What a Week it has Been!

This has been such an amazing and fantastic week for me and Kinder-Craze. I used to refer to Kinder-Craze as my 'lil baby blog, but after all of the attention it has gotten this past week, I am shedding the 'lil baby and just calling it my blog!

The craziness started with this one little blog post...

Was followed by some love from Jeannie at Kindergarten Lifestyle
(one of my FAVORITE blogs to stalk)...

Then things just went bonkers on Pinterest!

What followed was a whirlwind of a week with over 300+ new Facebook followers, 60+ new blog followers and more traffic on my blog than I ever imagined.

This week has been a wonderful stroke of luck for me, but it also happened because of the fabulous insights I gained as a member of Teaching Blog Traffic School. If you are a new blogger, want to become a blogger, or even if you have had your blog for a while and are looking to make the most of your online presence, I HIGHLY recommend purchasing a membership to Teaching Blog Traffic School. Charity Preston and the TBTS community continue to teach me great new tricks each week and the networking experience is invaluable!

And did I mention that my summer vacation starts tomorrow? I don't call it Kinder-Craze for nothing!

Thank you new followers for all of your support, comments and enthusiasm. I have lots of great ideas planned for this summer.

What a week it has been!

Memorial Day Sale on TpT!

This just in! I'm linking up with A Cupcake for the Teacher's Memorial Day sale on TpT.  Now through Midnight on Memorial Day, everything in my Teachers Pay Teachers store is 20% off-no promo code needed!

Here are a few popular items:

Decompose Numbers

Easy Subtraction Practice

Solid Figures Unit

Domino Addition

Color Word Farm Book and Poster Set

 Happy Shopping!

Fancy Up Your Sterlite Drawers

A while ago I saw the most ingenious idea on Pinterest: use scrapbook paper to fancy up clear Sterlite drawers. I have several sets of Sterlite drawers in my classroom and I got a head start on my summer bucket list by lining ALL of them. Like so many of you, my love of bright colors has merged with a polka dot romance and I just HAD to incorporate brightly-colored polka dots in my fancy Sterlite drawers.


I walked into the scrapbooking section of many crafting stores before I finally found the perfect paper for my classroom. Hobby Lobby carries a fabulous set of scrapbook paper featuring many designs in a bright color scheme, and it includes polka-dot paper! This particular set of paper features 3 sheets of each design shown in the borders of the pack and I truly cannot say enough good things. All of the colors (except brown) match my classroom design perfectly.


I did a little research and the online store for Hobby Lobby shows a product with the same SKU # (159319) as my scrapbook paper set, but the cover looks a bit different and it has one review online complaining about the color selection.  I truly hope that the cover is the only thing that has changed, because the papers in my packet are lovely.

Here's a close-up photo of the Sterlite drawer makeover. I featured polka dot paper in the drawer front with coordinating stripes (also from the paper set) lining the sides of the sides and upper front portion of each drawer.

Directions: (you'll need a lot of time and scotch tape)

I started with the polka-dot paper. A piece was placed in the front of the drawer and I used a pencil to trace along the edge. It took some trimming and re-sizing until I got it just right. Then, I had a template to trace and use for the remaining drawers. Once those pieces were taped into place (I taped mine down all the way around the paper on the inside of the drawer), I cut pieces for the sides and added those with plenty of scotch tape. (The sides are simple because they are flat). Finally, paper was added to the upper handle area of each drawer. These pieces were a hassle because the drawers have a curve in this area and it was very difficult to get the paper trimmed to the proper size so they could lie flat and happily against the curve. It took lots of tracing, trimming, and refitting before I got exactly the size I wanted. Similar to my first piece of correctly-sized polka dot paper, I used the first piece of striped paper for the handle that I was able to successfully create as a tracing template for the others before it was taped down.

 Yes, the project was a bit tedious, but my type-A personality secretly relished every moment of the process. And as you can see, the end-result is fabulous! I have three more sets of Sterlite drawers under my computer table and they look great as well. Check back in the fall to see the rest of my polka-dot storage drawers as well as updated classroom photos!

