The Classroom Creative http://www.theclassroomcreative.com Wed, 22 May 2013 02:37:20 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 Father’s Day Mini-book {My Dad Rocks!} http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/2013/05/20/fathers-day-mini-book-my-dad-rocks/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=fathers-day-mini-book-my-dad-rocks http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/2013/05/20/fathers-day-mini-book-my-dad-rocks/#comments Tue, 21 May 2013 03:23:29 +0000 Karen http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/?p=9715 Hello everyone! Since you all liked my Father’s Day Super Hero mini-book so much, I created another Father’s Day mini-book. Rock out with your dad this Father’s Day with this super cute rockin’ mini-book. It’s the perfect Father’s Day writing activity that doubles as a Father’s Day gift!

 

You can find our Father’s Day My Dad Rocks! mini-book at our TpT store

 

We also have a Mother’s Day Mini-book in case you want to save it for next year!

 

Now that you’ve fallen in love with us- stay connected with us.

Have a great idea and want to share it? Whether you have a blog or not we’d love for you to submit an idea here!

 

Happy Father’s Day,

Karen

]]> http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/2013/05/20/fathers-day-mini-book-my-dad-rocks/feed/ 0 Five for Friday http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/2013/05/17/five-for-friday/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=five-for-friday http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/2013/05/17/five-for-friday/#comments Fri, 17 May 2013 22:14:50 +0000 Karen http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/?p=9684 Hi everybody, this Friday I {Karen} am taking on Five for Friday hosted by Doodle Bug Teaching. I am the other mastermind behind this prodigious blog. I am excited to be joining Doodle Bugs Teaching linky party.  Click the button below to join in on the fun.

1. As a calligrapher, often the topic of writing comes up in conversation. This time my sister-in-law was talking about how she read an article in the paper about kids who are not learning to write. What!?

As an artist I could not image NOT learning how to DRAW letters and numbers.  Every student learns to draw in some capacity whatever the means is doodling, writing, creating shapes, etc. A book that I really enjoy and used while I was teaching art is Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. Everyone can draw! Put that book on your summer reading list to understand how.

2. I decided that I have a special gift. I am able to read people very well. Someone’s emotions are always written all over their face. Until this week I have considered this ability to be a burden, because at times, I hate that I am at a loss for words for that person.

3. Currently, I live, breathe, and eat everything superhero in my household. Inspired by my son’s obsession with people with extraordinary powers, I posted a Superdad mini-book activity.

If you do use this in your classroom, pretty please drop us an email! I would love to hear/read the responses your students came up with!

 You can find our Superdad mini-book at our TpT store

4. I’m excited that my almost one year old is taking steps! Unfortunately, it has crossed my son’s mind to push her down a time or two. My son was an early walker and he has been going ever since. Sigh.

5. This weekend our neighborhood is hosting a huge garage sale, so I am off to see what treasures I can find! Enjoy your weekend!

In case you missed last week’s 5 for Friday by Nicolette click here.

 

Now that you’ve fallen in love with us- stay connected with us.

Have a great idea and want to share it? Whether you have a blog or not we’d love for you to submit an idea here!

 

Happy Friday!

Karen

 

 

 

 

 

]]> http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/2013/05/17/five-for-friday/feed/ 1 50 Father’s Day Projects for Kids http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/2013/05/15/50-fathers-day-projects-for-kids/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=50-fathers-day-projects-for-kids http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/2013/05/15/50-fathers-day-projects-for-kids/#comments Wed, 15 May 2013 14:26:38 +0000 Nicolette http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/?p=9693 Hello, everyone! Before school ends, be sure to use a little class time to have your students make something special to honor their dads this Father’s Day.  We’ve searched the interwebs for you to find the best of Father’s Day projects, crafts, and activities for kids!

 



If you want a simple writing activity that doubles as a memorable Father’s Day gift…pop by our little TPT shop and pick up this sweet Superdad mini-book! Only $1! Less than a cup of coffee!

