Guest Post on Minds in Bloom!

I'm excited to let you know I've been asked to guest post over on Rachel Lynette's Minds in Bloom blog!  I hope you'll hop over there and check out some fun ways to use your bulletin board sets as classroom games!





It's HERE! Summertime, Game Time {WEEK ONE!}


Hi everyone!  Happy Friday and Happy "Summertime, Game Time!"

Today I am releasing the first game in this fun FREE game series!  If you haven't heard, each Friday this summer I am posting a new free game just for you!  All you have to do is head to my TpT store, download your freebie game and see what's inside!  It's a surprise!  You won't know what it is until you "unwrap" it!  It's like Christmas!  How fun is that?

AND, you want to know what's even cooler?  For my blog readers, I have a little extra special something for you.  With each game, my readers will also get an addition freebie that will only be available here on the blog!  I would suggest going to TpT first and getting your game freebie and then coming back to grade the Blog Reader Freebie - it will make more sense :)  Make sure you actually download this little extra so you can get it's full use!

These games are complete free for you and a gift from me to you.  If you love them, I would LOVE for you to share this little summertime series with your friends via social media or even on your own blog.  Above all else, I hope you enjoy them and will find a good use for them in your classroom.


Back to School Center Games Get a Makeover!

Hey ya'll!  I've been working through some of my older products lately and giving them a little update, making them prettier, more professional looking....blah blah blah...in all honesty, every time I get new fonts or clip art, I feel a crazy need to redo EVERYTHING in my TpT store with my current font and clip art faves.  It's a disease really...I just can't stop.  But nonetheless, here is my latest makeover...
This one really did need a new makeover, though, I promise :)  Look how preeeettty it is!  I also have a small obsession right now with all chalk-themed products sooooo...there's that.





Unfortunately, I don't have a colored printer (only B&W images shown above), but all of the centers are full-colored.  There are 5 math centers and 5 literacy centers.  Check out all the details here.

I always would use centers like these (ones that review skills students most likely already have) at the beginning of the year while I  teach my students the routines and procedures about rotating in centers in my classroom.  The skills in these centers are most appropriate for grades 3 and 4 and should be able to be completed by the students with minimal support.

Oh yeah, did you check out these FREE math centers I posted about a little while ago?  You should snag those, too!  They're prefect for teaching about using math manipulatives!

Do you use centers in your classroom?  How often do you change them up?





{Summer Series} Summertime Game Time

You guys.  I've got something exciting to share with you all!  Are you ready?
That's right, you read it correctly.  Each Friday (beginning this Friday) ALL SUMMER LONG a new, FREE game will be posted to my TpT store.  It's like a little present to unwrap each week, and it's not even your birthday!  

How do you participate?  That's easy!  Just make sure you already follow my TpT store and you'll get a notification each week once the game is posted!  Simple as that!

Why?  Because it's summer.  That's Why!  And because you're a teacher who deserves a little something every now and then!

Want to see something specific?  Let me know what skill or topic you'd like to see a game created for, and I just might use your idea :)  Leave me a note in the comments, if you'd like.

Be excited.  Be very excited.






Giveaway Winner Announced!

So....this happened....


It was a glorious weekend.  Beautiful weather, relaxing...ahhhh, hello summertime :)  I hope your weekend was nice as well.

Guess what?  It's time to announce the winner for the 5,000 TpT Followers Celebration Giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congrats Diane B.!  Look for an email in your inbox from me!  Thanks to all who participated!

Have a great start to the week, everyone!





5,000 TpT Follower Celebration Sale!

Hey all!  I have been having such a great time celebrating my 5,000 follower milestone with flash freebies on facebooktwitter  and with the $25 TpT Gift Card to my store giveaway (on this post!).

I'd like to extend the celebration by throwing a sale on all of my classroom theme decor packs (originally $12.99, on sale for $9.99)

Summertime is the perfect time to plan your theme for next year, and my hope is that these decor packs take out all of the "think" work.  Simply print and decorate!  Check out the ten themes that I have available (If you see one you like, simply click on the picture to see all the details at my TpT store)


These are on sale until tomorrow!  Have a great day!





Let the Celebration Begin!

This is pretty exciting stuff!  I have made it to 5,000 TpT followers (to be more accurate, as I write this, it's 5,005!)  That means that all week there's going to be flash freebies on my facebook and twitter pages, special sales, and giveaways!  What do you have to do?  NOTHING!  Just sit back and relax (can I get you anything?)!  It's my way of saying "thanks!" for everyone who follows me on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Wanna Party?  Let's start with a giveaway, shall we:
This $25 dollars would be great to stock up for the beginning of the school year with products like these:


I've got more fun planned for this week, so be sure to check back on the blog often for more details!  And again - don't forget to stay active on facebook and twitter to get in on the flash freebies!

