The 2 B's- Bloger Meet-Up & Barker Creek Winner!

B #1-

Blogger Meet-Up!  If you're a Michigan blogger (or blog reader!), we'd love to see you!  Click the picture to RSVP!

B #2-

Barker Creek Publishing winner!!!

You've won the AMAZING "Reading FUNdamentals" set from Barker Creek Publishing!

If you didn't win... thanks for entering!  I hope you'll remember Barker Creek this summer when you're ordering for next school year!  All of the pieces in the "Reading FUNdamentals" set are available separately... including the darling posters and amazing "make 'em think and make connections" books!

Michigan Blogger Meet-Up Info!!!!!

It's the dreaded DOUBLE POST!  But, I HAD to get this info about our upcoming Michigan Blogger Meet-Up to you!  Click the picture to RSVP so I can make reservations!  I need to call them by Wednesday, June 26th... so please try to RSVP by then!

If you're a Michigan Blogger {or blog follower!} or an any state blogger who lives close enough to make it, come and join us!  Feel free to snag that button and blog about it too!

Be sure you RSVP too!

And, please do check out my original post this morning... it contains a great freebie and a last chance to win an amazing ELA prize pack from Barker Creek Publishing!

Facebook Freebie, Reminder, and Clarification {all rolled into one!}

Do you "LIKE" my blog on Facebook?  If not, you should because I just learned how to add a FB Fan FREEBIE page over there... thanks to a tutorial by the lovely Christi Fultz!

I uploaded my first FB Fan Freebie last night and it's a doozy!  Head over  that way if you want to grab it.

Here's a sneak peek...

So, get over to Facebook, like this blog, and download that!

Next... reminder...

The AMAZING giveaway from Barker Creek Publishing ends tonight at MIDNIGHT!  Poof!  Over!  Coach back into a pumpkin and everything.

So, head to that blog post by clicking the pic below to check it out.  It's a good one!

Last... clarification...

Yesterday I posted about Blog Lovin' and got quite a few questions.  Now, I'm no expert and am not really sure what's going to happen, but on July 1st, Google Reader is going to be no more.  Now, this does not impact me as a blog reader because I read everyone's blog by coming to my blog, looking down there on the right to see who has updated lately, and clicking the links.  BUT, if you use Google Reader to follow blogs, you're going to have to switch to Blog Lovin' to get updates.  So... at the top of my blog, is my Blog Lovin' button.  If you want to stay connected and you use Google Reader, that's what you need to do to stay up to date with my lil' blog!

Hopefully that clears it up a smidge!

Happy THURSDAY!  I've been printing and laminating stuff all week and have SO much to show and share on next week's Monday Made-it!  I can hardly wait!

Be back tomorrow with a giveaway winner!!!

Have You Followed With Blog Lovin' Yet?

Did you know that on July 1, Google Reader is going away???  And that you have to re-follow all of your favorite blogs on Blog Lovin' so you can stay connected?

Please, please, please be sure to click this button below (or the one over there on the left... that's the one... at the top!) to re-follow me on Blog Lovin' so you don't miss any new updates, announcements, freebies, pictures, and all that other bloggy goodness! 

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

What's In the Box???? An AMAZING ELA Giveaway!!!!

Ok friends... yesterday I showed you the box I got in the mail from my friends at Barker Creek Publishing.

So, here's what I got last week...

Then I opened it and this was what I saw...

Are you getting excited yet?

Ok... I gingerly pulled this paper off (aka- feverishly ripped it out of the box) and this was below...

It is their ENTIRE "Reading FUNdamentals book and poster pack" and it is seriously amazing.  Like, uncontrollable-smile-giddy-with-glee-as-you-thumb-through-the-books-and-look-at-the-cute-posters-amazing.  Seriously.

It has large posters and small poster sets AND workbooks for homonyms, synonyms & antonyms; compound words, nouns, verbs & adverbs, adjectives, collective nouns ,prefixes & suffixes, idioms, and similes.

