Elf your Students

Have you ever wanted to make your students into little elves? This little trick is super easy if you have adobe photoshop. All you need to do is click on the filter  tab found up top and then liquify. It takes two seconds. 

Right now I only pay $9.99 a month for photoshop and lightroom. They are both awesome resources to use in the classroom. I added the free elf hats from searching santa hat clip art vector images in google images. I love my cute graphics because there tons of free images.

Have you seen Christmas Jammies? I can not stop watching this precious video. How cute? 

Hope everyone is surviving the last couple of days.

Snow Globes and Reindeers

Have you read the book The Snow Globe Family? It's such a neat story and it really got my students writing today. The family that lives inside the snow globe is just like the family who owns the snow globe. The little family keeps wondering when will it snow. They long for a snowstorm. We used the prompt -If I lived in a snow globe.... My students were using some great adjectives and really trying to pull in their five senses. I was so impressed.

I think the original idea was Deanna Jump's idea found here. You know I love talking photos so I tweaked mine a little.  

Here is our version

Directions

1. I printed my photos 5 x 7 on my home printer and then used an x-acto knife to cut out the background.

2 Mod podge the photo to the clear plastic plate. I used gloss mod podge but I think matte would be better.

3. Add hole punched circles with mod podge. I just emptied my three hole puncher. 

3. Lightly paint an area using mod podge and sprinkle some glitter towards the bottom of the plate.

5. I free handed the base of the snow globe with scrapbook paper.

6. Hot glue snow globe base to the bottom of the plate and add ribbon up top for a hanger.

We also made these darling reindeer. It was a directed drawing found at Artventurous. It was super easy but oh so cute! We used watercolors instead of oil pastels. Click on the link to see the step by step directions.

What fun things have you been making this holiday season?

ESGI giveaway!

 Right now I am currently getting ready to complete 2nd 9 weeks sight word assessments. I don’t know about you but assessing is not my most favorite part of the job description.  It seems to take away from valuable teaching time. After finding ESGI I don't ever want to go back to paper and pencil assessing.

One way to make it a little more fun and manageable is ESGI software. This software is designed by a former kindergarten teacher. I signed up for a 60-day free trial and fell in LOVE. It was so easy to implement. My kids were begging to come back to my laptop. I really enjoyed looking at the results and printing the parent letters. My parents loved the personalized letters that told them specifically which words and skills their child needed additional help. The best part about ESGI is the flashcards that automatically print out with each letter. I love how teachers can even create their own tests and assessments.  Here’s an overview:

ESGI makes Assessment easy.

· Web-based software can be accessed from anywhere, anytime.

· Fun for students to get assessed on a PC.

· Individualized parent letters showing parents which questions their child answered correctly and incorrectly.

· Individualized flashcards (with the student’s name), for the missed items, so parents can practice at home.

· Real-time reporting of the data you have assessed. Through easy to navigate reports, you can see what  your class knows (or doesn’t know), individual student performance, item analysis, and more.

 

 It’s easy to get started! What a wonderful thing for end of the semester assessments. I am so happy to announce that ESGI has graciously donated a one year membership to ONE lucky winner. To enter this contest, all you need to do is sign up for ESGI's FREE 60 Day Trial . You will not need to enter ANY credit card information for the FREE trial. It's super simple. After you’ve signed up for the free trial, ESGI will pick a winner in about two weeks. To SAVE $40 you can click here.  The cost for a year subscription is $159 but oh so worth it!

Gifts for ALL!

Ho-Ho-Holiday Gifts for ALL

I'm so glad Tara at 4th Grade Frolics is hosting this fabulous link up because I love getting ideas for student gifts as well as parent gifts. Here are some fun things we've been making in our classroom.  We've been Monday Making it all month. 

Filler- Bean Bag Filler

Sharpie Paint Pens

Hot glue

Pom Poms

snowman idea found here

polymer clay ideas found here

This year I am making jars of White Cheddar Snow Balls ( cheese balls) for my students. This is what I used

Mason jars

1 glove ( Michael's had them on sale)

Ribbon

Sharpie Paint Pens

Snowballs (Wal-Mart)

I'm also going to be passing out these elf behavior beads which are really from me! Mr. Jingles has been eyeing our behavior bead stash. 

I also went to a Pinterest Inspired PJ party on Friday night. We had a blast. Who doesn't like crafting and eating in pajamas? I made some yummy treats for next week. Thanks Alison for letting me use your supplies and ingredients. 

The original pin can be found here.

My sister LOVED her countdown to Christmas plate found here. 

Have you tried Neiman Marcus Dip? YUM

 Neiman Marcus Dip

5 - 6 green onions

 8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

1 jar Hormel Real Bacon Bits 

1 pkg. slivered almonds

Chop the green onions.

Shred the cheddar cheese.

Mix the onions, cheese, mayo, bacon bits,

 and slivered almonds together.

Chill for a couple hours.

Serve with Ritz crackers or corn chips.

I'm off to get some more ideas even if I have to use them next year! 

Ho-Ho-Holiday Gifts for your Students

Ho-Ho-Holiday Gifts for your Students

I'm so glad Stephanie over at Third Grade Thoughts is hosting this fabulous link up because I love getting ideas for student gifts as well as parent gifts.

This year I am making jars of White Cheddar Snow Balls ( cheese balls) for my students. This is what I used

Mason jars

1 glove ( Michael's had them on sale)

Ribbon

Sharpie Paint Pens

Snowballs (Wal-Mart)

I'm also going to be passing out these elf behavior beads which are really from me! Mr. Jingles has been eyeing our behavior bead stash. 

I also went to a Pinterest Inspired PJ party on Friday night. We had a blast. Who doesn't like crafting and eating in pajamas? I made some yummy treats for next week. Thanks Alison for letting me use your supplies and ingredients. 

