Balancing my Time at School...

Wouldn't it be great if we could make multiples of ourselves just so that we can get everything done? I try to make my own posters and centers. I do this when my students have extra-curricular activities going on. As long as I finish correcting their books and do my own day to day organisation of classroom work, I get so excited to create something from my to-do list. I use the store-bought charts too but I prefer to make them because I think that the students appreciate it more and it gives my classroom a more personal touch. These are a few of the charts that I was a able to make in a hurry...

I use this chart to reward them for spelling only. They get a few words every Monday and are tested every Friday. The Friday weekly test is the highlight of their week (it seems). I love that they are so eager! I used a space theme for this term. By now, they are overflowing with stars. My boys like anything related to science (and the girls like everything). So they are grouped up for co-operative learning in their space themed groups (see the lower part of the chart). Five to six students are in each group. 

This is my area for storing our class money (it's all pretend of course!) but the coins are real. We use it for the buying and selling of... whatever! They bring their toys and the wrappers and boxes from used grocery items to set up a make believe class shop. That's fun. I also have some fractions and geometry stuff here too. As more stuff gets added for each topic area, I will separate them and have each topic area with its own centers. By the way, these 'pocket charts' were made from some folders that I cut up and stapled. Hey, ... I was in a hurry!

For the chart below, we had just started doing nouns and my students brought the pictures. I only provided the chart with the headings and they 'went to town' on this. After they massacred the newspapers and magazines! We did this during the lunch period. That is a way of getting things done when we have much to be done and as long as the students are having fun, they don't mind using part of their lunch time.

I will post more pictures soon!

Free Subtraction Words Poster!

Don't let those tricky word problems confuse your kids... The four operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division - each has their own language. So, students can look for the words that belong to each operation within the sentences to figure out which operation in needed to solve the problem. Here's a Free Poster of Subtraction Words for your subtraction centers. It has both words subtraction phrases.  Download it here at TPT or here at Teachers Notebook. Just leave a rating :-) Enjoy!

Make the most of TPT’s Cyber Monday Sale!

Want to be a  Savvy TPT Cyber Monday Shopper?

It's as easy as 123...

1. Browse your favorite Stores early so that your wish list is a no-brainer for Monday.
2. Due to the expected heavy site traffic, a site crash may occur... so be the early bird and try some morning shopping to beat the after school jam.
3. Check the TeacherspayTeachers Fan Page on facebook for the latest in Shop news and site support.

Remember, the sale is ALL Day LONG on Monday, so see you there!

Preschool Animal Craft Pics

I know that I promised to post more pictures of my son's new preschool crafts, so following an earlier post about his preschool creations, here's the update!

Announcing... Huge Cyber Monday Sale!

You asked for it, so here it is! Teachers pay Teachers is having its Cyber Monday Blowout Sale, yes, SALE! So put in in your calendar 28/11/11! My store would be set at 20% OFF and if you use the Coupon Code CMS28 you'll get an added 10% OFF. So that'll be a whopping 30% OFF for you from Nyla's Crafty Teaching and other TPT Sellers! 

Free Lesson Plans and More!

I just wanted to share this new blog with you...Classroom Freebies! Everything is free, free lesson plans, free games, free printables, etc. A group of creative teachers (myself included) have joined together to share our stuff at Classroom Freebies! So check it out!

Free Addition Words Poster!

Do you teach addition word problems? Generally, students like to add but they do not like those tricky word problems! A good strategy is to use addition words as clues for students to know which operation is involved. This free poster has addition words and phrases that are usually encountered in word problems. I must give credit to my principal, Mrs. Ann Benoit, for suggesting the phrase 'Increase by...', there are so many ways of  saying 'add'! This poster is not only useful for your addition math center, it can be integrated with other subject areas; use as a word wall for reading and your synonym centers.

Get it at Teachers Notebook or TPT!

