Where's the Gingerbread Man?

Welcome to my Open House! 

I wanted to send you warm and wonderful holiday wishes and let you know that I have just uploaded this fast and fun holiday open house make and take and it is free! You can find this free and fun download at my TpT store. I have to get busy making mine but I will post pictures soon! For this fun project you will need cardstock, magnets and a cookie sheet and that is it! 

It's Cyber Monday!

It's Cyber Monday and I am dancing a jig! I have my elf shoes on and my shopping basket full!

You can use this code to get an ADDITIONAL 10% off of the items in my TpT store that are already on sale! I hope you have as much fun as I am having and maybe you will dance a jig too!

I have added Calendar Chants recently to my TpT store for 12 months of fun! 

It's Christmas on TBA!

You are invited to join me and all those wonderful teacher bloggers on TBA this coming week for some crafty Christmas fun! 

You are my sunshine...

Well, this made me put a little smile on my face when I opened my mailbox and found this Sunshine Award from :

AND... Thanks to these three ladies to give me an award... I have learned a lot from you! 
 Part of receiving this award, you must answer these questions and pass the sunshine along, so here we go...

Favorite Color

Source: thesweetestoccasion.com via Little Miss Kindergarten on Pinterest

My favorite color is red but truth be told... I am colorblind to some degree and so is my father and son. Over the years I have been told that it is not possible for a female to be colorblind but if you knew me you would know that this is simply not true. My family, friends and coworkers will tell you the same. The kids figure this out each year usually when I call something blue and it is actually purple and they always think I did not learn my colors when I was in pre k! 

My second favorite color is black which probably has something to do with the fact that I love the combination of black and white. And everything has to have a gingham bow on it... it reminds me of my great grandmother. 

Favorite Animal

My favorite animal would have to be a penguin. I think the Emperor Penguin has an amazing story. And my favorite movie is March of the Penguins... Each year it is an annual tradition to watch March of the Penguins with my husband (lucky him). 

Favorite Number 

My favorite number is three. 

And the real secret is that since I was in Kindergarten I have always LOVED to count! As a child I counted everything in my head just because I wanted to know how many. 

Favorite Drinks

Is there any time of day that this does not taste good? 

And if you have not tried this... you just have to, enough said. 

And this is my all time favorite beverage maker the Cocomotion! Please someone tell me why Mr. Coffee will not put this one back in their product line? And can we get it in red please? I am sure glad the year they were on clearance I bought a few all of them on the shelves at any Wal Mart that had them in stock. I gave most of them away as gifts but kept a few several for hot chocolate days in Kindergarten. 

Facebook or Twitter

I guess I am giving the unpopular answer... Twitter. I love it. No fuss, no muss just tweet and your done! 

What is my passion?

Teaching is definitely one of my passions. Each year I ask myself if I am in for just one more year in Kindergarten and the answer is always the same. I do not want to teach any other grade level. 

My secret passion is that I want to be a Science Instructional Specialist and would DIE DIE DIE if I ever saw and opening! I have a secret stash of lessons, plans, materials and whatnot just ready for the day if it ever comes... And last, I LOVE writing curriculum for Math and Science and I am fortunate to be able to do that for my job and through my blog. I love the writing process and this gives me a needed creative outlet. 

Giving or Receiving?

I love giving gifts! 

Favorite Day

My favorite day of all time was the one and only snowy Valentine I ever have had in my life. We played in the snow and then had brunch and hot chocolate. 

Source: amishphoto.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Kim on Pinterest

Wishing you and your family a warm and wonderful winter.

Now I get to spread the sunshine... You guys make my day!

Pass the Parcel

Last year I was searching for games to play in my classroom during the month of December for some extra fun to go along with Christmas Around the World. I looked on the internet and asked family and friends for some ideas. I was at a get together and Pass the Parcel was suggested by a friend. Pass the Parcel is traditionally a British party game. 

To play Pass the Parcel you will need a box, music or a book, wrapping paper or wrapping paper scraps and small prizes. You put the prize inside the box and wrap it in layers. Between layers you can tuck in small prizes like paper hats or crowns or sheets of stickers. It is kind of fun to try and figure out what you can tuck inside each layer to make Pass the Parcel a whole lot of fun. 

Since I heard about this idea last year I was able to pick up my prizes at the after Christmas sales for 75% off. But most items can be purchased for very little money and Dollar Tree would be a fun place to look for things. Since I was playing Pass the Parcel with a class, I did not want just one prize in the parcel and just one child to open it. I wanted several rounds of Pass the Parcel and I wanted whatever was inside to be something everyone could enjoy. And I also wanted other classes to play along too. It was a lot of fun to put something inside the parcel that another class could enjoy and play along with them. Last year our class played with our neighbors and we gave them some much needed glitter for projects they were working on. 

When we played the game we played passing the parcel as we played Christmas music and stopping the music throughout the song. The person who is holding the parcel when the music stops, unwraps the first layer and then the game continues. My friend said that she plays Pass the Parcel while reading the book The Night Before Christmas and each time the word "and" is read, the person holding the parcel unwraps a layer. 

For more information on the background and rules for Pass the Parcel, you can find it by going to kidsparties123. 

Have fun and enjoy Pass the Parcel with your class! Have a warm and wonderful holiday season! 

Black Friday Sale!

I am having a sale at TpT this Friday through Cyber Monday! Have fun shopping while you sip on hot chocolate and take a break from the crowds! 

Scrappin Doodles

Scrappin Doodles is having a sale for 40% off using code BLACK2011! 

I am thankful...

Source: parents.com via Little Miss Kindergarten on Pinterest

I saw this super cute idea on Learning With Mrs. Parker and I loved it. I wish I had seen it in time for my class to make these. As I was going to sneak another peak at her blog, I was thinking about how thankful I am. It really goes without saying I am thankful for my family and friends and co workers and I hope each of them know how thankful I am that I have them in my life. But I wish I could say face to face how thankful I am for my blogging friends. When I was thinking about blogging and told a few people about it I was laughed at and a few times made fun of. And as my blog has grown, I have been teased about it more than once or twice. But I have to say it doesn't bother me a bit because blogging has been one of the best things I have ever done in my professional life and it has seeped in to my regular life as well. I have had the opportunity to be a part of Teaching Blog Addict and I have had countless opportunities to participate in new adventures and learn and grow as an educator. I have learned from all of the contributing authors and I have taken knew ideas, inspiration and knowledge into my classroom this year. But on a personal level, I have meet some amazing teachers through this experience. I am now a contributor to (I don't really want to count) many collaborative blogs and I have enjoyed every minute of it. Blogging has given me a creative outlet that feeds my need to create. My favorite part of blogging is getting the emails from the teachers, parents, friends and bloggers who follow my blog. I still get super excited about comments. I also love it when I just get the random email asking how I have been on a personal level. And I LOVE going to blogs and seeing those posts of ideas and products that I can take directly back to my classroom. 

I wanted all of you to know I am so thankful for giving me your gift of time to visit my blog, encourage me, teach me, learn with me and laugh with me. YOU have made a difference in my life and that has made a difference in my classroom. I wish I could tell you in person so you could hear me say it! I mean it! I wish you and your families a wonderful Thanksgiving and I can't wait to hear from you soon!