Hello February and Valentine's Day

February??  

How did this happen?  We just had Christmas.  We just celebrated our 100th day of school yesterday.  And now FEBRUARY?  This seems unbelievable to me!
I have a wonderful class this year and we've had a lot of fun.  I am so proud of their growth in all areas.  This is one of the reasons I adore first grade- I get to see "miracles" happen every year!

I have been busy trying to keep up with how quickly the school year is flying by.  I sometimes (like for a minute) feel like I'm caught up on my prepping and then, BAM something else is here & needs an activity.

I realized yesterday that I need to get a move on it & write my class letter about our Valentine Party & get a class list made so they kiddos can start writing their Valentines.
This morning I typed up my class list, then decided to make an editable copy share with you!
Don't worry :-)  It's editable and you'll be able to add your name at the top and all your students' names.  
Click here:  Editable Class List


  Last year I gave the kids their own container of Playdoh as a Valentine gift & it was a hit.  I mean seriously, a hit!  I decided to give them out again this year.  The kids seem to get so much candy, so a sucker from me (or candy converstion hearts, etc.) just doesn't seem necessary.


I made myself new Playdoh labels this year.  As I was making them, I decided to make them editable so that you could use them also. You just have to type your name in the top field and the rest of the fields will say the same name (so these labels are editable with only one name).  If you don't want them to all have the same name, you could always print them and hand write different names.  I made them so they don't go all the way around on the back.  This helps them to stay flat once you tape them. I buy my Playdoh at Amazon (thank you Amazon prime!).


You can grab the free labels here: 


I'm also going to give them a bookmark.  I made these and have them all prepped and ready to go (I know- 2 weeks in advance!). These are available in my store if you're interested Valentine Bookmarks




The kids always need a way to carry their Valentines home.  For years I just folded a piece of construction paper in half and stapled the sides.  They always ended up ripping under the weight of the Valentines, which was always a frustration to me.
A few years ago I discovered these bags (cue angels singing music)
OH. MY. WORD.  These have been the best thing ever for carrying Valentines.  They are kind of pricey, so I buy them all year long at Michaels whenever I have a 50% off coupon.  I think I have enough for this year and the next stocked up!  With a coupon I believe they are around $3.50 for 13 of them.  People- you have to try these if you haven't before.  No more ripped Valentine holders!  There are tons of cute ways to decorate the front.  You can search the internet for ideas. 
I made a Valentine chick this year for my class to put on the front.  This product is also in my store if you want something that's ready to run and use.  You can find that here:  




Even though Valentine's Day always seems to be one of my students favorite holidays, we are still busy learning & working.  I like to spice up my practice sheets with themed papers.  Somehow it just makes working seem like more fun!
I made a Valentine Printable pack this year with 10 ELA practice sheets and 10 Math practice sheets.  

We've also been learning about the magic e in phonics.  Wow! My kids are rock stars with them this year!  They've done great with reading and writing them!
I made these puzzles to put in centers for them to practice.  They've been a hit!



Well, hopefully I have encouraged you to get a head start on your Valentine's Day prep.  If you're interested in any of my Valentine products, they will be 20% off in my store until 2/6/16.



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