Good Morning!!

Hello Everyone!
Just a quick post today, then off to some science training!!  One of my most popular post is the one I did on my morning warm ups. I thought I'd rework and create a little pack.  I am not a fan of just a pencil/paper activity every day for the kids to do as soon as they get to school, but I do want them reading and/or writing and/or talking! :)  Every morning while I'm taking lunch count, attendance, organizing notes from parents, etc., the kids follow our Morning Warm up schedule. Most days there is an independent, hands on, pair, share activity. Here's the schedule:

The mini unit describes each of the warm ups!! They warm up brains for about 10-15 minutes.  
The next thing we do is our morning meeting.  The pack includes this little rap, a little song, and some morning meeting rules. Morning meeting is a time where we grow together as a class community.  The pack gives a little more information about morning meeting. 

Hope you can use some of this to make your mornings bright!!

For your 13 page free download printables, click here!!

Have a good morning!!

Joyfully!

Nancy

Think Outside the Box- a Second Shipment!

Hello Everyone!
One of my favorite morning warm ups is our Think Outside the Box Thursday.  I think it has become one of my kids' favorite as well. And I've had parents say they love them too!!  I have posted about this before, but I want to share my second shipment of this packet.  If you are one of my kids or parents reading this, go ahead... print off the new ones and keep your creative juices flowing all summer! Before I share the link for the down load, I want to share one of my favs from the year. We did this one during our popsicle unit.  
If you aren't familiar with them, The kids are given a simple line drawing. They are to create something new out of it. I tell the kids that I want them to think of something no one else will think of. Well, this little guy did!! 

He turned his page sideways and turned it into a guy with a cold blowing his nose!!  Loved it!!

My new pack has 40 different activities for the kids to do.

An example of one of the pages

For the Second Shipment of Think Outside the Box, click HERE!!

For my first set, click HERE!!

Let me know if you have used some of the first pack and how the kids did with them!

Til next time, thanks for stopping by to take a peek!  Have a great week!
Joyfully!
Nancy

Think Outside the Box Thursday

Howdy!

Thanks for stopping by!  One of my favorite Morning Warm Up activities is my "Think Outside the Box Thursday!" activity.  I developed this unit to help my kiddos stretch the creative side of their brains. The goal is for them to make the shape into something no one else will think of.  This week's shape brought out some fabulous ideas!  Way to go kids!

 for this printable, click here :)

for your own copy of my 39 page Think Outside the Box Thursday pack, click here


Stay tuned for another peek into the creative minds of first graders!!
Joyfully!
Nancy

Think Outside the Box

Hello Everyone!
It seems like forever since I've posted, but the craziness of the end of the school year about did me in! Phew!!  This year, not only did I have to say goodbye to my 24 little sweeties, but also three of my team mates (who are more than team mates to me), and I am packing up my classroom and moving down the hall. Talk about feeling like I'm in limbo! WOW!
Anyway, mushing onward!  I know many of my kids' favorite morning warm up this past year was our "Think Outside the Box Thursday." I had some of the most creative kids ever this year!!  If you are one of them, you are about to be so happy because I have included some new ones in this post for you to print off and work on this summer!!!  Have mom click on the link below and you will be all set!! If you are a teacher reading this, I hope you have fun with this! My kids love doing them and it almost becomes a competition to see if we can get 24 different creative ideas!! :) It's a great way to warm up those little brains!!

Click here for our 36 page Think Outside the Box unit!      or here! :)

Stop by again soon as I share some more of the learning experiences from my first grade classroom!

Joyfully!

Nancy

Morning Warm Up

Hello Everyone!
I thought I'd chat a bit about our Morning Warm-up routine. It is very important to me that kids have time to talk and share with each other when they get to school. It seems they always have a ton to say!! Years ago I would normally put out a pencil/paper activity or have a warm-up notebook with fix the sentences in it. I found these types of activities to be boring...and I know the kids did as well, so I developed some alternatives. Each day of the week there is a different activity planned. Magazine Monday, Tune Up Tuesday, Word Search Wednesday, Think Outside the Box Thursday, and Fidget With it Friday. Each day I encourage kids to share while they are reading, investigating, or manipulating. I don't have pics of Word Search Wednesday, but you can imagine sight word or chunk word games and searches.

Magazine Monday!!

Tune up Tuesday! Reading Poetry With a friend

Create and Share!

Turn it upside down!! :)

Play Doh for Fidget With it Friday!

Pipe Cleaners too!!

click here for your printable morning warm up schedule

 

 

For your Think Outside the Box printables, click here! :)

I know your kids will want to get to school on time so they won't miss the morning Warm Up!!

Thanks for taking time out of your day to take a peek!!  Here's to Warm Mornings!!

Joyfully!

Nancy