Mr Pusskins - A Cranky Cat Love Story


Today, I want to share with you my absolute FAVOURITE story to read to students.  I love it, and my students always love it too.

Meet Mr Pusskins. He is owned by Emily, and she ADORES him! She brushes his fur, reads him stories and plays nicely with him. He does not like any of it, to say the very least. 

He runs away and joins the 'pesky cat gang' and had 'such naughty fun'.

Mr Pusskins is written by Sam Lloyd. 


I adore reading this book, because it flows beautifully. I don't know about you, but some books I read to my students just feel 'off'. The pace, vocabulary, story structure or something else, is just not quite right. 

Well, let me tell you, this one is the exact opposite. It all just clicks together. 

It is not too complicated, yet has enough detail to add a good amount of drama to your story telling. I LOVE the cat sounds - especially the drawn out scratchy wail Mr Pusskins does when he realises he may have lost Emily for good. 

The story finishes with Mr Pusskins having a major change of heart. He realises how wonderful it was to live with someone who looks after you and is a genuine friend. Emily has put 'lost' posters up all over town and they track one another down. 

And in the end Mr Pusskins admits that he ADORES Emily. 

There is so much room to work with this book in the classroom. For such a seemingly simple story, there is a rich offering of discussion platforms. Talk about the structure, how the beginning almost mirrors the end, with the main character doing a backflip. The obvious 'beginning', 'middle' and 'end'. 

When first introducing the narrative structure to little ones, I like using this book as an example, as it has a very clear 'complication' that needs to be resolved. 

Discuss how the images have been drawn and how they represent the feelings and ideas discussed in the story - the sharp hard lines of Mr Pusskins and his bad attitude, and then in the end, his happy demeanour and the softened lines that illustrate him. 

Talk to your students about the lesson in the story, that sometimes what we find most annoying about a person or situation, may not be that bad after all. We may just have to look at them in a different light. What we desire, may not be all that we think it is!

That sometimes, it is very nice to be looked after, loved and adored.

The story also provides an opportunity for you to teach a 'description' text type to your students. Ask your students to describe Mr Pusskins. They can draw a picture of him and create a 'Lost Poster' just like Emily, but adding a few sentences to describe what he looks like. You can download a writing prompt from Google Drive by clicking on the image below. 




Mr Pusskins also makes for an adorable directed drawing for an art lesson! 

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

Happy Snaps Sunday



I love Shanyn's new link up - Happy Snaps Sunday!


Here are a few snaps from my weekend. We had a 'Spring Fair' for my daughter's school. Lots of rides, stalls and family fun. It was a gorgeous day and lovely to get out in the fresh air.



My little man was intrigued by the 4-day-old baby goat and other little baby animals.



Another thing that made me smile today, was emailing these 4 winners from my Million Blog Views draw. Thank you to everyone that entered, and ladies, if you do not have my email - please contact me!




To make YOU smile, I have a 'Spider Shapes' worksheet to share with you. I have made a few new worksheets to add to my Worksheet Wonder Pack - and this is one of them.

Click on the image below to grab this worksheet from Google Drive



And to read more about the packet, click on this one!


I hope you have spent Sunday smiling, like me! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Five for Friday - 24th October


It's Friday. Well, somewhere in the world it is. I LOVE Five for Friday and have struggled to get on board the last few weeks. Let's do this!


1. Detox

Green drink of some sort. I am detoxing. Trying to 'reconnect' with the healthy person I used to be somewhere before the first child was born. 

I *could* say I am struggling with getting this consumed each day, but I am being stubborn. And blocking the nose. And closing the eyes. And skulling it. 

The toy ambulance in the background is a poignant reminder that things could be worse I guess. 


2. Scrappy 

I have been busy with random sketches and new sets. I have found my scrappy mojo again. Maybe it's the green liquid. 

Told you I was stubborn, I am NOT going to call it a 'drink'.


3. Candy Corn

I am prepping a lot of fun activities for my upcoming block of work. These missing addend write and wipe cards are FREE from What the Teacher Wants AND they will fit perfectly in my Bee Busy Drawers!

LOVE them!


