Saturday, February 16, 2013

It's A Give Away!

Update 2/22/13: The give away is officially closed!  Thanks to all that entered.  The winner will be posted this weekend, probably Sunday night.  Best of luck to you all!

So, I mentioned that I  wanted to do a give away for a very special reason. 

Today is the day! 

After all, it is the weekend.  What better way to start the weekend?

I know!  I was going to wait a bit so that I could work on the stinky spam problem.  But, it seems that just adding a word verification has solved the problem (she whispered under her breath in fear of tempting the evil spam trolls.)  Before we get to the goodies, let me tell you why I'm so happy to be doing this.  During my hit or miss posting the past few months it seems my little blog hit over 1,000 followers!  I was stunned when I saw that.  Now, I know in blog land 1,000+ followers is not such a big deal.  But, for me it is H U G E!  I was stunned to see that, despite the fact I haven't been posting regularly, you have all stuck around and even a few more joined out little party.  It brought a huge smile to my face and was a major factor in motivating me to get back to blogging.  And, thanks so much to everyone who had such nice comments about losing my teaching mojo.  Your kind words are very much appreciated. 

It is that restored motivation for which I can't thank you enough.  Many of you have commented in the past that you come to my blog for ideas and motivation.  Well, it is your coming here that motivates me and has been just what I needed this school year.  To thank you all for what you give to me, I have a little something to give to you.  I've collected some things that make me smile in hopes they will make you smile!

Before we go on, I should mention that I am limiting this give away to followers of my blog only.  I've never done that with a give away, but it seems fair this time since it is a thank you to them (you!) for bringing me to over 1,000 followers and sticking around during my funk. However, if you want in on the loot just become a follower and join the fun!

The give away includes the goodies
shown in the two pictures below!

Good stuff, right? :-)  Let me tell you why they make me smile.

Mini Stamper Markers - I know these are great for things like having your friends make rebus stories, but I use them in a totally different way.  These markers usually make their appearance during math.  When working on a whole class lesson, I will walk around and look over my friends' shoulders while they work.  If things are going well, I simply lean over, give a quick verbal compliment, stamp the math problem, and move on.   I also switch off on markers so they get different stamps as we are working.  They honestly get so motivated by this you would think I was throwing money at them!    The markers are washable and non-toxic, so sometimes I will stamp the back of their hands instead of the papers.  They love that!  If I have a friend who is struggling a bit, after we work it out together I will give them a bunch of stamps for working so hard and not giving up.  Those are the best smiles ever.

Tri Write Pencils - I order a bunch of these with my school order each year for a very special group of friends.  These are the perfect pencils for my friends who have organization issues, ADD, or just tend to be those kids who are always knocking things off their desks.  Take a look at the picture below, and see if you can figure out why I like them so much.  I might have even highlighted it for you. :-)
Yup!  These pencils are triangular shaped.  They are the same size as normal number two Ticonderoga pencils, but they have flat sides.  These pencils stay where you put them!  They don't roll off the desk or under a paper.  I can't tell you how a simple change to this type of pencil has saved the time lost searching under the desk or  under papers several times a day.  It may seem like a little thing, but it is so helpful to my aforementioned friends.  These pencils are also great for your friends who are having trouble with their grip.  The three sides help with finger placement without the need for a pencil grip.

Sparkle Heart Accents - Who says hearts are only for Valentine's Day?  I included these hearts because they are the exact hearts I used to make a game called Heart Breakers.  I posted about it in THIS POST.  Heart Breakers is a fun review game that your friends will love and you can play anytime of the year.  My previous post will tell you exactly how to set up the cards and play the game.  It will take you just a few minutes to make the hearts, and then you have the game forever.  It's a great review game for all grade levels, seriously K-12 can play this!

Bulletin Board Letters - I like easy.  I like colorful.  I like pre-made, colorful bulletin board letters! These letters are just fun.  Check out the back of the package.
 
TPT Gift Certificate - And finally, what I consider to be the best part of the whole give away. . . a $20 gift certificate to TEACHERS PAY TEACHERS.

 
If you haven't visited this site, you need to go there now!  Teachers create materials from all curriculum areas and post them for sale on this site.  Honestly, you can find pretty much anything you need there.  I like the site because it is a great way to support our colleagues, and it is full of great stuff!  Once you buy something, you can download it immediately.  Also, most everything is so reasonably price you can really get a lot for $20.  I have been toying with the idea of starting a store there myself, but haven't worked up to it.

So, there we go!  A great big THANK YOU give away to those who have been nice enough to follow my little blog and bring a smile to my face.  I think I love give aways so much because, well. . . who doesn't like getting a surprise?  I still send cards and notes via snail mail for the same reason.  How nice is it to get an unexpected something in the mail that isn't a bill?!

Here's the info you need to enter:

1. Leave a comment!  That's your entry.   One comment/entry per a person, please.  I usually like to ask a question for a comment entry, so how about this:  What subject do you most enjoy teaching?  I'll post the total responses for you all after the give away closes.  Or, you can leave any old comment you like!

2. Be a follower of Teaching My Friends. I don't want to exclude anyone, but this is a give away to thank those who have helped my little blog have over 1,000+ followers.  Of course, everyone is welcome to follow and enter.  There's a "Follow" button down a bit on the right side of the page. 
 
The give-away closes on Friday, February 22, 2013, at 8:00 P.M. eastern time. I will randomly pick a winner from the comments and post the winner that weekend. 
Good Luck!
 
Disclaimer: Nothing in this give away is sponsored in any way. 
It's all fun stuff purchased out of my own pocket to thank you!

