Monday Made It {June 15}

I'm linking up with Tara at 4th Grade Frolics for Monday Made It! I love browsing through all of the made its each Monday. I get so many great ideas!

My first made it was actually inspired by Tonya from Storybook Endings In Second's made it post from today. I made these post-it holders for two of my coworkers who are moving schools/grade levels for next year.  I'm already thinking I need one for my desk too! I got the clear frames, made the custom background in PowerPoint, and then hot glued the post-it pad to the frame. 

I have a couple of coworkers in my school who are retiring and I am going to miss them dearly! I saw this poem on Pinterest and made some handmade cards for them. It's not a lot, but I wrote them each a kind note on the inside about how special they are and how much I will miss them!

I saw this quote printable from Megan at I Teach, What's Your Superpower the other week and I fell in love. There is a lot of change going on at my school for next year and this fits perfectly. I printed the quote, laminated it, and then added a cute bow sticker and a magnet on the back. I gave one to each of my teammates as a reminder that we can do this, that it will be okay!

My door/entry area needed an intervention - I still had my Easter wreath up. So then came the anchor decoration. The anchor and the wood background came from Michael's. I used painter's tape to make the stripes. All in all it took me about 30 minutes to make this decoration. It looks great outside the front door!

I've been reading the book Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids by Chris Biffle and it's rocking my world. I've been using bits and pieces of Whole Brain Teaching for a couple years and finally got the book last week. I'm learning so much! One thing that I loved is that you teach kids that it's okay to make mistakes. When a classmate says the wrong answer or makes a mistake everyone can say "It's Cool!" and move on. I made this printable to hang on the board as a reminder to us all. Click on the picture to download it for FREE (there are a few more color options available as well). 

Blog Hoppin' Teacher Week - WHO

I'm linking up with Blog Hoppin' for Teacher Week. I'm excited to share tonight about WHO I am.

I'm Julie. I'm 27 years old and I am in my 6th year of teaching.

I have the best family. My parents are now some of my best friends. I have one older brother, an amazing sister-in-law and the world's cutest nephew. His laugh and snuggles are the best!!

If I'm not at school (or at the gym) I'm probably hanging out with friends. I'm such a people person. My friends and I love to have game nights, go out to eat or just chill. 

I am now a workout and exercise fanatic! A year ago I began a journey to become a healthier me and I did a sprint triathlon in May. It was hard work but oh so much fun and extremely rewarding! I now am starting to like running. Most afternoons I can't wait to get to the gym and see my gym buddies! 

I love elephants and anything elephant related!

My faith is a big part of my life! I wouldn't be where I am today without God's love, guidance, and mostly saving grace! Every day I'm growing in Him slowly but surely. :)

And finally, here are 10 things about me. Thanks to Amy Lemons for the template!

I hope you learned something new about me! Go join the fun and link up with the Blog Hoppin' crew so I can get to know you!

2nd Grade Product Swap Blog Hop

Welcome to the second grade product swap and blog hop!  EIGHTEEN wonderful second grade bloggers have joined together to swap and review each other's products.  Best of all, we are giving away all of the products to one lucky winner!  

If you are looking for the start of the hop, head over to see Casey at SecondGrade Math Maniac to start hopping.  As you check out all the fabulous products, make sure to follow each blog on Bloglovin' as well.  There will be a Rafflecopter at the last stop.  This is where you can enter to win all of the products being reviewed!

I had the amazing privilege of swapping with Tracey from The Teacher's Chair. First of all, you need to head on over and check out her blog! It is adorable and chock full of great resources and ideas!

I received Tracey's Measuring Cats and Dogs pack. It is perfect as we are preparing to start measurement soon. I always am looking for ways to make measurement engaging and fun and this hit the spot!

Here are a few things I LOVE about this unit:

1. Tracey not only covers measuring but addition and subtraction. This is great as my kiddos ALWAYS need addition and subtraction practice, especially in the context of problem solving.