4. Pens

I found these fun markers when I was doing the groceries. Well, to be honest, I needed things in my hand so I didn't reach for the sweets and amazingly delicious chocolates. I am SO lucky that they have confectionary and stationery in the SAME aisle. 

Oh, it's the small things. I am in love with these colours!


5. Sight Word Worksheets

Today I finished a new packet for my sight word ultimate collection. It is a 'bundle' that has been around for a long time (hello eBay) and is still growing!

This set of worksheets has a fun 'house' theme, and your students can work on the 'Sight Word House' by tracing, writing, locating letters, cutting, pasting, ordering, writing and drawing. 


It is also available as a separate file:



One Million Celebration!




My little 'ol blog reached 1 million views today! What?! How!?

I remember getting to a couple of hundred hits, like it was yesterday. Except it was 2011 when that happened.

Well, I DO still have a 2011 calendar up. True story. I don't live for the moment. I live like it was 3 years ago. All. The. Time.

THANK YOU! I am so humbled. It is not so grand compared to some of the super-teaching-blogs out there, but it is HUGE to me.

I started my blog, having never really read many blogs before (me? .... who would have thought?!). I still don't feel like a 'blogger' or actually really know what I am 'supposed' to be doing. I was just very much attracted to the idea of having a free space to write a few thoughts, and most importantly connect with my 'buyers' in a more personal way. And post photos! Facebook for teachers was minimal back then, and Pinterest was not around.


My blog has always had a strong link to my digital teaching resources - I wanted them to have a voice and be able to explain themselves! I have long had a love for teaching resources, and was excited to find that there were other people like me around the world that wanted to 'see' and 'read' more about resources, teaching materials, worksheets, printables and lesson plans.

I have also enjoyed sharing stories and anecdotes about my life as a wife, mother, teacher and tea drinker as well. Thank you for appreciating my random-ness and hodge podge of postings.

Thank you for all your support!

Seeing Green



We made green play dough today, and it was not to make frogs. Although, I am sure that will happen at some stage this week.

My new 'Fun Play Dough' packet has students making 'monsters' to help with addition and fine motor strength.


All you need is the printed play dough mats (laminate them), some green doh and wiggly eyes.


Encourage your students to say the rhyme as they work with their dough. The rhyme will help remind them of the dough-manipulating skills you have taught them!

Rolling a ball to start.....





and patting with a firm flat hand down on the table to flatten and make a 'pancake shape'. This will make the monster body.


The rhyme tells the students how many eyes to count out...


And instructs them to share them equally amongst the monster eyelids. Students can finish off their monster by dragging their fingertip through the dough to make a 'frown'.

In this activity, your students are not only learning early skills for division, but essential play-dough skills that will help them bring their own creative ideas to life, and build fine motor strength. They are using different parts of their hands to create different effects with their modelling.

I am sure, like me, you have been surprised with how many students do not know how to confidently use play dough. A telltale sign is a desk covered in tiny confetti like pieces of play dough. These students just sit and shred the play dough into tiny pieces, rather than working with it effectively.

Not long after teaching them the basic skills and providing opportunity for practice, you will see huge improvements in their creations - and even their writing and drawing.

You can find my new Monster Play Dough Mats at TpT



Thanks for stopping by my friends! Have a great day!

Worksheets

Worksheets provide a practical way for you to consolidate the understanding of a concept your K-2 students have practiced with plenty of hands-on learning. In kindergarten especially, they often have limited ability to write and record, to plan and organize written representations or stamina to record the entirety of their learning experience.

A high quality worksheet that provides a good balance of visual support and space for students to express their own knowledge can be the perfect funal piece in a learning experience.

Worksheets allow:
  • young students to seal their learning experience with a written record
  • a single classroom teacher (with up to 30 students to assist) a tool for helping each of the respond in writing to a shared learning experience
  • for a transition from concrete to abstract thought - stduents can see how a concept or information they have explored is translated into symbolic or written form
  • communication between home and school - take the worksheet home and talk about what you have learnt today

Find our worksheets


Here is an addition worksheet I made today, it is NOT in my packet, but you can grab it from Google Drive right now! Just click on the image below.


Draw a lovely little frog with this guided step-by-step page included in the pack!


Thanks so much for stopping by!

