Pete The Cat Is Where It's At!

What is the first week of school

without Pete The Cat?
I know right?!

We started using this fabulous character

by James Dean and Eric Litwin, and our

K Kids LOVE this book series!

It's happy, it's catchy,

and it gets the little kindergarteners feeling

good about being in school!

Pete The Cat: I Love My White Shoes

Here are some story retelling puppets
that you can use with your students.
Just choose the puppet that goes with
the Pete The Cat story that you are reading
to your kiddos.
How did we teach without the Internet?
Oh, that's right.
We reinvented the wheel.
for.everything.

Pete The Cat Puppets:

I love your labeling sheets!
More importantly,
the kids love them too.
Pete The Cat Labeling Sheets:

I decided to add some
Pete The Cat Graphic Organizers

 Have your students write three sentences
about Pete The Cat.
Pete The Cat is....
Pete The Cat has...
Pete the cat can...

 Pete The Cate Bubble Maps:

Draw a picture of Pete The Cat

and write three things or three sentences about him.

 
Pete The Cat: Alphabet Handwriting Practice

As always, thanks for being
so generous with your hard work.

 If you like the handwriting sheets
I have some other ones available with
different themes like this
A+ Back To School Alphabet Handwriting Practice:

My students have take the SAT 10 

two years in a row and will be taking
it again at the end of next year.
I don't even want to ask.

The first year was horrific.
I'm glad I didn't ask!

No matter how much the 5 Kindergarten

teachers at my school downplayed the test

("It's no big deal....just do your best." etc. etc. etc.),

we had kids rolling on the floor and crying.

It was so upsetting to me (and to all of us),

and yet my (our) hands were tied....

the Kindergarteners HAD to take this test.

I swore NEVER again

would my kiddos feel overwhelmed.

Last year, I made and used cute

bubble sheets every now and then

to expose my kids to multiple choice

fill-in-the-blank.  None of my sheets

have anything to do with the SAT 10 test itself,

they didn't even have anything to do with

reading a passage, or answering a question.

They were just simple sentences that the kids had to 

find the right word to complete the sentence.

No.Big.Deal.Easy.Peasy.Lemon.Squeezy.

Just the exposure of bubbling in answers

in a calm and relaxed atmosphere

as a large group or as a small group

made all of the difference.
I'm sure it did.  Kudos for you sista!  
I would even have them laughing at times, 
when we would read a sentence and I would make

funny faces at the wrong words.

Are these sheets

developmentally appropriate?

In my opinion...No.
In your defense,
this is your attempt to 
prepare them for that developmentally
inappropriate test you HAVE to give.
Thank you government.
Boo hiss....

Are these sheets

emotionally appropriate?

In my opinion...Yes.

It was well worth giving some time

to do an activity that wasn't 

developmentally appropriate

in order to keep my kids feeling

emotionally healthy and ready for this

test that consists of spending multiple days

testing students in such a way that is

completely developmentally inappropriate.
WORD!
I feel tongue-tied after saying all that!

Let me tell you.

This year, my kids were ready.

All three classes.

Remember that this past year...

things changed at my school and we're

departmentalized.  I teach reading to 3 classes.

So.....I spoke with the 2 other teachers in my

teaching group after the test, and...

NO ONE had kids crying.

NO ONE had kids rolling.
HUGE difference from the year before.

That was my goal.
Mission accomplished!

The kids took this test in stride....

just like I've been saying all year in my class:

It's.No.Big.Deal.

So....you know I LOVE Pete The Cat.

I decided to make and share some

Sentence Bubbles with you with this cute,

little guy on them that my kiddos love.
Of course you did!

Pete The Cat: Wheels On The Bus 
Youtube...winstonchester95

Pete The Cat Sentence Bubbles

 

I went to the I Teach K Conference last week

in Vegas....I still can't believe

I went to Vegas and back!

Anyway, I'm thinking of combining

two ideas from 2 different presenters.

Dr. Jean showed us how to make

little pocket "puppets" out of envelopes.

Just seal an envelope and cut in down

the middle.  Duh! Why did I never think of that?

It can be used for a variety of things...

be creative! In this case,

I'm thinking of writing an "A" on one

side and a "B" on the other side,

handing each bubble answer pocket "puppet"

to each of my students, pairing them up

and having them do Dan St. Romain's quick draw game.
If you EVER have a chance to see him in a workshop....
sign up!  He was FABULOUS!!!