Now that you’ve fallen in love with us- stay connected with us.

Have a great idea and want to share it? Whether you have a blog or not we’d love for you to submit an idea here!

 

Happy Father’s Day,

Karen & Nicolette

]]> http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/2013/05/15/50-fathers-day-projects-for-kids/feed/ 0 Father’s Day Ideas, Crafts, and Activities for Kids http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/2013/05/13/fathers-day-ideas-crafts-and-activities-for-kids/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=fathers-day-ideas-crafts-and-activities-for-kids http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/2013/05/13/fathers-day-ideas-crafts-and-activities-for-kids/#comments Mon, 13 May 2013 19:34:10 +0000 Karen http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/?p=9636 With Father’s Day less than a month away, spend some time in these last weeks of school honoring the hardworking superdads in your students’ lives.  We’ve rounded up plenty of ideas that double as excellent student-created gifts for Father’s Day.

Father's Day ideas for kids

Father’s Day super dad mini-book from The Classroom Creative

Photo prop picture from Paper Coterie

Dad scavenger hunt from Wayward Girls

How dad measures up from Spoonful

Picture bookmarks from Makes and Takes

Free Father’s Day printable questionare from the Crafting Chicks 

“Hands” down apron from Sew Homegrown

Dad is Dynamite Erin Wing via TpT

Simple painted ties from Viola Cay {Not Your Grandma’s Blog}

Father’s day Plaque from Paint Me Plaid

Father’s Day puzzle block from What to Expect

Handy box from SheKnows

#1 Dad trophy from Busy Bee Kids Crafting

My dad is… from Classroom Freebies

Father’s day coasters from Easy Preschool Craft

Dad’s stach from Print Your Party

 

Stop by here for more Father’s Day Ideas!

Now that you’ve fallen in love with us- stay connected with us.

Have a great idea and want to share it? Whether you have a blog or not we’d love for you to submit an idea here!

 

Happy Father’s Day,

Karen

]]> http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/2013/05/13/fathers-day-ideas-crafts-and-activities-for-kids/feed/ 0 Father’s Day Mini-book {Superhero Theme} http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/2013/05/12/fathers-day-mini-book-superhero-theme/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=fathers-day-mini-book-superhero-theme http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/2013/05/12/fathers-day-mini-book-superhero-theme/#comments Sun, 12 May 2013 16:41:35 +0000 Karen http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/?p=9589 Is your dad faster than a speeding bullet? Can he leap tall buildings in a single bound? What super power does your dad have? Student will have so much fun creating this Father’s Day super hero mini-book.

It’s the perfect Father’s Day writing activity that doubles as a Father’s Day gift!

This adorable mini-book features art work by our very own Karen, art teacher extraordinare.

You can find our Father’s Day Super Hero Mini-book at our TpT store 

We also have a Mother’s Day Mini-book!

Now that you’ve fallen in love with us- stay connected with us.

Have a great idea and want to share it? Whether you have a blog or not we’d love for you to submit an idea here!

 

Happy Father’s Day,

Karen

]]> http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/2013/05/12/fathers-day-mini-book-superhero-theme/feed/ 3 Our First: Five for Friday http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/2013/05/10/our-first-five-for-friday/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=our-first-five-for-friday http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/2013/05/10/our-first-five-for-friday/#comments Fri, 10 May 2013 21:10:23 +0000 Nicolette http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/?p=9613 Hello, everyone! In the teaching blogging world, there’s a link party each Friday at Doodle Bugs Teaching. Karen and I will be participating in it- so you can get the know the masterminds behind this ol’ blog.

This week, I {Nicolette} will take on our first Five for Friday!

{click button to join in the fun!}

 

1.) For those who don’t know, my oldest son has autism.  His teacher approached me this week about his ELA goals for kindergarten this fall, and my teacher brain went into overdrive researching best practices.

