Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow Linky Party

Link up your favorite winter products here

Teachers Notebook Giveaways Ending 12/31

TN Giveaways Ending 12/15

Check out these great giveaways and enter for a chance to win!

Teachers Notebook 30% off Pre-Christmas sale now-12/16

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

***GIVEAWAY***GIVEAWAY***GIVEAWAY***

Christmas Holiday Linky Party

****SALE****SALE****SALE**** SALE ENDS 12/5

****50% OFF WHEN PURCHASED THROUGH TN BUILD-A-BUNDLE SALE NAOW-12/2****

****50% OFF WHEN PURCHASED THROUGH TN BUILD-A-BUNDLE SALE NOW-12/2****

***SALE***SALE***SALE

SALE!

Gingerbread Girl Giveaway

Here is my latest giveaway on my TN store. Please stop by, enter the giveaway, and follow me.

Free Thanksgiving Resources, A TpT Cornucopia - Teachers Pay Teachers

I am so excited!  My Sums of 10 Thanksgiving Math Activity from my TPT store:  My Kinder Garden is featured here
Free Thanksgiving Resources, A TpT Cornucopia - Teachers Pay Teachers

Winter Wonderland Linky Party

Please link up you winter, Christmas, or other winter holiday items here. I can't wait to see all the wonderful items.

Follow Me on Teachers Notebook

Thanksgiving Linky Party

Come and link up your best Thanksgiving products.

THE WINNER IS....

I recently ran a giveaway on my blog for a $5.00 item on my TPT store: My Kinder Garden. The winner is....Laura Schachter. Congratulations Laura!

Favorite Fall Freebie Linky Party

Simple Class Behavior Management Systems | Scholastic.com

Simple Class Behavior Management Systems | Scholastic.com

11 Virtual Tools for the Math Classroom | Edutopia

11 Virtual Tools for the Math Classroom | Edutopia

50 Power Words That Sell - Marketing & Sales

50 Power Words That Sell - Marketing & Sales

Come enter my giveaway!

Bundle Linky Party

I am hosting a bundle linky party. Please link up your bundled products. Also scroll down and enter my latest contest. You could win a $5.00 item from my store which features products for K-3rd grade.

Fall Item Linky Party

Please link up your favorite fall products. Also be sure to scroll down and enter for a chance to win in my first giveaway!

TPT Discount Code

I just saw this on Facebook, I am also having a 2 day sale! WOW!!!! We did it together! 100,000 LIKES ON TeachersPayTeachers.com! We are thrilled, proud, and think every one of you is fantastic. To celebrate, please use promo code "FB100K" for 10% off the entire TpT site (including sale items!). This promo code is only announced on FB and will only be active through midnight Hawaii time on 10/14 (that's a day and a half to get everything on wish list). WE LOVE OUR TpT'ers! (Date corrected: We're a little excited over here :))

Halloween Linky Party

Link up your Halloween products here:

Back To School Sale on TPT: Use PROMO CODE: BTS13 For up to 28% off

Dotted Apple Word Wall

This is not complete but it is a start of my word wall. I used different color dotted apple letter posters as well as different color dotted Fry first 100 sight word flashcards to create this. All of these items are available for purchase on My Kinder Garden TPT Store:

Back To School Sale

Back To School Sale August 18-19

My store will be on sale: 20% off all items in my store in addition to the TPT discount on those days if you use the Promo Code.

Five Easy Steps for Getting Your School Year Off to a Successful Start | Scholastic.com

Here is a great article to help you get off to a great school year.
Five Easy Steps for Getting Your School Year Off to a Successful Start | Scholastic.com

Here is this weeks linky party: Please link up your best language arts items:

Awesome! I've been nominated by Lauren @ Mrs. Thompson's Treasures for the Liebster award! Thanks Lauren! This is a great way to get connected with others and learn a little more about one another.

