5,100+ Followers!

Good evening, Peeps!

I just want to thank you all for your support this summer! I have been blown away! I am having so much fun networking with all of you on Facebook and Teachers Pay Teachers and love that the Internet makes it possible for us to all connect!

If you follow Kinder Peeps on Facebook, you have probably seen me use the hashtag #readysetclassroom in an effort to start getting my classroom together/hold myself accountable via social media, haha! I want to invite YOU to join the conversation and post any "fun findings" or anything you're doing to get your classroom ready! Post pictures, activities, rugs (I found some super fun rugs at Garden Ridge here in Austin earlier this week) or anything you can think of that will help other Kindergarten teachers get their classrooms ready!

Until then…enjoy the rest of your summer break!  I can't believe it's almost August! What?!!!  Which also means my sweet Jet is going to be ONE on September 3rd!  We are having his party on Labor Day weekend at the lake house and I am SO excited to celebrate him!  What a blessing he has been!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Like Kinder Peeps on Facebook!

Happy Friday, Peeps!

Well, I can't believe it has taken me this long to get Kinder Peeps' Facebook page up and going (well, actually...yes I can, haha!  Having a 9 month old baby might be the reason)! Please like Kinder Peeps on Facebook and help me spread the word!  

Click the image below to like our Facebook page! Dreamlike Magic is going to create some Facebook goodies for my blog! So, until then...please click below! :)

We are off to greet the newest addition to our family...my brother and Clare's baby boy, Theodore Douglas Ivey! Pictures to follow!

Have a wonderful weekend! Cheers!

BEST Behavior Bundles: Clip Chart, Weekly Behavior Sheet, and Parent Letter

Happy Memorial Day, Peeps!

It has been raining all day here in Austin but we still managed to get some pool time in with Jet when it [briefly] stopped today!  We had a great weekend and Jet got to see his Bebe!

On Saturday night we went and saw Godzilla in 3D with Jarred's mom!  We had to get a quick 3D selfie in, haha!

  

I am so excited about presenting at TCEA's upcoming Tots and Technology Conference in Galveston and hope to have all of my products uploaded by then (FINALLY)! So...those who know me (especially my student teachers) will tell you I have a passion for classroom management and positive reinforcement! I believe it should be our goal as educators to focus on creating a classroom climate that fosters mutual respect and most importantly, draws attention to/promotes positive behaviors. There are many strategies and systems teachers use; I encourage my student teachers to "try them on" and see what works best for their group each year. 

Not using a clip chart system...using Class Dojo this year? You can click the image below to purchase my Editable Parent Letters Introducing Class Dojo...and, be on the look out for MORE DOJO!

Please e-mail me with any questions (kinderpeeps@gmail.com).

Have a wonderful week!  And cheers to SUMMER!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, Peeps!

Little Jet took his first trip to the Cayman Islands over the Christmas break.  We got some great pictures of him!  He is just so easy going and sweet...and changing everyday...rolling over and pushing up! I love my baby!  Enjoy the pics!

I took him to our pediatrician today for his 4 month appointment (can't believe it has already been that long!) and here are his big boy stats:

In other news, I was offered a faculty position at the University of Texas starting this semester! I will be working part-time (perfect for my sweet Jet) with student teachers...one of my favorite roles in the past!  I love the world of teacher education and I can't wait to work with this group! We are going to have a fun, busy semester!  

Until then...stay warm (it was 20 here in Austin last night)!

Holiday Cookbook...Will Make Your Heart Melt and Your Mouth Water!

Good evening!

We have had quite a busy day!  Went on our morning walk through the hills and then Jet and I went to the mall so I could get my hair done and get some last minute things...and of course, stop by Janie and Jack to get Jet another outfit...such a cute store...trouble, trouble!  

We had Christmas pictures taken this afternoon in downtown Austin at the Long Center (the views are truly so pretty...backs up to Town Lake). I can't wait to see the sneak peak later tonight!  Here is a picture of Jet at Janie and Jack's...and in the car after pictures (we stopped at Lotus Hunan, our favorite Chinese restaurant, on our way back)!

So...I have been wanting to get my class cookbook from last year uploaded!  My kinders created a holiday cookbook last Christmas (as their gift to their parents) and it turned out SO cute!  I just love it!  I compiled all of the recipes, formatted them so they would look seamless in terms of where to find the ingredients/directions on each one, hole punched them, and tied them with a pretty Christmas ribbon.

We asked the parents to send in a family recipe they enjoy over the holidays (best to ask for a digital copy...makes the transfer easier when you're ready to put it all into one file and print/copy) and then, during small group/guided reading time, I had them write what they thought was in their recipe on the back of the "real" recipe.  Take a look at my sweet Catalina's handwritten recipe....it will melt your heart...and make your mouth water!

I bought/downloaded the border I used last year (seen below) from Graphics From the Pond on TpT...you can purchase the border by clicking here.

I have created a parent letter requesting a holiday recipe; you can download it from my TpT store or by clicking the image below:

I hope you have so much fun with this!  The parents will treasure this forever!

Almost Turkey Time!

Hi, Friends, Parents, Teachers, Pinners, and TpT Sellers!

