Happy Easter & a Thank you give~away!!!

Having began the day in the midst of the most awesome Resurrection Day service I’ve ever attended, I feel GREAT! I am renewed and grateful for the opportunity to have connected with all of you! One of the most profound things that I learned today is that people often mistake a blessing for being something tangible that can be seen or held.  Blessings in the purest sense of the word =  “opportunities”.  When I started this blog just a few short weeks ago, I wondered if there would even be anyone that would want to hear anything I had to say….NOW, I’m excited to be counted in the midst of some of the most talented teachers on the planet! This blog has been a blessing and as it continues to mature and grow……I hope it will be a blessing to you too! So, let’s have some fun with all the new opportunities to come!  This is a picture of me on the way to church this morning! These are probably the biggest pair of sunglasses I could possibly find and they give me a little giggle when I wear them, BUT I love them! Do they remind you of anything???? Hahahaaaa!!!

                                                                                                                                                          

It’s so ironic that I posted previously about my love for literacy and my last two new products have been all about math! Can I just say that I LOVE teaching, lol! Teaching firsties is like having a room full of little caterpillars that you get to see change and grow into beautiful butterflies! It’s simply amazing how much they grow in just one year.  While upper grades have the intense stress of preparing for the days of standardized testing, we “foundation builders” get to have fun with our kiddos in engaging ways to set the foundation for all things learning…it’s a real challenge, but is so worth it. To that end, I have a newbie that I’ve just added to my TPT and Teacher’s Notebook catalogs. 

It includes activities that are a fun take on fractions that my kiddos and I have really enjoyed.  There is a full color example of a book we made to illustrate equal amounts and a quick to assemble mini-book to inspire writing in math! And speaking of making math fun….I received another wonderful surprise today from Scipi over at Go Figure with Scipi!  It’s the Calculating Heart Award! Thanks so much!

To receive this award, each recipient agrees to:

1. Thank the person who bestowed this award in a short blog article that includes a link back to the blog of the person who gave the award.
2. Become a follower of the presenter’s blog.
3. Choose three new blogs that meet the above criteria to receive this award.
4. Post their blog sites and write a short explanation of why each blog was chosen.
5. Leave a comment about this award on their blog site, and then become a new follower.
6. Visit Go Figure With Scipi and grab the award under Blog Accolades, and place it on your blog.

My three recipients are listed below as numbers 4, 5, and 6:

1. Zombie Math Teacher Don't you love the title of this blog? Anyway, Mandy teaches 7th grade math, and I love her posting on state mandated testing. She claims it is for good and not evil; so, to know why she believes this, head on over to blog for an interesting reading.
2. Love 2 Teach 2 is a brand new blog by Kim who teaches second grade in the great state of Kansas - where I live! She has a wonderful article (Feb. 25th) on how she taught perimeter and area to her students using the tiled hall floor. Now there is a hands-on (feet-on in this case) approach!
3. For the Love of Teaching Math is a unique blog in that Andrea uses unusual and very funny clipart to get your attention. So far, my favorite posting on her blog is the one on Pi Day which is March 14th. For those of you who aren't mathematicians, it has nothing to do with cooking!
4. Math Coach’s Corner is wonderful blog that presents math in a clear way that makes it enjoyable.
5. Mrs. T’s First Grade Class for her inspiring illustration of tens and ones using the hundred chart.
6. 2 Crazy Texas Teachers for creating fun materials to keep kiddos engaged in math!

As these three people pass on the Calculating Heart Award :

1) The next three chosen will copy and paste the above list of the three honorees before adding three new ones to the bottom, making a total of six.

2) When the next person receives this award, they will delete the top three blogs on the list, and add three additional ones to the bottom of the list.

3) There should always be six exceptional blogs listed.

4) Be sure to visit all six blogs on the list and become a new follower of each one.

I had set a goal for my blog to reach 100 members before the close of the school year…..well, guess what! …….with 38 days left {{who’s counting:-)}}…I’m almost there! …..only 4 more to go! Soooooooooooooooooooo, in the spirit of celebrating math….if you’ve liked what you’ve seen so far…tell a friend to come and join in the fun too!

Leave a comment with your email and the name and email of the friend you told about A+Firsties. If you refer lucky follower number 100 that joins my blog…I will gladly email YOU & your bloggy buddy my latest little creation for your classroom!  I hope all of you had just as happy of an Easter as I had.  Blessings to you and have a great week!