Monday, December 28, 2015

Ring in the New Year with Deals, FREEBIES and Giveaways!

We have joined up with 35 awesome teachers to help y'all ring in the New Year with some great deals and Giveaways!
Read about all the upcoming fun!
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Rock-the-New-Year-Promotional-Freebie-2272900
Be sure to enter to win a chance for a $50 TPT gift card!


We are also giving away $10 credit to our store and we have some fun products for your kiddos to use as they learn!


Check back each day to see what our deal is or download the promotional FREEBIE to watch for what is coming!

This calendar introduces a January word each day. There is also a black and white cut and paste calendar for the students and a teacher guide for the group calendar and student calendar! There is also 2 Teacher Guides!
Click on picture below to see more!


"What a great way to learn new words! This is a great addition to my room. I like how the kids also have a worksheet at the end for accountability on knowing the word of the day." was said about this 
product:)
Also, this was said:
"Cute graphics - excellent choice of words! This will be used for sentence writing, definition search, matching - lots of vocab activities!"

Here are a few writing samples from my kiddos from last January. The calendar words helped them to stay on topic!




Wednesday's Deal is Half Price Day!
We are offering our popular Money Unit. Click on the picture below to see more or purchase:



"Lots of practice activities that make learning about money meaningful!" was said about this unit
Also:
"Fabulous bundle and wonderful value! Love the variety of activities and the song!"


81 pages of fun games and activities!
I use these coin books in a math center with coin manipulatives. My kiddos love to match the coins to pictures in the books.

We also left the January Calendar on sale for $2 through New Years!
Check for all the 50% Bundles here:


Remember to enter to win a chance at a $50 TPT gift card:)


Well, we have had so much fun with y'all this week! We hope you have enjoyed it as well! We are ending this rocking week with a FREEBIE that goes with the words from our January Calendar, which is still on sale for $2 for those who missed it. Y'all can also grab the money bundle for $5!
And we have put our entire store on SALE for 20% off!
Click on picture below to see all the fun products that we offer to make learning fun! If you need something specific, like "Word of the Day" just click on the categories on the left side of our store:)



Click on the picture to grab for FREE! We hope that y'all will check out all the word of the day products that go with these words while they are on sale!

Grab more FREEBIES from my rocking friends at:


Happy New Year!

Friday, December 4, 2015

12 Days of Learning is BACK!

Hello teacher friends and parent-teacher friends!

We are pleased to announce the triumphant return of the 12 Days of Learning!!



Each day we will be offering a new deal right here on our blog.  We will only be announcing it here so you will get EXCLUSIVE access if you follow us on Bloglovin'.  Each day you will have a new present to click on and open.  That present will either lead to a FREEBIE or a deeply discounted product :D.  Enter our giveaway to win a $100 shopping spree to our store!

On the first day of learning S.O.L. Train gave to me...

Click the box to find your gift!  

On the second day of learning S.O.L. Train gave to me...
Click the box to find your gift!  Here's a clue, it will get your kids moving... and you can use them as a center.  This is just one of many:)


On the third day of Learning, S.O.L. Train gave to me...
Click to see your surprise!  Hint, it will give you a glimpse at other cultures...here's a peek







On the fourth day of Learning, S.O.L. Train gave to me...

Click to see what's inside, Hint: it's a holiday that's very near...Here's a peek:


On the fifth day of Learning, S.O.L. Train gave to me...

Click to see your goodies, Hint: this will save you a bundle...here's a peek:




On the sixth day of Learning, S.O.L. Train gave to me...

Click to open your gift, Hint: your kiddos will bounce over it...
Pam's students love playing this game! She has also used the cards in a center as well as read around the room cards.


 Sometimes I like to tape the task cards around the room for my students to complete.  

Here are just a few samples! Read all the comments on our Candy Brain Bounce:



On the seventh day of Learning, S.O.L. Train gave to me...
Click to open your surprise, Hint, it's very Presidential...

On the eighth day of Learning, S.O.L. Train gave to me...

Click to see your gift, Hint: it will make your bookworms very happy...here's a peek!

This is our brand new ELA book on Christmas in color and black and white. Get it today for $1.20!





This book is in our Community Helpers Unit which was also featured in the TPT newsletter:)
The unit is on sale today!

 This book is in our Plants Unit which is also on sale today!

On the ninth day of Learning, S.O.L. Train gave to me...
Click to open your special gift, Hint, it will enhance your students' vocabulary...

Here is just a sample of all the Word of the Day resources y'all can get for 50% off!



These are a few samples of the writing my kiddos did about Hanukkah using our December calendar words. I have found that my kiddos stay on topic using these words!  The calendar bundle with all 12 calendars are 50% off or you can buy them separately.



This is a few pictures of our newest sight word pack that incorporates our December Calendar words of the day as well as the 4th Fry list of sight words. This pack has 5 holiday poems, pocket chart cards, no prep sheets and a cute Christmas tree/present center.
First, I introduce the poem and let my kiddos build the poem in the pocket  chart.

