Tommie's Tools

The Keeping Quilt

2012-02-01T14:27:00.000-08:00

Challenge of the Week!

The challenge was to take these two products
and build a lesson around them.

At the top is one of the new 10" quilt squares.

The second product is a new mini bulletin board kit
Literacy Elements
which contains teaching ideas for several lessons
including characters, characterization, setting,
theme, mood, symbols, and more.

I spent today with a fifth grade class.
We made a quilt based on Patricia Polacco's
The Keeping Quilt.

From the mini bulletin board kit I chose

three elements to discuss....

characters, characterization, and symbols.

I gave each person in the class some post-it notes.

As I read the story we identified each character.

Someone would write the name of the person on a post-it note

and attach it to the character piece of the bulletin board.
The quilt passed through 5 generations so there were several characters.

Anna is one of the main characters of the story so we did the "post-it note thing" to identify the character qualities of Anna. She was brave, smart, poor, happy, hard-working, loving, and more.

Then we talked about the symbolism of the quilt....again with the post-it notes! We decided that the quilt symbolized many things including faith, love, comfort, joy, family......

We had a great time

Here are our pictures.

In each of the four corners we wrote
something that the quilt symbolized.

In the center square we wrote
The Keeping Quilt
and the names of some of the characters.

Each person added details to the square.

I "quilted" the pieces by attaching them together
with "mavalus" tape (the world's greatest tape!).

We had so much fun!!!

We challenge you to make your own quilt!

The kids offered to write testimonials

about how much fun they had.

Some of my faves from the new product release!

2012-01-30T10:35:00.000-08:00

Back from my trip to CTP in California and just wanted to share with you the CUTEST bulletin and mini bulletin board sets that are coming out! Great for Early Childhood classrooms!

Riveting Robots Bulletin Board Set

The Alphabet Mini Bulletin Board Set

Colors Mini Bulletin Board Set

Shapes Mini Bulletin Board Set

2012-01-13T07:14:00.000-08:00

I will be back after next week at CTP with lots of new ideas....

Until then check out

Melanie at http://www.schoolgirlstyle.com/.

The Rock Star theme goes with our new

Black and White decor so well.

Look What's New!

2012-01-09T07:02:00.000-08:00

It's that time again....

CTP announces the new products for 2012!

What is black and white and FUN all over????

The Designer Decor Collection

for this year from CTP is in

Black and White!

Enhanced by touches of color,

this classic color palette is

always in fashion and

adds FUN to your classroom.

The collection includes both
BW 6" and 10" Designer Cut-Outs.

They are perfect for cards and frames
for highlighting student work,
making covers for class books,
and for accents here and there.

Personalize and jazz up newsletters,
announcements, awards, and more with
BW Polka Dot Party Computer Paper.

Colorful BW Name Tags
come in two styles and are perfect
for new students, field trips,
or to label cubbies and books.

Personalize student desks, cubbies or folders with these fun
BW Name Plates.
They come in two different styles....
stripes and dots.

There are 8 new BW Borders.

Some with dots,
some with swirls,
some with flowers,
some with hints of colors,

Some have stars,
some are pennants,
some have stripes.

All are really cute and FUN!

There are also
BW Library Pockets
and
BW Happy Birthday Bulletin Board.

I can't wait to start making things from the
Black and White Designer Collection!

Watch for CTP's new 2012 catalog
coming soon to a mailbox near you!

I will be at the office in California next week.
I get to see and touch it all.
I will give you a report when I get back

Soldier Boxes

2012-01-02T07:30:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year

2012

I got this email this morning and it was such a

good idea that I had to pass it along.

My friend Susan has a passion for taking care

of the troops wherever they happen to be.

I thought some of you might have some things to share.

I went through my CTP stuff and collected

everything that had a heart on it.

You probably have some things, too.

You can send anything to me or contact your local USO.

Perhaps you like Susan have a passion for the troops.

So, in taking down my Christmas stuff, an idea struck me – if you are getting rid of any of your ornaments or small decorations that you are tired of, could you pass them along to me? I will store them in my attic until this coming November to send to our troops. If, by some miracle, they come home before then, I will donate the items to charity. I usually try to get out to the stores and buy stuff for 75% off, but I don’t know that there’ll be much left this week. Plus it’s hard to buy a gob of stuff when your husband is tagging along with you – you know what I mean, ladies! :-) He was home all last week and really cramped my style! Anyway, if you have anything, you can bring it to church & put it in the soldier box.

Along those lines, if you have any Valentine’s cards or small decorations that you won’t be using this year, I am gearing up to send that out this month so they’ll have the cards in time to send to their loved ones here at home. I will also take any cards on which you’d like to write a message to them. :-) Unfortunately, they get a TON of stuff at Christmas and then all of a sudden, mail slacks WAY off. A card goes a long way to brighten their day! Also, if you’d like to give your grandchildren something to do while they’re out of school, they can draw a Valentine picture or two. Children’s pictures make everyone smile! (Teachers this would make a great class project.)

2012 Blessings!

Susan

If you cannot find a way to donate locally contact me

through my email. tommie.netzer@creativeteahing.com .

I will send you my address.

You can send stuff to me and I will take it to the soldier box.

The prepaid boxes from the post office make shipping easy.

Susan sends out dozens of the boxes every week.

The $10 size holds a lot of stuff.

She is in direct contact with a few of the chaplains

who know what the troops need.

Last year at this time they needed sweats and socks to use in the hospital.

You can never tell what she will ask for.

She always fills the boxes with fun stuff too.

They love the comics section of the newspapers and old PEOPLE magazines.

One of their favorites is a birthday party box.

I think they just pass the stuff around to whoever has a birthday.

More later...but I wanted to share this today.

What a great way to kick off a new year!

Maybe soon she will not need to send any more boxes!!

Schoolgirl Style Gingerbread

2011-12-22T06:29:00.000-08:00

http://www.schoolgirlstyle.com/2011/12/christmas-and-winter-classrom-decorating/

Melanie always amazes me!

It may be too late for all the decorations but there is still time for a gingerbread party.
Check out her website and see all her fantastic stuff and a couple of really cute kids.

Gingerbread, candy canes, and hot chocolate....that could go on for all winter.

Plus, Jan Brett, my favorite!

Kate, my first grader, came home the other day and said...."I love Jan Brett!"

I said. ""Me too!"

Jan Brett says there is more to tell in a story than you can say with just words.

That is why she puts picture borders around the pages in her books.

You can spend as much time looking at the pictures

as you do reading the book.

There are several Christmas books by Jan Brett.

Find one and read it. Don't forget the pictures!

My favorite is Wild Christmas Reindeer. What is yours?

CTP 5889
http://www.creativeteaching.com/

2011-12-21T10:51:00.000-08:00

Happy Hanukkah to my Jewish friends....

This activity is from my favorite book

Making Memories.

Check our the e-book at

http://www.creativeteaching.com/

May we all be blessed by the lights of the season.

RACK'ed

2011-12-12T11:25:00.000-08:00

If you celebrate Hanukkah, I wish you.....Happy Hanukkah!
If you celebrate Kwanzaa, I wish you....Happy Kwanzaa!
I recently had a wonderful conversation with my beautiful doctor who was fasting for Ramadan.

I celebrate Christmas, so I wish you Merry Christmas!

Here is a great story that I "borrowed" from my friend Amy and Pinterest.
Amy is a great mother of two little boys, Preston and Bergen. Find out more about her on her blog. http://alsoknownased.blogspot.com/

You've Been RACK'ed!

Have you heard of Pinterest.com? It's a virtual bulletin board where you can not only organize your recipes, craft/decorating/style ideas - but you can spend hours (upon hours...upon hours) looking at other's pins as well. Friends, strangers, come one - come all.