A follow-up to this original post has been published. The update answers many questions about how well Mod Podge would work for the project and also provides info for making templates easily. If you intend to Fancy Up some drawers of your own, you will want to check it out. 

Father's Day Fingerprint Paintings

Father's Day is nearly a month away, but it's never too early to get started on a project for Dad (especially since my kiddos graduate in a week!) I realize nothing can top the precious Tea Party we hosted for Mother's Day, but the fingerprint paintings we created in class do make a pretty awesome gift for the Dads.

 I love the creative mind of Ed Emberly. He has such a magical way of capturing the essence of everyday objects into simple shapes and drawings for children to complete. Taking inspiration from Ed Embery's Great Fingerprint Drawing Book, each student created a pond scene for their fathers. In my classroom, creating these paintings is a 3-day project, and each day requires about 30 minutes of class time.

If you do not allow adequate time for the paint to dry fully, the colors run together and drawing the details becomes a very messy challenge.

Here is a quick overview of the process:

Now for some details. I always like to have students paint on white construction paper. Later, I mount the finished paintings onto bright blue cardstock and frame the artwork before it is sent home. With this in mind, I always start by finding the frames. This year, I used simple acrylic 4"x6" portrait frames. Keeping in mind my desire to mount the paintings when they are finished, I cut the white construction paper into 3.5"x5.5" pieces.

Day 1: Background
I like the background to be very light so I dilute a little turquoise tempera paint with a lot of water. Two students work with me at the same time and use the diluted paint mixture and a nice full-bristled paint brush to quickly paint on the background. Students are instructed to leave the top of the painting white.

Day 2: Fingerprinting

We complete the fingerprinting process as a whole-class activity.  For this portion of the project, students use watercolor paints. They prepare by adding water to all of their paint colors then we practice a few different kinds of fingerprints on scrap paper. After everyone has had an opportunity to practice their fingerprinting, I distribute the art papers and we create each fingerprint together. I provide very specific instructions about what color to use, what kind of print to make, and where to place the print on the art paper.

Day 3: Draw Details
The final phase of this project is using a pen to transform the colorful blobs (fingerprints) into animals. We use Pilot Razor Point pens for this project. They make a stronger mark than ball-point pens but the marks they create are not quite as heavy as felt-tip pens. This final task is also done whole-group (which is only possible with the assistance of my ELMO document camera.)

Before we begin, I have a BIG talk with the students about the importance of listening carefully to directions and not freaking out if they make a mistake. I explain that if it's a small mistake, nobody will ever notice, but if they cross anything out or scribble on their paper, then it becomes a big mess that everybody looks at. This is usually a highly-effective talk and I rarely see any type of scratch marks on the drawings.

Once we are ready to begin, I lead students through the process of decorating each animal. We start with the simplest drawings first (tadpoles) and gradually make our way to the most complicated drawings (ducks).

A student carefully adds details to her fingerprint pond scene.

Completed fingerprint art projects, framed and ready to wrap!

A few materials I used to create this project:

Kindergarten Graduation Preparation and Coloring Page FREEBIE!

Graduation preparation is well underway in my Kindergarten class! We are only 10 days away from graduation and I have lots of great things to share with you.

Our graduation ceremony is very simple and is sort of a mix of a prayer service and kindergarten concert. We open with a prayer, the kindergarten students perform a few songs and poems, receive their "diplomas" (I know, you're wondering why I put this word in quotation marks-keep reading to find out!), and the teachers present a short movie featuring photos from the school year.

Our students don't wear caps or gowns to the ceremony. Instead, they arrive at graduation dressed in their Sunday Best (it's really nice teaching in a Catholic school where we can say this and everyone knows exactly what the teachers expect for appropriate attire!) We don't use hats or gowns because the students arrive dressed so nicely (and girls always have such lovely hair on this day). It doesn't seem right to hide these things under a hat and gown. They're kindergarten students and we want them to look like the special little ones that they are each day.

