Spring Fever

Is anyone else getting the itch for spring break? February is usually when I go through my annual mid-year crisis and start changing things up in my classroom. I'm just dying for a teacher duty day so I can clean and throw things away and do something different in my room. But alas, we don't get one of those for another 3 weeks.

So while I'm waiting for that day to arrive, I've been compiling ideas for things I want to change or add to my room. Here are a few that I particularly like...

I've been finding lots of fun ways to use paint samples in the classroom. I particularly like this one. It makes a great choice board for getting rid of those worn-out words!

Or how about this one? Student-made contraction cards. I love how the white center line serves as a visual prompt to add the apostrophe. I think my class will love making these during centers!

Now this is a brilliant idea! Dry erase markers are my personal nemesis. The kids leave caps laying all around and will use anything, including their own clothing or body parts, as erasers. I think this idea might just solve both problems!

The no-name papers...is there anything worse?!! I mean, you'd think two and a half years of writing their names on their papers would eventually stick, right? And if this poem doesn't work, I'm going to this...

Fall Is Here

Ok, so it doesn't exactly feel like fall today. It's about 85 degrees, which isn't bad for Florida. But I just spoke to my parents in Pennsylvania where it's a downright frigid 39.  How can they stand it?!!  If I ever had to live somewhere that required closed-toe shoes half the year....well, I'd move. Loooove my flip-flops.

So this weekend I'm looking for things to use for Candy Corn Day with my class. We do this every year and the kids always LOVE it (i.e. lose their minds). I've made a few items myself and will post pics as soon as I figure out how. Anyone? Anyone?  In the meantime, let me share the latest super easy dinner idea I found...

Publix (my local grocery store chain) has this great little program called Aprons. You can go into the store any day of the week and sample whatever meal they're making and get the recipe. The fabulous thing is that they're almost always really easy things that kids actually like to eat! What?!! So the one we just tried is called Barbeque Baskets and it requires almost no cooking and my whole family immediately nominated me for Chef of the Year. Well, not really but...

BBQ Baskets with Cowboy Beans

(yeah, the kids didn't eat the beans)

Try them! I bet you'll get some unexpected (and possibly undeserved) accolades too.