Each partner pair stands back to back and when

the question is asked they turn around as fast

as they can and the first one

showing the correct answer "wins" that round.
That sounds like fun!
I'll have the bubble sentence sheet up at 
my big screen, and I'll read it through with
my K kids before they do their partner quick draw.

Hmmmmmm.....I'm thinking that this
may end up being a favorite activity!

Making it fun, is what it's all about!

Pete The Cat And His Four Groovy Buttons:
Sentence Bubbles 

If you like these activities,
you may be interested in
my bundled sentence bubbles.
A+ Sight Word Sentence Mega Bundle:
Fill In The Blank. Multiple Choice Practice

Are you tired of scrolling?
I know....I got Pete The Cat happy.
I just couldn't stop!
Here's one more, just for all of you teachers out there!
Pete The Cat Writing Paper

I hope these activities make life just a tad simpler
for you as you ease back into school!
Like I say EVERY year,
I can't believe it's that time again!
Enjoy!

And remember:
It's ALL Good!

What happens in Vegas will NOT stay in Vegas!

Oh my awesomeness!

I am back in Illinois after a

weekend in Vegas!

What?!

But I wasn't there for 

the slot machines.
I spent (lost.wasted.threw away)
around $3.00 on the slots,
and I met my quota.
My gambling days in Vegas are over.
In fact, 20 years ago 
(wowzers...I'm dating myself), 
the money used to come out of the slot machine...
but now, the machine prints out a piece of paper
for you to take to the cashier.
And...Yes.  I actually cashed in
my winnings totaling 5 cents.
I want my nickel!

I was there for the first ever

Teachers Pay Teachers conference.

WOOT WOOT!

That was so EXCITING to hear Amy announce that
it was the first Annual TPT Conference
at the beginning!  I felt like I was
witnessing a momentous event!

I have been fortunate enough

to go to several conferences over

the past 20 years.

Nothing, I mean, NOTHING

compares to this one.

I'm not gonna lie.

When the lady at the counter

handed me my bag of goodies and said, 

"Welcome to the first ever TPT conference."

I.almost.cried.

I couldn't believe that I was there.

So blessed!

Ater a year and a half

I FINALLY got to meet...

...that's right!
I got to meet my bloggin' buddy,

Regina, aka Queen Chaos.

Hi Angela!

And OMG!
People, Regina has some hair!

Yes. Angela wanted to pet me.

I could NOT stop saying, 

"Your hair!"

(Sorry Regina!)

My hair has always been a real divisive issue.

Either people absolutely love it,

or they hate it....no one is ever

a fence sitter when it comes to my hair.

I've learned to live with it

and accept that I am who I am!

But it is so big, beautiful,  

and naturally curly.

So after meeting a year and half ago on TPT,

bloggin' for over a year,

owning a new store together for a few months,

(Not to mention a joint bank account....

my husband thinks I'm a total nut!

Luckily, he supports me in all my nuttiness!)

Fairy Tales and Fiction by 2,

we FINALLY met face to face.

(THANK YOU TPT!)

And we should both get SQUIRREL!

tattooed on our foreheads!

Our poor husbands!

Just saying...

I traveled to Vegas with 

Becky Castle, aka The Barefoot Teacher.

I loved meeting Becky!

She is so nice and FUNNY!

OK....see Becky's hair?

That's the kind of hair I always wanted...

And Angela's hair....can you say Farrah Fawcett flips?

Jealous much?

Yes!

While we were there, we met and hung out with

Lauren Thompson from Mrs. Thompson's Treasures.

ANOTHER mother of four!

I have four, Becky has four,

and Lauren has four children.

Do you see a running theme here?

I think having children really makes you

get out of your comfort zone

and  get busy figuring out different ways

to have enough to buy those 6 gallons of milk

my kids go through during a week!

  During Happy Hour we got TPT tattoos...

...chill out people.  They were removable!

YES, and I still was the stick in the mud

standing to the side, saying "No thank you".

I'm lame, I know, tattoos are just not my thing.

Funny side note:

While walking through the hotel casino....

(You can't get anywhere in the hotel without going

through the casino. Well played, Venetian, well played.)...

Angela and Becky were stopped by a husband & wife who

had a bet to see if these TPT tattoos were real or removable.

