12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop

Hello Teacher Friends!!
December is finally here! I am so excited for all of the fun activities I have planned at school, especially the arrival of our Elf and his friend Mouse.

I am also super excited to be a part of the

12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop.

I am joining up with some fabulous friends to offer great holiday freebies to wish you a wonderful holiday.

I have a fun sampler pack of my holiday clip art up on TPT, free to download.

Clip Art Sampler

I also finished my December Kindergarten Homework Packet. It is a monthly packet of weekly homework. Since everyone has a short month, this packet is 3 weeks of homework and a Holiday Color Word Emergent Reader. I just loaded it and it will be on sale for 20% off through the 12 days blog hop.

December Kindergarten Homework

Here is a free page from the packet that would be fun for morning work.

You can access it by visiting my google docs.

December Morning Work Freebie

In case you missed day 1 of the 12 Days Blog Hop....scoot on over to Time 4 Kindergarten and Ketchen's Kindergarten, two sweet Kindergarten teachers and friends!!

And of course check out the other Day 2 blogs, Rainbows Within Reach and Sharing Kindergarten. I love those gals!! Isn't it amazing the friends you can meet through blogging?

 I have my camera charging so I can take lots of pictures this week!! Have a WONDERFUL week!!

Sharing More Freebies

Today I went in to school with every intention of getting my room done and I ended up cleaning out a filing cabinet....really not an effective use of my time, as there is zero likelihood any parent will ever look inside there. "Oh hello Teacher, your room is a chaotic mess but let me go look in that file cabinet in the corner because I am sure it is super organized" Yikes...I need to light a fire under my tail!! I'm going back tomorrow and I will get it looking good. Let me just repeat that to myself about 100 more times. Maybe I could get a recorded message and play it while I sleep.
On a more useful note, I have a wonderful list of links to share with you. Debbie Clemments from Rainbows Within Reach posted an awesome linky with her post yesterday which will take you to over 25 great freebies!!

You can read her post here...Rainbows Within Reach

Back to School Blog Hop!! Join in the Fun!!

Did you know that this weekend is a GINORMOUS sale on Teacher's Pay Teachers? It's true!! So to prepare for the big event I am joining in on the Back to School Teacher's Pay Teachers Blog Hop. (Well, I will join in if I can figure out all the 'linky-jinky' business which you know I do not excel in.)

Great teachers are joining together to share some of their favorite back-to-school items, to get you set for the beginning of the school year! And the best news?This weekend is the big SALE!!! You can save from 10-28% on your favorite items!! Can you believe it? Don't forget to enter the promo code BTS12 to receive  the biggest savings.

'To theme or not to theme that is the question'...lol. Themes are everywhere for back to school design and ideas. Teachers choose colors, mascots, animals, dots....you name it. I have created several fun back to school theme sets that are available on TpT. Personally I feel there is something visually appealing to a themed classroom. It creates a sense of organization. I love labeling my cubbies, bins and baskets with the coordinating labels. It really creates a kid-friendly environment.

When I am preparing my sets I laminate each piece using heavy laminate. It create a hard piece that will last for many years. You may want to use cardstock to print on if you do not have heavy lamination available. 

My favorite classroom set is the first theme I created. I called it 'Let's Get Hoppin'. I love the color combinations with the green, pink, aqua, and black. It was cute but not too girlie....cuz you all know those little boys do not like 'girlie'. Can't you just hear those little boys in your head saying "That's for girls", lol. I used the pennants and made three pennant banners in my class: 'I Can' where I post I can statements (a requirement at our school), Word Wall, and Group Time. 

To make a pennant banner I print one triangle for each letter and glue the letter using very light glue (just enough the tack it on). Laminate each triangle and cut. Punch a hole in the top corner of each triangle. To add a little flare I string my letters onto ribbon and then go back and add a coordinating ribbon tied through each corner. 

I know you will love all of the creative ideas and activities you find on the blog hop. Teacher's Pay Teachers is my 'go to' site for classroom activities. I love that the items are 'tried and true' things that children enjoy!

I hope you have a wonderful school year full of many blessings!! Enjoy the blog hop!!