My favorite right now is a list of Random Acts of Christmas Kindness (RACKs). This lady posted about doing random acts of Christmas during the season of advent to help us remember, it's about giving, not receiving. And you know, random acts tend to roll forward, and hopefully form a snowball of kindness during this wonderful, stressful season.

(These are some of the pictures from Pinterest. I am addicted to it too.)

My kids have been weird lately. Have yours? I'm not sure if it's

Christmas-itis, or if my 10 year old is starting the moody preteens early.

But it's been weird around here. Honestly, this is where these

random acts of kindness really come in handy.

When we are feeling snarky, doing something nice always helps turn it around.

Friday was no exception. We were all a little tense Friday night waiting for dad to get home from work. We loaded up in the car to take the dry cleaning and find a RACK to recover us from our attitudes. I've been saving this RACK for a nice day - it rained for like a whole week here, and this needed a nice, dry day.

We drove up to the main grocery store close to our home and attached candy canes to car doors with a little note. We got the note from the original RACKer, found on Pinterest. If you are so inclined, please use for your own family's RACKing or you can make up your own version.

I tied the note to candy canes and we ran through the parking lot attaching them to doors of cars. It was really very fun. Preston was so worried we were going to get into trouble for touching other people's cars. Such a rule follower, just like his momma. We ran back to the car and waited to see a shopper find their candy canes. But since it was dark, we could not really see. We imagine that they were all *very* happy and felt *very* blessed and decided to pass it on. And that's what we'll continue to imagine.

This was a very fun RACK!

We left the store to head to dinner. The restaurant had video games and a crane lift game to win balls. What a waste of money...um, I mean fun time. $.20 balls now cost $5.00! Anyway, Preston comes running over to tell me he did a RACK! He won a ball, and gave it to the 2 year old watching him. Oh, this momma's heart swelled up with pride - so proud of Preston and what he's learning from helping others. A Merry Christmas, indeed. I hope y'all had a great weekend and enjoy your week!

Regardless of how you celebrate the season, KINDNESS is always in season.

Go forth and RACK!!!

Deck the Halls

2011-12-05T14:30:00.000-08:00

Remember my creed....

Anything worth doing is worth over-doing!

and

Everything looks better with a bow!

It has been a while since I posted on my blog

but I have been busy re-enforcing my creed.

I want to show you all of my over-doing and my bows.

Bows at the front door to welcome you in.

Bows by the reindeer having fun in the back.

Bows on the baskets and bells too.

Bows on wreaths both fat and thin.

Bows both large and small

to deck all the halls.

No bow! Oh dear, I missed one!

or two!
What should I do?

Bows in the kitchen...

on baskets for plates for serving good food.

One, two, or three bows
how many do you need?

With bows and with food
Less is not More
More is More!

Bows on the fire wood but not in the fire.

Bows by the candles, but not very close.
A fire in the fireplace is really quite enough!

Bows on all tables and to deck all the walls.

Bows in baskets with Santa Claus.

Bows beside a Santa from 30 years ago.

Bows work in bathrooms just wait and see....

beside the sink or...

or on a toilet...

What do you think!

Bows on the Christmas tree from the top....

to the presents below.

BOWS, BOWS EVERYWHERE!

In this picture it seems the bow is on me!

Be careful when you deck the halls!

Ding, Dong, Ding, Dong,
Christmas Bells are Ringing!

Fun with CTP at NAEYC in Orlando

2011-11-16T05:48:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our CTP booth at NAEYC in Orlando, FL.

The People of Our Neighborhood was our theme.

These are some of the people in OUR neighborhood.

Presentation area was set up and ready for guests.

Projects made from our products were displayed.

Dr. Jean was there....singing and dancing.

Everyone joined in the Dinosaur Boogie.
Stomp Around!!!

I got to sing my favorite song with her...
May There Always Be Sunshine!

Lots of folks stopped in to join us for the presentations.

Who would believe that grown women would have so much fun wearing a border crown with a flower.

Doing More with Less.
That is what we were doing!!

When we started this session we knew that we were getting close to hitting the 100,000th visit to this blog.
Several of the ladies had phones with Internet access.
They all logged in to the blog.
This is Kay and Lisa who were the ones that
made us hit 100,000.

Can you believe it?!

Since People of Our Neighborhood was our theme
we made people, houses, and cars with our
10" and 6" cut outs.

The people were really cute!

I will show you more of the people in another post.

We had everyone from

Einstein to Ben Franklin in the booth.

We gave some of our visitors one of our
people cut outs and challenged them to
make a "Mini Me" using anything they
could find in any booth in the convention hall.
I love Dottie's creation.
Dottie's Mini Me even had earrings!

As you can tell we had a Rootin' Tootin' Good Time.

Happy Veteran's Day

2011-11-10T07:44:00.000-08:00

DFW airport is

one of the ports

of entry for soldiers coming home for two weeks of R and R.

Each time a group arrives at the airport

there is a group of more than

100 people from our area to

welcome them home.

Two weeks ago Trevor and I

joined the group welcoming 143 soldiers

coming in from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Lots of signs and flags waving

Crowds waiting for arrival of troops

This little girl is on her
grandpa's shoulders
looking for her dad.

It is good to have Dad home!!!!
PROUD

My Veteran.....1965!
Second Lieutenant Leonard Netzer
before leaving for Viet Nam

PROUD

Here is the celebration of Veteran's Day
at Heritage Elementary last year.

Make a scrapbooking design

I can't wait for all the flag waving

tomorrow at this year's

Veteran's Day Parade!

NAEYC

2011-10-30T15:12:00.000-07:00

I am all packed up and ready to go!

This week I will be in Orlando at the

National Association for the Education of the Young Child.

Isn't it much easier to say NAEYC???

I will be doing three presentations in the

CTP booth and one called

"The People in our Neighborhood"

for a larger group on Thursday at 11:00.

This is one of my favorite conventions.

I love these teachers.

They are my heroes!

From the Wisdom of Mr. Rogers

When I was very young, most of my childhood heroes wore capes,

flew through the air, or picked up buildings with one arm. They were spectacular and got a lot of attention. But as I grew, my heroes changed, so that now I can honestly say that anyone who does anything to help a child is a hero to me.

If you happen to be at the convention

be sure to come by to visit at the CTP booth #516.

I Used to Be Afraid of Scary Bats and Things Like That.....

2011-10-26T15:39:00.000-07:00

At this time of the year many teachers do units on

noctural animals or scary animals like

bats, owls, and spiders.

CTP has a series of books to help you do just that...

I Used to Be Afraid of......

Some animals, like this bat, look pretty scary

until you get to know about him.

This delightful reader will help to alleviate children's fears

by providing a fascinating, up-close look at how this creature lives

and why people do not need to be afraid.

This reader helps children appreciate the

positive contribution animals make to our world.

It includes sensible precautions people should

take when interacting with the animal.

Here are some pages from the book.

The magnificent images by Dwight Kuhn,

one of America's leading nature photographers.

Read the entire book

Teachin' Cheap (CTP 2335) has some ideas for books
that kids can make to record the information
that they learn from reading the books.

This is a paper bag that is made into a cave.
Information is written on the bat cut-outs
and put in the bag for others to read.

A book doesn't have to have a cover!
A paper bag works great!

Animals of the Night

Spiders

These are two others that are

part of a 12-book series

I Used to Be Afraid of......

For more information on all the books go to

http://www.creativeteaching.com/

Watch out for things that go bump in the night!!!

Flowers, Food, Fables and Fun in Germany

2011-10-21T09:23:00.000-07:00

Flowers

Some of the most beautiful flowers were in cemeteries.

Almost every house or building had a garden.

Shops had arrangements at the doors.

Gardens were everywhere.

Just to prove that we were there!

