Get A Grip Give Away

I have several students in my classroom who have struggled with their pencil grip all year.  I have used tons of different grips with them this year before I finally found some grips that actually work! Have you heard of the new Pencil grips from The Pencil Grip, Inc? 

I had the honor of testing out a few of their new products in my classroom with my kiddos. After two weeks of use the letter formation was no longer loose and letters were not floating off the page as much.  Just imagine the gains they could have been making if I had these grips at the beginning of the year.

Pinch Grip

Crossover Grip

My favorite grips are the Crossover Grip and the Pinch Grip. The Pinch grip allows the fingers and hand to rest in the proper position while giving even more control. The Crossover grip has everything the Pinch Grip offers but also includes these little wings that stabilize students’ little fingers and keep them from overlapping each other. This company also has a 3 step training kit. 

This kit includes the stage 1 Crossover Grip, stage 2 Pinch Grip, and stage 3 Pencil Grip. The kit allows students to gradually learn how to hold a pencil and improve their handwriting. I also want to add that ALL of the grips are made out of a very soft material that won’t cause indentions or blisters on those sweet little hands.

I have been given permission by this company to host a giveaway featuring their awesome pencil grips. The giveaway prize will include the above mentioned family of grips along with a User’s Guide.  There will be 2 winners. Just enter the Rafflecopter below to have a chance at winning these for your classroom. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spring Into Learning Blog Hop

Spring is almost here and I can't wait!! I love this time of year. The little minds are lighting up faster and huge gains are always being made. There is just something so special about seeing those little light bulbs go on! For every holiday my kiddos and I love to spread holiday kindness everywhere. One of the ways we do that is by opening a plastic egg everyday and performing whatever act of kindness is inside. Another way we do this is by "egging" other classrooms and the front office.

First we get busy making our easter bunny hats. (Because you can't deliver Easter Eggs if your not an Easter bunny right??) These hats are SUPER easy to make:

1. Get a manilla folder. and create the template (using the photos below). I created 5 templates so that I could have one for each team.
2. Get the large 9x12 construction paper. (White if you want to let them color, or any color that they think the Easter Bunny is....)
2. Lay the large paper flat on the table and allow the kiddos to trace the pattern onto the paper.
3. Cut on the lines.
4. Fold the center portion back and glue it to the left and right sides of the "left over" construction paper.
5. Wear them! They are soooooo STINKIN cute!

Personally I LOVE the first Bunny hats, but if you are short on time........another option for hats could be a paper plate:

(I found this one on Pinterest.)

The next step is too spread some kindness in the classroom and school grounds. Depending on how Easter falls each year, I prepare anywhere between 5-30 plastics eggs for this part.  All I do is print out some random acts of kindness cards:

Then fold them, stick them inside a plastic egg, and number the eggs with a sharpie. Each day a kiddo will pick a different egg to open. Then we simply read and follow the instructions inside.

The final step of our Classroom Kindness is to go around the school and EGG other classrooms. 
1. Fill Eggs with a special wrapped treat.
2. Write sweet notes using the egg writing paper and also put them in the egg.
3. Hide them in another classroom and hang the You've been EGGed sign on their door.
This is so much fun and the kiddos really get into it. If you would like to try it, you can get it in my store for only $1.50

     

I challenge you to spread a little Easter Kindness this year! Thanks so much for hopping by!

An InLinkz Link-up

Love Letters Freebie and Link Up

Welcome to my FIRST "ITeachKinder" Linkup!
In these monthly linkups, I will be sharing timely tips, teaching strategies, resources, and some freebies with you.  If you like what you see in this blog post, be sure to follow me (or any of the participating bloggers) and check back at the beginning of the each month for a new link up. Today, I will be sharing a free and a paid teaching resource with you that I use during February to keep my kiddos engaged in learning! 
For me a classroom should be built on a community of friendship and love. My kiddos know from day one that we all treat each other we love, respect, and kindness.

 One of the ways that we continue this throughout the year is by writing "Love Letters" to each other. {This unit is perfect for Kinder or First.} 

 I begin this unit in February because it is perfect for Valentine's Day. We learn what a letter is, how to write one, how to address one, and what types of things we would put into a letter.  I begin by reading this awesome book. It is a great way for kiddos to get their "hands on" a real letter. It is called The Jolly Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg.

Then the kiddos use a planning sheet to "interview" a friend.

 Finally, the kiddos get to write their letter and "mail" it to their friend.  We make our own envelopes out of construction paper. We also address the envelopes and add a stamp. (All of these things are included in this FREEBIE!) The kiddos are hooked on writing letters after the first time of doing it whole group.  They want to interview and write letters to each other ALL. THE. TIME! It's fabulous! If you would like to try this FREEBIE, just click Love Letter Freebie!

When our kinders and firsties are writing anything, they need a good base of sight words to help carry their stories or letters. Sight Word Hunts are a great way to practice identifying and writing sight words that the kiddos will want to use in their letters. I use this activity every other week in my class. The first week we use it, it is done independently. Then I place the center version of the hunt in a center for the following week. There are 12 different versions of the game so it can be played many times. The particular Hunt that I use to support the above letter writing is called Valentine's Day Sight Word Hunt. The kiddos use magnifying glasses to hunt for sight words.  When they locate a word, they cross it out  on the paper and then write it on the blank provided.Super easy to make, super engaging, and super fun!

If you would like to try this word hunt out in your classroom, just click Valentine's Day Sight Word Hunt.

Inspiration

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an inspiration for many people. To this day he continues to remind us of not only equality for EVERYONE, but to also treat others with kindness and respect. I thank God that he began this promise for our future when he did. I encourage you to instill these beliefs into your personal life and into your classroom.  In honor of his inspiration I am joining many others in a TpT site wide sale.

IF you are looking for ways to teach your kiddos about this wonderful man and his legacy, look no further.  I have an interactive reader all about him in my store. Click Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to see it.

I plan on making sure that every child that crosses my path understands how important it is to practice his beliefs.  I challenge you to also.  Here's a thought, how will you reach out in your community to make sure it continues? Would love to hear your thoughts!

Cyber Smile Sale

Join me (and many others) on TpT for the "Cyber Smile" sale.

This is me in first grade!

On 11/30/15-12/01/15 you can save 28% of my entire store.  Don't worry if you miss the cyber sale, I extended my sale for another day after. On 12/02/15 you will be able to save 20%.

Ta-DA!

I am so in love with this new look for my blog! In fact I am so excited that I want to give away my new Reading Wonders Vocabulary Pack to celebrate.

  Our county adopted the Reading Wonders Reading Series last year.  The first year using it, we really did not have any supplements to support the learning topics/skill in the series. I developed these vocabulary activities to go along with the ORAL vocabulary words in Units 1-6. This packet includes activities for 150 words. Picture Grids and Tally marks, Quick Draws, and Flip Books.  Here is one of the activities:

One kiddo wears a card on their head, while the other kiddos write clues to the word/picture on their head.

After this selfie was taken the kiddo in the pic said, "Um Mrs. Gingras, now I know what is on my head!" Whoooops!LOL!

Please help me celebrate by entering the Rafflecopter below. I will choose 3 Lucky winners to receive this pack via email.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A NeW LoOk!

Hold on to your hats!! KBB is getting a new look and after it is installed we will have a special giveaway so keep your eyes open!!