Free First Day of School Signs!

First Day of School Signs

The first day of school is coming up fast for many of us. 

If you're looking for some cute signs for those

back-to-school pictures, here are some FREE signs.

Grades Pre-K through 12th
2 designs- polka dot and chevron

It's July! Time For Winning at Planning

I had every intention of beginning my planning long before this day, but as many of you can relate, life got in the way. If you've been with me for any length of time, you know that I am a planner. Flying by the seat of my pants is not the way I roll, so bare with me as I obsess about planning! After 30-something years (like how I skirted around an exact #), I have come to terms with my obsession. 

So, let the games begin! I have most of our curriculum picked out and purchased. As always, I am prepared to sideline anything that doesn't work and go on a hunt for a replacement.

Last year, I had a blog series called Winning at Planning. I have revamped the entire series to match up with my B.Y.O.B Build Your Own Binder Homeschool pages. I truly hope that this series continues to bless you and help you navigate your way through the early days of homeschool planning.

Time To Multiply!

I couldn't wait to show these to y'all so I am posting another "new item".
Both of my kids are still mastering their multiplication tables so I knew I had to come with something fun. I found these cute watch bands at Scrappin Doodles.

So, it is TIME to learn our TIMES tables.

There are bracelets, which are just the bands. There is a set with answers and one without.

Then, there are watches, with a square watch face. These also come with and without answers. Also, there are two styles of band. One with a zig zag pattern and the other with polka dots.

Multiplication tables 1-12 are included.

Teachers Notebook
Teachers Pay Teachers

And if you're one of the FIRST 5 followers to post WITH an email address, you get a FREE copy.

The Doctor Is In!

The Doctor Is In

Where are the weeks going? How in the world is is almost March? As you may know, March 2 is Dr. You-Know-Who-Day. While we have ALL been banned from using his name or the cute graphics many have made in his honor, we can still find a way to make things for this special day. Last year, I created a unit with some darling graphics but I had to re-vamp them for this year to make them "copyright friendly".

Included in this set:
-March Calendar Header and Date Cards
-20 Least to Greatest Cards with 2 student sheets & key
-15 ABC Order Cards with student sheet and key
-My Foot measuring sheet to be used with linking cubes
-I Do Not Like- students draw a picture and write about what they don't like to eat
-Venn Diagram- red fish, blue fish, red AND blue fish

This set is available in both my Teachers Notebook and Teachers Pay Teachers stores.

Or you could be one of the lucky 5!

President's Day Freebie

Just in time for President's Day! 

This center is short & sweet but very educational. 

Students put 5 Presidents' names in alphabetical order.

8 cards

1 student sheet

DOWNLOAD FREE

TpT

Teachers Notebook

Word Family Kit 5!

Kit 5 is DONE! Kit 5 is DONE!

Do you know what that means? It means the Word Family Kits are done! In the bag. Finished! Yippee!

Kit 5 includes:
UG
UN
UB
UT
UP

It also means that it is time to GIVE AWAY 5 freebies!

Fun Valentine's Centers

I had a few people ask about what I had available for Valentine's Day next week.
Here's a recap of the Valentine's Centers:

Valentine's Sentence Builders
TpT  or TN

On a Roll 

TpT or TN

Valentine's Centers
TpT or TN

Math Cubes
TpT or TN

Blends & Digraphs

Do your kids love cards as much as mine? My 4 year old loves to spread these cards out on the floor and go to town. It's quite a sight. I will have to post a picture of that sometime soon.

In the meantime, I want to share with you what I just finished....Blends & Digraph Word Cards!

There are 100 cards (2 per page, 4 per blend/digraph). This set also comes with the letter tiles- like "gr" on one tile.

Teachers Notebook

Teachers Pay Teachers

Now the BEST part.....FIRST 5 FREE!

Word Family Set 4!

Set 4 is done! I am super excited!

This set covers:
-OX
-OT
-OP
-OG
-OB

This is the FOURTH set in a series of Word Family Sets.
Set 1- A word families
Set 2- I word families
Set 3- E word families
Set 4- O word families
Set 5- U word families- coming soon!

TEACHERS NOTEBOOK
TEACHERS PAY TEACHERS

First 5 Free!

I am going to send out all files tomorrow morning from this and all of this week's new products.

CVCC & CCVC Cards

CVCC and CCVC Word Cards

I am on a roll with getting things checked off my list. Woo hoo!

I had a teacher ask for some more cards like the ones in my Word Family Kits. So, here it is!

