It Takes Two to Plan

Mrs. Wongtastic and I are trying out a new planning method this year with www.planbook.com
Now, I must give her all the credit because she is the one who found this wonderful website back in September when we were racking our brains for a system or a program to be able to plan together.

Here is what the website looks like.

We tried the physical planbook (the free one from Lakeshore that every teacher has) but it was too time consuming for us to copy down the same plans twice (since we're co-teachers sharing a room) and hard to know when one of us added or changed plans.

We ALSO tried google calendar. We created a separate calendar for
our classroom plans and shared it with one another. The perks of google calendar was that we could add, drop, and modify plans and both have access to it. It worked great for a year then we wanted more options than google calendar was giving us on their basic calendar format.

That's when Mrs. Wongtastic went on a internet search journey to find an existing online planning program for teachers that would allow us to have one account and both have access to add, drop, and modify one set of plans. I guess we aren't the first ones who wanted such a program because it already existed!

We have been using planbook since September and I must say that it is pretty amazing and makes our lives as co-teachers so much easier! I love the simplicity of it and how it really is like those physical planbooks you write your week's plans in except, it's online, it's able to be shared with a co-teacher, anddd it's cheap! Only $12 for a year.
If you split it with your co-teacher that's only $6 which is around the price of a physical planbook, anyways.

So if physical planbooks are not working for you, check out www.planbook.com!
Your first month is FREE! :)

Keep Calm and...

Third Grade On!!!

I just wanted to write a quick post to share with you the cutest t-shirts we semi designed and ordered for the entire third grade. I say semi designed because although the slogan was my idea, it was Elisa from T-House Inc who put it on a t-shirt template and added a cute pencil on top! T-House Inc is located in Philadelphia. The cost was VERY reasonable and the tees arrived at our school in a very timely manner!

Every year in June, the whole school participates in Field Day where each grade wears the same color T-shirts and get to play various outdoor games and sports.
These t-shirts will be PERFECT for field day and we also decided to wear these shirts on all the third grade field trips this year!

We are really happy with how our t-shirts came out so I just wanted give Elisa a shout out here. If you're interested in ordering some t-shirts for your class... organization... etc, shoot Elisa an email at elisa@teehouseprint.com. 

I hope that our t-shirts this year inspires you to make some too!

Feel free to use our slogan as well. I thought it was pretty genius until I googled it and realized others have already come up with the slogan....

Keeping calm....
Ms. Kimpop

Therapy for a Teacher's Sole

One of the most important things that I've learned about teacher apparel is having COMFORTABLE shoes! I've gone through many pairs of "teacher shoes" that looked cute but they did not FEEL cute.
They hurt and I've had to take my shoes off during lunch time to give my feet a break before putting them back on for the day.
Anyways, for those of you searching for some sole therapy, I HIGHLY recommend the following ....

Left: Crocs Adrina Flat from DSW

Right: Crocs Adrina Flat from DSW

Can you guess what these are?

..........

Yes, they are CROCS!!

The shoes that I once thought were not so cute and not for me are the shoes I am recommending to you now. Once you purchase a pair of these bad boys you will NEVER want to put on another brand of flats, EVER. I know summer is almost over and winter is almost here but don't fret because CROCS makes closed flats too! They are not as cute as the opened toe ones but still cute enough to sport in your classroom. 

Various Closed Toe Crocs from ZAPPOS

Various Crocs from Amazon

They will make a wonderful gift to someone who is a teacher... becoming a teacher... student teaching etc. 

I've included links to dsw, zappos, and amazon.... all of which carry crocs in different styles & sizes so definitely check it out if you've been searching for the perfect pair of teacher shoes!

Happy Croc-ing! 

Goodbye Animal Crackers... Hello Snackimals!

If you know me personally, you know that I am a HUGE snacker. I love snacks!
I am a HUGE fan of Cheddar Bunnies which are a great alternative to Gold Fish.
I am happy to share that I have found ANOTHER great healthy snack that is MUCH tastier than most animal crackers I've ever had.

I was in Queens Health Emporium a few weeks back when I discovered these bad boys.

Snackimals!

They are just like animal crackers and 100% natural AND come in all different flavors. 

So far, I've tried the vanilla & chocolate chip... both were delicious!

As written on Amazon, snackimals are 

• Made with Certified Organic Grains
• No Hydrogenated Oils or Trans
• No Artificial Ingredients - Ever
• Available to Wheat Free Oatmeal Variety

I can't wait to try the other flavors such as chocolate, oatmeal, snickerdoodle, and peanut butter! 