Now I have to answer some questions and pass the award on to others!! Here are my questions and answers:
 1. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? I would live in Florida. I lived there for almost 5 years and loved it. I now live back in Michigan and do not like the cold and the snow. I'll take the sun and the sand any day!
2. What is the best vacation you have ever taken? The best vacation was also Englewood, Florida. We spent a lot of time in the sun at the beach, fishing, and took one day to go to Discovery Cove in Orlando to swim with the dolphins.
3. What are you most proud of in your life? I am most proud of my 3 beautiful children, Nicole, Cheston, and Aaliyah. I love them all 3 with all my heart.
4. What time do you wake up on school mornings? In the summer? I get up at 5:00 during the school year. I started out that way in the summer but have been staying up later and getting up a little later (around 7:00) now that school has been out for a while.
5. What is your favorite thing to cook? Well cooking is not one of my favorite things to do but I guess my favorite thing to cook is pot roast in the crock pot. Easy to do and tastes great!
6. What is something you can't live without each day? Easy....my family:)!
7. What movie could you watch over and over? The Notebook...I love that movie!
8. Did you always want to be a teacher? No, for a long time I wanted to be a nurse but I really would not have been able to handle that (very weak stomach). People always told me I would someday teach kindergarten...guess they were right!
9. What is your favorite restaurant? I have several but Red Lobster is one of my tops.
10. What is your favorite season of the year and why? That would be summer...I love being home with my youngest daughter...My other 2 are grown.
11. If money were not an issue, what kind of car would you drive? I always thought I wanted a
     Corvette but the Dodge Charger is pretty sweet.
Eleven Random Facts about me:
1.  I am the mother of a brain tumor survivor. 
2.  I once drifted out to sea on a raft trying to help a child and we both had to be rescued by a boat.
3.  I was born in Hazard, Kentucky
4.  I hate flying.  The ground is my friend...lol!
5.  I have never been out of the country other than Canada (see number 4..lol)
6.  I can play music by ear on just about any instrument (simple tunes-nothing spectacular).
7.  I have taught kindergarten since 2002
8.  There is a 17 year difference between my first and last child. 
9.  I am terrified of snakes and lizards.
10.  I was nominated for National Heritage Academies Excellence in Teaching award and received a
       Nook Color, a gift card, and a trophy for the nomination.
11.  I have a lifelong dream of publishing a children's book.  I have been published 3 times (an
       article in The Michigan Reading Journal, a poem in The Helping Hand, and a teaching idea in
       The Mailbox), but no book yet.  Maybe someday!

Here are my Nominees for the Liebster Award!

1. Confessions Of an Undeniable Dabbler

2. Devoted Vocabulary Development
3. Mrs. Brosseau's Binder

4. The Learning Highway

5. The Perks of Teaching Primary
6.  Schoolhouse Treasures
7. Jungle Learners  
8.  Lovely Little Learners
9.  Krazy In Love With Kindergarten  
10.  Wild About K Kids
11.  Holly's Hobbie Kindergarten 

And here are my questions for all the Nominees!

1. Where were you born?

2. How many children do you have?

3. How many years have you been teaching?

4. What is your favorite subject to teach and why?

5. When did you first know that you wanted to be a teacher?

6. What is your biggest fear?

7. What is the title of the best book that you have read in the past year?

8. Where do you currently live?

9. Do you have any hobbies?

10. What is your favorite month of the school year and why?

11. Who was your favorite teacher as a child and why?

For my Nominees - to accept the Liebster Award please do the following!

1. Link back to my blog

2. Answer the questions I wrote for you

3. Share 11 random facts about yourself

4. Nominate between 5-11 other blogs (with less than 200 followers) for the Liebster Award

5. Create 11 questions for your nominees

6. Contact your nominees to let them know they've been nominated

That's it!! Have fun!

Best of TeachersPayTeachers Linky Product

Best of TPT Linky Party:  Link up your best selling products from your TPT Store.

What’s in a Name? A Back-to-School Literacy Unit | Scholastic.com

Here is a great literacy unit for back to school based on names.  The article includes a list of related read alouds and graphic organizers.  

What’s in a Name? A Back-to-School Literacy Unit | Scholastic.com

Back To School Linky Party

Back to School Linky Party Please link up your awesome back to school products.

Summer Reading

It is once again almost time for students to return to school. If your children haven't been reading during the summer months, it is not too late to get them started once again before the school year begins. Not every child likes to read but it is so critical during the school years to practice and build upon reading skills. Here are a number of ideas to make reading more fun and to encourage reluctant readers to give it a try.
Start an incentive for your children based on reading time or number of pages read. After they attain their goal, take them to get ice cream, a small prize, or plan an activity that your child will enjoy.
Find a wide range of reading materials for your children. Introduce them to multiple genres to teach them about different kinds of reading to choose from. They can try reading a mystery, and then a non-fiction book. Science fiction and adventure books are popular with boys. Girls like books that they can relate to. Find books that are well-suited to their age level. And don't forget the  little ones. Reading to them will help them take pleasure in reading as they grow older.
Children that don't like to read can still find things they enjoy reading about. There are magazines available for every topic. You can find something on their preferred subject that they can read. If your child wants to be a pilot when they grow up, find books on flying and building airplanes. Finding something that is interesting will help encourage them to keep on reading.

