Back to School Blog Hop and Blog Giveaway!

It is so exciting to see how teachers are sharing how the new year is going...getting set up for their rooms...and making new lessons to get their kiddos engaged! Sooooo....Let's have a blog hop and TPT Giveaway to celebrate Back To School!

 I have been in class all week...creating rubric...assessments...using Webb's Depth of Knowledge to create learning targets...I know you guys are jealous!

I also have been working on new packs to help my own kiddos at the start of the new year! Along with assessments we use FOSS for our science source for most lessons and experiments. As a science group...we wanted to create common assessments. All I could think about was how difficult it is for my kiddos to concepts from week to week. So I needed to really engage them in everything I did in that hour I had them. I have worked hard on packs for my students that tie in NGSS. Many states and districts are moving toward that...Take a look at my back to school NGSS ideas...

NGSS First Grade Heredity Pack

NGSS Third Grade Science Safari Pack

More of what can be found in the Second Grade NGSS Pack!

NGSS 2nd Grade Biome Basics Pack

Lots more fun activities for our 2nd grade scientists...

NGSS Space Pack

Full of space activities for our 5th Grade NGSS standards

Space...it continues!!!!

Now...if you are interested in any of these packs and you would like one of them for free or any of my other products...don't forget to sign up for the TPT giveaways below. My sweet blogger friends and I would like to help you celebrate going Back To School with great packs and prizes! Enter below for your chance to win! Thanks to my fellow Wisconsinite...over at Droppin' Knowledge she has organized this fun blog hop!



To enter Giveaway Pack #1...
a Rafflecopter giveaway

To enter Giveaway Pack #2...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To enter Giveaway #3...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To enter Giveaway Pack # 4...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck...Have fun! Enjoy your 2015-2016 School year!

Currently August...already!

Time goes by so quickly! When August gets here I know that summer is over for our family. I have to take classes for 60 hours this month in order to move up to the last spot I can on our new pay scale. So...all next week I am in class.

Followed by my husband coaching football and our daughter starting volleyball...that doesn't have much time until our kiddos step back into our rooms.

 Here in Wisconsin...we don't start with kids until after Labor Day...so I still have time right? My room is not quite ready for me to step back into. We are building onto our school so NEXT year I will get a "real" classroom. I am thankful for the teacher's lounge though! It is a room and not a cart. I am getting it all pretty real soon!

Currently...though...I am thanking Farley...over at Oh' Boy 4th Grade for hosting Currently!

The sun is not out this morning...but the birds sound so lovely! I am loving that I can be on the computer without my kids thinking that is all I do. I have to watch that and cut back on WHEN I am trying to be all that and more!

Once school starts...I am going to schedule everything...tpt...intagram...blogging...creating... any tips for calendar or mapping ideas would be great!

We have had a lot of changes at our school this year. Teachers having to move to different grade levels...the stress of many obstacles. We lost 5 staff members so far this summer and I so want us to come together for our kiddos.

I am also preparing my store for the BIG sale. I created over 10 new products this summer with many more needing to be finished up. MY TPT STORE will be holding a sale...with everything 20% off.     TPT also includes a sale: use the PROMO code BTS15 for an extra savings! You wonder why my kids hate my computer...I love creating!

I love being creative and helping other teachers make science simple. I love school gardens and how they teach my kiddos a life long skill and better eating habits...I love finding ways to integrate science and I am looking for it all around me. My son hates it...

 I also have to remember even if my own children are older...they still need me to be there for them! I am learning to balance it all! For them...for me! This summer has taught me a lot  about myself and my goals! What I can do to make things the best I can in all aspects of my life. Sounds corny, but reflective non the less....

This is where I think I can make a difference...Mr. Smedley had a great idea! We need to start sharing the great things we do in our rooms out there for people to see. I wrote a letter to my staff yesterday sharing his idea...but I am also going to write notes in mailboxes when I see something my coworker is doing that was special or wonderful or caring or thoughtful...you get what I mean! We need to be recognized at times for our hard work...so I will help start us off. I also love the RAK in mailboxes so the note and a treat!  As for home...I can not forget them...finding alone time and something special to do...with special notes and tokens to all of my family members...I have to remember how lucky and blessed I am!

Thanks Farley for inspiring me!

STEM Nursery Rhyme Time!

I use to have this nursery rhyme record when I was little that I had at my grandma's house. I LOVED that record and I knew every nursery rhyme by heart. Our littles now really do not know them very well. Some do...some don't. Last year, I tried to find a way for my kinders to engineer. So, I started taking simple books to get them excited. We made puppets of the three billy goats...which I am working on now and we made bridges to learn over...under...all that good stuff! They LOVED it.

Throughout the year, I kept trying new stories and rhymes to find ways to use simple supplies to have my littles engineer! They have built stamina and used creativity to make some great zip lines...egg protectors...and learned how to use pulleys!