I feel like I should change the name of my blog to inbetweenJetsnaps.com, haha!  I want to blog and upload more...!  Jet is getting into a good routine during the day...he usually naps at 10 am and then again in the early afternoon.  When he naps, I find myself cleaning (I am one of those who loves to clean, haha!) and responding to e-mails from buyers, etc. before I even get a chance to think about blogging or uploading!

My mom and I went to the Nutcracker Market at Reliant in Houston this past weekend and did a lot of Christmas shopping (you should have seen my car with all of Jet's travel gear on top of everything we bought at the Nutcracker)!  I found Jet some of the cutest Christmas outfits and PJs...can't wait for him to wear them!  We had so much fun and Jet loved spending time with his Mimi over the weekend!

On that note, can you believe Thanksgiving is two weeks from today?  The year is almost over...and my sweet Jet is 11 weeks old!  He is smiling so much and talking, talking, talking.  And...we made the "big move" and began transitioning him to his crib last night!  He is such a big baby and I felt like he was literally about to rock on out of his Rock and Play at night, haha!  He did so good in his crib and slept longer than he ever has (8 pm - 2:00 am and then every 2-3 hours after that...yes, that is a long time in the newborn world, haha)!  We will see if this becomes a trend and if Mommy's daily "rescue" trips to Starbucks continue! 

Along those lines, we used our Withings "Smart" baby monitor we bought at the Apple store this summer for the first time last night...and also kept us awake most of the night (and my iPhone died first thing this morning)!  They market it as "game-changing" technology and it truly is! You can talk to baby through it, zoom in and around the nursery, note the temperature and humidity...and the list goes on and on!  So neat...BUT...I went in his nursery constantly because I wanted to make sure he was a happy little sleeper...so, there was almost no need for it anyway ;-) 

Yes, yes...Thanksgiving isn't even here yet and Mommy is already dressing Jet in Christmas outfits!  Ahhh, I love my baby!

So...let's talk Thanksgiving and teaching:

I am so thankful for my beautiful, healthy baby boy and my wonderful family.  I always loved hearing about what my kindergarteners were thankful for during this time.  Such an important, special time of year.  Last year, we got all of the kindergarten classes together and had a fun Thanksgiving feast.  We talked about the Pilgrims and Native Americans, their hardships, travels, and ultimately, their friendship.  

Be sure to stop by my TpT store and preview my Thanksgiving products and FABULOUS FREEBIE (I will never forget the kindergartener who told me he would be bringing Lysol when asked what he would be bringing to our feast - ha!):

Please leave me feedback if you download the freebie :-)

Last but not least, I am also so thankful for all of my followers....and for Pinterest! Its "reach" is incredible and has really increased my sales on TpT!  Through the TpT Seller's Forum, I discovered the magic of collaborative boards and I am now currently pinning on over 30 collaborative boards!

If you would like to pin to Kinder Peeps' boards or any of the boards Kinder Peeps pins to, simply follow Kinder Peeps on TpT and Pinterest and let me know which ones you would like to pin to...and I will add you!  Follow the steps below:

1) Click the image below and it will take you to my store:

2) Click my Pinterest icon at the top right of my blog which will take you to my Pinterest boards

3) Take a look at the collaborative boards I pin to (I recently created one for the 100th Day in February!) and e-mail me at ashleyivey@utexas.edu and let me know which boards you want to be added to!

Happy almost-weekend!

Kinder Peeps' 20% Off Sale

"Brainstorming Templates" on TPT

Happy Weekend, Peeps!

I hope everyone had fun this week!  I'm still exhausted from Halloween on Wednesday!  So...I'm taking break from the Texas Tech vs. UT game (it's halftime, no worries - ha!) to blog and upload some more of the templates I've created (see previous posts) to my TPT store.  I actually found the USB I thought I had lost over a year ago and I'm elated!  So many Activ Flip Charts, lesson plans, and activities for my Kinder Peeps; I'm planning to upload as many of these activities as I can over the holidays (my graduate courses come to an end the first week of December...Merry Christmas to me!) and my school district's last day before the holidays is December 21st.  Anyway, I'm ready to give Deanna Jump some competition, haha!  I just love her products and blog...if only I had the time.

I've uploaded what I call "Brainstorming Templates" for letters A-Z, consonant blends, and digraphs...you will find brainstorming templates like the one shown below (students draw the picture and then stretch the word in the space under each picture) in my TPT store.

My kinders get so excited about "brainstorming" because they love to draw and come up with words we haven't yet discussed!  Like I mentioned in my initial posts, this is the first year I've tried this (in lieu of the cut-and-paste picture sorts)...and they have become such confident writers through these activities!

My kinders are also brainstorming in our pocket chart station during literacy work stations in the morning.  I cut card stock into 4 different pieces and leave it for them at the pocket chart each day (along with crayons, markers, etc.).  They brainstorm words with their partner and then draw and label pictures of words that start with the letters, digraphs, or blends given on the pocket chart each day (see picture below).  I just love the chicken!

What do you have your kinders doing in your pocket chart station?  Would love to hear all about what you're doing!

Coming soon:  election activities, class book templates, graphing activities, and several literacy work station ideas...stay tuned!  Well, my husband is making dinner...so, until next time!