5 For Friday April 11 2014 Giveaways and Freebie!

One more week until Spring Break, one more week until Spring Break, one more week!  I can do this!  Not quite time for Spring Break yet, but it is time to link up with DoodleBugs Teaching for Five for Friday! I always love peeking into everyone else's week and sharing mine!

This week started with baseball opening day.

We had to arrive at the park at 7:15 AM to get ready for opening ceremonies.  It was absolutely freezing!  As you can see from Luke's expression and attire, it seemed more like football weather than baseball weather!

Luke is playing Farm this year and is doing great!  He has already been complimented as one of the best ball players on his team!  Woo hoo Luke!

Do you see that snack haul?  One of the moms handed out bags filled with kettle corn, Big League Chew, baseball cards, and Gatorade!  Setting the bar high for snacks!

Tyler was camera shy and I only got shots of his back - this one was the best I could get of him.

He is #34.  He is playing mostly first base this year and pitching a little.

This week was our state tests.  In Nevada they are called CRT's. I left a note for my kiddos as a word of encouragement.

I call them Smurfs because they wear blue uniforms :D  We may watch a lot just a little bit of Kid President!

After testing most of the morning, I tried to make afternoons a bit more entertaining with some fun math games.

In case you didn't notice... my blog has had a major face lift and I LOVE it!

In honor of the new look I am having a giveaway!  Be sure to enter if you haven't already!  Also, there is one more day left to enter my monthly $25 TpT gift card giveaway.  I give one away each month, so even if you don't win this time, be sure to follow so you can enter again!

Last but not least, I have a freebie for you!

You can download it for FREE at my TpT store.

Celebrating My New Blog Design With A Giveaway!

I am BEYOND excited to share with you my new blog design!! Isn't it amazing??  OK, I am a little bit biased since it is my own blog, but I think it is so much better than my old one and I have my hubby and the fabulous Megan from A Bird in Hand Designs.  Megan is the one who did all the ACTUAL work, but hubby is the one who bought the design for my birthday.  I don't know about you, but I am a great gift giver and a horrible gift receiver!  I never know what to ask for.  Right around my birthday I mentioned that I really would love to update my blog.  Hubby said, "How much would it cost?"  I started looking around and he said, "Let's do it as your birthday present."  BEST PRESENT EVER!!

If you are thinking of updating your blog, definitely visit Megan!  She was so easy to work with, and it was as if she could read my mind about what I wanted!  I also loved the fact that she was able to get it done even earlier than scheduled - I was scheduled to have my design process start the week of April 21st, and as you can see it was completed already by April 9th - an extra surprise!

In honor of my new look - I am having a giveaway with some of my favorite items.  Enter below to win:

a $10 Starbuck's Gift Card

$20 Worth of Items from My TpT store

$10 TpT Gift Card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Easter Egg Showdown - Reviewing Division Game

This week I got a newsletter from Laura Candler which reminded me of an activity that I hadn't done in quite awhile.  Showdown!  I didn't even realize how long it had been until I pulled out my eggs...

Yep - that was from 7th grade math.  I haven't taught 7th grade in almost 2 years!

Well luckily Laura has division  problems in her Easter Egg Showdown which was a perfect review for my 4th graders.

When they came in from lunch, this is what they saw.

They were so excited to see Easter Eggs on their desks.  The best part?  They weren't even disappointed when they found out they were filled with math problems!

Each table had a team captain who opened the egg and pulled out the problem.  They read it out loud (a great way to practice since they like to reverse the divisor and the dividend when reading them) and placed them on the table for all to see.  Each team member answered the problem on their board and placed them face down when finished.  The captain called, "Showdown" and they shared their answers.  When they finished all of their eggs, they traded eggs with another team (which saved me copies!).

They had a blast!

Brain and Body Breaks

With all of the test prep madness we survived last week, my students definitely needed to MOVE!  I decided to try some of the Just Dance videos on YouTube for a brain break.  They LOVED it!

Our favorite was Who Let The Dogs Out.  We are a little biased since this is our mascot's theme song whenever he comes out during assemblies.  The kids went crazy when I played it.







A Little Kung Fu Fighting
 

A Playlist for you:

1. I Like To Move It

2. Despicable Me

3. Shake It Up

4. I'm A Gummy Bear

5. We're All In This Together

6. What Does The Fox Say?

7. Gangnam Style

8. The Sid Shuffle

9. Hey Jessie

10. Footloose

I also have some more Brain Break Ideas Pinned to my Brain Breaks Pinterest Board.


 I am linking up  this week with Fourth Grade Flipper for Tried It Tuesday.

Head over for some more great ideas!

Free Equivalent Fractions Dominoes

Today I am sharing a game that has become a big favorite in our classroom – Equivalent Fraction Dominoes!

My students are actually picking this game during Fun Friday – not just math time!

The object of the game is to match up equivalent fractions, but I feel the most beneficial part has been them talking about what pieces work.  For example, if the piece is 4/10, they might say, “I need 2/5 or 8/20”.  They really help each other out, and in the process cement their learning!

You can download this freebie here.

Before you go, make sure to enter our current giveaway if you haven't already!

Monthly Teachers Pay Teachers $25 Gift Card Giveaway - April 2014

I have been so blessed to have amazing followers on both my blog and Teachers Pay Teachers.  As a special thank you I try to give back a little each month with a $25 gift card from Teachers Pay Teachers.  The only mandatory entry is to follow my TpT store, but there are several other ways to increase your chances.  Good luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bundle of Love Fundraiser for Teacher with Stage 4 Cancer

A few weeks ago, Amna from Teach Two Reach mentioned that one of her former colleagues had been recently given the devastating diagnosis of Stage 4 cancer.  I lost one of my closest friends to cancer almost 8 years ago to the day that she posted her news, and I knew I had to help donate to this cause.  We also lost both of my husband's parents to cancer, so I know exactly how devastating it can be both emotionally and financially.  I was not the only teacher to step forward - over 75 amazing generous teachers also donated to the cause.  Amna has painstakingly bundled all of these goodies into 6 bundles priced between $5 and $10.  All of the proceeds will benefit her friend and her family as they battle the biggest fight of their lives.

 TWO Math and Science Bundles for 
K-5

One ELA Bundle for grades 3-5

and THREE ELA Bundles for grades K-2. 

You can find all of these Bundles right here.  Please consider purchasing to not only save yourself some money, but to help a family in need!