Spring into a Sale!

Okay, so it feels anything BUT "spring-like" here, with yet another indoor recess today!
The weather has been absolutely FrEeZiNg that I can't believe March arrives on Saturday!
Well, I'm still hoping spring comes soon because I really dislike this cold weather and I can't wait to get my spring things ready!
Here are a few things you might like to help put you in a spring mood!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spring-Literacy-and-Math-Activities-612221
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spring-Literacy-and-Math-Activities-612221
This is definitely one of my favourite units to teach!  I love all things spring - flowers, bees, birds....oh I better stop before I get too ahead of myself and realize there is still snow on the ground!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Happy-St-Patricks-Day-Literacy-and-Math-Activities-535790
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Happy-St-Patricks-Day-Literacy-and-Math-Activities-535790
We will be on March Break the week after next but then our first day back is St. Patrick's Day!
Can't wait to do this fun craft with my kinders!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Whimsical-Funny-Cat-Literacy-and-Math-Activities-570748
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Whimsical-Funny-Cat-Literacy-and-Math-Activities-570748
This week we are reading lots of Dr. Seuss books.  We have been working on rhyming words and who better to turn to than Dr. Seuss!
You might like these fun activities too!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Guided-Reading-FUN-1135539
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Guided-Reading-FUN-1135539
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Guided-Reading-FUN-1135539
Every day in my class we do Guided Reading.  It is my most favorite time of the day!  I always try to make it fun and engaging (the students don't even realize they are learning! HA!). 
I JUST posted this pack to TpT and it's FULL of LOTS of things to make Guided Reading time enjoyable and packed with activities and games your students will love!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/All-About-Vowels-1129379
We are starting on vowel sounds next week and I really didn't have anything fun for my students to use.  So I created this activity, all about sorting long and short vowel sounds using cards and then follow up worksheets to apply their knowledge.
 
So tomorrow is a HUGE day....time for a SALE!!!
 (oh, and Friday too!)
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Alessia-Albanese
All of these activities (and my entire TpT store!) are on sale for 20% off!
Can you believe that TpT has influenced 3 million teachers worldwide!
I am so happy to be a part of that community and not only help other teachers, but also learn from them through this amazing blogging world!
Be sure to use code TPT3 for a total discount of 28% off everything in my store!
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Digraphs - ch, sh, th

I can't believe it's already Sunday night!
Where does the weekend go?
 
So I've posted on digraphs before....you can read all about that here....and get these free posters too!
 
 
For the past few weeks we have been hard at work learning about beginning and ending sounds, and putting that altogether to figure out the medial vowel.
Well, now it's time to move on over to digraphs!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Write-the-Room-Literacy-Center-Digraphs-BUNDLE-1128658
Those can be so tricky for some students!
So I made these new Write the Room - Digraphs Bundle which will help them learn those sounds.
 
You can also find them individually in my store.
 
And it just so happens that quite possibly one of the most favourite centres in the classroom is Write the Room, so I know that they will love this!
I'm telling you....it's something about giving a student a clipboard with a pencil attached, and asking them to go on a hunt around the room to find those words!
I always act so surprised when they find a word and tell them I didn't even see it there (no - I don't hide them in ridiculous places, I just tell them that to get them even more excited to do their work!).
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Write-the-Room-Literacy-Centers-The-Complete-Set-283864
I also added this to my Write the Room - The Complete Set, which now has 42 themes included and sells for less than half price if you were to purchase them on their own!
So if you own that, please go back and re-download so that you can get these new activities.
 
Enjoy the rest of the weekend (hey, we still have a few hours left!).

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You've Got Mail!

I was really hoping to write this post this past weekend but something happened....the FLU invaded my house!
Yes, the dreaded flu got us all....first my son, then my daughter, then me and finally my husband yesterday.
It put me totally out of commission this past long weekend!
 
Well, I am FINALLY starting to feel a little better (I even got my appetite back today!) so I can share with you some fun things happening...
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Post-Office-Dramatic-Play-Center-1113392
Last week, we turned our Dramatic Centre into a Post Office.  For the past couple of weeks, we have been talking about the themes of friendship and love, and we have been learning about different ways of writing messages to our friends.
This was a great way to introduce new vocabulary as well!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Post-Office-Dramatic-Play-Center-1113392
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Post-Office-Dramatic-Play-Center-1113392
I showed the students how we can write postcards to friends by drawing a picture on one side and writing a message with an address on the other.  This was such a hit!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Post-Office-Dramatic-Play-Center-1113392
The students worked together as postal workers, some working as clerks, others stamping the mail, and being the mail carrier and delivering the mail was the best job of all!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Post-Office-Dramatic-Play-Center-1113392
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Post-Office-Dramatic-Play-Center-1113392
Here are our mailboxes.  The mail carrier delivered mail each day and we all got to take our mail home at the end of the day!
I put a picture of each child holding a white board where they wrote their name for those students who are still learning to read their friends names.
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Post-Office-Dramatic-Play-Center-1113392
There are a variety of stamps for students to use on cancelled mail (no name on in).
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Post-Office-Dramatic-Play-Center-1113392
You could even buy boxes in a variety of sizes if you have a parcel to send!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Post-Office-Dramatic-Play-Center-1113392
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Post-Office-Dramatic-Play-Center-1113392
Keeping our materials neat and tidy.
 
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Post-Office-Dramatic-Play-Center-1113392
You can find all of the above ready-to-use materials (and lots more!) in my You've Got Mail! Dramatic Center Activity Pack.
It's on sale until tomorrow night!
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The Winter Olympics DIY medals....and a winner!