I love the colorful, kid-friendly illustrations and kid-friendly language.

Check out these workbooks... I LOVE them.  They really make kids think, make connections to their learning, and apply their learning.  Did I mention I LOVE them?

They also sent me printouts of all of the ways these materials are CCSS aligned... look how thick this folder of Common Core goodness is...

I already have some of their products and love these grammar posters...  You can click the pic to see how I used them in my classroom.

They have also just launched a new line of classroom decor that is too stinkin' cute!  I love these happy birds!

But wait, it gets better.

Barker Creek Publishing is going to GIVE, yes GIVE, one lucky winner the entire set of "Reading FUNdamentals books and posters".  It's over a $150.00 value, so we are talking about a major prize here, friends.  Each component of the kit is also available separately if you'd like just the books or posters.  Here is the link to their GRAMMAR PAGE where you can find each part of this kit, plus lots more affordable goodies!!!

You can enter on the Rafflecopter widget below and I'll announce the winner on FRIDAY!

Click the picture to learn more about this amazing pack!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday Made-It: Don't Break the Ice... Classroom Edition! and a Few Re-Mades!

We had a board game day on the last day of school.  We played Dogopoly, Operation, Sorry, Battleship, and loads more.

One of my sweeties brought in the old game "Don't Break the Ice" and it was the hit of our 3rd grade classroom!  Everyone wanted to play... there was seriously a line to play this game.

It got me thinking about how I could use it in my classroom and this was born...

Don't Break the Ice: Classroom Edition!

You need... 1 "Don't Break the Ice" game, mailing labels, and Modge Podge.  I printed the numbers 1-20 (for our number of spelling words) on clear mailing labels as well as 4 "You Choose".

I printed two numbers per label and then cut them to be about 1"x1".  Then stuck and Modge Podged them on to the ice blocks.

You have to be careful because, the first one I did, I put too much Modge Podge on and the ink smeared off.

Then, I let them dry and... voila!

There are 32 ice block (I think!) and I put something on 24 of them.  So, it's an instant, fun word work activity.

I'm going to have it be independent, just because I don't allow kids to do word work together (Do you?  Should I change that?!).  The student will set up the game, use the mallet to hit out blocks of ice, and must look at their spelling list and spell whichever spelling word number matches the number on the block or blocks that fall.  "You Choose!" means the student can choose any word that is tricky to spell.

I'm thinking this would be great for math facts, sight words, vocabulary, put pictures on there and student identify beginning/middle/ending sounds or syllables or identify sounds, put prefixes and suffixes on and have students give words containing those prefixes and suffixes... so many things!

Here are some other things I've (re)made this week... four of my math centers got a graphics/font/and Common Core overhaul!

A few files have gotten Common Core Alignment Updates and some major updating of fonts, graphics, etc... These make me miss teaching math!  They're so fun! If you've purchased any of these, please re-download!  The tally one got TWO new activities including a classroom hunt!

Number Sense Math Workstation pack on TpT

2-D Shapes Math Workstation pack on TpT

Telling Time Math Workstation pack on TpT

Totally Tally Marks Math Workstation pack on TpT

You can click the Monday Made-It pic up above to check out what everyone else is doing too!

And... a newbie!

I just finished a CCSS aligned narrative writing pack!  We used these ideas when we did narratives in the spring and now I can finally share it with you too!

Narratives are Sweet! on TpT

Phew!  Another giveaway is coming tomorrow!

I got this box in the mail from my friends at Barker Creek Publishing and I'm going to show you what's inside AND let you win one too... starting tomorrow!  If you are an ELA geek like me, you're gonna want to see what's in there!

 

HUGE Giveaway Winners & Freebie Re-do!

Oh my gosh, ya'll!  Thank you so much for making my 2 year blog-a-versary giveaway such a success!

A huge thank you to my talented bloggy friends for donating products and to everyone who entered!

So, let me just get to it...

