I made it happen...one last post before school starts...

I didn't think I was goin' to be able to link up with my 

sweet friend Tara from 4th Grade Frolics this week.

I'm so very glad I was wrong.

It's not often that I admit I'm wrong...

you better write this date down somewhere.

LOL!

My first MMI has been 

in my mind for a long time

and I'm happy that I finally made it happen.

I picked up some bright 7 inch colored plates

at Dollar Tree (pink, yellow, green, blue, purple) and 

Walmart (tangerine) because

my vision was to put Scientific Method posters

on them.

My hope is to maybe entice my students

to quickly remember the steps.

I used these 

Scientific Method Posters

that I found free a few years ago while

I was blog surfin'.

I made 6 inch

circles on Powerpoint, typed up the info and printed.

*I am not offerin' these up for grabs because

this was not my original idea.

I just made it work for me personally

and have to give credit where credit is due.

I did give you a size hint though if you want

to make your own.

I also made my FAVORITE dessert
in the whole wide world...space included.
My Nitty and I used to make this when I was little.
It's seriously the easiest thing you could ever make
and it will disappear quickly.

*Another funny apron for you.  

It's true.

Golden Grahams, Vanilla Ice Cream and Hershey's Syrup.

Marshmallows are optional.

Directions:  

Take the bag of cereal out of the box...

Smoosh...smush? 

However you spell it...do that...

while the cereal is still in the bag.

Place about half of the cereal on the bottom 

of a casserole dish.

Squirt chocolate syrup EVERYWHERE.

Add marshmallows in there if you want 

to really make it a Smore's Delight.

*I personally don't love marshmallows in mine.

Start scoopin' ice cream on top of the cereal.

Place the rest of the cereal on top of the ice cream.

Squirt some MORE syrup.

Place in the freezer.

Eat as much as your heart desires...

because I said so.

If you don't love this...we can't be friends.

I also made a Homework board from Tara's 

Where Are We Subject Cards 

mixed with her

Homework Club Header and Numbers
(Kids & Colors Theme).

*Homework in my class is readin' for pleasure

which I do on a trust basis...

and it works for ME.

Every class is different though.

Other homework might be...

Sharin' Class News with a parent,

gettin' your agenda signed, 

a quick "exit ticket" on Edmodo online, etc.

I just don't assign "traditional" homework.

I'd rather my babies spend extra time in class 

where they can enjoy some practice 

and I can give them 

immediate feedback.

This works better for us instead of usin'

that time to check homework.

It saves frustration from occurin'

at home...for students and parents....

and ME.

How will this work in my class this year?

Students will have to remove their number

if they do not do their "homework".

I will reward students whose numbers stay on the board.

I haven't decided yet if I will do it weekly or monthly.

Students will also earn "Behavior Bucks" for 

doin' their homework.

A long time ago I made a Pinterest board for
Video Shorts for Reading.
My awesomeness friend AMC from Elementary AMC
was really my inspiration for this because
she has an amazin' Pinterest board
Classroom Videos.
I LOVE usin' short videos in the classroom
to switch things up...and the kiddos do too!

When I saw that the talented, techy Cheryl from
Techie Turtle Teacher has
a weekly linky
Movie Clip Monday...
I knew I needed to contribute somethin'.

Ormie the Pig is one of my favorites.

I've even blogged about how I used this in a writin'

activity in my classroom.  Read HERE.

Monday really is the very BEST day for blog readin'!

Happy Monday, friends!

Some things are harder to make than they look....Monday Made It

Y'all...some things are way harder to make

than they look...true story.

I'm linkin' up with my sweet friend Tara from 

4th Grade Frolics for my favorite linky...

Monday Made It.
This is long...stick it out to the END.
It'll be worth it...I promise!
Hello...Amazon gift card!

Everyone stand up and curtsy...or bow

for Aris from Sailing into Second.

Last week she made the most ADORABLE

banner gif thingy for her TpT Store.

Look at it here before you read any further.

I'll wait for you to finish readin'...

Hers is just so precious and I decided the first time 

I saw it (love at first sight)...that I WANTED one too.

There is NO WAY (yes, I'm shoutin' this)

that mine could even compare to hers...ever...BUT

I was DETERMINED to have one...even

if it did take me a REALLY long time  

to make my own and it's nowhere as cute as Aris'.

ARE Y'ALL READY FOR THIS?

Cue rockin' roll music and air drum your fingers.

