National Animal Cracker Day!

In little ol' Strafford, we are currently wrapping up our state testing, which means we are about to embark on some fun and freedom these last few weeks. Anybody else feel that way? It's like you cram as much content into the first 7 months, test, and then you have all this time on your hands to just breathe, enjoy the time you have left, and bring in some cool activities you maybe didn't have time for during all of that test prep. 

Well, we have been looking up cool national holidays, and wouldn't you know that on April 18th, it's National Animal Cracker Day?? Who doesn't love animal crackers. So we started working on a bundle that would be a mixture of practicing key skills/reviewing content from earlier in the year, extending learning to STEM type activities, and eating snacks all rolled into one. Sound good? Yeah, we are kind of excited too. Here's what we came up with: a 96 page (don't ask how it ended up getting that big, it's a long story) bundle that covers math skills, reading comprehension, writing, and even some science and graphing 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻. Here's a picture of the CUTE front cover designed by Kelli: 

And since we knew you'd want to see what it was all about, here are some pictures of our kiddos using some (not all, of course! I mean, it's 96 pages and we couldn't get a picture of all of it 😉) of the activities. 

Playing Battleship/ reviewing mapping and math with coordinate grids. 

Finding parts of a whole, and in our case, using that to identify equivalent fractions. 

So much fun, teacher friends! We posted this for a crazy cheap price just until Monday the 18th, since that's the actual holiday. After that, it will go up!! Grab it now! You could really use these activities for all kinds of different lessons throughout the year. Visit our TpT store to see more previews! 

Bring on the poems!

Friends, it is officially that time of year when we start bustin' out the poetry. So before you start reading, here is the shameless plug for our Poetry Made E-Z packet. It's 30% off for 24 hours only!! Grab it up!

Don't get me wrong, we've used poetry already for reading skills. But for some reason, the allotted scope and sequence (don't you love that phrase?) for poetry always ends up towards the end of the year, landing somewhere close to state testing. I don't really mind it, because I always have a ton of fun with poetry, and state testing time is definitely a time where extra fun is appreciated by all.

So, here we are. Nearing the end of 3rd quarter. Can you believe it? The year has flown by. I'm in full-blown panic/test prep mode...but I'm also getting my poetry resources ready to go! The last few years I have jumped into poetry with our Poetry Made E-Z activities to get the students familiar with vocab like meter, stanza, line, and so forth. What I love most about our packet is that it gives students a place to plan and PRACTICE their poems before they sign the whole thing in blood...I mean publish it. So what I do is laminate the planning and publishing pages front/back and put them in my Work on Writing center. That way, students can use dry erase (or Vis a Vis) and work on perfecting their poem first. It ends up being a great independent activity and a way for them to still work in a little of that precious Writing Process. 

How do you see it being used in your rooms? The best way to find out is DOWNLOADING it from our 2 BrightBlondeTeachers TpT store. It's even on sale! For the next 24 hours, get it for 30% off...just because we love you. 

Celebrate National Opposite Day!

Have you ever checked out those calendars of random, strange daily holidays? Such as: National Wave Your Fingers At Your Neighbor Day (not kidding), National Margarita Day (YESSSS), National Fruitcake Toss Day, National Answer Your Cat's Questions Day (yeah, still not kidding)...and the list goes on. So, we looked for some that were fun, and most importantly, classroom appropriate. The result? Some extra fun freebies for your classrooms that review key skills while celebrating daily holidays maybe no one knows about.

Enter: Celebrate National Opposite Day on Monday, January 25th! We took a key grammar skill-antonyms-and made a low-prep, hands-on matching game for you to grab for your kiddos. FOR FREE! And yes, of COURSE you can use this game throughout the year! Funny how those things work out, eh? ;)

Click the cover picture below to get to our TpT store and download this bad boy. By Monday, it will no longer be free (cheap, yes, but not free), so grab it quick! Thanks for your follows and feedback-we are loving getting connected with a super teacher community!

Snow Days and Sentiments

Well, if you live anywhere in the Midwest, chances are you have a snow day, are sitting on the couch in your pajamas from last night, glaring at the toys that need to be picked up, dishes that need to be done, laundry that needs to be folded....oh, wait. That's me. First snow day of the year. A day wide open for all kinds of activities! So many opportunities to be productive,  wrap up projects, check off my never-ending lists of to-dos! And what am I doing? Well, writing this blog post, yes. So check one thing off my list. What else? Absolutely nothing. No grading papers, no lesson plans, no TpT products...and you know what? That's OK.