The original pin can be found here.

Have you tried Neiman Marcus Dip? YUM

 Neiman Marcus Dip

5 - 6 green onions

 8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

1 jar Hormel Real Bacon Bits 

1 pkg. slivered almonds

Chop the green onions.

Shred the cheddar cheese.

Mix the onions, cheese, mayo, bacon bits,

 and slivered almonds together.

Chill for a couple hours.

Serve with Ritz crackers or corn chips.

I'm off to get some more ideas even if I have to use them next year! 

Polymer Clay

We have a new obsession in our classroom. It's making ornaments and jewelry out of polymer clay. The kids have been making "goods" to sell for Market Days and thumbprint necklaces for presents. 

I've had a couple people request details on the polymer clay so here it goes.

I went to Michael's and picked up some fun packs of polymer clay. You can find polymer clay at any craft store. Walmart even carries it. Michaels had polymer clay on sale 5 packs for $4. You can also buy a variety pack and use a 40% coupon. We can't wait to try out some fun colors. There was even glow in the dark clay.

Usually you bake the clay on 275 for 15 minutes. Check the specific package for details. Each company varies slightly on the cooking times. 

 Thumbprint necklaces

Roll small balls out of polymer clay

Have children press down with thumb

Use little eye hook for holder

Attach to ball chain from Hobby Lobby

We are making snowmen to go on our tree as well!

Need some fun craft ideas? Check out my pinterest boards. I found this cute snowman here. They were super easy to make and the kids LOVED helping.

Stash It Giveaway

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving break. We had a blast in North Carolina and I even did all of my Christmas shopping. Y'ALL, I'm so bad... I already starting handing out gifts as soon as we arrived home. I can not keep secrets. I guess I'm going to have to purchase more gifts on Christmas Eve. That's the ONLY way I can keep the gifts a secret.

The nieces and nephews got some new pajamas and some nostalgic toys from an awesome store in Asheville. If you haven't visited Asheville... we highly recommend it! It's our favorite city.

Sisters received some new wine glasses and some of these handy bags that you can carry in your purse.   I feel in love with LOVE REUSABLE BAGS. They even do school fundraisers. You wouldn't believe how much fits inside each sack.

The bags are perfect for teachers, coworkers and parent volunteers. I love that if you order from the Gwaltney pattern the company gives a sack to the fijikindeproject . AWESOME charity by the way!

 
This is the Fiji Kinde Project from Fiji Kinde Project on Vimeo.

Fiji Kinde Project sends teams of educators to develop early childhood education throughout the villages of the Fiji Islands. One by one, village by village, they have already established close to 70 Kindes, impacted over 1500 children and trained over 200 teachers. By chance, volunteers for Fiji Kinde took our bags on a trip in 2010. The durability, compactness, and water resistance of the STASH IT convertible tote was ideal for students and teachers in Fiji... great for carrying books and supplies in wet and rugged conditions.

Your contribution in purchasing a unique Gwaltney print will send a very useful product to these kids and teachers.

Want to win a Stash It Tote? I have two stash it totes to giveaway. I just need your help. What can I get my husband and father for Christmas. Men are so hard to buy for.... do you have any good ideas? Leave a suggestion below for your chance to win a LOVE REUSABLE BAG. If you would like to place an order type the code MISS NELSON in the discount code.


Winners - Alison and Michelle Jaquillard- Congrats

Busy Little Bees

This week was a busy week of Social Studies and Science. We wrapped up our Matter Unit with the Science Guy. The kids had so much fun making oobleck, experimenting with sinking and floating, making density bags and learning about Matter. They also loved playing the game Solid, Liquid, Gas.

We also started our unit on Wants/Needs and Goods/Services. This is my ALL TIME FAVORITE unit to teach. I usually follow along with our Social Studies book but also include this Wants and Needs packet.  The packet covers all of the terms dealing with economics but it's definitely kid friendly. My first graders LOVE it!!! At the end of the unit, First Grade puts on a Holiday Market. We set up shop and sell "goods" usually in our cafeteria. The students have so much fun producing their goods. We have already brainstormed a class store name and even started making our goods. The parents are so supportive and love participating in this event. Students and parents come shopping. Usually items are $1-$3.

Here are some goods we've sold in the past:

notecards 

cookies 

chocolate dipped pretzels

chocolate dipped spoons

ornaments
artwork

wrapping paper (butcher paper stamped with stamps)

Grinch slime

oobleck

hot chocolate

lemonade

Most items are around $1. This way the students don't  have worry too much about change. We do it as a grade level but you could easily do it as a class. You can invite parents, teachers, other students or have it just within your class.

We usually plan about a week getting organized, producing our product, and marketing our store. I show my students videos about starting a business. Our library has a great selection. We also market our store by hanging up advertisements around campus to drum up business. In the years past, we have  raised as much as $300. We usually donate the money to a local charity. One year we sponsored a goat from the heifer foundation. There are so many different twists you can do with Market! If you need any advice or ideas please leave a comment or shoot me an email at missnelsonattpt@yahoo.com. 

This is my economics booklet on tpt that covers wants, needs, goods, services, consumers, producers and income. 

Making some art to sell! You should have heard them discussing their prices. 

Cheese balls in a Mason Jar. 

Clay Pots- Michaels 

Half-Off ornaments Hobby Lobby

Bean Bag Filler

Paint Pens

Pom Poms

Making lumps of love

Tonight starts my 9 day vacation. I'm off the entire week for Thanksgiving Break. We are headed to North Carolina. I hope everyone has a nice time Thanksgiving with family and friends. Be sure to check back as I am planning a fun giveaway this week :)