Instead, we order graduation sashes from Andersons. They are personalized and the company helps you customize just about every detail (including background color, font style, & font color-call the company's toll free number for best customization.) We ordered navy blue because it is our school color, but they also have some very child-friendly prints to select from. Each child receives a sash personalized with his/her first and last name and the words "Kindergarten Grad." We also order a few generic ones that say our school name in case anyone forgets theirs at home and needs to borrow a sash for the ceremony.


Currently, our diplomas come from Really Good Stuff. I'm not in love with it and I'm hoping to design something better for our use next year, but for now, these get the job done.

Now I know that the diploma you see to the right does not match my diplomas in the photo at the top of this post. The ones you see in the photo are our ceremonial diplomas. They are just copies of the coloring sheet of the graduating boy and girl rolled up and tied shut with a ribbon. When student names are called during the ceremony, they receive a rolled up fake diploma. After the ceremony, families collect a HUGE manilla envelope filled student work, report cards, and all kinds of other goodies. The actual diploma is tucked inside of the big envelope so nothing happens to it. 

Did somebody say "FREEBIE?"

Download a free copy of the the graduation coloring page I created (It's great for Preschool Graduation too!) The images are by KPM Doodles. I just love Kristen's drawings!

Year-End Bulletin Board Display

Need a cute idea for an end-of-year bulletin board or hallway display?  Linda, a preschool teacher at my school, created this display for her 4-year old preschoolers (who will be graduating next week!)

Each child created a sailboat and Linda glued a recent photo onto the boats. It's a subtle touch, but she had the students sit in a chair and took their photo slightly from the side so it looks as though the really are sitting in their sailboats. Linda even added a few fish to the water. I think this is so precious!

Thank you Linda for sharing your creativity!

Feelin' Like a Celebrity

After a long day out in the sun, I sat down to check my blog list and see what's happening in all my favorite classrooms and what do I see? A photo of myself attached to someone else's blog post. I was featured on "Someone New Sunday" over at Kinder Kraziness!

I was delighted and flattered when Laura offered to spotlight me in her blog. Thank you Laura-you're such a sweetie!

Hands-On Measurement FREEBIE!

So, my kinders are learning about measurement this week. Today we were working on the Common Core standard K.MD.2 to describe and compare measurable attributes. If you're a follower of the blog, you'll know that I LOVE hands-on learning, but I also need to CHECK my students work to be certain that they grasped the concept. So, I created this fun activity page for my students.

Hands-on activity for comparing lengths

This was SUCH an easy activity for them. All students received one copy of the worksheet and strips of 1"x6" construction paper in 5 different colors. To complete the activity, my kindergarteners cut each strip into 2 parts (that were NOT equal). The 2 pieces were then compared and glued onto the appropriate side of the chart (shorter or longer). Easy right?!? It was also super-easy to check. And let's face it, we all love to quickly get through that stack of papers to check during these last few weeks of school.

The finished product

You can download this FREE product from my store at Teachers Pay Teachers. Just click the link to get your free download.
I am also THRILLED to share this activity page on Classroom Freebies during Manic Monday! Hop on over to see what other great freebies you can grab!

Countdown to Graduation

Graduation is right around the corner for my kinders! Today we had our first rehearsal for graduation day and we finished a super-cute graduation project. I saw the idea on Pinterest a few weeks ago and filed it in my brain to remember for the future and set out to create the project without following the link. So yesterday I did all the prep to create a template and I JUST discovered a template is available from Peace, Love, and Kindergarten in their TpT store. Their download also includes a cute memory book for the end of the year. I added a bit of my own flair (the kids glued googly eyes to their projects and I added tassels after they were finished) to give it a little extra something and I am so proud of the end result. I'm not sure if you can tell from the photo, but we used a few different sizes of googly eyes. The difference is subtle, but it makes each project a little more unique.

