Reusable "green" sandwich bags

If you pack your lunch everyday like I do, you probably use tupperware or Ziploc bags. I hate how bulky tupperware containers are... and I hate how wasteful Ziploc bags can be.

Enter: reusable sandwich bags!

I have been eyeing these on Etsy for a while now. But, they were just a little too pricey for me. I knew I could make them myself with my own fabric choices. Plus, I love sewing, but hardly ever make anything for myself.

So, I looked a couple tutorials, and while they gave me great ideas and inspiration, none of them were exactly what I wanted. Plus, I knew that some of these tutorials were just making it more complicated than it needed to be. I ended up using techniques from two different tutorials to make the bags I wanted (from Clover Creek Baby and Crafty Staci).

I ended up with something I love -- I can't wait to use them! I decided to post a photo tutorial. Keep reading below for pictures and step-by-step directions.

Pen pals?

I got this adorable letter from a student's parent yesterday. She handed it to me and just said, "Sorry - she wants to be your pen pal!" I laughed and opened the envelope to this sweet little message:

[Dear Mrs. A - It's only the first day of summer and I already miss you. I was hoping we could be pen pals this summer. This summer, I want to go to the Durham to see you and see the dinosaur.]

How could I not write back to that?! Look at that writing -- totally ready for first grade! :)

Sweet goodbyes

Yesterday was our last day. I'm absolutely heartbroken over "letting go" my kinder babies! This class was simply amazing. Everyday with them was easy-going and wonderful. Even a parent volunteer from yesterday's "Fun Day" stopped me after school -- "I just wanted to tell you that your class was the best class our station saw all day!"

One of the highlights of the last week of school are the sweet goodbye letters and pictures I find in my mailbox and gift bags. I thought I'd share a couple of my favorites here:

This one came from a former student. I had her little brother in kindergarten this year, and she wrote this in the card from their family. So sweet!

This little guy really loved kindergarten - [Awesome, sweet, happy teacher. I love you. Bittersweet.]

I love this picture - adorable! And, it was drawn by a little boy! 

[Thank you for being my teacher.] Simple and perfect.

[You are the best teacher. I hope I see you next year. I love you.]

I hope my class next year is as wonderful as this year!

Kinder Riddles

I do riddles with the kinders all year long. There's something innate in a five-year-old that loves a challenge, a surprise, a guessing game. They eat them up.

Well, my kinder authors have started writing their own riddle books at the writing station. I am just floored with their awesome writing -- I'm so proud! But, most of the time, the riddles go something like: "I have orange and black stripes." Answer: tiger. They're usually pretty simple.

Yesterday, one of my little darlings shared this gem. I LOVED it! The riddles cracked me up -- and her writing is so cute! So, here are this little author's riddles for you:

[I am blue. I like peanuts. I squirt water.] -- that says PEANUTS!! :)

Answer...

Elephant!

[I am exercise. You use me in P.E.]

Answer...

Jump rope!

[I was today. I am blue.]

Answer...

 Rain!

[I come in the summer. I wreck down houses.]

Answer...

Tornado! -- This one's kind of sad. :( I wish our children didn't have to see these types of tragedies!

[I am purple. I am fruit.]

Answer...

Grapes!

[I am a body part. I pump.]

Answer...

Heart!

[I am up in the sky at night.]

Answer...

Star!

[You use me in the rain.]

Answer...

Umbrella!

[Thursday!] Monday Mailbox

Okay, I'm a little late this week. But, this is the time of year when I REALLY love their letters and drawings.

I've been "bragging" about this class all year long -- on my blog, to other teachers, and especially to their parents. This class is amazing, and everyday teaching them is a joy. 

I cry every year on the last day of school -- it's just so amazing how far they've come. They started as my little kinder babies... and they've become readers, writers, and motivated learners. This year... I know will be extra hard. 

My kinders and I have been counting down the days until the last day of school. My kids this year seem to "get it" a little more than years in the past. They totally understand the bittersweetness of this time of year.

I have been getting the sweetest, most heartfelt letters and drawings in my mailbox to say "goodbye." I treasure these notes so much -- I will make sure to share more on the blog over the next week! 

I love this sweet little picture. Just darling.

[I will miss you after kindergarten. I will miss you a lot.]

