Someone Licked My Straw

The last time I blogged, I said I would update you on how the Dear Mr. President tattling was going.

The first day was great!  I actually had to make more copies and make a rule that you had to be done with your work before you could write a letter.

On Monday, I got a note saying that someone had licked my straw.

Yes, LICKED.

L-I-C-K-E-D.

Well, I thought to myself, "No way! They wouldn't ever to do!" After some quick investigating, I found out it was true.

The consequence was writing sentences.

Oh, and I had been drinking out of the straw for 30 minutes before I knew.

Later in the week, I found out that two of my students were "daden."  (FYI: That's the phonetic way to spell dating.)

Really, for your own humor you should grab those templates.

On to the Currently of the month! (Thanks to Farley for hosting.)  

Before you go, be sure to check out this Rockin' Giveaway!

There are tons of prizes to win AND you could win a $50 TpT gift certificate!  My Landforms Posters are included in the giveaway.  Fill out the Rafflecopter below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

An InLinkz Link-up

Giveaway Time!

I've teamed up with Brooke from One Smart Cookie to celebrate her 500 followers on TpT.

I've donated The Three Billy Goats Gruff packet to the prize pack.  

Check out this post if you want to see the pack in action. 
Otherwise, you can enter the Rafflecopter below to win the pack plus tons of other items! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Last day to enter!

Last day to enter!

Here are the prizes!

Love Collaboration Cuties' store!  Their clip art is one of my favorites!

Julie has turned learning about reading strategies into something fun and interactive for students!  They won't forget these strategies!

Who doesn't need more digraph practice?  I know my students could always benefit from this!

Lindsay just finished up the Becoming Peacemakers packet and she had me at the cover page.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have you entered yet??

Only a few more days to enter!

Here are the prizes!

Love Collaboration Cuties' store!  Their clip art is one of my favorites!

Julie has turned learning about reading strategies into something fun and interactive for students!  They won't forget these strategies!

Who doesn't need more digraph practice?  I know my students could always benefit from this!

Lindsay just finished up the Becoming Peacemakers packet and she had me at the cover page.

Make sure to enter! You have until midnight on Thursday, July 25th to enter!  I'll announce the winners when I'm back from my trip!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Celebration Time!

It's celebration time!  But before I get to all of the details, I wanted to share about the Atlanta blogger meet up today.

Left to Right:

Amanda, Teacher at the Wheel

Jessica, Ideas by Jivey

Brandee, Creating Lifelong Learners

Denay, The Gemini Teacher

Me!

Stacia, Collaboration Cuties

Amanda, Collaboration Cuties

Alison, Eberopolis

Elizabeth, Fun in Room 4B

After the Swan Coach House, we headed to IKEA where I promptly filled up my cart and then at the checkout counter realized I left my debit card in my car. Whomp, whomp, whomp. Fail. But I had $40 worth of cash, so I left with only a polka dot rug.

It's a steal at $20!

I'm leaving for my cruise in 3 short hours....yup we're leaving at 3am and I'm not in bed yet.  It's going to be a LOOONNNG day!

But I've been putting together the finishing touches on this giveaway!

And finishing up my grad course work for the week....about fruit salad and RTI.  You would think I was kidding about the fruit salad....

Back to the giveaway!  Today's my birthday. Although I officially stopping celebrating 2 years, I figured someone should have some fun!  I also started my blog about a year ago so I figured I should have a joint celebration.

Here are the prizes!

Love Collaboration Cuties' store!  Their clip art is one of my favorites!

Julie has turned learning about reading strategies into something fun and interactive for students!  They won't forget these strategies!

Who doesn't need more digraph practice?  I know my students could always benefit from this!

Lindsay just finished up the Becoming Peacemakers packet and she had me at the cover page.

Make sure to enter! You have until midnight on Thursday, July 25th to enter!  I'll announce the winners when I'm back from my trip!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pin It to Win It: Word Wall

I'm spending the morning in the car shop.  :(  No fun and mucho $$ for sure.  But I'm trying to think that in one week I'll be on this.

Sailing to the Bahamas!

I. cannot. wait.


A few weeks ago I made a Polka Dot Word Wall, but I never posted about it!

I've been using a word wall I bought from School Box ages ago and really wanted to make something that went with my theme.

The alphabet headers are in pink and green.

The cards have in black and white polka dots.

The pack covers all of the Dolch words and I also included some of the words from the Fry list.  The Dolch and Fry list overlap a lot so if you use Fry words at your school odd are that most of the words are there.  I can also easily add any other words.  There is a blank pattern at the end of the packet if you just want to write them yourself.

Pin any of these pictures for a chance to win the pack!  I'll announce a winner on Saturday.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can find it HERE if you just can't wait.  ;)

Free Glue Sticks & Atlanta Meet Up

I had a non teaching friend share the most wonderful link with me a few weeks ago.  It's a way to get a dozen free glue sticks.

Don't worry, you don't have to give blood or your social security number to get them.  Although, at the end of the year I probably would have done anything to get my hands on more glue sticks.

Create your school supply list at TeacherLists and you will get a dozen glue sticks in the mail!  It took about a month for me to receive my glue sticks, so if you go back to school in August you might want to sign up for it now.

You can also refer you other friends and when they sign up you get another dozen glue sticks. It allows you to send an email with a referral code.  You better believe I'll be hitting up my teacher friends at school!

