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December 5, 2013

Facebook Frenzy #1 For Us!

If you have never participated in a Frenzy, it is never too late to start.  They are tons of fun & you can grab a variety of free products to use with your students.  It is like a weekend of flash freebies!!! The Facebook Frenzies were started by the amazing Heather over at Creation Castle.  Hats off to Heather!!!

You do not want to miss what these talented educators have in store for you!

We are in the Kinder Math/Science Rotation!


Click on the words above to get to the Frenzy or choose a link from below to go to the spot that your would like to start with! Have a ton of fun traveling around the different frenzies & picking up cool free activities.

The Frenzy officially starts on December 6 at 8:00 am EST and ends on December 9 at 8:00 pm EST
K Math/Science - https://www.facebook.com/mrspspecialties

K ELA/Social Studies - https://www.facebook.com/TheReadingBungalow

1st Math/Science - https://www.facebook.com/FriendlyFroggies

1st ELA/Social Studies - https://www.facebook.com/DynamicDualLanguage

2nd Math/Science - https://www.facebook.com/AllSmilesInSecondGrade

2nd ELA/Social Studies - https://www.facebook.com/StuckeyInSecondGrade

3rd Math/Science - https://www.facebook.com/EvilMathWizard

3rd ELA/Social Studies - https://www.facebook.com/comprehensionconnection

4th - https://www.facebook.com/4thGradeRacers

5th - https://www.facebook.com/theresourecefulroom

6th-12th - https://www.facebook.com/MathScienceSocialStudiesOhmy

Music - https://www.facebook.com/IamBullyproofMusic

Clipart - 
https://www.facebook.com/CarasClipstpt 
Happy Hopping!
Karen & Alison

November 24, 2013

Teachers Pay Teachers SALE!




250 × 120

Head over to our store &
find some great items!!!
We have posted several new products!
Here are just a few:
     



            
You do not want to miss this sale!
Click on our button below!
Happy Shopping!
Karen & Alison

November 9, 2013

Building Vocabulary

Building vocabulary relating to science is very important to help children fully understand the concepts being taught in the classroom.

There are a number of ways to build their vocabulary in the classroom.  So many of my readers are pros at it!

One way is to create a word wall by adding the vocabulary words as they are being taught in the classroom.  You could put them under an alphabet strip/letters or in a grid format depending on your wall space.  I used the tri-fold foam boards for easy travel & organization. I placed them on top of my cabinets to get them as low to the children without furniture covering them up. Then we were told to take everything off our cabinets and they had to go.

Now I make them in a different way.  I make smaller anchor charts with the vocabulary word under the given topic & a picture clue to match.  They seem to be effective with my class. These anchor charts are 2 sheets of paper turned long like a hotdog.  You trim them in the middle and presto a compact anchor chart that does not take up too much room!

These match the 2nd Grade Cy-Fair study guide.
If you need some made for your class, feel free to email me @ planethappysmiles@gmail.com

Here are the posters I have made.  You can find them in my TPT store.
I am currently working on:
Habitats

Astronomy
Butterflies
Weather


Another way I have tried to increase their vocabulary is by making stations that they use their words often.  I am in the process of putting them together to load online soon!

Once I load my stations there are cards you can use for your word wall & for the small group activity.

Two other anchor charts you may love are ...
Scientific Process (Newest Addition)
Properties of Matter (Best Seller)

I have a few others I am in the process of completing and I will load them soon.
Happy Vocabulary Building!
Karen

November 3, 2013

My Schedule for 1st Grade

I am so excited to be linking up with Susan Jones from:Sometimes I  TGIF!  Thank God It's First Grade!
 Click on the picture to go to her site & link up! 
I can't wait to see what you are doing!


Schedule Linky:

Here is my schedule for 1st Grade! 
I hope it gives you a peek into my day
and how busy it is!
I was busy in Kinder,
but I did not have the time constraints 
of switching classes.  
Moving from Kinder to First Grade
has been GREAT!

 Here is a look at my day ...
My partner at All Smiles in 2nd Grade created
schedule cards for a "Target" Pocket chart or for a 
standard schedule chart.

 She keeps a happy face clip on the side of the chart 

to keep them focused and on track.  Her kids love to

move the clip down as they go through their day. I use
the polka dot set to match my room.  They look great
with my decor, too!
It is a win-win!

