Free Saint Partick's Day Printable

Save this image to your computer, print, and frame! Enjoy all weekend :)

In our house, it's all about the green! I love to hang on to every second of any holiday, so I typically spread Saint Patties into a weekend event. This year is no exxception! Thanks to Flash Bash, we'll be toasting at happy hour with these sweet champagne sippers and starting the morning right with this delish Vegan Irish Coffee! And don't forget the Saint Patties Print (above)!! It's perfect for adding to your bar cart or a sweet touch framed in your entryway.  I'd love to know how you celebrate! Share in the comments below :)

 

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Irish Whiskey
• 1 tsp. Brown sugar
• Hot coffee
• 1 can of full fat coconut milk (Thai Kitchen works well)
• ½ cup of powdered sugar
• ½ tsp. Vanilla extract

Directions:

• Place the can of coconut milk in the refrigerator overnight (or for at least 8 hours)
• Chill a glass bowl in the fridge 10 minutes before removing coconut milk from fridge
• Remove the can from the fridge and try not to wiggle it much prior to opening
• Open the can. Scrape out the thickened cream and leave the coconut water behind (You can use it in a smoothie later!)
• Place your thickened cream in your chilled glass bowl and beat with a whisk for 2 minutes, or until smooth and creamy.
• Slowly add powdered sugar and vanilla extract to the bowl, until your whipped cream is smooth.
• Brew your coffee and set aside
• In your coffee mug, stir together brown sugar and irish whiskey until blended
• Pour coffee over the sugar and whiskey and then slowly pour in fresh whipped cream. (At the risk of sounding ridiculous, take a Boomerang video of the pouring process - trust us, it's pretty.) 
• Enjoy!

Ingredients: 

• 1 bottle of champagne 
• 1 small seedless cucumber, sliced 
• 4 oz. sweetened lime juice OR fresh lime juice 
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, sliced  
• 4 oz warm water 
• Mint leaves and cucumber slices for garnish 

Directions: 

• Rinse and slice the cucumber and place it in a medium-sized bowl.  
• To julienne the mint leaves, rinse and dry the leaves, then stack them on top of each other. Starting from a short end, tightly roll the leaves into a round shape. Using a sharp knife, thinly slice the leaves and add them to the bowl with the cucumber. 
• Muddle the cucumber, lime juice, water, and mint leaves. Place in fridge to cool up to 12 hours. Tip - for a crisp and tart drink, sub the sweetened lime juice with fresh-squeezed lime juice. 
• When ready to serve, add an ounce of the muddled mint mixture to the bottom of the glass. Top off with champagne. 
• Garnish with fresh mint and cucumber.

You can find both recipes and MORE, via the Flash Bash blog!
Cheers!

Making a Mother's Day Gift That's Also Educational

It's almost Mother's Day (May 8th!) and with that being said, it's time to plan a great classroom Mother's Day gift! My favorite gift involves some educational activities too!

Truffula Trees from The Lorax!

If you're doing gifts, why not tie in Earth Day and Mother's Day? I love to read The Lorax and then plant "Truffula Seeds" for the moms (or grandmas or dads!) You can read more about what I've done in the past, here. It's a great time to discuss our impact on the environment and what we can do to be better to our Mother Nature.

We plant some seeds in order to get more plants and flowers into the world! Some fast growing seeds include sunflowers, daisies, or zinnias. They typically sprout within 5-7 days (!!!!). I buy cheap pots, some acrylic paint, seeds, and soil to prepare. Then, I spend a day decorating and painting the pots with my students. The next day we plant our seeds in their pots using the soil and whichever seeds I've chosen!

Using my Plant Power lesson plans, students track the growth of their plant. From there we'll spend a few weeks measuring the growth, and the mean, median, and mode of the plant's height. It always helps my kiddos get more comfortable with these important math ideas and it's fun! Be sure to order your supplies (via Amazon Prime) this week in order to have flowers by Mother's Day!

Monday Letters // Groundhog's Day Edition

It's Monday! Welcome back! How was your weekend?

Dear teachers, tomorrow is GROUNDHOG DAY! And if you're like me and had no idea until today, then you're needing some resources. Check out these cheap or FREE resources (here, here, and here) I love!

Dear educators, are you discussing growth mindset with your colleagues and students? It's a great way to get your students thinking about their learning. And Class Dojo has a stress free way to incorporate it into your classroom and conversations! And it pairs nicely with this product in my store.

Dear friends, you make life definitely more interesting. We had a blast kayaking, cornhole playing, and eating. So much eating. I just wish I could get more sleep! Bear and I are already looking forward to this coming (quiet) weekend!

Dear Two Writing Teachers, I loooooooove your blog. And am stoked for this new mini series that's coming this week! Be sure you stop by!

