2015 Best Nine and Give Away Winners

Hi Friends.

I hope you are enjoying your Christmas break.  I am.  I've been able to stay in yoga pants and no makeup for the past couple of days, which is about as relaxed as it gets around here. 

I've also had a chance to catch up on a little blog reading and enjoy checking out holiday Instagram posts.  One fun hashtag I really liked looking at is #2015bestnine.  

You can go to a site and enter your Instagram user name and it will generate set of the most liked pictures of 2015 from your account.  (To do it yourself, just google #2015bestnine.)

Here's a run down of my top nine Instagram pics from 2015.

1.  Prepping my 100th Day of School door banner.  My firsties loved going through the steamers.

2.  I always take pictures of my students on the first day of school.  I started having them hold a chalkboard a couple of years ago.  They always turn out so cute.

3.  Here's a peek at my class set up.  I haven't made any changes in the past couple of years.  (Maybe this summer will be time for a little makeover.)

4.  From time to time I like to share outfits and accessories.  Here is my favorite summer Tory Burch cross body.  I love the colorful polka dots.

5.  I celebrated a milestone birthday this year.  D and A did a great job picking out a special gift for me.

6.  A had a talent day in her class.  She demonstrated ballet.  Her teacher snapped this awesome picture of her doing a grand jete.  Love it!

7.  We wrapped up color week with a color themed STEM activity.

8.  During Read Across America, we made these cute birthday cats to display in the hall.  Click here if you would like a free copy of this activity.

9.  On April Fool's Day I pranked my class with a fake spelling test.  Number 1 was the word Happy.  Number 2 was the word April.  Number 3 was the word Fools.  (At this point the kids were on to me.) And Number 4 was the word Day.  My kids went crazy. ;)

There you have it...my #2015bestnine.  Click here if you would like to follow me on Instagram.  Since it's such a quick way to share, I update it pretty frequently with school stuff, personal pics, outfit ideas, products, and basically things that make me happy.

Speaking of happy.  I got to make three ladies very happy this morning by letting them know that they each won a $25 Amazon gift card during School Is a Happy Place's 3rd Blogiversary Give Away. 

Congratulations to Christin of Shifting Teacher K-2, Wendy of First Grade Fireworks, and Anne of Elementary AMC.  I'm sure they will put their prizes to good use.

Be sure to visit these ladies.  They all have lots of great ideas to share.

Thanks to all of you that entered.

Best.

Why I'm a Fan of Instagram

For a little over a year now I've had an Instagram account.  I didn't jump right in immediately.  I was afraid there would be too many things to figure out and I wasn't sure if I'd have time to learn to use it.  But, as the school year was wrapping up last year, I decided to give it a shot.

I started out slowly.  I added a picture or two a week.  I'm not on facebook, so the world of tagging and hashtags was foreign to me.  However, I trudged along and eventually starting figuring out the basics.

My first picture was of my dear, sweet dog Lilly.  Certainly not school related, but very near and dear to my heart.

first ig shot, my dog Lilly

Gradually I began following other igers and gaining some followers of my own.  (At the moment, almost all of the people I follow are teachers.)  

Eventually Instagram grew on me and here are some of the reasons why . . .

Instagram is a great way for teachers to share classroom happenings.

If you have a classroom (at school or at home) and you have something noteworthy going on, Instagram is a great platform to share.  Instagram is a fabulous place to get ideas for your own classroom or just to see what other teachers are working on with their students.

Plus, Instagram is a awesome place to post questions and get responses from other teachers, like "Can anyone recommend an app for leveling books?"  Answers are often quick and plentiful. 

telling time write the room

partner activity with /oo/

Cinco de Mayo craftivity

Instagram is a wonderful way for teachers to find deals.

Igers often post when they are having sales, deals, contests, or freebies.  Keep your eyes peeled for "flash freebies."  Sometimes teacher authors will, for a limited time, offer paid products for free.  Instagram is a timely way of making these offers.

Many bloggers will also alert followers to new or upcoming blog posts via Instagram.  

ig flash freebie for my April math centers

free center Valentine center packet found at School Is a Happy Place

free Earth Day writing craftivity found School Is a Happy Place

Instagram is a fun platform for personal pics.

While I share some personal pics on School is a Happy Place, I do try to limit them and focus teaching ideas (although my daughter makes many appearances demonstrating my activities).  If you follow me or other ig teachers, you will often get glimpses into their daily lives and interests.  I love seeing what other teachers are up to, both in and out of the classroom.

Father's Day pics

our cat B.B.

family vacation

Instagram showcases real world style.

