Our TpT Giveaway is extended through Wednesday + a Christmas Craft

As a thank you for stopping by our blog, we are offering a giveaway from our Teachers Pay Teacher store.  If you are new to our blog, and haven't yet commented, just leave a comment below and we will give you your choice of ANYTHING $5 and below for free.  Check out the link above to see the items in our store you can choose from.  This offer is good through Wednesday.

Be sure to put your email in the comment box and tell us what item you would like from our store so that we can email it to you.  If you would rather write a comment and then email us with your email address and item choice, please email us at cutesyclickables@gmail.com.

Thank you for your comments and please leave feedback of any kind, including letting us know what you would like to see us write about on our blog.

If you give us a shout out on your blog, you can get the $5 freebie AND any item (no maximum value) for free from our TPT store!! 

A great big THANK YOU to these wonderful bloggers for giving us a shout out!  Please check out their blog!


Sparkling in Third Grade 
Pixy Stix and Teacher Tricks
LuckeyFrog's Lilypad
Literacy Sundae
I Love My Classroom
My Life as a Third Grade Teacher
Fourth Grade Flipper
Elementary School Garden
First Grade Friendly Frogs

Apples, Books, and Crayons

There's just something about Christmas that makes me think about cute crafts!!  I found a really cute craft that looks pretty easy and fun!!

I couldn't find the source

I thought this tree would be cute on the front of a card or just as an art project.  I think parents would enjoy getting a card like this from their child, and, especially as kids get older, they make less homemade gifts for their parents.  It seems pretty simple, just cut strips of paper and glue!!  Add some glitter and you have a super cutesy Christmas tree!  Students can take it home with a cute message from them on the inside!  I know I'd love to receive one from my daughter!!  (how many times can I say cute in one post?!?)

*Amanda*

Thank yous, A Giveaway, and a Doughnut Snowman!- (That makes sense, right?)

First off we want to give a great big THANK YOU to all of our new followers and to our wonderful new blogging friends who are showing us so much support!!  We can't wait to get to know everyone!!  What an adventure we've started!!

Next up, since we love teachers (of course we do, because we ARE teachers) and we know teachers LOVE freebies (ok, maybe I'm only speaking for myself here but I'm a teacher and I love freebies so...) we are extending our giveaway to Wednesday.  We know some of you may not have made it to our blog over the weekend, or maybe you wanted to let some friends know about us, so, since we love to share, the sharing continues!  Check below for the original post and link to our TpT store.

Now onto sharing a craftivity.  Since I have three children (ages 8, 4, and almost 2) we have an Elf on the Shelf.  When Rosie (that's our elf) came back this year, she brought a breakfast treat for the kiddos.  Here's a picture:

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I originally saw this on Pinterest (of course) and thought it would be a fun surprise for the kids.  He is made from 3 small powdered donuts.  His buttons are M&Ms, his nose is half a mini-carrot, his eyes and mouth are Nerds, his scarf is a piece of the Pull -n- Peel Twizzlers, and his hat is a Rolo.  A total sugarfest for breakfast for sure!!  But how often do I let them have something like that for breakfast (ummmm, let me think, like, never!)?  The only problem was that the donuts were hard after sitting out all night, but luckily, we had a box full that Rosie left for them to enjoy as backup. (the only thing I would have added that I didn't have was pretzel stick arms.)

Anyway, I was thinking this would be a really great craft to do with students.  They could write a "recipe" for the snowman and/or a "How To" piece of writing.  Then, after building it and doing the writing activity, of course, they would eat it (and I'd probably do it at the end of the day so I can get them all sugared up and then send them home!!).

Here is a recipe "card" that students could fill out.  I would copy page 1 and 2 front and back and then cut it in half.  You could copy it on cardstock to really give it the recipe card feel.

Page 1

Page 2

Or, they could write the recipe on a full page.


Or, they could do a "How to" writing piece on this sheet.

Of course, then I got to thinking about the unit we made comparing Goldilocks and the Three Snow Bears and how I could incorporate THAT but I'm not sure how we'd build a polar bear from donuts.  I'm sure the kids would have a lot of fun (and get completely covered in powdered sugar) trying.  But, I'm not sure I'm ready to tackle that one yet.  What do you think?  Can you think of a way to build a donut polar bear?  ;O)  I think I might just stick with the snowman.  Here's a link to that unit in our TpT store.  And, if you haven't commented yet, you COULD choose it as your freebie!! (If you wanted to.)  :O)

Have a great Monday!!

*Amanda*

Our Giveaway:

As a thank you for stopping by our blog, we are offering a giveaway from our Teachers Pay Teacher store.  If you are new to our blog, and haven't yet commented, just leave a comment below and we will give you your choice of ANYTHING $5 and below for free.  Check out the link above to see the items in our store you can choose from.

Be sure to put your email in the comment box and tell us what item you would like from our store so that we can email it to you.  If you would rather write a comment and then email us with your email address and item choice, please email us at cutesyclickables@gmail.com.