She made them in more than one design to fit more
classrooms.  If you need a different design, feel free to
message us!  Below are the designs we have.  You can
click on the style you like to go to the store:
Chevron (rainbow & white)
Chevron (rainbow & black)
Chevron (black & white)
Chevron (aqua)
Polka Dot (black & white)

Here is a picture of the zebra cards that Karen uses:
May your year run smoothly!
Happy Teaching,
Alison

October 20, 2013

Organization~ in 2nd

Organization is key in very classroom to have your year run smoothly.  I have been working really hard on my organization this year since I am new to 2nd grade.  I created these binders to help tame the copies.  Our district has a HUGE amount of copies for the children to practice math skills in 2nd grade.  So ... I had to tackle that pile of copies that I kept sticking in my "To File" drawer & organize myself for the years to come.  Here is how I did it!

I created a binder for every skill in our curriculum and added clear sleeves inside for all of the copies.  You could even make one HUGE binder and use the covers as dividers.  (I will custom create any that you need if you love my design!)

Here is a picture of the Polka Dot Cover for Math.  It comes in zebra (of course), too:


Here is a picture of the matching spines:

I love them!!!  Each different subject is a different color so I can find them with ease in my cabinet.  Yes ... I guess I am kinda a dork!  I just love organization!

If you love organization as much as I do, I put these in my store in 2 different designs:
Zebra
Black & White Polka Dot

Last tip:  To help keep the ink from the printers from attaching to my clear binder fronts, I always put them in clear sleeves 1st.  Now they do not transfer & I can reuse the binder later in life if I ever need to!

I hope this helps you organize your math files.  Soon to come my science set, it is looking good so far!!!
Happy Organizing,
Karen

October 14, 2013

Interactive Anchor Charts

We are so thrilled to be linking up with Tori again for
Monday Made It!


Anchor charts are so  important for teaching young children!  We love making them in our classes.  Here are several that you can find in our store.  Creating meaningful anchor charts can be so time consuming.   We use Velcro to make them more interactive while teaching & also make them usable for “switch classes.”  This way you can brainstorm and create the anchor chart with both classes and still make the charts feel brand new to both classes.  We are firm believers of:  “Work smarter & not harder!”

To visit our store go to: Planet Happy Smiles
& click on the tab for "Anchor Charts"

Here are some of the charts available in our store:


 We hope you find these useful for your classroom, too!
Happy Anchor Chart Making!
Karen & Alison

September 28, 2013

Popcorn Alphabet, Word Wall, Words & Number Stations

Check out our newest addition to our store!  This pack has both math & language stations. 
It is based on the Cypress Fairbanks List of 35 Kindergarten Words.

A fantastic set for parents & teachers!

1st & 2nd Grade To Be In The Store Soon!
If you would like us to add to the pack,
please message us!

Click the picture to go to our store!

Happy Teaching!
Karen & Alison

September 8, 2013

Monday Made It!!!

I am so thrilled to be linking up with Tori again for
Monday Made It!

Here it goes ... we have been so busy ... just by going to our TPT store you can tell.  Tons more added & we have started school.  WOW!  We also hit over 200 products sold in a month.  We feel that is AWESOME!!!  Especially considering we started slow to add products.

1st:  If you ever do a ROCK STAR theme ... we have several supplies for you & here is just one fun item.
The kids work hangs from the clips & they love seeing their work down low on their eye level where they can read it. Super fun!!!


2nd:  Our Yes/No~ Graphing Kit is AWESOME & so cheap for all of the cards that are included. The BEST thing is ... it comes in different classroom themes.  YAHOO!  You can choose your style.

Included in the set are:
-a topper that says Great Graphing in the theme
-Yes and No header cards in the theme
-blank cards that are editable for you to add your student’s names. Duplicate this slide for as many cards as you need.
-12 pages of assorted questions for grades K – 2nd
-picture cards to use in the questions with blanks

It also matches all of the helper cards in our store! 