 Then they can use the poem to fill out the fill in the blank sheet. They can sit on the floor in front of the poem with a clipboard or use the copy you give them for their poetry folders.

Then they can build the sight words at a center. My kiddos love this! I am going to use all 25 cards for a center for my Christmas party. 


On the tenth day of Learning, S.O.L. Train gave to me...

Click to see what's inside, Hint, it's the cutest mouse you will ever see...



On the eleventh day of Learning, S.O.L. Train gave to me...

Last day before the big surprise, hint: it's more than fun and games...
Here are some samples of the games we have for 50% off just today on the 11th Day of Learning! Pam has been playing these games for the last week before the winter break and it has kept her kiddos busy while having fun and learning:)
There are over 80 games to choose from! 


On the TWELFTH day of Learning, S.O.L. Train gave to me...

Click to open your last gift this holiday, Hint: you can have it ALL...
This made a great center during our party today! My kiddos could do it without assistance and I could focus on the other centers where they needed me:) Y'all can get this sight word pack on SALE as well as our entire store Dec. 18-20.  Just click on the picture below to see more!

I also had this Holidays Around the World Concentration game for them to do today.

I needed to help out with this fun center so the other centers worked out great so I could do this fun little village. So, next year I will remember to ask for white icing as well:)



We also have our popular game on SALE for a $1 as well as 9 other items for a limited time! -Just click on the picture below to see more!  



This was another center we did- a concentration game about the holidays around the world, and it was great the way the kiddos ran up to me and said,"Look Mrs. Beckner, it is Las Posadas or here is menorah. That is what we studied!" Yay! They listened! I was fortunate enough to have parent helpers at my centers, so if y'all can get help-it works well for centers!

We also did these cute little ornaments as a center. I got the kits at Michaels for 60% off!

I also wanted to share what I did for gifts for my kiddos this year because if y'all are like me, you are always looking for ideas for your students that don't cost a lot of money. I started out the morning of our last day with these puzzles from Walmart. I told the students that this was their first gift, and they would get the rest later in the day.  You get 6 in a pack for a couple of bucks. The students loved them and it kept them busy for a little while. I also loved how they helped each other.


After lunch, I gave them the snowman mechanical pencils. They squealed with excitement! They are pretty cool because they pull apart. Then, I told them they needed something to write on and gave them the pads. They started clapping. Then, I told them they needed a Christmas stencil to use and they started yelling "yay" and clapping. Some of my students said that I was the best teacher in the world and started thanking me!  I got the stencils at Walmart for 6 for $1! They started drawing and were very engaged for about 20 minutes before I stopped them. I gave them a bag and they put everything in it and I topped it with a candy cane. They got so excited and I didn't have to wrap anything! I ordered the pads and pencils from Amazon Prime-Easy Peasy:)
You could also use this idea as a center. I may do that next year.

I would love to hear some of your ideas for students for gifts or fun party ideas! Please share!


We hope that y'all enjoyed our 12 Days of Learning! We would love to hear what you liked and what else y'all would like to see next year:)
 Merry Christmas and a Happy Deserved Break!


Updates to come on FB and Twitter!! , and don't forget the giveaway below!


Monday, November 30, 2015

Word of the Day Holidays Around the World and a FREE song:)



We wanted to take this opportunity to share a little bit about our Word of the Day resources.  These resources are a great way for your kids to learn important, relevant, seasonally appropriate vocabulary for each month.  December is a perfect month to give this great program a try as it is solely focused on holidays around the world.  You can get it today and tomorrow on sale here!  We will be focusing on a different holiday each week in this blog post, so be sure and check back for updates.

Hanukkah

Since it is the beginning of December, this is the best time to introduce you to the center of our Word of the Day resources, our Word of the Day Calendar.


These calendars are an awesome resource because they provide a word of the day, interactive student calendars, and a daily math pattern.  Days 3-9 are all about Hanukkah.  





You can  purchase our book about Hanukkah now on sale during the Cyber Smile Sale! This book comes in color and black and white for the kiddos to highlight the holiday words. There is also an acappella  recording of the song.   We will be releasing more holiday books this week so stay tuned. 
For your students:  Hanukkah is a holiday celebrated by the Jewish faith.  It celebrates a time in Jewish history when the Maccabees were at war and their oil was only supposed to last 3 nights.  Instead it lasted 8 and that is why the Jews light 8 candles on a menorah each year at Hanukkah.  They exchange gifts each night, celebrating with latkes, a dreidle game, and family time.  Children win gelt through playing dreidle or will sometimes receive it as a gift from relatives.
Here's a fun, easy, process-based menorah craftivity for your kiddos:
I drew a menorah on the board for the students to copy on their green construction paper.
Then they glued popsicle sticks for the candles.
Next I put glue on each stick and they sprinkled glitter on them for flames. They loved this part:)

For more details, check out our Holiday Fun post

See some other fun ideas for Hanukkah below:


St. Lucia's Day

Another great word of the day product is our concentration game.  A fun, inexpensive way for your kiddos to learn more about holidays around the world.  Click here to buy it now!


