14 April 2012

Things We're Loving

Hi friends! Hope you all are having a great weekend!
We are loving quite a few things right now and we thought we'd share a little about some of our favorites. So, here are 10 things that we are currently loving:

1. The Classroom Friendly Pencil Sharpener

We ABSOLUTELY love this Pencil Sharpener! Pencil sharpening has never been a favorite of ours, in fact we dread it. We've had our custodian replace the blades in our wall sharpeners, bought new electric sharpeners, we even have small handheld sharpeners for our kiddos to use, and yet we still have issues. Broken lead & pencils that split because of poorly designed sharpeners & blades were common occurrences in our classrooms until we received the nice little "gem" pictured above. This sharpener sharpens pencils so nicely and even sharpens the cheap dollar pencils that used to get eaten up by our old sharpeners. We love this sharpener so much we are purchasing one for home too!

We received this product for free in exchange for an honest review.
The opinions expressed in the above paragraph have not been influenced by the company or the free product mentioned above.


2. Oceanhouse Media Apps

We've mentioned these before, but these are some of the best book apps we've seen. They use the real artwork from the book, and they've made them interactive. They have many recognizable titles and seem to be adding more every week. If you have iPods or iPads in your room, you should definitely check out Oceanhouse Media's website.

3. Thirty-One Bags

We just love Thirty-One Bags. We seriously have so many things we tote back and forth and have needed a strong sturdy bag, that looks stylish as well. These bags are definitely our FAVE! We can pack them up after school, head to our own kiddos sports events, and then to home and never lose a thing! We especially like the Organizing Utility Tote. Another one of our favorites is the Market Thermal Tote. This will definitely come in handy when toting food back and forth from home to our kids' sporting events. We are finally feeling a little more organized!

4. Arthur Turns Green

Who doesn't love Arthur stories? This is a super sweet addition to your classroom, and is so fun to use for Earth Day. It's an adorable story, and really does a great job speaking to the kids about how we can help protect our earth. Definitely one to buy!
Arthur Turns Green

5. Apple Products


We can't say enough positive comments about Apple products. We've been huge fans for a long time and recently purchased a macbook pro air. It is so light and portable and Oh. So. Pretty! Love our iPads as well, especially all often educational apps that are available. We love our smartphones that we currently have and they sure do make our lives a lot easier.
Although neither of us have an iPhone, they're definitely on our wish list! The iPhone 5 can't get here soon enough!

6. Treasures

Our district has adopted a new reading curriculum and we are just loving it! We have received the new materials and will be required to begin teaching it next year, however we are beginning to incorporate some of the components and have even found a way to integrate Treasures into our Daily 5 routine. If you use this program too, keep an eye on us. We've got some great ideas in the works about how to really mesh this with Daily 5. And it will definitely include lots of *freebies*!


7. Starbucks

These Starbucks Refreshers are FABULOUS! They are so yummy and refreshing! Made with a green coffee extract, yet they there's no coffee taste what so ever! Love our Starbucks coffee every morning, especially the Breakfast Blend (which brews nicely at home and tastes great with a little half and half), but these refreshers are a great cold afternoon pick me up!

8. TOMS

Unless you've been living under a rock, we're sure you have a pair of these. If not GET ONE! Or two! They are our new addiction, and can't wait to get a new pair for spring. They have such fun colors and styles, and it seems like you can wear them with anything. They are so comfy too. Love.

9. Kenra

We're a little picky when it comes to hairspray and Kenra 25 has been a favorite for 19+ years. Been using it since were 16. We LOVE a good hairspray and this stuff is the BEST! It offers great hold and adds volume when we need that extra lift! It's been a Stylist Choice Award Winner for the last 8 years too!

10. Our Math & Literacy Game Boards

One thing that we really love in our classrooms is our game boards. We have them in our TpT store for most holidays, months and seasons. They are great for after math when kids are finishing work, or for centers during Daily 5. They focus on all sorts of first grade skills, and they kids just eat them up. Definitely worth checking out.


Enjoy your weekend! We'll be back in a few days!

6 comments:

  1. Kenra, is, quite possibly, the best hairspray out there! And I live in one of the most humid states so I would know! LOL!

    Lori (luvyorkies@gmail.com)
    Teaching With Love and Laughter

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  2. We just got those sharpeners at our school and we love them! So much less hassle than the old ones. I love it when the kids show it off to visitors and new people!

    Lora
    mrswebsterscc.blogspot.com

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  3. My district uses Treasures and I am very interested in seeing how you include the Daily 5 with it. I will be watching for this!

    Also, I hate pencil sharpening also! I am on my second pencil sharpener that I spent a load on and it doesn't sharpen worth anything! I am seriously considering this sharpener for next year. I have seen it on several blogs.

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  4. We also love the sharpener!! I bought 3!! One for home, school and an extra but I don't think I'll need it! This thing is built to last!
    Little Priorities

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  5. I love the sharpener too! I bought one for my classroom, then another 7 teachers ordered one (or two!) also. My favorite thing is how evenly it sharpens and how SHARP the lead gets!! LOVE!

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  6. Ah! I am in love with all things Apple as well. I just discovered your blog and I'm so glad I did. I'm your newest follower.

    Maria
    Kinder-Craze

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