Love me some SMILEBOX!

Hello friends! :) I don't have a lot of time to do an elaborate post this week.  You all know how it is.... finishing up assessments, completing report cards, prepping for conferences, getting ready for a big professional development trip, and on and on!

I did, however, find time to get my weekly classroom/parent blog post up!  (If you don't know about my separate classroom/parent blog page via kidblog.org ya gotta' check out my older post on kidblog.  You can access all my weekly classroom blog pages there!)  If you happen to know anything about my classroom/parent blog page, you know I love me some SMILEBOX!  :)

Here are two of the Smilebox slideshows I posted in this week's classroom/parent blog posting.  Enjoy! Check Smilebox out if you like them.  It is super easy to use!

This free slideshow generated with Smilebox

Technology TODAY!

My sweet bloggin' buddy Kathleen over at Growing Kinders posted this little techy-stat-filled gem!  It's kind of amazing to see how quickly our world, our classrooms, and our kiddos are changing! Check it out! 

(And if you don't know Kathleen...check her out too!   Her blog and resources are the bomb!) 

 

Resource Discovery!

Hey friends!   I was doin' my usual TPT shopping last week and ran across an awesome new seller that I have to share with you.  I instantly fell in love with her design styles! (Oh, how I love me some chevron!!!)  Before I knew it, my cart was full!   LOL  Check out some of her super cute, and super useful resources.  The goal of my blog is always to share great resources I find with other kinder-teachers... and this one is a gem! 

Resources Designed with the Littles in Mind

Check her out!

       

 

  

 

 

Just to fill ya in...

I emailed this talented resource designer to ask if I would do a little bloggin' about her and she was just the sweetest thing!   She does not have a blog herself... but she can be found on TPT. 

Click on any of the pics above to be directly link to "Resources Designed with the Littles in Mind!"

 

If you'd like to take a closer peek at my week INSIDE the walls of my classroom, hop on over to my class blog at www.kidblog.org/mrsehleskindergartenclass.   Log in on the drop down menu as "guest".... and use the password "guest" to enter.  My adventures are updated weekly!

Owl Art!

I hope you had a chance to view my owl adventure slide show in my last post.   If you haven't....I really do think it would be worth your time to take a peek!   It's filled with some fun ideas for fall...and learning about owls.  :)   One thing I did NOT include in the slideshow was the final product of our owl art project.   (In the slideshow, you can sneak a peek at the kiddos in action as they work on the project....but it doesn't show the completed version.)  When I posted them in the hallway this week, I was shocked at the number of class-stopping interruptions I got!  I mean staff and parents literally walking into my room and interrupting instruction just to tell me how much they LOVED them!   AWWW!  It made me feel so good!   And the kinder-kiddos felt so special and talented.   :)

So, I thought they may be worth posting for you!  Take a peek! 

 

I was inspired to create this project by combining a couple different ideas I had found on Pinterest.  I took the different parts I liked from both...added a little of my own creativity... and Wa-La!

 

The first step in this project was giving each student a black sheet of construction paper.  I used the standard "large" size (12 x 18)... but then trimmed an inch of the sides because I knew I would want to "matte" them on a 12 X 18 fall color at the end.   I passed out brown paper and had the kids cut out a simple branch shape.  Next, I passed out a small piece of yellow paper upon which I had drawn a circle.  The kids cut out the circles for their "moons."  They glued those on and then were invited to Q-Tip paint on ten stars as many stars as they chose.  (LOL!  I really did tell them 10...but obviously many were so engrossed in painting that they forgot to count!) We set those aside to dry.

 

Next, I gave each kiddo a white piece of paper. Then I led them through basic directed-drawing instructions to draw an owl.  (I just made them up!  I started with an oval shape for the body, then circles for the eyes, etc.) They used PENCIL first....then when finished, traced their pencil marks with back Sharpies.  After that, I TAUGHT THEM how to correctly use watercolor paints as I painted an example.   Then the kiddos painted their own. We cut them out carefully, and added them on to the backgrounds by gluing. Then I "matted" them onto a fall colored paper to make them pop.

 

What I love the most is the way that each child's owl drawing totally gives each owl his own "personality!"    They are just adorable, aren't they?  The kiddos did a GREAT job! 

 

The first grade teacher next door told my class that she loved them so much she hoped we left them up all year and just added accessories...like a Santa hat, a leprechaun hat, Easter bunny ears, etc.   Hee! Hee!   (At least if I get too busy to change my hall bulletin board I've got options!  LOL)

 

 

Blessings to you!

 

WHOOO Loves Kindergarten?

Whooo loves kindergarten?   

