Stitch Fix Plus #2

I was so excited to get my next StitchFix this month! I peeked at it when I received the shipping notice, and I was swooning over a few of the items.
Alison styled me again this month and I absolutely love some of the items she sent me! Read on to see what items I loved and which I didn't!

Stitch Fix Plus

Back in the fall, Stitch Fix announced that they would be expanding their products to go up to size 26. As a size 16, I was *just* outside of their sizing, so needless to say I was thrilled! I mean, who doesn't love stylish clothes picked out for them by someone else? Especially with my very difficult to dress body!

Last week, I got an email that the plus line was FINALLY launching and I was thrilled to be one of their first boxes! I loved finally being able to use this great service! Click below to see my great pieces and what I kept!

Math..Based on BUILD

About a year ago, I heard about the BUILD basis for Math stations and I. Was. Hooked. So simple to implement and it covers everything! And best of all, my little bits LOVE it. Seriously. We have music class on Thursdays, and our BUILD time is cut short (only 1 station) and they always ask to do their second station in the afternoon.
So what is BUILD?

Sight Word Workouts

My littles are rocking and rolling with their sight words! One of the really fun practice games we play is "sight word workouts." This super simple game takes little to no prep and it's a way to keep active littles focused! It is perfect for when you have an extra 5-10 minutes or need an active transition!


During this game, I call on a student to find a particular word. If they successfully find the word, they give the rest of the class an exercise to do while we spell the word (they also get to tell us how many times we have to spell the word).  Last year we just counted while we did the workout - I added the spelling this year as I have several kinesthetic learners who struggle with recall. They have improved on their sight word recognition since I introduced the
It is such a great way to keep them moving, especially after our morning meeting when they seem to be at their wiggliest.

I usually participate in the workouts with the children, which is why I don't have my usual load of pictures (and as a bonus, I don't have to feel guilty for skipping the gym after a long day)

My littles ask for this game and I'm sure yours will love it too!

A Simple Kindergarten Math Game

Whew! Two days into the school year and we are already getting into our routines! I've come to the conclusion that I must mentally block out the first few weeks of school..because every year I manage to teach the children the routines and rules, but come September I can NEVER remember how I did it the previous years.
But, either way we our on our way! Today we did our first whole group math lesson followed by two of our BUILD centers. I am still assessing the students' math skills, so I haven't started guided math yet. I am hoping to by next week!

Classroom Reveal 2016-2017!

A little background before I reveal my classroom. I work for a large social services organization with over 20 programs! The one I work for is the Early Learning Center, which is housed in 3 buildings. At the end of last year, they made the decision to move the Kindergarten classroom into a different building, a classroom which has been used as storage for the past 10 years.
Prior to maintenance coming to move the Kindergarten classroom to its new home in June, the storage was supposed to be moved.

It wasn't. And so, when I got into the classroom in mid-August when summer camp was over, not only did I have to set up the Kindergarten, but I had to weed through 10+ years of storage. I'm not even exaggerating when I say that I cried when I walked into the room and saw this...

But, I started hauling furniture into the lobby, sorting through boxes and getting my boss to bug maintenance to paint my room..and despite the weeks of work, I could not be happier with the results.   

Target Teacher

I remember a few years ago when someone told me that Target had small pocket charts in their dollar spot - not only was I amazed, but I scooped up a bunch (because you can never have too many pocket charts) In the past few years, Target has upped their game even more - around back to school time, their dollar spot is almost exclusively for teachers (much to my wallet's relief). Here are some of my great finds this year! (Side note: please ignore the mess in the background of the pictures, I just moved last weekend!) 

Kindergarten, here I come!

I taught Pre-K for 6 full years. Halfway through last year, I made the jump to Kindergarten! I was shocked to find how much I loved it! 
This year will be my first full year teaching Kindergarten, and it is sure to be an adventure!