Lopez Land Learners: May 2015

Monday, May 25, 2015

Summer Time is Like a Ukelele! Blog Hoppin' Fun

Summertime!! Summertime!! I definitely don't have the Summertime Blues!!

My Papaw Johnny (grandfather for all of you non-Southern folks) used to always sing one line that said "Summertime is Like a Ukelele!" It would make me laugh and smile great big. I think that was the point of the song as I don't really think a song with this lyric exists. He was always full of life and itching at the chance to make me giggle and as he put it, "act like you are Susie Q from Bar B Q." We used to sit out on his porch after the afternoon sun went down and just enjoy the early evening. I would get up and catch lightning bugs and put them in a jar for a bit to watch them light up before releasing them back into the night right when the mosquitos were about to start nipping. Those days were some of the most pure, down home good times of my life. He enjoyed traveling and took me to places of wonder like Washington D.C., where I fell in love with the Lincoln Statue, to New York, Canada, and all through parts of where the fight for America's Independence took place. Lucky for me, my amazing husband is a travel buff as well because we hit the road during summer and love going on new adventures. We just pack up and drive not always sure where we are hoping to end up! We LOVE IT!!!!!

To celebrate summer in a Splashy way, I have linked up with some amazing bloggers who are giving away great freebies at every stop along with a Rafflecopter of a giveaway at each stop as well!!! How stinking awesome is that!!!!

My students love reading and one of my personal motivators is to give them AR brag tags to wear on chains either around their neck or attach to backpacks. They LOVE These!!!! 5th graders.. I promise!! Here is the link to my Sampler pack. The full pack will be loaded in the next few days! I give tags for # of books read as well as # of points earned via Accelerated Reader! If you download I would really appreciate your feedback!

Another fun thing to win, is my Singular, Plural & Possessives Noun Bundle

This 3 card set is in the middle of a facelift! Above is one set that is finished and the other 2 will be proofed and loaded by June 1! If you win, you will be sent the old set for now and the new set on June 1!! Pretty sweet deal!!! Click on the Rafflecopter to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wait!! There's MORE greatness awaiting you!! The summertime fun is by no means over!!!! Click on the sun to take you to Education Highway's blog and her amazing freebie and rafflecopter entry!!!

http://educationhighway.blogspot.com/2015/05/splish-splash-its-summertime-blog-bash.html

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Summer in Southern California... Sea Glass, Berries, & Freebies

http://www.easyteachingtools.com/2015/05/so-cal-end-of-year-link-up-freebies.html

Southern California... isn't it always summer in So Cal? Growing up in Northeastern Tennessee, the only thing about California I knew was that it must always be sunny, everyone lived at the beach, and all of the best tv shows came from there... aka Starsky and Hutch! After moving here the summer before my senior year of high school, I KNEW there was so much more to Southern California!

Let me tell you, Southern California, and well Northern California is NOT hot all of the time, especially in the summer. I live in Oxnard, which is a coastal city about 35 miles south of Santa Barbara and 60 miles north of Los Angeles. Summer nights often have us bringing out sweatshirts because of the cool ocean breeze.

One of the most amazing parts of So Cal is its beach life! Truly one of the most spectacular sights to see are the amazing animals and plants that surround us.

Poor Refugio Beach. These pics were taken 2 weeks ago before the horrible oil pipe burst fiasco!! Such a beautiful location with amazing tidepools that are now full of oil and suffocated animals and plants!

One of our favorite things to do at our beaches is hunt for sea glass! This one makes me laugh.. look at how huge it is!! My daughter had just told us a story of being at a dance club and a girl's jelly from her bra had flown out and landed on the dance floor. People screamed and it became, naturally, a riot! Art and I went to Zuma a few days later and I saw this clear monstrosity on the sand and I told him, "Watch out! Don't step on the jelly!" On our way back, I stepped on it by mistake and I realized it was sea glass!!!! Such a perfect specimen!

One of my other favorite things about So Cal is that everyone always thinks BEACH... but there is so much farm land near us that we are always blessed with great fruit and vegetables. Oxnard grows strawberries and holds the Strawberry Festival every year and in Moorpark, there is Underwood Farms where you can feed animals and pick your own berries pretty much all year long! Life is great in Southern California!! Come visit us ya'll!!