Thank you for your comments and please leave feedback of any kind, including letting us know what you would like to see us write about on our blog.

If you give us a shout out on your blog, you can get the $5 freebie AND any item (no maximum value) for free from our TPT store!! 

We will be slower at responding since we are heading into the classroom, but I promise we will get your freebie sent to you!!

A great big THANK YOU to these wonderful bloggers for giving us a shout out!  Please check out their blog!

Sparkling in Third Grade 
Pixy Stix and Teacher Tricks
LuckeyFrog's Lilypad
Literacy Sundae
I Love My Classroom
My Life as a Third Grade Teacher
Fourth Grade Flipper
Elementary School Garden
First Grade Friendly Frogs

(I hope I got everyone!  If I missed you, please let me know and I will add you!!)

*Amanda and Stacia*

Teachers Pay Teachers Weekend Giveaway

*Please click here to see our newest giveaway post

As a thank you for stopping by our blog, we are offering a giveaway from our Teachers Pay Teacher store.  Just leave a comment below and we will give you your choice of ANYTHING $5 and below for free.  Check out the link above to see the items in our store you can choose from.

Be sure to put your email in the comment box and tell us what item you would like from our store so that we can email it to you.  If you would rather write a comment and then email us with your email address and item choice, please email us at cutesyclickables@gmail.com.

This offer is good for Saturday, December 8th and Sunday, December 9th.

Thank you for your comments and please leave feedback of any kind, including letting us know what you would like to see us write about on our blog.

****Update- If you give us a shout out on your blog, you can get the $5 freebie AND any item (no maximum value) for free from our TPT store!!****  

Thank you to:
 Sparkling in Third Grade 
Pixy Stix and Teacher Tricks
LuckeyFrog's Lilypad

for already giving us a shout out!!

*Amanda and Stacia*

Teachers Pay Teachers Weekend Giveaway!

*Please click here to see our newest giveaway post

As a thank you for stopping by our blog, we are offering a giveaway from our Teachers Pay Teacher store.  Just leave a comment below and we will give you your choice of ANYTHING $5 and below for free.  Check out the link above to see the items in our store you can choose from.

Be sure to put your email in the comment box and tell us what item you would like from our store so that we can email it to you.  If you would rather write a comment and then email us with your email address and item choice, please email us at cutesyclickables@gmail.com.

This offer is good for Saturday, December 8th and Sunday, December 9th.

Thank you for your comments and please leave feedback of any kind, including letting us know what you would like to see us write about on our blog.

****Update- If you give us a shout out on your blog, you can get the $5 freebie AND any item (no maximum value) for free from our TPT store!!  Thank you to Stephanie from Sparkling in Third Grade for the first shout out!****

*Amanda and Stacia*

Cutesy Desk Space

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I found this on Pinterest (which I am obsessed with- Pinterest that is) and I just LOVED it.  It's a framed cork bulletin board for the many pieces of paper floating around on my desk!  

I get tired of off-white cinder block walls, and I probably overcompensate by putting lots of colorful posters up.  The color makes me happy, but sometimes having something just for me would be fun!  So, when I saw this, I knew it was for me!

It's a very simple way to make an adult space (albeit it's a small space that I have) a little more fun.  Now, the question is, how do I hang it on cinder block without giving my head custodian heart palpitations?  That's the only question still lingering.  If you have any ideas of how to hang something heavy on a cinder block wall without screwing into it, please let me know!!

*Amanda*

Please scroll down to check out our Holiday Freebie Giveaway!!

Holiday FREEBIE!

Hi everyone! We are so excited about our holiday FREEBIES! 

The first 5 people to sign up to follow our blog (enter your email in the "follow by email" box or choose Join this Site) and write a comment will receive their choice of 1 of  these 3 products from our Teachers Pay Teachers Store! Leave us your email in the Comments Box or email us at Cutesyclickables@gmail.com

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Thanks for checking out our blog! 

*Stacia and Amanda*

Holiday Giveaway!

Happy Wednesday! We have a FREEBIE giveaway today! 

The first 5 people to sign up to follow our blog and write a comment will receive their choice of 1 of  these 3 products from our Teachers Pay Teachers Store! Leave us your email in the Comments Box or email us at Cutesyclickables@gmail.com

Link

Link

Link

Thanks for checking out our blog! 

*Stacia*

Phases of the Moon Observation Book

Children are fascinated with space.  It's one of those subjects that I love teaching about because they really get into it.  One of the subjects we talk about is the phases of the moon.  We can't send students to Mars or Mercury but something they see most every night, the moon, is something we can definitely explore together.  I want to make sure that they actually observe the phases while we are talking about it in our science lessons.  My hopes are that they can make a real life connection and better understand what they are learning about.

This year I decided that I wanted them to try to go outside as many times as they could, observe the moon, draw it, and write the phase.  We can't grade homework, but I offered them an E in effort if they would complete as many pictures as they could over a 3 week period.  

Here is the book that I gave them to complete:

Click on the link below to download this for free.