The man was convinced that they were the real deal,

while the woman (probably a mom) said, no way,

those are the fake wash on/wash off type.

Of course, a woman would know.

I was lucky that my good friend, Ma Chérie,

stayed a week with me in Vegas so that we could

go to the I Teach K SDE Conference,

and then I ended the week with the TPT Conference. 

Exhausting....but well worth every minute!

 

The conference itself was amazing!

The presenters were incredible.

I.was.blown.away.

Super smart and sincere people.

Wow.  That's all I've got.  Wow.

I have soooo much homework to do.

No kidding!

I did get the first thing on my list done.

I went to Rachel Lynette's seminar...

so Rachel....my store picture change is for you!

Do you like it?

You inspired me! 

Side Note: My finger is actually pointing

to a sign that says, "Wedding Chapel".

King Common Sense made Ma Chérie

promise to not let me get myself married

in Vegas, so I had to tease him! 

Crop, crop, crop, and voilà! New store pic!

Thank you TPT for doing such

an excellent job of choosing 

the presenters and the topics.

Thank you TPT!

Hmmmm.....

Tpt......

Tremendous Presenters Teaching

Terrific People Together

Totally Perfect Trip

Getting to see almost 800 TPT sellers

all in one room was absolutely cray-cray.

I was just one curly haired dot in a sea of sellers.

To see the faces behind

the TPT store fronts was a lot fun.

I actually sat next to a lady who looked

very familiar.  After speaking with her,

I realized that I had actually bought clip art

from her store....it was really cool to figure that out!

 Hi Rebekah!

I also got to meet the fabulous Cara Taylor!

I hunted her down in Nikki's clip art class...

I just knew that she'd be there!

(Hi there, my cyber friend!)

  

She was sweet enough to send me these pics!

See why I just love her!
 

Then 2 Super Teachers found

me at the same class!

It was so fun running into people

that I've talked to on TPT!

(Yes, Cara's in the background taking the picture!)

I buy clip art from all 3 sellers....Hi ladies!

In fact, Victoria and Tricia (the 2 Super Teachers)

had a hand drawn picture of Mel 

(Graphics From The Pond 

...another awesome clip art seller that I love)

and were going around having people sign it

for her since she couldn't make it from Australia.

Super cute idea!  Everyone just said, "Aw" when

they learned what these 2 fabulous teachers were doing.

Hi Mel! It's Regina. I signed your pic!

However, as awesome as all of that was, 

I can easily say that my favorite

part of the day was the keynote address.

It was given by the big guy himself, 

Mr. Paul Edelman, 

a.k.a. Everybody's hero.

Absolutely!

Being a sap, I sooo appreciated

that Paul's parents and his wife

were in the room to see the

heartfelt standing ovation

when he stood to speak.

Learning about the full history of TPT,

hearing about the current state of TPT,

meeting the staff members

and the board of directors was all so very cool.

So proud to be a part of such an awesome community!

Typically, it's just me and my computer

hanging out on my couch!

This gathering, was an eye opening experience!

I got to put faces and personalities with people...

I found out that Nikki Casassa,

the creator of Melonheadz,

is extremely humble and gracious....

Love.Love.Love her work!

Hi Nikki!  Has anyone told you

that you're fabulous today?

My turn....Nikki.You.Are.Fabulous! 

Paul was even gracious enough

to give selfies, 

over, and over, and over again

with each of us.

Yes. We were shameless.

EVERYONE wanted a picture with Paul.

Thank you Paul...you are our Number 1 Superhero!

I can only imagine how overwhelmed

Paul was as teacher after teacher

gave their sincere thanks to how

he has positively affected their lives.

I had to let him know how much I appreciated

TPT and how it pays for my kids'

6 gallons of milk every week as well as

putting braces on both my boys' teeth.

I actually missed Golden Boy's birthday

so that I could go to Vegas...

so my kids went to the beach without me.

 See 2 boys?  See 2 sets of braces?

Thank you, Paul!

He just chuckled,

and said that a smile is really important for kids.

Wow....that's all I've got.

I am exhausted but feeling oh so blessed.

Ditto.  Can't function.

But that's just fine by me.

I'm sitting in my post travel stupor

with a smile on my face.

Angela.....we actually

made it to Vegas

and back!

Who would have thought?!?

I know right?!

So blessed!