I think these snacks would be great for kids because they are healthier and tastier than traditional animal crackers. Not sure where you can purchase them near you but amazon.com definitely carries them! 

Happy snacking everyone!

PS. Nutritional facts for the vanilla flavor for those who are interested:

Snackimals Vanilla

30g

Amount Per Serving
Calories 110  Calories from Fat 35

% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4g	6%
Saturated Fat 0	0%
Trans Fat 0
Cholesterol 0	0%
Sodium 65mg	3%
Total Carbohydrate 17g	6%
Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
Sugars 5g
Protein 2g

Vitamin A	0%	Vitamin C	0%
Calcium	4%	Iron	8%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 Calorie Diet.

INGREDIENTS: ORGANIC UNBLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR, UNSULPHURED MOLASSES, ORGANIC EXPELLER PRESSED SUNFLOWER OR SAFFLOWER OIL, NATURAL VANILLA WITH OTHER NATURAL FLAVORS, SEA SALT, SOY LECITHIN, BAKING SODA, ALUMINUM FREE BAKING POWDER (NON-GMO CORNSTARCH, BAKING SODA, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE).

CONTAINS SOY. MANUFACTURED IN A FACILITY THAT ALSO PROCESSES WHEAT, MILK, EGGS, PEANUTS, HAZELNUTS, ALMONDS, PECANS, PISTACHIOS, CASHEWS, WALNUTS, AND COCONUT.

Chef Struck

A few weeks ago, we had our annual career day.
Career day is always fun. I really enjoy getting to know what my students parents do for a living.
This year's career day was even more exciting because we had a guest speaker.

Chef Michael Psilaski.
He is currently the owner of 4 restaurants: Fishtag, Kefi, Mp Taverna (in 2 locations).
He spoke to the kiddies and told them to pick one thing they love and get really good at it, just as his father once advised him to do.

I thought he was very charismatic and sweet to the kids.
Of course, Ms. Phantastic and I asked for a photo, haha.

So this past weekend, I had the opportunity to check out one of his restaurants Fishtag in the upper west side of Manhattan. 

My review can be found here on a NEW blog I started. This new blog is a little bit different because for now, I need to add your email address for you to be able to read my posts. 

I plan on updating more about my personal life there so if you'd like to follow me on my new blog, just send me a message, email, or comment below! 

Stay warm everyone!

Ms. Kimpop

Think Breakfast

As a teacher, I am always looking for FREE things.
Whether it be a coupon for a free planning book or a free workshop for the kids,
TEACHERS ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR FREEBIES!
There are a couple of FREE things I want to blog about in the future but for today,
I want to share the FREE Think Breakfast program. 
Did I mention that it's COMPLETELY FREE?

DIRECTLY FROM THEIR WEBSITE

Helping Students Make Better Breakfast Choices

This year’s Think Breakfast! initiative includes an interactive CD storybook and the New York State Walkabout Challenge. It provides a dynamic way for students to learn the value of eating well and daily physical activity. Students can create their own story! This includes developing characters and choosing different ways to train for a big field day event. When completed, they can print out their very own books.

AKA they will send you workbooks, pedometers (the kiddies LOVE their pedometers), stickers, and other goodies to teach the kids the importance of healthy eating!

All you have to do is sign up and they will send you a class set of whatever they are offering for that school year. Ms. Phantastic (my co-teacher) signed us up for it again in September and our goodies arrived this week!

These are the goodies that we received for each student...

(poster for our room, workout CD, page of stickers that go with the kids workbooks, workbooks, ruler, & PEDOMETER)

So sign up today (or the beginning of the next school year) to receive your goodies.

Cheers to healthy living and breakfast! 

XOXO,

Ms. Kimpop

Children's Book of the Month: The Hundred Dresses

This is more like a book of the YEAR update... hahaha. I haven't been so good with these book recommendations but will try to get back on it.

Yesterday, I finished reading The Hundred Dresses with my 3rd graders. I've read this story before and it's one that I treasure and love! In our classroom, we're currently coming up with ideas about characters in stories to write a essay off of. The kiddies LOVED this story so I hope your children or students will love it too!

The Hundred Dresses

It's a story about a poor polish girl named Wanda who wears the same plain blue dress to school everyday. She gets teased by the other girls in school. The teasing becomes worse when, Wanda mentions that she has a hundred dresses all lined up in her closet at home. Eventually it turns into a game where the girls in school ask Wanda how many dresses she has every day, and belittles and laughs at her. 