It always seems that teachers take on the load of the world. They sign up for this committee, that fundraiser, "Here! Let me help with that tutoring group!", and so on and so forth. I am so guilty of this mindset that I am NEVER DOING ENOUGH. There are always more ways I can help, more ways I can be involved. And all of this doesn't even cover my first and true job-to teach my kiddos. To be prepared with great lessons, engaging resources, scaffolding for those that will need the extra help.

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE being busy and involved. I am that teacher that thrives on being booked to the max. I love my lists and I love having a busy schedule. It's what I know and what I'm good at. But that makes it especially hard to allow myself to take a break. To sit down and enjoy a snow day playing with my daughter instead of going, going, going. If you are like me, it is probably difficult for you, too.

It may not mean much, but here's your permission to take a break. Spend some time relaxing and finish the to-dos tomorrow. If anyone asks why you're sitting on your...couch, tell them you read a blog post and that the nice lady said it was OK. It may work.

New Year, New Adventures!

Have you ever had an idea that just clicked, the heavens opened, and you KNEW it was supposed to be? That's sort of what happened to myself (Sara) and my teaching partner/best friend Kelli this year. After creating countless centers, quizzes, activities, you name it for our own classrooms the past couple years, we finally had that AH-HA! moment of, "Gosh, why don't we take all the stuff we've made and share it with others? Surely if we needed it, there are other teachers out there who need it too!" Or something like that. Thus, 2BrightBlondeTeachers was born. Because 2DumbBlondes (the original idea) probably wasn't gonna sell much. So, here we are.

 

Despite all the preparation, the planning, budgeting, inspiring pep talks and long conversations about exactly which Hello font to use in our next product, we have loved every second of starting this journey together. For both of us, this new venture is something that feeds our souls. Being able to take our love of teaching, the fun part of creating products and buying adorable clipart, plus the fellowship and camaraderie that comes with working so closely together makes our classrooms and our lives better. What's the whole brain teaching rule...something along the lines of "Keep your dear teacher happy"? My kiddos won't have to work so hard at that when I am feeling fulfilled with my job and my peers. Win-win! 

 

So this first post kicks off something of a new mantra for us with the whole New Year, New Adventures. We are inspired, we're ready to kick it into high gear and see some awesome things happen this year. To share all of that gung-ho-ness with you, we are posting our very first TpT product as a flash freebie-today through 9 pm on Sunday. So grab it quick! It's a New Year, New Adventures (are you sensing a theme here?) packet with writing activities, leveled text passages, comprehension questions, and more. We are so hopeful you will love it and post some feedback for us to get the ball rolling. And, if you're up for it, we'd love to connect with you and your blog and be those teachers/women/mommies/wives that build each other up. Thanks for stopping by!! If you visit our store, stay tuned as we post new items. Be sure to follow us  on TpT, Instagram Twitter, and Pinterest!

 

You can grab that freebie in our 2BrightBlondeTeachers TpT store by clicking on the preview below:

 

 

A little about us, since we're sort of new on the scene and we want to get to know you! We teach in the southwestern part of Missouri, in a mostly rural community. I (Sara) am in my fourth year of teaching, graduated from Missouri State University, and am ALMOST DONE with my masters in instructional technology. Can I get an amen?? Kelli has been teaching 6 years, also a graduate of Missouri State, and that stinker finished her masters 2 years ago. We both just became Google Apps for Education (GAFE) certified educators after spending 3 hours staring at a computer screen and saying things like, "Oh darn, I created a new event instead of a calendar!" and "Whoa, what boxes did you check for number three?" But alas, we passed! And in case you were wondering, yes, we are both natural blondes, although we subscribe to the platinum highlight like everyone else. Don't judge. :) We are both mommies-my 9-month-old squishy ball of giggles is now cutting her top two teeth, and Kelli's high school kiddos are both driving or permit driving. Yikes. Clear the roadways, people. We are dog lovers in the extreme...don't be surprised to see posts about the fur children thrown in the mix every once in awhile. That's about it! Comment below with your New Year, New Adventures, and let us know a little about you!

 

Kelli and Sara

2BrightBlondeTeachers

Coming Soon!

Check back for a new adventure in the new year!

January 1st, 2016