I DID IT!

The BEST advice I can give you...

READ Aris' post.

Here it is again if you missed it up there.

I followed her directions that lead me to 

Christi Fultz's tutorial.

*Read Christi's directions and then WATCH the video.

Don't be like ME and start workin' before you have

viewed that video...trust me.

When I was finished makin' the first image, I made 

a second and a third one.

I then dropped all three jpegs into 

www.makeagif.com

*Sign in with Facebook for free if you don't

want to use their watermark.  

After I had my gif saved, I then dropped 

the gif into 

www.photobucket.com

After I had my direct link from Photobucket, I 

then copied that and dropped it into 

http://tinyurl.com/

Final step, I used Christ Fultz's directions

again to input the TinyUrl code into TpT. 

*Aris...if by some magical chance you are readin' 

this, you seriously need to put up custom orders

for this flyin' banner thingy in your TpT store.

You will make billions.

I would like to be your first customer...please!

I'm not jokin'...have your people get with my people.

And by my people...I mean ME!  

I'm beggin' you!

I also made a banner thingy.

I'm a banner newbie,

so I will probably get tired of it in about three days

and want a new one.

I found a fun little tutorial on TpT...

and it was a freebie from Camping Store.

Some of you may be thinkin'...

"Whatevs Alison...

makin' banners

is SO last summer"

and guess what...

you would totally be right. 

I'm obviously late to the party.

In my defense...I DID take the past year

off from bloggin'...

just wanted to throw that back out there.

I need to give Stories by Storie a shout-out also.

She also wrote about changin' out your 

TpT store front last week and inspired

me to "just do it"!

Thank you!

I also made some "Pals" from Polka Dots and Pal's

Create-a-Pal Base Set

This was so F-U-N.  

It was like relivin' my childhood and playin' paper dolls.

I just couldn't decide which one suited me the best.

I wear my hair all of these different ways.

I'm horrible at makin' decisions.

I think everyone should make their own Pal!

Does anyone think these look like my favorite crazy pants?

I have a palazzo pant addiction...if you didn't already know.

Before we leave these two techy made-its...

Have y'all checked out the 

Technology Tribe Pinterest page?

You should think about followin'.

Lots of great technology pins have been added

from blogs and other sources 

in the past two weeks!

Thank you to Rachel Burden from 

180 Days to Happy for settin' it up.

I love butterflies.  

I'm pretty sure my classroom decor 

has an identity crisis every year.

The theme is supposed to be Rockstars,

but through the years I have added in pieces

of things I love...

butterflies & giraffes bein' the main additions.

I saw this outside of Kirkland's and I could NOT walk away.

It's wings were whisperin' my name.

Even better...it was on SALE with an additional 25% off.

I quickly ran inside and asked them if they would put it on hold for me.

After a little beggin' from me and the promise of a new fishin' reel,

Jerm took his truck back to pick it up and even put it

together for me.

So, I guess my "made it" is...I made Jerm

help me on his day off.

I'm lucky he loves me and my bossiness.

When I woke up on Saturday mornin' he was busy puttin' it
together for me and told me...
"You almost missed Monday Made It because you
were Sleepin' In On Saturday".
I love him!

I have no idea WHERE it's goin' to fit in my classroom.

I will have to make space....

 even if I have to put my desk...

on the ceilin'.

This was also on sale for $13....it had to come home with me too!

It will match my room...and might also have to go on

the ceilin'....yikes!

See if you can find a spot for it to fit...

See....I bet you didn't find a spot either...
no more room left to put anything except children.
*These are last year's beginnin' of the years pics.
I can't get in my room to work some magic until
Summer School is over and carpets are cleaned.

Everyone made such a big deal about 

Jerm's Corn Salsa & Key Lime Tart

from last week

that I had to get back 

into the kitchen with him...again.

You guys OWE me BIG time.

You know how much
I LOVE the kitchen.
*One day I'm goin' to get struck by lightnin'
as a punishment for my sarcasm.

Just look at all the love me bein' in the kitchen
got last week from my BBB's.

Ali from Teaching Powered by Caffeine

pretty much told me she loved me
(more than she already did)
 because she made Jerm's Corn Salsa...
minus the black beans

and jalapeno.
Her yummy creation made her happy...which
made me happy.

