Summer is Here . . . Finally!

Well it seems I have been talking about this day for months (and in reality I have). I am finally off on Summer vacation! It did not feel like summer though since it was RAINING! I mean really? Rain in June? How could the weather do this? But anyways, I am officially off on Summer vacation. I guess I have to keep telling myself because it still doesn't seem real yet. I'm hoping that I will be productive, but I don't think that feeling has set in yet.

In completely unrelated news, I want to mention Oliver Jeffers. He is one of my favourite children's authors and has so many sweet stories. First up, Lost and Found. It is such a sweet story about a boy and a penguin (if you haven't heard of it).

Images via Amazon

Second, The Incredible Book Eating Boy. Love this book and it opens up a great discussion about why we read.

Third, (and the last one I'll talk about today), The Great Paper Caper. This book also has a great message, about conservation, and would work well with any sort of green/Earth Day (or everyday) unit.

If you are a fan of Oliver Jeffers or want some lesson ideas, check out my Oliver Jeffers unit on TPT here or click on the small picture below:

Happy Summer!

Calendar and a Freebie!

Well my school year has not even finished yet but I am already thinking ahead to next year. I just completed my daily calendar with tons of printables. Click on the picture to go check it out.

I also have a freebie to share. Click the picture or click HERE to check it out.

Well that makes me feel slightly more productive than I have been feeling lately. Let me know if you grab the freebie, I would love to hear any thoughts or opinions!
One more week . . . 4 more days!

The Countdown . . .

Well in less than a week I will be on summer vacation! Wahooooo! (That was a very long drawn out shout)
I am a brand new blogger but I think I started at such a busy time that I have already been slacking on the blog front. There are so many great blogs that I have yet to discover, but what I have found have been so inspiring and full of GREAT ideas.
I have new units I'm working on, new ideas floating in my head, and I hope to have lots to share soon!

READ!

Bright colours, tons of fonts, reading posters, what else do you need?! Click if you'd like to download the posters:

 I'm hoping to have some more freebies soon, hopefully before my summer begins!

This Post Has a Point

I love walking the school halls and seeing all the creative bulletin boards that teachers and students have created, but really I'm not that crafty/artistic, especially not as so as some of the students! I do like to find and keep great art lessons, especially ones that can be done with various age groups. So this brings me to the POINT of this post - Pointilism.

Photo via http://www.mrsbrownart.com/1st.htm

I think this website was the first one that gave me the idea, and I have since done pointilism art in Grades 1-5. I don't know who takes there time and enjoys it more, the younger or the older students. I do butterflies in the Spring/Summer and snowmen in the winter, though there are so many different ways pointilism can be used. I really like how this helps students work on fine motor skills and concentration. Whenever I do this, no matter how loud the class is normally, when we first start this, it is silent as students try and concentrate on placing their dots. Students really have to focus on what they are doing, they cannot just scribble. The students that I find concentrate the most are often the most wiggly ones.
In addition, this art can really tie into math and science discussions of patterns, symmetry, and life cycles (wahoo cross-curricular!).
I often provide students with the outline, and have them fill in the pointilism, but it would be great to see students free hand an entire pointilism project.
Would love to hear feedback - let me know if you use pointilism.

Modern Must-Haves

I have been thinking lately about how many new/great artists/illustrators I keep finding. They really seem to have what it takes to have books that stand the test of time (at least in my opinion). I began thinking about my modern must-haves - recent authors that I just have to have in the classroom, alongside the classics (Eric Carle, Dr. Seuss, Roald Dahl, Robert Munsch etc.). I came up with a list of five modern must-haves for myself:

5. Melanie Watt - Scaredy Squirrel and Chester are a major favourite for students.

All images provided via Amazon

4. Oliver Jeffers - Wonderful, unique illustrations and stories.




3. Peter H. Reynolds - Great messages and illustrations.





2. Eric Litwin and James Dean - Pete the Cat is so catchy - bright illustrations and great message.



1. Mo Willems - Between the Pigeon books and Knuffle Bunny, he has great, unique books.



Now I have to say, as I was writing this, I immediately thought of Emily Gravett and Kathryn Otoshi and I'm sure there are a ton of others that at this second I am forgetting. My point is really that there are so many great (GREAT) authors and illustrators to keep kids engaged with fun illustrations and poignant messages. I would really like to hear of any other favourites that teachers keep stocked in their classroom, leave me a comment if you agree with my list, or have your own list of favourites!

Knuffle Bunny Unit - Finally!

Well I have finally done it, I finished my Knuffle Bunny unit. I have been working on this unit for far too long, in my opinion (off and on for months), and it is finally finished. I have a TON of units planned so hopefully I can work faster in the summer months, although I think the warm weather might not help with my productivity! Click on either of the pics to check out my 70-page unit on TPT.

Well I am excited that I am starting the last month of school tomorrow, the countdown begins!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Knuffle-Bunny-Unit

Fun Frames

Well it seems like forever since I've blogged. I'll blame it on the end of the year, but who knows. I'm hoping to have a longer blog post tomorrow, but I guess I shouldn't make any promises about that (based on my past week of no blogging).
I've been slowly (slllooooowwwly) working on some new units and I also started trying to make some of my own frames. I'm exhausted so I've only come up with two:

I'm hoping to have these up as a free download soon!