All I Want For Christmas Is....

...A TpT Gift Certificate!!

Who doesn't want that?! Seriously!! As a teacher, there is nothing better then finding great resources and not having to spend a dime!! 

Some blogger friends and I have teamed up and are giving away $10 gift cards before Christmas! What a great gift for a teaching friend you may know...or YOURSELF!! =D

Enter the Rafflecopter below to win a $10 gift card from me... and then make sure to check out the rest of the links for more chances to win a gift card!! 

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!!! 
~Danielle

a Rafflecopter giveaway

An InLinkz Link-up

Black Friday DOLLAR Sale!!

I don;t think any other words are needed!! Check out all of these AWESOME products that are only $1 on Friday and Saturday!! I have linked up FOUR different items!

You can grab these items for $1 through Saturday night!

Branches of Government

/SH/ Digraph Activity Pack

Sound Mats

December Counting Mat

Have fun shopping!! Make sure to check out these other great DOLLAR Deals!

An InLinkz Link-up

I am Thankful For... A Linky Party!

It's that time of year again! Can you believe it?! I am thankful for so many things; too many to capture here! 

Teacher/Blogger: There are many that come to mind; Amanda The Primary Gal, Greta over at Learning With Leeby, and my coworkers at my school just to name a few. The biggest name that jumps to my mind is Mandy over at Mandy's Tips For Teachers. Seriously! I am so thankful that I have connected with her. My journey as a TpT author and blogger would not even exist with out her. Mandy and I connected last winter. She needed some advice and an editor and I was lucky enough to respond and get the job :) She is so innovative and creative. Every time I edit a product, I am blown away at her creativity. 

She took me under her wing and almost urged me to create! Seeing her work put many (toooo many to be exact) ideas in my head. I decided it was time to give it a whirl and see what happened! Worst case, I would still have the resources to use with my kiddos school. Best case... I would have a store with resources that people wanted and loved. Best case, people would come to know my store and my resources. (My coworker was out of town last weekend and ran into some friends... who were talking about MY store... seriously... #sograteful!)

My family and I are so grateful to her. I am still trying to find a way to say thank you! This is a start I suppose!

If you haven't already, please check out her store. I can vouch for her math centers and her interactive notebooks! They are amazing. She hits the skills right on the head! 

Three Things in my Non-School Life:

v
First up, my child's' giggles. Seriously. There is nothing better then listening to your baby (almost two! AHH!) giggle while you play with the dog! Seriously, it just about brings tears to my eyes. He is so happy and has no care in the world. His innocent laugh will stick in my mind forever. He is the light of our world. I can't imagine my life without him. He is full of joy and spunk! He can dance like no other and he LOVES playing with his kitty and puppy. He loves cheese and piiiiizzzza! 

Secondly, My hubby. I am so thankful for him and the life we have built together. We have been together over 10 years, and I wouldn't change a day of it (ok... maybe a few). We have fought through being young, college years, deaths, fights and all that falls in the middle. We have created a life that is perfect for us. We are perfectly fine spending the night at home watching Mickey Mouse Club, or trying to keep the munchkin from literately sitting ON the cat. He keeps me in check and grounded. He manages the finances (even if it drives me crazy, I know it's for the best!). He even does some (...fine, MOST) of the cooking. He is just all around wonderful. I'm still trying to figure out how I got so lucky! 

Our Principal went to Hawaii... So we had a Hawaiian Day!

Finally, I wanted to keep school out of this post, but I can't. My school family the last 2 years has be AMAZING. I have worked in several places, and this is by far the best! We celebrate out highs and we support those with lows. We support each other in every way possible. I love going to work each morning- even after a really tough day. I have created many lasting friendships. I feel comfortable sharing my thoughts and opinions. I have a team that backs me up when situations arise. Best of all... we have FUN! 

A Product That I Can't Live Without
Hands down my Word Work Task Cards. These bad boys make word work and spelling FUN! Seriously... My kiddos said that "This is FUN Mrs. Nystrom!" "I actually like this!" I will tape them next time and share it! They love being able to choose how they are going to practice their words. They love getting using sand, or legos, or pipe cleaners. They love getting out the highlighters and the scrabble tile. Best of all... I can listen to them read their words and then trust them to choose their activity, get their materials, and then practice them ON.THEIR.OWN! It has been a huge motivator for kiddos and a HUGE time-saver for me. Annnd... I've discounted them just for you guys!! 

These are just a few of the MANY, MANY things I am thankful for!! 

If you are interested in linking up with me... here is the image! I would LOVE to hear what you are thankful for this year! =) Simply grab the image and list the teacher/blogger your are thankful for as well as three other things! Don't forget to include an activity/product (your's or someone else's) that you are thankful for! Then... add your link below!!

