First Grade Cooties

I'm so sick! It all started Friday at lunch. I hope this saline wash kicks in soon. I've also loaded up on Silver, Olive Leaf, Oil of Oregano, Echinacea and more! What do you like using?

Football kicked off today so hubby is glued to the couch. He roots for BAMA! I'm really just a fan of the fall weather, pumpkin lattes, and the sound of football.

This made my day this week. I received my SLANT box. I just love the detail Amanda put in to make the BEST SLANT box ever.

If you have not heard of this new project, visit Lessons with Coffee and click on the SLANT tab at the top of her blog. 

My partner to receive a box from this month was sweet Amanda over at Teaching Maddeness. 

 I already LOVED Amanda's blog. She has the best ideas!

I never knew just HOW creative she was...take a look at the goodies in my box! She said she's not crafty but I definitely beg to differ. Her box was BEE-AUTIFUL!

  It was filled with wonderful goodies and of course they all matched my room. Yellow, Black and Polka dots. 

I can't wait to use these little snack ideas in my own classroom. How precious!!!

I'm in LOVE with every single item. I love all of the ribbon and fun tape. How cute is this frame? It's already on my desk. 

It was such a fun experience. I recommend you signing up next time right here.

Winners! Announced 

Benton Burlap Winner/ DG pack - Becky Baxter

Samson's Classroom Winner-  Kelly Smither

Don't forget you can use the code RMN2 to save $70 off a year subscription to Samson's Classroom. Hurry because the $10 deal ends on September 1st.

You will LOVE it. Great for K-2 students

I'd love for you to link up to Saturday Snapshots

Saturday Snapshots

I survived the first week. Did you ? This week if you link up to Saturday Snapshots then you will have EXTRA chances to win a Try it &  Love it prize pack and a custom door hanger from Brenton Burlaps. They are so cute! I just checked out their facebook and they can customize your own colors.

In celebration of educators everywhere, Dollar General is teaming with Procter & Gamble® to honor our nation’s schools and teachers who make a difference in the lives of children through its Every Day Heroes program .  The Every Day Heroes campaign honors educators who teach students to be their best by offering great savings on school supplies and other products for the heroes closest to our hearts.

Dollar General has a strong commitment to education through the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and believes learning to read, earning a GED or learning the English language are investments that opens doorways for personal, professional and economic growth.

 Prize Pack

·         A $10 Dollar General Gift Card

·         CoverGirl Black Ink Eye Pencil

·         Tide PODS Spring Meadow

·         Febreze Fabric Refresher Gain Scent Spray

·         Febreze Air Effects with Gain Fresh Scent

·         A Dollar General reusable shopping bag

You can use P&G brandSAVER® coupons at Dollar General to get high-quality P&G products at great prices.

Teachers are one of the most important people in our children’s lives but their hard work and dedication can often times go unnoticed. Dollar General is once again teaming up with Proctor and Gamble (P&G) to honor not only teachers but also schools nationwide with it’s Everyday Heroes program.  The Every Day Heroes campaign honors educators who teach students to be their best by offering great savings on school supplies and other products for the heroes closest to our hearts.

During the Month of September, Dollar General is recognizing Hero Kimberly Shearer, an English teacher and library science teacher at Boone County High School in Florence, Ky., as its Every Day Hero. Kimberly is an eight-year veteran of Boone County High School. She has earned the title of “Kentucky Teacher of the Year.” with her commitment to educating our youth and advocating for 21^st century literary. When she is not busy helping her students succeed, Kimberly is spending time with her husband and two daughters.

Be sure to check your local paper on September 1st for the P&G brandSaver! Inside you will find many high-value coupons which can be used at your favorite stores like Dollar General for even better savings.

Here are some pictures from the first week

I'm loving my class! It's so nice to be back in 1st grade this year.

They aren't running from my camera  just yet!

Missed this sweetie while at school! She starts pre-k after Labor Day

Every single student LOVED heidisongs

Having some fun at stations. The leis are a lifesaver.

Loving the vinyl numbers on desks instead of name tags. Hope they last for a while.

Everyone was engaged so they didn't even notice I had my camera out!

Perfect for grouping students during stations!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday Snapshots

Five for Friday is always so fun! Here it goes.

Just checking in to let everyone know that if you link up tomorrow for Saturday Snapshots you will have a chance to win TWO awesome prizes.  Here is a couple of pics from this week.

Also I'm putting my original beads on sale for $2.50 tonight only. 

So excited today! My ipad mini arrived and I found out my other project was fully funded this afternoon. I LOVE DC!

See you tomorrow for some more pictures

First Day Jitters

I am beat. I forgot how exhausting the first day of school is because last year I looped. I was late for lunch.. YIKES and didn't get a chance to unload everyone's supplies from their backpack. There's always tomorrow... right?  Here are some pictures from our first day in first grade.

We completed reading stations and math stations and reviewed some letter sounds using Sounds Fun Phonics and Dr Jean songs. I seriously LOVE heidisongs.  I would be lost without her DVDs.