It's a story that teaches about friendships, bullying, and forgiveness. 

As a teacher, I'm always looking for good books that will teach the students about being kind, accepting, and loving towards one another. These kinds of books are hard to come by so when I do find one I treasure it. Though it's a longer chapter book, I think it's one of the most heartfelt and touching stories ever.

October's Book Recommendation: The Hundred Dresses

Author: Eleanor Estes

Recommended for: Grades 3-5

One Super Teacher Smoothie Coming Right Up!

MS. KIMPOP'S 

SUPER TEACHER SMOOTHIE 

1/2 cup vanilla soy/almond milk

1/2 cup tangerine orange juice (I've also tried Orange Peach Mango juice from Trader Joe's)

1 tablespoon of Blueberry Flax Seed from Trader Joe's (sold grounded up and not in seeds)

Handful of frozen berries (I usually use a mix of blue, black, and ras) 

*OPTIONAL* 

Sometimes, I add in a tablespoon of Vanilla Whey Protein Powder which keeps me FULLER longer...

Blueberry Flax Seed from Trader Joe's Supermarket

I take all the ingredients and put it into my magic bullet & BLEND for about 30 seconds. I take the cup right off of the bullet (put a secure lid on it, which comes with the bullet) and drink it on my way to work.

I have been drinking this smoothie since the beginning of this school year and it really helps me get my morning started without feeling too FULL. I hope it inspires you to create your own teacher, doctor, nurse, _____ smoothie.

a GREAT tool for SMOOTHIE experiments...

Happy blending!

Hasta la Vista, Goldfish!

Not quiet sure what it is about goldfish crackers but children love 'em!

It is a VERY popular snack choice by the little ones.
They NOT only love them but also like to do questionable things like dunk a bunch of
goldfish in to a cup of water and drink it straight up. Haha. 

I guess it could be the cute little goldfish shape or the fact that they are bite size and fun to eat.
I was a fan of goldfish too... that is until I discovered the BUNNIES!

Cheddar Bunnies to be exact.

Taste JUST LIKE goldfish, if not better.
But what makes these Cheddar Bunnies so great is that...

it's made with ORGANIC wheat flour and other ingredients that I can actually pronounce. 

The actual description is as follows:

Baked with organic wheat flour and Real Aged Cheddar, our Cheddar Bunnies are great tasting and wholesome. They are ideal for toddler-sized hands, but their crispy crunch and real cheesy flavor will tempt snackers of all ages to eat them by the handful.

Actual ingredients: ORGANIC WHEAT FLOUR, EXPELLER PRESSED VEGETABLE OIL (SAFFLOWER AND/OR SUNFLOWER), SALT, CHEDDAR CHEESE (PASTEURIZED MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES), YEAST EXTRACT, YEAST, PAPRIKA, ANNATTO EXTRACT FOR COLOR, GROUND CELERY SEED, ONION POWDER.

Therefore, if your child or someone you know (possibly a grown child like me... haha)
loves those goldfish cause they're soooo delicious,
hand them a box of cheddar bunnies and you'll probably have them saying
"Hasta la vista, goldfish!" as well.

PS. Also, the white cheddar bunnies are pretty delicious as well!
I actually like the white ones better than the regular cheddar bunnies. But that's just me.

PPS. You can usually find cheddar bunnies on sale at Target!
Happy bunny hunting!

Take That Germs!

As a teacher, you live and breath germs all day, every day (well, almost every day).

This is especially true in the winter time when the kiddies get sick with all sorts of things.
They are constantly blowing (if not picking) their noses,
sneezing, and coughing like no tomorrow.

I remember when I first started out on my teaching career (during student teaching), I caught something on a weekly basis. I was miserable! I think by now, my system has built up some immunity to germs that I am regularly exposed to. However, some germs still get past me and I do get sick once in a while (like right now.... about to take some Nyquil and call it a night).

Anyways, I have come with some preventive measures that I believe work for me 90% of the time.

1) Load Up on Emergen-C Packs

I drink these bad boys pretty regularly once my germ radar goes off. Which is pretty often, especially in the winter time. There have been times where I felt like I might be coming down with something and drinking these 3x a day for a couple of days really got rid of whatever I was feeling. They are about $10 for a pack of 30. You mix it in your water. Kind of taste like a fizzy vitamin water. Loaded with vitamins and all that good stuff.

