TPT Sale!

Hey Y'all!!!
I hope everyone had a FABULOUS Thanksgiving! We have so much to be thankful for!!!  I love spending time with the family and eating delicious Southern cooking!!! I love Thanksgiving sooo much that I have deciced to do an "After Thanksgiving Sale" at my Teachers Pay Teachers store!  Everything is 15% off!!!  Enjoy!!!!

Click here to start shopping!!!!

Enjoy!!!

Nicole

Kindergarten Math Common Core Workmats, Centers, and Flashcards!

I don't know about all of y'all (that's how we say it in the south), but common core has really pushed me as a teacher this year! I am LOVING it but that is not to say that EVERYDAY seems like a challenge! I am constantly looking for new ideas, new resources, and pulling from oldies! I love the thinking that I am seeing take place with my 5 year olds every day! Not only can they do the work and solve the problems, but they can EXPLAIN what they are doing using MATHEMATICAL vocabulary! It's amazing! I have plenty of math centers but I have been in search for new math centers. I have searched the internet and finding kindergarten resources has been difficult! So, I decided to make my own centers, workmats, and number sense flashcards! I have put together a 122 page unit that addresses many standards (listed on each activity)! There are great games, center activities, math work mats (for those sweet visual babies that organize everything), and flashcards (can also be used in a game of Memory). I know my students are going to LOVE all of these new activities. You can purchase this AWESOME unit at my TPT store by clicking here.

I hope you find this unit helpful. I would love to hear about some of the fun common core activities that you are doing in your classroom! I would love to give away a unit to the best answer of how Common Core is changing your classroom!!!!

Also, I hope everyone has a fabulous and THANKFUL Thanksgiving!

Nicole

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!!!

As Thanksgiving quickly approaches, I am always looking into ways to incorporate Thanksgiving into my lessons! Here is a great 100 page unit that available at my TPT store!  

Enjoy y'all!!!!

Nicole

Let's Go....Transportation Thematic Unit

With the Scotts Foresman Reading Street Program, I find myself teaching thematic units during random times throughout the year. It's October and I am reading Dig, Dig, Digging by Margaret Mayo to my class. It is a great book and the students LOVE it, but I usually teach transportation around the spring time. I have been in desperate need of some new transportation lessons and activities so I thought I would just create some! My transportation unit can be purchased at my Teachers Pay Teachers store by clicking here.

This unit has transportation vocabulary cards, reading and math centers, graphs, printables, crafts, Play-doh mats, and coloring pages- PERFECT for a theme unit on transportation!!!!

What are some activities you do when you teach transportation?
Enjoy!
Nicole

Apples, Apples, Everywhere!!!

There is not a unit that I like better than APPLES!!!  Something about it just screams FALL!!!!!  The students love learning all about Johnny Appleseed and having a fabulous apple tasting snack! I always spend my week doing so many fun crafts and special centers! I have compiled all of my fabulous activities, plans, and crafts into a fabulous unit on Teachers Pay Teachers! Here is a preview:

You can purchase my unit by clicking here.

 

Please check back soon....I will be working on a give away with my bestie, Lizzie at http://afirstgradefairytale.blogspot.com !!!!

Enjoy!

Nicole

Homemade Applesauce!

One of my favorite apple projects is making homemade applesauce!  The students absolutely love it and it's soooo easy!!!  Here is how we make applesauce in my classroom!!!

• 8 apples (peeled, cored, and cut into small pieces)
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 cup of water 

Combine all ingredients in the crockpot.

I start cooking the apples first thing in the morning. I cook them on high for around 4-5 hours, it all depends on the apples! Soon, the apples will start looking soft. I have the students use a potato masher to help mash up the apples.

 The students have so much fun mashing the apples!!!!

Let the applesauce cool off and serve!  Not only is it delicious but it leaves your classroom smelling like sweet apple cinnamon all day long!!!!

 

Do you cook in your classroom?  What are some things that you enjoy making?

Enjoy!

Nicole

Happy Fall Y'all!!!!