Food

I loved the markets in the town squares
filled with fresh vegetables.

Just ride your bicycle to do your shopping.

The breads were to die for....

This is the sign for the pretzel maker.

There is a legend about some monks and
the reason for the shape of the pretzel.
You will have to look it up.

Fables and Legends

Can you guess what this is?

Hundreds of locks.

The legend is....
A couple puts their names on the lock.
Then they attach the lock to a bridge and
throw the key into the river.
This locks their love forever.

Have you heard about Lucky Shamrocks?

Well this is the German take on that idea.

But be careful some are poisonous!

It must be mushroom season in Germany

because red mushroom decorations were everywhere.

The word for it is Gluckspilz!

Some translate it as "Lucky Devil".

I loved this city of Miltenberg.
The shops were wonderful.

I bought this coffee cup.
I will be twice as lucky.
Shamrock and Mushroom....
I'm a Lucky Devil for sure!

FUN

In Prague we came across this tribute to John Lennon.

This was a huge wall where people had written

and painted his songs.

We stood there with several other folks and sang along.

Can you remember the words?

Signs for the buildings are interesting.

They are symbols representing the occupation of the owner.

I can't imagine what this one is.

So you think this is where the stork brings the babies?

Almost every city had a mime or two.

I got a kiss from this one.

This was a hat shop.

The hat reminded me of the ones worn at the

wedding of William and Kate.

I particularly liked the pancake one in the front.

We discovered an interesting wedding tradition.
Most couples do not get married in a church.
They get married at the city hall then they
parade all over town in their wedding attire.
We saw at least 6 brides on Saturday
in their wedding dresses.

We missed getting a picture of any of the brides but this car was waiting to transport one couple to one of the bridges to do a promenade.

Thanks for looking at my pictures!

I guess it is time for me to get back to work.

Things I learned in Prague and Germany

2011-10-14T05:09:00.000-07:00

Prague in the Czech Republic, the City of 100 Spires

There must be a church on every street corner in Prague.

They were beautiful, ornate, and empty.

It seemed the only people there were tourists.

Most churches in Prague today are used for concerts or tourists attractions.

I did a little research about this. I found that.....

The Czech Republic has one of the least religious populations anywhere. Historically, the Czech people have been characterised as "tolerant and even indifferent towards religion". From 1991 to 2001, the number of people identifying with no religion increased by 19.1%, or two million people, representing the largest group increase. Adherence to Christianity decreased by over one million persons. ( Wikipedia)

But the churches were certainly attractions!
They have beautiful stained-glass windows
and magnificent altars.
This baby Jesus had quite a wardrobe.
There was a display case filled with his robes.
His clothes matched the liturgical colors.

Nuremberg

Nuremberg is most often associated with the Nuremberg trials
which took place after World War II.
You could visit the room where the trials took place.

However, we visited the site where
most of Hitler's Nazi rallies were held.
You would recognize it from the news reels
showing the rise in power of Adolf Hitler.

This is how the site of Nazi party rallies looks today.

The Nazi party rally grounds between 1933-1938
was a huge site with monumental buildings
where the party rallies were held.
The Hitler Youth and Hitler's military troops
had their parades on these grounds.

The never finished Congress Hall, known as Colosseum of Nuremberg in Germany, was meant to be the focal point for Hitler's rallies. It was planned to be larger than Rome's Colosseum. It was never completed because of the end of the war. Nowadays it houses the documentation center, where you can see many pictures of Nuremberg in the time of Nazis.

A reminder for us all....

Somewhere in Germany along
the Main and Rhine Rivers

Altar Guild lady is getting the church ready for Sunday services.

I did a little research about this, too.

Most of Germany practices Christianity.
The two major denominations in Germany today are the Lutheran Church and Roman Catholicism.
The Lutheran Church is the largest denomination in Germany. (Wikipedia)
That makes sense. Remember Martin Luther was German.

A castle or a palace???

A castle is built on a hill as a fortress.

A palace is built in a valley as a residence.

Sometimes palaces have cute guards!

Castle or a Palace???
I'm not sure!

We learned why rows in vineyards are planted vertically.

Makes picking the grapes easier....

Sometimes you can even sample wine from the vineyards.
This was at the home of a real live prince.
It must have been a palace!

The Locks

Navigating the rivers would be impossible
without a system of locks.

On this trip we went through 34 different sets of locks.

A lock makes it possible to move from
one level of water to another.
It reminds me of a big bathtub.

Look at the difference in the water level
on each side of the lock.
Going down a river without a lock
would be "white-water rafting" for sure.

I don't want to scare you but
I took a total of 482 pictures.
I promise I won't post them all!

I had to pay my children to watch them!

But....Next time I want to tell you about
the food, flowers, fables, and fun things
that we saw in Germany.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could both be
right there right now
enjoying a caffe?

Calling, Ministry, or Simple Caring

2011-10-06T15:20:00.000-07:00

Remember Melanie from http://www.schoolgirlstyle.com/?
This is her classroom. Can you believe it!!!

I received an email from her a few weeks ago. She wrote:

Teaching for me is a calling!

In Michigan, teachers are taking
such a big hit right now.

I tried to explain to one of our politicians

that most of us would teach for nothing -

it isn't about the money or summers off -

we just love kids and love to teach.

So, just a little more from Mr. Rogers
and then I will be back on the job!

Time to get back to work!

He writes:

The thing I remember best about successful people

I’ve met all through the years

is their obvious delight in what they’re doing….

and it seems to have very little to do with worldly success.
They just love what they’re doing,

and they love it in front of others.

(This is certainly true of Melanie.)

Most folks know that Mr. Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister but I had never heard

of this type of ministry.

I love this story.

"When I was ordained, it was for a special ministry, that of serving children and families through television.

I consider what I do through

Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood as my ministry.

A ministry doesn’t have to be through a church,

or even through an ordination.

And I think we all can minister to others

in this world by being compassionate and caring.

I hope you will feel good enough about yourselves

that you will want to minister to others,

and that you will find your own unique ways to do that."

If you could only sense how important you are

to the lives of those you meet;

how important you can be to the

people you may never even dream of.

There is something of yourself
that you leave at every meeting with another person.

Remember when you leave someone...

a little bit of you stays behind.

Mr. Rogers on Grandparents and Other Smart People

2011-09-29T16:14:00.000-07:00

Papa Lenny and Trevor

Mr. Rogers on Grandparents
and Other Smart People.....

Grandparents are both our past and our future.
In some ways they are what has gone before,
and in others they are what we will become.

Learning and loving go hand in hand. My grandfather was one of those people who loved to live and loved to teach. Every time I was with him, he’d show me something about the world or something about myself that I hadn’t even thought of yet. He’d help me find something wonderful in the smallest of things, and ever so carefully, he helped me understand the enormous worth of every human being. My grandfather was not a professional teacher, but the way he treated me (the way he loved me) and the things he did with me, served me as well as any teacher I’ve ever known.

Understanding love is one of the hardest things in the world.

It always helps to have people we love beside us

when we have to do difficult things in life.
(I guess that is why we go to so many
Little League games and dance recitals.)

There’s something unique about being a member of a family

that really needs you in order to function well.

One of the deepest longings a person can have

is to feel needed and essential.

The greatest gift you can ever give is your honest self.

You bring all you ever were and are

to any relationship you have today.

In the external scheme of things,

shining moments are as brief as the twinkling of an eye,

yet such twinklings are what eternity is made of –

moments when we human beings can say

“I love you”

“I’m proud of you”

“I forgive you”

“I’m grateful for you”.

That is what eternity is made of:

invisible, imperishable good stuff.

Listening is where love begins.

The really important “great” things

are never center stage of life's dramas;

they're always "in the wings".

That's why it's so essential for us to be mindful of

the humble and deep

rather than the flashy and superficial.

