This Bulletin Board is a Real Crowd Pleaser!

This is a bulletin board that I have done every year since my 2nd year of teaching.  And, every year, teachers, staff members, and parents pop their head into my room to tell me how much they love it!!!

This is the book that inspired the bulletin board, The Best Part of Me {M. Tingley, Wendy Ewald}.  I learned about the book through a workshop I attended awhile back, and I can't for the life of me remember the name, or who lead it.  But it was good.  Really good.

This bulletin board is awesome for the beginning of the year.  It celebrates every single child in your class.  And believe me when I tell you that the kids LOOOOOVE it.  They just think it's the coolest thing to pick their favorite body part.  It's not a question they're asked often, or really need to think about, so they have a lot of fun.  And you should see what they come up with.  Their answers are funny, creative, and surprisingly deep.


I model the board just like the book.  This is not a piece we edit.  Whatever they write is allowed.  We brainstorm using a web, they write a copy in pencil, and then I gave them a black marker and they write their final copy.  I don't know what they loved more: writing in marker, or not having to make any revisions/edits to their writing! 


After they write about their best part, I photograph just that part, and print it in black and white {just like the book}.

I have uploaded the planning sheet, as well the bulletin board sign to our TpT shop for FREE!  The beauty of this bulletin board {and the writing assignment} is that it is meant to celebrate the students, and it doesn't need to be {nor should it be} frilly.


I do this at the end of the year, but I am considering starting next year off with this bulletin board.  It's a really good one no matter when you do it!

This bulletin board really shouldn't be done without the book, which you can buy here.


Let me know if you use it!  I love the feedback here, or at my TpT shop!  And if you do use it, please follow my TpT shop for more {free} resources!


{If you missed the link above, click here to go to our TpT shop}


And remember, we're hosting a give-away here!!  The deadline is sometime tomorrow morning!  Don't forget to enter!

Give-Away Now Closed

Halle

A Flash, 50% Off, Thank-You Sale AND A GIVE-AWAY!

I remember reading, "some"where, "some"time ago, from "some"one, that bloggers {especially small ones like us} need to celebrate every.single.follower.


So when I logged on this morning, and saw that we had reached over 50 followers, I decided to celebrate (and appreciate)!  This is some exciting stuff!  Everything in our store is 50% off right now!  Get it? 50 followers? 50% off...looks like my brain hasn't officially retired for the summer!


Please stop by and see if there is something fun that would work for you for next year!  


Anddddd, I am very hard at work on a back to school book packet that I would love to give away, as a thank-you!


So, please leave a comment below (with your email), letting us know you follow our blog, or that you are a new follower (we love to follow our new followers back :)), and you will be entered to win my Back to School MEGA Book Pack!

This little appreciation sale/give-away will end when I wake up on Wednesday (and I'm sleeping in these days!)

Give-Away Closed. Thanks for participating!

Good Luck, and THANK-YOU!!!


-Halle

Where, Oh Where, Have We Been?

Hello?


Remember us?


We might not be surprised if you didn't.  It's not a new blog that showed up in your blog roll, it's just us, after a much needed vacation!


So, where have we been?  We've said it before, but this year has been very overwhelming for both of us.  Along with new administration came lots of change {not all of it bad, at all...but still.. change!!!! lots of it}.  The change took the wind out of our sails, and the little energy we had went to our students, our classrooms, and all of that end of the year goodness.


Jenna was maid-of-honor to her best friend the very weekend we got out of school, before that she was planning and executing a shower and a bachelorette party {both a distance from her home}, as well as working a 2nd job.  She's been a busy, busy, bee, and her summer shows no signs of slowing down.


Me? Well, I'm just planning a wedding...no big deal.  The first week in June, I was incredibly spoiled by my fabulous coworkers, with an adorable after-school shower, spoiled by my little munchkins {and Dave} for my birthday, and then the frosting on the cake: my bridal shower was thrown for me by my wonderfully creative mom and generous and lovely bridesmaids.


Whew.  That paragraph used a lot of adjectives.


But it was all so wonderful.  I loved every single second of all that good stuff, just for me!  It only happens once, right?  I vowed a long time ago to take it all in, and appreciate it, and I really, really, really did {and still do!}


Here are a few pictures of my {perfect} shower.

See what I mean?  Shabby-chic, girly, pink, vintage-y, garden-y, romantic, perfection.

I realize that this is not teacher-related in the least.  But, this is what I've been doing, and wedding planning has definitely been the focus of my attention lately. We are at just over a month.

I will be back soon with school stuff as well.  Our new administration is allowing us in over the summer to work on our classrooms {see, not all change is bad}.  And since I'm in a new room, {again!}, I am thankful for that, and yes, anxious to get started!

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

-Halle