Hey Kiddo, It's Your Birthday!

It's no secret that our kiddos live for birthdays.  One of my little guys knows exactly how many days it is until his birthday...and it's at the end of March.  Haha! 

I love to make birthdays special in my room without going way over the top and spending oodles of money.  I've done lots of different things over the years, and I always come back to the idea of a birthday card book.  We love birthday books! My cooperating teacher did these when I was student teaching, and I still love the idea eleven years later. 

Birthday card books are super simple, and my kids LOVE getting their books at the end of the day. 

I start by letting the kids choose a birthday card page to color for the birthday boy or girl.  I have a couple of different black line coloring pages, and you can grab a set here for free.  I always ask them to write a little birthday message on the card.  I model this at the beginning of the year with the first couple of cards. I always give my coloring pages out as morning work, but they'd also be great at a center during reading workshop. I also model coloring neatly and really taking pride in one's work.  The kids love to ask the birthday kid about their favorite colors.  They're so cute about it!

While the kids are coloring, I create a cover for the birthday book.  Again, I keep it simple by just folding a piece of 9x12 construction paper in half.  I decorate the front, and write a little message inside the front or back cover. 

After everyone is finished, hole punch the birthday cards and the cover.  Stick the cards inside the cover, and bind them with brass fasteners...and you're done!  

It's a cheap alternative that integrates writing and fine motor skills into classroom celebrations.  It makes the birthday kid feel special, because each card book is created specifically for them.  How do you celebrate birthdays?  I'd love to hear a few of your great ideas!

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Five for Friday- Nov. 6th

Hellooooo, Friday!

After a super busy but long week, I'm linking up with Doodle Bug's Teaching for....

 

 We began our Pioneers unit in social studies this week.  Today I taught a lesson on Davy Crockett.  At the end of our lesson, we did a directed drawing of Davy Crockett.  How cute are these little guys?!?!  Every time we draw, I'm blown away by the talent in my classroom.  In addition to some things I already had, I used this fabulous freebie by KinderGals. My kiddos rocked the was/could/had chart!

Last week, I wrapped up our unit on the skeletal system just in time for Halloween.  I planned a bones party for the kids, and they LOVED it!  We made these cute little skeleton cupcakes and q-tip skeletons at our party. 

Going right along with the Pioneer theme, my grade level took our annual field trip to the Landis Valley Farm Museum in Lancaster, PA.  It's a pioneer village.  The kids had a fabulous time experiencing life as a pioneer.  The wagon ride was their favorite part.  Those gentle giants, Ben and Maude, were so sweet. 

Today I ordered a kit from Oriental Trading to make our own class quilt.  I'm so excited to do this project again.  I haven't done it in a few years.  The supplies were a little pricey, but the markers last for a while.  I love how the quilts turn out, and the kids get so proud of them.  I can't wait to see all 6 of them from our 6 second grade classes hanging together. 

 

 This past weekend, we went to my cousin's wedding.  It was the first time (I think) that we've had both of our kids at wedding.  They LOVED the dancing!  Julia would not get off the dance floor, and she wanted to dance with her little brother all night long.  She got a little miffed when another little girl wanted to dance with him.  Haha!  My family and I were loving it.  

So, there you have it, 5 random details of my week.  Click over to Doodle Bug's to see who else linked for for Five for Friday! Thanks for stopping by!

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Currently- November!

It's November 1st, can you believe it???  That means it's time to link up with Farley from Oh' Boy 4th Grade.  

Here's what I'm currently up to...

Listening
The weekends are for football in our house.  We're Philadelphia Eagles fans, but they have a bye week.  I'm rooting for Denver tonight.  I will always love Peyton Manning. He's such a stand up guy and a phenomenal athlete. 

Loving
We bought a new bed and mattress about a week and a half ago, and it is AMAZING. I just want to sit in bed all day every day.  It was a major upgrade for us.  We had an old, old queen.  Our frame cracked last spring after several moves, and we finally replaced it.  Our new bed is a king with a half spring-half memory foam mattress.  I feel like I'm sleeping in a hotel every night.  I just love it!

Thinking
I really, really should have gone into school today.  I still have Halloween stuff up from Friday.  I need to get my monthly things switched over, and I have so much filing to do.  I just hate leaving my family at home on my days off, ya know?  My husband, who's also a teacher, is always super supportive of me going in when I need to, but I always feel guilty.  So, the mess will just have to wait.

Wanting
I confess that I am a shop-a-holic.  Aside from a sweater and jeans from my Stitch Fixes, I haven't gotten anything new for fall.  I haven't had the chance, and I'm on a tight budget.  This is hard for me!  I am really wanting a new jacket to replace my ratty North Face.  I am also looking for a pair of tall black boots, maybe something with a wedge.  I don't want them to look like motorcyle boots, but I don't want a spiky heeled pair.  I'm picky with my boots.  I really hate cheep looking boots. Any suggestions???

Needing
We still have remnants of costumes laying around.  Candy bags are on the counters, and our soggy scarecrow is sitting on the front porch.  My little ones loved Halloween this year!  Julia was a butterfly, and Bennett was a caterpillar.  They looked so darn cute!  They weren't scared at all, which is a big change from last year.

Yummy
I made a grilled pork loin with mashed potatoes, green beans, and biscuits for dinner.  Those flaky biscuits were so dang good smeared with butter and jelly.  We have homemade strawberry jelly that my mom and I canned over the summer.  I love that stuff! I don't have the recipe for the jelly.  I usually make the 7-Up biscuits from Plain Chicken, but tonight I just made Grands.  They were just as delicious. 

Thanks again to Farley for the monthly link up.  I love reading through everyone's Currently posts.  Check them out for yourself!

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