If you give a teacher a.... [giveaway!!!]

It's getting to be that time of year.  You know what I'm talking about.  That time of year where teachers are absolutely swamped.  Desks piled high with papers.  Assessments coming out your ears. Grades to enter.  End of the year fun to be planned.  And energy running low.  Let's face it.  The end of the year is exhausting.  You might find yourself feeling a little drained and a little less than appreciated.  But rest assured, teachers, you ARE appreciated!  Those very kids that are driving you bonkers right now, will come back next year just to give you a hug and see your smiling face. Their parents will SUPER appreciate you a few weeks into summer break when they realize how much energy their child has. 

Well, the bloggers over at iTeach Kinder KNOW how hard you work and we wanted to do a little something special so we're throwing a super awesome giveaway to show you that you ARE appreciated! 

You can enter to win a giftcard from Target, Amazon, Starbucks, or TPT!  We got to thinking about all the awesome things you could buy with those giftcards and we want to hear from you!  In true Laura Numeroff fashion, we want to know If you give a teacher a giftcard...what will she get?! Hope you don't mind if I share my ideas!

I have such an obsession with cups/water bottles.  Can you ever really have too many?

Because candy in bulk is just better.  BUT you can have the banana ones... YUCK!

It's finally an appropriate time of year to have a delicious frozen drink!  I love a good frappuccino.  The one pictured is a Toffee Mocha.  I'm telling you -- if it's toffee, I'm THERE!  And what better to pair it with than an ooey gooey rice crispy?! YUM!

My kids LOVE LOVE LOVE puzzles... especially ones that allow them to stretch out on the floor! Great for fine motor AND teamwork! 

If you've got a laminator at home, Lord knows, the sheets are expensive!  Spending a gift card on them is ALMOST like getting them for free! ;) 

Get these pens and I swear you won't regret it.  They come in a gobzillion different colors and they are SUPER fine tip.  Love them for grading, planning, and writing my to-do lists! :)

Love the idea of a little read/answer for my more advanced kids in small group! 

Following directions AND doing something enjoyable.  Yes, please! 

Can't go wrong with new clipart! 

So there you have it. If I were lucky enough to win a giftcard, that's how I would spend it!  Now it's time for YOU to go enter! All you have to do to win is go follow us over at iTeach Kinder and enter the rafflecopter there!  Click the image below to head on over! :) 

And go read about what some other K-2 teachers would buy with their giftcards! 

An InLinkz Link-up

Let's Measure! Books, Videos, Ideas, Resources, and a Freebie!

If you're not teaching nonstandard measurement in your kindergarten classroom... start... start NOW! This is exactly the kind of hands-on, exploration based learning that is growing more and more absent in K classrooms. And, as one of my favorite math concepts to teach,  I'm excited to share with you some ideas and resources to use in your classroom! 

Videos are a great hook into a concept.  Let's face it, kids like videos.  

My kids LOVE LOVE LOVE Sid the Science Kid.  He's a staple in our classroom.  This fun video explores the concept of nonstandard measurement as they attempt to measure their classroom using "Geralds" (one of the characters on the show)

Another from Sid the Science kid.  This cute little song uses non-standard measurement to measure a whale! 

This cute little song uses some of your kids' favorite characters to teach measurement concepts.  This song is great for an intro into a measurement unit as it runs down all the reasons we measure things and the various kinds of measurement (height, weight, capacity, length, etc.)

I love using picture books to teach math concepts.  Here are several great picture books for introducing and reviewing measurement concepts!

This book is great for opening up the conversation of which animals are bigger/smaller, longer/shorter, heavier/lighter.  

Another size comparison story.  Students will compare the animals on a page as they progressively get larger!

LOVE this cute book for comparative measurement. Not only does it compare animals on the page to each other, but also to real world objects. 

The King wants to build a bed for his wife, but doesn't know how to decide how large to make it!  Love this book to intro an activity on measuring our feet with nonstandard units OR measuring WITH our feet!

A little inchworm uses his body to measure.  Can't pass up a Leo Lionni book! 

Mighty Maddie, by the amazing Stuart J. Murphy, compares light and heavy in this cute tale of a little girl who must clean her room!

  The last two are more advanced and geared toward the concept of standard measurement, but would be great to use at the end of a nonstandard unit to shift gears into standard measure. 

Below are some of the resources and activities I use to teach non standard measurement!  They can all be found in my Let's Measure pack! 

(Fill a large tub with water or sand and some of the items shown here for a capacity exploration!)

You can get hands-on during ALL of your measurement exploration.  Several of the activities in my measurement pack call for measuring using materials that you already have in your classroom.  

Above are just a few of the activities we do for learning about length, height, weight, and capacity. Click the image below to check out the pack in my store and view the preview to see everything included. 

And here's a little freebie for some delicious, hands-on, nonstandard measurement practice! Click to download then go out and get your mini marshmallows! :)