StitchFix #1

Today, we had a field trip.  I came home with a serious case of long-lasting motion sickness and a headache.  Fortunately, I came home to find my first StitchFix in the mail!  I have been anxiously awaiting this box for the past week and it took all of the self-control that I possess to not just tear it open and fling everything out of the box haphazardly!

Wondering what I'm so excited about?  Let me tell you about what StitchFix is...
StitchFix is a delivery service where you can get a personal stylist to select 5 pieces for your wardrobe!  You can choose how often you get a fix and what price range you want your pieces to be.  You fill out a fun quiz to give your stylist information about your style and you can also send them to a personal Pinterest board highlighting your style Wishlist!  When you get your box, you try your pieces on in the comfort of your home and decide what you want to keep.  I love being able to try things on at home because you can pair it with things that are already in your closet to see how it transitions into your wardrobe!  Once you decide what you want, you check out online.  If you keep anything, the $20 styling fee gets deducted from your total.  If you keep all 5 items, you get a 25% discount on your total purchase.  I found the price of my 5 items to be totally reasonable!

I felt a little weird about the fact that this box had obviously been opened and then resealed.  Uh....the post office was really off on this package.  They sent the box from San Francisco to Maryland then to me in Oregon....and it was opened somewhere along the way.  Interesting.

One of my favorite moments was opening it and appreciating the beauty inside the box.  The way that the box is styled inside with matching stickers, cards, and boxing is amazing and so pretty.  I also loved reading my notes from my stylist who thanked me for being a teacher.  That was awesome. She also said that she checked out my Pinterest and that it was very helpful!  It was so nice to know that she really did read my profile and that she looked at what I've been pinning.  For the most part, the fix picks were along the lines of what I would actually wear.

Let's get to the goods...

Harriet Geo Print Fit & Flare Dress $64

I wasn't crazy about this dress.  The fit was too boxy and overall just unflattering in the waist area.  I agree that the neutral colors are something that I would typically choose but I just wasn't thrilled about this dress.  Overall, I felt like it was too expensive for something with such an unflattering cut to it.  

Decision: Return

Jace Chevron Print Dress $68
This was the highlight of my fix.  The neutral colors are light and very easy to wear.  I can pair this dress with anything and feel classy and put together.  I love dresses that allow to feel like I look composed but require minimal effort.  The fabric was a little thicker, which I love.  I loved the length because it hit nearly at my knees and that's perfect for a teacher's wardrobe!

Decision: KEEP!!

Fallon Mixed Print Sleeveless Blouse $44
This shirt was alright.  I could see myself purchasing something like this but this particular shirt was very low-cut.  I would have needed to wear a cami underneath this tank for it to be wearable.  I don't really like having to layer camis under my shirts because it makes my wardrobe feel to thick and heavy. I'm always hot so I try to dress as light as I can.  I know that directly contradicts what I said above about liking the thicker dress fabric.  It makes sense in my mind, I swear!!

Decision: Return

Martina Slub Knit Open Cardigan $48

I was so excited when I pulled this out of the box because I already own a cardigan exactly like this in black and it is one of my favorite pieces in my closet.  This one is actually a bring pink and it's lovely as well.  The fit is perfect.  The fabric is soft.  It adds a pop of color to my wardrobe!  I love it.

Decision: KEEP!!

Emilie Pave Stone Necklace $38
Well, I almost kept this necklace.  The bold statement piece was just what I needed, a bring punch of color that can be added to any wardrobe!  Wondering what killed it for me?  Well, when I took it off, the center ring fell out because it wasn't fully connected.  This made the necklace feel very cheap for me and I decided that I can get something similar enough at Charming Charlie's that isn't going to fall apart in the center.  It was a great statement piece though and now I feel like I need to go look for something similar to this!

Decision: Return

So, will I be getting another fix?!  Absolutely!  I love how these pieces made me rethink my wardrobe and it added an element of composure to my style.  It was also super fun to get a surprise box of goodies!  Overall, the styling was on track with what I would actually purchase and I think that, with time, the stylists are really going to nail it!  I can't wait to get another fix in the mail!!

Technology Tuesday: Study Jams

I have had quite the productive week!  Since I've been so productive, I'm ready to kick off another series for my blog, Technology Tuesdays!  I honestly contribute all of this blogging, TpT productivity to my knee injury.  If I can't be at the gym, I might as well be working on my laptop, right?