Did you think these pics were just to get you ready for some warm weather, good times, and great memories? You Betcha, Iris!! But I am also teaming up with some Southern California blogger friends with fun freebies and .... a gift certificate for TIEKS!!! Seriously cute comfy shoes!! What every teacher needs, Right?!!

Before you leave me for a tour of other amazing Southern California cities, here's a sample of my new AR Brag Tags! My 5th graders love earning these and wearing them on either their backpacks or on little necklaces that our school bought for Student of the Month and Perfect Attendance assemblies. The full set of AR Brag Tags through 100 points will be completed by June 1. If you purchase the set, you will be notified when it is updated!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Accelerated-Reader-AR-Brag-Tags-Book-Reward-Points-SAMPLER-1867612

An InLinkz Link-up

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Welcome to Day 2 of Teacher Appreciation Week! If you missed out yesterday, you can check out some great teaching secrets for your classroom HERE. Also, you don't want to miss out on the two giveaways we are hosting this week. If you didn't enter yesterday, you can do so now. Make sure you enter for both prize bundles so you have double the chance to win!

Enter to Win Prize Bundle #2 Here

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Enter to Win Prize Bundle #1 Here

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Today, we are offering a collection of high quality classroom resources at a huge discount. Below is a list of Best Selling Resources that have been discounted by 20%. You can receive an additional 10% off at checkout by using the code THANKYOU.

An InLinkz Link-up

We have also put together a collection of $1.00 Deals to help stock up your classroom for the rest of the year and next year. I know I have added several of these deals to my cart. Don't forget to use the code THANKYOU at checkout for maximum savings!

An InLinkz Link-up

Monday, May 4, 2015

What Works? Teacher Appreciation Linkup & Giveaway!!

Spring has sprung, testing for most is over, so how did the year go? How do you know? Are you critical of yourself or think back and wonder did you cover and teach them everything? If you are, you are.... wait for it..... NORMAL!!! Yes, extremely normal!! You have to remind yourself that you made an amazing impact on those children's lives regardless of how critical you are on yourself! From my 18 years of teaching, I have a few secrets that will keep you from pulling out all of the hair you are going to need come August when a new set of bright eyed babies enter your realm. To prepare for that, try these few steps and see if you can find the strength to reach back and pat yourself on the back and say, "Hey, job well done!" To remind you of the amazingness of you and everyone you work with, I have teamed up with some pretty amazing educators to bring you a Teacher Appreciation Linkup and Incredible Giveaway!!! Sit back and enjoy!!!! PAWSitively Teaching and Inspired Owl's Corner have prizes that will knock your socks off.... I guarantee it!! Be sure and follow the linky and rafflecopter below to win!

Take pictures! I started taking pictures of students working on projects, of posters and art projects we created, as well as my students working in teams long before it was cool! I know for some of you uhm, experienced teachers out there, you can hear Barbara Mandrell singing about being country when country wasn't cool! For you, uhm, younger folks, you tube her!! Why take pictures? My colleague used to ask me that all of the time!! Well, taking pictures not only gives me little treats to send home as end of the year gifts in mini albums or student yearbooks, but it also makes me realize how much I did that year and how my students always are engaged. No one is ever pouting, saying they are bored, or off topic.. they are always spot on working so hard it makes my heart sing!!

Celebrate you by keeping the letters and cards the students give you for those days you just aren't quite sure why you do what you do!! These have made my heart more than sing for 18 years and I have all of them!!! Even the ones they write when school first starts and they realize they are in YOUR class..priceless!!

I always enjoy reading my students' writing but when it is their opinions of me it makes it even better!! Provide your students with that chance by downloading my FREE until May 8th Teacher Appreciation QR Code Writing Prompt Cube and having them roll the dice and choose one of the 6 prompts to write about YOU: their favorite teacher! You will enjoy them for years to come and will remember You are a teacher because YOU are changing young peoples' lives FOREVER!!! I salute you all!!