 84  cards
CVCC & CCVC

and letter tiles

Laminate these and use them for teaching vowels, blends, digraphs and more.

Teachers Notebook

Teachers Pay Teachers

And of course....

What is First 5 Free?

The first five followers to comment with an email address will get the item FREE!

Not a follower? Join now and never miss out on a freebie.

When Dad's Away

Having Fun While Dad's Away

Whenever my husband travels for work I find myself dreading the evenings. Of course, during the day life moves along at its normal pace and we can pretend he's just at work. But as the dinner hour approaches, I'm sadly reminded that there will be an empty seat at the table. If you stay home with your kids alone for any length of time, you understand how welcomed it is to have an extra set of eyes and ears as well as refreshed sense of patience. So this time, I made a plan to come up with some fun evening activities to fill the time and make some memories. The plan is to make activities that are fun, don't cost a lot and don't require too much prep or planning.

Night #1: Brinner

 Breakfast for Dinner!

Brinner- placemat

This placemat keeps them busy while you cook. I figured, hey, it works for restaurants,

 it might work at home too.

Attire- pajamas and robes

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Night #2: Tycoon Night

Dress up fancy

Play Monopoly
Sip on mocktails- cranberry juice and sparkling soda

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Night #3: Worst Outfit Photo Contest

Dress up in the most outrageous outfit you can piece together and have a photo shoot.

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Night #4: Living Room Picnic

Picnic dinner on living room floor while we watch Antz or Bugs Life
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Night #5: All About Dad

{download}

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Night #6

Where did he go? 

Learn about where Dad went on his trip.

Try some food from that location.
My husband went to India, so me and the kids found an Indian restaurant.

We also learned a little bit about India.

The time didn't pass any faster but I think we made some memories and it will make for fun stories to tell Daddy whenever he gets home. 

I "Heart" You!

Valentine's Centers

I promise that I am feeding my children and keeping up with laundry. It's just that my lovely husband is out of town, so I am filling some of the time with creating some new things. This set is from last year but I updated a few things, so it's kind of new, right?

I am a little behind with sending out the freebies from my last posting. These files are big and it's taking some time to get them out. But, they are coming.

In the meantime, I wanted to offer this set to anyone. It's listed in my store for $5, which is a great deal for 8 centers!

But for my ALL loyal followers, you can have it for FREE!

This is my little way of saying I HEART YOU!

You know the drill- leave a comment with your email address. I will email you the link to the freebie.

Everyone is a winner!

New! Word Family Kit 3

Word Family Kit 3

I had several requests for this kit and it is finally done! I have a list of things to make and I am so happy to get to check this one off. 

I use Hooked On Phonics with my 4 year old and these kits follow right along with it. It's great because there's something extra to do after she's done reading the HOP books. 

Other kits available:
Kit 1

Kit 2

As with all NEW items, 

this is free to the first 5 followers 

who post a comment with an email.

(this will come emailed as a zip file)

It's SNOW Much Fun

SNOW MUCH FUN

Teachers Notebook
TeachersPayTeachers

Can you tell I have had a little free time lately? 

The kids are happy playing with their Christmas goodies, so I have been

busy creating new items.

This latest one has some things I made last year but re-vamped and made better and cuter.
Then, there are some new things like a few sight word coloring sheets

 and my Penguin and Snowman Sentence Builders, which have been very popular.

Some of the skills covered:
adding, telling time, least-greatest, expanded form, fact families, skip counting, 

sight words, sentence building, making words and labeling

I am looking for 5 people who would like to give this a try. 

As always, the first 5 comments with an email
will get it FREE.

Valentine's Math Cubes

Valentine's Math Cubes
Teachers Pay Teachers
Teachers Notebook

This set includes everything you need to set up a fun math center to practice
addition

subtraction

counting forwards and backwards

making 10

even or odd

1 less, 1 more

10 less, 10 more

and

greater than, less than

This is NEW, so the first 5 followers who leave a comment (with email) will get a free copy.

Also- don't forget to enter the BEST OF 2012 TEACHER GIVEAWAY!

Playful Learning Book Study- COMING SOON!

Get ready for our first BOOK STUDY! 

If you are looking for new ideas and fresh inspiration for hands-on learning, then you will

want to join in. 

We will be working our way through Mariah Bruehl's book 

Playful Learning: Develop Your Child's Sense of Joy and Wonder. 

Join in the fun, starting July 15. 

There will be guest bloggers, idea swaps, freebies, and more!

Go order your book now!

If you'd like to be a guest blogger for a chapter, please take a look at the table of contents in the preview,

and let me know which chapter you want to lead.