37 comments:

  1. Congrats on your 1000+ followers! My favorite subjects to teach are science and social studies. I love sharing the world we live in with my students!

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  2. Congratulations! You deserve it! I love teaching math because it encourages kids to dig in and try, make mistakes, and puzzle through problems. That lightbulb look of understanding is the best in math especially, since most kids think math is "hard" or they're "not good" at math. Gets me every time!

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  3. Congrats and thanks for the giveaway! I enjoy teaching math the best!
    bkraft05@gmail.com

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  4. I am a math maniac! I also teach science but enjoy math the most. My teaching partner who teaches the language arts block always complains about all the great math games you can play. Give me some dice and cards and I'm ready to go!!

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  5. This year, I think I'm enjoying math and science the most, though French is usually fun, too!

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  6. Cheers to a 1000+ followers!!! The subject I enjoy the most is science. There is always something fun and exciting to do with science. + I get to wear really fun goggles!

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  7. Congrats on passing 1000! My favorite subject to teach is reading. Many 2nd graders are at the point where they are past just learning to read and are reading to learn. My students are fascinated by non-fiction and LOVE to share the fun facts they discover! It's so fun to see them excited about books! :)

    Thanks for hosting a fun giveaway!

    cathy@missversteeg.com

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  8. The subject I enjoy teaching the most is science. I love the units of study that I cover in my class and so do my students.
    Thanks for hosting a giveaway!

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  9. I love teaching Reading! I love seeing my little munchkins move up two, three, seven levels in one semester! :) It warms the cockles of my heart. (haha!)
    Congrats!

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  10. I have been following you for a little bit now. I would like to say that I love teaching reading, but recently my job description changed from pull out to inclusion. I too have gone into a funk. My administration explained to me during the second week of school that I would now be an inclusion based reading coach. When I asked what that means, they said that we would just figure it out as we go. I do love the connections I am making with the teachers, but I am sad to have lost what I had. I still love the subject matter, but I need to get over my pity party and embrace my new role----if I can just get a handle on what that is.

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  11. Congratulations on 1000 followers! That is awesome :) Since our curriculum incorporates Social Studies--I have to say teaching social studies through writing is my favorite!

    --jen
    teaching, life, and everything in between

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  12. I would have to say that my favorite subject to teach has to be READING. I think this is where I really het to see te students grow the most. beth.shavelson@browardschools.com

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  13. I am math lover. I would do anything to teach math all day :)
    Tania
    My Second Sense

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  14. I absolutely love teaching math. It's amazing to witness those moments when the lightbulb goes off!

    Rachel
    thirdgradecupcakes.blogspot.com
    thirdgradecupcakes@gmail.com

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  15. Wow! Congrats! 1000+ is definitely a big deal! :)

    My favorite subject to teach is reading :). My students love it and so do I!

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  16. Congrats on 1000! My favorite subject is reading. :) Thanks so much for all the good ideas of more stuff for me to buy. :)

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  17. I love teaching S.S.! Super cute blog!!

    Erika Word
    mrswordswords.blogspot.com

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  18. Congratulations on reaching your 1000 follower mark. That definitely IS a big deal in the blogosphere! My favorite subject to teach is reading - which is exactly why I'm a reading teacher (with a little technology thrown in)! :-)

    Best wishes!
    Carla
    Surviving Sixth Grade

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  19. You have such great ideas and inspiration! I love adapting your ideas for my middle school ELA classroom. I also get great ideas to help my little guy at home when he struggles with his 2nd grade math!! Thanks!

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  20. Very excited to enter the giveaway! I love to teach guided reading! Which is why I am a Title I teacher :)

    Thanks!

    Em Hutchison
    curiousfirsties.blogspot.com

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  21. I love teaching reading!! It is so powerful when readers who struggle find good fit books, and connect with an author who sparks their love of reading. From then on, it is great to watch their love of reading explode. Thanks for your blog to help us on this journey.
    eugenezirk@centurytel.net

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  22. My favorite subject is social studies. I teach ancient civilizations and love making it come alive.

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  23. What a great giveaway! I absolutely love teaching reading.
    Michelle
    Mjaquillard@oregoncs.org

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  24. I love teaching reading. Thank you for your blog. You inspire me.

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  25. Congratulations! I have really enjoyed teaching math the last few years.

    Cindy
    Cindy.campbell@vcslearn.org

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  26. Congrats on 100 followers! My favourite subject is hands down junior high Language Arts!

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  27. My favorite subject is becoming math! Never thought I'd say that!! :-)

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  28. Love teaching American history, space in science class, and lots of math skills (I struggled as a student in math and love being able to help them "get" concepts). My fingers are crossed for your contest.
    Have a great weekend :)

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  29. What subject do you most enjoy teaching? I love teaching MATH!

    Congratulations on 1000 followers!

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  30. Fun giveaway. I enjoy your blog a great deal. I love teaching reading. There are so many interesting books out there.

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  31. I love teaching science and social studies (although we don't get a chance to spend as much time on it as I would like).

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  32. Congrats! I love to teach reading.
    lraines78@gmail.com

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  33. 1,000 followers is a great deal! I love to teach science and social studies. ChristieParadise@aol.com

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  34. Hi Nancy,
    I am writing an article on Packing Up Your Classroom for Scholastic's Instructor magazine and would love to interview you about your great blog post on the subject. Can you please email me at juliamartinlangan@verizon.net? When I try to email you it keeps bouncing back.
    Thanks so very much!
    Julia

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  35. I've only followed you for a short while, but have already implemented so many of your ideas and passed your blog along to colleagues. Congratulations on hitting 1,000.

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