G and Kate

One of the greatest dignities of humankind

is that each successive generation

is invested in the welfare of each new generation.

I find out more and more every day

how important it is for people
to share their memories.

From Bamberg, Germany where I am

making memories to share.

And The Winner Is...

2011-09-26T08:33:00.000-07:00

Recently, CTP fans, staff, and retailers voted on a few fun design concepts for a new magnetic notepad. This colorful design below was the winner! Thanks to all who participated in the vote, and for sending such great feedback!

Look for this magnetic notepad in June 2012!

The Wisdom of Mr. Rogers

2011-09-22T11:06:00.000-07:00

In my last blog I mentioned that Lenny and I love to travel.

Well, we are doing that right now.

We are in Prague about to get on a boat that will take us along the

Rhine and Main rivers across to Cologne in Germany.

I hope to see lots of castles along the way.

Mr. Rogers has offered to fill in for me while I am gone.

I have been working on a presentation called
People of our Neighborhood
for NAEYC in a few weeks.
Mr. Rogers was an important neighbor
so I did a little reading about him.
I just finished a book (on my Nook) called
Wisdom from The World According to Mister Rogers.

The foreword was written by his wife.
She said she was always finding little notes that Fred
had written to himself with special thoughts and quotes on them.
She compiled his notes into this little book.

Here are a few that were meaningful to me.
......
On the recent anniversary of 9/11

When I was a boy and would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping”. To this day, especially in time of “disaster”, I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers-so many caring people in the world.

When I was very young, most of my childhood heroes wore capes, flew through the air, or picked up buildings with one arm. They were spectacular and got a lot of attention. But as I grew, my heroes changed, so that now I can honestly say that anyone who does anything to help a child is a hero to me.

As human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has-or ever will have- something inside that is unique to all time. It’s our job to encourage each other to discover that uniqueness and provide ways of developing its expression.

“I like being a part of the beach of life...
I like being one of the grains of sand.”
Dr. Margaret McFarland

Often when you think you’re at the end of something,
you’re at the beginning of something else.
I’ve felt that many times.

My hope for all of us is that “the miles we go before we sleep”

will be filled with all the feelings that come from deep caring...

delight, sadness, joy, wisdom...

and that in all the endings of our life
we will be able to see the new beginnings.

So in all that you do in all of your life,

I wish you the strength and the grace to make those choices
which will allow you and your neighbor to become the best
of whoever you are.

Greetings from Prague......

Tell me your story and win some books!!!!

2011-09-14T10:07:00.000-07:00

This Is My Story

by Jill

This is my story, all about me.

It is about my friends and my family.

This my story.

It is true.

It is about what I like.

It is about what I do.

You can read my story,

I hope that you do.

Then...

You can write a story all about YOU!

...........

My Story

My name is Jill. I am 7. I have a brother and a sister

and a mom and a dad. My funny yellow dog likes to

swim in my pool. My friends are Annie and Will.

We like to play soccer and eat pizza.

Resource Guide:

Have children brainstorm contents for a bag that Jill, the main character in This Is My Story, might have filled.

For homework, give each child a brown grocery bag and a parent letter explaining the assignment.

Ask children to fill their bag with objects that describe just who they are.

Model this activity first by bringing in your own bag, describing its contents, and writing a personal narrative that mentions your props.

Then ask children to write about themselves, referring to the objects in their bags.

When the writing is complete, have children share their items and read their stories.

This is my bag.
(Notice that I over-did
the decoration a little).

This is my stuff!
.......

This is my letter:

My name is Tommie and this is my story.

These are some of the people that are very important to me.

Lenny and I have been married for 45 years.

We have two children and a daughter-in-law.

We count her as one of our children so that makes 3.

Trevor and Kate are our grandchildren.

They are VERY SPECIAL.

They call me "G" which stands for grandma.

Lenny and I love to travel.

One time we went to Holland and I tried on some

VERY large wooden shoes.

I loved the tulips

and the windmills.

I love to read just about anything.

For my birthday I got a Color Nook.

Now, I can read in the dark. What fun!

I collect Teddy Bears.
I have about a dozen.
I made this one myself from
an old quilt that my grandmother
made for me.
This bear's name is Belle.

The poem says...
I wish I was a
Teddy Bear.
Everybody loves them.
Nobody cares how fat you get.
And the older you get,
the more you are worth.

Maybe that is why I like Teddy Bears.

That's my story. What is yours?

I would really love to hear your stories and see you classroom and kids.

Send me a note and/or picture to tommie.netzer@creativeteaching.com

I will choose 10 to receive prizes.

The prize this time is one each of the three books

mentioned in the latest posts.

I Am Special

Special Memories

This Is My Story

Be sure to send you name, email address, and home address

when you send your stories.

(Your story can be short.
You know I have a tendency to go on and on and on.)

Be sure to send them to my email

not as a comment on the blog.

I can't wait to read your stories.

Special Memories

2011-09-08T15:43:00.000-07:00

CTP has a great series of books called

Learn to Write.

Each of the 24 engaging little books focuses on a different writing concept.

The last page of each book invites readers to write their own story

modeled after the writing done by the characters in the book.

The resource guide offers even more activities to extend the books.

In a few weeks we will be attending NAEYC in Orlando.

I am presenting a session called, People of our Neighborhood.

I have been studying someone

who was a very important neighbor,

Mr. Rogers.

I hope to share with you some of the

wisdom of Mr. Rogers in future posts.

I love this quote from him,

"I find out more and more every day

how important if is for people to

share their memories."

Here is a book from Learn to Write to help kids do just that.

To read this little book go to http://www.creativeteaching.com/

Do a quick search for Special Memories.

Then click on details and then sample pages.

You can do this for any of the small readers.

These pages are from the resource guide for

Learn to Write.

This book is available in an e-book

so you can buy it and use it right now.

Quick search for 6227-EB.

I always like to try to find other uses for books....

like sparking ideas for making my own.

I love using the 6" Poppin' Pattern cards

for the book and binding the pages with ring-its.

This is a Special Memories book that

Kate and I made after going on a Disney cruise.

She got to meet all the princesses.

What a Day!

Kids love to see pictures of when they were little

especially when they can compare

Then and Now.

Trevor and I had a great time making this book

for an assignment for Grandparents Day

when he was in kindergarten.

We included several pages telling

how different things were then.

It was fun for me to re-live those

Special Memories from LONG AGO!

How different life is for these post 9/11 kids!

I wonder what his Special Memories will be.

All About Me

2011-09-01T10:23:00.000-07:00

Most teachers do a unit on All About Me at the beginning of the year
to introduce the kids to each other and to welcome them into the class.

Each child is special.

To read this book go to http://www.creativeteaching.com/.
Do a Quick Search for I Am Special.
Click on details and then on sample pages.

This idea from Early Childhood Centers goes perfectly with the little book.

It starts as a step-book and ends with a thumb print.
The child lists the things he can do.
Then ends with I am "thumb-body" special.

I would like to share with you my rationale
for teaching an All About Me unit.

The Help is a book that has been on the best-sellers list for months.
Recently, I went with my daughter and sister to see the movie.
After the movie my daughter asked, “Was it really like that?”
Having grown up in the south during that time
my sister and I both answered, “Yes”.
Most people of the south were not like that, but certainly some were.
It was a sad time in our nation’s history.

I think more people were like Skeeter's mother.
People knew things were wrong, but they didn't have the courage
to stand up for what was right.
I think it is interesting that the movie is being shown at the same time
as the dedication of the Martin Luther King Memorial in Washington D.C.
Talk about courage!

