Five for Friday! Sunshine, Costco, Dinos and a GIVEAWAY!

As I sat down to gather my thoughts for today's Five for Friday I almost couldn't remember anything I'd done at school this week! We're getting set to write report cards, so I can only blame my scarce collection of photos and scatty memory on a super busy week. :)  My five random moments are just that - quite random!

Summer break?  Nope, just an almost-Winter's day in Queensland!

It's the perfect time of year to enjoy long walks in the sun!

This week I decided it was time to get organised!  I transferred all of my TpT ideas to one notebook, instead of random bits of paper and notes on my phone and laptop.  I've got two 'to-do' lists on the go as well, one for home and one for my blog etc.

It's helping so far!

I introduced one of my favourite Maths games to my kidlets this week!  I call it Dino Dash.

The idea is simple.  Kidlets roll two pocket dice, with dot patterns for 0 - 3.  Each child has a card with a rock path on it and we use a container of plastic dinosaurs.  After the dice are rolled kidlets move their dinosaur along the path after counting the total number of dots.  This works on counting, subitising, number bonds and introduces addition in a relaxed way.  Later in the year I'll change one of the dice to show numerals - perfect to work on counting-on skills.  Once the dinosaur reaches the end of the path they have a rest under the tree, and a new dino starts his journey!  The kidlet with the most dinosaurs under their tree at the end of the playing time is the winner. :)

You could adapt this game to play with any manipulatives that you have - frogs on lilypads, insects on flowers etc.  My kidlets go mad for this game!

Big excitement 'round these parts recently...

...Costco opened!  It's the first in Queensland so the hype around opening day was HUGE!  I'd shopped at Costco when I was living in Canada so I wasn't quite as excited as some of the other people I saw there. Everyone was loading their carts up with huge smiles on their faces and one of the employees I spoke to said they turned over more than $1 million on their first day.  Crazy! Although my photo only shows about 5 people there it was actually super duper busy, so I just had a quick look and only bought a few cleaning products and a 10kg bag of rice to make rainbow rice for the sensory bin at school. :)

Time for the GIVEAWAY!  It's a miracle - I finally added a new product to my TpT store!

Not sure about you, but I find Show & Tell in the classroom tedious (I know... I'm a terrible teacher)!  It seems to veer between kidlets whose parents have made a larger than life poster that the child has had absolutely no part in and those that have literally grabbed something out of the car on their way into school.  I wanted a way to make Show & Tell times effective for developing oral language skills by providing guidelines as to the type and amount of information children should present.  The templates also help me to assist those little ones who've forgotten what they wanted to say, and because everyone has had the same poster to complete they all feel proud of theirs when it goes on display.

(I've included two sets of templates - one with Aussie spelling and the second is US friendly!)

There's 10 different topics in the pack.

Check it out here or 'Pin it to Win it'!  Leave me a comment with a link to the board you pinned to and I'll give away three copies at the end of the weekend. :)

Happy weekend friends!  I hope wherever you are you're enjoying some rest and relaxation - you deserve it!

Lauren

13 in 13 - A looking-back linky!

Summer vacation sure is empty of blogging inspiration... who wants to hear about my days sleeping in late and then walking on the beach? :)  Luckily, Kristin (a Teeny Tiny Teacher) is hosting a clever linky along with a few of her friends to help us all look back on 2013.

So without further ado, here's my 13 in 13!

I had a good long think about this... but I think I'd have to say my Steve Madden boots.  I saw a similar pair in 2012 that I didn't buy and had always regretted it - so I had to have these!

Coming in close second would be my Equator tights from TNA at Aritzia.  I don't even know what I wore around the house before these... shorts? Sweats? Who knows.  I love these so much that I bulk buy them when I'm in Canada. :)

Oh gosh, I really can't even remember going to the movies in 2013! Chris and I went to see Despicable Me 2 when I went to visit him, so maybe that one wins purely on sentimental grounds.

I am a reality TV tragic.  Seriously.  Real Housewives (of anywhere!), Toddlers and Tiaras, Say Yes to the Dress... the list could go on and on!  But this year, we had out very first Australian Bachelor! I'm so proud of us!

Earls.  It's my lovebird's and my favourite place.  I think it's because we had our very first dinner out there, and then it was our go-to restaurant after long shifts at work.  In 2013 we only went there a few times but it's still my fave.   If you're ever there, try the cajun chicken sandwich. :)

I think it would have to be creating and selling on TpT.  I was super nervous when I posted my first product... and then I waited anxiously to see if anyone would buy it!  Flash forward quite a few months, and I am very proud of my little store.  I am so appreciative to all of those TpT sellers who I have bought products from so I am very hopeful that I can help out in someone else's classroom the way that so many others have helped out in mine.

Just last week my best friend gave me a 365 journal - she predicts that 2014 will be a big year for me. :) I'm planning to start it on the 1st January - although you can start them anytime because the pages are numbered, not dated.  (It just so happens that I gave her the same gift... great minds think alike!)

I gave her the mint coloured one, and mine is the pink polka dot number.

