Dollar Sale at Scholastic

They've done it again! Those lovely people at Scholastic are treating us all to another one of their dollar deals.

Over the last couple of years I've managed to stock up on loads of great bargains in the Dollar Sale. I stumbled upon this one purely by chance this time, but I couldn't resist. I'm not on commission - I just thought you'd like a heads up. This time I saved  massive $114!! This is what I got for my $14...

       
          

    

 

The mini books will be great for my EAL kids, and the grammar manipulatives will help to make grammar a little more interesting. The Hallowe'en, Back to School, holidays and autumn themed books will hopefully give me lots of ideas for new resources. The Shakespeare books are for my older EAL kids who have to study them in high school - sometimes a watered-down, modern version is easier for them to access. I can't wait to start using them!

What will you spend your dollar on...?

It's Hallowe'en...and Mrs V is a Busy Bee

It's Hallowe'en - and it's raining...

As always... But I'm watching news reports of Sandy on TV and I'm thanking my blessings that we don't get hurricanes and tornadoes in the UK (yet...). I hope everyone managed to stay safe.

So, for Hallowe'en tonight I'll be staying indoors in the warm. I won't be forgetting all the little 'uns though - I've got a whole bucketful of goodies ready and waiting for when they knock.

Today we're off to Swansea to an open day at the university. This will be our second university visit, and so far Mia is no closer to making up her mind... She's thinking about a combined degree in dance and drama. but we can't find anything that comes close - it's either dance or drama, or dance with business studies or teaching. What she really wants to do is go to RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts) or LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts), but neither offer dance... Difficult decisions. Difficult being 18...

Just in case you're still looking...

I thought I'd post up a quick summary of all things Hallowe'en in my shop, just in case you're still looking for bits and bobs. As you can see, most of the freebies I posted last week are still available at no charge, so pop along and snap them up. I've also posted my Presidential Election resources. There are three resources available at the moment, although I hope to also add another pack "If I Was President" if I have time this week.

At the moment I have a huge activity pack designed to get children thinking about character development, a fully animated slide show giving all the facts about how the US electoral system works, and a combined pack of both resources. Both resources individually cost $5 but when bought together in the combined pack you get them at a massive saving of $1.50.

All of the resources are available in my TPT store too, if you prefer to shop there. Hope you find something you're looking for.

Mrs V's Busy Bees 500 Giveaway

Don't forget to pop on over to Sara's fab blog Mrs V's Busy Bees to check out her huge giveaway. She's celebrating 500 followers with some fabulous prizes for the winners. Here's the button that will take you straight there.

Autumn Break and FREEBIE #7

Autumn break - at last...

It's been a long time coming - eight weeks to be exact.

Now eight weeks doesn't sound like a long time (and let's face it, if I was chilling on a tropical island somewhere in the Maldives, it would positively fly by...), but we all know that in our job eight weeks is an absolute lifetime! Usually our terms are around 7 weeks at most, and believe me, that last week is HARD - hard for the kids who by then have absolutely had it, and hard for the teachers who had it about two weeks earlier...! But eight weeks...??? I'll leave it to your imagination to paint a picture of how I feel. I won't ask you to do the same for the way I look... Suffice to say, it's been exhausting.

So now half term is here I can relax, lie-in and generally catch up with all the stuff I haven't got round to doing, right? WRONG! My whole week is taken up. It goes something like this:

Monday - appointment with the bank
Tuesday - trip to Birmingham (300 mile round trip) to take Mia to an audition for a filmed production of Cats.
Wednesday - open day for Mia at a university

Thursday to Saturday - London

It sounds great! But when will I fit in my planning...?

What are you doing with your break?

Freebie #7 - the last one...

When I started preparing all the freebies, I kinda had some ideas in mind. By the time I got to Day 6 I had exhausted all those ideas (something to do with half term fatigue perhaps...). What to do for Freebie #7? Then I thought of all my young readers, and especially those in Upper Key Stage 2 (Grades 3-5), who seem to be sometimes a little overlooked when it comes to all the wonderfully creative stuff I see out there .

Often children come across to us as “good readers”; they sound good, they read easily with flow and pace, and they have the phonic skills to decode new, often complex words, But do they really understand what they are reading?

This Freebie pack is an exercise in reading for understanding. it includes a passage about the history of the tradition of Hallowe’en, followed by a series of questions intended to explore whether children have really understood the text and how it is made up.. The resource meets Common Core Standards for Reading Informational Texts. G3-5. I hope you enjoy it.

THIS RESOURCE HAS BEEN PRODUCED USING US ENGLISH. PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU REQUIRE THE RESOURCE IN UK ENGLISH.

Whatever you're doing this half term, whatever you're doing for Hallowe'en, HAVE A GREAT TIME..!

Freebie #5

It's getting closer - Hallowe'en, that is..

I like to decorate the house and garden for Hallowe'en in some way. No, I don't go all out (my daughter is nearly 18 now, and with no small kids in the house I really haven't got a good excuse for all that commercial Hallowe'en stuff anymore), but I do like to do something to get in the seasonal mood. So yesterday I went out and bought some stuff. I got me a witch's broom, a couple of pumpkins, a felt Frankenstein candy basket and a couple of pots of orange heather. Now what to do with them...? Hmm... Let me think...