Happy first official day of fall!!!  I am soooo excited I can't stand it! I love EVERYTHING about the fall...the weather, boots, football, pumpkins, my birthday....It's just the absolute best!!! With fall, also comes my absolute 2 favorite teaching units....APPLES and PUMPKINS!!!!  We just wrapped up our apple unit in class and it was a blast!!!  We ended this week with making applesauce and enjoying a special apple snack with apple muffins, apple cookies, apple chips, apple straws, apple butter, and apple juice...OH MY!  The kids love it!!! I am currently working on a fabulous apple unit to add to my teachers pay teachers store!

I have FINALLY finished my pumpkin unit....94 pages of fabulous pumpkin activities that can be incorporated into reading, language arts, and math! I don't know about all y'all, but I don't have the amount of time that I would like to have to teach complete units.  I find creative ways to incorporate my units into the other subjects. Hopefully, this unit will help!!!  Isn't it the cutest!!!!!!

Check out my teachers pay teachers store here!

ENJOY!!!

Nicole

 

What are some fun things you like to do when, or if, you teach your pumpkin and apple units? I love new ideas!!!!!

Subitizing...WHAT????

With all of the new math common core in the classroom, a new word I learned is "subitizing." When I first heard it, I said "WAIT...WHAT?!!!!!"  Now my kindergarten babies can say it and they know what it means!!!  Incredible!!!! My kid friendly definition is "seeing a small number of objects (1-10ish for my k-babies) and knowing the number immediately." It's like my babies seeing the sight word "the" and knowing it without sounding it out.  It is amazing to when my babies see 8 blocks on a tens frame and know that the number is 8 without counting....and we are just on the 16th day of school!!!!!  Math fluency!!!! I love it!

I have a fabulous FREE math game in my TPT store...just click the link and download the game!!!  We play the game like Memory in our math centers.  The students love it!!!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Numbers-0-10-Matching-Game

Enjoy!!!

Nicole

Fix-It Duck Reading Street Unit

My school district uses the Scotts Foresmans Reading Street Program.  Over the years, I have watched my students grow and become amazing readers! Due to the great success I have had with my Unit 1 Week 1 The Little School Bus Unit, I have completed and posted my unit for Fix-It Duck! It is very hard to find good resources on the internet for these units.  Hopefully my units will help out!!!  I know that my students and I have thoroughly enjoyed using these activities in my classroom!!!

Here is a teaser of some of the amazing centers that I included in this 54 page unit!!!

While you are checking out my TPT store, feel free to check out my Unit 1 Week 1 The Little School Bus Unit as well!!!

 

I hope your school year is going as great as mine is!!!  I am looking forward to our Fall PTA Open House tomorrow night!!!! 

Enjoy!

Nicole

 

 

 





Classroom Pics!!!!

I am so glad to FINALLY post pictures of my classroom!  The first 2 weeks back to school have been completely the craziest 2 weeks ever!!!  I had to miss the second day of school due to my grandfathers death and this week we are out for 3 days due to HURRICANE ISAAC!!!  CRAZY!!! We will go back to school on Thursday and then we will be off Monday for LABOR DAY!!!!  How crazy is all of that?!!!!!

ANYWAYS! I have finally finished my classroom! It looks adorable! I am missing a few pics but here is a nice teaser for now!

Looking in from the hallway...

 

The computer and listening center...also, my "Sweet Talents" Talents Unlimited board...

 

Calendar Math board... 

How we get home clip chart...

 

 Birthday spot...

 

Classroom library...

A view from my desk...

 

 Above my cabinets... Instead of a banner, I glued precut letters on ribbon....ADORABLE!

 

Classroom rules and our clipchart... 

 

Math tools station... 

 

Word Wall...

 

My desk...How cute is my puppy?!!!!

 

 

That's all I have for right now.  I put extra TLC in my classroom decor this year!!!  I love all of the pink with the adorable cupcakes!!! One of my students walked in on the first day and said, "It even smells like cupcakes in here." It was sooo cute and made my day!!!! I will post more pics soon!!!!