Collaboration Cuties and Ideas by Jivey are hosting an Atlanta Blogger Meet Up on July 20 at the Swan House.

RSVP by clicking on the button.

You have two days left to enter the Bloglovin giveaway!

Off to hit the pool before the afternoon storms roll in!

Bloglovin Giveaway!

Hey there! I'm on a mini vacation to North Carolina.  My parents moved there last summer to be closer to the grandkids.  Since this is the first summer in five years where I haven't worked, I decided to plan a  few trips.  My aunts from Michigan are also here and it's been good to catch up.  We have a pool and bowling day planned - excitment city here!  :)

With the announcement of the end of Google Reader a few months ago I switched over to BlogLovin.  The move was so simple and I actually like BlogLovin so much better.  A lot of bloggers have given directions on how to switch over and I'm sure you've seen those posts.

I know that not everyone has made the switch yet and the deadline is getting closer!  Amanda and Stacia from Collaboration Cuties decided to have a BlogLovin Giveaway.

I decided to join in!  All you have to do is make sure to follow my blog on BlogLovin!  That's its.  No Twitter following, Facebook following, Pinterest pinning....

You may have already switched over!  In that case, this will be an easy entry!

If you have not yet switched or are not following Polka Dot Firsties through Bloglovin, then there are a few easy steps to follow.  You can go to the sidebar  and you can click the button that says Follow this Blog with bloglovin.  Or, you can go into the Rafflecopter below and click the link in the first entry, and that will take you to my blog on Bloglovin.

You can win 2 items of your choice from my TPT store.  I added some cute polka dot items last week that I haven't blogged about yet, so check it out!

a Rafflecopter giveaway 
get the InLinkz code

Category Sort and a Giveaway

I'm staying home from work today.  It is a rare event that I actually take a sick day, so I figure I should celebrate (from the couch) by hosting a flash sale.  Everything in my TPT store is 10% for today only!

You'll want to check out a new packet I made this weekend called Category Sort: March Edition.

Students sort 12 cards into 2 categories (spring and St. Patrick's Day) and then record their answers on the sheet provided.

*First person to comment wins a free copy of Category Sort: March Edition*

Need more St. Patrick's Day ideas?  Check out Sharing Kindergarten's St. Patrick Day Product Linky Party!

Amanda and Stacia from Collaboration Cuties is having a 300 followers giveaway.  It's absolutely HUGE, so you must check it out!  I donated my Digraphs Packet: Craftivities & More.

Five For Friday....on Saturday

The last two weeks I managed to be first on Kacey's Five For Friday. This week I must have slacked off a little because it's Saturday and I'm just now posting!

I'm also linking up with Amanda's Flashback Friday.

1. I'm gearing up for some great St. Patrick's Day activities next week. This week was spent printing, laminating and cutting. Maybe one day I'll learn how to do the visual plans, but this is all I have!  :)

Literacy Centers  - Mix of March by Swimming into Second & March Literacy Centers by Sarah Paul

Writing - Catch a Leprechaun by A Cupcake for the Teacher, In Like a Lion & Out Like a Lamb by Miss Kindergarten Love

Our lesson plans for the following week are always due on Friday mornings at 8am. I love that I have to have everything prepared before I leave on Fridays, but sometimes I find the BEST ideas over the weekend from visiting other blogs and Pinterest. When are your lesson plans due?

2. My school participated in Accelerated Reader's "Read the Most From Coast to Coast"yesterday.  The goal was to beat the number of AR quizzes from last year.

This was in place of our Dr. Seuss celebration.  In previous years we've done a Green Eggs and Ham day (which completely makes the school smell like eggs - Yuck!) I have a teacher confession: Dr. Seuss' books drive me crazy. I don't like them.  I do realize that this is probably considered blasphemy as a first grade teacher.

3. Every month I send home a family project.  Students are supposed to decorate the template, write ten describing words for the month and send it back. I forgot to take a picture of the board, so here's a snapshot of one of the projects.

Here's what the family projects for February looked like:

Do you do anything similar in your class?

4. Funny story: I took a big gulp of water while the students were working.  It went down the wrong way and I had a HUGE coughing fit.  Everyone kept doing their work....no one looked up for about a minute (which felt like an enternity). Finally one of my students asked if I was okay.  I was still choking my this point, but I gave him a thumbs up.  Then a few other students noticed....and one said "Does this mean we get to go home?"  Yes, because if your teacher is choking you get to go home early!!

5. Diane from Fifth in the Middle is hosting a linky on her blog that is broken down by state.

Go HERE to see what blogs from your state! I know I love to find Georgia bloggers and others from surrounding states.

6. (Yes, I made it six this week!) We studied biographies and learned about George Washington Carver and Harriet Tubman. 

First, we created a George Washington Carver craftivity. 

As the students finished up the craft, one little girl came up and ask me if I would put out some scrapbook paper so they could add arms. How could you say no to creativity? Some of them may have looked a little better without the scrapbook paper.  Hmmm....

I found the George Washington Carver paper for FREE on TPT.

Here's our Harriet Tubman!

I especially like the bun in her hair.  :) The students cut a coffee filter in half to put on her shirt.

Here is a student created sample.

7. (I'm outta control this week!) Congrats to Crystal from Ms. Jones' Junction! She won a copy of my Guy Butterfly and Benny Butterfly: a mini unit for y as a vowel and Digraphs: Craftivities and More from my 100 followers giveaway!

Enjoy your Saturday!