3rd: Here are our Pledge Posters.  We know they are only 8 1/2 x 11 but they are great for our classes. They are only $1.00 for both & that was much cheaper than at the teacher supply store.  We are required to have them posted in our rooms ... which we agree they should be there.  I just love that these do not take up much space & match our other products!
 Happy teaching to everyone &
Thanks for stopping by!!!
Have a great school year,
Karen & Alison

September 7, 2013

After you enter on this blog, head on over to All Smiles in Second Grade and enter again for more chances to win!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guided Reading Strategey Card Set

Our Newest Product:  Guided Reading Strategy Cards
This Guided Reading Strategy Cards set includes 29 different strategy cards and an editable checklist as the student’s master each strategy. Each slide has 12 bookmark size cards on it of the same strategy. The cards are color coded to match the 4 different CAFÉ skill headings: Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expand Vocabulary. 
This product is designed to be used in a Guided Reading group. After working on a specific skill with the kids in your small group, take the bookmark strategy card that you worked on and slide it into each child’s Guided Reading book. When the kids take their book home, this lets the parents know what you were working on with them and what they can continue with at home. It is a great tool for the school/home connection!


The picture ( with the word: example)  shows you all the strategies that are included in the set. There is an editable checklist included, too. The rest of the slides have a different strategy on each slide for easy printing on a specific strategy.

These are the same strategy cards that we have in our CAFÉ products. Below is a link to 1 of the CAFÉ products that we offer.

CAFE Strategy Cards:  click here

We use the CAFÉ when introducing the strategies in our whole group lessons. These bookmarks are to be used for small group instruction as another way to reinforce the strategies. 

We hope you find this helpful!
Enjoy!

September 1, 2013

Rock Star ~ In the classroom

Rock Star ~ In the classroom

Come check out one of our latest products in our store.

We really focus at the beginning of the year on building relationships between us and the kids & parents.  This product does just that!  It is also editable. Yahoo!!!

Items Included:
* Notes for all grade levels (k-5th) to attach to your records for the parents
* Banner to hang above the records on your Bulletin Board
* Centers to print for the middle of the records
* "Getting to Know you Handout" for the family to complete
* Blank note cards

Click here to get to this great product!
Happy Shopping & We hope your year ROCKS!!!
Karen & Alison


August 25, 2013

Writing Word Wall (Editable)

Newest Product Alert:
We are so excited about this item ...

This is a Word Wall set for individual writing folders/binders that is editable. It has 1st grade words in it, but any grade level can change the words to fit your grade level HFW.
Set includes:
-word wall page with alphabet and words
-page with other important vocabulary
-alphabet chart that matches our big Word Wall cards 
-vowel sounds page
-consonant blend page
-vowel combinations page
-cover pages for folder or binder 
Click: Here to check it out in our store!


If you have any suggestions or comments, you may write us at planethappysmiles@gmail.com.

Remember when you rate a product on TPT, you earn points to buy more products!

Happy Teaching,
Karen & Alison

August 24, 2013

Helpers ~ Jobs for the Classroom

If you are looking for classroom helper/job cards ... look no further.  We have designed several sets and are adding new themes all the time.  If there is a theme we do not have, please let us know & we will get right to work on it.

Here are the ones for sale at this time & more being added soon:






 Click here to go to our store:  Here
We hope you find something that fits your needs.
Have a Happy School Year!
Karen & Alison

August 18, 2013

Our Very Organized Binder~

This is the binder we designed for our kiddos to use in kinder.  We loved how organized it was!  Everything had a place.  The top picture is Karen's daughter's name tag~ everything matched our theme.

The first picture is just the binder cover.  We used 1" white binders with clear plastic covers.  They worked so well!  The second picture is where they kept their "Blue Card."  The "Blue Card" only went home on Thursdays.  It was communication between home and school on behavior and academics.  On the other days, if there were items too big for the yellow folder the kiddos could put those items in this pocket.
The third picture, is "All Notes Go Here" clear page protector.  Every note, parent or teacher, went in this sleeve. It was so easy to see any notes.  The fourth picture, is our conduct information & calendar.  We stamped/"stickered" folders daily.  If there was a concern, we had a number code system.  The yellow "Stays At Home" folder is after the conduct information.  The last two photos are of the:  "Reader Bag Goes Here!"  This is where the kids put their reader when they took one home to read.  So NEAT!
We are going to miss this binder.
We hope this might help someone set up their binders for the upcoming school year!
If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Happy Organizing!
Karen & Alison

August 17, 2013

CAFE Board

The CAFE board is up and ready for the strategy cards as they are taught.  I am so excited!

You can find all of the posters/strategies/header here 


To make this board I printed, laminated, and added ribbon.  I used plain black 2" ribbon, the polka dots to match the headers in a smaller ribbon, & hot glued them together.   I added Velcro to the ribbon where the cards are going to go & on each strategy card.  That way I can take down any card that needs to be reinforced.