The work of Dr. Marion Blank by way of Columbia University has literally reinformed everything I thought I knew about the reading wars on phonics vs. whole language.  Granted, her book did sound a bit like an informercial for her reading program, BUT I did agree with her about the prerequisites to reading that many schools don’t address in depth: visual sequencing and fine motor skills for handwriting taught in a very specific order.

{via amazon}

I find Dr. Blank’s work fascinating, as she has been studying reading, writing, speaking, and listening for over 40+ years.  I hope many of you will read her work, and rethink some of your approaches to early reading.  Blank’s work has moved more into the realm of special needs and autism, but given that 40% of our students struggle with reading, this does affect all of our classrooms.

2.) Photoshop and I have begun dating again after a break-up nearly ten years ago.  Before I was a teacher, I worked in advertising for major record labels.  I was also an advertising major. Photoshop was a mainstay in my life while I was in school.  It feels nice to combine both of my profession loves: education and good design.

Plus, vintage graphics.  I just love vintage graphics!

{you can download it for free here}

3.) As I mentioned in #1, my son’s ELA goals will include preprimer sight words, which intimidates me, as he is still struggling to communicate in full sentences at age 5. So, after searching around, I couldn’t find exactly what I needed.  I started developing a really fun pack that should be ready to fly into TPT next week.  The cover page is done, so here’s a sneak peek at the first of many units.  We were going for a barber shop feel…

 4.) I’m just so sick of making these.  Sick, I tell you.  The boys want nothing but fruit and sunbutter sandwiches.  But I’m still in love with their lunch bags.

5.) I can’t wait to just melt into the weekend.  Doodle, my oldest child, makes that easy.  We are hosting for Mother’s Day, so it won’t be that relaxing.  My dream Mother’s Day involves a haircut and at a stretch, a spa day.

Next Friday, Karen will take the reigns of 5 for Friday!

Now that you’ve fallen in love with us- stay connected with us.

Have a great idea and want to share it? Whether you have a blog or not we’d love for you to submit an idea here!

 

 

Have a great Mother’s Day weekend,

Nicolette

 

]]> http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/2013/05/10/our-first-five-for-friday/feed/ 6 End of the Year Teacher Checklist- Free Printables http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/2013/05/10/end-of-the-year-teacher-checklist-free-printables/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=end-of-the-year-teacher-checklist-free-printables http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/2013/05/10/end-of-the-year-teacher-checklist-free-printables/#comments Fri, 10 May 2013 19:49:17 +0000 Nicolette http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/?p=9590 Now that the end of the year is rapidly approaching, it means one thing: your to-do list is growing.  All of us teachers are list-makers, so we’ve designed two free checklists to help your close your classrooms with ease.  One checklist covers the basic end of the year tasks. We’ve also included a blank page for you to write in your specific tasks.

We hope these lists help you with your end of the school year organization! Stay tuned, we are developing a huge organization pack for all classroom teachers this summer.

classroom checklist for the end of the school year, free printables for classroom organization

 

and here’s the blank one:

free teacher checklist, classroom organization ideas

 These sheets are available for FREE DOWNLOAD at our little shop at Teachers Pay Teachers.

TeachersPayTeachers - Lesson Plans,Teaching Materials and Other Teacher-Created Resources

If you are into TPT, please follow our little shop.  We are the new kids at the lunch table.

Terms of use:

  • Personal and classroom use only.
  • Don’t sell.
  • If you want to feature this, please link to this post, not to the TPT website.

Need more organizational ideas?

Stop by here. {This post has been viewed almost 100,000 times!}

classroom organization ideas and tips

Now that you’ve fallen in love with us- stay connected with us.

Have a great idea and want to share it? Whether you have a blog or not we’d love for you to submit an idea here!

