Apps

This week I downloaded a few apps on my iPad and tried them out with a few of my kiddos who just need a little extra TLC. I invited one kiddo in this morning before the official arrival time to play on my iPad and plan to do the same every day until school is out. I also brought Paddy (my iPad) to lunch and let another kiddo play a game with me when he was finished eating. I am all about free apps (and sometimes I am willing to shell out 99 cents) so I thought I would share some of the ones I like. Sometimes the free ones only give you a part of the game, so you end up having to buy the "real" version, but they are typically less than 3 dollars each....

And yes, it is sick that I video taped my iPad using my iPhone :0)

It's a whole new generation of BOB!

I love how kiddos can hear the sounds and hear them blended into words!

app name: BB Magic Lite-FREE

(I don't recommend the lite version because there isn't much to it)

This is the game my friends played today. It is great for vocabulary building and phoneme segmentation. Both boys really liked it and they really did a great job using the technology. 

app name: Word Magic

This is a fun one for kids who are working on fine motor and writing their letters. It makes one sound if they are on the dotted lines and makes a squeaky sound when they go off. As you can see in the video, I was able to model what happens when you don't stay on the line as I tried to hold my phone in one hand and trace with my right hand (I am not a righty, so it was not easy!)

app name: ABC Tracer

There is a free "lite" version, but it didn't include the whole alphabet, so I paid for the real one, but it was on sale. 

I also downloaded:

PBS Kids

Sight Words Lite (again doesn't have a lot to it)

ABC Phonics

KidsMathFun

Kindergarten

Count Magic

Math Series (fill in the missing number game)

I haven't played with all of them yet, but so far the ones I have played or used with kids have worked well!

Proud

I brought home my DIBELS scores to examine more closely tonight and I just came across something that literally just blew my mind.

I have talked about my sweet little Dianita before. Seriously the most adorable/precious/darling little thing on earth. Earlier this year, she was participating in our extended day and on our most recent DIBELS assessment she scored 129 on Nonsense Word Fluency....

one.twenty.nine

the benchmark for end of the year Kinder is 25. 

So.Proud.Of.Her!

I cannot wait to tell her mom tomorrow when she comes for the volunteer brunch. I could seriously cry right now thinking about sharing that moment with her mama. She outscored many of the kids who I consider my high kids (by a lot!). It's not that I don't consider her one of my high kids--I am always really pleased with the quality of her work and I know that she is incredibly bright, but there is just something about seeing that enormous number.

It is especially great because there was only one other student out of 42 that scored higher than she did and that girl entered Kinder already reading. Dianita did not and she struggled a bit, but clearly she blew the roof off of DIBELS and I just want her to stay in my class forever.

I am tempted to call her mom right now because I just can't wait, yet I want to do it in person because I want to see her smile when she hears the news. Go girl!

***

Today I introduced the "fly swatter game" for the first time and the kids LOVED it. I made a huge deal about how it's only a game for responsible students because I wouldn't put a fly swatter in the hands of just any old kid and tell them to slap something...that is a job for kids who can handle it...and handle it they did.

I have two kiddos come up in front of the white board and give each one a fly swatter. They have their backs to the words and when I say the word I want them to find, they can turn around and swat it. We incorporated our sight word songs into the game and sang the song for each word after it was swatted. 

I have a feeling there are going to be a lot of requests to play this game again because my firsties always loved it in a major way.

feels like my bday

I arrived home today to find a box from amazon and the special key in my mailbox signifying that I have a package. 

I heart getting mail and receiving packages, so getting not just one, but two in one day was a fantastic treat.

I feel like I have been buying stuff for my classroom left and right these days, but it's all of the good of the kiddies, so it is what it is.

In box #1 I got these...

Sunny posted about them a few days ago and when I saw that they are geared for grades K-2, I had to have them. I am a little disappointed that the pages are not actually in color like the pictures show, but I will definitely make copies of the pages rather than letting the kiddos use the originals so I guess that really doesn't matter. They can color the pictures in themselves. No biggie.

In box #2 I got these...

I am particularly excited because they both come with DVD's!