I am loving my necklaces from sweet Terri at Kinder Princess. They made grouping students for Math and Reading stations a BREEZE. I was able to quickly group students by colors. Having the leis allowed me to  easily spot groups by their colored leis. If I needed to switch a student I traded their lei. Each student knew exactly which station to attend. Thank you so much Terri. It's the best thing I've used in a LONG time. I'm HOOKED!

We read the book First Day Jitters and This is the Teacher. We launched Daily 5 and discussed the three ways to read a book. I used Flotsam to model reading pictures. I can't wait to build stamina tomorrow. Maybe we can reach 4 minutes? 

Me bags were a huge hit. I seriously need to watch Duck Dynasty because they had some pictures of Uncle Si. I tried to make a connection but I'm going to look it up now so I can relate.

Click on the link to download these free First Day Posters . 

I have two packets that are free.

Getting ready for my birthday board. Off to develop some photos.

Have a nice night!!!

Snapshots and Giveaways

Wow this week flew by! I'm going to be up in my classroom all weekend because Monday is orientation and then the kids come Tuesday. I have a few pictures to share but also a great giveaway and even better deal for primary grades ( K-2) I'd love for you to come link up today.

 I am so happy to be able to do a giveaway for a year subscription to Samson's Classroom ($80 value).  It's one of my favorite websites for learning sight words, spelling words and reading comprehension.  The giveaway will last until next Saturday. If you aren't the lucky winner then you will be so EXCITED because Samson's Classroom has agreed to provide $70 off.The promo code RMN2 (as in "Run Miss Nelson") will give you $70 off a classroom plan until September 1st.

That's only $10 for a full access account . I would totally pay even the $80 because it's that good.

click on the above image to check out the video that explains this wonderful site.

• We love all of the portions but my favorite portion for my 1st graders is the reading passages.  The reading passages are divided up into different levels.  Students are asked to read a passage and answer comprehension questions about their reading.  If a student answers incorrectly, the program is great about highlighting the area of the passage where the answer can be found.  I like this because it forces students to go back and reread to find the correct answer.  I love that they are actually looking back in the passage to make sure their answers are correct because they want to earn "hammer swings"!  If they miss a question they earn less hammer swings. Hammer Swings are just a fun incentive at the end.  

You should try it out for a free demo lesson.

Click here!
To see the overview click here

This little boy earned a  black belt from Samson's Classroom. He LOVED earning this recognition. Samson's classroom is so wonderful to work with. They sent him a black belt, a certificate and featured him in their newsletter. 

I'm really excited about Samson's Classroom releasing a FREE iPad/Android app this October!!!   It is not an iPad version of the web-based game... it is a stand alone app that will help kids to work on their sight words.  It seems super fun!!  Follow their fb  and tell them I sent you to be entered into the giveaway. You will also get the latest info when the new app releases.

Loved getting my IN A PIKLE bag. Have you signed up for the giveaway?

Still loving these smiles. I have been sending SMILES all across America.

How fun is this place? Parents can hang out while kids bounce.

So excited that my husband built me a storage shelf in my classroom closet. Now I just need to go organize.

I can't wait to find out the buzz on my new students. School officially starts Tuesday. We have orientation Monday. I'll allow the students to use post its whenever they have something they want to let me know about their life.

These are my free photo cards printed as photographs. My friend said it cost her .8 cents. How cheap is that???? 

To enter the Samson's Giveaway visit their fb and "like" them. Tell them Miss Nelson sent you! Leave me a blog comment stating you left them some love and don't forget to leave your email address so I can contact you if you are lucky!

Good Luck. Winner will be announced next Saturday.

Tricks and Tips

 I'm linking up to Teacher Week to share some Tricks and Tips that I use daily.

Silent Speedball- This game is an awesome brain break. The students LOVE it. The way we play is use a soft foam/sponge ball. The object of the game is to throw the ball to one another in no particular pattern. Last one standing wins! When you say go, players begin to toss the ball around the room. They should make eye-contact with the person they intend to throw the ball to. Also, everyone should have a chance to have the ball. 

If you talk, you're out!

If you make an uncatchable throw, you're out!

If you don't catch a good throw, you're out!

If you complain in any way, you're out!

Stay by your chair and speed is a factor!

Setting up a shared folder in Dropbox is a great way to share resources amongst your grade level. You don't need to keep up with a flash drive or multiple email attachments. Everyone can help add to the shared folders. Dropbox is free and if you sign up here you get an extra 500 mb of space added to your free account.

Remind 101 is a great way to communicate with parents and students. The best part -it's FREE! Remind 101 allows you to send text messages to your parents or students without ever revealing your personal contact information. Parents can sign up to receive your messages by text or email. I used this service for the past two years as reminders of important class events. My parents loved Remind 101. 

Here's an overview:

Class Dojo-  Class Dojo is a classroom tool that helps teachers improve behavior in their classrooms quickly and easily. It's a way to generate data on behavior through the use of technology. I like to use the positive aspect of the program.

Scootpad- It is the ultimate way to engage students in mastering skills. Basically, Scootpad is a website where students can go to practice all of the Common Core standards for reading and math. Students can work at their own pace through the standards.   You should check it out too!

Edmodo- It's like Facebook for the classroom but much safer and secure