Parts of a Plant - Lesson Plan

Did you know that beet is a root? Broccoli is a flower? And an almond is a fruit with a seed? Of course you did!... but your students may not... This is an Agricultural Science lesson plan about the Parts of a Plant that we eat! Examples of leaves, stems, roots, flowers, fruits and seeds that are found in the kitchen are featured along with pictures for a labeling activity. This lesson will help students to value the role that plants play (as producers) in sustaining us.

Get it here at TPT or Teachers Notebook!

Dictionary Day Freebie!

It's Dictionary Day today! 

Did you know?... The very first dictionary was written by Noah Webster, (think of Webster's Dictionary). Webster began to write his dictionary at the age of 43. It took him 27 years to finish it! In addition to traditional English vocabulary, it contained uniquely American words.  October the16th is Dictionary Day... so to celebrate, we must remember the importance of dictionary skills and seek to improve vocabulary. Celebrate with me! Here's my Free Alphabetical Order Unit Plan for Grades 1 - 2. Alphabetical Order is the most important dictionary skill. Get it here at TPT or here at Teachers Notebook.  I would be so thrilled if you could leave a rating!

Happy Dictionary Day!

So Happy to be Bright!

In my part of the world, though it's the rainy season, I'm getting some rays of sunshine... Carolyn from Connect-a-Blog, Dana from Third Grade Gridiron and Lidia from Kids Reading Resources have awarded this blog with the Sunshine Award! Thank you Ladies!

Here are the rules for accepting this award:

1. Thank the person who gave this award and write a post about it.
2. Answer the following questions below.
3. And pass the award to 10-12 fabulous bloggers, link their blogs, and let them know you awarded them.

So, here are my answers to the questions:

So, here are my answers to the questions:

1. Favorite Color?  Lavender and Green
2. Favorite animal?  cat
3. Favorite number?  3 
4. Favorite drink?  Baileys (on rare occasions, but I can only handle about three sips). For the rest of the time, I love all natural fruit juices.  
5. Facebook or Twitter?  Facebook, but I use both
6. Your passion?  Teaching my kids at home and school, blogging, networking with other teachers, sharing ideas and activities with other teachers.
7. Giving or getting presents? Giving - it's a two for one combo! When you give you get a smile, a thank you, and a good feeling inside.
8. Favorite day?  Easy - Payday! :) A good day for me does not have to be exceptional, as long as I have accomplished a lot, then I can relax and smell the roses.

And now the hard part... of all of the amazing blogs that I know, which do I choose?

1. Runde's Room
2. Corkboard Connections
3. Ginger Snaps Treats for Teachers
4. Ashleigh Education Journey
5. Sub Hub Online
6. Classroom Freebies
7. Simply Centers
8. Sassy in Second
9. Welcome to The Schroeder Page!
10. Teaching Blog Central

Triangles, Quadrilaterals and other Polygons!

What's a 2D shape? A polygon? Is a square also a rhombus? To answer these questions and more, let me introduce my 2D Shapes, Polygons and Squiggles! This colorfully illustrated packet teaches about types of triangles, quadrilaterals and polygons.  It has graphic organizers, charts, a sorting game and other activities to both reinforce and introduce the higher learning concepts about 2D shapes.  Topics covered are the properties of each shape, the different shape families, the prefixes of the different polygons and the different names by which they are known.  Examples and non-examples are shown via graphic organizers.

Get it here at Teachers Notebook or here at TPT!

Curious for more geometry? Check out my ALL ABOUT 3D SHAPES pack.

Pinterest... Pinning your Interests!

If you haven't heard about Pinterest, let me fill you in. It's kind of like facebook, but it's not about posting personal updates. It's about having all of your favorite web pages in one spot, like an online bookmarking tool. Others can see what you like and share it on their pin boards! So you can make a pin board of your favorite recipes or teaching websites that you've spotted online. 

