Workin' For a Livin' AND...Giving away FREE stuff!!!!

So I haven't posted lately because it's hard to type...I just had shoulder surgery stemming from an accident in February and I'm confined to a sling for the next 2-3 months...so...here I am finally back at it today. I am privileged to be teaching a class at our district's Summer Academy professional development this year. I'm teaching early childhood educators how to use iPads effectively with their young students. How to safeguard the device, find quality apps, how to use when you only have one, etc...Today was day 1 and it went really well. 2 more sessions to go. I'm going to post my PowerPoint and handouts here after my session is over for you to grab if you'd like. Look for it sometime Friday.

Now for the best part. We hit 50 followers! Yay. I'm so excited that my little starter blog is getting followers. I'd love to give away a freebie from my TPT store. Comment below and I'll select someone on Friday, July 19 to choose any item from my TPT store! Let's see how this goes! Thanks for following me and my little blog.

Sneak Peek

I decided that The Perch needed a little extra "something" for next year, so I incorporated more color. I found this awesome pink chevron fabric at Hobby Lobby (6.99 a yard then used my 40% off coupon). I couldn't wait until August to put it up so I went ahead and covered my bulletin boards before school got out. Here is the sneak peek. I'm revamping the entire room next year to allow for balanced literacy and changing some centers around, so I'll post more pics when it's all said and done. What do you think?

Amazing Find at IKEA

I made my first trip to IKEA this week and was just astonished at all of the amazing things they have to offer. Let me just say that I am a storage bin addict, so it was really dangerous and detrimental to my health to be there. But, I practiced restraint and only got little things. But, I have to let you know about my deal of the century. I've been looking for the magazine file boxes for my Read To Self storage but they are pricey, even online at Amazon. IKEA had a pack of 5 for.......are you sitting down?.........$1.99. That is right. One dollar and 99 cents for a pack of 5 cardboard magazine boxes. It was no fluke either. It was just their price. So, if you need them and are within driving distance to IKEA then run, don't walk, and snatch them up before they're gone!!

The Etsy Betsy Store

Well folks, I've been thinking about it for a while and have decided to open an Etsy store to sell vinyl decals, gifts, and...drum roll please....my Dry Erase Circles!! That's right. I'm going to be making and selling the dry erase circles I blogged about earlier in the year. I'm working out the details for the shop but I hope to have it up and running this weekend. I'll post with the link once it's ready to go. I plan to focus on things for the classroom but also offer gifts and crafts as well. I'm super excited and also super nervous at the same time. Fingers crossed!

I Think I Can...I Think I Can...

Not sure about you but here in SC we have 6 days left in this year. It's been a roller coaster in my professional career this year. I've had the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. I've laughed, cried, screamed (in both frustration and excitement) and danced through this year while growing in ways that I never would have dreamed. I hate that circumstances have kept me from blogging about the wonderful things going on in the Perch, but there's always next year. If you're like me you start planning for next year before this one has even ended! I've got my Pinterest boards full of ideas to use next year! Hopefully this summer will give me the time to work on those. That is in between chasing my 17 month old and 4-year old! I hope that the end of your year is amazing and special and that your children leave your room so well prepared for the next grade. We always have such high hopes and lofty ideas about what we hope to accomplish in the 9 months we've been given. We worry and stress when life gets in our way yet, somehow or another, they learn in spite of us. Isn't it amazing? Does any other profession have the satisfaction of changing lives and minds the way we do? I don't think so. I'm working on my EOY bulletin board that will be up in August and will post it when I finished. It's called "Owl I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten". I found the quotes from Robert Fulgham's book and thought it would be both a great closing sentiment for my current kindies and a great beginning sentiment for my newbies in the fall. I mean, after all, don't we kindergarten teachers teach them everything they need to know to succeed in life!! If you can stand in a line, wipe your nose, tie your shoes, sit in a chair, walk down a hallway, wash your hands, play nicely, share your things, eat with a fork, open your milk carton, read a book and write a sentence then thank a kindergarten teacher! Ok, enough with the sappy sentiments. Time for bed!

Look What I Found!

I've had so many questions about my dry erase circles, mostly about where to find them. Well, stop searching because I found some at Michael's! They are pricey (much more than I paid), but they are available. A 3 pack was $11.99 (steep) but if you use their standard coupon of 40% off then it's not too bad. Happy shopping!

Summer School

I am super excited. I found out last week that I will be presenting a workshop for our district during our Summer Academy PD sessions this year! Yay!! My session is called "There's An App For That: Using iPads in the Early Childhood Classroom". I have had a lot of success using them with my students and I want to dispel any fears and hesitations teachers of young children my have in letting students use them, and to show them how to effectively use them with our young learners. I am already getting my thoughts together about my presentation and will share my knowledge (limited as it may be) with you on here as well!