2. Key Math vocabulary is used consistently throughout the unit. As the students measure the cats, dogs and other fun items they are challenged to compare the items using comparison words.

3. IT IS ADORABLE! Seriously, this unit is so fun! I know my kiddos are going to have a blast measuring the cats, dogs and accessories. All of the activities are highly engaging!

4. It matches up perfectly with common core. Tracey has aligned the problems and activities to go with 2nd grade common core math standards. 

Head on over to Tracey's store, The Teacher's Chair, to grab this AWESOME unit! You won't be disappointed!

Also, don't forget to keep following the hop so you can enter to win 18 fantastic second grade products!

Click the button below to head over to The Price of Teaching. 

Bright Ideas Blog Hop: Magic Trash

It's time for another Bright Ideas Blog Hop!!! Lots of awesome teacher bloggers are sharing some great ideas!

Do you ever feel like your classroom won't ever be completely clean? If you're like me, there is always a pencil or crayon on the floor, jacket that fell from its hook, or snack trash on the carpet.

All those crafts and activities can create quite the mess!

In comes one of my favorite classroom "games" - Magic Trash! I can't remember how I learned about this game but if I did, I would hug the person who came up with it because it's that great! I tell the kids that I see a few pieces of "magic trash" on the floor. If they pick up the magic trash, they get a prize. I usually give them an "eagle buck", part of our school's reward system.

My kiddos eat this game up. As soon as I say "Hmmm I see some magic trash" they are down on the ground looking for every speck of dirt. I will wait until ALL of the trash is off the floor until I say who found the magic trash and reward them.

Teacher Secret: Sometimes I don't pick the magic trash until the end of the game. I may even just reward the students that I saw cleaning up the most.

By the end of this game you will have ZERO trash on the floor. A nice clean classroom. :) Pure teacher bliss!

For more Bright Ideas hop on over to Teaching Maddeness to see how Amanda organizes her craftivities.

An InLinkz Link-up

Bright Ideas Blog Hop

Hey everyone! Today I'm participating in a super fun blog hop! A bunch of teacher bloggers are sharing their best "bright ideas" for the classroom. Be sure to join in on the fun by following the hop!

My bright idea for this week actually is literally "bright"! :)
You know those tap lights that people put in closets or other places? Well they are also great for classroom use!

My coworker, Megan, uses them at her guided reading groups. When she is meeting with a group, she taps the light "on" to tell other students that she is busy and cannot be interrupted. It's a great visual and really teaches the kids that their time in reading group is very important and sacred.

A while back I started using mine during Daily 5 for Read to Someone. I noticed that some of my kiddos had a hard time Checking for Understanding, a simple comprehension strategy where they retell what they just read. In came the tap lights. Each pair that does Read to Someone during a round of Daily 5 gets a tap light. They place the light on the floor in front of them. One partner reads a page of the book. The other partner then taps the light on and says "I just heard you read" and tells the who and the what. I've had the little check bookmarks that Daily 5 recommends but I've found that the tap lights add an element of fun!

I did some searching during my long snow break this week and found more adorable tap lights at Dollar Tree. How cute are star and heart shaped ones?

Here are a few other ideas I've heard of or thought of using tap lights:

Create A Caring Classroom - Use the heart shaped tap light at morning meeting to allow students to share what's on their heart. A great way to create a positive classroom atmosphere where students feel safe and loved.

Phonemic Awareness - Use multiple tap lights for students to show the sounds in words - tap a light for each sound you hear.

Shining Student - Stick a light to your whiteboard/chalkboard/wall. When you're teaching a lesson and a student has a well thought out answer or goes above and beyond in their thinking, have them tap the light on as a special reward.

Math - Students can practice math facts using flashcards. The partner who is flashing the cards and can see the answer turns the light on each time their partner says the correct answer.