This one killed me! So sweet. I taught the kids the word "bittersweet" when we started talking about the end of the year. I told the kids the end of kindergarten is bittersweet for me -- a little happy, a little sad. This letter nearly made me cry:

[Dear Mrs. A - Bittersweet to you. I am so sad.]

[Dear Mrs. A - I love how you teach kindergarten.]

Love my little writers!

A captivating read-aloud

My kinders this year love our daily chapter book read-aloud.

Every class has always enjoyed this part of rest time... but this class is really into it.

They laugh out loud. They can literally recall every detail -- from names to the sequence of events to unique adjectives. I love every minute of it because I know that while they think they are simply enjoying a story, I know they are strengthening their listening comprehension and gaining a true appreciation and love of reading.

My kinders literally beg me to read a second chapter everyday... but I never do. :) I love keeping them intrigued.

It's difficult to find a perfect chapter book to read-aloud to kinders. It has to be funny, engaging, and concrete -- with relatable characters. Oh, and of course, the chapters can't be too long!

Every year, I read The Buddy Files series. It's about a dog that's also a detective. It's perfect for little ears. However, there are only 5 books in the series... and we finished them all this semester! All 50 chapters!

So, I let the kinders pick the next chapter book. I picked a few from my personal collection that I knew would fit the requirements. I read the back cover description and let them vote.

Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary won the vote by a landslide. I mean, it doesn't get any more intriguing than a mouse on a motorcycle!

However, I knew it was a little wordy and pretty long for my kinders. The chapters were nearly twice as long as The Buddy Files chapters. But, I was willing to give it a shot.

They loved it. The kinders ate up every minute of the fifteen-minute daily read-aloud. They laughed at all of Ralph's antics, wrote about him in their journals, and couldn't stop guessing what would happen in the next chapter. It was awesome.

We finished the book yesterday and started the sequel, Ralph S. Mouse, today. To celebrate, we watched the movie version of Mouse and the Motorcycle and they watched all 40 minutes with wide-eyed laughter.

But, that's not the best part of this story...

If you've ever seen me teach, or if you've read my blog at all, you know I'm absolutely ridiculous. I'll admit it -- if adults ever saw me do my job on a regular basis, I would be so embarrassed! But, my kids love my energy, silliness, and theatrical style. It keeps them engaged and I have so much fun.

Whenever I read books to them, I use my best character voices. What teacher doesn't?! It makes the read-aloud so enjoyable.

Especially with Mouse and the Motorcycle, I "developed" signature voices for each character. There is so much dialogue in the book, I got sick of saying "Keith said" or "Ralph said" every other sentence. So, Ralph's voice was nice, squeaky mouse voice and Keith's was a nice, normal human voice. The kids always knew who was talking this way.

Well, the other day, I was reading a picture book to the class with a dog in it. The dog's talk bubble said, "Hey! That's my bone!" and I read it in a silly character voice.

One of my students gasped with big eyes, turned to the kinder next to him, and said (completely seriously) - "Hey! That dog sounds just like Ralph in our chapter book!!"

I had to cover my mouth to keep from laughing. It was so innocent, so genuine, and so funny.

I love that my kinders literally believe in our books -- they live the stories. How awesome!

Addition -- the kinder way

I have random favorite units to teach... and beginning addition is one of them. Here's why:

• It's fun and hands-on.
• It lends itself to great games and activities.
• The kids feel SO COOL when they learn how to do it.
• For some reason... the kids just get it. All of them. It's pretty amazing.

Anyways, here are my favorite things we did this year for our addition unit:

First, we start by learning number stories -- or number families (using the words "and" and "is" in place of the + and =)

We wrote a class book about animals and number stories...

This is always a favorite station -- the Domino Express. It's a great way to teach "number families."

And... my favorite game! Shut the Box. So fun for a small group, pair, or even individual practice. Check it out! It's a classic!

Then, the kids are so excited to learn how to use a + sign and = sign...

This was a really fun small group activity. The kids loved the ice cream theme -- and I loved the genuine practice. E-mail me or leave a comment if you want the printable!

This is another great practice for just learning the + and =... domino addition. E-mail me or leave a comment if you want the printable!

My kinders love it all -- I hope yours do, too!