I cried through the last ten minutes of the movie.
Aibileen, the maid, was falsely accused of stealing and was fired.
It came time for her to say goodbye to Mae Mobley,
the little three year old girl who thought of her as Momma.
Both Aibileen and the little girl were crying.
Aibileen takes her aside and tells her….
”Baby Girl, always remember what I taught you.”

Mae Mobley puts her pudgy white hands on Aibileen’s black face
and together they repeat….

"I is kind.

I is smart.

I is important."

Every child needs someone in his life to teach them just that.

This year, for some child, that someone is YOU.

Fill Someone's Bucket Today!

2011-08-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

I confess. I am addicted to Pinterest. http://www.pinterest.com/
If you are not familiar with Pinterest it is a virtual bulletin board where people can pin anything....
pictures, recipes, quotes, ideas.

I love this one! Can't you just imagine curling up with a good book in a little bit of heaven like this.

I can spend hours looking at the pictures which cover everything from the sublime to the rediculous.

Here are a couple of pins that I ran across last week that are great ideas for the beginning of school.

It says....

With love and helping hands

a child can accomplish anything.

I like this idea of writing down the things you want to discuss with your kids on the

first day of school (and the second and the third).

If you are teacher getting ready for school,

I am sure that you have lists upon lists.

All you need is one more.

But, I like this....PROCEDURES.

We all need to know the procedures and the rules!

In the book Sanity Savers Sharon MacDonald writes...

Children want to please the important adults in their lives.

When they don’t, it is mostly because they don’t know how.

At the beginning of the school year, many teachers take time to create class rules with the help of the children.

This is a good time to read the book,
Have You Filled a Bucket Today?

The short book explains to students that we all carry an invisible bucket

in which we keep our feelings about ourselves.

When our buckets are full, we are happy; when they are empty, we are sad.

Children learn that when they fill a friend's bucket, they also fill their own bucket because it feels good to make others happy.

Kids can also be a bucket dipper. A bucket dipper is a person who hurts other people's feelings, essentially dipping into their invisible bucket.

Your class rules can be based on what fills a friend's bucket and what would dip his bucket. Kindness can be stressed. Bullying can be discussed.

This is an adaptation of a pin made by first grade teacher, Jenne Otterness.

A child can write an encouraging note and put it in the pocket of another child.
The library pockets represent the buckets of the children.

Since her room is decorated with brown, orange, and lime green
the Dots on Chocolate library pockets, letters, and border by CTP are perfect.
http://www.creativeteaching.com/

Have you filled someone's bucket today?

Saffron Chicken

Ooooo....I just found this on Pinterest.

Now, if someone would just cook this for me for dinner

that would really fill my bucket!

Melanie's Carnival Theme

2011-08-19T14:49:00.000-07:00

Melanie did it again. She is amazing. Go directly to her website to see what she has done with the Dots on Turquoise from CTP and her wonderful imagination!

I wonder if she dreams in color!!!

Carnival Theme!

The inspiration for this adorable theme came from the Dots on Turquoise border from Creative Teaching Press. I just loved the color combinations used in this darling collection. The minute I saw the large polka dots, I envisioned a carnival theme with non-traditional carnival colors. Typically, you would see primary colors used in a carnival, but I LOVED the thought of creating a fresher, more updated carnival look using turquoise, red, lime green, and orange. The coordinating striped border instantly made me think of a carnival canopy with its scalloped design. When all of the colors are put together, you have a look that is fun and HAPPY!

CTP 1868 Dots on Turquoise 4" letters
CTP 1038 Dots on Turquoise Border

CTP 1040 Dots on Turquoise Stripes and Stitches Border

Check out the entire room at www.schoolgirlstyle.com

And check out all the Dots on Turquoise products at www.creativeteaching.com

Do you CAFE?

2011-08-16T10:33:00.000-07:00

A few months ago we were exhibiting at IRA in Orlando.

A teacher asked me, "Does CTP have anything for CAFE?"

It first I thought...cheeseburgers and French fries,

but then I realized that was not the CAFE that she meant.

The answer to her question is "Yes" and "No".

The Daily CAFE and the Daily 5 were conceived by

two real life sisters, Gail Boushey and Joan Moser.

Visit their website http://www.the2sisters.com/

for more information.

According to the website The Daily CAFE and The Daily 5

provide a structure for fostering literacy independence

in the elementary grades.

CAFE is an acronym for

Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expanding Vocabulary

I have been visiting classrooms for the last week or so.

(I love this time of year...everyone getting ready!)

I have noticed CAFE and Daily 5 in dozens of classrooms.

The ideas for the implementation of

The Daily CAFE and The Daily 5 are copyrighted.

You will have to go to the sisters' website for specific details.

However, lots of teachers are using CTP products to display

the terms CAFE and Daily 5

and to track the students as they work through the processes.

While CTP does not CAFE...
with Dots on Turquoise we can
help you display it in a creative way.
Go to www.creativeteaching.com and search for Dots on Turquoise to see all the products used in these pictures.

These pictures are from Katie Huff,

second grade teacher in Keller, TX.

Katie CAFEs!

Below each component she has pictured some

prompts for the kids to use for that skill.

Katie's class generated some ideas to use when reading independently.

These pictures are from Tara Mounts,
fifth grade teacher in North Kansas City, MO.

Tara not only CAFEs but she also Daily 5s.

Tara teaches 5th grade so she adapts the way that she CAFEs.
She says.....
On the CAFE board under each heading is blue paper.
For my class I will write strategies for each skill
on sentence strips and post them there as we discuss them.
(check for understanding, re-read, etc...)
In a regular classroom you would have students put their names on sticky notes and post their name under the heading where they are working
(comprehension, accuracy, fluency, vocabulary).
My students will not do that because I have 3 classes and only 1 board.
I will have a separate management board for tracking where they are.
This board is for whole group instruction and introducing each strategy.

The Cafe board also has a space on the right

for anchor charts and or powerful words.

Tara's Writing Process Board

The kids' names are placed on the 10 X 10 cards

according to where they are in the writing process.

According to the Two Sisters...

The Daily 5 is a structure

that helps students develop the daily habits of

reading, writing and working with peers

that will lead to a lifetime of independent literacy

The Daily 5

Read to Yourself

Read to Someone

Work on Writing

Listen to Reading

Word Work

I talked to a teacher yesterday about how she uses The Daily 5.

Her kids use the Daily 5 to work independently and with peers

while she is doing guided reading groups.

She monitors to make sure that a child is not stuck on one thing...

like listening to reading every day.

As you can see teachers adapt The Daily CAFE and The Daily 5

to suit themselves and their individual situations.

CTP and Dots on Turquoise

can make them look good

while they are doing it!

Schoolgirl Style

2011-08-06T07:32:00.000-07:00

Do these pictures excite you?

Do you want to know more?

Do you recognize the daisy border

and the dot letters from CTP?

Check out Melanie's new blog!

http://www.schoolgirlstyle.com/

I LOVE IT!

Where Learning is an Adventure!

2011-08-01T09:21:00.000-07:00

For the last couple of weeks CTP has been celebrating 12 Days of BTS with contests and prizes. On the last day teachers were asked to show us their decor. This was one of my favorite entries. It is from Debra White who teaches second grade in Idaho. On her website she writes, "I want to influence children by awakening an excitement for knowledge and a life-long desire to learn." Welcome to her classroom Where Learning is an Adventure.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Dots on Chocolate decor!!!

I found this Dots on Chocolate bulletin board set last year....
and then had to have it all!

CTP 1486 Classbook Bulletin Board

I did my entire classroom in the
Dots on Chocolate with fadeless brown butcher paper.

I layered the polka-dot borders with a solid light blue, pink, or green border underneath for accent.

I love the idea of making the boards one color.
It creates a classroom with continuity, less distracting/over-stimulating.

I also had a "Magic Tree House" theme that went perfectly with the woodsy brown color. My husband built me a tree house reading loft with the rope ladder that was suspended from the ceiling.

