Back to School Sale

TPT is having a Back to School Sale today and tomorrow only!  I am offering 20% off any unit in my store.  Go stock up!  To get to my store:  Click on the banner.  Type "Itty-Bitty Bookworm" into the search box.  Super easy.  Now go shop!  :)

Selecting Books and a GIVEAWAY!

The IBBW will be writing some new pre-k/k literature-based units this school year.  I am in the process of selecting the books.  I know I want to do one of the Pioneer Woman's Children's Books.  I love basset hounds, and I think children will love the adorable illustrations (by Diane deGroat)!  Look how cute!

I would love for you to help me brainstorm a list of titles that teachers would appreciate.  In exchange for your help, I am giving away a year of curriculum on CD.  You can visit this page of our website to learn more about each year.

To enter the giveaway simply comment with a book title and then share this post on FB or pin it (and leave a comment with link)  That's it!  Super easy!  I will choose a winner Wednesday, July 30, 2014.  You may enter once a day.  The winner will be contacted by email.  If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be selected.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

THANK YOU for your help!  I can't wait to get started!

P is for Pinterest

I have been cooking some recipes and working on some projects from my Pinterest boards.  I am excited about how they have turned out, so I'd thought I would share them with you.

Projects

I am moving to a new school this year.  It is in the community in which I live.  I am very excited about that! Although I don't want to over-decorate my classroom, I want  to give it a "homey" feel.  So far, Gracen and I have made these cute little window decorations

and this table top anchor chart stand. 

Next on my classroom project list:

Covering my desk chair.  Here's how.

Covering the sides of my filing cabinet with chalkboard contact paper.  Similar to this.

Cooking

I saw these and had to make them.  I love jalapenos and sharp cheddar, well, that's a given.  Once again, the Pioneer Woman did not disappoint!

For Sunday dinner I baked a ham and had  LOTS leftover, so I decided to use them in this soup.  I followed the directions, except after cooking the ingredients I did not blend them.  Instead, I blended the remaining two cans of white beans with about 1/2-3/4 cup of chicken stock.  I poured this into the cooking soup to thicken it.  Super yummy!

When I baked the ham, I made these biscuits. My family LOVED them.  In fact, my daughter said they were the best biscuits she had ever had.  

As I am writing this, I have this in my crockpot.  If it tastes half as good as it smells, my husband will be one happy man.  

What Pinterest recipes and/or projects have you made lately?

S is for Summer Slump

Photo credit

 I can't be the only teacher that experiences this. It happens every summer.  The first month of summer I am super motivated.  I am excited to get things done (things that I wanted to do during the school year, but never had time to do).  Then, after about a month, I get into a slump.  I start slowing down.  I am not as productive.  I start sleeping in a little later and stay in my pajamas well past an acceptable time.  As I am typing this right now, I really should be showering so that I can head to my new school.  My car is packed with boxes of classroom stuff.  I need to drop them off, so that I an actually fit my children in my car.

Am I alone?

A Little About Me...

My Personal Life ~ I am a wife to one, mom to three, and 1st grade teacher of many.   I was born and raised in Charleston, SC.   I enjoy running, reading, yoga, and cooking. Oh, and I can't forget blogging ~ I love to blog and read blogs!

My Family

 

 
My Professional Life ~ I am a 1st grade teacher at an elementary school in Hanahan, SC.  I also own and operate The Itty-Bitty Bookworm, a preschool curriculum company.  In addition to teaching  first grade and pre-k, I have also worked as a Director of Education for a preschool, been a child care trainer, and taught early childhood courses at a technical college.

Little Cooks with Books

Little Cooks with Books:
Apple Picking Time and the Yummiest Apple Cake Ever!

Making the Most of Homeschooling: A Guest Post

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Making the Most of the Homeschool Experience: 
Four Time and Lesson Management Tips

For about three years, my two siblings and I were schooled at home by my mother. I'm convinced that the experience was a positive one, as we received nurturing attention from the one woman who was best equipped to teach us lessons in both academics, life, and love--our mother.

It was not, however, always easy. When you homeschool your kids, it's easy to let other things get in the way of daily lessons, since there isn't the rigid structure of a traditional school with attendance policies, class periods, etc. Here are a few tips so that you can make the most of your homeschooling experience.

1. Prepare your lesson plans well in advance.

Although you may have a lesson plan manual with everything you need, you still need to go through every lesson yourself and prepare. Read through each lesson at least a day in advance and make notes. Consider what you can do to make lessons come alive. Whatever you do, don't read through the teacher's manual when teaching. Children need as much stimulation and engagement as possible, and this can be accomplished only by modifying and adding to lesson plans that are fairly static in their manual form.

2. Set a routine, and stick to it.

While this is easier said than done, make sure that you begin and end at the same time each and every day. Always remember that tasks take longer than you think they will, so allow for extra time when planning a school schedule. Set up regular break periods, including a morning break, a lunch break, and a short afternoon break, too.

3. When teaching multiple children of different grade levels, be sure to set aside time for each child.

If you are homeschooling several children, chances are they are of different ages and different grade levels. In this situation, it's more important to dedicate private teaching time for each child. While you are working with one child, make sure the others are occupied with a task that doesn't need your individual attention.

4. Make "after school" activities correspond with lessons learned in school.

This was my favorite part of being home schooled. Unlike traditional schools, learning doesn't stop once the school days end. My mother made it a point to take us on outings that complemented our lessons. For example, when we were studying astronomy concepts, she took us to the local science museum that had a planetarium. When we were studying Greek civilization, she read us Greek myths at night before bed. In this way, we my mother made our lessons come alive, which sparked a love of learning when I began attending regular school, at a time when most of my peers were bored and unmotivated.

These are just a few ways to make the most of the inimitable experience that is home schooling. It's always a challenge placing your children's education in your own hands, but in the end it's a rewarding one. I wouldn't have traded my home school experience for the world.

This guest post is contributed by Alisa Gilbert, who writes on the topics of bachelors degree.  She welcomes your comments at her email Id: alisagilbert599@gmail.com. 1.