Enjoy!

Nicole

 

 

 

My first TPT sale!!!!!

Hey y'all!!!!!
I'm having my first Teachers Pay Teachers sale!!!!

Stop by and visit my site and also my best friend, Lizzie's site!!!!!

She's an adorable first grade teacher with AMAZING ideas!!!!
Enjoy and I hope you find some good stuff!!!!
Nicole

Classroom Decor FREEBIE!!!

Next week is my last week before it's BACK TO SCHOOL!!!!!! I have been busy working to get my classroom together and I must say that it is cuter than ever!!!! I made these color words to use in my classroom as a display.

Visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store to download it for FREE!!! I hope you ENJOY it!!! Thanks for following and making me feel SO SPECIAL!!! :)
Enjoy!
Nicole

Bulletin board tip!

So I spent all day Monday working in my classroom and I still have SO much work left to do! When I moved into my new classroom last year I inherited 3 HUGE bulletin boards.  I thought about taking one of them down but I was worried what the wall would look like underneath :( This year I have carefully planned each bulletin board: a calendar math board, my Reading Street concept board, and my Talents Unlimited board. I doubled brown and pink bordette around each board (to give it a cohesive look!)

For some reason, the board looked too plain. Sooooo...why not TRIPLE the border!!! CRAZY right?!!!! But I just LOVE the way it turned out!
My calendar math board:

My Talents Unlimited board:

Super cute!!! More pictures to come this week!!!
Enjoy!
Nicole

Classroom Sneak Peek!!!!!

So, I decided to redecorate my classroom this year about midway through last year.....yes...I think of the next year before I am finished with that year!  I am ALWAYS planning!!!!  I have been so inspired by 2 of my favorite websites www.schoolgirlstyle.com and http://clutterfreeclassroom.blogspot.com/ to really challange myself as a classroom teacher/ designer! I have decided to go with a pink and brown "Sweet Shoppe" theme.  Unfortunatly, I tore my ACL (the main ligament in your knee...fail!) back in March (a month before my wedding...fail again!) and had to wait until school was out to have surgery. I had surgery the first week of June, so I have not gone to my classroom yet...You don't want to know how much that FREAKS ME OUT!!!!  So next week will be my first official day to work in my classroom....SUPER EXCITED!!!! Here is a sneak peek of some fun stuff that will be all around my classroom...drum rooooolllllllllll...........

Cushions, pillows, and a curtain for my library....

Dots on Choclate for the rest of the classroom....OBSESSED!!!!  And yes that is a PINK tape dispenser!!! WAHOO!!!! 

Cute new wordwall...the letters are brown with pink stiching...sooo cute! The cupcakes are precious, too!!!

More pictures to come next week when I get busy, busy, BUSY!!!! What are some cute new decorations you are putting in your classroom next year?
Enjoy!
Nicole

My first ever BLOG AWARD!!!

Thanks to the lovely ladies at
I have recieved my first ever blog award!!! Make sure to visit their blog...it's adorable!!!

Now...7 things about me!
1. I just married the love of my life, Alex, on April 14...it was the most perfect day of my life!!!

2. I have the cutest and sweetest dog, Lula Belle. We love her TOO much!!!

3. This is my 7th year teaching kindergarten and I am at the most amazing school ever!

4. I love DIY and crafts...I have a craft room!!!!! It's SUPER!

5. I am new at blogging and I LOVE IT!!!!! I have always followed so many blogs and I think blogging is soooo much fun! As teachers, we are each others BEST resource!!!!

6. I am from the great state of Alabama where we are BLESSED to have the best football, beaches, family, and live music....like tea in the South, SWEET!!!!!

7. I love PINK EVERYTHING!!!!!

Thanks for following!!!!!
Nicole

Clip Charts

This year I am trying a new approach to classroom management in my classroom! I have fallen IN LOVE with clip charts!!! Clip charts focus on reinforcing positive behavior by recognizing students that are following rules! Students that are caught doing the right thing and going above and beyond are allowed to move their clips UP!!! Genius!!!! I always feel bad for my students that are always on their best behavior but never had a chance to visit their ladybug (the old system). I am hoping that it will be very successful!!! I have put together a few clip charts on sale in my TPT sale here.

