Back to Reality!

OK OK - time to face the facts.  My beautiful northern Michigan summer is slipping away.  With all the back to school supplies in stores I can't even pick up disgusting sugary cereal and smore fixings for my camping trip without lamenting that my summer is ending help but feel that excited twinge of a new school year and a new beginning.  Yes I have worked a lot this summer...finished my Master's degree (WOO HOO!), done some extra work for the state Department of Education, and worked out a plan for my guided math groups...but I've also spent time on the beach, cleaned my house, sang and screamed my head off for took three girls to see One Direction in Chicago, and enjoyed many many afternoon naps quality downtime with my children.  However, this all adds up to one sorely neglected teaching blog.

Here are some quick pics of my summer beachy days (thanks Louise):

Summer Slacker?  Who not me!

The great thing about a teaching blog is that your followers usually don't give up on that summer slacker "un-follow" you and I know you'll all be here for me.  Yes I had big plans for my blog and TPT this summer - after all, when during the school year do I have this much unscheduled time?  But you know, the old saying "If you want something done, ask a busy person" is true and I'm much busier during the school year.

So I'm hoping that many of you are like me...and in the summer you don't especially want to think about school or read about an over-achiever who has no life a teacher who is probably making millions in TPT sales dedicated teacher who already has her lesson plans for the year done and classroom set up by early July...but now that it's August you are starting to get the bug to eat, breathe, and live teaching!  At least that's MY justification for being a summer slacker!

Back-to-School Beaver Fever

So join me in my Back-to-School (Eager) Beaver Fever and let's get this party started oops, that sounds like a summer slacker talking get ready for a great school year together!

Here's what I've been working on during the past few days:

• set up my classroom tables
• created a Butterfly Life Cycle Unit for my Fall monarch butterfly hatching

• worked on my OWL Book (Organized While Learning) labels
• purchased some totally unneeded super cute new bins for my library
• created Volume 2 of my Common Core Choice Books for Independent Writing (AKA Daily 5 Work on Writing)

BTW...There's a FREEBIE in the preview:  3 different farm-related books.  And Volume 1 has a FREEBIE in the preview too:  3 different apple-related books:

And here's some of my to do list for next week:

• blog post, blog post, blog post
• change bulletin board paper in my classroom (I'm TERRIBLE at this)
• laminate, laminate, laminate
• assemble OWL Books
• copy, copy, copy
• decorate my classroom...this e-card says it all:

I think it's a manageable list.  Photos of my classroom to come!  What's on your to do list?

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Thanks for reading and please consider following my blog, TPT store and/or facebook page! - See more at: http://firstgradefriendzee.blogspot.com/#sthash.cuGR8mt4.dpuf

Thanks for reading and please consider following my blog, TPT store and/or facebook page! - See more at: http://firstgradefriendzee.blogspot.com/#sthash.cuGR8mt4.dpuf

Thanks for reading and please consider following my blog, TPT store and/or facebook page! - See more at: http://firstgradefriendzee.blogspot.com/#sthash.cuGR8mt4.dpuf

Thanks for reading and please consider following my blog, TPT store and/or facebook page! - See more at: http://firstgradefriendzee.blogspot.com/#sthash.cuGR8mt4.dpuf

Thanks for reading and please consider following my blog, TPT store and/or facebook page! - See more at: http://firstgradefriendzee.blogspot.com/#sthash.cuGR8mt4.dpuf

Thanks for reading and please consider following my blog, TPT store and/or facebook page! - See more at: http://firstgradefriendzee.blogspot.com/#sthash.cuGR8mt4.dpuf

EGG-citing news!

Big news!  It's only day 20 but I stopped by school today just in case, and look who I met!  Our first chick is still wet and worn out and if you look closely another is one it's way!

It's going to be an EGG-citing week in first grade!

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Spring Chicks!

I know the calendar says April but here in northern Michigan we're enjoying the only benefit of an OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S STILL SNOWING LET'S MOVE TO FLORIDA STOP SNOWING ALREADY STORM early spring snow/ice storm - a Snow Day!  But the winter weather hasn't stopped me from getting excited to embark on a sad lesson in the circle of life successful spring chick hatching in my classroom!  My friend Patti, who raises more animals than you can imagine with her daughters for 4H, just stopped by with her egg incubator and the fertilized eggs have been delivered to school so I should be all set.  But then I remembered our failure to hatch any live chicks from our eggs last year and thought I'd better get more prepared.

Hatching Chicks Survival Guide

I wanted an easy way to keep track of how many times I turned my eggs and the temperature guidelines for my incubator so I thought I'd make a simple chart I could post in my room.  But one thing led to another, and two hours later I had my Hatching Chicks Mini-Unit! I will definitely be using these posters and printables during the next few weeks, and maybe you can use them too!

Mini-Unit Includes:

• incubator recording poster (color and b & w)
• chicken life cycle poster
• chicken life cycle writing prompts with lines and without (color and b & w)
• A Hen Lays An Egg original song
• 6 page student booklet to read and color
• egg hatching paper chain countdown links with daily chick/embryo stage of development

Thanks for reading and please consider following our blog, TPT store and/or facebook page!