Sharing Sunday--December Fun from Bryant's Brain Train!

Hi!  I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving break with your families!  I am so grateful for each of you!!!

We ate, played a little volleyball, did a bit of home reno, watched some Christmas movies on Hallmark channel, ate some more, and of course, shopped some of the Black Friday deals in our area... 

Literally, we were in Belk's for 6 hours on Friday...my mom calls it the "boot vortex" because we spend so much time in the shoe department.  Sweet memories and tired toes!!!

A week off to spend with family and friends was certainly a wonderful chance to rest and recharge for a busy month ahead.  But as we plan to head back to school on Monday, the authors from the Primary Peach wanted to share some ideas with you to kickstart your planning for the month of December.  It's time for another Sharing Sunday...

Once you've clicked on the image below to open, click each image within to access the goodies from me.  Christmas is truly one of my favorite times of year, and I hope these are resources that you love and find meaningful for your own students and children. 

 Next, head on over the the Peach page to find tons of other December ideas.  Click HERE to find even more teacher treasures!  Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope your December is full JOY, PEACE, HOPE, and LOVE!

Survival Tips for the Holiday Season

Hi, friends!  I'm guest blogging today over at the Primary Peach.  

I'd love for you to pop on over and share some ideas about how you maintain teacher sanity and classroom control during the holiday season.  Click HERE to read a few teacher tips from me.

I am so grateful for each of you!  Love and best wishes as we head into the holiday season!!!  

November Sharing Sunday

Hi, and happy almost November!  

Hope your October has been amazing as by now you've settled into a new school year, put out a few pumpkins, and watched a few fall leaves flutter to the ground.  Around here we are doing a bit of home reno, and look at this gem that my kids unearthed when we were working in the basement today...

This was me student teaching in my very last quarter of college...20 years ago!  I cannot even!!!  That means these children in the photo with me are now 25...seriously!  LOL

Home renovations can be completely overwhelming...let's be honest...but today, Sadie and I took a little break.  Today we supported my mom at the annual United in Pink Flamingo Fest.  Looking for a great breast cancer organization to support?  United in Pink is absolutely one of my favorites!  Find out more about them by clicking HERE.

Now, onto the ideas my friends and I over at the Primary Peach have for you this month.

We've each compiled a list of some of our very favorites to help make your planning easier during the month of November.  Once you've clicked on the image below to open, click each image within to access the goodies.   Then, head on over the the Peach page to find tons of other November ideas.  Click HERE to find these other teacher treasures!

Our school recently completed an in-service on writing.  This month here on my blog I will be sharing with you some of my favorites from that training.  Today, though, let's get inspired by a few fall writing goodies...Click below to get started!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Fall Leaves, Fall Fun, and a Fall Freebie!!!

Hi, all!  Around here the seasons are changing...football is in full swing, leaves are falling, the fair is coming next week, and life is--as usual--busy and full! 

 

But, in the hurry, scurry of the back to school season, I did want to share a freebie for you that is perfect for use in the months ahead.  I have found that our family has to be intentional about spending time together and doing family devotions...for us, it will not just happen by accident!  Lazy? Busy?  Distracted?  LOL I'm not sure what the issue for us is, but these are just a few of the fall activities we have done together over the past few years.  

Click the image below to download this idea-pack which is full of seasonal ideas and goodies for use with the little ones in your life!

I also wanted to share a story that we love!  View the read aloud here on You Tube...

For those of you who teach at private schools, homeschool, or serve in local churches, I also have a few new resources available in my online store.  Click the captions below to find out more... 

English Standard Version

King James Version

New International Version

The Old Testament edition is out now, and I am busy working on the New Testament edition as well! 

I hope that your fall is full of special blessings!  Praying for an awesome October!  

 

Look for more from me on Pinterest, on Facebook, and on Instagram!  Thanks for stopping by!

Classroom Sneak a Peek with the Primary Peach

Hi!  Hope you are having a fantastic school year and an enjoyable Labor Day weekend!  Today I'm guest blogging over on the Primary Peach, 

so I thought I would share some classroom ideas with you here as well...

I am so excited for the long weekend, and hope you have plans to rest, refresh, and maybe even enjoy a little college football over this Labor Day weekend! I wanted to share a peek into my classroom with you! Come on in...

I am excited to be teaching 4th grade Science and Social Studies again this year, so several sections of my room reflect our content areas of focus. For example, our map area has an "Oh, the Places You'll Go" theme. I also have lots of inspirational "Seussisms" hung around our classroom. I love using quotes to get students talking, thinking, and even writing...motivation can be a powerful tool in the classroom!

The "Enrichment Engine" is the place where you'll find fun things like a gigantic globe suspended from the ceiling and our classroom learning games. 

Laminated scrapbook paper was the key to making my content word wall. Scrapbook paper--definitely one of my favorite, inexpensive ways to spruce up any boring space! 

I also wanted a cute way to preview all of the units we cover in a year, so I made this "restaurant-themed" nook featuring a gingham tablecloth-covered bulletin board, a few decorative plates, a chalkboard for recording the "weekly specials," and 2 menus--one for the "Global Cafe" (our Social Studies units for the year) and one for the "Science Sandwich Shop" (our 4th grade Science units).

Here are a few more shots from around the room, like our comfy, cozy reading nook where we keep our "Chugga, Chuggs Chapter Books"...

Bloom's Taxonomy posters to encourage higher order thinking...

our train-themed helper chart...

our Bible verse and cursive ABC charts...

and inspirational posters featuring characters from my WATT Valley series (We Are Tomorrow's Thinkers). Click to find out more about Mrs. Foster, Kind Kimmy, and the other students from WATT Valley.

Students do their part as well to keep our room looking neat and organized. This year I made and posted cubby checklists like these to help students keep their spaces neat and tidy. They are doing a GREAT job!

Lastly, here are a few pics of the whole room, my teacher's desk, and our Smartboard/large group carpet. 

I love my pennants/bunting which are new this year!

You can see by the pics that my tables are arranged by color (navy, red, turquoise, lime green, and purple) using signs I made using more scrapbook paper and tissue paper pom poms from the party store.  I love the extra pizazz they add!

My goal every year is to create a classroom that is warm, engaging, welcoming, and student-centered. Even 4th graders like to be inspired by their learning environment! Hope you've enjoyed the classroom tour! Thanks for stopping by!

Be sure to check back over at the Peach throughout the month of September for more Peachy posts from lots of different GA bloggers!

Back to School!!!

Checking today's schedule, and it looks like back to school is just around the bend!!!

I head back next week, so this week I am scrambling to finish up projects at home, make the most of moments at home with my sweet children, read the last few books I checked out from the library, and work on a few back to school projects for my new 4th graders!!!

Some of my dear friends start school tomorrow and some even went back last week...where does the time go?  Praying for all of you that are heading back already!  I know you will ROCK this school year!

Don't forget that TpT is hosting a HUGE Back to School Sales Event so be sure to stock up and save!  I've already started loading my own cart!  

Hope your school year is absolutely wonderful!  I will be sharing a few projects from my classroom in the days to come.  Until then...

Soaking in the last bit of summer,