Artsy Fartsy Friday Linky Party!

I am so excited to be linking up with some of my blogging (and real-life) BFFs for their very first linky party!

Jena is seriously one of the craftiest people I know.  Lindsey is also one of the most creative people I know.  So naturally, they came up with this fun linky idea!  

I will be the first to admit, I have great intentions when it comes to craftiness.  I frequent Hobby Lobby and Michael's regularly.  I can whip out my phone to scan those 40% off coupons faster than you can imagine.  I have my crafting supplies all together, neatly organized.  Pinterest is my friend.  However, with five and three year olds ruling the roost this summer, I don't anticipate getting much of the fun crafting stuff that I dream about done until it's time to think about heading back to school.   

The day will come though... :)

This week, I am going to share one of my favorite creations.  The first is from last summer.  Yarn wreaths are my thing, man.

Here's what I used to make this particular wreath.

Materials Needed:

*Yarn in your choice of color(s)

*A styrofoam wreath form (found in the craft section of The Lob or Michael's)

*Ribbon (not shown, but I made the hanger and an accent bow out of a pretty turquoise chevron (of course) ribbon that I got for 50% off at the Lob)

*Chipboard letter

*Scrapbook paper

*Mod Podge

*A pretty flower

Now, to for starters, let me tell you that while these are very easy and cheap to make, they are time consuming and frustrating.  I absolutely adore these pretty wreaths, and I've given them as gifts of many occasions.  However, the yarn gets tangled easily and the glue burns my fingers.  These battle wounds are worth it though. :)

Okay, back to the instructions...

Start by tying a knot around the styrofoam form.  I always glue it as well to ensure that it's not going to slip and slide all over the place.  Then, just wrap the yard around until the styrofoam is covered.  This step easily took 3 hours to complete.  The results are well worth it though!

This wreath is one solid color, but I've made them blocks of colors before.  To do that, you will just continue to knot the particular colors into the blocks that you desire. 

Now, for the letter.  I chose a B (obviously), but you can pick any chipboard design you desire.  I picked a pretty scrapbook paper (chevron, no doubt) and traced it around the shape of the letter.  Then, I mod podged (is that a verb?) the letter, glued the scrapbook paper down, and added another layer of mod podge.  I let this dry overnight before attaching to the wreath, but if you choose to walk on the wild side, go ahead and attach it.

Using the hot glue, I attached the letter, the flower, and the ribbon (not shown).  

This wreath adorns my classroom door, but it would also make a wonderful and inexpensive gift for someone you love.  I've given them for wedding showers, secret pal gifts, and just because gifts.  

Now head on over to share your artistic side!

Guided Math Chapter 3

I apologize for my absence from the book study last week.  I was in over my head with end of the year stuff, specifically burning 22 DVDs of my 30 minute slideshow for my kindergarten kids.  Anyway, I'm glad to be back this week and on summer break!

Chapter three discusses the importance of starting off the day with math.  Let me be real for a minute.  In my first years of teaching, I will admit that my "math warm-up" would have been a worksheet sat out for morning work.  Like Sammons mentions in the first chapter, we are so focused on teaching kids to read that often times math takes a back seat.  In reality, math is just as important as reading.  

As time has passed, my morning math routine has gotten stronger.  We always have some kind of math integrated into our morning message.  We do calendar meeting.  We do graphs.  After reading this chapter, I feel pretty good about math warm-ups, but I know I can do better.

Sammons lists some ways to incorporate math warm-ups into your morning meeting time.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE her ideas for morning stretches!  She suggests:

Monday:  Number of the Day

Tuesday:  What's Next

Wednesday:  How Did My Family Use Math Last Night?  (LOVE)

Thursday:  ____ Makes Me Think Of... (you can fill in the blank with any math concept)

Friday:  Data Collection

I will definitely incorporate these ideas into my morning meeting next school year!

As mentioned above, I think my morning routine has evolved over the years.  No lie, I once was a worksheet kind of gal.  Next school year, my kindergarten classroom will be 1:1 with iPad minis (YAY!!!), and I can only imagine how this will change our morning routines.  I envision collaborative practice, scavenger hunts, math practice... The possibilities are endless!

During our morning meeting, I usually incorporate some kind of math concept into the routine.  The ideas in this chapter will help me to make those concepts more of a routine, helping students master skills, and helping me be consistent. 

Math is all around us!  We teach our students to make connections to their lives in reading, but why not math?  Math is everywhere.  Honestly, I don't do a very good job of this in my classroom.  Reading this chapter has opened my eyes to that.  I am so excited to bring some of these things into my classroom next year!

Now that you've read my thoughts on chapter three, enter to win some great prizes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out much more on this chapter at some of the fabulous blogs below!

An InLinkz Link-up

Monday Meet Up!

I'm linking up with The Teaching Tribune for the Summer Bloggin' Series!  On Mondays, we will be getting to know bloggers from all over the place without leaving the comfort of our homes.  

Meet Lindsey!  She is a first year kindergarten teacher at my school.  She was our kindergarten aide last year, and when teaching assignments were shuffled last year, it left us with an open spot on our kindergarten team.  Lindsey naturally got the job, and the rest is history!

She has done a fabulous job in her first year of teaching.  She has great ideas, creative lessons, and loves her students.  She has an awesome TPT store and has created everything from station packs to digital papers.

Check out Lindsey's blog!

June Currently

It's June... What?  Weren't we just ringing in 2014 yesterday?

I'm linking up with Farley from Oh Boy Fourth Grade for the June edition of Currently.

Last night was my little girl's first dance recital.  We had rehearsal yesterday morning from 8:30-12:00.  She was a BEAR by the end of it, so I thought for sure she would take a nap... No such luck!  Recital started at 7:00, so naturally, we got in line to get into the gymnasium at 5:30...  I had to get the good dressing room! :)  Anyway, when did Claire decide to take a nap?  As we pulled into the gym parking lot!  Miraculously, she was adorable and fairly well behaved through it all.  By the end of it (at 10:30), she was done, but it was precious.  

Needless to say, I desperately need a nap! :)