Make sure your children see you as a reader.  If they see you reading it will show them the importance of it and will encourage them to want to become lifelong readers as well.  You could set a family reading time where everyone reads together as individuals or a read aloud together as a group. 
Reading develops  a foundation for learning that will follow your children throughout their lives. It is such a necessary skill to have and develop and is crucial for success in school. Teaching your children good reading skills also leads to discipline for other studies. It aids with concentration and comprehension.
Successful reading skills will help your children become better at school as well as to help ensure their love of reading and keep them on the road to become lifelong readers. 

I am being featured on Take Your Students Beyond The Worksheet

I am being featured on Take Your Students Beyond The Worksheet.  Click the link and check it out!

ABCs of Teaching Reading | Reading Rockets

ABCs of Teaching Reading | Reading Rockets

You Just Broke Your Child. Congratulations.

You Just Broke Your Child. Congratulations.

Make the Time; Just Write

Make the Time; Just Write

This is an article that I wrote about writing 

and it was published in the Winter 2005 Vol.37, No.2 

edition of the Michigan Reading Journal 

Writing is something that I have always enjoyed.  When I was younger, I often sat for hours at a time writing poetry and short stories.  Due to the demands of adult life, however, it was difficult to find time to craft any piece of writing.  All that changed this past summer.

As I sat in a classroom at the university thumbing through the course syllabus, I saw that one of the assignments was to keep a writing journal.  I was being required to write whatever I felt like writing, as long as it included a poem, an essay, and a story.  Some students in the classroom had the look of pure terror on their faces, but not me.  I was elated and could not wait to begin the assignment.  Although writing was actually something that I loved to do, I could never seem to find the time.  The sacred secret of the practicing writer was revealed to me in that very instant.  It is not finding the time but making it.

My mind immediately went to my living room end table.  Stuffed inside its drawer sat a request that I had received more than a month earlier.  The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation had asked me to craft a very special piece of writing for them.  They requested a thank you note for the motorcyclists who ride in their "Ride For Kids" fundraiser.  As the mother of a son who, at the age of 2, almost lost his life fighting this horrific disease, I had a strong desire and intent to write the piece but I never seemed to find the time. 

After class that evening, I rushed home and grabbed a notebook and a pen.  A note of thanks to the participants in the "Ride For Kids" events was my first priority.  I had been thinking of this piece and crafting it in my mind from the moment I received it.  When my pen touched the paper the words fell into place one by one, leading to a poem i titled Angels Ride Motorcycles, Too.

I sent my poem to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Association, thinking they might use it as a thank you note inside the motorcyclist's lunch bags at the Ride For Kids events.  Three weeks later, I received a phone call asking permission to publish my poem in the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundations newsletter.

I could not believe what I was hearing.  The dream that I had carried since childhood was coming true:  I was becoming a published author!  Had I not made the time to write, this would not have happened.

I realize now that writers don't find the time; they make it.  Now I write on a regular basis.  I have also learned just how powerful the weaving and intertwining of words can be.  Through a well-crafted piece, we can touch the hearts of others, whether it is through joy and laughter or sorrow and tears.  I truly believe that within us all lives a writer just waiting to be exposed to the world.  For some of us, the writer lives near the surface.  For others, the writer may be buried deep within.  Whatever the case, we all have stories within us that can touch the lives of others.  Stories that are meant to be shared.  We all have something important to say: words that are meant to be heard.

Angels Ride Motorcycles Too

Some say that angels walk the earth,

and I believe this is true.

But what many people fail to see,

is that they ride motorcycles too.

For without the money that you raise,

no research could be done.

Without this research the doctors

may not have saved my only son.

There are many others like my son Cheston,

Alive in part because of you.

But as we all know, brain tumors still exist;

We have so much more to do.

So thank you all from the bottom of my heart,

For coming here each year.

For helping do the work of God;

Helping to find a cure.

Some say that angels walk the earth

And I believe this is true.

And I hope someday that all will see

That they ride motorcycles too.