Left and Right - A Bright Idea!


Hi there friends! Feel like a bright idea? Well this one is a short and simple one.

To help your little ones learn left from right, simply trace a left hand on yellow paper and a right hand on red.

Why? Because left is 'lemon' and right is 'red'! Told you it was bright.

Make your left hand into an obvious "L" position as this will also assist students to remember which of their hands is left.

Now, attach these hands to the front of your classroom somewhere, on the correct side of the classroom (when the students are sitting facing the board), and leave them for the year.


Whenever you can, incorporate the colors into the students' left and right side if you can. Pick up a red pencil with your right hand for example. Just incidental occasions through the year, when you can incorporate colors and positional language.


Have a great day friends!

Happy Snaps Sunday



My friend Shanyn from Classroom Chit Chat has started a new Sunday Linky called "Happy Snaps Sunday" to showcase some of the happy moments in the lives of teacher bloggers! Things that make us smile.

Today, I want to share with you, this happy snap of my little man and I at lunch. I fully acknowledge that I am 100% biased, but this little man is the SWEETEST!

I could not have had a more perfect lunch date by my side. He was impeccably behaved, gave us lots of laughs and was thrilled to be having a water out of a grown-up-looking glass. It's the small things that make the day of a 2 year old. I can count on one hand the number of times this little man has cried or been grumpy. Seriously. I know it is not normal, and that I am super blessed to be his mother. He smiles just about all day, and you cannot help but feel happy when he is around.


Another thing that makes me smile - is making clipart. Love it. I made some happy stick kids today and created a free coloring page with them.

Find it in Google Drive by clicking on the image below:


Thank you so much for stopping by, head over to Shanyn's blog to find more Sunday Snaps!

Bee Busy - A system for your Fast Finishers

I love teaching and being a teacher. There are a few tiny things that do annoy me in the classroom, however. Perhaps the most, is that little consistently-occurring question of "what do I do now?".

For as long as I have been a teacher, and a little time before that, I have told my students "Be Busy". In just 2 words words, I am telling them both WHAT to do and HOW to behave.

When I first introduce them to this idea, we explore what being 'busy' looks like. I have had "Bee Busy" stations set up in a few different ways. I have had them:
  • in a stand of trays (tote tray shelf)
  • a little low-table with activities in containers and baskets, 
  • a Bee Busy Cupboard and 
  • a pocket chart holder.
Now I am trying drawers! In the past my Bee-Busy learning center has been very flexible, largely write-n-wipe activity cards. For my drawers, I want more of a structured system. I have combined these ideas in one easy-to-prep packet, - the Bee Busy Drawers.

Start with a 6 drawer unit (or more if you need it)!

  • Each drawer houses a different STYLE of activity. 
  • The goal is to have your students as independent as possible. 
  • If the drawers stay the same, students will become increasingly independent and focused each week. 
Structured drawers help create more freedom and flexibility for you. I know, how does that work?! Well, it makes your other resources more versatile. Slip them into the routine and piggyback off the experiences your students have built up.

You can add ANY printable activity you already have, or find on sites like TeacherspyTeachers and incorporate it into a framework your students are confident and happy with! 

Optional: Cup of Popsicle sticks on Top

  • Have one for each activity, matching the color of the drawer. 
  • If you have 4 activity options in the green drawer, have 4 green sticks. 
  • When students take an activity out, they take the matching stick. 
  • Students become more responsible for returning equipment (and put their stick back)
  • They can quickly see what is available - instead of opening and flipping through drawers - if there are no green sticks, they wont need to open the green drawer.

First Drawer

The top drawer is where you keep all your bits and bobs - pencils, dice, clips etc.

Label the Drawers

Label each drawer, so the student become familiar with the activities and can return the equipment properly.


Keep it Simple

For each activity, think of the simplest way of presenting it. I like elastic bands around the cards, but you could also use baggies, small containers or pouches. The less fuss, the more attractive to students that are eager to do something. It also strips back your classroom routines. Your students will be engaged in a focused skills based activity in a a matter of seconds. Why is this important? Well, you can use up those little 5 minute blocks of spare time and make them irresistibly valuable! I hate wasting time, and like to squeeze every once of learning I can into the school day.