Erin from Miss Lifesaver
made Jerm's Corn Salsa too...
and some other yummies!
She even tagged me in a picture on FB.
I tagged Jerm and told him he is famous.
Miss Lifesaver KNOWS who the kitchen boss
is around here.
*Hint: It's not me.

Carol from Teachers are Terrific made the 

Key Lime Tart and sent me pictures.

She added toasted meringue to hers

and I'm goin' to be honest...her pictures

made me want to eat her tart...with a shovel.

She put mine to shame. 

Okay...focus Alison...

kitchen...cookin'...cute apron...torture.

Sandcastle Cake

Not sure where I got the pan...maybe T.J. Maxx

or Marshall's several years ago.

This past weekend was my mother-in-love's birthday

so we made this for her because she loves the beach.

The castle didn't want to come out of the pan, so 

we lost some of the towers, but that's okay...

we just added some candy for distractions.

(Swedish fish, seahorsies, and Sour Patch Kids)

The sand on the sandcastle is Vanilla Wafers.

I got chased out of the kitchen for tryin' to steal frostin'.

I didn't make y'all a cute recipe card this week

because we were in a hurry and used a cake mix.

You can just call us "Mr. and Mrs. Betty Crocker". 

I discovered somethin' while in the kitchen...

I still don't like bein' in there.

My friend Jamie from Life As I Know It... is havin' 

an awesome Back to School giveaway and 

asked me to join in the fun!

Make sure you head over to her blog for a chance

to win a $35 Amazon Gift Card and $15 to my TpT store.

I just put up a bundle of my best-seller Rockin' Behavior Beads.

Happy Monday, friends!

Want to be friends? Check "yes" or "no"...

Hey friends...it's Monday.

Time for "Monday Made It" with Tara from 4th Grade Frolics.

I've been stalkin' nonchalantly scrollin' through

Instagram and every other Social Media outlet

known to mankind

to find out what I was missin' in Vegas.

I almost hopped in the car and drove

8 hours to stalk meet you in person.

My first made it is somethin' that I shared 

in a post last week. 

Read HERE.

Did you read it?

Do NOT 

go any further with this post unless

you clicked up there where it says HERE.

Not jokin'...

Now you need to load the app!

I already have a set of the paper blocks at home, but 

I wanted to make these for you guys to see.

I am seriously in love 

with this...like whoa!

I really hope you read about the blocks here or 

that picture above will make absolutely no sense.

If you're new here, you might not know that I teach

Talented and Gifted.

Can you hear me screamin'....

I LOVE NERDS?!

For real...talk nerdy to me.

I one thousand percent celebrate nerdiness.

The nerdier, the better.

In my classroom,

I make a super big deal out of nerdy 

bein' the new cool.

It's a fact...nerds ROCK

and I'm proud to be a 

"Nerd Herd Leader".

In honor of all of my nerds near and far...

I've made a cute little sign that I printed

and popped in a 5 X 7 frame.

Shh...don't tell Mommy Rose that I'm diggin'

the frame (that I bought for her one Christmas)

and already have it hidden in my suitcase to 

take back to Florida.

I've already got a spot picked out for this on my desk.

Are you a Nerd Herd leader too?

Go scoop this up for FREE by clickin' here.

I also finished somethin' for my TpT store.  

If you use behavior beads in the classroom, this is for you!

Under the Sea Behavior Beads-Special Edition.

I have them up as a FREEBIE until midnight Monday.

Be sure to scoop them up and please leave some love.

 Last, but certainly not least...Miss Nelson

(Run! Miss Nelson's Got the Camera!)

 and I made a vacation linky.

We both love to travel, but always

end up goin' to the same places...borin' creatures of habit.

We need some fresh ideas and spots to go.

We'd love to have you join in with us.

This doesn't have to be teacher related 

unless you want to link up

about your Vegas vacation.

It can even be a throwback post.

It's totally up to you.

This will be open for a month!

Read about this here.

I can't wait to read all the Monday Made Its and catch

up on all the rockin' Periscope videos.

I watched at least 40 broadcasts while writin' this post!

My username is: @butterflialisun

if you want to be friends.

Check "yes" or "no".

Kiddin'!

Happy Monday, friends!

Tech Thursday: Elements 4D and a throwback-versary...

Hey there...

I'm linkin' up with Teaching Trio for 

Technology Thursday.

I've been SO out of the loop, 

so I don't know if this has been

shared before or not, but I am in LOVE 

with a new app

and the kiddos are too.  

