Backpack Friend For Merry Christmas big Hungry Bear©

Our Thanksgiving mini feast was canceled this year, our school was off due to a power failure.  I know the kiddos were disappointed.  I was able to reschedule our guest speaker from the historical village to come on Dec. 9th.  She has been coming to my classroom for 13 years to teach about long ago and today.  She dresses the part and brings items for the kids to touch (which they always love).  I will post pictures of that later.  When we go back on Monday we will begin December centers and holidays around the world.  I will share pictures of those later too.  We will also be doing many assessments becausse the end of our first semester is right before winter break.  Luckily my daughter is still here for an extended Thanksgiving holiday and is coming in Monday to help check letters, sounds and sight words.

Monday and Tuesday is the TPT Sitewide SALE if you have items on your wish list.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kindergarten-Couture
Don't forget to use the promo code at checkout.

Here is a picture and a link to my new backpack friend for December.

Some other December products you may be interested in:

Christmas Add or Subtract -FREEBIE

Roll and Color/Cover Shapes for Dec and January

Roll and Color/Roll and Cover Christmas Theme

Read, Write, Count, Stamp, -Santa

I Spy Tiny Sight Words -Christmas Theme

SMARTBoard Holiday Counting

Hanukkah Write The Room 

Libester Award

Thank you to Michaela from K's Classroom Kreations for the Libester Award Nomination.  This nomination is for bloggers with less than 200 followers to get to know and connect with other new bloggers.  To do this you must answer 11 questions that help everyone get to know you better. Then, find 11 other new bloggers to nominate.  
  Now to answer the 11 questions....

1. Why and how long ago did you start blogging?
I have been learning a lot of new things related to technology and wanted to give blogging a try as well. I learned how to use a SMART board about a year and a half ago, started my TPT store in February and recently learned how to create some SMARTboard lessons.  I started my blog mid Oct. of this year and I have a whole lot to learn about blogging.  

2. What one word sums up the heart of your blog and why?
Sharing ideas.  I get a lot of ideas from reading blogs and I can share ideas with others as well. 

3. Is there something you learned late in your blog journey you wished you knew before?   I am very new to blogging so I am afraid I don't have any advice.  I don't know how to do bloghops and giveaways and I am not that far ahead of the ballgame right now.  It seems to take me so long to do anything, because I am learning as I go, but I will get there. 

4. What is your favorite past time other than blogging?
I love to go shopping!  

6. What category of blog posts do you enjoy the most?  
Primary education and what others are doing in the classroom.  I like to see pictures of what primary classrooms are doing and descriptions of how it worked. 

7. Where does your blog inspiration come from? What I am doing in my classroom at the time. I just wish I had more time during the day in class to do everything that I want to do.  I teach half day kg 2 1/2 hours a day with specials taking up some of the time.  

8. Which post that you've written are you most proud of?  I have only posted 7 times.  I am proud of them all, because I have learned how to do something new while doing them, including this one.  (ie:  grabbing a button)

9. Is there any post you have been planning to do, but have postponing it for a while now?   Not yet.  I am sure there are some holiday post to come soon.  

10. What is your favorite aspect of blogging? Sharing ideas with others.   I hope people reading can get some ideas when they read my blog. 

11. Which recipe, project, or idea on my blog would you be most likely to try yourself? 
I want to learn how to participate in blog hops someday.  

Now, here are my nominees: 

Welcome To The Computer Lab
Tickled Pink In Primary

Sweet Room 16

A Day In First Grade

First Grade Stampede

Classroom Capers
Primary World
Winging It In Fourth
Ladybug's Lounge
Mrs. Dailey's Classroom
Enchanted Kindergarten
+ 1 more  Lessons With Coffee

To those who have been nominated, here are the "official" rules for accepting:
1. In your post, link back to the blogger who nominated you as a thank you and "shout out."
2. Answer the 11 questions given to you (the ones I answered above).
3. Nominate 11 blogs of your choice that each have less than 200 followers. Provide them with 11 questions to answer or have them answer the questions above.
4. Let your nominees know that they've been nominated and provide them with a link to your post so that they can accept.
5. Send your nominator a link to your post so that s/he can learn more about you as well!         (You can just put your post link in the comments below!)

I decided to add one more component to my nomination.  I figured out how to grab a button by watching you tube and I will also add their buttons to my sidebar so it will make it easier for others to find them in the future.  
If you don't already know how to grab a button.  You will need to copy the script under the persons button that you want to grab.  Go into your page layout and click on, add a gaget.  Go down to HTML Java and paste it.  Then click save.  (You may want to add a title first like More Blogs To Follow) You can then drag the gaget to where you want it to be located on your page and save again.  I hope this helps you to be able to grab buttons. 

November 16th

Look at what I found today at Pat Catans.  It is a craft store along the lines of Michaels.
These will go perfect with my read, write, count and stamp centers in December.
Much cheaper than buying stickers.
It may be a different holiday picture, but the fun part for them will be choosing which one to use.

I See Santa -Read, Write, Count, and Stamp

I See Bells -Read, Write, Count and Stamp.  

Check out this web site that someone found in our building last week.  

http://uniteforliteracy.com/  It has short stories that can be read to the students in many languages!

October Centers

Here are some centers that we did last week.

Alphabet Candy land cards.  Students choose a card, say the letter, then say the sound.

If other players agree, they can move to the color on the card. 

Alphabet Candy land Cards

This is a recording sheet from Thanksgiving Count the Room.

Roll and Color Addition Game -freebie

I See Pumpkins -A read, write, count and stamp book.
We used stickers in place of stamps.