Honestly... this is like asking me to choose my favourite student! I just spent a good 20 minutes looking at my Pinterest profile, and I absolutely cannot choose a favourite pin.  I will, however, choose my favourite boards!

Just to make you smile... - A collection of thinks that tickle my funny bone. 

Beautiful things... - Images that make my heart feel full.

Quotes... - Gotta love the power of words.

Come and follow me so I can follow you back! 

This one is tricky, too!  I must admit that I do like a bit of self-reflection, so my 10 Things I've Learned from Teaching entry was great for thinking about just how much my choice of career has influenced my life. :)

This year I was most proud of the time, energy and love I poured into my classroom and my kidlets.  Every week I was really focused on making sure that everything I planned was engaging, relevant and differentiated... Of course I had lots of successes and some failures, but I do feel that this year I was the best teacher that I have ever been.  Can you hear that, it's me tooting my own horn. Toot!  But seriously, I guess with experience comes a few tricks. :)

Chris and I did a road trip from Calgary to Summerland to visit my cousin and his wife in the Canadian Summer.  Those 4 days were magic. Sun, time with my lovebird, no alarm clocks, no work... it was perfect!  Plus, the scenery - AMAZING!

In this photo we were at Quail's Gate winery in the Okanagon.  

Ugh... I'm hopeless at goal setting!  Can my goal just be happiness?

There you have it, friends.  My 13 in 13.  Go link up and share yours, too!

Lauren

Five for Friday! 13/12/13

When the Five for Friday posts started popping up in my Bloglovin' feed this week, my first reaction was 'Huh? It's Friday?!'  Don't you just love being on Summer break and forgetting what day of the week it is? :)  Link up with Doodle Bugs and share your five random moments.

1. So... when I posted my Christmas Questionnaire responses the other day I mentioned that I love receiving presents over giving them... reading through everyone else's responses, I realised that I was just about the only one who gave that answer!  Consequently, I felt like the world's worst person!!  But I've had a think about it, and I think my honest answer would be that I love exchanging gifts. I love choosing a special item that I know my friends or family will love, and I also love opening up gifts that make me feel special and loved.  It's the giving and receiving of pressies at the same time that's my favourite. :)  Yesterday I exchanged gifts with my best friend (she's off overseas tomorrow).  We must know each other so well... we bought the same 365 Journal!

2. Along those lines, I wanted to share a pic of the cutest paper ever that I'm using this year to wrap some of my gifts.  I love watching Charlie Brown Christmas, so I was so happy to find this at Typo.

3. In my shopping adventures this week I have crossed quite a few things off my list for family and friends but I've also grabbed some bargains that are for (where else?) my classroom.  Alison Lester writes such gorgeous books so I was happy to grab a pack of 4 for $15, and I got a hardcover edition of The Very Hungry Caterpillar for $10 (normally $30).  'Yes' and 'Tall', written by Jez Alborough were down from $17 to $3!  You can never have too many Zoobs - they are on sale at Aldi this week, and the felt Christmas tree will get packed away to use next year on a classroom wall. The pretty scarf is for me. :)

4.  Yesterday was a beautiful, hot day.  I wandered down to the beach in the very late afternoon and enjoyed the warm breeze and the sound of the waves. :)

5.  To celebrate a few weeks of nails with no paint or playdough stuck in them I'm going to have a go at this manicure.  Wish me luck!

Happy weekend everyone!  

Lauren

Five for Friday! With a freebie. :)

I set myself a deadline... no Five for Friday until I had finished my reports AND posted a freebie for you all.  So here I am, sharing my Friday Five at 9:15pm on Saturday night! :)  

1. I've had and itch to SHOP lately!  It seems like every time I go out I end up with something new for my classroom.  This week it was this treasure from Aldi:

Luckily (unluckily?) I've also had the urge to buy some new clothes!  Have you ever bought from Mod Cloth?  It's my new favourite online store... and the boxes are super cute which makes it all the more fun when the postman drops the package off!

2. Speaking of itches... the travel bug has been bothering me lately, too.  I haven't been on a plane in 6 months (I know, I know... poor me!) so I am planning a trip for Chris and I when he gets here in January.  I'd love to go to Spain... but I think somewhere closer to home might be more in our price range since he will be a student.  Maybe New Zealand?  This print has me planning a holiday every time I see it on my bookshelf:

3. We've been all about Christmas in my classroom over the past few weeks!  Our History unit centres around the Christmas theme, but it doesn't help that I am a Christmas nut. :)  We have done some cute crafts and activities, but none better than this freebie from Doodle Bugs:

Grab your freebie here!

4. Speaking of Christmas freebies, I just posted a letter matching pack in my TpT store!

Go grab Letters for Santa if it will be helpful for you. :)

5. I've only got 6 and a half more days left with this year's kidlets.  I say this every year... but I am really going to miss them.  What a privilege to spend every day at work with precious children!

Happiest of weekends to you all!  I'm off to enjoy the sounds of a thunderstorm as I read everyone's Five for Friday posts. :)

Lauren