Freebie #5

While I'm thinking I'll give you news of freebie #5. Today it's a Hallowe'en wordsearch - just the ticket for keeping them occupied while you arrange their Hallowe'en party... As always this week, it's available by "liking" my Facebook page, so click on the picture to take you there. Enjoy!

See y'all for more treats tomorrow.

Freebie #4

Today's treat is a set of fun homework passes. Ditch the teeth-rotting candy and give them a treat of a different kind - a night off the homework! They come in two different designs - pumpkin and ghost, and are sure to put a smile on your kiddos' faces. Hop on over to my Facebook page to download a copy now - remember, you have to "like" me first. The passes are only free for one day, after which you can still get them for a very small rate in my TPT and TN stores. And while you're there, check out the post about my new exclusive freebies club - it's free to sign up. So what are you waiting for...?

See y'all tomorrow for more Hallowe'en goodies.

Freebie #3 and Exciting Launch of an Exclusive Freebies Club

Exciting Launch of an Exclusive Freebies Club

Firstly, thanks to all of you who have "liked" my Facebook page and are (hopefully..!) enjoying all the Hallowe'en freebies. I had such a lot of fun pulling them together for you.

Last night I got to thinking about how I could treat you on a regular basis with exclusive freebie. Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE my blog and my Facebook page, and that will never change. But I want to go that extra mile for all my wonderful followers and likers - all of you deserve spoiling once in a while.

Luckily I don't sleep much, and when I do it's so shallow that I'm hardly asleep - I dream up (literally..!) solutions to the day's issues.

Solution found - the new SOS Supply Exclusive Members' Club has now been launched.

My blog and Facebook page will continue to be the places where I post all my news, freebies and details of how to get hold of my resources. But as a member of the club you will be able to get a little extra. You will be able to access some freebies exclusively for you, and some in advance of posting to the public. You will also get lots of news and chat. It's FREE to sign up, so pop on over to the group now (click on the apple to take you straight there below) and ask to be added to the group. Alternatively, send me your email address and I'll add you.

I'm unsure if this idea will take off or not, but hey ho, let's give it a go!

Trick or Treat Freebie #3

Today's freebie is a set of cute bookmarks that you can give to your kiddos instead of candy - why contribute to the rot when you can encourage good reading, I say..

As always this week, they are available to followers of my Facebook page - so if you're not already signed up, rush on over and do it now. The bookmarks are only free for one day, but all of my freebies this week will be available afterwards in my TPT and TN stores at a knockdown price.

"Rockin' Teacher Materials" $170 Giveaway - another plug

I can't help myself...  I mean, have you seen it..? It's absolutely HUGE!

If you haven't checked it out yet and have a spare moment, remember to nip on over to Hilary's fabulous blog. There are so many mouth-watering giveaways up for grabs that it rivals the size of the TPT catalogue..! I'm really excited about it too because I'm donating my "Five Little Pumpkins" animated slideshow. Click the image to take you straight there.

Night all!

Freebie Day #2 - Is It a Trick or a Treat...?

Freebie Day #2

Well folks, here it is - the second day of a week-long Trick or Treat fest. Today's freebie is a whole pack of Hallowe'en writing paper - perfect for all ages. Five sheets with a variety of guide lines. It's also great for display work.

Don't forget that this time the freebies are only available through my Facebook page, so you need to "like" me to get them. Clicking on the picture above will take you there.

"Rockin' Teacher Materials" - Huge $170 Giveaway

Remember to check out the huge giveaway hosted by Hilary at Rockin' Teacher Materials. There's almost $170 of goodies up for grabs, so mosey on down and get clicking. You know what they say - "you've got to be in it to win it...!"

Freebie #1 and a HUGE $170 Giveaway

Big News! $170 Giveaway at Rockin' Teacher Materials!

Hilary over at Rockin' Teacher Materials has just announced her Giveaway and I'm so excited to be a part of it!

You can score almost $170 worth of goodies from some of your old favourites and some awesome new sellers as well. I'm offering a copy of my Five Little Pumpkins animated slideshow which has had rave reviews from buyers.

There are so many goodies on offer that I want them all! Make sure you pop on over and check it out. You can get there by clicking the button below.

Trick or Treat Week of Freebies - Day 1

Every day this week I'll be "treating" you with a whole bunch of freebies. You will only be able to get them if you follow my Facebook page, so sign up and like to snag your goodies. Here's the "trick" - the freebies will only be available on the day they are posted. Don't worry, you will still be able to get them afterwards at their regular price in my TN and TPT stores, so get them while they're free!

Here it is, the first freebie of the week. It's some cute writing paper that your kids are sure to love. Get on over and "like" my Facebook page to get yours.

