Liebster Award, San Antonio and a Made it Monday!

Hey there! What a crazy week it has been already...and it's only Monday! This blog post is going to be jam packed with lots of fun information, so I hope you're ready! Let's get it rollin'....

To start things off let's talk about my mini vacation to San Antonio! My fiance, his roommates and I made the 13 hour drive to San Antonio to watch our beloved Huskers play in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Yes, they lost, but the trip was a blast and the weather was gorgeous! We mingled with people on the river walk, visited the Alamo and had a great time. Here are a few photos from our excursions...

My fiance and I at the Husker get together the day we arrived in San Antonio.

WOOO! Go Big Red! Huskers warming up before the game. The outcome wasn't what we would have hoped for, but it was an...umm...intense game to watch. 

One of the many gorgeous mosaics you can find along the river walk. It's even RED! GBR! 

The Alamo in all its glory. This has to be one of the neatest places to visit. The line was always wrapped around the building, so we didn't make it in, but still a beautiful piece of history. 

All in all, it was one of the best road trips I have been on in a long time. San Antonio will definitely be a place I want to visit again, but maybe this time I will take a plane instead of driving :).

After returning from San Antonio I immediately checked up on my blog. While reading through my comments I found one from Language Arts Bliss that said she had nominated my blog for the Liebster Award! I cannot tell you how humbled I feel to have been nominated, so thank you!

In short, the Liebster Award is a great way to grow your audience, find some great blogs to follow, and become more familiar with 5 great teachers out there.

There is a process that goes with this...so hang with me, folks! Here we go!

Step 1 Answer the 11 Questions your nominating blogger provides:

1. What is the best teaching tip you have ever received?

The best teaching tip I have received so far in my career was actually given to me last year by my building Administrator. I am known for over-thinking things and spinning my wheels, so when I heard him say this to me I had an epiphany.  He simply said :"Keep it simple". Sometimes I let my imagination get the best of me and my ideas of extravagant classroom decor and lessons stress me out more than they help me.  Since, I was given this tip I have felt much more relaxed and have become a better teacher because of this simple reminder. 

2. What is the story behind your blog name?

Well, let's be honest, who doesn't love a new box of crayons!?  I originally started this blog as a place for my reflections during my Student Teaching. In fact, you can find my first post here and read more about my Student Teaching experiences! Since I have continued with blogging the name of my blog has grown to represent much more. For me, it is a constant reminder to bring fresh ideas to the world of teaching and making learning fun (or colorful)!

3. If you were not a teacher, which other profession would you choose?

I honestly don't think I would want to be in any other profession. If I had to be, I would wind up being a crazy dog lady. I love dogs and spending my days with them would probably be the only thing that could provide me with as much happiness as my current profession. :) 

4. What is your favorite dessert?

OOO! This is a tough one, but I'm going to have to go with pie! I LOVE pie! Mainly fruit pies and, of course, French Silk pie. MMM! I get hungry just thinking about it! 

5. Big plans for the summer?

Well, my summer is a little shorter compared to you "normal" calendar folks. I only have about 5-6 weeks off and at least 3 of those I plan to be teaching in a Summer Reading program. The other three will be spent creating items for TPT and my classroom. 

6. Describe what you do when you have 30 minutes of free time:

Well, I mean, I know what I SHOULD do with 30 minutes of free time, but those things don't always happen.  I typically end up talking, a lot, with my co-workers and friends. If I'm not talking I can be found creating products or grading papers...oh, and blogging. :) 

7. What is your favorite childhood movie?

That's easy! My favorite childhood movies is "All Dogs go to Heaven"! Maybe I was meant to be a crazy dog lady!:) 

8. What item can you not make it through the day without?

My phone! Not because I call people or text constantly, but because it helps my life run smoothly.  I have quiet a few kids that leave for interventions at random times throughout the day and I have timers set for each one of them. It is a HUGE life-saver! 

9. Share your favorite quote:

I have many quotes that I love, but one of my all time favorite quotes is from Hiam Ginott and it goes like this:  

“I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or dehumanized.”