Click on the following link, come join the fun, and get your share of the pot of gold here on TPT:  Click Here to Become a TPT Seller

Check out my new Sight Word Story Comprehension Activity on Teachers Pay Teachers

Here is my latest creation for my TPT store.  Come Check it out:
Sight Word Story Comprehension Fry List 1 from 1st 100 Words
                                          

Check out my two new products on Teachers pay Teachers:

Number Posters 0-25 (name, base ten, ten frames, and tally marks)
and

  Number Posters 0-50 (name, base ten, ten frames, and tally marks)

What are you doing to get your Teachers Pay Teachers Store ready for the new school year

Well the school year has ended for many and is winding down for most others. Things here on TPT seem to be winding down as well as teachers are taking a well deserved break. I thought that maybe we could all share some ideas on the things we are doing with our Teachers Pay Teachers stores to increase sales for the next school year. Feel free to post any ideas you have.

15% off sale Wednesday June 19-Friday June 21st at my TPT store

Come check out my Teachers Pay Teachers store. I have added a few new products and I am having a 15% off sale.

Check out my new product on Teachers pay Teachers TPT:
One Hundred Charts for Counting Practice

Memorial Day Weekend Sale 15% off
Check out my store:
15% off Memorial Day Sale

Check out my new item on Teachers Pay Teachers TPT:
Fry List 3 from First Hundred Words 5 Weeks of Sight Word Work

Check out my new item on Teachers Pay Teachers:
Fry List 1 from First 100 Words 5 Weeks of Sight Word Work

Check out my new item on Teachers Pay Teachers:
Dolch Sight Word Bundle

Check out my new item on Teachers Pay Teachers:
Dolch Third Grade 8 Weeks of Sight Word Work

Check out my new item on Teachers Pay Teachers:
Dolch Second Grade 10 Weeks of Sight Word Work

Check out my new product:
Dolch First Grade 9 Weeks of Sight Word Work

Check out my new product on TPT:
Dolch Primer 11 Weeks of Sight Word Work

 Check out my new product on TPT:

Dolch Pre-Primer 8 Weeks of Sight Word Work

I have two collaborative boards on Pinterest.  If you would like to be added to either one, please follow my blog and comment with your pinterest id.
The boards are Teaching Ideas K-2 and Kindergarten Learning activities

I just added a super cute spring flower addition bulletin board idea to my TPT store. I just created this for our kindergarten bulletin board and combined it with the subtraction board pieces which will be added soon to TPT in order to have a common core board (K.OA.2). Check it out, it has gotten a lot of positive feedback at my school. http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Flower-Addition-to-10-Spring-Bulletin-Board-or-Achievement-Board

Mother's Day Sale 20% off today May 12th

Websites for Teachers

View more lists from Stella Smith Cook

Check out my new math product:
Fact Family Math Center 0-5

If you would like to earn some extra money, Teachers Pay Teachers is a great way to do it. I started by adding things that I had already created and using in my classroom. I enjoy this so much I have started creating more items for my store. Click the link below, sign up, and give it a try!
TPT Seller Sign up

I wrote a poem for our kindergarten graduation several years ago. It received awesome feedback and reaction from the parents and audience. It has stuck around and has came a part of our kindergarten graduation tradition and is even now printed on the graduation program. Check it out, maybe it could become part of your kindergarten graduation tradition as well. Written by: Stella J. Cook If you would like to use it, it is available on my TPT store: Kindergarten Graduation Poem

I am having a one day sale.  Today only Sunday, April 28th.  Please visit my TPT store:

My Kindergarten Store

Here is my newest product.  This activity will help students the addition and subtraction within a fact family.  Please check it out at the following link:

Fact Family Practice 0-10

On this blog I will be posting TPT products both free products and pay products.  I will also be posting educational tips, articles, and information.  I hope you enjoy and will follow my blog. 

Here are a few lower elementary math activities:

Counting to 100 Power Point

 

Decompose Numbers

 

Click on the links for more details on the activities.

Here are some activities to help boost scores on the NWEA Map Test for Kindergarten and 1st grade

NWEA Sight Words Power Point

 

NWEA Spelling Words Practice Power Point

 

NWEA Contractions Practice Power Point

 

Just click on the links to see more about each activity.

Help your students master high frequency words with my sight word practice packets

8 Weeks of Sight Word Practice  

 

8 More Weeks of Sight Word Practice Packet 2

 

8 More Weeks of Sight Word Practice Packet 3

 

Click on the links to purchase from my TPT Store