6 Habits for Surviving the Holidays as a Teacher

Before we even get to the tips, a few teacher buds and I are spending the week sharing our favorite tips for getting through this crazy time. Stop by all week + enter our giveaway!

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1) Focus on the BIG picture.
This time is crazy hectic. It just is. But when I start each day with a little She Reads Truth over coffee, I feel the Holy Spirit within me. Not just for the moment, but for the day. It sticks with me and reminds me that I am here to serve those kiddos. (even as a not-currently-in-the-classroom-teacher). They need you. They need your patience. Starting the day off by pointing you in the right direction makes a world of difference. (Truth moment - this isn't easy. I have to force myself to stop and read, but I pray that one day I won't have to force myself and that it will become something I need).

2) Rely on your friends.
Teacher mentors, Lucy Calkins, you fave teacher bloggers. These are the people I turn to when life gets insane. Embrace the insanity and find ways to steer your kiddo's enthusiasm into some good ol' fashioned learning. Find great activities that fit your curriculum and use them to keep your learners engaged. Check out some of my favorites here, here, and here!

3) Stick with it.
Just because I recommend embracing some fun activities, does not mean get off schedule. Stick to your routine! Kiddos crave structure. Even if Writing doesn't look like writing, call it writing and do it during your writing time. It helps keep structure and expectations in your schedule.

4) Don't be scared to laugh.
You're reaching that time in the year where you know your kiddos. They know you. Show them the real you. Don't be scared to laugh, make mistakes, and get messy. January is all about building back those expectations. Use this time to build relationships and gain their trust. You'll never regret it.

 5) Stay organized.
Keep with it. Always hand out student papers as soon as you get them. File away papers the second you get back into your room. Delete e-mails once they are no longer necessary. Don't get bogged down. Stay on top of those piles and you won't feel the weight of this season (This coming from a woman who hides stacks upon stacks under her desk... but it's still a goal that I reach for! You can do it too!)

Save this image to your phone!

6) Surround yourself with pretty reminders.
Grab this weekly reminder and save it as you iPhone wallpaper. Then stop back by my blog every Sunday for a new one. It reminds you to keep hustling and remember that YOU ARE AWESOME. You've got this teacher friends!

Now hop on over to my dear friend Martina's blog! She's sharing some other amazing tips with you today :)

Last Minute Ideas for Valentine's Day!

I'm not one of those people who have it altogether.  I have great intentions... but then I oversleep, or get stuck on facebook reading.  Or completely caught up in life and overwhelmed.  Can I get an Amen?  And Valentine's Day always seems to sneak up on me!!  So here are some ideas for those of you who are last minuters like me!

Pencils, Laffy Taffy, Glow Sticks, and Smarties!

Musical Hearts, Valentine's Bingo, Party Schedule, Heart Science

 Enjoy your day and happy Friday the 13th!!  Looking for more ideas?  Stop by my Pinterest Board to see what other fun activities you can use tomorrow!

Why I Heart Election Day This Year

Y'all... I've always had to work on Election Day.  I've never had school off - BUT, I DO this year.  A Tuesday off school is more than needed right now.  Like - it could not have come at a better time.  EVER.

This mid-Fall slump is hitting hard.  I'm in survival mode and am living day to day off pizza, to-go coffee, and school lunches.  Thank goodness for school lunches.

That's as large as coffees come.

I mean, who has time for this?

Or for blisters?

My lessons are mediocre and uneventful.  Which isn't a bad thing.  Every teacher knows each lesson can't be magical and earth shattering.  They just need to get the job done.  But engagement level is low.  And I needed (LET ME REPEAT - NEEDED) today.  This glorious day.  To pin new ideas to Pinterest, drink coffee in my jammies, and snuggle a little extra longer with my hubby before he scuttled off to work.

And after my day of classroom soul searching, I am ready to come back and share some great stuff with y'all.  Be sure to stop back by later this week for some updates on what's going on in our classroom!

Cheers!

Support Jen & Her Family in Their Journey to Adoption // LAST day!

I hope everyone is loving their three day weekend.  I'm currently in Seattle visiting some amazing friends that I met while studying abroad!  I'll be back later this week (I'm hoping!) to share what's been going on in our classroom!!  Be sure to follow me on Instagram to keep up with my travels and the day to day going-ons. 

For a few days, everything in my store will be 20% off!!  Don't forget, today is the LAST day to support Jen Bengel in her journey to adoption!  Purchase my Beginning of the Year product and $2.00 will go to Jen's family during this busy and amazing time. 

Happy Sunday AND Monday sweet friends!!

Morning Work for Upper Elementary

Who loves screaming kids first thing in the morning?!  Not I!  I am all about a quiet classroom to start our day.  One of my teaching friends who I just adore is totally fine with a little chaos in the morning- but that just isn't for me.