10. Beach or mountains? Which do you prefer?

Well...this is a tough one, but I think I am going to have to go with mountains. The beach is great, but eventually I would get sick of sand being everywhere. :) 

11. Describe the view outside of your classroom window:

The view outside my classroom window is filled with bright playground equipment and smiling faces!  

Almost there.. Step 2- Here are 11 random facts about me:

1. My favorite color is blue...

2. My car is my favorite color

3. My dog is named after the dog in Despicable Me (Kyle)

4. I've always wanted a tattoo but can't decided what I want and if I should do it.

5. I am a Gemini and you can tell :). 

6. I love to dance! I started dance when I was 3 years old and continued all the way through college. 

7. I look nothing like my sister :) 

8. I have a younger sister

9. I make a lot of facial expressions when I talk or even listen to conversations. 

10. I have 3 favorite animals: Dogs, Cows and Zebras

11. My birthday is on the 11th. 

Phew...Step 3- Present the Liebster Award to 5 new bloggers with less than 200 followers:

Here are 5 blogs that I think are great! Go check them out for yourself! 

Here are your 11 questions:

1.  Who was your favorite teacher?  How have they influenced your teaching today?
2.   What is the best part of your teaching day?
3.  What is your funniest school memory?
4.  What are your hobbies, or how do you unwind after working all week?
5.  How do you spend your summers?
6.  What is your favorite dessert?
7.  What new instructional practice have you found success with?
8.  Do you love and use technology in your classroom, or are you sometimes intimidated or frustrated by it?9.  What is your favorite children's book?
10.  What is the most exotic place that you have traveled to
11.  Do you have pets?  If so, what kind?

Last, but not least...a new product is up in my store! So I give you one of my latest products for my Made it Monday! 

TA-DA! I give you my Scan it!: QR- Rainbow Reward cards! 

I love this product and use it daily in my classroom.  I have wanted to give my clip chart a little bit of a punch to keep my kiddos driven to keep clipping up and that is where this product was born.  It contains 24 different rainbow rewards that cost you NOTHING...well, except buying and downloading the product.  In my classroom I clip random QR codes to the top three colors of my clip chart. When students reach that color they get to scan the QR code with our iPad or my phone (they love using my phone). The rewards range from moving your seat next to a friend and eating lunch in the classroom to reading a story to the principal or helping another teacher in their classroom for 20 minutes.  There are quite a few teachers in my school that use these QR codes in a multitude of ways to keep their students engaged. Here are some ideas: Putting them up around the room and having kiddos scan rewards when they earn them, placing the cards inside a treasure box and much more! The possibilities are endless, so what are you waiting for!? Click the image to hop over to my store and check it out for yourself! 

Phew...that's all I've got folks! Thanks for hanging with me and I hope that you have a fantastic week! 

Thanks for stoppin' by! 

Fall Break and an Update!!

Well hey there!  Last time I was here I created by very first Freebie EVER! I hope you guys got the chance to download and use it in your rooms! If you missed that post you can either scroll down or just simply click here to grab your freebie.  Since my last post  A LOT has happened and has caused a serious whirlwind in the past few weeks. To start things off...

         I AM ENGAGED!!! 

I was completely surprised and I must say that my boy did a great job of planning the entire thing with family and friends! He even kept it a secret for 6 WEEKS!!!!! I am very lucky to get to spend the rest of my life with such a wonderful man! Let the wedding planning begin! 

Fall is here which means I have been living off of pumpkin spice lattes! With fall comes my FALL BREAK! Yup, I get a whole 2 weeks off to enjoy this wonderful Nebraska fall weather... and enter grades...and complete running records...and clean my house...okay so it's been a little crazy but I am two days into my break and I am lovin' it! 

I also have recently started playing with the idea of a different hairstyle. One of my friends told me that curling wands are amazing. Now, being someone who is terrified of regular curling irons, I was not looking forward to wearing a "Michael Jackson" heat protective glove and wrapping my hair around a hot stick. However, after an hour of carefully attempting to not burn my hands or face, I had this result. As you can tell by my face I am a little shocked I came out without any scars or burns, but it is definitely something I will continue to work on. 

