All About This Kinder Teacher

Hola!  I am linking up with the ladies of Kinder Tribe for their first ever linky party.  I truly do feel like teachers, especially kindergarten teachers, are my tribe.  Sooo I just had to join these lovely ladies!

I absolutely cannot believe that this will be my NINTH year in the classroom.  I still remember my first year like it was yesterday.  I'm starting to feel old!

I absolutely positively cannot live without my coffee in the morning.  Whether it's hot or iced, it's always by my side.  My kinders sometimes whisper to each other "Don't touch her coffee!"  Good advice, friends!  I am a total grump without it.

I am obsessssed with markers of all types, and post its too.  I can't stop buying them!  Some of my favorite markers are Mr. Sketch, good old fashioned Crayolas (both thick and thin) and Flair pens (those count as markers, right?  Kinda sorta).

I have so very many favorite books that it is truly hard to pick just one.  If I had to, though, it would definitely be Miss Rumphius.  The illustrations are so gorgeous and I love the strong, independent female main character.  I grew up in Maine, and Barbara Cooney sets many of her books there, so I love them just a little bit more.

I have a ton of favorite kinder blogs, but I had to pick The Tutu Teacher because Vera is my friend in real life!  And yes, she is just as bubbly and sweet as she seems on the internet.  Here we are with Jillian {The Starr Spangled Planner} the first time that we ever got together.  Now we have Margarita Mondays and we were even roomies in Vegas!  #tbffs are the best kind of friends!  

Who doesn't love the funny things that little ones say?  I try to write down their little quotes so I don't forget.  At the risk of sounding corny, I absolutely love when my kids' eyes light up.  Whether they are understanding a concept for the first time, or just truly curious and excited about learning, it touches my heart and I get a lump in my throat.  We have the best job ever!

Christmas in July: Day 4

Here it is folks!  The last day of the Christmas in July sale.  Today, all of my Monthly and Holiday Vocabulary and Writing units are on sale.  These are some of my most popular units, so grab 'em while you can! 

 I use them every single day in my own classroom and LOVE how they build my students' confidence and independence.

You can click on the pictures below, or visit my TpT Store.  These items are all 20% off, or grab the bundle for HUGE savings.

   

   

   

   

Like to save money?  Here's a 300 page bundle of all of the above for 33% off!

Please note that September, October and November words have not been uploaded yet.  They will be done before September 1st

Christmas in July: Day 3

Today all of my thematic vocabulary and writing units are on sale for 20% off!  Snag them while they're hot.

Here are all of my thematic vocabulary and writing products.  Just click on the photo for more information about each unit.  The first one, Family Words, is my number one best selling TpT product of all time!
 

   

   

 

If you like what you see, you can snag ALL of them in a bundle for 33% off!  Who doesn't love a bargain?!

Be sure to check back tomorrow for the last day of Christmas in July!

Christmas in July: Day 2 and Freebies!

In case you missed yesterday's post, I am throwing a sale every single day this week!

Today in my TpT Store all of my Fall products are on sale for 20% off.  Since I got a bit of a late start yesterday, my math units are on sale today only, too!

Grab them now while you can - this sale ends at midnight!

One of my favorite Fall units is School Words.  It is an awesome vocabulary unit that supports both emergent writers and ELL students.  I LOVE these word cards because my students can just grab them and begin writing independently.  It is so powerful for them and a real time saver for me!

Fun with Fire Safety is another great unit for Fall.  It has tons of math and literacy centers and worksheets that reinforce learning in a fun and engaging way.

Don't be scared!  Boo!  Spooky Fun Math Centers are the perfect way to spruce up your math centers in October.  These math games are great in any kindergarten classroom.

Here are some more Fall units.  Just click on the photo for a description of what's included.

Last but not least, my Fire Safety and Thanksgiving products are bundled up to save you money.  Check out these bundles by clicking on the photos below.

It's never too early to start planning, right?

You can grab 3 Thanksgiving Freebies by clicking {HERE}!  

And that's all, folks!  Swing on back tomorrow to see the Thematic Vocabulary products that will be on sale tomorrow only!

Christmas in July: Day 1

I am so excited that my brilliant friend Jillian from The Starr Spangled Planner is hosting a Christmas in July sale!  Every day this week, a new set of products will be available over at my TpT Store.

Today, ALL of my math products are on sale for 20% off!

Here are my two favorite (and newest) Math products:

All About Patterns is one of my students' favorites every year.  It is super hands on, easy to prep and most importantly fun and engaging!  

This unit has also been a favorite for teachers... check out some of the feedback that these lovely ladies left.

Next up is 1, 2, 3 Count with Me!

154 pages of math centers and worksheets that are fully aligned to the Common Core Standards.  This unit meets every single Kindergarten "Counting and Cardinality" (or K.CC) standard.  Each center also has child friendly directions so that you won't hear that dreaded "What am I supposed to do?" question!

You can also get both products in a bundle for less HERE!

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Upgrade to a Business Account on Pinterest in 2 Minutes

I just got back from the TpT Conference in Las Vegas and it was completely life changing!  I was a little hesitant to go, but am so glad I did.  Over the next few weeks I will be sharing some of my favorite tips and tricks for Teacher Authors (my new favorite, very official sounding term for bloggers and TpT'ers).

First up is Pinterest.  I am so glad that I attended Mel D's Advanced Pinterest presentation at the conference.  I have been using Pinterest for a few years now for my own, personal reasons.  I love finding new classroom organization ideas, teaching tricks, recipes and fashion inspiration.  I even designed much of my new kitchen thanks to Pinterest!  

I did not, however, think of Pinterest from a business perspective.  I didn't realize how powerful it is at helping new readers find my blog, or at helping me stay in the loop with new trends and ideas.

I was so inspired, in fact, that I started working on upping my Pinterest game before I even left Vegas.  I converted my Pinterest account from personal to business while sitting on the floor of the McCarron airport!  The advantage of upgrading to a business account is that they allow you to keep track of analytics such as which pins of yours are most popular, which pins are sending people back to your blog, etc.  More on how to use analytics in a post coming soon.

Start out by visiting the Pinterest business site {here}, then click on the Convert Now link.

Next, click "Go to Pinterest for Business"

Type in your business name in the first box.  In the second box, select your business type.  I went with "Professional: blogger" because blogging is my jam!

Last, enter your website.  ALWAYS enter your website so that people who stumble across your Pinterest board have a super easy time finding your site.  You never know when a pin might send them to a crazy link instead of your site.

Check out the many options for your business account.  I haven't fully had a chance to explore all of these yet, but am excited to do so soon.

While you're at it, make sure that your profile is up to date.  I was pretty surprised to see that I had never added my new website when I moved from a Blogspot address to a .com address.  Also, my old picture was black and white and a little fuzzy.  I wanted my Pinterest picture to be the same as the one on my blog to increase recognition.

The pink arrows show you the things I updated.  My motto is to keep things clear, clean and simple.  Click "Save Profile" when you're done.

Voila!  Your business Pinterest account is ready to go.  You can find me on Pinterest {here}... please click "Follow" so that I can follow you back and see what you're pinning!