Starter Pack

My packet includes 16 activities to get you started. That is 4 per drawer. I have selected activities that focus on the basics. The idea of a "Bee Busy" station is that students are reinforcing and consolidating skills already learnt. No need to monitor, assess, regulate.

Print and Play Activities

I took extra time to 'package' these activities as 'Print and Play Games" - if you use my resources you will know what I am talking about. These are packets I make to use in small group rotations and center-based learning time. Each file includes a cover page, worksheet and detailed instruction sheet that is handy for giving to an adult helper working with your small groups. These additional pages are not necessary for the Bee Busy Drawers, but I included them so that this packet can be multi-use to you! Once you have used them in the Bee Busy Drawers, you can file them away for use in other areas of your program. Yay!


If you would like to try my 'Bee Busy Drawers" idea, I have just listed it at TpT.


Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Book Chat - Eustace and Clyde



Today I would like to show you Eustace and Clyde by Mariana Aizen. I have to admit, the insanely cute koalas and funky-chunky-font on the cover drew me in! After a quick flick through, I knew I had to have this book. 

Eustace and Clyde are two koalas that are very different - yet they are true friends. They set out in search of the perfect home, where they can be a happy, content 'pair'. 

No place seems quite right. The breeze is lovely on the beach, but it is just too hot. The thought of making snowmen is inciting, but it is just too cold. 

A range of new homes are looked at, but the koalas end up



right back where they started from. They realise that wherever they have each other, is the perfect place to be! 


Honestly, my daughter, son AND I just want to look at these adorable illustrations over and over.



I made a koala craft that you could use after reading this story to your class. 

Just copy the templates. Prepare some trays of grey paint and some small sponges. Ask your students to dab paint over the template pieces. A nice thin layer will dry quickly. Alternatively, you could ask them to shade with crayon.



Once cut out, you can assemble all the pieces with split pins (brads/paper fasteners) so that the arm, leg and ears move!
Your students can then draw a face.




I am so happy to provide this craft to you as a blog-exclusive today!

Click HERE to find the file in google drive.

Spider Legs Addition Game

I LOVE doing spidery-things in my classroom! As well as being fun and cute to draw, I find most children keenly interested in learning about spiders!

I made a simple addition game today, with a spider theme.



Students work to match the legs with the numerals! They will be working on numeral identification, counting and the beginnings of addition!


You can find it at TpT, by clicking on the image below!



You can find other 'spider' resources in my TpT store HERE

I had a rafflecopter on my blog in my last post - congratulations to Suzanna Wells-Dixon - you won the voucher! I am emailing you now!

My 3rd term break is coming to an end now and it is 'back to school' for me! I hope your weekend or term break has been fabulous too!

Have a great day!



Five for Friday - Sydney Style

It's Friiiiiiiidaaaaaaaay! Just incase you forgot.

I am linking up with the I-just-want-to-be-in-first-grade-so-I-can-be-in-her-class, amazing Kacey from Doodle Bugs Teaching for 5 for Friday!

This time last week, I was madly thinking about packing deciding what to pack getting nervous excited printing chocolate wrappers to take as gifts to Sydney.

Last weekend I met up with 6 other Aussie teacher bloggers! I call these ladies friends and chat with them regularly, but we had never met in person as a group!

Here in Australia, we often say 'Sydney can turn it on' and indeed Sydney DID turn it on! Amazing weather, courteous drivers, an awesome buffet breakfast AND a spectacular fireworks display - just. for. us. 

By the way, you may want to take note, that if you would like to come to a breakfast with us in the future, it is a requirement that you learn to say 'boo-fay' (buffet) and it rhymes with 'for-yay' (foyer). If you can handle that you will slip right into the group. Like a glove.

1.


I have met Brooke from Teachable Moments a few times before. So we know about her. Yawn.