I placed it close to my small group table to reference during group time.  I hope this picture is clear enough ... 
I created the CAFE board in a variety of styles to fit different requests.  If you have another style in mind, feel free to email me & I will do my best to fit your needs.
Here are the following styles:

I hope you like the set!
Have fun teaching with CAFE!
Happy Teaching,
Alison

August 15, 2013

More on Alison's Room

I tiptoed into Alison's room and took a few pictures after she left ... shhhhhhhhhhh don't tell her :o)

Here is her Rock n Roll board that will welcome her new 1st Graders.  So Cute!  Click here to get one of your own. 



 Reading center complete ... and so "happy!"


Word Family center is up and ready ... If you love the pocket chart ...
I can tell you it is easy to make your own.  

First, we measured and cut felt rectangles for each pocket to build the houses.  Then, we cut 2 black triangles out of black felt to fit at the top for the roof.  Finally, we hot glued it all together & presto ...
instant station!

We have cards that go into the pockets for the kiddos to manipulate after we have introduced them.
The baskets on the bottom hold a ton more hands-on materials.  Fun station!



 This board is one she found out in the blogging world. I will have to add where she found it another day.  
(It is so much like one I made over 10 years ago that we shared with our kiddos. 
It just has better graphics.  I love this one!)
 I am going to miss language arts!  



At our school we do the 7 Habits.
Here are the cards glued to a ribbon. 
Alison made this set ... Good Job, Alison!
Looks very organized!
She is going back to work in the morning to get more accomplished ... I can't wait to see the magic!
Happy Teaching,
Karen

August 14, 2013

CAFE in Zebra Print

We have been working hard to create products.  We are so pleased to offer the CAFE headers, posters, & strategy cards in two different styles.

Bright Polka Dots
Zebra



Please stop by our shop & check them out!  We hope you love them. If you purchase a product, please rate us.  We would love to hear from you!
Thanks so much!
Karen & Alison

August 11, 2013

Monday Made It

Monday Made It

Here is our third week of “Monday Made It!”
Thanks, Tara!






WOW!  We have been so busy!

Today we will feature 3 items we have been working on. All items are available in our TPT store.  If you would like us to modify to fit your decor, please email us and we will get right to work on your item.
We hope you love them!

Project #1:
Teacher Toolbox
These have been floating all over the web so ... we finally took our old tool boxes apart and jumped with both feet into the largest we could find.  It is so cute & very functional.  To make this tool box we really had to plan it out.  Not everything will fit into the drawers ... my hole punch will not fit in the small drawers ... Boo!  So we measured every item before we made the labels.  Our labels will fit exactly edge to edge on the 39 drawer toolbox.  The toolbox is from Home Depot.(There is a black & white polka dot toolbox in our store with the happy faces, too.)  We are working on a 22 drawer for the office at home.   If there is a design you would like us to make for you, do not hesitate to contact us.  We already have some requests, but will knock them out fast!

Click on the picture to go to our store:    
Zebra, Yellow, & Smiley Face Toolbox







Project #2:
CAFE Board

This was a HUGE project for us!  We are very proud of how it turned out.  It has many parts and picture clues on each card so that the children will be able to use it effectively.  Even the non-readers can identify with the picture clues.  Click on the picture & it will take you to our store where you can see more thumbnails and a full description of the product.  We hope you love it!

Project #3:
Helper Cards
Our Helper Cards are one of our TOP sellers!  We are so thrilled that so many people have purchased them.  There are 39 helper cards in the set & we will add any helper requests from you!

Here is a list of helper jobs we currently offer in our packages:  

Line Leader , Door Helper, Light Helper, Caboose, Teacher Helper, Quiet Captain, Calendar Helper, Weather Watcher, USA Flag Holder, Texas Flag Holder, Hand Squirter, Cafeteria Helpers, Trash Helpers, Recess Bin Holders, Computer Helper, Boy/Girl Restroom Monitors, Library Helper, Table Washer, Book Distributor, Pencil Monitor, Cabinet Doors, Graph Grabber, Chair Helper, Photographer, Office Assistant, Date Stamper, Recycler, Paper Collector, Supply Collector, Messenger, Plant Helper, Pet Holder, Table Captains

We have them in 3 different styles, just click on the style to get to the store:

Polka Dot (can change the colors to meet your needs)


Thank you so much for stopping by for another Made It Monday & we hope you love our items.  If you purchase from our store, we would love feedback.
Thanks so much!
Karen & Alison

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