Enjoy these last weeks of school,

Nicolette

Sharing at Teaching Blog Addict’s Freebie Friday

]]> http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/2013/05/10/end-of-the-year-teacher-checklist-free-printables/feed/ 1 End of the School Year Countdown Ideas http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/2013/05/08/end-of-the-school-year-countdown-ideas/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=end-of-the-school-year-countdown-ideas http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/2013/05/08/end-of-the-school-year-countdown-ideas/#comments Wed, 08 May 2013 13:11:14 +0000 Karen http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/?p=9375 Are your students starting to get restless? Have you caught them daydreaming about the summer? Make the last days of school worthwhile by starting an end of the school year countdown.  I rounded up ten classroom countdown ideas that your students will love!

Countdown flower via Pinterest {original source not found…after much looking}

Love bags from a Little Bit Funkie

In your class, you could put memories in each bag and make riddles of them!

Clipboard countdown from Eighteen25

ABC countdown from Mrs. Pauley’s Kindergarten

Ice cream countdown from The Bender Bunch

Countdown jar from Craft Jr

Final 10 days balloon countdown from First with Franklin

Alphabet countdown from Smedley’s Smorgasboard

Countdown bunting from Armommy

Chain link count down from Gallamore West

Need more end of the school year ideas?

 

Now that you’ve fallen in love with us- stay connected with us.

Have a great idea and want to share it? Whether you have a blog or not we’d love for you to submit an idea here!

 

Happy Counting,

Karen

]]> http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/2013/05/08/end-of-the-school-year-countdown-ideas/feed/ 0 Last Minute Mother’s Day Ideas for Kids http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/2013/05/07/last-minute-mothers-day-ideas-for-kids/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=last-minute-mothers-day-ideas-for-kids http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/2013/05/07/last-minute-mothers-day-ideas-for-kids/#comments Tue, 07 May 2013 18:17:09 +0000 Nicolette http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/?p=9523 Hello, everyone! If you are anything like, me- you have great intentions for Mother’s Day, but have yet to do anything crafty or creative with your kids-just yet.

The following Mother’s Day projects are high on appeal, but simple in terms of materials and time.  Here’s a round-up of easy Mother’s Day crafts, activities, and projects to honor the many amazing women in your childrens’ lives.

Don’t forget the grandmothers, godmothers, aunties, and other women in your “village” who help raise your children!

Mother's Day projects for kids

For a simple project that is sure to make you laugh 20 years from now…

Our printable mini-book for the Supermoms in your life. Only $1 at TPT.

Easy Mother’s Day Photo Project via The Inadvertent Farmer

mother's day photo project for kids

 Fingerprint Canvas via The Craft Nest

Sentimental Handprint Art via LollyJane

and here’s even more…



 

 

 

Now that you’ve fallen in love with us- stay connected with us.

Have a great idea and want to share it? Whether you have a blog or not we’d love for you to submit an idea here!

 

 

Happy Mother’s Day,

Nicolette

]]> http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/2013/05/07/last-minute-mothers-day-ideas-for-kids/feed/ 0 Last Minute Teacher Appreciation Gift http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/2013/05/05/last-minute-teacher-appreciation-gift/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=last-minute-teacher-appreciation-gift http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/2013/05/05/last-minute-teacher-appreciation-gift/#comments Sun, 05 May 2013 13:39:43 +0000 Karen http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/?p=9211 Every day a teacher goes out of their way to make sure your child learns something amazing!  Make it a point to go out of your way for your child’s teacher during Teacher Appreciation Week. Every teacher deserves as much praise as they dish out.

What does a teacher really want? A gift card or something sentimental. Or both!

Head over to your local Target, grab a gift card, print out my free printable, and call it a day. Whether they spend it on classroom supplies or a cute bathing suit for their summer off, you will definitely put a smile on their face.

teacher appreciation gift idea, teacher gift ideas for end of the school year

 

 Download this printable and attach it to your gift card!

Now that you’ve fallen in love with us- stay connected with us.

Have a great idea and want to share it? Whether you have a blog or not we’d love for you to submit an idea here!

 

Off to Target,

Karen

 

**Not a sponsored post, we just love Target!

 

 

 

 

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