Also, I don't know if you have heard about The Mint Julep Boutique, but I am completely obsessed! My first order just arrived today (it's like Christmas in a box!)! Be sure to check out their AH-MAZ-ING clothes and deals. Things go fast so be sure to order when  you can! 

Well folks, I am off to create a wedding guest list and enjoy my fall break....and maybe spend part of my paycheck at The Mint Julep Boutique! 

Thanks for stoppin' by! 

Teacher Week: Classroom Digs...my classroom tour!

Hey there! I am glad you are here! 

I have to tell you, I am lovin' this link up for Teacher Week '13! I am very nervous excited to share some photos of my classroom with you. Just a couple warnings to get started:

1) It is messy...I have a VERY bad habit of making organized piles EVERYWHERE!  

2) I do not yet know how to make pretty photos to put on my blog posts so they are pretty plain, but I hope you enjoy my little slice of heaven. 

Here we go!....

Here a couple shots from the hallway outside my classroom door! 

Here is some hallway art that is hanging outside of my classroom. I found the camera activity  from The Bubbly Blonde on TPT! Gotta support my Nebraska Teachers! She has activities for other grade levels as well, be sure to stop by and pick up your First week of school activities! 

I found this noun activity on Teachers Pay Teachers. The kiddos loved using their highlighters to find the nouns and we even got a  little crafty!

Here is my Zebra Lock Smock. I found it on Etsy for $8! I absolutely love it and it makes locking my door a breeze! Click here to visit The Price of Teaching on Etsy and grab your very own Lock smock! 

This poster is on the backside of my classroom door. We use this to tell visitors and students that have stepped out of the classroom where we are! I made this last year for 4th grade and would love to make a more first grade friendly version, but for now this will do. 

Here is the view of my desk area as you come into my room. Please excuse the organized piles everywhere! 

 
 Here is my awesome reading table. It has a marker board overlay so my kiddos can build words and actually write on my table! 




 Now, here we have one of the newest additions to my classroom. "My helper" was gracious enough to buy it for me for my birthday this past summer! I love my ball chair! It is comfy, easy on the backside and  a lot of fun to bounce on when no one is looking. If you have never thought about having a unique chair like this, you should definitely think about it. I believe they can be found on Amazon. 

This is the view of my classroom from the front of my room. It is an older building and I love that. I put my kiddos in a brand new seating arrangement today and I feel like it really opens up the room. Yes, I do have an "island" in the middle of my room. This "island" kiddo is still working on being able to stay focused on their own work so this was the best place for them to be successful. 

Now moving off to the right, straight in front of my desk area we have....

My small work table with my animal print pillows. This is where my little one's work in small math groups, write during writing workshop, build words and much more! I love this little area. There is something that I love about being able to sit on the floor with my kiddos and work on a new game or introduce a new word building skill.

  

The colorful buckets along my window are actually spray painted. The idea of these turn- in buckets came from The Clutter-Free Classroom and they are fantastic. However, I should probably take part in more of the activities to eliminate all of my paper piles...phew! 

Moving to the back wall, behind the long bookshelf...

This is our Meeting Corner. I use this area for Calendar Math, Writing Mini-lessons, I-chart creating for Daily 5, classroom library and book box storage. This little corner is so cozy and is the best area to get lots of natural sunlight into our room. 

Here are my brightly colored book boxes. I found these baskets at Dollar Tree and they have held up very well! Each one of my students is assigned a number at the beginning of the year. This is how I assign book boxes and classroom jobs.  

Moving across the back wall of my classroom

we have my reading nook, word wall and Authors chair. My firsties love using the pillows and bean bags to cozy up with a good book and build stamina for Daily 5.  To the right >>>> we have my lovely authors chair. When a Student takes a piece of writing through the writing process they have an opportunity to read their story from the authors chair! This chair was hand painted to match some of the borders on my bulletin boards. Isn't it amazing!

