WEEK TWO IN THE BAG - IDEAS + FREEBIES + POSTCARD EXCHANGE

I so wanted to blog back on Friday, but alas, the weekend got the best of me. Regular school stuff, cleaning up around the house (well, not in my office . . . I just closed the door), and the latest installment of 2nd Grade GMW have been my focus as of late.  Luckily the hubs ran off to hunt poor defenseless birds, so I have time to enjoy a cup of Joe, rowdy ALT music selections, and a little Blogger interaction.  BOOM!!!!  Take that Labor Day Weekend.

Now, where to start????  Mmmmm.  I don't have Doodle Bugs to keep me on track this round, so let's roll with my top five photos from our week . . . 

EINS
We transitioned out of baseball on Monday and found ourselves face to face with the eva popular Pete the Cat!  The kids ate it up and I was one happy camper. These groovy cats from First Grade Fever were the highlight of my week.  We only used the head, body and tail templates . . . the babes cut the rest themselves (eyes, ears, noses, etc).  I wanted to see a bit more of their own personal "flavor" shine through (and did it ever).  These kitties crack me up every time I walk in our room . . . kid art is the BEST!

ZWEI

Our BIG 7th grade buddies came for a visit on Friday.  In an effort to get to know them better, we made Buddy Billboards.  My firsties worked with their cool older friends to create posters for their bedrooms.  They took turns drawing, coloring, and interviewing each other about their favorite things.  My kiddos couldn't wait to take these home.  

DREI

If you followed me last year at this time, you know that I always run with a fun ditty called, Alien Alphabet.  We listened to the song by Ron Brown's Intelli-Tunes (yes, we sang the ABCs in your best alien voice) and followed it up with a quick imagination-packed drawing activity.  The kids each got a letter of the alphabet to turn into a creature from outer space!  They were giggling the whole time and they couldn't wait to share their creations with their pals.  It also made the best kid-created bulletin board :)

VIER

We blew off some steam on Friday with an extra afternoon recess.  The kids were so pooped after two FULL weeks and they were done listening to me by the time that final twenty minutes rolled around.  Knowing better than to attempt to "power through it," we took out the balls, chalk, and hula hoops . . . we had a grand old time bonding and cuttin' loose.  

This little cutie was trapping me in hearts.
Such sweet babes!

FÜNF

We celebrated our second birthday of the year this week.  We always love a good party in our crazy classroom and we pull out all the stops (cape, boogie song, crown . . . the works).  It's always an added bonus when birthday treats come in.  Boy oh boy, were the firsties excited when these showed up on Friday afternoon (my heart sped up, I immediately started to sweat, and my eyes had to have been as big as plates when they came out of that grocery bag).  Yup, that's chocolate sauce drizzle.  Need I say more teacher friends???    

So . . . there's a little look-see out our week.  It was definitely a fun one and we are getting there.  This class is truly delightful and in a couple of weeks we will be golden.  

I wanted to let y'all know that I finished up the September (Reading) 2nd Grade Good Morning Work packet.  As usual, the topics have been "chunked" in an effort to help make your babes more independent and give you more time to breath in the morning.  (In other words, kids see the same 5-6 standards for 5 days in a row.)   

Not sure if this particular set of Morning Work pages is for you??  Well, why not try them before you buy them??  I have three pages up for grabs down below. Test them out on your babes.  If you like what you see, come on back and treat yourself to the whole pack.  It's only $3 for a whole month of learning.  CLICK HERE to snag your freebie. 

Finally, I have an update on the Annual Postcard Exchange.  Cheryl and I are still looking for teachers to join in the fun from the following states . . .

Alaska - 2 openings

Arkansas - 1 opening

Delaware - 3 openings

Montana - 3 openings

New Mexico - 1 opening

North Dakota - 2 openings

Oregon - 1 opening

Rhode Island - 2 openings

South Dakota - 3 openings

West Virginia - 1 opening

Wyoming - 2 openings

If you are a teacher from one of these states, we'd love to have you join in the fun.  OR . . . if you know any teachers from these states . . . send them our way!  To read more about the postcard exchange, CLICK HERE.  If you signed up, we have to have all of the states full before we notify everyone - it's just easier on our end this way.  Expect a confirmation email next Saturday or Sunday.  Sorry for the delay my friends. 

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday my friends.  I'll see you tomorrow with an idea that saved my life this past week :)