Of course, this totally may not be your thing, but I love looking at pics of outfits that real people are putting together.  I've always been in to clothes, shoes, and accessories.  Instagram allows me to share outfits I put together or special finds I come across.

I've found some new brands that I love through Instagram.  Igers often tag the brand or where the item came from.  So if you really like a piece, you should have no problem finding it for yourself.

If you have not tried out Instagram yet, give it a chance.  It is user friendly and a great way to build community with other teachers or people who share your same interests.  Your pictures will reflect you and the things you enjoy.  You may love to garden, read, or craft.  You may want workout motivation or love sharing pictures of favorite foods.  And if nothing else, your posts will be set of images that you will love to look back through.  

You can find me on Instagram, by searching the user name schoolisahappyplace.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Budding Blog for May

Thank you I {heart} Recess for hosting a linky that is near and dear to my heart.  The Budding Blog linky that showcases new bloggers with less that 200 followers.

I get to answer the following questions:

1.  Why did you start blogging?

2.  What is your favorite subject to teach and why?

3.  Describe your teaching style.

4.  Give three interesting facts about you.

5.  Do you have a Tpt store?  If yes, post the link.

Simple enough.  So here it goes . . .

Thanks so much for reading.  Be sure to check out some of the other bloggers on I {heart} Recess.  Also don't forget about Teacher Talk Tuesday (#teachertalktuesday) on Instagram.  Lots of fun!  

You can find me @schoolisahappyplace.

My Rad Dad: A FREE Father's Day Booklet

I know we are a good bit aways from Father's Day.  But if your school calendar is like mine, you will be on summer break when Father's Day rolls around.  My students only have a few days left.  I am going to squeeze in a couple of little Father's Day activities before the end of the year.

One activity my firsties will do is a booklet about their own sweet fathers, My Rad Dad.  If you would like a FREE copy of this booklet you can click on the picture.

The clip art is from Scrappin Doodles.  It is a companion to the booklet we did for Mother's Day, My Marvelous Mom.  You can click here if you would like a copy of it for next year.

There are loads of daddy/child books available.  One I will use is Eve Bunting's A Perfect Father's Day.

This book is really sweet and can help your kiddos start thinking about ways to make Father's Day special for their dads.  

Good dads certainly deserve their props.  (Especially when they have to coach 5 and 6 year old girls soccer.)

Here's to Coach Daddy.

Also, don't forget about Teacher Talk Tuesday on Instagram (hashtag #teachertalktuesday).  It's a lot of fun to check out what other teachers are into today.  You can find me @schoolisahappyplace.

 Thanks to What the Teacher Wants and Apples and ABC's.

The Daily Five: Focus on Word Work

When I began using The Daily Five I spent most of the summer planning just how to execute it in my classroom.  I was embarking on my journey on my own.  No one at my school was doing it yet.  In fact that is how I found teaching blogs.  Searching online for what The Daily Five looked like in other classrooms led me to many awesome ideas and inspirations.

If you looking for Daily Five ideas, below you will get a peek at some of the Word Work activities I use and a few tips.

I make a rotation schedule for my students through the week so that each student gets a turn at every activity.  My ipad is always one of the Word Work activities during our Daily Five time.  

The pictures above are only a few suggestions.  I'm sure you know, there are many ideas on pinterest.  If you have any fun activities that your kids love, I'd love to hear about them.

Also, don't forget to check Instagram hashtag #teachertalktuesday for loads of pics from classrooms all over the place.  You can find me @schoolisahappyplace.

Thanks to What the Teacher Wants and Apples and ABC's.

Happy Tuesday.

Teacher Talk Tuesday: April 30, 2013

I remember when I was a new mom, I read tons of books and articles about parenting, developmental milestones, personality traits, and on and on.  One personality trait stuck with me, "slow to warm."  In most new situations my little  A  is slow to warm.
She likes to observe and certainly takes her time before she jumps in.  I must admit that I am "slow to warm" when it comes to technology.  However, today is not the day to be slow.  Today is the day to be quick to warm.
After seeing lots of other fantastic bloggers expanding their tech horizons with Instagram, I decided to take the plunge.  Signing up was very simple.  I didn't have a chance to take a school pic.  So I interrupted my poor dog's nap and snapped my first Instagram picture.

Now that I have figured out how to sign up and take a picture, I'm off to "follow" some of my favorite teacher bloggers.  I would love for you to follow me @schoolisahappyplace.  As of now I have zero followers.  Hey but I can only go up  r i g h t ?

Check out What the Teacher Wants or Apples and ABC's if you would like to see who else is Instagraming.

Best.