 Here is my beautiful Word Wall from Erica Bohrer! The colors are so fun, but I am still in the process of cutting out ALL of the words to stick up on my wall (only 5 pages left!). It is definitely worth all of the cutting, plus I can add my own words! 

Next to my Word Wall, we have.......

...my writing area! This week we are in the process of launching Work on Writing. This area will be used for my small groups to brainstorm great writing ideas, use fun materials and become brilliant writers! 

< Here we have a Writing Poster a past teacher made and left for me to use! How cute! 

Here is my nifty ZEBRA basket that houses all of my fun Writing Tools! I think I may need to go back through my elementary pencil boxes and put all of my gel pens in this goodie basket! 

To the lockers! 

Well, above the lockers, I guess. This past summer I did some research on Whole Brain Teaching. I fell in love with the method and this year I am attempting to use it for the very first time. So far, it has been a great success. I also have my letter day posters posted along the wall to keep me organized and moving through my day. 

Just below my whole brain posters I have my Students 'Good News" notes posted with their punch cards. I will be going into more detail in an upcoming post that will discuss classroom management. These notes were found on Pinterest. I apologize I have not yet figured out 1) How to link you to my Pinterest Boards and 2) Who created these notes. Please, if you know who is the creator of these notes please post a comment so I can add a link to this post. 

Well folks, I don't want to give too much away or I won't have any other fun pictures to share of my classroom! Be sure to check back in tomorrow to find out how I organize my classroom for instruction! I promise I do more than just create piles of paper all over my classroom! In the meantime, enjoy the quote that my students see as they leave my classroom everyday! 

Thanks for stoppin' by! 

Teacher Week '13-Let's talk about me Monday!

I am so excited to link up with all of these amazing teachers for Teacher Week '13! Now, I know I am totally new to this world of blogging but I'm going to give it a try...so here goes nothin'.
I have already done a bit of a "get to know me" post, you can see here, but another one can never hurt, right?
Here we go!...

My name is Megan and I am a 20-something First grade teacher in Nebraska (Go Big Red). This is my third year in the world of education. My first year I taught First grade in a small town setting straight North of my hometown. Last year, I was lucky enough to get into my hometown district where I taught fourth grade, which was a fun adventure, but when I had the opportunity to return to First grade I jumped on it! I LOVE first grade!

My blog, that you are currently on, was originally started as group of  reflections from when I Student-Taught, so if you go back you will find some very long posts on my thoughts about teaching before I had my own classroom. Recently, I decided to have a go in this world of educational blogging. Currently,  I am in the process of learning how to create and keep up with other Teacher blogs. My ultimate goal is to be able to create, share, inspire and sell on Teachers Pay Teachers. However, getting started is a little tricky and overwhelming at times! Slowly, but surely I am learning about this crazy world of blogging and hope that someday I can share ideas with the rest of you!

This summer I fulfilled a long-time dream of mine, with my boyfriend, and got a puppy! Our puppy's name is Kyle and he is cuddly Miniature Schnauzer. Here is a photo of him the day we picked him up!

He is just too darn cute!! Yes, he has big bushy eyebrows and a black mustache!  You will most likely see lots of photos of Kyle on my Instagram or in my blog posts. He already made it into one of my very first posts on here, be sure to check it out!

Next, I would like to introduce you to my wonderfully supportive boyfriend. He is a little embarrassed to be on my blog, so you probably won't see a lot of him and most likely will be referred to as "my helper" or "my boy".  I am very blessed to have him in my life because he is very patient and willing to help in any crazy classroom projects I am completing.  

Here he is folks! Again, this is the only time you will be seeing him. 

His skills include spray painting, cutting lamination, hanging posters, covering bulletin boards, making copies and putting up with my outrageous ideas. :) Sorry ladies, he is taken! 

Well, that is probably enough about me. Feel free to visit my very first blog post from Student-Teaching, follow me on Instagram or follow my blog to keep up with me as I work towards my goal of creating and inspiring! Be sure to check out the other amazing teachers linking up!

Thanks for stopping by!