What I'm LOVING

I'm really embarrassed to say that I didn't even remember my password to get into my blog. That's crazy talk. Hopefully, I'll be back to sharing the fun things I've been up to in first grade. In the meantime, you can always see a glimpse on Instagram. I think it's made me lazy. You know I'm all about sharing photos and I can do JUST that. #sorrynotsorry 

 How is your school year? My year has been a whirlwind which may explain why I haven't been able to blog. We are rolling out many new things in our district. Common assessments, PLCs, new curriculum, new standards, new testing.... sound familiar ? Well, no fear I'm hear to brighten your day  and share some LOVE.  I'm also going to be giving away some of my favorite things so please link up.

My first thing I'm LOVING saves me so much time in the classroom.  I was just introduced to MobyMax and all it’s features a few months back. Boy am I LOVING this resource and I think you will too!  I definitely would recommend this engaging, individualized instruction to anyone. You will love how easy it is to start up.  Students will be able to get on a placement test and the program differentiates lessons based on skill needs. It covers math, language, vocabulary, literature, writing, test prep and MORE! My students absolutely love their Moby time. The lessons are fun and engaging. My students are highly motivated and competitive trying to earn badges for their collection. It’s great for intervention or enrichment. I love that they can practice and reinforce skills at home. Teachers will love the detailed reports and data that can be used for progress monitoring. I promise you will see students improving in tons of areas because the program fills in those gaps. I’d love to share the Moby Love. 

I’ve been using the RainMate for years but just haven’t shared how much I LOVE it. It re-circulates the air, gently infusing it with the scent of your choosing.  I use peppermint or spearmint from NOW Essential Oils. They are highly concentrated and work wonders. The kids love the smell and all the teachers who have allergies like to come and stand in my room to breathe in the essential oils. Peppermint and Spearmint both offer the benefits of cooling, invigorating, revitalizing, stimulating. 

My last thing I've been loving is not really teaching related. Well, it sorta is because I'm always attending baby showers for adorable co-workers. I'm obsessed with photographs, fonts, and colors. I've found something that has all three. 

Meet these adorable LUCY DARLIN monthly stickers. I ordered a bunch for our gift shops. I'd like to giveaway a set. There are many options to choose from. Stickers for baby bellies or monthly stickers for babies. 

Happy Valentine's Day! I can't wait to see some of the things you are LOVING. It doesn't have to be school related.

These darling peel and stick monthly stickers will be my signature gift at baby showers #obsessed #fontlover #recognizethesefonts? #peelandstick

A photo posted by Miss Nelson (@missnelsonsgotthecamera) on Feb 11, 2015 at 8:31pm PST

An InLinkz Link-up

Samson's Classroom Giveaway

Last week flew by! Students started on Tuesday. I can't to post pictures but lately I've been learning our new reading adoption, Wonders. Does anyone have any awesome Wonders tips for me? I'd greatly appreciate it. 

The main reason for blogging today is the fact that I have an awesome giveaway. I just love Samson's classroom and you will too!

 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 Monday. 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 RMN3(as in "Run Miss Nelson") will give you $70 off a classroom plan until October. THANK YOU Samson's Classroom.

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.  

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. 

Please follow Samson's classroom on fb  and tell them I sent you to be entered into the giveaway. 

Thank you to everyone who entered the Samson's Classroom Giveaway! Congratulations to Lori for winning the year subscription! Don't forget to use the code RMN3 to receive a year subscription for only $10.00. That's $70 off.

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 Monday!

How I use dojo in the classroom plus FREEBIE

Just popping in real quick to let you know how I use class dojo in my classroom. I'm also curious to see how you use it. For every 50 points earned, my students cash in their points to pick out of my Best 'Bee'havior catalog. The catalog is filled with the usual free and fun coupons such as wear a hat, eat lunch with teacher, stinky feet, etc. Their points don't get erased until they reach 50 points then they just start over.

I give class dojo points for the 5 Whole Brain Teaching Rules and for work habits. I give a ton of whole class points, table points, and individual points. I try really hard to pass out more positives than removing points. You would be surprised at how wonderful the students act once they hear the sound of me giving points (postitives). I sometimes just ding points from my own personal avatar to get them on track. They have no idea that I'm really not taking away points from a specific student.  Every once in a while I will remove a whole point (negative) from the class as a whole. I seldom remove individual points unless it's something major. If they get in trouble in the lunchroom then they definitely lose a point for not keeping the teacher happy. :)

My students login at home or come see me individually to view their class dojo points.  The class points are not really showcased on the board for all to compare/ compete. I don't mind if they see it every once in a while but I try to make it more of a private matter.

Their parents receive weekly updates by email on Friday afternoons. I love how the students have already changed their own avatars at home because they log on with a unique student code.

