Lollypop lollypop oh lolly lolly pop!

I have a new product just in my TpT store today to celebrate the TpT 3 million teachers sale which is on for only 2 days! You can get up to 28% off! Click on the image below to go to my store!

Graphic from Creative Clips

It's a lollypop-themed word sorting game. This is a game aligned to the UK Letters and Sounds in that I've created words for the different Phases, however, it will work for any children who are still needing practice in sounding out and blending words.

I've included a mixture of real and made up words to ensure they are not reading them solely as sight words, but are also using their sounding and blending skills. Much needed practice for the Year 1 Phonics Check!

Phonics is one of my favourite subjects, any ideas what I could create next?

Anyway, I'm off to see what bargains I can grab in the TpT sale... remember it is only on today and tomorrow (USA time). Check out the linky party below to see what everyone else is buying/selling!

Have you ever?

It's only Tuesday, so I consider this fairly successful for a Meet the Teacher Monday from me! Although luckily the rules from The Ordinary to Extraordinary Classroom allow any day of the week posting!

1. Have you ever been on TV? 
I've been an extra in a film (Tomb Raider 2 should you wish to see my moment of fame, blink and you'd miss it!)

2. Have you ever been trapped in an elevator? 
No thank goodness as I'm not great in confined spaces!

3. Have you ever made anyone cry? 
I've made a child cry multiple times by using the words 'we are going to write now'. It got to the stage where I did all my modelling and handed her a pencil without ever using the word (I still don't know what she thought we were going to do with the pencil other than write!)

4.Have you ever walked into a window because it was just that clean? 
Nope, but I've seen it happen!

5. Have you ever fainted in public? 
Again, no, but my doctor is surprised that with my blood pressure I don't faint on a daily basis.

6. Have you ever gone to a restaurant and ate, only to realize you didn't have any money? 
I think I would just about die of embarrassment if that happened!

7. Have you ever gone to greet a family member or friend and then noticed it was someone else?
Yes all the time, from when I was a child. Its how I make new friends half the time.

Thanks for a fun linky party, head over to The Ordinary to Extraordinary Classroom to join in! Talking about joining in, I'm sure you've noticed by now that TpT are gearing up for a special 2 day sale at the end of this week. Don't forget to use the promo code to bag yourself 28% off all my products and many more across the whole site!

Graphic from Creative Clips

I'm grateful... so here's a freebie!

Today I'm linking up with another new linky party, this time with Angela from Southern Fried Teaching for her Grateful party. There is always room for more gratitude in my life, so I thought I would take this opportunity to post about it!

• I am grateful for the supportive comments that I get on my blog.
• I am grateful for the people buying my products on TpT.
• I am grateful that my class are enjoying and learning from my experiences on here. 

To show how grateful I am, I am posting a little St.Patrick's Day freebie in my store for you all. It is some number bonds to 10 loop cards. Click on the image below to grab them!

Be sure to stop by my store on Thursday/Friday as I'm joining in with the TpT 3 million teachers sale! You can buy my products for up to 28% off! I know I'm prep-ing my wish list now!!

Storybook Sunday - Giraffes Can't Dance

Linking up with Paula's Place for the first time to join in with Storybook Sunday.

The story I want to post about is one of my all-time favourite books. Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae. 

Gerald is a giraffe who doesn't seem to be good at dancing, all the other jungle animals are holding a Jungle Dance and he gets laughed away, until a friendly cricket speaks to him and shows him that he is special too. This is such a fun book to read with rhyming verses and a very sweet message at the end of the story. 

Whilst I read it every year with my class, last year I decided to do it as my class assembly to parents. I dressed the children up as the different jungle characters and had them each say 2 line or a verse (depending on their public speaking ability!). They then sang the song 'Good to be me' to show that they recognised just like Gerald that they were special in their own ways!

Display mania

This is going to be a picture heavy post! Thought I would show you a few of my favourite displays I've recently had up in my classroom. And since I've chosen 5, that gives me the perfect excuse to link up with Doodle Bugs for the weekly Five for Friday!

1

Chinese New Year - showcasing some of their work about the celebration.

2

Birthdays - this is my favourite and goes up in every class I've ever had.

3

Homes - our current History topic.

4

Golden Time - not one I've made myself (from Twinkl), but currently very effective behaviour management for my littlies!

5

And of course my washing line that has had Christmas wreaths, reindeer antlers, New Year Resolutions, Chinese New Year decorations, holiday paintings and whatever else I randomly hang up!

    

Flattery gets you everywhere!

As everyone knows, the saying goes 'Flattery gets you nowhere', however I am completely persuaded by every compliment I receive! And boy did I get a huge compliment the other day! Sarah from 'Chicken Soup for the Autism Teacher's Soul' has nominated me for a Liebster Award! I now get to display this cute little button on my blog and share it with the bloggy world.

Liebster is a German word meaning 'dearest' and is a blog award with no official origins that I could pin down through my google searches, but still is great way of finding new blogs and showing appreciation for others. There are variations in the rules, but I'm going to follow the ones given to me by my nominator.

• Link back to the blog that nominated me.
• Nominate 5-11 blogs with fewer than 200 followers.
• Answer the questions posted for me by my nominator.
• Share 11 random facts about myself.
• Create 11 questions for my nominees.
• Contact my nominees and let them know that I nominated them.

So...

Thank you for my nomination, Sarah! You can find this budding blogger by clicking the image below. I'm her newest follower and look forward to following her adventures.

My nominations are:

I was a follower of Angela when she was 'Gig 'em Teacher' and have continued with her new name and blog design! Love the fact that she is a teacher abroad as well.

Kayla has already been nominated before, but since she still has less than 200 followers and deserves more for her thoughtful blog I'm nominating her again!

Trina has the ability to make me laugh out loud with her humorous take on teaching. Plus I love her weekly linky party. 

I linked up with Brandi and her New Year Resolutions linky party and have been following her ever since. Great blog for behaviour tips!

I {heart} every post that Rachel writes on this incredibly creative blog focused on craft. Several of my Christmas inspirations for my classroom were from her. 

The questions I have to answer from Sarah:

1. When did you first realize you were going to be a teacher?

When I used to set up play schools and force my younger brother to be my pupil. 

2. What got you into blogging?

Bored one day, looking for freebies on the internet, came across a great blog 'Clever Classroom', started reading, got completely hooked and decided I wanted one of my own!

3. How many amazing years of teaching experience do you have?

This is my 8th year of teaching.

4. What is your favorite grade level and subject area to teach?

Phonics is my baby, love it to bits and love enthusing children with it. Have to say Reception (Kindergarten) is my favourite age, everything is magical to them then.

5. What is one thing you like most about your school or district?

The space and school campus.

6. What are your top 3 must-have teaching supplies that get you through the day?

Stickers, coloured marking/whiteboard pens, my laptop!

7.  What is ONE huge thing that you wish legislators knew that could benefit the field of education?

That actual time with the children is the most beneficial and making us test and taking away our assistants is not the way forward!

8. What is the most beneficial professional learning/workshop/conference that you have ever attended?

Pie Corbett's Talk for Writing, that man is a complete genius and although have read his books, nothing compares to seeing him in person!

9. Do you have a top blogger that you love following the best? (If you can't choose just 1, list up to your 5 favourites)

- Step into Second Grade with Mrs Lemons

- Doodlebugs Teaching

- Clever Classroom

- Oh' Boy The Fourth Grade

- Smedley's Smorgasboard of Kindergarten

10. What is your favorite technology educational tool (website, app, etc.)? (If you can't choose just 1, list up to 5)

11. List one bit of "Chicken Soup" that gets you through when times are tough.
18 months ago I moved aboard and although I don't regret this decision for an instant, sometimes I miss my friends and family loads. My best friend gave me this quote to help me.

11 facts about me:

1. I have one brother who I still see as my baby brother despite him being 27.
2. I'm obsessed with anything Cath Kidston. I own half that shop. I should just send them my salary directly to save time. 
3. I think I spend more time on teaching blogs than I do on Facebook now. 
4. I hate ironing. Despise it. I actually got my iron out last week and discovered ants living inside it, thats how infrequently I use it!
5. I am terrible at keeping in touch with people, especially with all the time differences. I always seem to owe a dozen messages to friends.
6. I collect magnets from every holiday I go on to remind me of everywhere I've been since I moved over here.
7. I'm a great believer of constantly trying to change and improve my teaching practice, but still love those tried and tested favourite lessons!
8. I'm a terrible driver. All those female stereotypes? That's me!
9. I have a chocolate shelf in my fridge for those 'emergencies', the weather here has foiled my previous tradition of a chocolate cupboard in my classroom.
10. I love pink wine. 
11. I wish I could speak another language. I'm trying hard to pick up some vocabulary, but its going very slowly!

11 questions for my nominees:

1. What are your top 3 favourite teaching blogs?
2. Do you have a TpT store?
3. What is your favourite resource you have ever made?
4. What topic do you love to teach?
5. First ever (if any) linky party you joined in?
6. Who did your blog design?
7. A funny comment you have had from a child?
8. Helpful tip to a new blogger?
9. Favourite book for use in the classroom?
10. Best ever teacher gift from a child?
11. Memory from your first year of teaching?

So please, head on over and check out some of the blogs I've nominated and my nominator's as they are all well deserving of more readers and followers! Happy Reading!

Finally Friday (Saturday)

I am such an irregular poster! Barely making 1 post a week at the moment, so much for my target of 2-3 times! Work is so busy, I guess I'm low on inspiration at the moment! Anyway here is one of my favourite link-ups to participate in, Doodlebugs' Five for Friday.

1

Valentine's day sentences from First Grade and Fabulous. A very popular task at the Challenge Area this week. I chose the version without capital letters and full stops, so the children had to re-write it correctly.

2

Finger spacer in action! I stuck on an image of 'Fiona Finger Space' who is one of our Sentence Superheroes who help us with our sentence writing.

3

A little Valentine's craft with my extra-curricular club. Lovebirds!

4

Chinese New Year decorations my children made last week (had to come down today to make room for some paintings we did).

5

I was nominated for a Liebster Award by Sarah from Chicken Soup for the Autism Teacher's Soul this week. I shall accept in another post once I've chosen which fellow blogs I'm going to nominate! 

My 3rd Currently!

I have such a soft spot for the monthly Currently linky party hosted by Farley. It was my first ever link up that I tried and got me my first comments! I was so excited and I've taken her 'rules' of commenting on two before and one after with me to every link up that I participate in as I know how much comments can mean to other bloggers.

Anyway, here is mine for February...

Listening - Hart of Dixie, I hadn't seen any of the latest season so I've recently been having a marathon to catch up. Completely up-to-date once this episode is done... Any suggestions for new series to watch?

Loving - My parents are in the country for a few days so I'm driving to see them after work on Friday for the weekend, haven't seen them since Christmas so am very excited!

Thinking - I have been away from the Internet for a week and logged into bloglovin' today to find 95 new posts... oh my I have some reading to do!

Wanting - Another few more days holiday... please?

Needing - An early night after all the catching up I've had to do with housework, school work and Internet since I was away!

2 truths and a fib - I work in a school abroad = TRUE (Lovely weather in SE Asia compared to rainy UK)

- I get mistaken for a school child = TRUE (despite my 20s being a thing of the past, I have been asked if I was a student on more than one occasion)

- I am addicted to coffee = FALSE (yuk horrid stuff!!)

Fly-by freebie!

If you haven't guessed already, I'm a little bit obsessed with butterflies! I've used these extremely cute clipart butterflies on another set of products before, but I just couldn't resist using them in another one!

These come in different options either with butterflies to colour in to continue the pattern or with blank spaces where the child can place the correct butterfly. I've also provided black and white strips so the child can create their own repeating pattern. Go to my TpT store now to download for free!