So I spent every single morning last year writing a letter to my kiddos on the white board.  It would tell them a little about our day and then provide them with a quick writing prompt.  They would use their "Morning Journals" to respond to the prompt and my fab co-teacher and I would grade and respond to them each week.  As much as I *loved* this aspect of our classroom- I knew it was a waste of my time.  I was constantly struggling to come up with a prompt and get the message up on the board each morning.

Solution? I have created a set of 25 pages for morning work in the month of December!  I think this packet is perfect for all Upper Elementary kiddos!

It allows my kiddos the chance to work quietly and purposefully, but without me having to rack my brain for new ideas every day.  This also gives me the ability to differentiate in my classroom.  Most days I plan to give each kiddo the same page.  However, with 25 pages to choose from and only 20 teaching days {on average} each month, there's some wiggle room to play and adjust as necessary!  The packet is mainly quick writing prompts for my learners, but it also includes a few activities and review pages for literacy and math!  I think it is SO important for kids to have pen-to-paper time as writers, so this definitely helps make up for our constantly shortened writing period... but still finds time to review important skills.

Even though I'm not currently in a strictly upper elementary classroom, I plan on using this in my High School ESL classroom this year.  The prompts and activities are relevant and fun for them as well!

Be sure to check it out in my {TpT} store!  Especially since there's quite a sale going on now!!  Whoop whoop!!

Healthy Holiday Tips...

The holidays are coming up upon us and it's a stressful time with so much food, sweets, and drinks readily available.  I seem to always add several extra pounds this time of year just because I have a hard time saying "no".  When I saw this awesome advice on Chef G and Rachel's Facebook Page, I knew I had to share it!  I love how simple and easy their tips are, especially number 5!  I can do lots of veggies!  What do you think?

What Does the Turkey Say?

Dog goes woof

Cat goes meow
Bird goes tweet
and mouse goes squeak

Cow goes moo
Frog goes croak
and the elephant goes toot

Ducks say quack
and fish go blub

and the seal goes ow ow ow ow ow

But there's one sound
That no one knows
What does the turkey say?

That's right!  There's no gettin' it out of your head now!  Maybe it's a Spanish thing... or maybe it's a kid thing, but my little Spaniards love the song.  I have some serious doubts on whether they know what they're singing... but hey- it's catchy!  So why not use it to your advantage?  What Does the Turkey Say? is my newest TpT Mini-Unit!!

Basically- James the Turkey is thrown out of the sky when he loses visibility in a blizzard! Luckily, he lands in the Carnivora Family’s yard and they thoughtfully take him in. But with food getting low and the blizzard keeping everyone cooped up, I looks like James could be tonight’s dinner. Uh oh!  

Using reading and writing activities, students read all about James’ dilemma and then choose how James’ story ends- and more precisely, what the turkey says!  Then they wrap it all up by creating a Turkey Glyph that incorporates their stories and some multiplication practice! 

 When it's that time of the year it's so easy to get sucked into the holidays and forget to focus on the learning and think more about the parties.  Well this unit will help you get the best of both worlds.  Have some fun and celebration while  still hitting the Common Core!

Until midnight tomorrow, my new unit will be 20% off- making it only $2.00!!  Check it out here or click one of the pictures above!

Please don’t hesitate to e-mail me with any questions or concerns you may have!  Appleslices4th@gmail.com.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> TpT

Small Moments

MLK Activities and more :)

I don't think I've mentioned it yet, but I am SOOOO stinkin' lucky to be at a school that has a FOUR day work week!  That's right- Monday-Thursday with children and then every Friday is a WORK DAY!!  After working last year in a school that was Monday- Friday, I feel so blessed to be at this new school.  I was tired of going in every single weekend just to have things prepared for the upcoming week.  (and I'm sure my stress had nothing to do with last year being my first year teaching- right?!)   I finally feel a nice balance between school and home though and am loving it.  My principal is even so great that he gives us a four day weekend every now and then, like this weekend.  We have Friday- Monday O-F-F!!  I can't even tell you how lazy I feel right now :)

The boyfriend and I took a quick trip to Salt Lake on Friday night to get some new glasses (woohoo!) and I now feel ready to tackle a little bit of the school work, while watching a bit of football, of course.

This week we worked on pulling together an MLK writing prompt, where all the students had to talk about their dream for the world.  I was really impressed with their ideas, like end the war, stop people from using drugs and even to stop trophy hunting!  We spent a good amount of time front loading on MLK and his life, and then throughout the week we watched MLK's speech, completed some of the activities from my MLK activity packet,

and re-read the book, The Other Side, which made more sense this time around!  (Hallelujah!) 

Here is one of the activities we completed, which shows people of different colors holding hands, just like MLK speaks about in his dream.

 Looks like we have a Bronco's fan in our midst!

Our dream!

I hope everyone else is having a fantastic 3 day weekend and being just lazy as I am!  Enjoy!

Love,

Kelly Anne