPhone apps? :)

Cyber Monday& Tuesday SALE!!!

What's New in the Life of Miss. Whimsy?

Well, school started a little over two weeks ago and I have been busy adapting to a new schedule. I have taken on the job of Special Education Para Professional and schedules have been changing incessantly! Talk about kids needing structure and routine- I need it too! But with classroom teachers, special educators, and therapists needing scheduling time it will take another week or so to get everyone's schedules in order. I look forward to that day!

Other than that, I have been enjoying getting to know my students though it has been a challenge beginning instruction right away. Is it just me or can't we give young kids a few days to acclimate them back into the routine of school? Why slam them with so much instruction the first week? Change is hard! I think in my ideal world we would be able to take our time teaching students the routines of school and then slowly adding in more academic instruction time. Keyword being: slowly. But, that's just me.

I know that this job will prove to be a great and always needed learning experience for me as I wait for a classroom of my own. However, I can't pretend that I am not still hopeful that something could open up for me as I work. I have been looking in Virginia (I currently live/work in CT) because my sister and boyfriend live in the area. It seems like jobs are scarce there as well though. Or maybe it's because I am applying late in the game?

What are your thoughts? If you were in my shoes would you continue looking elsewhere while you worked as a SpEd Para? Are there other states I should look into? I am open to moving, if only for a classroom home.

Inexpensive Date Ideas

• Stars on the Hood
• Not IN the hood, ON the hood of your car, late at night, maybe with a blanket on top. 
• Poker Night
• Typically a party game, make it interesting by betting chores, favors or dares. One example, loser gives the winner a massage.
• Bake-Off
• Decide on something you both like and make 2 different recipes. Winner gets bragging rights. :) You could also both choose the same recipe but see who could make the recipe healthier but still tasty. 
• Classic Park & Picnic
• Cheese & crackers, wine, mini sandwiches, grapes, chocolate, and baguettes. Yum!

What are some other inexpensive date nights?

Back to School Two-Day Sale!!

Where on earth did the summer go? Nevermind. Time to gear up with a TpT sale. Everything in my store is 20% off starting August 18 and you can get an additional discount by using the promo code: BTS13

Click the banner below to check it out:

Quick DIY: Crystal Light Containers

Anyone ever play the game Kaboom? I use it with prekinders to practice their ABCs but you can use this game with math facts, number sense, etc. I took 26 popsicle sticks and wrote letters A-Z in both upper and lower case on each one. Then I grabbed two more popsicle sticks and wrote Kaboom on each. 

The container I used is an empty Crystal Light Container. I printed a label, laminated it, and done! Easy peasy!

To play: Kids sit in a circle, close their eyes and choose one stick. If they get a letter they would say the letter and if said correctly, they keep it. If they get Kaboom! they have to yell Kaboom and jump up! 

What DIY's have you done recently?

Here's to a Happy New School Year

As the summer progresses one pressing thought has been weighing on my mind: where will I teach?

Looking for a job as a teacher in our current economy has been a frustrating and intensely heart breaking experience. I long to have my own classroom and students that I can call my own for an entire school year. I long to build relationships with my students and co-workers. I desire a permanent home so that my students, past and present, can always find me. With all my hopes and dreams, teaching has always been my number one.

I pray that my challenges in the past will soon be rewarded. I pray that I can finally educate, inspire, and love a classroom full of students from this coming school year and every subsequent school year.

Best wishes for all my fellow educators. And may good things come to those who have waited..and waited...and waited.

First Day of Summer School!

With a boy-dominated rising-kindergarten literacy class I am happy to say that I made it alive! I've got a rambunctious group this year but I have a balance of outgoing and introverted personalities so I think I'll be OK.

I always try to be extra cautious and structured on the first day of summer school. I realize that the first impression, activity, smile, ect. make a BIG deal with little ones. I also wanted to make sure that I took what I learned from last year (since I'm teaching the same class) and improve. Here's what I changed:

• Quick 5 minute group bathroom break before recess. (last year I had them go with a buddy. Keep in mind we are located in a large high school due to space availability in the elementary schools). If they have to go, great. If not, they know when the time is available to them and they ALL learn where the bathroom is since we go at the same time, same location, everyday!
• Morning GAME during circle time. We play this game called Alphabet Mix-Up with these circle ABC mats I purchased at Lakeshore last year. They and especially I like this game because it gives them an opportunity move around while learning their letters and sounds. Win-Win! I have other games planned  to mix things up later in the summer too.
• The room changed quite a bit from last year though I am in the same classroom. For one, I borrowed a couch from the staff lounge and used it as a reading nook. The kids adored it last summer. I was unable to use it this year (partly because it wasn't in its usual spot) but I borrowed some small circular tables to place books on and use around a small rug. I think it gives the room a more homey feel despite the age of the rug! I miss the couch but for now having cute tables will have to do. 

A current concern? I have a a boy who is very negative and disrupts the dynamic of the class. He will call out  this is boringgggg (even when certain kids are clearly enjoying themselves) or proclaim that he is better then everyone else because he is older. He is the middle of three boys and I understand his need for positive attention (which I try to give as much as possible!). Any other suggestions? A book recommendation would be great. :)

Ending the School Year

Only 3 weeks left of school! I can't believe it. I am so excited to start summer school but I will definitely miss the students I work with now. Field day was on Friday and was a big success. I was worried about the 90 degree heat and the kids (and also my skin) but everything worked out well (except for a little sunburn on my chest and arms). I loved playing cheerleader on the sidelines and helping kids who didn't understand the rules of each station. I was especially proud of my student who has autism who was afraid of going down the water slide and ended up going down twice! All by himself! Apparently, last year he would not go down without his aide but with a little nudge he did fabulous.