I do!  I do!  Teaching kindergarten gives me so many opportunities to be creative and  just a little bit crazy! As most of you know, "Dr. Science" comes into my classroom regularly to teach my kinder-kiddos about science.   ("Dr. Science" is one of my very best friends and co-teachers who dresses up like a mad scientist and helps me carry out my science lessons.  She is crazy!  She tucks in her upper lip, busts out her lab coat and kicks the learning level up a notch whenever she gallops into the room!)  This week our science studies focused on learning about OWLS.

 

Take a peek at some of our owl fun... and few other peeks from last week! 

 

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Classroom Bloggin'!

Oh my blueberries!!!  Where does time go?  I can NOT believe how long it's been since I've posted.  I do apologize...but I know that at the same time, many of you can relate!  I used to beat myself up when I skipped a week (or two!) between new posts...but now I have come to accept that sometimes life "happens" and you just can't be Wonder Woman every day, in every way!  So I'm settling for the occasional superhero status.  LOL. 

Even though I have been less-than-prompt on keeping up with my teacher-blog... I have done fairly well on my newest blogging adventure of having a CLASS BLOG.   For the past few years I have wanted to set up a classroom blog for students and parents.  I envisioned a place where parents could SECURELY log-in, with no fear of being at the mercy of public "creepers," to view what their kinder-babies are up to every week.   Until this year, I struggled with finding the right blog host.  I like the Shutterfly class blog set up...but my principal was NOT a fan of the regular advertisements and emails that parents were sent if you had a class blog with them.  So I continued to search.    This summer I found KID BLOG... and have been VERY pleased with it! 

Kid Blog allows YOU to choose your own security options.  You can leave it wide open to any visitor...or lock it up like Fort Knox, so only listed users with passwords can enter and view it.  My administration lovingly approved it!  YAY! It's also very easy to use.  Oh...and it's FREE!  You can post text, pictures, videos, anything!  The only slight downside I see is that currently you can not design your own background and graphic templates.  However, that is something they are working on!  It should be available soon.  Until then...you can choose from about 15 templates/color combinations.  

I could go on and on listing the details of Kid Blog, but if you like me you'd rather just SEE it and explore it yourself.   So...I'm going to give you my own classroom blog site info and let you login and do some snooping!   (Note: My school is one of those schools who likes to keep things rather secure and "unsearchable" to the public as a whole, so I have set up my blog to require you to log-in and enter a password.  Sharing this resource with other colleagues IS permitted, however!  So go explore...just please do not post these access codes on other public sites.)


Link:   http://kidblog.org/mrsehleskindergartenclass

Log-in: Guest (found in the drop down log-in menu)

Password:   Guest

(This login and password will expire November 1, 2013.  If you desire access after that date, email me or post a comment and I will send you updated info.)


Here are a few screen shots from my class blog, just to give you a peek!

Celebrate Student Birthdays In Style!

Since I STILL can NOT get into my classroom yet, I decided to check off another item on my long, long list of "to-dos."  {In case you have not heard, my building is under-going a summer renovation.  While I am so grateful for the upgrades...I am freaking out that I still am unable to even set foot in my classroom!   The "word on the street" is that I may be able to get in to my room on the 12th.  Guess what day my kinder-kiddos arrive for their k-assessments?   August 13th!!  That's 24 hours to prepare folks!  Can you say "All-Nighter?"  I'm thinkin' I gotta do a 24 hour picture post on what happens that night! You can watch me go CrAzY get prepared in a photo timeline! PRAY FOR ME, People!}

Tonight I knocked out a new classroom birthday celebration kit.  I gotta say... I do love it.  It's full of what I love most... happy celebration and chevron!   :) Here is a peek at what is inside:

I'm really excited about this kit because I truly feel like it is something that EVERY teacher needs....but rarely finds time to do his or herself!  

So... if you are looking for a super easy, yet very classy way to celebrate your students' birthdays, I hope I can help you with this kit.   I gotta say... I not only think it's cute {Chevron Love!  Chevron Love!}, but it truly is meaningful.  The "Happy Birthday Book" is the core of this kit.   When celebrating a student's birthday, all of his classmates are invited to complete a "My wish for you..." page.   Classmates illustrate a picture and can either write in the text for their birthday wish/gift...or the teacher can write the text as the child dictates the wish from his/her illustration.   All classmates' pages are then compiled into a class book, complete with a beautiful cover (which can be customized thanks to it's edit-able nature!), and then sent home with the birthday child as his class gift!  

Check out just one of the style options of "Birthday Books" below!

Parents TREASURE these books!  I've used them for a few years and let me tell you...they are a HIT!

There are many other items included with which you can complete your students' birthday celebrations, including:

* Student Birthday Book

* Happy Birthday Certificates

* Student Birthday Badges

* Birthday Goodie Bag Toppers

* Student Desk/Table Birthday Decor

* Happy Birthday Seat Signs

I hope you will take a minute to pop over to my TPT store {click here} and check out my lastest kit!  

I think it will be worth your while!  

Email me if you have any suggestions for this packet!