All the students in the entire school LOVED it!

I added a polka-dot rug for my Morning Meeting/Calendar corner for the kids to sit on. The rug matched perfectly also, but cost me a small fortune. Shhhh.....don't tell my husband!

All of my cushions, beans bags, and pillows were either the orange, lime green, blue, or pink. This was honestly the first year that I received endless compliments on my classroom.

They thought the brown woodsy feel was rather soothing.

I think teachers, like parents, are ready for a change from the traditional
red, green, yellow, and blue.

I have lots of pictures....on my class website. http://www.whiteclassroom.com/
(I loved the pictures of the kids and well as the room. It is worth a visit!)

I selected a few to share!

Warmly,

Debra White :)

At CTP we call this a Designer Classroom. It looks like one Martha Stewart designed! You can be a designer too. Visit http://www.creativeteaching.com/ and do a quick search for Dots on Chocolate. SWEET!

If chocolate is not your thing (I can't imagine!) you might try our other designer looks....Poppin' Patterns and Dots on Turquoise.

Show me your pictures. Send them to tommie.netzer@creativeteaching.com

What I did on my summer vacation

2011-07-26T05:05:00.000-07:00

Over the 4th of July holiday I went with my entire family....
husband, kids, and grandkids...on a cruise to Alaska.

One night at dinner, I asked Trevor to tell us some things
he had done or seen for the first time.

Here is his list....

took a helicopter ride to the top of a glacier
jumped on a glacier

looked into the deep cracks called crevices and made Dad really nervous
learned what caused the different colors of blue in the glacier ice

saw a zillion glaciers
saw a glacier calving

heard the glacier "thunder" before calving
watched the glacier fall and turn into icebergs
tried to touch the sea gulls that followed the ship after the calving

touched glacier ice that was 250 years old

went on a whale watch and saw dozens of humpback whales
saw six whales bubble net feeding

saw LOTS of mountains covered with snow

Calving is when great sheets of ice fall from the glacier into the sea.

Witnessing bubble net feeding of humpback whales is rare.

If you are not familiar with either of the terms you should Google it and watch the YouTube videos.

All this happened within the first four days of our trip.
It was like a science camp on a luxury liner.

That night after we had all discussed what we had seen
I had this word of advice for Trevor.

When you go back to school next month
if someone asks you what you did during the summer,
you had better not say....
"NOTHING MUCH".

I would love to share our trip with you.

Alaska is amazing!

The scenery is breath-taking.

Watching the sea gulls fly beside the ship was inspiring.

The Mendenhall glacier is awesome.

Watching the giant whales was unbelievable.

Seeing all of this through the eyes of my grandchildren... PRICELESS.

The Smilebox is a little long so get cup of coffee or better yet a glass of wine.
Make sure the volume is on. I made the music match the pictures.
Turn the air conditioner down to about 60 degrees.
(It was 101 when we left Texas and 71 when we landed in Seattle.
That was as warm as it got the entire trip!)
Open the Smilebox, click on full screen and ENJOY!

This picture slideshow made with Smilebox

Here are the Winners

2011-07-22T15:00:00.000-07:00

This is from Amanda Richardson

I am a 1st grade teacher and have taught kindergarten for 2 years and 1st grade two way dual language for a year. I just moved so I'm beginning in a new district-again! I have never been in the same classroom for 2 years and never had the same administration for 2 years, either. I used to complain about it, but I have learned this about myself-it has kept me teachable, with-it, and VERY flexible. I am embracing it!

I LOVE book making. As a matter of fact, "Book Making" is both a literacy station AND math station in my classroom. I pre-make books for the literacy station. These books are on their levels and have words missing that they must fill in. The words are either sight words or are words from a song or poem that we have learned. For math, I place blank paper made into a book form in the station. They GO TO TOWN with this! We read books during our math time all the time so it's easy for us to talk about how it was a "math book". When they go to that work station, they can make any type of math book they want- patterns book, adding book, counting, measuring, etc.

Throughout the year we make many classroom books to go in our classroom library. We make a syllables name book at the beginning of the year and many math books throughout the year. I am always looking for more book making ideas. They kids feel a great sense of accomplishment when they are authors and THAT is important to me- that they feel wonderful, purposeful, and are confident that they can do something great! :)

I'd love to be the winner of this e-book. I have eyed it for years.

Well, Amanda now it can be yours!

The other winners are:
Lynn Janasiewicz
Sonja Shepherd
Ana Glez
Deb Griewe
Regina O'Brien
Katryce Lanspa
Vanessa Levin
Kinberly Collatos
Tamara Fishering

Check you email for instructions for downloading your e-Book.
I had a great time reading all of your ideas. I plan to steal a few for myself.
Have fun....Thanks for playing.

If you make anything cute send pictures!

Next week I will report on our vacation to Alaska. We had a great time.
Have a good weekend!

Will You Be a Winner?

2011-07-20T18:58:00.000-07:00

Just one more day to send me your bookmaking ideas. The winners of Bookmaking Bonanza e-Book will be announced on Friday. I have had some wonderful responses. I will share some of them after the winners are posted. Send yours to tommie.netzer@creativeteaching.com

Here are a couple of ideas using CTP products for book covers.

Poppin' Patterns^® Chart Cards 10" Jumbo Designer Cut-Outs

Poppin' Patterns^® Mini Charts

Use Mini Charts and Designer Cut Outs to make book covers.

Bookmaking-It's Your Turn

2011-07-14T18:29:00.000-07:00

Rozanne Williams wrote the Learn to Read series and many other emergent readers for Creative Teaching Press. She has a great blog which emphasizes the hows and whys of teaching reading and writing to young learners.
Check out her blog.
http://rozanneandfriends.blogspot.com/

To read sample pages from the book go to
http://www.creativeteaching.com/p-3415-what-goes-together.aspx and click on sample pages. In her most recent post Rozanne shares a writing activity to go with the reader. Go to her blog to see a really cute book that a class made.

You have seen some of my ideas and one of Rozanne's books.

Now it is your turn!

Many of my ideas came from Bookmaking Bonanza (It's my favorite.)
I would like to share the book in e-book form with 10 of my followers.

Here is what you have to do....
Send the following to tommie.netzer@creativeteaching.com
(I cannot respond to you directly on the blog. You must use my email!)

1. Send me a picture or idea for a book that you have made with your class.
2. I need your email address. Some personal information about you would be nice.
I like to know my followers.
3. Register as a follower on my blog. All my followers are my favorites!
4. Respond to my email by July 22. I will chose 10 winners on that day.

Winners will receive a code for your e-book. You will log on to CTP and download your book.

Fast, easy, and FREE!

Paper Doll Book

2011-07-11T18:22:00.000-07:00

If you want to make some really cute books
with your class, you need this book.

You will find directions for
step-books
pop-up books
accordion books
flip books
and many more...

One of my favorites is a Paper Doll book.
This is a perfect project to display at Parent's Night.

Who Am I?

Start with the 10" Multicultural People Cut-Outs.
CTP 6243

Have each child decorate the person

to look like him/her self.

Make a Paper Doll book for the clothes.

Inside the shirt the child writes clues to Who Am I?

Put the child's picture on the back

so parents can check their guesses.

Directions for making the book can be found at

http://www.creativeteaching.com/ctp/2234-paper-doll.pdf

Here are actual pictures of making the doll clothes.

To fit the cut-out doll start with a 6" X 9" piece of paper.

Fold the paper in half hot dog style.

Then, fold the paper again hamburger style.

Fold one more time.

Open the paper. You should have eight sections.

Cut off sections 5 and 8. Save them for later use.

Fold the large part in half.

Cut a wedge from along the bottom of the fold.

That makes the legs of the pants.

