And the winners of the Spring Giveaway are.......

Dawn Corino

Heather Salsman

Cindi Elliot

Thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway.....It was tons of fun!!

I also wanted to mention that I have a "store" at the very bottom of my blog....Look DOWN!!!!! The cool thing about having my own store here is I can offer my products at a cheaper price because I'm not having to give TpT a cut :0)

Each item I list for sale here is discounted from my TpT store prices. So, if you are thinking about purchasing one of my products consider getting it from here and it will be cheaper. Just something to consider........

Fun Easter activity for the classroom

One of my favorite activities to do with my class each year is to have an Easter Egg hunt. I have them bring their baskets and all. The girls even wear their cute dresses and are all decked out! I love watching them bumble around in search of the plastic eggs.....But of course always I always try to keep it academic....

I've tried different ways to prepare the eggs. I've done the slips of paper in the eggs, problems/words written on the outside of the eggs, candy in the eggs, candy outside the eggs.......Here is what I find that works best for me....

I prepare plastic eggs with small cards inside the eggs. I have buckets of candy set up.

I made these super cute Easter Eggheads for our Easter Egg hunt and you can use them too! :0) All you have to do is print, cute, and place an egghead inside each plastic egg. This activity supports numeral identification.These adorable "eggheads" have numbers 0-100 written on them.

I place each egghead inside a plastic egg. Then, of course, I "hide" the eggs. In kinder I make them pretty easy to find or it will be a daylong event. I tell the kids you can find 5 eggs and send them on their way. As they find an egg, they open it and read the number....then they have to find another person and tell them the number too. Once they have done that, they can come choose a piece of candy to put in their basket. 

I've tried filling the eggs with candy and that doesn't work well here in Texas (we wind up with a lesson about what heat does to chocolate)...... Not a pretty sight...and if it doesn't melt - most of the candy ends up on the ground from eggs busting open.

I have learned having the kids search for eggs and then coming to get their candy from me works much better.

I hope you like this activity and find it useful! You can download these adorable number "eggheads" HERE!!

Just a Quick Note....Sale

I'm having a 15% sale on my entire TpT store for the next 4 days!!I have several Easter games as well as FREEBIES.

Don't miss out! Kindergarten Lifestyle's TpT Store.

May The Force Be WIth You :0)

Ok, all my Star Wars lovers out there listen up. I made this terrific new game that my kids are chomping at the bit to get into our Word Study center. This is a word wall game that allows for repeated exposure to those most important sight words.
Check it out! And....the best part - It's FREE!! Get it HERE.

I've been teaching the game in small groups this week and the kids are IN LOVE!

The kids choose a Star Wars character and try to collect "gold stars" (they are really gold spray-painted lima beans (the same ones I used for my Leprechaun Gold game). I love it when I can cut out extra work for myself :0)

When they draw a card with a star and read the word correctly, they get a "gold star" to put on their characters. However, beware of the "Black Hole" card - if you get this -- you lose ALL your "gold stars"............ Because there's a little luck involved - it keeps even the struggling readers engaged and optimistic they can WIN!!!

**This FREE game contains 39 kindergarten level word wall words. I have a 2nd grade version that is $3.95 because there are over 100 words included)**

New Easter Freebie ......

for your and your kids' playing pleasure! :0)


Mary from Mrs. Lirette's Learning Detectives is having a great Spring Thing linky party - check it out. Here's my contribution:


Ok I thought I was done making Easter stuff - I'm pretty Eastered-out :0) But I stumbled upon some super adorable graphics and couldn't resist. I can see my kiddos trying to snack on them already...... They are definitely YUMMY!

I thought I'd share this cute Easter-themed word wall memory game - perfect for kindies! Check it out and tell me what you think!!

Management Monday

Ok, so I'm running a little behind today with my "Management Monday" post, but I have a really good excuse -- really I do. My kids are slated to take the new Texas state assessment tomorrow - STAAR (yeah we're reaching for the stars here in Texas)........Hopefully you didn't detect the sarcasm there :0) Anyways, we had to get things done extra early and ready to go - so STAAR day goes off without a hitch!