I also created a fun countdown to graduation sign to display in the hallway with the finished projects. You can download it for free from TpT or Teachers Notebook. Once trimmed, the sign fits perfectly on a 12"x18" sheet of construction paper. I laminated mine and taped a sheet of transparency film onto the writing area so a dry-erase marker can be used to write each day of the countdown.

Organizing all those Eyes

I've been doing a bit of classroom organization lately. I try to always buy googly eyes in bulk (it's SO much cheaper). The downside of this is that all of the eyes are mixed together in a big bag. So, I found the perfect way to organize mine for future use.

Buy Googly eyes in Bulk

I found this item on Amazon. It has 1000 pieces and costs less than $15.00!

The colored eyes freak me out too, but they are great for monster-themed projects on Halloween. I don't sort the colored eyes-just the black and white ones that I intend to use in class for creatures with 2 eyes. 

Perfect Addition to My Reading Area

I (heart) TJ Maxx and Marshalls. This weekend I found this adorable blue polka dot cushion at a TJ Maxx store. See how cute it is on my "rainbow rug"?  It's intended to be used for bench seating but the cushion is perfect for students to lean against in my classroom reading area. For only $30 this very firm and sturdy cushion should last for a long time.

And speaking of rainbows, have you seen The Rainbow Collection over at Schoolgirl Style? Melanie's inspirational room is exactly the look I strive toward in my own classroom. I love the bright sunny colors!

The Rainbow Collection at Schoolgirl Style.

Mother's Day Tea Party Pics and a FREEBIE

Happy Mother's Day! The kindergarten Tea Party was on Friday and was a success! This is a very special event so students and Moms arrived for the Tea Party dressed in their "Mother's Day Best." All of the Moms were raving about how sweet of an event it was. Since I had been hyping it up on the blog for so long, I thought you would like to see a few photos from the actual event. You will also find a free download for a song we use during the party.

Here are a few photos taken before the Mother's Day Tea Party began. As you can see, the event was held in the gym. The students created the placemats in class and we purchased inexpensive flowers from Christmas Tree Shops to use as centerpieces. My teaching partner makes a trip to a local bakery to pick up the beautiful tea cookies each year and the "silver" platters are from the Dollar Tree. They are such a bargain because they look so expensive!

The parents sit on the outside of the table, students
sit on the inside. Each guest's name is written on a placemat.

The tea table

We also serve coffee at the tea party.

So we decorated the gym the night before and got everything ready to go. We even prepared the coffee makers ahead of time. The day of the party, we just did a few small items (plug in the coffee pots, cut lemon slices, set out the coffee creamer and milk). We asked the moms to bring their favorite teacup or mug to the event.

Our Tea Party began at 10:00 and we invited the Moms to arrive at 9:45 so they have a chance to find their place, help themselves to coffee and tea and get settled before the kindergarteners arrive. Once all of the Moms were seated and ready, the students joined them in the gym.

The kindergarten students had been very busy learning songs and poems in class. They walked into the gym quietly and set their "Forever Bouquet" projects face-down on the floor. The students performed their poems in unison (scroll down to see which poems we use). Our final poem was the Mother's Day Poem, which explained that the Moms deserved a bouquet that would last forever. Just as the class began to recite this final line of the poem, they all bent down and quickly picked up their handprint artwork, which they held out and displayed for their audience. (We practiced this many times and the final performance was PERFECT!)

 Students displaying their "Forever Bouquets" for Mom

After the performance, the children walked around the tables to find their Moms, give them a hug, and deliver their artwork. After a quick hug and a kiss, the children walked back around the tables to find their own seat and join the Mothers for tea and cookies (students drank juice).

Sharing handprint art and letters to Mom

The rest of the Tea Party was a nice relaxing experience for all! Students and Moms visited with each other and enjoyed the refreshments. Just as the students began to grow restless, the principal called them over for one last surprise for the Moms. She read the story "Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch aloud and each time she arrived at the verse I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be the students sang those words together. This also was rehearsed many times beforehand and the final product was very sweet.