2. Wash Your HandsNow, I do think that I don't do a bad job of washing my hands regularly but when I am at work, I do an ESPECIALLY THOROUGH job of washing them whenever I can. I also wash them first thing when I get home from work to get rid of all the germs I may be carrying with me from work.

3. Wipe Em' Down

The kids!? Haha no.... their desks. Whenever I have a chance and the kiddies are not in the room I like to wipe down their desks with Clorox wipes (if not available I will settle for baby wipes with a squirt of hand sanitizer).

4. Circulate Air
Even in the winter time, we like to keep some of the windows open (which is okay because school heat is crazy and it feels like a million degrees anyway). I like to think that leaving some windows cracked open allows for germs to fly out of the room. This might be more of a mental thing~ haha.

Although the kiddies get me sick from time to time, there is really no where else I rather be than in a room full of germ-y little 3rd graders.

What the Pencils!?

Since the beginning of my teaching career, the answers to

PENCILS + CHILDREN =

have baffled me.

Let me just say that pencils and children do not confuse me apart from each other.

PENCILS are great tools.

Can't ever go wrong with a pencil.
Esp, when drawing.

CHILDREN are great too.

I especially love them when they are away from pencils.
It is when the two come together that I just get (insert smiley with question marks on head).

PENCILS + CHILDREN usually ='s

half eaten pencils,
pencils made into sling shots,
lost pencils,
pencils left with million little bite marks.

But the biggest PENCILS + CHILDREN = is that some students NEVER have sharpened pencils.

No matter how many times you write the following for homework:

Please bring 3 sharpened pencils and an eraser.

The select few will NEVER bring in sharpened pencils.

They will however, come to school with LOTS of pencils with points that are

dull,

non-existing,

OR broken!

Anyways, when our classroom sharpener broke down towards the end of last school year, my co-teacher and I thought that maybe we could get through this school year without an electric pencil sharpener(oh boy... we're we wrong!).

We tried the whole mechanical sharpener business but it was an EPIC failure.

Finding a nicely sharpened pencil to write with became an excruciating task and one that led to LOTS and LOTS of valuable class time.

We finally got fed up and decided to order a new pencil sharpener (thanks to Amazon!).

Let me just say that this is by far the BEST decision we have made yet.

Not only do we have BEAUTIFULLY sharpened pencils to write our hearts out with BUT

this sharpener is a SILENT beauty!!

Most electric sharpeners I've come across in classrooms are so loud and annoying that it disturbs the whole entire class when one goes up to sharpen a pencil (you can bet lots of evil stares are shared in this situation).

Anyways, we finally found the answer to

PENCILS + CHILDREN =

If your pencil sharpener has broken down or you're looking to invest in one,

go with the BOSTITCH Quiet Sharp 6.

End of story or just an end to terrible horrible no good very BAD unsharpened pencils.
Haha.

Children's Book of September: The Name Jar

Say My Name, Say My Name (my Korean name, that is... haha).

I know it's already October but for the month of September,
I wanted to recommend a book I came across this summer.

Book summary: Unhei has just come with her family from Korea and is starting school. Her name is pronounced Yoon-hye, which means grace, but she feels awkward about it after some teasing on the school bus. She decides to choose an American name, and her classmates oblige her by filling a glass jar with their suggestions. Her mother reminds her that she and her grandmother went to a name master for Unhei's name, and Unhei practices stamping her name with the beautiful name stamp her grandmother gave her. Finally, Unhei decides to keep her own name, and one of her classmates even has a stamp made for himself with the Korean characters for friend. The paintings are mostly in gold and earth tones, and the figures have both stature and simplicity--as does the story.

GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

I think the reason why this book appealed to me so much is because I can totally relate to the main character(I love it when you totally "get" what a character is going through in a story). When I immigrated to the United States and enrolled in school, I used to get embarrassed when my teachers and classmates could not pronounce my Korean name, correctly.
I've had substitute teachers attempt my first name, give up after the first syllable and simply resort to calling me "Kim."
One day in 4th grade, I cam home and told my mom that I wanted an American name,
just like all the other kids.
My cousin helped me pick out the name "Helen."

Well, she really just gave me two choices.
It was either going to be Helen Kim or Kimberly Kim.
I am so thankful that something sounded
terribly OFF with Kimberly Kim,
even to a non-English speaking child (at the time).
I've been going by "Helen" ever since but I never legally changed it on paper.