I really could post for DAYS about my distaste of high-stakes testing......but this one is really ridiculous. Students, teachers, and administrators don't know what to expect.... like a stab in the dark. Yes we know the content to be taught....but we all know the format and technicalities can really affect the outcome....

Anyways - that is not what my post is about.....see - I nearly went off about it.....but I'm determined to be good :0)

The important part :0)........

I do want to share with you something wonderful that I adore! I remember the old days back in college when you had that super important assignment due....but you were out of ink at home so you had to print it at school.... Remember?? You had 2 choices ~~ either email it to yourself or pull out the old flashdrive (if you could find it..... don't look at me like that.....I'm not the only one who lost as many flashdrives as I bought).......

I don't have to worry about either one anymore. I use DROPBOX.....I don't remember who let me in one this gem.....but it sure is a lifesaver! And, it's FREE! I don't lose anything anymore and ALWAYS have my files with me :0)

Whatever you need to save....documents, photos, graphics, videos, etc. - you save directly to DROPBOX - and next time you need to access that file --BINGO-- it's there - whatever computer, whatever time, whatever place!! 

Go check it out and see if it fits your needs..... Again - it's FREE!

I am in LOVE!!

Did You Miss It???

Oh no!!! Did you miss my very first newsletter?? The one that has an EXCLUSIVE FREEBIE for Easter (that only newsletter subscribers get for free)?? That one??? The one that has a great word wall activity idea??? That one???

Calm down! Calm down! You can still get it!  Click HERE!

(a $2.25 value)

Whew!!! I'm glad we took care of that! It was touch and go for a minute, wasn't it??

Well...now that we took care of that.... Did you make sure you entered my
Spring Giveaway??

NO!!!! Are you crazy or have you been under a rock??? (or was it just Spring Break:0) Either way - don't worry there is still time to enter..... but you have to enter this week or you will lose out! There will be 3 WINNERS!!!!

Have a GREAT WEEK TEACHERS!!!

Share-a-Blog Sunday

The first blog-teacher I am going to introduce you to today is Tessa from Tales from Outside the Classroom. Tessa is a primary grades team leader for her school and she gets to work with teachers in grades Kinder-3rd. I love the stuff that Tessa makes - I have a "Tessa has something new" radar and I fly over as soon as it goes off! I love how she includes ideas for the various grades she assists. She understands the progression from kinder on up. Having taught all those grades myself, I know how valuable it is to know that progression...... :0) Click HERE to see her blog for yourself!





Ok, now on to another blogger who is just as great and also not a classroom teacher.   (I think sometimes we classroom teachers feel like we don't have much in common with other various teachers in the building, but these bloggers prove we actually do!)
Valerie from All Students Can Shine (formerly Grow Up Learning) is a resource 1st and 2nd grade teacher. It's so nice to have the special education viewpoint included. I am in love with her sneak peek of her new Spring Unit - which by the way Valerie -- get busy because I really need that for my plant unit! :0) Anyways - be sure to go take a look yourself!

Freebie Friday

Ok........so I realized I posted Freebie Friday on Thursday. But, I was super excited and couldn't wait.....

My kindergarten kiddos can add and subtract like nobody's business.... They can even tell you the reasoning behind whether we need to add or subtract depending on the problem we are solving. We spend tons of time talking about whether we are putting together or separating.

What they are not so good at is reading a number sentence and giving a total. So, I created this game to help a little (I already use this game format as a word wall game).....I thought the kids would love to get to use it with an addition game.

So, I whipped up this cute and super motivating game that will allow your kiddos to practice reading number sentences 

The great thing about this game is it can be used in 2 ways - 

     1. simply read the number sentence (yep that is a skill in and of itself)  

                                     OR

     2. read the number sentence AND the total

I decided I had to share the addition to 10 Fish Munch game with you! I love FREEBIES, don't you? I hope you like!! 