What's next? I have been thinking about my summer school plans. I absolutely can't wait to set up my classroom. I already purchased some supplies and have last year's materials corralled into an area of my hallway ready to be moved to my classroom. I have also been busting my butt trying to find a job for the fall. Eek! Wish me luck! I can only hope that something comes up and soon. I really don't know how long I can play the waiting game.

What's on your agenda this summer?

Life as a New Kids Yoga Teacher

I started teaching family yoga classes in January of this year. I am really enjoying it and feel like I am putting my kids yoga teacher training and elementary school teaching to good use! I like teaching with families because it is a great bonding experience for parents and their kids. I also like that I can teach more because I   have parents to help out with partner poses or to just give extra 1-1 attention to the kids.

Something I am having trouble with is parents being overly critical and overly teaching their kids. I have 4 years olds with parents who go through point by point how specific and perfect the poses need to be! Lose-lose situation, buddy! They are kids! They don't need to be perfect, it's even better that the poses are a little silly every now and then.

This also bothers me because I think the benefits of yoga are being lessened by all of the parents critquing their children! Needless to say, I have been wanting to preface the class with a few quick words or a story about how yoga is a practice and not a perfect. How would you address this issue?

One of my seriously positive moments happened recently when I had a 7 year old along with her mother who suffer from scoliosis. I was really excited because I have it too! And the 3 of us have or have had to wear a back brace. I have alleviated so much back pain from simply attending yoga classes that I am excited to share the journey with this mother-daughter. I can't wait to see how yoga shapes their lives for the better. :)

TWO-DAY TeacherspayTeachers SALE! 5/7 & 5/8

Jump on the band wagon this Tuesday and Wednesday and enjoy up to 28% off TpT goodies! Everything in my store will be 20% and you  may also use the promo code TAD13 to get an additional discount in honor of Teacher Appreciation week. :)

Some of my favorites:

Also check out my new SPRING color by letters!

Where the Heck is My Job?

When I chose was forced to become an adult I had this idea in my head that upon graduation I would fall into a beautiful serious relationship, start teaching kindergarten (or 1^st grade, I’m not picky) and then, when we were both financially stable and madly in love, get engaged and start planning our wedding. Fast forward 3 years and I’m struggling to pay off my car loan, living at home, buried in job apps, on an anti-depressant and struggling to find my identity in this world. Eh.

I’ve counted my blessings, I am lucky to have supportive parents who will let me live with them and yada yada yada. But, don’t I get at least something that is supposed to happen in my 20’s? Ok the economy sucks I can’t have my dream job- give me a great guy. Or give me a great income. I’m not that choosy. Gimme something!

I didn’t think that becoming a teacher would be this difficult. I got a good education, lots of experience working and volunteering with kids, great reviews from my co-workers and supervisors…I just always thought that getting a teaching job would be easier than say being a doctor despite the economy. Or a lawyer or some other job that ends up paying a lot. My field is helping children! Our future! Don’t you want to invest in a talented and stunning teacher??? I’m right here! My hand is raised! Pick me! 

I would love to hear your story. What was the life you imagined after college? How different and unexpected is it now? Where the heck is my happily ever after? And where the heck is my job?

Kids Yoga Goodie Bags

Goodie Bag Contents:

• Small Playdough - Stress Relief
• Bubbles - Breath Work
• Tattoos - Fun!
• Heart Stickers - Compassion

The stickers on the front of the bag were found on Amazon. I also included my business card. What other yoga-themed goodies would you include?

What's in My Teaching Bag?

I love to find out what everyone is carrying whether it is their teaching bag, yoga bag, or purse! I try to keep my teaching bag neat and minimal because I am prone to back pain if I don't. My teal purse is from DSW which was originally around $70, marked down to $40 and with a $10 off coupon made it $30. :)

DSW Kelly & Katie Bag

Keys clipped by Carabiner for easy access.

Here are my essentials:

• Yes to Carrots Lip Butter
• Tissues 
• Advil
• Car keys (on a Caribiner for easy retrieval) 
• Oil Blotting Sheets
• Wallet
• Granola Bars & Crystal Light packets in a zip lock bag
• Pen
• iPhone (not shown)
• White Folder for work papers
• Sunglasses 

I try to store everything vertically in my bag for easy access. I also carry an Aladdin cup for water as well as a green lunch bag. What are your teaching bag essentials? 

25 Things I've Learned in 25 Years

Inspired by this post. I present 25 things I have learned in almost 25 years.

1. Life is a lot more complicated as we get older. 
2. Relationships become more complex with age. 
3. Planning never goes as planned. 
4. I love chocolate. 
5. Yoga is good for the body and even better for the mind. 
6. I love to teach. It doesn't matter what it is I am just happy to share what I know and have learned. 
7. I love being a student. I love to learn and don't want to stop. 
8. Poetry is beautiful. 
9. Love can be complicated but it doesn't have to be. Try to simplify it. 
10. I don't know anything. 
11. Sometimes I think I know everything. 
12. I desperately want to be a mother and can't wait until I am one. 
13. Life is tough. 
14. I hate money. 
15. I want more money. 
16. Hold on to good friendships. 
17. Don't be afraid to cultivate new friendships. You can never have enough. 
18. People are naturally good. Society destroys them. Try to build them back up. 
19. Be good to people. All people. 
20. Accept compliments. 
21. Smile. As much as you can.
22. Be thankful for everything. 
23. Happiness is the most important thing. 
24. Listen to music daily. You'll be glad you did. 
25. Despite the challenges in my past and the difficulty of patience I still genuinely believe that good things come to those who wait...and wait. 

Wishing you all good things! What have you learned this year?