Happy Fall with 2 Fabulous Freebies!!

Goodbye Summer! Hello Fall!

 I love the season of Fall! Here in California it certainly doesn't feel like fall with temperatures in the 80s!! I'm looking forward to cooler temperatures, warm sweaters, boots, great holidays, and all things apples and pumpkins! In celebration of this new season I have 2 great freebies for your classroom!

 Pumpkin Roll and Cover

This is a great game to play during math centers and it is a great way for students to practice their number recognition and cooperation. These roll and cover games are popular in the primary grades and really fun! This game can can be played where each student gets their own paper and they take turns rolling the dice. Whatever number they roll they have to cover the number with a chip or counter OR they can color in the number. The first student to have all numbers covered is the winner!

Race to the Top of the Apple Tree Game

If your students like competitive games, this game is perfect for your students! They each get their own paper and take turns rolling 1 die. Depending on the number that they roll, that is how many boxes they color in. They take turns doing this until they reach the top of the tree. The first one to reach the top is the winner!

If you like these products be sure to rate them! Hope you and your students enjoy these fabulous fall freebies! 

Beginning of the Year Self Portraits

I hope all you teachers out there are having a great start to the new school year! One of the best things about teaching kindergarten is being able to see so much growth during the year! Writing is one area that I love seeing the growth as you can compare the beginning of the year to the end of the year. I especially love showing parents at conferences just how far their child has grown within the first 2-3 months of school! I have always done a first day and last day of school self portrait. This activity is a great way to see growth from the beginning and end of the year especially with how the students write their name and how they draw themselves.

If you want to try this activity with your students, you can purchase the kindergarten self portrait in my store here. I also have a version that is for all grades which can be purchased here

Enjoy!!

First Day of School!

Today was my first day of school with my new kindergarten students! It was a great first day! I have 22 lovely students and I can't wait to watch them grow this year! I had a real positive start to the day with all of my students staying calm and nobody cried when their parents left the classroom! I was shocked! That is almost unheard of the first day of kindergarten! My students are already navigating their way around the classroom as they are starting to learn the rules and routines of our class. The first day of kindergarten at my school is a half day, so tomorrow will be the first full day of kindergarten! On the agenda tomorrow: self portraits, read aloud: The Kissing Hand and Chrysanthemum, and a special name craft.

Welcome!

Hello! Thanks for stopping by to visit my blog!  My name is Shaina and I live in sunny southern California. I will be starting my 5^th year of teaching. I have taught 2^nd grade for a year and for the past 3 years I have taught kindergarten! I love teaching kindergarten because the students are so excited about learning. Their level of excitement is very contagious! It is amazing to see how each child grows and develops during their time in school.  I love telling parents that the child you see on the first day of school will not be the same child on the last day of school. 

Currently I have a lot of great things happening in my life! I recently got married (May, 24, 2015), and I will be working at a new school this year. On top of those great successes, this summer I joined Teachers Pay Teachers as a seller! You can visit my store here. I decided that there are so many great things that happen daily as a teacher, it is about time that I document all the ins and outs of my life as a kindergarten teacher! Hope you join me on this crazy bumpy ride!