SIGN UP SHEET FOR CONTRIBUTORS

This is going to be fun!

Freebie Friday: PRESCHOOL!

Not only is it Friday, it's JUNE! I am so happy that summer is here, even if it means still wearing jackets in San Francisco. We are moving next month to a warmer area and we will have a pool. It's like a little piece of Texas in the bay area.

Anyways, my spirits are high and I am dying to share my latest project, my Stepping Up Preschool series. For today and tomorrow (June 1-2), this set is free! It's 44 pages of fun activities to help your little one learn the alphabet, counting, sorting, patterns, letter formation, etc. This is perfect for 3-5 year olds depending on their level. If you looking for something to do this summer while traveling, these activities are great for the car, the plane or just a quick dinner out. My kid actually request "my" games when we travel.

As always, if you download, please leave feedback. Thanks!

Download for FREE at

Teachers Notebook

Teachers Pay Teachers

Winning at Planning: Step 4

This could also be called "research time", "going-insane-time", or "giving-your-printer-a-workout-time". The whole idea with steps 1-3 is to to hopefully make the arrival at step 4 a wee bit better. Finding the perfect curriculum is a goal of many homeschoolers. The truth is, it doesn't exist. What works for your friend's children could turn out to be a complete flop for yours. You can read 10 reviews that praise the curriculum you have on and you'll be ready to buy it. Then, just as you're about to hit the purchase button, you read 1 review that rips that curriculum to shreds. And there it is, the seed of doubt that will blossom into full hatred by Thanksgiving. 

I don't disagree with reading reviews. I habitually check Amazon for reviews before I purchase anything, even if I am buying something at a brick and mortar store. Just keep in mind this one little thing:

Curriculum is ONLY the map for your school year.
YOU are the PILOT.
You choose when to follow the map and when to go rogue.

But choose your map wisely. If you know that you are not a hands-on kind of teacher, don't choose a science curriculum that has you making something 3 times a week. I looked at one science curriculum that had a supply list longer than Santa's list! I can't imagine anyone not feeling like a failure with that set up.
On the other hand, if you have a child that is not content learning by merely reading, look for curricula that engage the learner and have lessons that are hands-on. The task of finding a good fit for teacher and student is daunting. 

I've created some planning pages to help you keep track of the information flood you are about to experience.

As you research various curricula, keep track of the information on the Curriculum Shopper.
Use 1 per subject, per child.

Once you've made a decision, record your choices the Curriculum Planner.

Use 1 per child.

If you can, print out the TABLE OF CONTENTS for each curriculum as you purchase it.
Many companies provide this as part of the preview and many times the lesson are divided evenly over the customary 36 weeks or 180 days. Now you can fill in the Scope and Sequence.

 A good starting point for actual lesson planning, is to create a Scope and Sequence.
It's basically a WHAT you teach, WHEN you teach it document.
Fill in the subjects along the top and then fill in the general lesson idea for each week.
Example: MATH- addition without regrouping, measurement (liquids)

All pages are available in my B.Y.O.B
Build Your Own Binder Homeschool Planner

Winning at Planning: Step 1

As you may have noticed, I am a planner. Not that I don't find spur of the moment activities to be fun, but for the most part, I like to have a plan. One thing I have learned from being a classroom teacher and now a homeschool teacher, I hate being unprepared.

My new goal for next year is to be ahead of the game, not one step, but several steps ahead. This idea inspired my new series I've created, Winning at Planning. If you are looking to get more organized, better prepared and just a happier person (yes, I'm promising happiness), then you will want to follow this series.

The foundation of your planning is deciding what subjects you will be teaching. Math, Reading, Writing, Grammar, Spelling, Science, History, Health, Bible, Latin, Spanish, French, Art, Music, etc.
This is the time to be very realistic. Be sure to include classes and activities that will be taught outside of your home. Piano lessons or Latin Club at the local homeschool co-op should be included on your list.

This step is just choosing what to teach, not choosing the curriculum that you will use for each subject. That's the next step. This step is choosing subjects and possibly even narrowing it down to a particular course. Instead of just math, you might write Algebra. Instead of history, you might write Ancient Civilizations.
I know this first step seems like a baby step but it is important. We are going to take this one baby step at a time so that we don't get overwhelmed or go broke trying to find the perfect fit.

If you're using my B.Y.O.B Planning Pages for Homeschoolers, you will want to fill in the subjects column of the Curriculum Plan page. Use one page for each of your children and it is ok if you need more than one page for each of your children.