I learned about this app at a Tech expo that my 

district hosted this past Spring.

You are goin' to want to load it...NOW!

Welcome
Elements 4D
into your life.

This is an Augmented Reality-Chemistry app.

This video that I found on my friend Google
does a fabulous job of 

explainin' how to use the paper blocks with the app...

to learn about elements.

Watch this and be WOW-ed!

Click here to access the paper blocks to use with the app.

*Use cardstock when printin' and con a super crafty

student into makin' your blocks for you...only

if you have a broken finger and can't cut or glue 

for yourself.

This app pairs nicely with the 

America's Most Wanted: Element Posters that

I have blogged about before here and here.

I know what you are thinkin'...

YOU'RE WELCOME!

You can now put on your:

"BESTEST TEACHER IN THE WHOLE WORLD"

crown.

Also...I missed my 2nd Blogiversary (at least it's in the same month),

so I wanted to do a

Throwback to last year's Technology Thursday

that just so happened to fall on my blogiversary.

Click on here or on the picture below to read my post.

Even though I haven't been bloggin' much,

I still stand behind these tips and tricks!

P.S.  Who likes Harry Potter?

If yes...

wave your wands in the air...

wave like you really do care!

I'm workin' on somethin' new....

Happy Thursday, friends.

Integrating Technology into Math...Tune into Technology

I was super bummed that I didn't get to jump in on 

one of my favorite summer linkys last week.

I'm joinin' two of my favorite blogs,

iTeach 1:1 & Learning to the Core

for Tune into Technology.

As you can see by the button, this week's topic is:

Integrating Technology into Math

I do A LOT of Math in my class.

TWO HOURS worth of Math...

EVERY...

DAY!

My kids do not do Math homework.

Yes, you read that right.

I haven't done Math homework in my room

for two years and it's worked out great, but 

that's a whole other post.

I do Math first thing every mornin'.

I call my kiddos over to my carpet area and they

spread out on the floor with their Math textbooks and binders...

with a perfect view to our SMARTboard.

I have written about this here and here before.

After we do a whole group lesson,

I split my kids into five flexible Math groups.

1) Desktop computers

2) iPads or laptops

3) Math games on the carpet

4) Small group at my teacher table

5) Independent/Group work

One of the things that I did last year was Math Journals

Since we moved to online Math standardized testin'

a few years ago in Florida, 

I thought it would be important to add in a component

this year for my students to be able to reply

to a Math journal prompt electronically.

I have battled back in forth between usin' a Google Doc

or just havin' them respond via email or Edmodo to me.

We use Edmodo daily for assignments, but I think my 5th graders 

need more practice with emailin'.

Each student in my district has their own email address.

I think it's good to switch up the programs you use often...or

the kids get bored with the same thing over and over.

I am pretty sure I'm goin' to try out the email first.

My reasonin'...

I can send out an email to each student and

they can send me a reply with their written/typed response.

This gives me the opportunity to add a comment back to them

without everyone else seein' what I've got to say.

Of course this is true with Edmodo too, but

like I said before...change is good.

I can use this idea in the desktop computer, laptop, or iPad centers.

These are the Math journals I use and what I wrote last year:

  I got the Math Journals from K-5 Math Teaching Resources. 

 They have journals for each grade level for purchase.  

They are Common Core aligned and 

so far I am really enjoying them.
I have the journal entry written 

in my lesson plans on my Planbook.  

I project this on my SMARTboard which is 

located in front of my teacher table.  

The kids copy the question and write an answer.  

After they are finished, they share the response with their group.

Now I can draft a few group emails to go out 

when I'm writin' my lesson plans. 

Also, I plan to keep usin' the followin' Math programs for home/school:

1) Study Jams Math-I use these little lessons and videos often

I use this list to keep help me plan and 

keep track of what we have watched.

2) Ten Marks-I love that I can go in and assign 

whatever skill or standard we 

are currently workin' on. 

3) XtraMath-Great for basic math fact practice 

and the kids love earnin'

the certificates from this program.

4) Learnzillion-Common Core aligned

5) Scootpad-individualized for each student.

6) Successmaker-the program my county uses for

Math & Reading.

7) Sumdog-the kids LOVE this site and really get into 

the competitions they offer.

 I also use a bazillion iPad apps...too many to list today. 

I can't wait to see what new stuff is out there

that I need to be doin' also!

I wish there was more time in the day.

Happy Tuesday, friends!