We are in full Olympic spirit at school!
Go Team Canada!
Since last week, the students started learning about all things Winter Games....everything from the symbols of the games to the sports being played and even the countries that are taking part!
This is a bulletin board display I made that we discussed today.  I only added a few countries I thought the kids would know, since some of the families are from there and those countries usually pick up several medals at the games.  But after our lengthy discussion this morning about countries around the world, I think I might have to go back tomorrow and edit this display to include many others!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Go-for-the-Gold-A-Winter-Games-Fact-Book-for-Kids-1093120
I didn't realize how interested the children were in learning about the Olympics!  It all started last Friday morning when I read them a story I wrote about the Olympics and then we watched part of the opening ceremonies on our Bright Links board.
You can click here or on the picture above to take you to my book.
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Write-the-Room-Literacy-Center-Winter-Games-1093216
Tomorrow I'm having the students search for all words Olympic with my Winter Games - Write the Room activity.  This is one of my most popular centres!
We made torches today too!  The children loved learning the meaning and origin of the Olympic torch!  My fabulous DECE, Mrs. Petrone, made this door.  She is so creative!
We are also graphing how many medals Canada has won...hope this number keeps getting bigger!
Next week we will be having our very own Kindergarten Olympics day!
To celebrate the event, each student will receive their very own Olympic gold medal.
This is a picture of the front and back of the medal.  We glued them on to metal juice lids (the ones from the frozen juice cans) and tomorrow I'm going to attached ribbon to them.
If you'd like to create your own Olympic medal, you can click here for the download.  It's editable so you can put your own school name in and even change the grade!
 
And now on to the winner of my $10 Teachers Pay Teachers giveaway....
 
Congratulations!  I've already e-mailed you your gift card.  Happy shopping!
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Mrs. Albanese loves TpT! {Giveaway!}

This has been one of the BEST.WEEKS.EVER!
(Okay, minus the really bad winter weather that just won't go away!)
 
I have big, no HUGE, news...
if you already follow my Facebook Fan Page you will know that I have been invited to be an author for the amazing Freebielicious blog!

http://freebie-licious.blogspot.ca/
 
YIPPEE!
Can I just say that the other teacher-authors on this site are simply wonderful - creative, talented, and extremely generous and kind.
I am so thankful to be a part of this fantastic community!
 
And you know what else?
I am so thankful for Teachers Pay Teachers.
That's why I am giving away a $10 gift certificate to TpT!

 
But wait....there's more!
All of my friends at Freebielicious are also each giving away a $10 TpT gift card!
And even more...
Teachers Pay Teachers has graciously donated some gift certificates for us to give away from our Freebielicious blog!

 
I started on TpT just over 2 years ago.  Never did I think that it would take me on such an adventure....one that I am forever thankful for!
I have met many people from everywhere around the world through the power of TpT.  I keep in touch with many of these wonderful teacher-bloggers daily even though we live miles apart!
 
 
I was so fortunate enough to attend a conference for the past two summers in Las Vegas, thanks to TpT, and I actually got to meet these amazing ladies in person!
I can't wait for this summer...is anyone else coming to the TpT conference in July?
Let me know!  With all this cold weather I am definitely looking forward to that!
 
So you probably guessed that I absolutely LOVE to travel.  You see, I live in Toronto, Canada.  The weather here is, well, terrible, absolutely frigid, in the winter!  And although summers are nice and hot, they are short lived.
So this past summer, I was fortunate enough to take my family on a vacation to Disney World and aboard the Disney Fantasy.  My daughter, who is 5, and my son, who is 3, were in awe the whole time!  Teachers Pay Teachers has given me the opportunity to take my family on a trip of a lifetime!
 
 
Our school started a new Full Day Kindergarten program that has been rolling out into various school across the province this past September.  I have 27 students this year in total, with a fabulous ECE, but keeping these students engaged in meaningful activities all day long is challenging.  There is never enough materials and resources!  So I am very thankful that Teachers Pay Teachers has given me the opportunity to go out and purchase things for my classroom....both my students and I are very happy!
 
 
I can't wait to give away a $10 gift card to Teachers Pay Teachers so you can find all the resources to use in your classroom too!  Be sure to enter below and, when you are done entering my giveaway, hop on over to Kaci, and enter to win her giveaway. Just click on her button below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
http://www.mrshoffer.blogspot.ca/2014/02/mrs-hoffer-loves-tpt.html



 You can easily hop through all our blogs to enter the giveaways. Don't forget to stop by Freebielicious to enter to win the BIG money!  Good luck to you all! 
I know Teachers Pay Teachers has forever changed my life, and for that,
I will be forever grateful.

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Where is the Snowman? {Freebie!}

We got yet another dumping of snow yesterday.  All day.
A HUGE AMOUNT!
I love snow, it's very pretty to look at and my kids have so much fun playing in it, but really? 
Do we NEED any more? 
Ugh!
So this freebie is fitting with the theme...we are learning about positional words and I thought that the students would have fun gluing where the snowman should be.

Let's just say I want to keep Mr. Snowman on this page only.  I don't need any more visits from him any time soon!
Click on the picture below to download.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bxagjstn4BviVk4yYXpGYU1FY2M/edit?usp=sharing

NOTE:  I updated this activity to include a LOT more!  If you wish to download the new version click HERE.
Hope you enjoy!
Oh, and be sure to check back tomorrow...I have something HUGE for you!
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