I'm really trying for my students to earn work habit points for neat handwriting, clean desks, using time wisely etc.

How do you use class dojo? Would you like some free class dojo behavior beads? Download here.
I sure do love positive feedback :)

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

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

Have you ever been in a pickle?

Are you on Pinterest???? Now teachers don't ever have to miss any great ideas! They are all easy to find and store for easy retriveal. 

Pinterest is MY number #1 resource I use as an educator. I'm all about images and photographs. I guess you can say I'm a visual learner.

 Pinterest is my go to site when I'm looking for a bulletin board saying, finding a cute themed lesson or researching any Common Core standard. I love how easy it is to collaborate with other teachers, find out about new educational materials, books and printables.

The wonderful people at Pinterest have seen how educators have responded to their site and they have teamed up with many of your favorite Edu-Bloggers to bring you Teachers on Pinterest. Pinterest has created a set of boards just for teachers that are jam-packed with classroom ideas. There are specific grade level boards for grades Pre-K-6, plus additional boards for education blogs, classroom decor, management and more!

I'd love for you to check out some of my boards. I've been pinning some wonderful classroom decor ideas right here.

 Classroom Decor

While searching Pinterest... I also find great products. Check out this awesome find.
In A Pikle 

"We've all found ourselves in a pickle at times! These are the moments you never expect and are not prepared for! A spill on your shirt, a missing button, an unsightly chin hair, a torn finger nail, or lunch stuck in your teeth."

I feel like I'm always in a pickle.  I have an aunt who keeps EVERYTHING in her purse. If you need something my sweet GAGA has it handy. Not me....I've always wanted to be like that but I'm just not that prepared. I'm not the most organized person because I'm always running in 5,000 directions. I never slow down. I'll be driving to the gym and look down to realize I forgot to grab a hair tie. The other day I was in desperate need of tweezers so I had to stop at the gas station and pay a fortune.  Well... I am tired of being unprepared. Do you need some help too? I have found the perfect solution. 

IN A PIKLE

In a Pikle kits are great for your purse but I'm getting one for my car and my classroom! You are probably wondering what it's all about!!! 

"If you have children, you have more unique challenges ranging from nose bleeds to skinned knees. The "In A Pikle" bag is a compact organizer for essential convenience items needed for the daily emergencies of life. It is camouflaged to look like a designer wallet. Inside are 8 clear, removable pouches that attach to the fashionable cover. It is designed to hold a stain remover pen, bandages, nail clippers, tweezers, safety pins, and much more.

Now you might have some of these items at the bottom of your purse, but can never find them when you need them! Finally, there is a way to organize daily emergency items in a fun and stylish way. The "Pikle" comes in many trendy designs and fun colors providing something for every taste. With the "Pikle", you'll be able to successfully get out of almost any situation."

I was so excited to open my pikle and so was this little girl. 

 The In A Pikle bag comes with over 20 items that fit conveniently inside. Fill it with your favorite gum, lozenges, or cough drops. Don’t forget to add your essential medicine or antacid. There is plenty of room in the In A Pikle bag to always have the things you need!

I think these bags would make the best gift for friends and family. I know what I'm getting my classroom volunteers at the end of the year. Who wouldn't LOVE one of these handy bags?

Need a pikle? You can recieve 10% off your ENTIRE order with the code (missnelson)

Would you like to enter to win a pikle?

Check out their blog as they are doing a special giveaway for Miss Nelson fans. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I TEXT MY PARENTS. DO YOU?

Favorite Technology Finds EVER!

@Remind101 

#1  Remind 101 is a great way to communicate with parents and students. The best part -it's FREE! Remind 101 allows you to send a quick text message 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've used this service for two years as reminders of important class events. I would remind parents of assignments due or special days at school! My parents loved Remind 101. It's so user friendly. It will not disappoint!

Here's an overview:

# 2 WordMark.It

This technology find is a lifesaver.  I **ALWAYS*** use Wordmark.it first before designing items for my room. I use wordmark.it for finding the perfect font for titles, student handouts, newsletters, sight word cards and more. This program is awesome!!! I highly suggest using it. It's super easy. All you do is type in a word, phrase, or set of characters and it displays your text in all the possibilities of fonts that are loaded on your computer. It's pure genius. Yes, I have the ability to hover over the text in powerpoint but this is much better. I'm such a visual person so it allows me to see ALL of my options. Why is this so cool? This comes in handy because some fonts are only lowercase, some are a mixture and some fonts do not make certain characters. Check it out and let me know what you think.

I seriously love fonts!!! It's a problem. I know there have been tons of font linky parties but I'm always finding more fonts. What's your new favorite font?

Here is my list of favorites **right now**