I have a pin board for Teaching Freebies,  Halloween and other stuff for the classroom. And pinning is easy (just takes one click)! If you would like to join Pinterest, just send me your email adresss or leave it in a comment below and I can submit you as a new member because Pinterest is an invitee-only kind of network!(That's the only drawback) Visit my Pinterest Page and be inspired to create your own! 

A tribute to Classic English Language Texts

          

Have you ever used this text? - The Student's Companion... ??? My mother has a very old version in her library that she used as a child growing up even into her teens. I remember using that very same book when I was an eight year old primary school student (in the standard - three grade I think it was). Ah... memories! I've always been a junkie for odd facts or any insightful general knowledge. This book, to me, had it all. We used both the Caribbean and the International Version.

We still use The Students Companion in the Primary Schools here but of course they are the new versions - with illustrations and tiered levels for the different age categories.

 Other classic English Text Books that I grew up on are (I can only remember the names but I'm sure that there are new versions of these now): 

• A First Aid in English
• A Basic English Course

What are your favorite vintage texts? I'd be thrilled if you can share them as a comment (below)!

A New Teacher-Hobby

Teachers, lets face it, we need hobbies! At the end of the day (or week), we need to relax and re-energize. Aside from the gardening and jogging, I have found a new hobby... Blog Hopping all of the teacher blogs I can find. It has opened up a new world of teachers and their 'tips and tricks', classroom pictures from around the world and different experiences that I'd like to try. So, when you settle down at your laptop and you need a little 'pick-me-up' a good place to start is at the Connect-a-Blog Teaching Blog which is like a hub for other great Teacher Blogs to be found! It's highly addictive but for all of the knowledge and ideas you gain from it, its worth it! 

Plus it helps to put that zing of enthusiasm back in so that I can try something new with my students the next day! 

And if you prefer facebook, there's Top Teacher Resources where you can find the latest updates about teacher-created resources and tips from teachers and educators alike. Happy Blog-Hopping!

The Day I Fell in Love... with Teachers pay Teachers!

Earlier this year, while on maternity leave, I happened to come across Teachers pay Teachers. I was impressed by the scope and sheer number of educational resources to choose from. Since then, I have joined their membership and it's just perfect for my talents... as a teacher and former graphic design student. Being creative is a major part of my passion  for teaching and being able to have an easy user-friendly means of doing so makes me eternally thankful for TeacherspayTeachers.com!

So I encourage all teachers to browse the new TPT site for teachers and my Store there too, tons of freebies! If you are a teacher with a wealth of resources of your own to share, why not join TPT. It's free!

It's Great to be a Teacher!

Today is World Teachers' Day! It feels like only yesterday that we celebrated it a year ago. I guess time flies when you're having fun! I particularly must give credit to my principal and the other teachers at my school, we are like a family and we help each other... but I know that conditions aren't always ideal for most of us! 

So for every teacher out there, know that you are appreciated and know that the good that you do is touching the lives of many children in ways that are both seen and unseen. So don't stop!

I'm the Teachers Notebook Featured Shop!

I am so excited to share some good news with my followers... I've been selected as the Featured Shop on Teachers Notebook for the entire week starting 5/11/11! Whoppers!!! What a great way to kick off November. I want to thank all of the other Teacher-Shops at Teachers Notebook - Thank you for voting for me! This will certainly be a November to remember so I'll be running a thank you - sale for the week-end!

Allow me to Introduce... (Liebster Award) New Blogs!

Lori Jones (CacheyMama) from Cachey Mama's Classroom has awarded my Blog - Nyla's Crafty Teaching with the Liebster Award! Thank you for honoring me with this, Lori! 

Now, let me share the love and pass this award unto 5 up-and-coming blogs with less than 200 followers.

So these are my New Blog Friends. Please check them out!

The Stress Free Spanish Teacher

Kids Reading Activities

Composition Classroom

Energized Teacher!!!

Diary of a Not So Wimpy Teacher