Today, I want to showcase a fun website that I learned about from one of colleagues called Study Jams.  This service used to be a paid service and now it's offered for free. It houses a ton of videos and slideshows focusing on math and science.  My students love using Study Jams!  In fact, my best sub plan activity is anything involving Study Jams!  They stay engaged and focused the whole time!

I created a product to go along with this great service and I have plans to make tons more!  When I say tons more, I mean one for every topic.  I almost have the second one completed.  I had to take a break because my hands start to hurt from typing so much!  I plan to have it finished by the end of the week though  :)

Right now, I have an interactive science notebook up focusing on the solar system.  It coordinates with the Study Jams on the solar system and I think it'll keep your kids hooked!

If you love interactive notebooks and you love technology-based lessons that can be done independently and paced/modified to fit your students, you're going to love this notebook set!!

Click the cover image below to see it in my store!

Here's a preview of the entire product!!

On another note, my TpT store is getting really close to 100 followers.  I really want to celebrate this accomplishment because this feels HUGE to me.  I am thinking about discounting my entire store to $1.00 (because that's kind of like 100) for 24 hours.  I haven't decided yet though.  Or should I just do a giveaway using rafflecopter or something for store credit?  Thoughts??

March Currently

I can't get over the fact that it's already March?!  What happened to February?  The days are flying by at a dizzying pace!

I have been listening to yoga playlists a lot lately because they help me feel a sense of calm and relaxation.  Let's be honest...I need that.

I also need to get some baby shower gifts together for my sister and plan her baby shower.  Her nursery theme is Superman. I made a super awesome baby photo frame for her but I need some more ideas.  Anyone have some great ideas?

I hurt my knee over two weeks ago it has been a huge problem ever since.  I've experienced swelling from my knee all the way down into my feet.  I had to wear a boot at work all of last week because the swelling and pain hurt so bad.  I was hoping it would feel better today but by the time I went to yoga, cleaned my apartment, and went to Costco...it was throbbing again.  I have a field trip on Wednesday and I really want to get back to running again (plus walking without a boot would be nice) so I want and need for it to heal.  Right away!!

I'll be in Cali for spring break with my mom and sisters for the baby shower and I am just super excited!

Come link up with everyone for the March Currently!!  Currently is hosted by Oh Boy Fourth Grade!

NGSS Aligned Mini-Book-Plants & Energy

I am super excited to tell you about the latest product that I uploaded.  I spent weeks working on this and it's finally ready for my store!

The new science standards can be pretty confusing.  I read, reread, and read them again to figure out what the primary goals were in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).  I finally decided on one main point and created this book for teaching it.

One main thing that students are expected to do in 5th grade, according to NGSS, is "develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment" (5-LS2-1).  This standard focuses primarily on that food, for any kind of animal, can be traced back to plants.

I developed a 20 page mini-book with some interactive elements to support students in their understanding of this concept.  The book is created in a half-page format so you can just print and cut it in half for two books.

I think that this book is interesting for all students, regardless of your use of NGSS.  I hope that you'll go to my store to check it out!!

Sunday Scoop {March 1, 2015}

Have to Do

I usually do my grocery shopping on Saturdays.  It helps make Sunday more relaxing when I just do yoga, cook and clean...instead of do yoga, cook, clean, and go shopping.  However, yesterday, I decided that I just couldn't fathom participating in adult life for one second and I skipped it.  I'm ok with that decision because I'm off tomorrow for a doctor's appointment and it'll give me a little more time to catch up!  I really enjoyed hanging out on my laptop all day and working away on some products that have needed my attention!  However, today, it's back to business!

I'll be the first to admit, grading is one of my least favorite things. I just like teach and be involved with the students.  I do find joy in grading though when I see students improve and show me something they didn't know beforehand.  I have a stack of informational essays that I need to score.  I love reading their writing because it gets very creative and interesting but the process of scoring 28 essays takes quite some time.  I need to have them done by Thursday.  

I couldn't go shopping last weekend because I've been battling with a knee injury so this weekend I really need to get out and start looking for some baby shower stuff for my sister.  I made a really cute graphic to frame for her ultrasound.  I hope she loves it.  She's doing her nursery in Superman.  Since I am like the queen of all things superhero, this was perfect for me to contribute to!  It's her first baby and I think she's getting pretty excited.  She's due in May.