Please grab your freebie and come "like" me on facebook too!!

Website Wednesday

I have a terrific website that I want to share with you. I had never heard of it until a teacher at my school ( thanks Mrs. Stewart :0) showed it to me. But, I gotta say --I am in love!!. It's called Speakaboos. 

Speakaboos is a website you can use to play lots of videos of books, nursery rhymes, songs, etc. I was shocked with I saw Arthur videos there. You can even play games!

You gotta check it out!

Now you will see it tries to get you to sign up for a trial membership, but you can use so much without a membership (I do and I don't have a membership at all). I love playing books and nursery rhymes during a transitional moment or at the end of a long day. :0)

Website Wednesday

For Website Wednesday I want to share with you a blog I discovered by accident... It is called Cookie.com and it's a great interactive website you AND your students can use. 

There are games for math, language arts, science, and brain teasers.
There are read aloud stories that are animated.
There are learning videos about anything from letter writing to the five senses and everything in between.

I use the videos and stories for short transitional times in class or at the end of the school day. I also have Cookie.com saved as a choice during center time when my kids use the promethean board!

I love how there is a focus on science and social studies on this site. We never seem to have enough resources for those areas! But now we do!

There is just so much to do here and it even has a blog you can check out!

Click Here to see more about Cookie.com



(I am in no way compensated for my opinion - I am just providing cool places I find on the Internet. I hope you enjoy!)

Word Wall Trace & Paste Set for Kindergarten

I finalized my Trace & Paste set for Kindergarten word wall. I absolutely love them and my kids love getting to do them too. I have a Freebie sample for you to try out over on my new blog - Lessons of Literacy..... Please drop by and get your freebie. I have it posted right there as a google doc - super easy to download. I'd love to hear how your kids like them!!
Also if you haven't signed up for the Kindergarten Lifestyle newsletter, please sign up using the tab at the top - I will be sharing some great ideas and super secret freebies on the newsletter!

Newsletter Sign-Up and Exclusive FREEBIES

Welcome to Kindergarten Lifestyle's newsletter sign up. 
I am thrilled to offer you a newsletter that is jam-packed with awesome teaching ideas and freebies. Although I will fill the newsletter with info, I will ALWAYS keep it brief. I know your time is precious so I only want to show you things I know will make your teaching life easier and more productive!

Sign up below to receive Kindergarten Lifestyle's monthly newsletter :0)


Subscribe to our mailing list

Share-a-Blog Sunday

I have 3  fantastic blogs to share with you today. The first one comes from Lori of Conversations in Literacy. Lori is a K-5 teacher who works specifically with struggling readers.... totally the job I want one day. :0)  One of her latest post is about "Using Words We Know". Basically we can read/write words we don't know my using words we do know....critical for kids to be able to do - recognize that we can use analogies in reading! LOVE IT - Lori!

What I adore about Lori's blog is that it isn't full of fluff - cutesy, cutesy. It is full of down-right good practices in teaching reading. Thank you Lori. If you have kiddos that struggle with reading (you don't have any of those, do ya?)...but if you do - go see Lori at Conversations in Literacy.

The next blogger we'll visit this week is Robin from Little Blogfish (ok that name is just too sweet!). Anyways, Robin currently homeschools her little ones and teaches online --too cool!. She is a new blogger and has an incredible           St. Patrick's Day linky party going on ......yes St. Patrick's Day was yesterday.....but if you are like me - you know to mark it on Pinterest for next year! :0) Check her out! 
I also want to introduce you to Louanne of My Kindergarten Kids. Louanne is a national board certified teacher of 20 years! I can always find something creative and fun here. I absolutely adored her Dr. Seuss breakfast idea - I gotta try that next year! I bet her kids LOVED it! It's already on my March Pinboard on Pinterest!