You can check the Rafflecopter widgets if you want to, but I'm going to make it easy and put the winners here on this nifty little graphic...

Yay!

I will be forwarding the winners' info along to everyone who participated so you can receive your goodies... so be checking your inbox if you're a winner!

3-5 winner... you get a bonus prize!  Somehow I forgot to add in Leanne Baur to the prize pack!  Please check out her blog and TpT store.  The 3-5 winner gets a winner's choice from Leanne's TpT store!  Woot woot!

Here's the good news!  If you entered to win one of the 2 $25.00 gift certificates from MpM School Supplies and didn't win... MpM has generously offered all of my blog readers 10% off for ONE WEEK starting... NOW!  If you were a gift certificate winner, you can use the following link when you use your gift card, so here's the link... just click the picture.

You have to use that specific link to get the 10% off, and it's valid for one week.  I ordered with them last summer and had a great experience and was so thrilled when they offered to do the giveaway with me!  So, show them some love!

Second... freebie re-do!

During the giveaway, I surpassed 3,000 blog followers!  I wanted to celebrate the milestone, so I made this...

and you can get it to use in your classroom in the fall!  It's free on TpT!

Did you link up to my Fabulous Feedback linky yet?  Did you check out all the links to see if you are a winner?

On more thing!  One of my items is a "Deal of the Day" at Teacher's Notebook, so you can get it for 40% off!!!!  Click the pic to grab this 2nd grade CCSS ELA 100 Days to Success for 40% off!

Fabulous Feedback Linky Party

Happy Friday!

A little while back, I did a Fabulous Feedback linky party and it was a big success so I'm bringing it back on the 2nd Friday of each month.

The rules for this linky are simple:

1.)  Go to your TpT store and find some feedback (on one or two items max!) that was meaningful to you- something that made you smile, or really gave you some good insight into how your product was or will be used.
2.)  Blog about that great feedback, giving the username of the person who left it.  Please do not just link up to products.  Any links to products will be deleted.
3.)  Invite that person to contact you to receive a similar product for free from your store!
4.)  Snag the button below and link up with me so everyone can see the great feedback you got and find out if they are the winner! 

So...

First up...

Find this on TpT... it's in my blog store too... use the code CELEBRATE to get 20% off at checkout!

krcayer bought my 100 Days to CCSS Success 2nd grade ELA edition and left great feedback... the "genius" part had me blushing a bit, I wont' lie... I am really proud of these CCSS ELA review packs, so that feedback really meant a lot to know that the pack is well received!  Thank you so much, krcayer!

And second,

 Find this on TpT... or my blog shop!  Use CELEBRATE at checkout to get 20% off!

Sweetsara7 is a loyal buyer at my store, which I so appreciate!  I fell in love with these graphics in my Periods, Exclamation Points, and Question Marks... Oh My hallway hunt the moment I saw them, so it made me so happy to see that she loved them too!  I love these class/hallway hunts and love hearing the feedback that other students are enjoying them too!

So, krcayer and Sweetsara7... you can e-mail me at christina4062@hotmail.com and I will send you a similarly priced item from my shop for free!

Wondering what makes good feedback?

Click on the image below to check out a post I did a while back about leaving good feedback on TpT for purchases AND on freebies- which are often neglected when it comes to feedback!

And last... don't forget about my big blog-a-versary celebration!

It's going on until tomorrow and you can click the picture below to enter!

You can link up with feedback below... thanks so much for celebrating awesome feedback with me!

Something Amazing Happened... There's Something For YOU!

Yay!  During this huge giveaway something amazing happened... I surpassed 3,000 blog followers!  Thank you so much for checking out my blog, commenting, and making the bloggy community great!

I have a fun freebie that is just posted to TpT to celebrate...  I hope you'll check it out (and leave feedback too!)  Just click the pic!  And check out "Freebie Friday" for more great goodies!

And I listed a new product yesterday that is half off for a few more hours tonight!  Click the pic if you want to check it out!