Ultimately, I am so glad that I never formally changed my name.
As an adult, I've come to appreciate my
sometimes butchered but ultimately very meaningful name.
My Korean name "Bo Reum" means full moon because I was born when it was up.

This book can be used to teach children that it's a wonderful thing to be different from the rest and that you should embrace ALL the unique traits that make you, you!

Recommended for: Primary grades(1,2,3)

Stick 'Em Up!! (or into the envelope...)

Every Friday, in our (yes, our because it's me and my co-teacher's) classroom we have FUN FRIDAY. What exactly is Fun Friday? Well, it's exactly what the name suggests. We devote a period of instruction on Fridays to something different such as arts and crafts and other things we don't normally get to do during the week. Our children REALLY look forward to this time on Friday and me and my co-teacher are constantly looking for activities to do with our students. Anyways, I will share my favorite Fun Friday activity so far this year....

It all started around Valentine's day, with my co-teacher talking about the abundant amount of post its we have in our classroom. Post its are part of the 3rd grade supply list. However, over the years my co-teacher has collected a whole box of them which was sitting on top of our closet collecting dust. This is when I started to think about an activity that would incorporate post its and be worth while for our students.

We decided to have a week of "SAY SOMETHING NICE TO YOUR CLASSMATES, TEACHERS, & SNOWBALL, ON A POST IT AND STICK EM' INTO THEIR ENVELOPES." The whole idea was to write nice sayings, compliments, or notes to one another everyday for an entire week. In order to do this, we first had to create and decorate our mailboxes AKA white envelopes.

We spent a period decorating and individualizing our envelopes and designated a spot in the back of the room to hang up our mailboxes. It was really adorable how each child was able to put a little bit of him/herself on to the envelope (see below).


Now the waiting game began as we spent an entire week writing post its to one another. We allowed the students to write post its if they finished their classwork early and also at the end of the day. My co-teacher and I also got a chance to write a note to each and everyone of our twenty-five students. Each day, every child's envelope began to fill up. However, we did notice that some students were not getting as many post it notes as others so by Wednesday for homework, we assigned each student to write a note to someone they don't know very well or haven't written a note to yet. This solved the problem and by Friday, each student had collected a minimum of 6-7 notes! On the last day which was Friday, we all took our envelopes off the wall and read through our notes. Even as a teacher, I felt a rush of excitement and joy as I read through each and every one of their SWEET little notes.

In order to help preserve our notes, we gave each student a piece of red construction paper. We glued down our envelopes and post its and made a collage. Here are the finished products! We are happy to say that along with the students we thoroughly enjoyed this activity and some of the notes made me want to tear. It just showed me how much our students have grown and matured with one another and how genuine they are!


P.S. Snowball had an envelope too and needless to say, Ms. Popular Bunny Rabbit received the most notes.... her envelope almost fell off the wall... hahaha.

Children's Book Pick for the Month of April

Being a teacher, I read more children's books than adult books (I can't recall the last ADULT book I finished from front to back... but I can name a million children's books that I finished... hahaha). Therefore, I decided that every month, I will do a review/recommend some of my all time favorites! The books that I feature here may be a classic or it may be hot off the press but I hope to feature books that I think should be included in every child's library.This is a book titled,

The Next Place by Warren Hanson. I was first introduced to this book in one of my undergraduate courses. We were talking about books that would help children cope with death and loss of a loved

one. It's really a hidden treasure and explains that once we die, we go on to the next place. In the next place, there is no more hurt or suffering.... we will be in the best condition of our lives. Here is a sneak peek from the story!

The next place that I go
Will be as peaceful and familiar
As a sleepy summer Sunday
And a sweet, untroubled mind.
And yet . . .
It won't be anything like any place I've ever been. . .
Or seen. . . or even dreamed of
In the place I leave behind.
I won't know where I'm going,
And I won't know where I've been
As I tumble through the always
And look back toward the when.
I'll glide beyond the rainbows.
I'll drift above the sky.
It takes a really harmonious approach to the subject of loss and expresses death as something that brings comfort and peace.

P.S. If you appreciate really awesome book illustrations, the pictures in this book are beautiful!

In summary:

April's Recommendation: The Next Place

Author: Warren Hanson

Good for ages: 4-adults (yes, I would even give this as a gift to a friend going through hard times)

Purpose: To bring comfort to children about the subject of death, suffering, and loss.