Favorite Things: Classroom Edition!

I am pretty new to the blogging world, and I didn't realize how many wonderful teaching blogs are out there! I came across Babbling Abby today,and she has a great post link up for teachers to share their must haves. I thought I'd join the fun and share my must haves with all of you wonderful people! So, these are few of my favorite things. I kind of feel like Oprah, but without all the screaming and giveaways...

1. First and foremost, I have to have my Starbucks! You will see me with a very large coffee mug every morning!

2. Mavalus Tape and Magnet Tape. If you haven't used the Mavalus Tape, you should! It is "mavalus"! It keeps those anchor charts on the wall all year.

I LOVE magnet tape. I put magnets on everything!

3. Scholastic Word Families Song Book. My students can't get enough of this book. The songs are so cute, and we love singing songs to go with our phonics skill of the week!


4. Magic Wand. It's magical. I use this wand ALL the time. I use it as a signal to change centers, or just to get everyone's attention. It has such a pleasant little sound!


5. Cut outs. I love all kinds of cut outs! I have a huge box of bears, cupcakes, stars, owls, pumpkins, penguins, you name it. I love turning my cut outs into reading and math games, or using them to hang around the room with words on them for the kids to read.


6. Twistables colored pencils and crayons. These are the BEST coloring tools ever. I really wish everyone in my class could have them. Just think--no more crayon peels or broken pieces lying on the floor! I think they would last longer than plain crayons or colored pencils too.


7. Scrapbook paper. I love getting giant scrapbook paper packs. New paper makes everything more fun.

Boys For Hire!

The boys keep busy in the summer months
with jobs for the neighbours,
as well as jobs for us...
and the paper route.
They also like to spend some time playing...
of course! :)

We have lived in our neighbourhood for nearly 16 years.
The boys have grown up here.
The neighbours have kindly allowed them to shovel snow,
sweep driveways, walk dogs,
weed and water, feed a cat, and mow lawns ~
FOR PAY!

Each of the photos below was taken at the job site ~
three different neighbouring yards involved here.

~ Austin mowing a lawn ~

We are blessed beyond measure with the neighbourhood that the LORD
has graciously put us in!
We did not *choose* this house to live in.
It was a "fixer-upper" meant to "flip" within a few months of purchase.
The market went soft just as we bought.
Six months later we moved in.
God's PROVISION!

We had not "researched" the area.
We didn't even have the house inspected
(more on that one day perhaps)...

~ Calvin "weeding" in full protective gear! :) ~

We had NO IDEA what a GREAT place this would be to raise children!
How WONDERFUL that the LORD knows what is BEST for us!
We thought we were above this place.
It was not "good enough".
I am ashamed to remember what we thought in those days!
We were like spoiled children who should have had this home
stripped off of us and never given another!

God's GRACE is such that we often are given what we
DO NOT DESERVE!

And His MERCY is such that we often do NOT get what we
DO DESERVE!

~ Fraser watering ~

Continuing to number HIS graces ~
daily gifts and blessings from HIS loving hand...

701. The home we live in ~ a gift from God!

702. That we have never moved house with our children...
incredible thought!

703. The neighbourhood God PLACED us in...
we never would have chosen it!
(Another incredible thought)!
We were so spoiled in our thinking ~ to our shame!!

704. That God did NOT strip this home from us ~
HE is so long-suffering and patient!

705. The neighbours who seek out our boys to give them jobs!

706. The three boys who God has given us to teach and train.

707. The promise God has given to give us the wisdom to
accomplish the calling in #705.

708. Protective gear when danger threatens ~ *smile*
(There actually was REAL danger lurking on that property),
which has since been removed!

709. Finding a news article about that danger "just in time" ~
The LORD once again!

710. MANY things (jobs) to occupy the boys ~
no time to get restless...they have been helping around here too! :)

711. FULL summer days!

712. Development of work ethic ~
oppotunities directly from our Loving Heavenly Father's hand!

713. Lazy summer days!

714. All the opportunities to visit with friends and family
while we enjoy the "relaxed" schedule of summer

715. Special memories that have been made...
the LORD is good!

The Imagination Station

The imagination station. I think the name says it all, but it could also be named the inspiration station. This is the place in our room where children become authors and illustrators. Stories come to life, and favorite books we have read together inspire my students to create their own characters and new stories. I like to think they become "little imagineers"! I had two little boys a few years ago who loved to sit and make up their own non-fiction books together. They seriously blew me away with the things they wrote! Usually the first page would begin with a serious, yet simple introduction like, "Sharks are dangerous. Stay away from them." Or, "Fires are dangerous. Stay away from them." Everything was dangerous. But the pages following the introduction would be full of charts, diagrams, labeled drawings, timelines, and interesting facts they had learned about volcanoes, tornadoes, snakes, bears...you know, all the dangerous things! I really wish I had kept some of their books. They loved to share everyday, and the other kids in the class really looked forward to hearing what else was dangerous! It was amazing though--their excitement and enjoyment for writing got the other kids excited too!