No seriously, Brooke is amazing. Sydney is her town, and she liaised with 'the authorities' to coordinate the fireworks. While I was a little disappointed in the length of the 'spectacular', I was honestly and genuinely impressed with their perfectly timed commencement. No sooner had we left our little drink quickly cause its free right now sophisticated pre-dinner lounge, walked down the road, over some stairs, up some stairs, over a bridge, through the mud, clip clop clip clop, over the troll, oh hold on, that is another story than right in front of our amazed faces, the fireworks started. There were people with fancy hats on everywhere. I am not 100% positive, but I think they were not only celebrating our arrival, but possibly some sort of little cultural new year or something. If only we took hats with us.

Brooke - awesome. Awesome. That is all I have for you.

Oh, and thank you for all the driving you did, picking up our interstate friends, and negotiating "the airport" and all those roads. And for getting us some super cool Go Noodle goodies. And for making us some adorable lanyards, so we looked official. And 'bloggy'.

Also, thanks for being you. Love you girl.

2.

Miss Tania, for Mrs Poultney's Ponderings. I think I will cry right here. I miss her already. We named her Teeny Tiny Tania. She is a pint sized bundle of fun, wit and warmth. I wanted to pack her up in my bag and take her home. That sounds creepy. But it is not. Cause you would too, trust me.

Tania prepared a little game for us to play, and we just imagined she was our teacher. And sat in awe. And had a few more drinks. And laughed. And I cant really remember who the winner was, but I hear she got a wonderful prize.

3.

Because so many people had gathered by the harbour to see our fireworks, it was tough getting a restaurant for dinner. But we found one. The crowds parted, and we found our table. There was eating. There was drinking (did I mention that?), there was chatting, there was laughing, there was more telling Tania how cute she was.

Here is a drink that the lovely Stef Galvin, from Miss Galvin Learns ordered.

That feeling, when you see something someone else ordered, and you wished you ordered it.
Yep I had that. Especially the next morning when I was reminded that Stef's drink was filled with fruit, and water, and healthy stuff. Will. Order. That. Next. Time.

Stef - it was just amazing to meet you - you are just as kind and sweet as you are online. This girl KNOWS her teaching stuff too! She is a fountain of knowledge on everything 'Prep/Kinder/Transition/First Year At School/Foundation/Early Stage One". Yep, put a group of teachers in a room together and we talk shop. Except we don't talk about shops, we talk about schools. And kids. And colleagues. And mad crazy teachers, kids and colleagues. And laugh about them.

I love having rich conversations about school related stuff, we learn so much from one another and Stef is my kind of girl!

4.




We all decided that next time we need to take more photos. We were so busy eating and drinking chatting and laughing that we did not get enough photos.

Alison from Teaching Maths With Meaning
Emma from Clever Classroom and Shanyn from Classroom Chit Chat were also part of the meet up.

These girls were also amazing - I know, I know, I cant stop saying it. But they are! Alison braved a loooonnnnnggggg journey to see us all, which just shows how special she really is. She is just as sweet, calm and considered in real life as she is online. It was amazing to meet you and get to know you even better Alison! Shanyn is from Queensland, so she also travelled a long way. If you don't know much about Australia, you will not know what I mean when I say she is a true 'Queenslander'. She is sweet, bright, funny and totally adorable!

Emma - it was sooooo special to finally meet you, and a very emotional moment for me. Emma and I have had very similar journeys with our 'educational publishing' - having both started out on eBay and both starting out by making 'laminated' hard copy resources nearly 10 years ago. We both started a website around the same time, and also found TpT at a similar time. It was not till TpT that we could finally really 'connect'. Social media and the online marketplace was not at all what it is today. We had very tough days early on. We had very long, lonely weeks of working hard to establish our businesses, and nobody to talk about it with. At all.

We never knew where we were headed, but both of us, separately, and at the same time, knew we were going somewhere. We never gave up. Emma and I didn't have to say all that much to one another about 'what we do', and we never will have to.

We just know. It was amazing to meet you Emma. I know how hard you have worked, and I understand what you have put into your journey. I am so glad we are friends now and that we have shared a similar path. I think you may possibly be the only person on the planet that has an understanding of what my life has been, for the last 10 years.

5.


It was just amazing to meet these girls, I simply cannot wait to do it all again, and hopefully we can coordinate a trip to Vegas for the TpT conference as well. People ask me about my journey on TpT and what I have learned through my work. Honestly, making friends like these ones has been the biggest surprise and the greatest blessing.