Students gather  to hear "Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch.

After the story, the Tea Party was nearly complete. Lots of Moms took their last few photos of the children and their friends. The teachers had painted a photo backdrop for the event (which was a hit) and many "couples' came to have their picture taken in front of the backdrop.

A student and myself at the Tea Party.
(I love that she wore a tiara to the event.)

And there you have it! A lovely Tea Party for Mother's Day. I have been posting about many of the details as the students and I prepared for the big event. If you would like additional information, these posts may be helpful to you.

Invitations to the Tea Party

"Forever Bouquet" poem and handprint art 

"Cup of Tea" poem and backdrop painting

Making the placemats and writing letters to Mom

Ready for a FREEBIE?
And, without further ado, I believe I promised you a FREEBIE! Here is one more poster and student copy of a song we sang to the Moms during the Tea Party. It is to the tune of "You are My Sunshine" and is very sweet and easy for the children to learn. Download the packet which includes materials to make a classroom poster and student copy of the song. To create an instructional poster for your classroom, download and print all pages,  trim the edges, glue onto poster board, & laminate.

Happy Mother's Day!

Solid Figures: Manipulatives, Worksheets and a FREEBIE!

My students have been learning about solid figures and using some really great resources in the classroom. We began the unit of study by creating a chart of the six basic solid figures (cone, sphere, cube, pyramid, cylinder, and rectangular prism.) We discussed the shapes we see on the side of each figure, and listed examples real-world objects for each 3-D figure.

When teaching this unit in the past, I always used the traditional wooden solid figure shapes. They're very sturdy and are certainly helpful for illustrating the solid figures, but this year I acquired some new math manipulatives and they are fantastic! This one set is particularly fantastic:

I truly cannot say enough good things about this set. It was a little pricey, but they are SO worth it. Each figure is represented in a sturdy clear plastic shell that opens up. Inside there is a flexible plastic representation that unfolds to reveal the shapes on each surface of the figure. you can't tell from the photo, but the inner pieces are also quite durable.

My students predicted what the figure would like when opened (what shapes they thought they would see, and how many of each kind). It was an excellent higher-thinking activity.

I use a variety of solid figure manipulatives (scroll down for product information) as well as photos of real-world objects for each in my classroom. These materials were added to my classroom math center for independent exploration by students.

 I also created a Solid Figure unit plan to use with my students. It's appropriate for Grades K-2 and is differentiated to accommodate students with varied ability levels.

The unit plan includes:

2 and 3 column sorting activites
2 and 3 circle Venn diagram sorting
shapes vs. solid figures
roll, stack, and slide solid figure sorts
solid figure drawing lessons
4 pages of mix & match assessments

Purchase my Solid Figures Unit for Grades K-1-2 from 

Teachers Pay Teachers

 Teacher's Notebook

Here's a peek at just a few of the activities included:

Solid Figure Tracing to Determine Shapes on Flat Sides

Slide, Roll, and Stack 3-Column Sorting Activity
(easy for Kindergarten students)

Venn Diagram for Figures that can Roll and Slide

Drawing Lessons: Cone (this one is pretty easy)

Drawing Lessons: Pyramid (this one is more difficult)

I use these products in my own classroom and I absolutely love them.

Click the image to download your FREEBIE!
font by www.LetteringDelights.com

 Ready for that FREEBIE?

I created a PDF to help you create this super-cute Solid Figures chart. The information for each solid figure is color-coded for easy student reference.  Just download and print the document, cut the pieces apart, and you will be ready to glue them onto chart paper.

This has been a fabulous unit to teach in my Kindergarten classroom. The students loved the topic and I was thrilled to provide them with high-quality resources. Do you have any favorite solid figure materials or activities from your own classroom? I would love to hear your ideas!