A New Beginning!

Hey Kinder Friends,

Well maybe this is not so much teacher related but it is related to a new beginning and new beginnings have been on my mind a lot lately. I could not resist to share my new year blessings and my blessings come in a pair!

And to those of you who know me well you had to know this was coming...two! To start the new year with two new puppies has been a blessing of all sorts. What once was a calm and peaceful home is now just a bundle of puppy joy! We have all had some time to bond with them and going back to work for me knowing these little guys were at home wasn't easy. But the best part is that we all look forward to coming home and having them greet us each day.

I have never had a puppy of my own...never! I have had many other critters but never have I had my own puppy. I now have two...sigh. They are the cutest little black and white and white and black six week old Chihuahua puppies I have ever seen. They are brother and sister. And what I told my family is just between you and me... I said we were going to drive across Texas to...look at A puppy. I don't think they noticed when I threw the dog bed and blankets in the car before we left. I was pretty swift. My husband fell for the just looking ploy before when he drove me to IKEA only to leave with a truck full of stuff so I thought maybe this time it would work too. I tried to convince myself that I was just looking too. The truth is that we had just lost our beloved family pet that grew with us and melted our hearts for most of our family life together...we were all heartbroken to say the least. We cried tons of tears and at times we wanted to close our hearts and never have another family pet...ever because it hurt too much to see her go. I knew I would cry and I knew it would be hard but I had no idea how hard it would really be. We loved our dog CiCi through it all and we did every possible thing we could to keep her with us...

As we drove to look at puppies we had a chance to talk as a family. Before we arrived to meet these two we had a new understanding about love, loss and loyalty, maybe each of us with our own perspective. We had big enough hearts to open them up again and love something new even knowing the pain and sadness we had just felt. We had some car time to let it all soak in. But let me tell you when we saw these two...who in their right mind could choose? And just like that we left with both to begin our new year! And I am happy to say our new family of five is doing just fine.  

MLK Activities AND Freebie!



Hey Kinder Friends,

This is another one of my favorite times of the year in Kindergarten. We have been in school for half a year already and it is just the perfect time to talk about our similarities and differences again as we move into discussions about diversity.

This is one of my all time favorites in Kinder. The Colors of Us is such a great book that leads to great discussions. The chart above was created after many discussions about the colors of...us! It is fun to talk about and change our thinking about the colors of us before we eventually settle on something that reminds us of...us. And as the days of discussion linger on you would be surprised at how descriptive these comparisons can get. I have learned over the years to wait a bit before making the final chart because we always get better as we go. The chart above is from the first year I attempted this activity. And if you give it a little time it is endearing to hear how the children help each other decide or make a better choice. Who knows, maybe this year I will be the color of warm French toast on a cold winter morning...

This has always been a fun activity to do with multicultural crayons. And if you need a copy just click on the image above to grab yours.

What I just love about my school is that we celebrate this time of year for an entire month and we end it with our annual Black History program. As we begin to plan for our program and celebrations, we always turn to this book for inspiration for something to wear to the program. This is one of the best books that is appropriate for young children that explains the meaning of the colors of the cloth.

We usually always make badges because they are so simple to make and we can all show our spirit for the events. Last year we made Unity Headbands and I am sure in some form these will return because we loved them so much and they were such a perfect independent activity.

Because we have a month to celebrate and learn about Black History we have time to talk about many different people who have shaped history. I am always on the hunt for new books to add to my collection.

This one is still one of my favorites. It is age appropriate and a perfect book to go along with so many MLK, Jr. activities.

These are just a few of the activities we did last year and we had such a good time with them that they are coming back. They are just perfect for hanging in the classroom or all lined up in the hall with all the other things we can think to create.

So, we are just getting started this year and I am kind of excited. Who knows what we will add to these activities this year. I am on the hunt. So what is your favorite?

For more information on Let's Celebrate Diversity please click on the image above to take you to my store and product description!

Have fun teaching friends!

 



Setting Goals!

Hey Kinder Friends,

I bet just like me you are thinking about heading back to school tomorrow. And since we have already celebrated the new year we all have goals and resolutions fresh on our minds. It is actually a good time to set goals for the remaining part of the year. And I found a great book to help add to the Kinder discussion on this one. Squirrel's New Year's Resolution is just the perfect book for this. I found it online while shopping for gifts this year and waited a little too late to order. So, when the going gets tough...we improvise!

If you can't locate the book in stock this just might get the job done in a pinch! Now we are on our way to getting goals for the second half of Kinder! So, what goals will you set for your Kinders? I am looking forward to setting class and individual goals this year!



New Year Hop AND FREEBIE AND Sale!

 Have you set some New Years resolutions for yourself this year? This year I am trying something new. I am working on goal setting in my personal and professional life and looking at it as a shift in thinking rather than a resolution. I realized that I needed a new way of working towards a goal in order to accomplish it. I feel that a better planned out goal setting plan will help me to accomplish my goals and move in a new direction this year!

My friends at Freebielicious and I want to share some of our goals and resolutions for 2014 with you! To help you get a jump start on the new year we've also added some freebies that may help you reach your own similar goals. 

 On a personal level this year I have learned a lot about accomplishing a BIG goal. This past summer I committed to home organization and went at it full force with my lists in hand and each day I would force myself to tackle things I had left undone. I went from room to room and closet to closet and drove myself crazy in the process. I wanted it ALL accomplished before going back to school. As I worked on each phase of the major overhaul, I realized that my goal of 2600 square feet of complete organization in 30 days was...unrealistic. Did I make progress? Yes, I made a lot of progress but the process was tough and overwhelming.

Although I made tremendous progress with my entire life organization, I realized that my goal was not specific enough, measurable, attainable, relevant or realistically time bound. So I now have had to change or shift my thinking just a little and look at goal setting a little more realistically. And this is what I have used to keep me in check!

To read more about goal setting click here and start setting your own goals for the new year!

If you need a copy of the SMART goal setting page just click on the image above! So, how is this going to help me? Well, I have learned that writing everything down and looking at it and making adjustments has been a big part of reaching a goal for me. I have to see what I am working on or I tend to forget about it. Just having the SMART outline defined helps me to plan and keep my goals realistic and in better focus. So now I look at smaller more specific goals, working towards the bigger picture. Organizing and entire house in 30 days has changed into a closet in four hours. And when you accomplish one goal you move to the next and eventually the bigger picture! As I march into a new year I now have a new plan to reach the big and the small goals. I hope to have a year that is filled with many milestones and accomplishments! Oh-I almost forgot...I am having a ONE DAY SALE! Happy New Year Kinder Friends!

Hop on over to FREEBIELICIOUS for all of the fantastic resolutions and matching freebies!