Gifts for PupS

                           
How adorable is Tory Burch? Her new line for PUPS is so cute!

$85.00

$95.0
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My sweet, sweet morning.. Happy Veterans Day!

         Pumpkin Muffins 

          I have found yet another amazing THING toDO..Thanks to Pinterest and Sweet Verbena!  

This to your surprise and mine has nothing to do with teaching or fashion, but I thought I'd share what I'm

up to this sweet, sweet morning! (ahhh I love being home with my family)

This lovely recipe is from the Big Red Kitchen.

source

There's only two ingredients. That's right, just the cake mix and the pumpkin (15 oz.).

 No oil, no eggs, no water, nothing else. 

The end result is an amazing, incredibly moist muffin/cupcake with a hint of pumpkin flavor. 

It felt kind of strange not to add any liquids to the mix but it came together nicely into a thick batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. 

It's my birthday and I have NOTHING to wear...

Shorts? Skirt? Jeans? Dress ? I'm having the hardest time deciding...

What  to wear for my Birthday? I will be heading out to a nice lounge...

&  I've been looking, and looking, and looking for the perfect outfit .. 

Here are some possibilities! I need HELP.. 

  singer22.com

      
  

singer22.com

lakeshore learning

I've told you before... I am very LUCKY to live near Lakeshore Learning..(walking distance)! I am usually there with my own two children enjoying their weekend arts crafts, playing on their Smart-Board, reading some great books and....YES shopping for cute things to use in the classroom!
Today without exception, I found a bunch of amazing things that I needed (lol)..
I know it may seem a little bit early to buy holiday decorations- but- I have to tell you that before I went to Lakeshore I was in the MALL ( I know...) and SANTA was there..OMG! I am so un-prepared for December 25th! So buying a few holiday decorations made me feel a little bit better..

Pumpkin Boarder

Autumn Harvest Bulletin Board set

Dots on Chocolate Computer Paper (YAY)

Check Mark Stickers!! How stinkin' cute...

Winter Holiday Cut Outs

 

 

Holiday Dots Border....adorable



I just couldn't resist these RACE-CAR erasers

Books make me Happy

                                                  

This little jewel of a book caught my eye today!                                         
 At first, I was drawn to the  amazing illustrations and  brilliant colors by French illustrator Marc Boutavant.
Then I read the cute story...
              All Kinds Of Families
                   by: MaryAnn Hoberman
                With rollicking rhyme,
this adorable children's book shows readers that families large and small are all around us.  From celery stalks, to bottle caps, buttons, and rings, the objects we group together form families, just like the ones we belong to!

And... as we grow up, our families grow too.
Readers will discover a rewarding sense of belonging in this celebration of families and our role in them.


  

Families, families
all kinds of families
Families are people and animals, too
But all sorts of other things
   fit into families
Look all around and 
You'll see that they do!
Play families, real families
Think of the families,
The ones that you're from
Someday you'll grow up and 
you'll have a new family
And you'll be the family of families to come!
         

Ice Cream Cone- Cornucopia

Here is one more activity for Thanksgiving on Thursday- Magic Tree House
                                        A Thanksgiving CORNucopia

Jack and Annie learn quickly that the first year the Pilgrims spent in America was difficult and harsh. The wheat they had brought to plant would not grow well in the rocky soil. They might have starved if Squanto had not taught them how to cultivate corn. A staple in the diet of Squanto's tribe, the Wampanoag, corn was grown in different varieties-white, yellow, and red-and was eaten at every meal. 

cornucopia mix:
chex mix
candy corn
pretzels
m&m's
popcorn
candy pumpkins
waffle or sugar ice cream cones

Magic Treehouse in the classroom

If you love Magic Tree house books as much as I do, then you will love all of the special materials that Mary Pope Osborne  has created for the classroom, on her website. magictreehouse.com
There are games, teachers guides, student activities, read a louds, and my FAVORITE the video mailbox where Mary Pope Osborne actually reads and responds to fan mail live!
but..the Smart-board is where I really get my 3rd graders motivated, there are video clips, and a
Fast Tracker Showdown Game that my class goes wild over.
Her sister Natalie Pope Boyce writes companion books, which are 
 the non-fiction- components to some of the books in the series.
This gives my students who love to know the facts, 
an extension activity after reading.
OK enough about the amazing interactive web-site....
 SO what kind of magic do these books hold?...
 Well... there is always some kind of magic;
mummies, dinosaurs, dragons, ghosts and of course, Merlin..
Jack and Annie are two very, likable kids that find a magic tree house that can transport them to different places and different times. I find that the books are a great spring-board into science and social studies lessons.They are great to use because they allow students to experience other places beyond their small world.
The books are also amazing for promoting discussions, making predictions,
building vocabulary, comparing and contrasting and so many other reading strategies.
I have done both: read and discussed chapter by chapter, and had the students work on books with their literature circles, both have brought me magical results..
So choose a book, A great book to read right now as we are discussing
                          "Giving Thanks".. is..
 Thanksgiving On Thursday. I prepare the students a little in advance, by showing the Mayflower route on a map and I spoke in length about the type of journey, and what the Pilgrims might have expected to find when arriving on land.  Then we began reading as..
Jack and Annie are whisked back to 1621, The very First Thanksgiving!
Where they have a very hard time doing anything the "Pilgrim" way.

They are taught a bit of history, vocabulary, and many reasons to be thankful for what they have!

                                                            

Name _________________________________________

When Jack and Annie return from their adventure among the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag, they realize just how much they have to be thankful for in their own lives and time. 

Decorate the THANKSGIVING QUILT below, filling in each blank square with words or a picture showing something you are thankful for. Share your quilt with your classmates.

          A THANKSGIVING QUILT

A great contest.. Tell how you incorporate Magic Treehouse in your classroom...

                          

click on magictreehouse.com to enter...Enter the 2012 

Magic Tree HouseEducator of the Year Contest Today!

                                
Enter Now!Tell us how you incorporate Magic Tree House books and Magic Tree House Fact Trackers to help you meet objectives across the curriculum. 

Read Katy Shrum's winning entry from the 2011 contest. 

Don't forget to sign-up for the Teachers Club Newsletter to be kept up to date on this year's contest!

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THE PRIZES

ONE GRAND PRIZE WINNER will receive:

• Two autographed sets of the entire Magic Tree House series — one for the winner’s classroom and one for the winner’s school library (146 books worth over $800!)
• $500 worth of your choice of children’s books from Random House
• A $500 gift card for classroom supplies
• A trip to New York City to meet Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce.
• A Skype school visit with Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce