Let's Get Acquainted!

Seriously, how cute is this linky? I've seen so many people post, I had to join in on the fun. Plus, I hope that I have some new friends who may have stumbled upon the ol' blog through blog lovin'.

So, this week, you had to choose three topics from the tic-tac-toe board to talk about in your post! Here's what I chose:

#1. I attended Lock Haven University. It is a small school located in central PA. If people ask where it is, my typical response is, "about a half an hour from state college [Penn State]." That usually does the trick. It is a small school, which fits my personality. It's about three and a half hour from where I grew up, so it was far away from home, but not TOO far away!

As for the second part of the question, I don't think I could pick one memory. My favorite memory of college was my experience as a sister of Zeta Tau Alpha. It taught me how to be a leader and work with others, and it allowed me to participate in tons of community service and social activities. I'll spare you the silly sorority pics, though! =)

#2. My favorite subject to teach is math, math, MATH! I could teach math all day. I can so easily integrate every other subject area, and there are so many ways to get the kids excited about the content. It stems from the fact that I've always been a math kid, not necessarily a reading kid. 

I did my student teaching in a fifth grade classroom, and I loved that content so much. Third grade is great, too, because you are both setting the foundation and exploring more complex topics. I got certified to teach middle school math, even though big kids kinda scare me. My love for math works out great because I take the lead in math, science, and writing in my TAM classroom, and my partner leads reading and social studies. If you don't yet, you should follow my math pinterest board by clicking the link in the top right hand corner of my blog.

I'm a pinning wild woman.

#3. My dreaaaam vacation? Well, last spring break I went to Jamaica over spring break for a couple days. It was beautiful! But, funds only allowed me to go for a few days, it ended up raining for one of them, aaand I went with my ex. So for my dream vacation, I'd love to go somewhere tropical, for a week or so, with someone new! Buuuuut I'd also love to sightsee in Europe. I've been to Ireland, but I'd love to explore Italy or Greece! As far as a dream vacation goes, though, with no expectations, I think I'd like to sit pool or ocean side with a yummy drink.

Head over to Flying into First Grade and link up! =)

Talk soon!

New Blog Design!

It's that time of year.

Blog design ADD.

I wanted to go for a more simple look, so I went with a one layer background and a white middle. I updated my button, so if you feature my blog on your blog, feel free to switch it out. I have to admit, it didn't turn out as cute as I had hoped, so I may be tweaking some things.

Any suggestions?

As always, if anything looks funky or doesn't work on your computer, please drop me a comment!

Credit to Jiovannas Creations for the background paper and Carrie Loves Design for social media buttons. As always, all elements of my design were freebies.

Talk soon!

Currently

Hey guys! Popping in to participate in Farley's currently. I've been on a currently hiatus for a few months. Luckily, it's like riding a bicycle. =)

Listening: Self explanatory. However, for giggles, I went and looked at my July currently from 2012, and I wrote almost the exact. same. thing. What can I say, homegirl likes her air conditioning. So predictable.

Loving: Similarly, I changed my blog design at right around this time last year. I have blog design ADD. But, I'm hoping to finish up and install it within the next week. One great thing about blog lovin' is that more readers will get to see it. Yay!

Thinking: I'm going with my mom to pick up her new foster dog from a transport van that brings animals up from the south. I went with her last time, and it nearly brought me to tears that all of those babies were getting a second chance at life.

Wanting: I don't cook. There, I said it. Well, scratch that. I could cook, if I wanted to. But I don't. So, I have sandwiches for lunch pretty much every day. I feel like my life would be so much more fulfilled if I had a chef to cook me different healthy, but yummy, stuff every day. A girl can dream!

Needing: On the last day of school, my teaching partner [and one of my best friends] got news that her husband is sick. I don't want to go into too much detail, but they are going through a lot with appointments and stress. They have two small boys at home. So extra thoughts and prayers for this sweet family would be appreciated!

Tips, Tricks, or Hints: I only make resources/products that I use myself, so I always test my products out on my kids before I put them in my store. It helps to iron out any kinks, catch mistakes, and assess the worth of the product. If you make things that aren't applicable to your grade level, ask a colleague [blogging or real life] to give it a test run. At least, let another set of eyes look it over. What else are husbands/boyfriends for? ;)

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Random news and thoughts...

1. Be on the look out for my Career Research pack. It is internet based and geared toward grades 3-5. It should be finished soon! My kids loved it when we did it in May, so I'm sure your kids would love it to as a beginning of the year or end of the year research writing piece.

2. Any baseball fans out there? How are your teams doing? Mine, not so hot. But last night was hilarious. Sorry if there are any Dodgers fans in the house, but geeeez. The Phils haven't scored that many runs combined in like two weeks worth of games. BTW, because the games are on the west coast, these late nights are really messing with my sleep sched!

3. How are you enjoying bloglovin'? I hate change, but I think I'm coping well. If you haven't yet, please follow me using the link on the top of my sidebar. I'm like the only person in blogland who didn't do the bloglovin' giveaway thingy. I sometimes have this complex that my stuff isn't worth it, so I get gun shy with giveaways and such.

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Okay, now go link up! I'm hoping to get in under 100. [yay, #62!]

EOY Made It!

I've been out of school for a week! Summer time is in full swing!

But, my oh my. This is the first 'last day of school' that I've cried. I cried, team teacher cried, parents cried, and the kids cried. I really connected with this group, despite the challenges, and I will truly miss them as they move on to the 4th-5th grade building, which is one town over.

Anyway, it was very emotional!

As an end of the year gift for the parents, I started out by making this Pinterest-inspired frame for my students to hold. Even though I made it last week, I wanted to link up! =)

Here is the original pin:

[Pinterest is acting up on my computer! I'll insert the pin when pinterest gets its act together!]

And here is my version:

[Let me assure you that the face behind the smiley is oddly similar to the smiley!]

This craft wasn't expensive. I bought a plain wooden frame and letters that spelled out 'third grade.' All of the other materials [scrapbook paper, paint, buttons, flowers, hot glue] I already had on hand in my craft box.

First, I painted the letters, then I mod-podged scrapbook paper onto themr. I added a black outline with a foam brush, which I usually do on letters, to make them pop! Next, I painted the frame with a few coats. The next day, I added the embellishments. Ta-da! It turned out super cute!

I hung black bulletin board paper in the hallway as a back drop, and I took each student's picture. I told them that this was a gift for their parents, so make whatever face that you think they will like. Let's just say that personalities shown through!

Then, I brought my camera card to CVS. I printed the pictures, but I hated how they turned out. So, I went to Rite Aid and tried again. Unlike CVS, they have a 4x4 option, which was perfect for what I was going for. I printed out the 4x4s, brought them home, and laminated.

I attached a strip of magnet tape on the back. I found it super cheap [a roll of 30 inches for less than $2] at AC Moore. It was a strong magnet, and it did the trick.

I loved that I was able to send home this keepsake with my kids. I hope that they put their magnets right on the fridge and remember all of our great times!

Talk soon!

Blog lovin'. Meh?

Click here to follow Third Grade in the First State with bloglovin!

Made the plunge.

I'm now on blog lovin'. Are you? If not, what did you use to move on from google reader?

Not sure how I feel about it yet.

Any tips?

Talk soon! =)