May! Sigh…thank goodness.
May is such a FULL crazy school month. In some ways that is great because it tends to fly by, but it also makes teachers lose their minds in the process. So from my permanent eye twitch to yours, here’s to May!
First up, Mother’s Day.
We are making a lavender body scrub for our moms to take into the shower. It is a beautiful exfoliator (made that word up according to my spell check) that smells like summer and happiness. Believe me. It’s wonderful. And so easy that you’ll feel guilty.
I use little disposable containers. (for me in my shower, there is a hurricane vase full of this homemade treasure but that’s another story)
After the mixing, smelling, oohing, and aaaahing has been completed by my students, we tie ribbon around the container and add a little label that explains what this gift is for. You can see the label in this instagram picture below.
We make a card complete with writing all about mom and a direct draw mom portrait that melts any mom’s heart.
Is your word wall at max capacity? We have 5 more words. I am one excited teacher. This year I have kept up with our word wall week by week! My students are so good about asking what our new words are each week. They beg to hang the old ones too so honestly I should really give them the credit. I just work here.
This silly little pink box was the key to a year of word wall words. I put the words in here in order of our reading series/district high frequency word police mandates. Each week it was no problem for my students to grab the next few words.
I found this picture from the fist week of school when we were just reviewing our color words and learning how to use the word wall. {wipes tear from face} They have come such a long way!!!!
We have 10 word wall centers that students can do. The best part about them is that it doesn’t matter if we have 10 words or 110 words on our word wall. These centers are open ended so students and teacher can choose the words to target!
When students finish their rotation during guided reading they can grab a word wall activity! They get to go work on the rug by the word wall.
Another resource that has made the rounds all throughout the year are these reading and writing flip books. More advanced groups love to make flip books as a reading response activity!
We just prepped these plant flip up books because we will be planting seeds this week. Print, fold, and staple!
Now I am throwing myself an internal party because something that I envisioned last summer is finally finished!!! I really wanted to have a guided reading phonics sounds wall. I just couldn’t quite make it happen until recently! Then as a result, more ideas began to form and I just wrapped up my phonics posters and phonics tracers sets!
I sat out on the patio this morning and put together my vowel teams binder. The phonics posters that match each one of these posters will be displayed on the wall, while the students can practice reading in these binders! We have been using the short vowels and blends binders at school, but since it’s the end of first grade, I really wanted to get these long vowel, vowel teams binders done!
Along with the reading binders, I also made tracers. My students went nuts over the short vowels, blends and digraphs, now I have our big kid sounds to add to the mix!
So the reason I have been out on my patio prepping, drinking coffee, and blogging, is because we are under construction. {Since November} With our kids being teens now, we decided to finally put in a pool. My husband really wanted to go for the teen appeal and he designed this cave/jumping platform/slide. It’s really coming together now!
The October Lit Kit
Spider Week and Visual Plans
Teacher Bag Lady and My Week…Wait…It’s only Monday
Classroom Clips and Quotes….Day 10
Jeanne says
May 3, 2015 at 6:43 pmI will be glad to visit your new outdoor space!!! I really like your new phonics sets. I purchased your mini books last year and they helped my kids so much. I retired but if I was still teaching these would be my purchase now! Btw–why does the words on the turtle poster all have it words? Our district uses Benchmark Literacy and your sets are outstanding!!!
Jeanne says
May 3, 2015 at 6:44 pmSorry– I meant why do!
Courtney B says
May 3, 2015 at 8:54 pmThat pool looks awesome! I have a permanent eye twitch too!
ReaganTunstall says
May 3, 2015 at 11:07 pmhugs!
Jessica says
May 3, 2015 at 10:09 pmThanks for the recipe for the scrub! I'm going to have to try that with my students! It looks so easy. Love the pool, too. I wish we had the space for one!
What I Have Learned
ReaganTunstall says
May 3, 2015 at 11:06 pm🙂 Hope you love the scrub!
Kim Gierahn says
May 3, 2015 at 10:40 pmMay calendar explosion. #megatwitch
ReaganTunstall says
May 3, 2015 at 11:06 pmI just laughed out loud alone in the kitchen. You are my new BFF…
Kim Gierahn says
May 4, 2015 at 5:08 pmHaha! Hilarious!
Off to go grab my "mini consumers and producers from Chinese class" It's market day here in first grade!! #advil #wine
Kim Gierahn says
May 4, 2015 at 6:53 pmquotes in wrong spots.. grrr. It truly is a super, wonderful day for the kids. They love buying and selling their handmade products! Economics at it's best!
Positively Learning says
May 4, 2015 at 11:09 amSuch a great idea! Would it be wrong if I kept the scrub for myself?!? Thanks 🙂 Jen
Carrberry Creations says
May 4, 2015 at 3:33 pmSeriously keeping scrub for myself. Thanks for sharing the recipe, my kiddos are going to love making it. And….drool…. where did you get the clear spinner from (the one pictured on your letter hunters page)? I love that!
Sarah Shobe says
May 6, 2015 at 10:49 amYou made me laugh! Your pool looks like it's going to be gorgeous!
3d670b14-f790-11e4-bb65-2b847ded27f4 says
May 11, 2015 at 3:46 amI love your phonics tracers! Such a great idea for center time or early finishers. Your scrub looks amazing. I wish I would have seen that last week!
Sherri says
October 26, 2015 at 7:24 amHi Reagan, I'm not sure if you will get this but I must know where you got your clear spinners from? I have many games that require paper clip spinners by I have a class of "re-constructionists" when it comes to paperclips and it isn't terribly safe. I would love to grab some of the clear ones. I hope your pool is finished by now! It looks amazing.
Alex says
February 21, 2016 at 6:30 amWhen do you use the tracers and how often? do you see progress from using them?
ReaganTunstall says
February 23, 2016 at 11:28 amThe tracers are to reinforce what has been taught. So many times my low kids get snowballed with how fast we introduce new sounds week to week. This allows them to read and write the words previously learned and not forget what they know. 🙂 My students ask to do them at the writing center so I put them out as one of the choices a couple days a week there. Also they are perfect for an early finisher activity or a morning station activity.
Amy says
May 3, 2016 at 5:34 pmHi! Did I miss the exact recipe? Or is it sort of a trial and error as far as amounts? Thanks!
Amy
ReaganTunstall says
May 3, 2016 at 7:30 pmThe amounts are in the download. 🙂