Spotted on Pinterest

I spotted such a cute thing on Pinterest that I had to share.....am --ummm- I'm going to have to make myself! I don't usually buy the big buckets on Cascade, but I will have to make an exception for this little cutie!

Can you see it sitting on its side? Then create the face of the alligator/crocodile out of fun foam. Ohhh....it's a cutie!

Now, what can you do with it?

These pictures show using it for letter/sound identification . Basically a child pulls out a letter and says the name of the letter or the sound it makes. I can think of a million and one things to use this little darling for....

How about.....

1. practice reading word wall words

2. number identification or addition/subtraction facts

3. deciding who will be the leader of the day or some other job

4. choosing a name to answer a question during read aloud or other time

5. pull a little toy (from Lakeshore Learning) and kids tell which sound/letter it begins         with or name another word that begins like it

6. pull a little toy or picture card and segment

These are activities I can think of just off the top of my head. I'm sure there are even better uses.....

What other uses can you think of?? -- comment below :0)

An Easter Surprise For You...:0)

I have an Easter surprise for you that I wanted to share. Love 'em or hate 'em there is just something about "peeps" that says "Easter". This "peeps" activity screams Easter and you and your little ones will fall in love with these "peeps"!

                                     Fact Family "Peeps" - this is a fact family activity that you can use with your class in whole group,small group, and later as a math tub. It is FREE and I hope you enjoy!


I usually introduce this activity whole group. I set up the baskets either in a pocketchart or around the room. Then each child gets a "peeps" card and finds the correct basket to place it in. Depending on whether the particular group I have likes "peeps" are not (some do and some can't stand them) - I have 4 real "peeps" set up beside each basket. Then as you find the correct basket to place your "peeps" card - you get to take a real "peep" and eat it!


It's super fun and it's a great way to practice understanding how fact families work!


If you like - please leave a comment below and let me know what you think! (This is the first time I've offered a FREEBIE through google docs and I want to know how it works!) :0) CLICK HERE TO GET IT!

Spring Giveaway...

Spring is in the air.....and what better time to get some new, fresh ideas to use in your classroom???? Spring is the perfect time to try out great new stuff to keep your kiddos engaged and learning.....and it keeps you from getting bored too!
What can you win??There will be 3 winners -- yes you read that right --
3 winners!!! Winners will get their choice of package. There are 2 packages to choose from:

- this package is most appropriate for Kindergarten through First grade. 

 - this package is most appropriate for late First grade through Second grade.

Read below to check out the stuff included in each package. 

1. Hoppy Easter Words - this packet is my own word wall word game that is appropriate for kindergarten and 1st grade, but can also be used with struggling 2nd graders. Each child chooses a bunny to help gather eggs in the basket. I like to use real egg-shaped candy and this game becomes ultra motivating.... Take a look at my TpT store if you have time:0)
2. Bubble Gum Reading Program - this packet contains tons of dolch sight words. It is a home/school connection that encourage children to learn the most important sight words and a way to track progress. It's fantastic....and it comes with bingo games as well! Thank you to Michelle from Teach 123 for this great product.
3. Zoo Literacy Activities - this packet includes so much - everything from letter identification, words families, and concept graphic organizers of zoo animals. Mandy from A Special Kind of Class completely outdid herself on this one!
4. Nouns: Singular & Plural, Common & Proper - this packet is all about nouns! Tessa from Tales From Outside the Classroom provides us with a complete noun unit - just about everything you need to teach your little ones about nouns.
5. Visual Schedule Cards with Ditigal Clocks - this packet is a collection of lovely printable schedule cards. Kids love being in control of their day and a visual schedule allows for that. April from Fun 2B in First includes lots of schedule cards for any possible activity you have during the day.
6. Alphabet Letter Sort - this packet contains 29 pages of printable for letter sorting. Kids have to really pay attention because there is different fonts to sort. This item is from Heather of Hojo's Teaching Adventures. You can also see her TpT store.