Tired of reading PD books? Watch the video!

I have only just browsed through them so far, but both books look like they have a lot to offer! I am excited to read them cover to cover this summer!

I also picked up these for our teen number practice lesson tomorrow...

And, I already divvied them up for table groups with exactly the same number of markers in each bag.

We have been working on drawing teen numbers by making groups of tens and then extras, so I thought using stampy markers would be an oh so fun way to practice that some more. The Teen Number video was a huge hit today and I think that it will really help my kiddos remember that teen numbers can be broken up into a ten group and then additional ones. They were seriously rockin' out and doing some funky moves to the hip hop beat.

Oh, and then there's this recent purchase from TJ Maxx (Can I get an amen for TJ Maxx?!) 

Love that place!

If there ever was a perfect mug for a Kindergarten teacher, this would be it. 

I just wish it was filled with steaming coffee right now :0)

PS. My lovely teaching partner has started a blog of her very own so please visit and give her some bloggy love! This would be the very same teaching partner that I spend much of my lunch time chatting with if that gives you any clue about how great she is!

Q & A

In an effort to keep up my blogging everyday streak that I have had going for about three consecutive days now, I am joining in on Getting To Know You Sunday just like Jen!

1. what's your favorite rainy day activity?

Since it rains all the time in Portland, I don't really alter my plans due to rain, but I do like to curl up with a good book or stay in and watch a movie as a special treat sometimes. And, after getting caught in the rain during a few runs while training for the half marathon, I will admit that running in the rain is pretty fun too!

2. what time do you go to bed?

I try to go to bed by 10, but usually it's more like 11. I am pretty productive at night sometimes, but that has resulted in frequent stops at Starby's in the am for some latte love!

3. how many magazines do you subscribe to?

I've got People, Time, Food and Wine, and Portland Monthly on my ipad which I can download automatically...love it! I also subscribe to a few professional journals...The Reading Teacher, Young Children, Journal of Staff Development, and Instructor Magazine. I would have to say my favorite of all is US Weekly, but I only read that in the grocery line.

4. did you sell all your belongings because you thought the world was ending yesterday?

We did have a garage sale yesterday, but it's an annual event at the condo complex where I am living and not at all related to Judgment Day.

5. what's your beauty obsession?

My flatiron. Can't live without it!

6. if you could only wear one designer/brand for the rest of your life...what would it be?

Does adidas count as a designer brand?

7. what's your summer must have?

Pedicures and sun dresses.

8. do you make weekly dinner menus?

No. As a matter of fact I have done a horrible job of cooking this year due to being so busy with classes. I am out and about several nights a week and I feel like I bring a whole bag of groceries to work in the morning in order to cover lunch, snack, and dinner without going home. I rarely cook and prefer meals that are easy to grab and go. I am looking forward to cooking for hubs when I get back to Germany!

P.S.

• I went for a nice 6 mile run this morning with some friends and now I am gearing up to get some homework done.

• I am obsessed with playing Words with Friends and am currently beating Mr. Sneaker! He beat me on our first game and I am determined to whoop him now! Any tips for scoring big would be greatly appreciated! If you know of any interesting words let me know!

• I got a mani/pedi yesterday and tried out this new type of polish that is supposed to last 24 days. Well, one day later it is already peeling off! I was told that I have to make an appt. to have them professionally remove it, yet it seems to have no trouble coming off all by itself. I am going back tomorrow and asking them to remove it because I am just not loving it. 

June Babies

June is fast approaching and that means birthdays galore in the Sneaker family. I will be landing in Germany just in time for Mr. Sneaker's big day and then exactly one week later we celebrate mine (and the celebration continues on and on until I am good and done with presents, attention, and fun!). 

I love birthdays...can you tell?

But, back to Mr. Sneaker's birthday...

The other day I stopped in at Michaels after I finished up at the library. While I was browsing, I finally got my hands on this:

 I totally want it! 

And...as I just searched for a photo, I discovered that there is a Kindle edition for 9.99! Woot woot! The price at Michaels was 19.99, so I was going to wait for a 40% off coupon, but 9.99 is a deal, especially since that means I can have it with me in Germany without any additional baggage weight.