I added the chalkboard and bird tree mural to the inspiration station this year, but I am still on the hunt for a larger writing table! The two blue boxes on top of the table are the "author's toolbox" and "illustrator's toolbox".

The Grace We Need

I would like to share with you something precious
that was shared with me quite some time ago.

I had been anticipating ~ with a measure of dread ~
a new work situation which I knew wouldn't be pleasant.
A godly man learned of my distress and told me...
"Camille, God's grace will be there EXACTLY when you need it!"

The grace for a future obstacle or situation will always arrive on time...
God is NEVER late with His provisions.


We may wonder how we will handle what is coming;
a new job, a new baby, a new home,
the loss of a loved one, personal difficulty or illness,
another homeschool year...
WHATEVER it is...
again, I would say ~
God's grace WILL be there for whatever
it is that you need to face.

We all can wonder, but we
MUST NEVER WORRY ~
BIG difference!

Worrying, of course, is sin.
Turn everything over to the Lord in prayer
and He will relieve you of the burden of care...
trust Him, He DOES know what He is doing!

God is Sovereign and Perfect...
we know these things,
but do we LIVE like we know them?
Do we live like we
BELIEVE them?
He works everything out for our good
and for His glory ~ see Romans 8:28.


Philippians 4:13 ~
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

Philippians 4:19 ~
"But my God shall supply ALL your NEED
according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
(emphasis mine)

II Corinthians 12:9-10 ~
"...My grace is sufficient for thee:
for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities,
that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities,
in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions,
in distresses for Christ's sake:
for when I am weak, then I am strong."


As I journey with the Lord through this life,
I have seen the truth in what that wise and godly older gentleman
told me on that day long ago.
We all have difficulties to face ~ trials, and sometimes terrible circumstances,
but we CAN face ALL of it, with thanksgiving,
WITH the Lord and by His grace...
day by day, moment by moment.
What a blessing to be a child of the King of Kings!

**Repost from the archives

Mini Blog Make Over!

I am so excited to have a precious new blog header, thanks to my sweet blog friend, Janae, and her talented friend Whitney! Janae has a really cute new blog, First Grade Fun, and right now she has some great ideas for bottle cap lids! Janae and Whitney, thank you SO much for the new header! I LOVE it!!!

Wondrous Word Work

If I were a first grader, I think my favorite literacy station would be word work! I try to allow my students a variety of choices for working with words of the week. There are so many possibilities for activties, and I am often making up new ideas as I introduce new phonics patterns. For example, when we learn the digraph ch, I created a "Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie" game, and the kids would put pretend cookies on a pan, then flip them over with a spatula to practice reading and spelling the word found on the other side. The following activties are what you might see in the word work basket from week to week. Usually, I allow 2 or 3 activities in the basket at a time, then rotate them back in every few weeks to keep the kids from getting bored.

Play-Doh letters: use letter cookie cutters to create words! *Voted most popular by my first graders*

Sparkle letters: these are sparkly foam stickers.

Scrabble Words: I have a cute worksheet to go with this activity. It incorporates math by having the kids add up the letters of the words they create.

Mini Magna-Doodles.


Also, the chip board letters pictured at the top of this post are fun for spelling!

Other ideas:

*Mini chalkboards/whiteboards
*Magnet letters
*Fun fonts: cut out letters from magazines to build words.
*Letter stamps
*Sand box: put sand in the lid of a shoebox, and draw words in the sand
*Rainbow spelling: use different colored markers to spell words
*Wikki Stix
*Bottle cap spelling: put letters on the tops of bottle caps

When I do a fun phonics based activity, I will try to post pictures! Any teachers out there with some great new ideas for word work? I'd love to hear them!

Growing Up!

Our third boy was a precious addition to our family.
What you see in the photos below pretty much sums up Fraser's personality.
He is joyful and easy to please.

We called him our "Jolly Giant" when he was a baby.
He was our largest baby ~ at 9lbs 4oz.
He was usually happy...
A JOY!

Eleven years ago today Fraser was placed in our
home by our Loving Heavenly Father.
Our third son.

A treasure.

What would we do without you Fraser?
How precious it is that you are in our family.
It would not be the same without you!

We all love you very much.

We pray that the LORD would early have your heart
and that you would all your days serve and honour HIM!
Follow the LORD Jesus FIRST and we will be the happiest of parents!
Whatever HE desires for you is our desire too.
Follow HIM wherever HE leads!

"Let no man despise thy youth;
but be thou an example of the believers,
in word, in conversation,
in charity, in spirit,
in faith, in purity."
I Timothy 4:12

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

All our love,
Daddy and Mummy
xoxo