For your students: St. Lucia's Day is on December 13 and celebrates Saint Lucy, the patron saint of Sweden.  The girls all dress in white and wear wreaths with candles in them.  They serve cookies and other treats to their families.  One traditional treat for St. Lucia's day is saffron bread.  Boys wear white hats with stars that are appropriately named "starboy hats."  This holiday is meant to bring light in the darkest time of the year.

See this holiday blog feature Pam did in her classroom.  It includes a snippet about St. Lucia's Day.

Here are some more ideas for St. Lucia's Day:




We wanted to take this opportunity to share a little bit about our Word of the Day resources.  These resources are a great way for your kids to learn important, relevant, seasonally appropriate vocabulary for each month.  December is a perfect month to give this great program a try as it is solely focused on holidays around the world.   

Hanukkah

The first resource we want to introduce you to is our Word of the Day calendar.


These calendars are an awesome resource because they provide a word of the day, interactive student calendars, and a daily math pattern.  Days 3-9 are all about Hanukkah.  





You can  purchase our book about Hanukkah or the growing bundle with all 5 holidays!  This book comes in color and black and white for the kiddos to highlight the holiday words. There is also an acappella  recording of the song.   We will be releasing more holiday books this week so stay tuned. 
For your students:  Hanukkah is a holiday celebrated by the Jewish faith.  It celebrates a time in Jewish history when the Maccabees were at war and their oil was only supposed to last 3 nights.  Instead it lasted 8 and that is why the Jews light 8 candles on a menorah each year at Hanukkah.  They exchange gifts each night, celebrating with latkes, a dreidle game, and family time.  Children win gelt through playing dreidle or will sometimes receive it as a gift from relatives.
Here's a fun, easy, process-based menorah craftivity for your kiddos:


I drew a menorah on the board for the students to copy on their green construction paper.
Then they glued popsicle sticks for the candles.


Next I put glue on each stick and they sprinkled glitter on them for flames. They loved this part:)





See some other fun ideas for Hanukkah below:

St. Lucia's Day
Another great word of the day product is our concentration game.  A fun, inexpensive way for your kiddos to learn more about holidays around the world.  Click here to buy it now!  We have lots more great resources for holidays around the world that you can check out here


For your students: St. Lucia's Day is on December 13 and celebrates Saint Lucy, the patron saint of Sweden.  The girls all dress in white and wear wreaths with candles in them.  They serve cookies and other treats to their families.  One traditional treat for St. Lucia's day is saffron bread.  Boys wear white hats with stars that are appropriately named "starboy hats."  This holiday is meant to bring light in the darkest time of the year.


Below are a few pictures of the St. Lucia wreaths and starboy attire Pam does in her classroom:



Here are some more ideas for St. Lucia's Day:

Las Posadas

Las Posadas is a holiday that started in Mexico.  It is now celebrated in Mexico, Guatemala, and a few other South American countries.  The celebration is a time to remember the birth of Jesus and the journey Joseph and Mary took to find a place to give birth.  In spanish, "Las Posadas," means "the inns," which didn't have room for Joseph, Mary and Baby Jesus.  This holiday is celebrated from December 16-24 with parades, piñatas, and other festivities.  Each night a child dresses as an angel and leads the parade through town.  They stop at each house and are refused lodging until they reach the end of the procession.  The poinsettia is a flower used for decoration during Las Posadas.

Here are some ideas for Las Posadas:

Christmas

Christmas is a holiday celebrated around the world in many different ways.  It began as a way to remember the birth of baby Jesus and grew into many different traditions.  Many families have a Christmas tree that they decorate with ornaments.  Kids hang stockings for Santa to fill and he leaves presents under the tree.  Families also give presents this time of year.  Lots of people like to eat candy canes and bake cookies for Santa.

Here are some pictures of activities Pam has done in her classroom:




Here's a summary of our Sugar Cone Christmas Trees:
We had so much fun decorating sugar cones to look like Christmas trees.  You just color white can frosting with green food coloring and frost a sugar cone.   The students also created a snow village on the plate.  We used powdered sugar for snow.

  
These are just a couple examples of the finished products.  This is so much easier than the gingerbread houses! You can use teddy grahams or gummy bears as villagers.  You can also make candy sleds to go on the plate and marshmallow snowmen!



Here are some other Christmas ideas:

St. Nicholas Day

Christmas in Other Countries

Candy Cane Hunt

Christmas STEM



Kwanzaa


Kwanzaa is a holiday celebrated by African-Americans around the world.  Families celebrate from December 26-January 1 and they focus on seven principles: umoja(unity), kuji-chagulia(self-determination or working hard), ujima(working together and being responsible), nia(purpose), kuumba(creativity), imani(faith).  Families have a kinara with 3 green candles, 3 red candles, and 1 black candle.  All gifts are handmade to symbolize the labor of the parents.



Here are some Kwanzaa ideas:

Have your kids pair up and make gifts for one another.  This is a nice way to celebrate unity.

Umoja or unity chain

Video about Kwanzaa

Lots of great Kwanzaa crafts



As a bonus, we also have a Holidays Around the World poem freebie for you.  Hope your kiddos enjoy it!







'