Once again I was in awe of Bakerella's amazing creations, but I especially loved her tennis ball cake balls and I want to try to make them for Mr. Sneaker's bday. In Germany, when it's your birthday you are expected to bring a treat for people at work. Last year several of hubby's colleagues posted on his facebook wall that they were looking forward to him bringing cake. Luckily, I was on top of it since he was out of town until late on the evening of his bday and I made some cupcakes for him to bring in to work. Since I am literally getting back to Germany on his birthday, which falls on a Sunday, I am trying to plan ahead since all stores are closed on Sundays and I will need to make sure I have all the required goods.

People from Mr. Sneaker's PDX office know all about my penchant for making cake balls and request favorite flavor combos for their own birthdays, but the adidas folks in Deutschland have not yet experienced the wonder of cake balls. I tried to make a batch last year, but it was small disaster....This year, I plan to bring a box of good old American Betty Crocker cake mix, and chocolate melts so I can get it right. Since boxed cake mix is not available in Germany (unless you want to shell out a small fortune at random gas stations that carry Betty Crocker along with Ben & Jerry's), I tried making both cake and frosting from scratch and sadly it just did not work. Also, the chocolate melts were just not the same and didn't harden correctly.

With familiar ingredients in hand, I will try again this year. I can't wait to bake in my German kitchen again! 28 days people :0)

Aren't these great?

I hope I can handle it.....

 

I bet their jaws would drop if he showed up with this...

LOVE it!

It would truly be the perfect cake for hubs...I just may have to take it on!

Visions

Yesterday I mentioned a little fantasy that I have and it has got me thinking about the lovely fresh start that happens each year for teachers--quite possibly making being a teacher the very best job in the entire world. In what other profession do you have the ability to basically reinvent yourself each and every September?! As we creep closer and closer to that coveted last day of school, sometimes our organization starts to slip (ok, who am I kidding, I don't think my organization was ever awesome to begin with), our energy starts to fade, and our mojo is a little short of teachery pizazz. Our minds start to focus on umbrella drinks, lazy mornings, beach books, and the ultra luxury of having more than 20 minutes to eat lunch! I am not saying that we are bad teachers by the end of the year, but I do look forward to a fresh start in the fall when I have renewed sense of energy, purpose, and passion for spending so much time with my little monkeys.

So, back to my fantasy...the one in which I am the best teacher ever and have the most amazing class/activities/lessons/ideas...I came home after hitting up the library for a very large pile of Eric Carle books, a side of Frog and Toad, and a large helping of beginner non-fiction books on various land animals and started filling out my lesson plans for next week. Back to that whole organization thing, somehow this year I am finding myself leaving school on Friday with a completely empty lesson plan page, but while catching up on missed shows from the week and sipping my cold Diet Coke, I somehow manage to get it completed in order to begin the next week with fantabulous activities for my little friends. While I was planning lessons to reinforce teen numbers, I remembered that Mr. H from Look at My Happy Rainbow had posted a good video showing all the teen numbers. I headed over to youtube and entered the wonderful world of educational videos (some good/some bad) and had a lot of fun browsing around. I came across a few gems and started having visions of using a lot of music and fun tunes next year with my teenie tiny newbie Kinders. I really need to learn how to play the guitar or at least the ukulele so I can be like the Jack Black ala School of Rock.

Take a look at some of the videos I found!

I love the hip hop alphabet the most and I am thinking of getting some fun sun glasses from Oriental Trading so we can get into character when we rock it out!

these...

or maybe these...

I am partial to animal prints!

I think I will also throw some of these into the order

 

Pointing to the words is so much cooler with a martian finger!

Year two of Kindergarten is going to be so much fun! 

I had a conversation with a PM kiddo today about him leaving me for first grade. I asked him if he was sure he didn't just want to stay with me, but he told me he wanted to try something new. Sigh. At least he agreed to come visit me and I sure hope he brings along his awesome hugs. I should probably head to Costco one of these days to get a mondo bulk pack of Kleenex because I sure and going to need them on June 15th!