Christmas Craziness!

Hello everyone!  It's been a while since I have written a blog post, as Facebook keeps reminding me.  I'm sure that everyone else out there is just as busy as I have been the past few weeks.   How many school days do y'all have left?  I have 5 more...but I've heard that some of you are teaching all the way up to the 23rd!  

As I've told y'all before, I LOVE Christmas.  No, that's not accurate.  I LOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVE Christmas!  I had my tree, door, and decorations up before the Thanksgiving break.  We've just been adding to them since Thanksgiving.  Here's what we have been up to, when we find the time to squeeze some fun in:

First up, my initial ornaments (on the left in the picture).  Each child has the first letter of their name hanging on our tree, with their name painted on it.  I do these 100% myself, although you could let your students paint the letters and write their names themselves.  This is one of my gifts to my students. 

On the right are our snowman ornaments.  I got this idea from A Cupcake for the Teacher a few years ago.  Click here to see how she makes her snowmen ornaments.  I promise- it's super easy.  I pre-stuff the plastic ornaments myself and let the kids draw the faces with Sharpie paint pens, but  Teri turns it into a class project.  

This is the first year that I have made this candy cane ornament.  These precious candy canes feature each child's name.  This was so easy for my little ones to do, plus it was a great fine motor activity!  I found the letter beads at Michael's.  One pack was enough for my small class, but I suggest getting 2 packs of letter beads because there weren't too many vowels!

We just painted these yesterday- Reindeer Thumbprint ornaments.  Each child made several thumbprints on their ornament.  When the paint was dry, I took some Sharpie paint pens and drew on the reindeer faces.  So cute and so easy!

Last, but not least, we have Scrapbook Paper Christmas trees.  I pre-cut the pieces and allowed the kids to arrange them from longest to shortest.  Perfect for finishing up our measurement unit.

Christmas time is fun, but usually it falls at a time when you are trying to assess students for report cards, end-of-semester testing, or even benchmark testing.  So sometimes you need something fun yet educational for the kids to do.  I just added this product to my store (click on the picture to be taken to my store):

It's a great way for students to review counting and number sense skills.  Last week, I attended a conference for two and a half days, and I left these as sub work.  So I know my kids were engaged while reviewing and practicing number sense skills.  It's a quick way to see who's got it, and who needs some extra help.

As for the conference, it was AMAZING!  I attended the Louisiana Computer Using Educators (LACUE) Conference to learn about the latest and greatest technology applications for the classroom.  If someone ever says to you, "Would you like to go to LACUE?"  Don't even think about it...just say YES!!!  While at the conference, I was recognized as LACUE's Region 4 Early Childhood Teacher of the Year.  What a wonderful honor and a great way to start a fantastic conference!

Hang in there y'all!  Christmas/ Winter Break is coming soon!

Happy Shopping (and a Freebie)!

Just a little heads up....I LOOOOOOVE Christmas!  I had my door up on the Thursday before Thanksgiving break.

The little sign says "Do NOT feed the reindeer!"  However, two little hooves are strategically placed to cover up the NOT.  I wonder how that happened...

I also confess that I love Cyber Monday shopping!  I love snagging a good deal!  TpT is hosting its annual Cyber Monday sale on Monday, November 28th and Tuesday, November 29th!  I've already got my cart filled, and I am just waiting to push BUY!  My entire store will be 20% off!  To celebrate my first sale as a seller, I've put together a little freebie for you.

This is a fun activity that I have done with my students for years. I finally had the time to give it a little polish and post it.  Just to let you know- this activity will take at least 30 minutes or more to do.  So put on some Christmas music (The Charlie Brown Christmas Soundtrack is my FAVORITE!) and let your kiddos get to work!  

Here's how it works:

1) Choose your activity- numbers or letters.  Here's your options: numbers (1-10, 11-20, or 1-20) or letters (A-Z). Each set comes with lined pages (which are easier to cut for little ones) and unlined pages (which will take MUCH longer for kids to cut). Make copies of each sheet for your students.

2) Make your trees.  If you are doing numbers 1-10 or  11-20, you can use the tree template that I have provided.  If you are doing numbers 1-20 or letters, I suggest making your own trees out of legal-sized construction paper or bulletin board paper.

3) Your students color, cut, and glue the lights in numerical or alphabetical order, starting at the top of the tree.  

So much fun!  Hope that you enjoy!  Click on the Christmas Lights cover to download it in my store.

I'll be back next week with more Christmas and holiday fun from my classroom. 

Thankful for New Adventures

Hello everyone!  Welcome to my brand-new blog, Kindergarten by Katie, where I hope to share my teaching adventures.  First of all, a HUGE thank you to Shanon over at Blogs Fit for a Queen (click here to visit) for my GORGEOUS blog design and logo!  I just love the design- it is so me!

So anyway, here's a little bit about me.  My name is Katie and I teach Kindergarten.  I have been teaching Kindergarten for 16 years now.  My heart belongs to my little ones and it's truly where I belong!  Below is a pic of my beautiful classroom...I apologize for the bad lighting.  No filters could help this photo!  But hopefully I can take better photos soon.

Away from the classroom, I am a wife and mom to three very big and very hairy children.  My hubby and I love big dogs...the bigger, the better.  When I met my hubby, he had just rescued two labs, and we still have one of them.  This is Humphrey.  He's 15, blind, and has 3 legs.  He is the world's best listener, study buddy, and the KING at our house.  He may be blind, but he sure knows when I'm cooking something yummy! (PS- I LOOOOVE to cook!)

Next is the diva.  Her name is Stella.  She is 11 and she made me believe in love at first sight.  She loves to sun herself and MUST be tucked in at bedtime.

Last, but certainly not least, is the baby of the family.  Gunner is 3 and is the life of the party.  He does not meet a stranger and loves everyone.  He has a very outgoing personality and LOVES to play.  He also loves to go for long walks with me. 

So, back to teaching. I have been creating my own resources for almost two years now, and I have finally opened a Teachers Pay Teachers store with LOTS of help from Shanon.  (Thank you!  You are awesome!)  You can click here to visit.  I only have a few items in it so far, but hope to add to it.  I am working on a new little item that I hope to post tomorrow.

Update- I just posted this! Click on the picture to see it in my store!

If you're still reading, THANK YOU!  Please leave me a comment and tell me how you found me!  Let me know what you'd like to see from me on this blog!