Trick or Treat, Smell my Feet! And News of a Week of Freebies

Hallowe'en, Rhyme and Freebies

Trick or Treat, Smell my Feet - Using Hallowe'en to Explore Rhyme

My regular readers will already know that I love this time of year. Today it's a crisp autumn day. The sun is shining and it's still quite warm. The colour of the leaves is highlighted by the sunlight hitting them. This is how autumn should be...

I know that many of you are counting down to the autumn break (mine starts at the end of next week). Hallowe'en falls right in the middle of the break, and it's a shame that the actual day isn't on a school day. With that in mund, I know that a lot of you, like me, are trying to find ways to fit something in for Hallowe'en this week.

I love Hallowe'en - always have. But it was so different when I was growing up. The American tradition of Trick or Treat has only began taking a hold in the UK in the last few years or so, and when I was growing up, Hallowe'en meant a lot more than just collecting money and treats (and let's face it, nowadays there is more than a small risk of stranger danger to knocking on strangers' doors...). For us, Hallowe'en was planned months in advance. We made our own costumes, we hollowed out our own vegetables, usually swedes or potatoes (pumpkins were a rare sight here when I was growing up) that would cook when the candle was put inside, giving us distictive memories of the smells of Hallowe'en to cherish too. Oh, and by the way, have you ever tried to hollow out a swede...? Give it a go and let me know how you get on... We planned our own party, designed the invitations, booked a venue and roped in adults to help us with the party food. We played traditional Hallowe'en games like apple bobbing and apple tucking. Now it's so commercialised that for me it's lost a bit of its sparkle.

As much as many schools try to ban Hallowe'en (believe it or not, lots of church schools over here do. I've even known Harry Potter to be banned from some church schools..), it is a wonderful stimulus for children. What better than Hallowe'en to spark a child's imagination, awaken their senses and get them enthused. We all know how difficult it is to get children writing, so we should be stoking the fire of their imagination rather than dampening it down.

Using the popular saying "Trick or Treat, Smell my Feet!" as inspiration, this unit includes a series of activities designed to get children thinking about rhyming words.Rhyming words are words that have the same ending sounds. Examples of rhyming words are cat, hat, bat, mat, fat and rat. Every word can rhyme with another word – they just have to sound the same at the end. Rhyming words are a great way to introduce and discuss the different spelling patterns that make the same sounds.

The pack is available to download now in my TN and TPT stores - clicking on the pictures below will take you straight there (coloured picture for TN, Greyscale picture for TPT). The activities have bee produced using greyscale graphics to save on your printer ink, and include:

1. Writing paper
2. Rhyme Time word matching game
3. Pick a Rhyme sentence and poetry writing exercise
4. Smell my Feet rhyming game
5. Rhyme Crime clue solving game
6. Fishing for Rhymes go fish game
7. Answer sheets where applicable

I'd love it if you would take a look at it and perhaps leave me a comment, or join up as a follower of my store for regular updates and offers.

A Week of Hallowe'en Freebies

Exciting news now of a week of freebies coming your way. From tomorrow I will be posting a new Trick or Treat Hallowe'en freebie every day - I will be tricking you or treating you. Will it be a chocolate frog or a box of bombs...?  They will only be available through my Facebook page to my Facebook followers, so gather some pace and like us now. Click on the picture below to take you to my page.                           

I've been Boo-ed - Twice!

What a lucky girl I am! Boo-ed not once but twice. It's an honour to know that I've got so many blogger friends who are thinking about me. And it couldn't have come at a better time, as I'm just starting to turn my mind to Hallowe'en.

This is a fabulous, fun linky hosted by Tori at Tori's Teacher Tips (you must pay her a visit and sign up as a follower if you haven't already). So here goes...

Maybe you've seen or heard of this fun "game" in neighbourhoods or even at your school... but let's try a blog version!  Here is how it works:

If you've been booed, copy and paste the above pic and these "rules" into your post.

1.  Give a shout out to the blogger who booed you and link back to their site!

2. Share 3-5 October activities, books, products (yours or someone else),

or freebie(s) that you love!

3.  Share the Boo love with 5 bloggers- make sure you check this link to make sure you don't boo someone again:

 http://toristeachertips.blogspot.com/2012/10/ive-been-booed-fun-october-linky.html

And don't forget to tell them that they have been BOOED!

4.  Link up here so that others can find you and read about your October ideas!  And while you are there... check out the other great blogs!

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My wonderful "Boo Buddies"

 Beth Ann from Taming my Flock of Firsties

  Jenny from Owl Things First  

My Hallowe'en treasures

This is a different idea for decorating up for Hallowe'en. Check it out along with some scrummy ideas for toffee apples and apple pie centrepieces at Intimate Weddings.

Looking forward to trying out some of the traditional and quirky ideas for decorating outdoors at Hallowe'en at  Better Homes and Gardens

                                                                                   

Can't wait to try out my new Hallowe'en packets with my children. You can find them in my TN and TPT stores if you'd like to give them a try too.

My 5 blogger buddies

I'm sharing the Boo with a few of my friends. Please pay them a visit and pick up lots of great Hallowe'en ideas.

 

I have really enjoyed this Linky - thanks Tori!