My Favorite Things Friday

I know that I have been off the best practices bandwagon for a few weeks and all with the holidays coming and going and I am about to return to my normal posts, but I have to share a few things that I have found during the last couple of weeks that I have been so excited about.  So....here they are....

1.  My new math sorting center pack.  I spent HOURS working on this and put together clip art, cut and paste sheets, keys, and all.  It has the entire kit-and-cabudle!    But, I have to tell you, the kids at school love it.  It reinforces math facts, fact families, mixed addition, etc.  I have to admit, they are cute when they are put together.  I love the idea of storing them on notebook rings so that they can be used like flashcards during "buddy math".

1.  Zulily--this is the cutest website EVER.  I find myself going to look at it over and over and trying to find things to buy for my friends' little girls!  Absolutely darling dresses and tutus.

2.  Another thing I have been excited about is the School House Rock 30th Anniversary DVD that is only $14.39.  Imagine.  My whole childhood only cost $14.39.  I can't want until mine comes in so that I can share some of these with my students!

I also found another DVD that I want so badly!!!  I've ordered it <shhhh!  Don't tell my husband> because the price is so good.  The DVD has an $80 value and I got it on Amazon for about half of that.  I think the description says that it is 52% off!!!  I figure my tax return is on its way, right??  =)

3.  My family goes to Chili's at least once a week because the mom in the family doesn't like to cook.  She rationalizes that if the kids eat chips, salsa, and queso they are at least getting some veggies!  Maybe not the best way to go at it, but it is good family time.  I get at least 2 emails a week from Chili's and Mondays are usually KIDS EAT FREE day!!!  Saves us a bit of money, so hey...it works for us!

4.  My other new favorite is a new blog that I started called Cupids for Cancer.

A few years ago I had a student that had leukemia <oh, how I hate that word> and we worked really hard to keep him from getting sick, keep him hydrated, and keep him up to date on all of his lessons.  I helped him as much as I could as his teacher and looked forward to seeing him the next fall.  He didn't come to our school the next fall because he moved out of our zone...but I have never forgotten him.  So, in his honor, I started a program at my school called Cupids for Cancer and every February we collect individually wrapped snacks for the kids to eat during radiation or chemotherapy.  It helps them continue to grow the strong red blood cells that they need to fight off the disease.  If you want to join up and help with this, visit the blog and learn more about it!

5.  OK, you know I need to throw a little best practices in here because that is just me.  So, my other favorite thing for this week is this book:

I am struggling to get to all of my guided reading groups and RTI groups, so I am relying heavily on books like these that help me come up with PROVEN ideas on how to teach reading.  I love how this book is laid out.

Hope this helps you out in some way!

Enjoy, Jenn