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THREE Stores to Choose From!
I now have three stores open that sell teacher resources and products. Check them out! TPT — https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Life-With-5-Boys Made By Teachers — https://www.madebyteachers.com/seller/life-with-5-boys/ Classful — https://classful.com/lifewith5boys/
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It’s Almost Thanksgiving?!
I woke up today realizing that Halloween was two weeks ago, and Thanksgiving is in just over a week! I’m not sure where the time is going, but we’re having lots of fun along the way. The boys had another great Halloween. They grew up always going to a pumpkin patch to pick out their perfect pumpkins. This year was quite different because they grew their own. They enjoyed watching them grow over the last few months. We took out the dead corn stalks from our garden to create a fun display in our front yard. We even got a little snow before Halloween! Speaking of our garden, I really miss it. This was the first time we’ve ever had a large garden, and I can’t wait to plant those rows again in the spring. Do you want more ideas for fun crafts with your child’s handprint? I decided to share just a couple of our Thanksgiving decorations. Our older four boys had the best daycare provider. She’s responsible for the amazing turkey handprint on the tin pan. I don’t know how she did it, but I really love them. We only have one turkey hand on a hot pad.…
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Happy FALL!
Fall is in the air. I love living where we have four seasons because you really do notice a difference when fall arrives. This is the first year we’re decorating for Halloween in this house, and I love it! Do you like to do fun crafts with your kids for the holidays? I always have loved any craft that involves my children’s handprints. Someone told me about the handprint bats and footprint ghosts years ago. I did it in 2010 when Jonathan was 7, Jeremy 4, Justin 1, and Joey 2 months. I then did it for Jacob when he was 7 months. It’s a fun and easy craft that we love to put up as a decoration! Have your children made cute art projects dedicated to fall and Halloween? We love to put them up on their bedroom doors as extra decorations. I LOVE to read, and I’ve tried hard to pass that down to my boys. We have hundreds of books in our house, and when we were first married I decided I wanted a Christmas tree dedicated to reading. We have a small tree with several baskets of books surrounding it. We then read Christmas books throughout…
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Reading in the Classroom
When it comes to reading with your students, which do you prefer: the literature anthology that your district purchases or literature novels? There’s nothing quite like delving into a fantastic novel with my students. There are so many activities to do. My students are always more engaged with a novel than with their reading book. There are some great stories from different genres in the reading books, but I feel like nothing beats investing a few weeks of class time on one story. Students really get to see character development, focus on multiply settings and their impact on the story, and closely examine the problem & solution. I also love seeing their reactions to the story ending. When we read Charlotte’s Web, there are usually several tears shed throughout the room. In contrast, when we read Stuart Little my students usually flip to the next page, wanting to know more of Stuart’s journey — Will he find Margalo? Will he ever see his family again? I’ve taught 3rd, 5th, and 6th grades, and each grade level has some fascinating books that are great to get your students engaged in reading. Books I’ve read with my students: Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little,…
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Sentence Practice: Year Long Spiral Review
This resource is a year long spiral review practice for writing sentences. It will help your students write better sentences. Students practice how to restate the question, proofread, expand sentences, and write the question when the answer is given. These activities span over 36 weeks. ~Each week includes the following : *RESTATE THE QUESTION – Students are given a question. They must answer in a complete sentence and restate the question in their answer. *PROOFREADING – Students practice using proofreading marks to find mistakes in the sentence. They then write the sentence correctly. (Proofreading Resource Page for students is included!!) *WHAT IS THE QUESTION? – An answer is given. Students need to write the question. *EXPAND YOUR SENTENCES – Students practice expanding sentences to be more clear and descriptive in their writing. Fun Challenges for each week! ~Each week, one of these is featured in a challenge section (12 total for each!). This section is perfect for students who finish early and need an extra challenge. Your slower students may get to some of it, but if it isn’t finished, that’s alright. *MAKING WORDS – Students are given a positive phrase. They have to find words (2 letters or more)…
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Back to School Memory Book!
The first week of school is always so daunting, for both students and teachers. This beginning of the year memory book will help students ease back into the routine. It will also make a great keepsake for them to look back on. The pages include — Cover Page, My School, All About My First Day, All About Me, More About Me, My Teacher, My Goals, My Favorite Subjects/What I’m Looking Forward To, My Summer, Meet New Friends, Our Classroom Rules, and Our Class Birthdays. Great for elementary age students. Happy Back to School! 🙂 https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Back-to-School-Memory-Book-8118717
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Substitute Checklist for Teachers!
I first started substitute teaching in 2000. I got my own classroom in 2001, I always tried to make sure my room was set up easily for a substitute, since I had some interesting experiences myself. After almost 20 years as a teacher, I’m back to subbing. The world of teaching has changed a lot in two decades, and I’m seeing a lot as a substitute. I’ve put together this checklist for teachers. Its purpose it to make sure a teacher’s classroom is prepared for a substitute. The more prepared the teacher is, the smoother the day goes. This benefits not only the substitute, but the students as well! Check it out: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Substitute-Checklist-for-Teachers-8167554
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Santa Clarita-Opoly!
We have so many versions of Monopoly. When the boys were little, we always played without the houses and hotels, just so they could learn the gist of the game. Now that they’re older…..it’s game on! Jeremy got Santa Clarita-Opoly right before we moved. It was in storage for a little while, and we decided on Easter to get it out and have some fun! It was pretty fun to play a game that goes along with your hometown. Being a 3rd grade teacher, I taught Santa Clarita History for many years. I was a little surprised at some of the sites/places that were included, and the ones that were left off. But, I guess that’s just the teacher in me. Instead of houses and hotels, you buy blocks and the key to the city. Since there were six of us playing, it was pretty hard to get a monopoly. My boys decided early on that they wanted to make things interesting. Justin and Jeremy wanted to trade some of their properties to make a monopoly. They added in some money to try and entice us. We all kept saying no, but Justin was pretty insistent. We both owned properties…
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Teaching VS Subbing
Twenty-six months after stepping out of the classroom for maternity leave, I have returned. I’m not in my own classroom, though. I’m subbing. Being a substitute isn’t new to me. I did it when I was in school for my teaching credential and Master’s Degree. But, that was 22 years ago! It’s really crazy how much the classroom has changed in two decades, mostly because of technology. So, how did my first day back go? It went well. The teacher left me well written plans. The students were pretty good. It was really weird to walk out at the end of the day, not having to answer several emails and make sure I’m planned for the next day. AND, for my CA friends…..I had 30 minutes of prep time while the students were at music! If you can’t remember what prep time is, let me know. 🙂 Most of the day they were on their computers doing activities. Computer time when you’re the teacher is A LOT different than computer time when you’re the substitute. In my own classroom, when students got on their computers it allowed me to work with struggling students and get caught up on things. As…
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Taken Back in Time
Do you ever hear a song, recognize a scent, or see something and it instantly takes you back to a different time? The scent one is strange. One time I was walking and was taken back to my dorm in college. It was a plant growing nearby. It was the same as ones outside my dorm building. One inhale of a faint scent and I was walking the pavement at Cal State Long Beach. Last week we introduced our toddler to The Wiggles. I put it on and walked into the kitchen. Suddenly, there was ticking and The Wiggles needed to wake up Jeff. I was transformed to our old house where I could see a two year old Jeremy singing and dancing in front of the TV. The kid loved them, and he had all of their routines memorized. I sat down and watched the whole DVD, smiling at the memories. He’s going to be 16 soon, and for a brief moment in time I yearned to hold that little boy again. It didn’t last too long, though. Those of you who knew two year old Jeremy get it. 🙂 So, there you have it. I’m sure you weren’t…