If you stuck around this long... you are in luck! I am giving away ONE of Mandy's November Interactive Notebooks! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out these other Teachers who also have a lot to be thankful for!!

An InLinkz Link-up

Mrs. Dailey's Birthday Bash!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MRS. DAILEY!!

Melissa has thrown together one heck of a celebration! 

Check out over 100 different $1 deals!! 

I have 4 different products linked up!

          

          

Oh... and make sure you stop by and wish her a Happy Birthday (Mrs. Dailey's Classroom)!! 

An InLinkz Link-up

Product Swap: Go Dig!!

Hey guys! I have been anxious to do a product swap for a while and was finally able to make it happen! This month, I was lucky enough to be matched with Crystal over at Primary on The Prowl!!

Seriously in LOVE with her logo! =D 

Of course, the first thing I did when I got my match, was head on over to store (HERE) and check out her awesome resources!

I was instantly drawn to Dig It! I am always looking for new ways to practice letter and numbers with my kiddos! We are all about hands on activities in our Learning Center! I work with several 1st graders this year! I run both a Math and Reading group with them! This bundle hit skills in both of their groups!! 

Check out how we used it! 

I decided to print the cards on different colored card-stock paper. I had the game all set up and ready to go when the munchkins came in!

This game is very similar to Go Fish! Students need to collect 3 of the same number. I called them "sets" with my group! Students ask their peers for the number they are looking for. If the peer has it, they hand it over, if they don't, they respond with "Dig It!"! The person with the most sets at the end,  wins! I used a bucket for the "Dig It" pile! Students had to "dig" in to grab their card. 

Demonstrating what a "Set" looks like!

DIG IT! (A student digging for their next card)

My kiddos LOVED this activity! I made a HUGE deal about having to dig for a card and they thought it was the funniest thing! My little lady couldn't stop giggling "This is sooo funny!!" over and over again! =D We have done a lot of letter recognition activities and this is the best that they have done with me this year! They were spouting numbers left and right! 

This is a MUST HAVE activity for any kiddo that needs help with number recognition! They were engaged and thinking during the entire group time! They also loved playing the game! It was a great big relief for me! Moans and groans about number practice get old!

**This is a bundled set!! I am looking forward to using the Alphabet version with my group in a couple of weeks! We are working on letters now! They are a very low group. **

Grab your copy HERE!! It is even discounted for the weekend!! 

I loved this product so much, I am hosting a giveaway for it! 

Enter the Raffelcopter at the end of the post below!!

Make sure you hop on over to Primary on the Prowl and see which product of mine she chose!! 

(It's also discounted!!)

Also, don't forget to check out all the other great Swap posts over at Jungle Learners!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

November Currently

I can't believe that we are already into November! Only 2 more months to the dreaded 'C' word (I cant think about that until Thanksgiving) and until my munchkin turns 2! EEKKK! I'm not sure we are ready for the terrible two's... then again, some days he is preparing us! =)

CURRENTLY:

Listening: Eagen is watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse... Apparently they are missing rain, which could destroy their flower show! (In case you were wondering... their mouse-ka tools helped them out and they got their flowers!)

Loving: E has a little cold, so he is handing out the snuggles left and right! I could snuggle with him all day!

Thinking: I have a TON of things to get done! I am working on a project for school and a few November activities! Throw in planning for the week... and my day is pretty much full! 

Wanting: I think that is pretty self-explanatory... NEED COFFEE!

Needing: I have the prompts planned... now it's just a matter of typing and making them "cute"... as the hubby says!

Reading: In the limited spare time that I have, I am reading The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks! It's the 2nd or 3rd time, but it is still great. I went to see the movie when it came out and I.LOVED.IT! I think it may be my favorite movie of his! 

The Best of Me

Happy November Friends!

Check out the rest of the Currently posts over at 

Oh' Boy Fourth Grade

Tricks and Treats!!

Working in a Special Education room means running several different groups, on different topics, each day. This year I have a Social Skills, Reading, 2 Writing, and 2 Math groups! That is a lot of different materials to keep track of! I needed a place to store my materials and activities for each group. Last year I used folders and a wire rack... which lasted all of a couple of weeks! This year I was browsing The Dollar Tree for the millionth third or fourth time and I came accross these AWESOME, simple baskets:

Ok... side note... The Dollar Tree is amazing... they also ways have great resources for classrooms... and its a dollar... or twenty depending on how long you are there! =) My hubby no longer lets me go alone...juuuuuust kidding... but seriously! 

I saw these baskets and HAD to get them. You know that feeling you get when you see something... and you aren't quite sure what you are going to use it for... but you know you HAVE to have it? That's the feeling I had for these baskets. I needed them. I would not function with out them! Wow! Was that right on! How is it that they always know what we need?! Seriously! I think a teacher is heading the company up! =) 

Back to the "I can NOT function without these". The week before school started, I started getting group materials ready... and I had no place to keep them. I had 2 drawers in a cabinet, open, and a pile full of baskets... VOILA! I had enough baskets to cover all of my groups, and had a few left. BINGO!! 