Have a fabulous day!!






5,000 TpT Follower Celebration and a Monster Mash {Make 10} FREEBIE

I'm so excited!  And I just can't hide it...I'm about to loose control and I think I like it :)  {Go ahead, sing along :) }
My little TpT store is about to hit 5,000 followers!  Woot Woot!  It's pretty exciting :)  I started posting products on TpT back in September of 2011 when I just had quit my teaching job, not knowing what it would bring.  Now here I am, almost 4 years later and I can't even being to describe how TpT has changed my life!  Stay tuned for some fun coming up!  If you don't already follow me on TpT, facebook, or twitter, be sure to follow soon so you don't miss out on any of the fun!

In the meantime - here's a quick freebie for you that I put together on this rainy morning here in Rochester, NY :)  
I was looking for an excuse to use these adorable monster clip art graphics that I downloaded for my monster classroom theme I made earlier this month, and this cute game did the trick :)

Click the pic above to download.  Don't need this game now?  No worries, it will always be in my math games archives under "Addition."






Math Centers Updated {FREEBIE!!}

Happy Thursday!  How's the week going?  I've spent some time this week updating some older products and giving them a fresh new look.  The longer I create for TpT, the more I develop as a curriculum writer and designer and sometimes I look back at something I made a few years ago and say "Ew!  I posted that?"

I'm sure two years from now I'll say the same to this product (hehe).  I'm never satisfied.  But here you have it.  My latest update:






And you guys!   This is FREE!  I'm not gonna lie, I can't believe I made these centers free back when I originally posted it.  They aren't sample centers part of a large pack to be purchased.  It isn't just a few pages.  It's a full-out math center pack...for FREE!  What can I say, I was young and in love (with TpT).  And when you're young and in love, you do stupid things :)  Hehe.  At least you'll benefit from my stupidity.

These centers are perfect for the beginning of the school year because they help refresh your students on how to think mathematically.  Hope these centers find their way into your classroom this fall!

Click here to download your FREE math centers!  Did I mention they are free?  They are.






Flag Day and Father's Day!

June 14th this year is both Father's Day AND Flag Day.  As a teacher in NY, I was still pluggin away in the classroom in June.  The days can be long and sticky, that is for sure!

Games were super important at the end of the year to keep the interest of my students!  I created this easy math center game that you can play this week as a way to help celebrate Flag Day!   The game is part of my mini unit on Flag Day. Check it out!


There are 2 sets and 18 cards in each set.  
 And of course a recording sheet for easy assessment!  If you're interested in looking at this mini unit, you can see all the details by clicking one of the pics below.

NOTE:  I just updated it with some super cute clip art, so if you have already purchased it, go to you TpT purchases and redownload for a fresher look!

Also on the 14th is Father's Day.  Now, this isn't a game, but it is a freebie and I thought worth mentioning in case you're still looking for something for your kiddos to do for their dads, uncles, or grandfathers (all three versions provided!):



Hope your week is off to a great start!






Currently June {AND: There's a Monster in my TpT Store!}

Hey everyone!  We're half-way through the week!  Of course, if you're already on summer vacay then you probably don't even know what day it is, carry on.... :)

I'm linking up with Farley at "Oh Boy 4th Grade" for her monthly Currently Linky.  Check out my life as of lately:

Listening:  Clara, my daughter, loves to "talk" and "sing" and even though she can only say daddy and bubble, that doesn't stop her from letting her voice be heard.  It's pretty adorable!
{Memorial Day 2015}

Loving:  In the summertime I like to work on some less time consuming and mind consuming projects, like my classroom theme decor packs.  Over the past few years, I've made 10 of them and I just completed my monster pack and I LOVE the way it turned out.  Check it out:


Thinking:  I'm on a roll and would love to create more themes.  Which themes are popular out there right now?  I'm thinking about just making a generic bright colored theme pack so that anyone can use it, even if they don't have a big theme like monsters.

Wanting:  A VACATION!  Yes, please!  It's been a while since we've gone away, so I'm really looking forward to heading to the Adirondacks with some friends next month.

Needing:  I just wanna be able to (for just one day every now and then) work on *MY* schedule and not nap schedules.  I want to go to the grocery store BY MYSELF.  I want to go to the gym BY MYSELF without having to stop at the child care first.  I want TWO HANDS all to myself :)  Is that too much to ask for one day.

Summer Lovin':  I already mentioned heading to the Adirondacks next month.  I also am looking foward to warm nights sitting on the deck with a glass of wine.  We also live close to Lake Ontario where there are couple nice beaches.  I'm looking forward to taking the little one to play in the sand and water :)

Hope your June is off to a good start!  Link up with Farley, if you'd like :)