What is your classroom management system in your classroom and how do you use it? I would love to hear about it!!!!
Nicole

New friends!!!!

I am so BEYOND THRILLED to find so many new followers to my lil blog!!!! I just completed a give away with 2 fabulous bloggers and I must say it was very successful!!!! I am going to work on another give away, so stay tuned!!!!! If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them!!! Thanks for all of the LOVE!!!!
Nicole

Playdoh FUN!!!!

My kindergarten students LOVE Playdoh....actually I am pretty sure that ALL students love Playdoh!!!! It's so great for building those fine motor skills and it encourages creativity! I use Playdoh all of the time in my classroom! We even make Playdoh at the beginning of the school year! My students can make letters for literacy centers, numbers for math centers, and free play on Fun Friday! In line with Common Core, I have made Playdoh number mats for students to not only trace the number, but fill in a ten frame with the coordinating number of Playdoh balls!!! My students are going to LOVE it!!!!

These can be purchased at my Teachers Pay Teachers store!
What are some creative new math centers/ games that you are going to try next year?
Nicole

Common Core Math Puzzles

With the massive focus on Common Core coming to my school district (ready or not!), I have been hard at work creating games for my sweet kinders! I LOVE common core and I think it will be a great thing for my students! I also believe that it will not only make my students better thinkers, but make me a better teacher!

Here is a look at my Fairy tale and Dr. Seuss Math Puzzles. This will be a great beginning of the year activity for students working on numbers 1-10!

Both are available at my Teachers Pay Teachers store!
Enjoy!
Nicole

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom!

If you are anything like me, Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom is an absolute kindergarten essential! I read it all throughout the year because the students love it so much!!! I am always looking for new ideas and new crafts to do with the students while working with this book! Check out my new CCBB unit on Teachers Pay Teachers!!!

This unit contains math mats, ABC games, crafts, treats, and additional resources!
I hope you enjoy!
Nicole

Teachers pay teachers Units!

Well, I am mostly new to all of this blog stuff! I love looking at other blogs and I have some serious blog envy!!! I am learning how to make all of these cutesy units and sell them on www.teacherspayteachers.com. I love this website SO SO SO much! I think it is such a great thing when we can support each other!!!

Teaching kindergarten is a very special task and sometimes it's hard to find activities that are age appropriate! I have created a unit that goes with Scott Foresmans Reading Street program for The Little School Bus by Carol Roth (Unit 1- week 1). It's a cute enough unit that can be used with teaching transportation or the first week of school!

You can check out (and follow) my teachers pay teachers store!
Click here.

Enjoy and be sure to follow my blog for more fun units and freebies!
Here is a preview of my Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom Unit!

Enjoy!
Nicole

A little bit about classroom organization...

If you are anything like me, then your classroom is your second home (somedays I spend more time there than my home!) It's so important for me to make my second home super cute and fun for my students! I am currently recovering from ACL repair surgery (so not fun) and have been pretty much couch ridden this summer. It's been a bummer but I have had plenty of time to look up a TON of classroom teaching/ organization ideas. I have fell IN LOVE with these 2 teaching blogs:





I have been so encouraged to make next years classroom the best one ever!!!! I am so blessed to be at a FABULOUS school and I have a very nice size classroom!!! I have decided to turn my classroom into a "Sweet Shoppe" this year and I can't wait for everything to be pink and brown!!!!!
As you can see ....

I have a LONG way to go!!!!

What are some tips you have on organizing and decorating your second home?!

Nicole

Welcome!

Welcome to my deliciously sweet blog, Kinder Confections (thanks Lizzie)! I hope to share with you tips and resources that will hopefully help you be a better teacher! One of my favorite things to do is read teacher's blogs! We have so much that we can learn from each other! I feel that learning from other teachers is the best professional development that we can get!!! Enjoy! Nicole