We have been in school for 4 weeks and I am in love with this system! It allows for easy planning and a great way to organize the supplies and materials needed!

First, I labeled each basket so that I can keep track of the baskets, and they are easy to locate for other staff (in the very common event that a student has a meltdown and needs my assistance in moving on), and a sub. 

Then, I make my copies, gather my materials, and place them all in the basket. I also include a folder for loose papers or progress monitoring data. 

It has been a life saver this year. It is in close proximity to my group table and all of my things are in one place! 

This idea can easily be adapted to math and reading small groups! =)

Once again, another Dollar Tree find! This blue basket started off as a whiteboard marker/eraser holder. This year, I am sharing a room with one of the other Special Education teachers, which is going well, but has been an adjustment for me. I am used to my own room! My marker basket quickly became a "any possible supply I could need for any of my groups" basket! We have been flip flopping tables and I was continually running to grab a glue stick or a pair of scissors. 

After a few days of this, I decided to change things up a bit! I added to a tin pale from Walmart (party section) and a plastic cup (with the NFL logo of course!) to my blue basket. I put the scissors and glue sticks in the pale and the pencils, pens, high lighters, and dry erase markers in the cup. I stuffed the white board erasers (Facial wipes from... you guessed it... The Dollar Tree!) around the pale and cup! Works perfectly! I can easily set it in my Group Basket and take it to wherever we are meeting! So smooth! 

Treat one comes from one of my favorite products... Word Work Task Cards! These are perfect for practicing spelling/ word work words! Students can independently practice their words in 84 creative ways! All recording sheets and reference sheets are included! Check out this post for more information on them! 

Also... grab this SAMPLE! I have included 1 page (4 task cards) and their recording sheets! Just click on the pictures to grab it!! 

                

If you are interested in the full version, you can grab it HERE!

Finally, I have discounted my ENTIRE store for the day!! FALL items are 50% off and everything else is 20% off!! Happy shopping friends!!

Store:
The Learning Center

Don't forget to check out these other great tricks and treats listed below!

An InLinkz Link-up

#SLANTbox

I discovered SLANT box a couple of months ago and decided it was time to give it a try! Lessons With Coffee organizes the whole thing and does a fantastic job! Read more about it HERE!!

This month I was paired with Tiffany B from Virginia. Man did she nail it!! =) 

First off, her box came on the perfect day! I came home early sick and there it was! Definitely uplifting after having the flu (welcome back to school!)! 

This month's theme was "Hometown Pride". Meaning...items to show off your town or state! Check out these cute chalkboard apples (The apple state!) and super cute earrings from a hometown shop!

And of course... some awesome teaching things! Markers... colorful pens, cute page tags, highlighters, stickers and of course Scentos!!

Tiffany was so thoughtful that she even included something for my munchkin! He LOVES books, especially ones that have things attached to it! I know he will love it!

She clearly figured out and remembered my favorite color!! You will NEVER be able to guess it...

Like I said, she nailed it!!

If you have never done SLANTbox... I highly recommend it! Watch for her next sign up and get in on the fun!

500 Followers Celebration Extravaganza- Day 5!

 

Well.. here we are! I can't believe how fast this celebration has gone!! I hope you all have had as much fun as I have! I CANT wait to choose the winners! So many great resources up for grabs!! =)

I wish you all a very happy back to school! I just told the hubby "Ugh... I have to be a normal working person again"! He didn't find it very funny! Haha! I think he was a little jealous of all of the pool time we had and Disney movies we watched! I just kindly remind him that HE SHOULD HAVE CHOSEN A DIFFERENT FIELD! we work pretty hard to! =) 

Remember ALL giveaways close at MIDNIGHT tonight (including Day 5!) so make sure you have your name in ALL of them (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4)! =) 

I will choose winners tomorrow and email the winners in the evening, after my long exhausting day of actual work! =) 

The Day 5 giveaway comes with a $10 shopping spree to 9 stores and a Winners Choice item to 16 stores!!

Oh... annnnnnnd a 2nd giveaway of 5 (FIVE!) items from my store... No limits, no restrictions! =) Math Posters? YEP! Pre-Primer Sight Word Pack?? YOU BET!! ALL.OF.IT is up for grabs! 

It's Like CHRISTMAS!!! Picture Oprah... "You get free resources!!!!" "And YOU get free resources!!!"  

All right here weeeee gooooooo!!!!

DEAL OF THE DAY: 
My ENTIRE STORE is 20% off!!! YAY!!!! 
(This will be extended for those of you who don't win!!) 

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a Rafflecopter giveaway