My Phases of the Moon Observation Book- Freebie

I put the cover page on the front and then printed as many copies as I needed for the second page.

Another idea is just to print out a calendar for the month you are in and have them draw it on that calendar.  My cutesy gets in the way, though, so that's why I made a cutesy book.  I don't think it really matters what they log it on, as long as they are making observations and connections!!

One other thing I wanted to share with you is a Phases of the Moon song that my students love.  I am linking it below.  Talk about a song that gets stuck in your head!  But that's what we want for the students!!  It needs to get stuck in their head so they'll remember the order!!

Mr. Lee- Phases of the Moon Rap

Also, check out our Moon Pack in our Teachers Pay Teachers store.  It has everything you need to teach about the moon.  It's a science and language arts integrated pack using The Moon Book by Gail Gibbons.  I've linked it here.  Check it out!

The first 10 people who follow our blog will get this Moon Pack for free!!  Just type your email into the box at the top left of this page and then comment below and make sure you put your email address in the comment so we can send you your free Moon Pack!!

Enjoy!!
*Amanda*

Treat Bags -12 Days to Winter Break Countdown!

One of our bags!!

Well we have made it to that exciting time- countdown to winter break.  Hooray!  Teachers and students are feeling it... and we know that as students get more and more excited about the break and the holidays, behavior gets a little... shall we say... unruly?  I'm not much for "bribery," but I am all about rewarding those students who are constantly doing what they are supposed to be while their peers are acting up.  So, our 12 days to Winter Break Countdown is not exactly bribery, but, maybe if it can motivate some of those students to behave just a little bit longer, they can earn the incentive, too.  As with most things, this was not my original idea, but an idea that several teachers at my school participate in.  I'm not sure where it originated from, but I'm glad to share it with others if it can help us all make it, sanely, to our break!!  :O)

Here's how it works:  We send home a letter that explains what we are up to.  It explains how students get excited and sometimes their excitement gets in the way of learning.  It asks for parents to send in something very small that we can add to our bags each day for those students who have shown excellent behavior.  We ask that parents send in one per child in the class.  We suggest items like individually wrapped candy, pencils, erasers (basically anything you can find at the local Dollar Store or in a dollar section).  Then, when there are 12 days left until break (which for us would be tomorrow, Dec. 4th) we begin putting the treats in the bags for those students.

If each of my students actually brought in items, we'd obviously have more than 12 days worth of fun things to put in the bags.  If that's the case, on the day before the break, I add one of each of the leftover items into their bags and they get to take them home that last day before break as their goodie bag.  

Now, the question is, do I really NOT give some of the kids treats?  Well........sometimes.  If I've had to say a student's name many, many times over the course of a day (you know the child I'm talking about) I will tell them that they will not get a treat that day.  But, I will also tell them they can earn it back if they can turn their day around.  But, if the student is really being difficult, I will tell them they don't get a treat and I really won't put one in there.  Odds are, that student will still get treats on other days and the extras that we send home.

We did ask that parents send it in as a surprise, but since most of the students brought them in on the bus, they know what it is.  I am the one in charge of putting the treats in the bags, not students.  And, I do not let them look in the bags during the countdown.

As you can see from yesterday's post, we love the gingerbread stories.  I usually do a gingerbread themed party before the break as well.  So, our bags have gingerbread men and women on them.  All we did was print out a blank gingerbread man (clipart) and they colored them any way they wanted.  

Another bag!

We put our bags on the table in front of my desk so I could easily add treats.  Some teachers staple them up high along the top of their bulletin board so their students can't access them or see inside.  I tried that one year but they got so heavy they started falling off.  So, this year I decided on just putting them on my table.

Room for lots of treats!!

I hope that you have found this helpful!!  Happy countdown to winter break!!
*Amanda*

Gingerbread Fun!

I can't believe the weekend is almost over...it always seems to fly by especially during the holiday season...so much to do and not enough time...

I LOVE gingerbread cookies and gingerbread houses! I also LOVE the gingerbread stories! I remember when I was in school, we always heard the story of the gingerbread man. We all knew how it went, he ran and ran and no one could catch him until he met a clever fox or wolf. Then chomp! But when I started teaching, I discovered a whole world of adorable gingerbread stories. The students love them because they are able to make predictions about what will happen and usually they are surprised because each version is different. I always do lots of compare and contrast activities. 

I can't wait to start my gingerbread unit this week! I will read some of my favorites- The Gingerbread Baby and Gingerbread Friends both by Jan Brett. 

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Here is a link to my unit I created- 

Click Here

After we work through our unit, I give each student a gingerbread cookie to decorate. I ask for parent volunteers to send in frosting, sprinkles, candies, etc. It's always a lot of fun! 

I also found a cute idea on Craft Elf!

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This gingerbread notepad is so cute! It would be a great parent gift!

Or, you could have students use at a center- they could solve math facts on the notes, create spelling words while playing Boggle, or find different parts of speech in a book they are reading. The ideas are endless! 

Have a great Monday!