7. Easter Monsters Subtraction Write the Room - this is a terrific Easter-themed subtraction unit that can be used from kindergarten all the way through second grade. Marsha from A Differentiated Kindergarten did a beautiful job creating a math activity that your little ones will adore! 8. Self-Checking Addition - this unit is from Jennifer of Best Practice 4 Teaching. It contains 144 pages of addition puzzles.

And for the older kiddos - (First grade and Second grade)..........

1. March Chants and Poems -  It contains 2 poems - The Leprechaun and When March Winds Blow. Plus it also has a readers' theatre script How Will We Know When It's Spring?. This product is from Arlene from LMN Tree.
2. Farm Unit: Reading and Math Games - this packet contains:
          *rhyming words (most difficult ones like "trees" and "breeze")
          *I Have, Who Has game
          *basic addition match game
          *basic subtraction match game
This product is from Brian from Hopkins' Hoppin' Happenings.
3. Bubble Gum Reading Program - from above.
4. Nouns: Singular & Plural, Common & Proper - from above.
5. Visual Schedule Cards with Ditigal Clocks - from above.

6. Easter Monsters Subtraction Write the Room - from above.

7. Self-Checking Addition - from above. 8. Contractions are Fun! - this unit is from Tonya of Super Second Graders and you can check out her TpT store as well. This activity is a great way to make learning about contractions fun! 

Whhheeewww!!!! That is ALOT! Now the question is......

What do I need to do to enter the giveaway?
Click on the RaffleCopter box below and it will show you everything you can do to enter this great giveaway! Remember there will be 3 winners!!




Can't see the Rafflecopter box? Look down below where my name and the blue owl is - click - "Read more" and you will see it. I don't know why this happened, but doing that works for some reason. Sorry:0( I tried literally everything - including shrinking my post so it would show and it still doesn't. 


All you have to do is click "Read more" and it wills show up.




Happy Entering!!!!

Leprechaun Visit

Alright, so I am breaking a blogging rule.... I know.. I know... but I can't help it! I've been dying to share our leprechaun visit with you! It was amazing!

Now we are out on Spring Break this week - so our leprechaun came to visit last week :0)

We began by reading this book Monday morning. It's a wonderful book about 3 leprechauns trying to do their leprechaun duty (put the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow) - but they keep getting distracted because they love causing mischief!

 As kids returned from P.E. we discovered this note amongst a mess in our room. 

Then, later in the day as we got ready to do Writer's Workshop, we discovered that Jack the Leprechaun had dumped all our crayons out of our bags.... Well they know how Mrs. Partin feels about having our supplies in the correct place -- so they were as upset as I was :0)

On Tuesday when we arrived at school imagine our surpris when we saw that Jack had been walking all over our tables and everywhere!! (he left a little green sand in the restroom - this kind of freaked them out so I wouldn't advise doing that again :0)

On Wednesday, our crazy leprechaun flipped our behavior clip chart completely upside down!! He was on top and all the kids were on bottom - What??? We can't have that!

Then later in the week we got a note from Jack again that said that he lost some gold while he was playing in our room and asked if we'd help him find it. During centers, a few kids noticed that they found something gold and shiny under the tables - so the search was on!

Yay! We found the gold! That crazy leprechaun "hid" it under our very own seats!  

Friday was the big day - Jack's last HURRAH! We arrive to find green everywhere! It looked like there had been a party in that classroom overnight! 

He even left some yummy-yums for for us!










And, on a sadder note (well sad for me - great for her).....my dear friend Sherry, who is the most amazing teacher ever and has volunteered in my room all year long, has found a job. Last Friday was her last day helping in my class. Those are memories I will hold for a lifetime. I appreciate her dedication and know she will do great in her new position. But, of course, I will greatly miss having her there!

And, my student teacher - Rebecca successfully completed her time with me and is now off to 4th grade. Bye Rebecca - I know you will do amazing things in your teaching career! So, after Spring Break - it's back to just me and the kiddos!!


Hope you enjoyed!!