Hope to Do

I really, really, really, reeeaaaalllllyyyyy want to rearrange my entire classroom and, of course, I'm not going to stop thinking about until I do it.  We have a grading day Friday and I have this dream in my mind that I'll have my grades done and be able to accomplish this on Friday.  I kept it in the hope category because, let's be honest, this is a feat that I can only HOPE to pull off!!

We're also going on a field trip on Wednesday!  Yes, we have quite the exciting week!  I hope to get some pictures there for the blog.  There should be plenty of volunteers so now I'm just hoping all goes smoothly with our attendance!  Yay for field trips!!

Happy to Do

I am so excited for it to be March!  We have three weeks until spring break and I am really looking forward to using some of that time to catch up on paperwork, home organization, and home improvements.  I'm also going to see my Mom and sisters in California to help throw my sister's baby shower.  I miss them so much and it's going to be so great to spend some time with them!  

Come join us with Teaching Trio to link up your Sunday Scoop!!

Freebie Friday - February 27th!

I'm linking up with two blogs today for Freebie Friday!  For the special occasion, I decided to make one of my best selling products free until noon tomorrow (February 28th).  I've never offered this product for free so I think this is a great Freebie Friday!

            

I teach using the EngageNY curriculum and, for the most part, I really like it!  I've made some modifications to the presentation of some stuff this year and these application problem workbooks are one thing that I've modified.  The content and questions are the same but I compiled all of the questions into one neat little workbook for the students.  I also added the answer key to it for teacher reference.  This makes it super easy to assign and review application problems!

The best thing is, in my opinion, that this book can be used without the EngageNY curriculum.  All of these questions are real-world applications of the concepts that engage the students in problem solving tasks.  Even without the curriculum, you can give the students this workbook and have them practice solving word problems and applying mathematical concepts!  

Check out my product by clicking on the cover image below!

 

Five for Friday - February 27, 2015

What a crazy week!  We've been so busy and my students worked incredibly had this week!  I am so excited to highlight some of our accomplishments and hard work this week on this week's Five for Friday link up with Doodle Bugs Teaching!

We've been hard at work preparing for our state science test!  We have only 4 teaching days left before our test (WOAH!!) and we've been covering tons of material each day.  The students had a lot of background knowledge about this concept so I used this pictorial input chart to review the "Reason for the Seasons" with them.  They loved doing a pictorial input chart and I'll definitely have to get another one in my planning soon.  This is definitely my favorite GLAD strategy.

Please excuse how messy this chart is but this is the result of quick teaching to maximize review time!

We also had quite a lot of content to cover in math this week, including our mid-unit math test!  We've been learning all about multiplying fractions and we applied the order of operations to fraction equations this week.  I taught my students my favorite method for remembering the order of operations, PEMDAS.  I remember it as "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally" but there are many variations of this.  

Again, this is what things look like as I'm quickly teaching them and moving right along.  Not gorgeous but it gets the job done!

We also did our monthly, timed computational fluency assessment.  My students made HUGE gains this month.  February might be short but they've certainly mastered a lot of new content.  They have 10 minutes to answer as many questions as they can on this assessment and they all take their time to work through it slowly while still making it to the end.  I saw them fix up a lot of errors with the placement of their decimal this time around and that made me VERY happy!!

Another huge accomplishment for my class this week was completing their own informational essays!  We've been learning about how inventions are created to meet the needs of society and we spent a few weeks studying the invention of the TV.  They had to take details from a few different sources we'e used in this unit (4) and find relevant evidence to support the author's point.  For this essay, the main idea was that the TV is one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century and that it has had a tremendous impact on the way we live. We created the introduction together and then they had to go on to prove the points and write a conclusion...and then type it up!  These two were written in just one short hour.  They are great authors!

The whole class, yes---every single student, finished their Cat in the Hat portraits today. We used watercolor, Sharpie and tissue paper!  I love how they turned out and the wall of them together is so beautiful!  I don't ever want to take them down.  Maybe this is because I love watercolor so much!  I also love how the tissue paper bows really made it pop!

Last, but certainly not least, I stocked up on clip art during the TeachersPayTeachers sale!  I am obsessing over Glitter Meets Glue designs right now and bought tons of stuff from her store!  I picked up tons of graphics on science topics and I can't wait to get started with creating some products with these images!  I think these may have been just what I needed to inspire me to publish some new stuff for my store.  I haven't been too creative lately but the ideas are really flowing now!  Hopefully I'll have some new things for you by the next Five for Friday post!