Fab Finds and a few freebies. . .

Here are some fab finds for the week. . .

I'm working hard to finish up my presentation for CAMT (which I will share with y'all too once the conference and presentation are finished), and I haven't been out to hunt for great finds as much as I usually am.  Although it's probably a good thing that I haven't been out and about as much because today I walked into the Dollar Tree, and the manager (who recognized me immediately) said, "Hey girl!  How are ya?"  I'm sure no one else visits Target or Dollar Tree that much. . .right?!?

This week I'm sharing some of my favorite "digital" finds and a new addition to my classroom. . .

I love this book because it's simple yet it provides first graders with a great review of names and basic sight words.  I love class books, and I'm sure we'll start our year off with this one!

Beginning of the Year Class Book Idea

Recently I purchased a back to school unit from Abby on TpT.  It's adorable...you should check it out!  My favorite parts are the literature connections and the first grade backpack!

Abby's First Grade Back to School Unit:  Fun With Firsties

If you're a fan of post-its, you NEED these coupons!

Post-it Coupons from Eberhart's Explorers

Writing is one of my absolute favorite parts of the school day, and these journal covers are perfect.  They're ready to go for the entire school year!

Monthly Journal Covers from Busy Bees

My favorite purchase of the week was a "Summer Inspirations Lemonade Stand". . .from Joann's fabric store-They have TONS cute summer items on clearance. . .and an entire section of the store with teacher stuff!  It was supposed to be $69.99, but it was 70% off!  Christian loves it, and I'm sure my new bunch will too!  He immediately began telling me he wanted to order lemonade and some popcorn!

Please excuse the clutter in the background. . .my office is currently full of school supplies, back to school files/books, all kinds of half finished projects, and of course it's not complete without-random objects that belong to my boys! 

This is one of my favorite back to school books.  It's by Steven Layne.  I made a class book that can be used along with it.  Click on the picture for a free download. 

I also love using this book along with Daily 5 and reading activities at the beginning of the year.  I made a quick writing activity to accompany it.   You could also use it as a class book.  Click here to grab a copy!

While working on this post, the mail arrived. . .and here's a portfolio that I ordered from Doodle Bugs Paper!  It was so hard for me to choose from all of Kacey's designs that I just may have to order another one!

If you like them, Kacey is having a giveaway right now or you can visit her website to find out more information!

Fab Finds. . .

This week's fab finds are from Target (that Dollar Spot is SO addictive-their marketing directors are definitely keeping teachers in mind) and Lakeshore (which I absolutely LOVE since there's one less than a mile away from Mr. Perry's job).  It's kind of a blessing and a curse at the same time)!

I usually keep most of my plans, assessment data, and important info in digital form, but these are so cute-I'll find some way to use them for planning and note keeping!

 

I got a class set of these dry erase boards-perfect for penmanship practice and writing along while we complete shared and interactive writing activities.  They're two sided, lined, and only $1!  

The Dollar Spot has all kinds of stickers, awards, and bookmarks right now!

These number and alphabet puzzles caught my eye because my three year old loves puzzles!  I grabbed some for him and some for the classroom. 

I fell in love with these cute little cards...how perfect for teaching action words (verbs) and animal characteristics! We do two huge units on animal research so these will be fun for the kids to use as they write their reports. 

This is a giant pocket chart from Lakeshore.  It's a word ladder!  I know I could probably make something similar, but this one was so so cute!  It's made by Educational Insights.  It's $29.99, but I had a coupon for $5.00 of a purchase of $25.00 or more so I think it was well worth it.  The pocket chart set includes 40 different word ladders in picture form and the letter cards to build the words. 

This will be such a phenomenal phonemic awareness activity for readers who have difficulty segmenting, blending, and hearing sounds.  I really like how it provides a place for the picture, letters, and writing.  Later this summer I'm hoping to make some more versions of this type of activity for my Promethean board.  I would love to practice them on the Promethean board in a whole group setting then allow students to use the pocket chart as a word work activity during Daily 5. 

That's it for this week...did you find any great deals?  If so, let me know!

Fab Finds. . .

These fabulous finds are from  Dollar Tree, Garden Ridge, and Target. . .

Item #1: U.S. Map with labels and icons-clearance price $9.98
I didn't purchase this one because I don't have a good place for it in my classroom, but this would be a very interactive and fun project for young learners.

Item #2:  Innovative Word Map (shower curtain). . .$14.99

I'm looking forward to using this giant map when we study holidays around the world, Christopher Columbus, landforms, bodies of water, Texas, and America.  The great thing is that I can pack it up and store it when it's not in use!

Item #3:  Books 

I didn't know Garden Ridge had such a selection of children's books!  Most of them are $3.99 or $4.99.

Item #4:  "Lemonade Signs" from Target Dollar Spot

How cute would it be to have a lemonade stand while we're working on coins/money next year?  This also goes perfectly with my beach/ocean theme.  

  

Item #5: "Zany Tales" from Target Dollar Spot   

I love these!  They seem like they'll be great story starters,  and I can use them to review parts of speech without a boring old worksheet!

I'll use this one to connect to making predictions and inferencing skills.

I'll use this one as we talk about fairy tales.  It will be a great way for students to create their own "fractured" tales as well.

I'd like to use this one when we talk about "pre-fixes, suffixes, and root words."

Item #6:  Sticker Charts from Dollar Tree

These are perfect for making "student office folders."  You don't have to glue, cut, paste, or copy.  I'll have a post about making them in a few weeks.  

Item #7:  Undercover Spy Gear from Dollar Tree 

I can't wait to break these out when we start working on inference.  We may also use the "fingerprint" one when we talk about our similarities and differences at the beginning of the school year.

That's it for this week!  Did you find any great deals this week?  If so, let me know.  You know I love a great bargain!