Story Retelling - Have different shaped/colored tap lights represent story elements - character, setting, problem, solution, author's message, etc. When reading aloud to your class ask students to raise their hands when they hear about each story element. That student then gets to go push that light on. We've been studying authors as mentors for our writing lately and doing this with post-its but I think my kiddos would love using our lights!

Do you have any other awesome ideas of how to use tap lights in the classroom? Please, please, please share in the comments! I'd love to hear what ideas you have!

If you are looking for more great ideas, continue on to Horizons & Dreams. Have fun finding more bright ideas for your classroom!

Currently: February

It's February? What?!!! I'm a bit confused since I've been off school for the past 4 days due to snow. Here's my currently for this month:

Listening: I'm currently still relaxing in bed and am enjoying the quiet. :)

Loving: Since I've been off school since Tuesday, I have sincerely enjoyed sleeping in. I can't sleep in much these days - 8:00 is about the latest, but it is nice to wake up and not have to rush to be anywhere. Most mornings I've enjoyed some reading or watching TV.

Thinking: My mom's birthday was this week and we are celebrating tonight. My family has a little surprise for her and I can't wait to give it to her. I'll let you in on it later.

Wanting: Mmmmm pancakes. I've been eating healthier lately and working out tons but a girl's still got to indulge. I found the AMAZING recipe for chocolate chip protein pancakes and I've been making it every Saturday and every snow day so far. I love that it has lots of protein as I've found that it helps be eat better for the rest of the day if I eat protein at breakfast. And chocolate chips? Yum! Here's a link to the recipe from teachers_get_fit on instragram. The only unusual ingredient you need is protein powder. I LOVE Jay Robb's brand - it's super yummy and you can find it in the natural section at Kroger. It should be noted that I usually put in about 1/2 cup of almond milk to make the batter thinner.

Needing: I need to catch up on a few school things to get ready for February. I also want to get my students valentines done early so I'm not stressing last minute. I found cute Valentine's pencils in the Target dollar section and am putting a little tag on them that says "you're just write for me". Simple, easy and involves giving the littles any kind of sugar! Score!

2 Truths and a Fib:

TRUTH - I do hold my scissors upside down. I put my fingers in the thumb hole and thumb in the fingers hole. Why? That's still unknown. When I was little my family lived in Germany and I went to a German speaking preschool. We think that I just picked up scissors like that and the nice German teachers thought it was a funny American thing and never corrected me. Ooops! I'm pretty accurate cutting that way though. I can hold scissors the correct way and do in front of my students but it's much easier my way.

TRUTH - I am doing a sprint triathlon in May. 5 lap swim, 9 mile bike, 2 mile run. Why? I'm still figuring out why I'm doing this but mainly as I get healthier I wanted to set some fitness goals for myself. I figured this was a good way to get started and give me an end goal. It's a women only race and is sponsored by the local YMCA where I work out. I'll do a training program in April with certified race coaches. Right now I'm doing the couch to 5k app on the treadmill to train myself to run and I'm biking on the spin bikes at the gym. I'll add the swimming in soon. 

FIB - I don't have a dog but I sure want one! My current living situation doesn't allow pets but someday I know I'll have a doggie of my own!

Go on over and link up your currently with Farley! Have a great Saturday!

My Truth about Fitness

The lovely Denise from Sunny Days is hosting a fun new linky party every Monday. The series is called My Truth Monday and each Monday will focus on a new topic. This week's topic is fitness.

Fitness and I are slowly becoming better friends. Two years ago I joined the local YMCA and started going to classes and LOVED it. I finally felt like I found a place where I could work out where everyone was so kind and encouraging. Sadly a few months after I joined I was in a bad car accident. It was a setback but in the end I think it's given me a healthier outlook on life. After finishing physical therapy for my neck last fall, I began going back to the gym again. I haven't always been consistent but I'm trying to get motivated and keep going. I recently joined a small group weight loss/training group at the Y and I love it! We work out 2 days a week together with an awesome trainer who pushes us to do our best. I'm excited to continue on this journey to a healthier me!