Fold in sections 1 and 4.

That makes the shirt.

The written part of the book goes inside the shirt.

Glue parts 5 and 8 to the top of the shoulders to make the sleeves.

Decorate with buttons, ribbons, paper....

Use your imagination.

And, that's how to make a Paper Doll Book!

I LOVE library pockets

2011-06-30T05:40:00.000-07:00

This is the last time I am posting about library pockets but these are great ideas from Venessa in Plano, TX. I am posting her blog address because she has pictures and "make and take" directions for each project.

I LOVE library pockets! Here are some of the ways I use them in my classroom:

"Had a turn need a turn": You can see a picture (look behind the yellow chair) of how I select my "Leader of the Day" using library pockets
http://www.pre-kpages.com/classroom-helper-chart/

I use library pockets at the bottom of my word wall to collect "old" words, thematic vocab words, or environmental print. This way the children still have access to them in case they need them for writing workshop.
http://www.pre-kpages.com/classlibrary
(first picture at top and again towards bottom of page)

I also have a name chart created using library pockets, you can see a picture and read a description here
http://www.pre-kpages.com/name-chart/

Thanks Vanessa and all of you who sent in such good ideas.

I am leaving on Saturday for an Alaskan cruise with our entire family....
husband, kids, and grandkids. I hope the boat is ready for us!

I looked at the weather forecast this morning. On Saturday when we leave, it will be 101 degrees in Texas. When we board the ship in Seattle it will be 71 degrees.
A 30 degree temperature drop....I am ready for some of that!

I think it is supposed to rain for several days, but I don't even care. At least it will be cooler.

While I am gone be thinking about special books that you have made with you classes in the past. Do you have a favorite to share?

It says...Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things
but just look what they can do
when they stick together.

I have a bunch!!!
But, I will share another with you next time.

Be Back Soon......

Check it out!!

2011-06-29T05:55:00.000-07:00

Check out this blog. It is written by one of our winners, Conolley August. It shows pictures of her library pocket ideas.

http://thirdgraderockstar.blogspot.com/

I use library pockets for two main purposes in my classroom. First, I use them as a place for the students to store their library cards and library bookmarks for safe keeping. These are the pictures of the pocket posters on the classroom door. Our door is an easy and convenient place for the students to grab their materials as they enter and exit the classroom. I've attached pictures of my library charts from the past two years. The second use for library pockets in my classroom is for the students to make their lunch choices. Each child has his or her own pocket and each morning they place an index card labeled with "hot," "cold," "other," or "milk." The students simply place their choice by placing the word facing to the front making for a quick and easy lunch count.

This is my adaptation.

I used craft sticks instead of index cards.

We had different food choices.

I used Dots of Turquoise pockets.

I can't wait to see her new Poppin' Pattern creations!
Pick a pack of Poppin' Pattern Pockets.
How is that for a tongue twister!

She promised to send us pictures of the new look.

Thanks, Conolley.

Pockets of Kisses

2011-06-24T15:14:00.000-07:00

A Pocket Full of Kisses

This book is a tender sequel to the bestseller and children's classic
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn.

Chester Raccoon is worried that his mother does not have enough love for both him and his new baby brother.

This review is from http://www.barnesandnoble.com/.

I bought this book for my son when we knew we were expecting another child. We read it so much and we practice pockets full of kisses
every night before he goes to bed as well as when he goes away to school.
I love this book and would recommend it to anyone with children!

Teachers have traditionally read The Kissing Hand on the first day of school. This is an especially good book for kindergarten children AND their parents. Heart stickers on the kids' hands remind them of their parents' love even when they are separated.

Then later, A Pocket Full of Kisses could be read at an open house or a parent visit to reinforce the sentiment of the "kissing hand".

The Dots on Chocolate Library Pockets would be perfect for the suggestion submitted by Katryce Lanspa from Carpentersville, IL.
(Thanks, Katryce....Your pockets are on the way!.)

Every year I read the story A Pocket Full of Kisses to my class. I send a letter home to the parents explaining the book and then ask them to fill the "pocket" with their own kisses...pictures or little notes. Some moms get so creative and the kids keep them in their desks all year.

I love the dots on chocolate!

That's how I decorate my room!

Love them!

CTP 6919

CTP4131

Dots on Chocolate heart stickers and library pockets

are perfect for the next idea.

First, Kate made bookmarks from strips of tag paper using the new
DOC heart stickers.
Then, she used a DOC library pocket with her name on it
to store the bookmarks.
Now, she can give the hearts away as kissing hands to any one
who might need a "little extra care" or some love.

Your mom can always use a little love from your pocket!

Don't miss out on the fun. Be sure to register as a Follower.

Free Science Cooties

2011-06-23T10:02:00.000-07:00

Get your Cooties for free. Go to the link below to download a sample page from each grade level (2-5) of the science cooties for FREE.

Free Cooties! Download this FREE Science Cootie Activity (1 each for grades 2-5)
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.creativeteaching.com%2Fctp%2Ffreeactivities%2F2645-2648-SC-cooties.pdf&h=db97a

http://www.creativeteaching.com/

CTP wanted to include an educational twist to the Cooties Catchers. Kids learn by repetition and practice. Why not make repetition and practice fun? So we came up with books containing Cootie Catchers that kids could make to practice skills in Math, Language Arts, and Science for Grades 2 through 5. Each book contains 20 Standards-Based Cookie Catchers which provide a fun and unique approach to practicing and reviewing.

Give it a try for FREE!!

Don't forget to register as a Follower to receive notice of special deals!

You are a Winner!

2011-06-17T14:25:00.000-07:00

Who would have thought that

there were so many ways to use library pockets!!!

I loved all of your ideas.

It was impossible to choose 12.

So, everyone is a winner.

Anyone who sent me your idea(s) and mailing address

will receive two packages of your choice of

library pockets.

Make up the project that you submitted

and email a picture of it to me.

tommie.netzer@creativeteaching.com

I would love to share your great ideas featuring

our great products.

Thanks for playing.

We will do another give away next month.

If you have not registered as a follower of this blog

why don't you do that now!

We are planning to do something special for just the followers.

Don't be left out!

How Do You Use Library Pockets?

2011-06-11T08:03:00.000-07:00

Important!!!! Send information to tommie.netzer@creativeteaching.com .

I cannot respond to you personally on the blog site.

Five years ago Creative Teaching Press formed an Advisory Council made up of personnel from educational stores from different areas

of the United States and Canada.

The stores are of varying sizes and represent different demographic areas.

Some are chain stores while some are single stores.

In January each year the council gathers in California for three days

at the CTP office to meet with people from

marketing, sales, and product development.

The favorite day for all of us is the day we get to work on

product development.

To be directly involved in what the company produces is exciting.

This year Product Development gave us a sneak peek at some new

library pockets in the Designer Classroom colors.

Everyone on the council loved them.

They had some input on the designs that were chosen.

The main question was, "What do teachers do with them?"

Finally, the library pockets are here and ready to ship.

CTP6917 Dots on Black

CTP 6919 Dots on Chocolate

CTP 6920 Dots on Turquoise

CTP 6921 Paisley Doodles

CTP 6918 Poppin' Patterns

CTP 6922 Stripes and Stitches

Now, here is the question....

How do you use library pockets?

This is my sample of what to do with them.

Here is where you come in....

Send me your ideas of things to do with library pockets

and you may win a free package of your choice.

Follow these rules:

Send in your unique idea (pictures are ideal) before June 17

tommie.netzer@creativeteaching.com.

You must provide:

your name

email address

mailing address

CTP number and name of the desired library pockets

On June 17, twelve people will be selected to win a free package.

I will post the winners at that time so you can watch for your pockets!

I can't wait to see your ideas and pictures!

End of the Year Beach Party

2011-06-04T15:28:00.000-07:00

A Beach Party is a perfect way to end the year.

No Beach?.....No Problem!

All you need is a parking lot and a bunch of kids.

Set up beach towels on the sidewalk.
Don't forget the sunscreen!

You need a plastic wading pool with plenty of water.

Add a few buckets and squirt bottles.

Be sure to explain all the rules!
(Not one child was injured in the making of these pictures!)

The name of the game is
Get Wet!

Everyone lines up behind the cones which are
several yards away from the water source.

The first person in line races to the water

and fills her or his bucket....

there are no extra points for style.

Then she or he runs back to the cones

and pours the water on the head
of the next person in line.

Soon everyone is thoroughly soaked.

The person who poured the water
goes to the end of the line
and the soaked person races to the water.
He can take his revenge on the next person in line.

The games goes on until everyone
is laughing and giggling!

Just like at a real beach,
everyone is tired by the end of the day
and a warm towel feels really good.

If you would like to see all the pictures

of our day at the beach, click on the Smilebox below.

There are so many smiles on the faces of the kids.

It is guaranteed to put a smile on your face, too.

Don't forget to crank up the volume for the full affect.

Free slideshow created with Smilebox

Free slideshow personalized with Smilebox

Happy Father's Day

2011-05-28T07:28:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite books.
It is now available as an e-book which means you can order it now
and begin downloading it immediately.
CTP 2399EB
http://www.creativeteaching.com/

This is one of the pages for June.
The "guy with a tie" would make a great Father's Day card.
It would be interesting to see how the kids filled in the blanks
about their dads.

Shirts and ties are traditional Father's Day presents.
I wonder how many dads still wear ties to work.
The days of Leave it to Beaver and Father Knows Best are over.

Brain Williams reported on Nightly News this week that
according to the 2010 census only 48% of the homes
in America were headed by married couples.
That is down from 78% in the 1950s.
The number of homes headed by single women was up 20%.

That is why I like this little book (CTP 4530).
It celebrates all the special people who represent dads to kids.

In the book the teacher asks the kids to make a Father's Day card for their dads.
One child says, "I don't have a Dad".
So, they start listing all the important men in their lives
and why they love them.....
fathers, grandfathers, step-fathers, brothers, uncles.
The teacher says, "You can make a card for any man that you love and respect."

This is an activity that you will find on the back cover of the book.

My Dad’s Hug Is This Big!

Ask children to measure their dad’s hug with string.
Tell them to have their dad lie down on the floor and stretch his arms out to the side.
Have them ask a family member to hold one end of the string at the tip of their father’s fingers on one side while they stretch it all the way across to his other fingertips.
Have them cut the string, trace on construction paper both of their dad’s hands, cut out the patterns, and label them.
Tell children to bring the string and the handprints back to school.
Invite them to cut a strip of butcher paper the same length as the string and glue the handprints to each end.
Have them title the paper My Dad’s Hug Is This Big!

This is another project that kids can make as a gift for dad.

To find detailed instructions on how to make it click on the link below.

It will take you to the CTP website.

http://www.creativeteaching.com/ctp/i/t/htu/66-Dads-Toolbox.pdf

This project is made using a wooden picture frame from a craft store.
In this picture Trevor and his dad are working on a car
for the Boy Scouts pine-wood derby.

# 1 DAD for sure.

Click on the link below for instructions.

http://www.creativeteaching.com/ctp/i/t/htu/65-Fathers-Day-Frame.pdf

(Handy Tools CTP 1794)

Why are dads associated with tools?
Why is a power drill a "man toy"?
Is it about building something?

I think the most important thing a man can build is the character of a child!

Happy Father's Day
to all the men who are doing just that....

Book Buddy Report

2011-05-25T11:54:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the ideas that I received for using the Book Buddy Bags.

From Mary in Hutchinson, KS
I am really excited to hear that I may be able to win some book buddy bags because I was planning on purchasing some of these this summer! I have been buying CDs this school year to help some of my struggling readers hear fluency and then practice reading the book aloud to practice fluency. I have books with CDs stashed all over my classroom and nothing to keep them in. These book bags will really help me to get organized and make it easier for my students to check the books out from me.

From Roberta in Medina, NY
Thank you!!!!!!!

Oh my goodness! I can think of many things to use the bags for! I would like to have my Kindergarten children take home books for their nightly bedtime story. Many children do not have books at home for their parents to read to them, so we provide the books.

These durable plastic bags could hold the books and perhaps some extra items like ideas for reading and maybe a little reading "buddy".

I can think of more but now that I typed this, I am really invested in this idea!!!!!!

This is my favorite from Ana because she is my long-distance fan. I love her excitement about everything. We take so many things for granted in our country.

Hello Tommie!

Today I have received the bags!

They are fantastic! I am going to use with my pupils of course! I want to go USA, because I like very much all the educational material which you have in your classes.

Thank you very very much

You are very nice, I will follow you in your blog!

Greetings from Spain!

She wants to come to the USA. I would love to visit her in Spain.
Maybe we can work something out!!!!

This is from Paige in Illinois
I am a second grade teacher in Bourbonnais, Illinois, and I have recently become a follower of yours! You have so many beautiful, creative and useful ideas! I can't wait to see what you come up with next!

I would love to use the durable bags in my classroom for thematic units of study. Each month; my students learn about something "fun" outside of our set curriculum. For example; this month, we are doing an ice cream unit. I always have my students create a file folder to hold all of their work/supplies; but everything easily gets lost and falls out. These adorable bags would be a blessing to my students to use to hold all of their creative things.

Thank you so much for considering me!

We had such a great time doing this. It was fun to read all the entries. I am sorry that I ran out of inventory before I got to everyone. I was at CTP last week. We decided that this was such a great success that we would do some sort of give away each month.

                  (I feel like Oprah! Just don't expect any cars!)

              Stay tuned to see what we do next.

All Gone!

2011-05-16T15:08:00.000-07:00

Sorry Bag Ladies but as of 5 p.m. (central)
my inventory has been depleated.

Thanks for helping to clean out my closet.
The next time I over oder I will let you know.

The bags are available online from CTP.

I am leaving tomorrow for California
to do some work at the office and
maybe spend a little time at the beach.
When I return next week I will share with you
some of the ideas that were sent in for using the bags.

Thanks for playing!!!

Tommie's Tools

The Keeping Quilt

Some of my faves from the new product release!

Look What's New!

Soldier Boxes

Schoolgirl Style Gingerbread

RACK'ed

Deck the Halls

Fun with CTP at NAEYC in Orlando

Happy Veteran's Day

NAEYC

I Used to Be Afraid of Scary Bats and Things Like That.....

Flowers, Food, Fables and Fun in Germany

Things I learned in Prague and Germany

Calling, Ministry, or Simple Caring

Mr. Rogers on Grandparents and Other Smart People

And The Winner Is...

The Wisdom of Mr. Rogers

Tell me your story and win some books!!!!

Special Memories

All About Me

Fill Someone's Bucket Today!

Melanie's Carnival Theme

Do you CAFE?

Schoolgirl Style

Where Learning is an Adventure!

What I did on my summer vacation

Here are the Winners

Will You Be a Winner?

Poppin' Patterns® Chart Cards 10" Jumbo Designer Cut-Outs

Poppin' Patterns® Mini Charts

Bookmaking-It's Your Turn

Paper Doll Book

I LOVE library pockets

Check it out!!

Pockets of Kisses

Free Science Cooties

You are a Winner!

How Do You Use Library Pockets?

End of the Year Beach Party

Happy Father's Day

Book Buddy Report

All Gone!

Poppin' Patterns^® Chart Cards 10" Jumbo Designer Cut-Outs

Poppin' Patterns^® Mini Charts