This summer, I have been working on packs that incorporated all of the ideas that I did this last school year!

STEM Nursery Rhyme Time In Action!

Hey, Diddle, Diddle link...catapults, fiddle engineering, and more!

Humpty Dumpty Link...Egg Protectors, Walls, and more!

Jack and Jill link...Pulleys, Handle Helpers, and more...

Miss Muffet Link...Zip Lines and Tuffets and more!

We've been busy this summer engineering! With simple supplies...and simple steps...your students can be building stamina...creativity...and problem solving skills while connecting with reading, writing, and math! Just in time for back to school! NGSS science standards are linked to each lesson as well!

Beliefs To Actions Blog Hop

Hey...it's almost that time of year...the excitement of a new school year is upon us...many of us have teacher effectiveness goals...others are reflective of the direction you want to head when new kiddos come through you door.

Last year, I was on the teacher effectiveness rotation. After 23 years  of teaching...I had many artifacts that deemed me a proficient teacher, but then again I am not always reflective on paper. It got me thinking...what are my beliefs as a science teacher. I have looked at it through the lens of a classroom teacher up until now...but now I want to take a different approach.

Thanks to my sweet blogger friend Whitney over at With Love From Texas over 40 teachers are also being reflective in a great blog hop. Hope you will join us to challenge you to write down your purpose and beliefs. Teaching purposefully is so important because teaching smarter not harder works for me...

It took me a while to really figure out what is important in my room now that education has changed so much. I also had to put my beliefs into perspective when it comes to me being a K-5 Science teacher.

What about you? Do you have beliefs that you establish and reflect on before the new school year? Have you ever written them down? This is a first for me. It helps me have a purpose and it will drive me to action. I encourage you to write your beliefs down and strive to live by them.

Continue on with the Beliefs to Actions blog hop by visiting my new friend Stephanie Upton over at The Marvelous Middle!

Flash Freebie

I love freebies...as you can tell if you have ever checked out the Science School Yard...I include many freebies to make science easier for you! Love and Laughter in Second Grade is hosting a flash freebie event that starts at 8:30 am EST on Monday August, 27th until August 28th at 10:30 pm EST. Each 1/2 there will be a different product for you to snag! What a great way to add to your back to school ideas!

This pack...will be free...just check out my facebook page for more details on the exact time...and while your there...like my page! This pack is a fun way to make science simple...and fun! Who doesn't love Popsicles!

Pop on over to my TPT STORE for this and more Science Packs to start your school year off right!

Scavenger Hunts...Fun Outdoor Field Trips

Always trying to find fun ways to get the kiddos outside! Here are two different scavenger hunt freebies that you can use with your students in the garden or in the school yard! Think of it as your own little Science School Yard!

I love finding ways to get them using math, too!  Here is a great book link as well that I use before we head outside...
Seriously a great book for having kids look closely at nature. This book allows them to practice what they will do outside as they take a closer look around them. With this book...you can also draw a picture after they come in and have them hide different things among their drawings and write just like the author. It is like a Where's Waldo...but all about the great outdoors!

Just click on the link for your scavenger hunt freebies! Scavenger Hunt Freebies...in and out of the garden! Thanks for joining me in my science school yard! Stop back regularly to find more simple science ideas, book links, and freebies!

Simple Machines...Rube Goldberg...and Simple Science

To make science simple...all you need is a bag of goodies per table.

**I added 8 Jenga blocks, a paper towel tube , a little car, a bull's eye, a plastic figure, and a marble.

I asked my students to see if they could use all of the supplies to make the plastic figure land on the bull's eye on the floor. This a simple, yet easy way for your students to work together to problem solve!

I love to show this video to get them thinking...

I share with them what a Rube is... a contraption, invention, device, or apparatus that is deliberately over-engineered or overdone to perform a very simple task in a very complicated way usually with a chain reaction.

There you have it...Simple science! Try it in your school yard! For more ideas, check out my Rube Goldberg Engineering Pack on TPT! Tons of great engineering ideas to make science easier!

Bubble Fun! Simple Science...

Who doesn't love bubbles? They are so much fun and a great way to end the year or begin the year...or any where in between! I love the joy on the kids faces when they make discoveries!

What do you need to keep science simple? Bubbles, bubble wands or just pipe cleaners from the dollar store!

RECIPE time!  I like to mix up Dawn, water, and glycerin to make the perfect bubble solution. I use 1/2 cup Dawn, 4 1/2 cups of water, and 4 tb glycerin. There are recipes with sugar, too. I have glycerin in our insect kit for FOSS.

We start with a bubble anchor chart...what do we know about bubbles...then we think of adjectives to help describe! I use a great freebie from Hollie Griffith on TPT. What a fun presentation for a smartboard! I use every page as an introduction to a new concept to learn. From the shape of a bubble to bubble gum!
I also use my bubble pack to get kiddos thinking and using stations after we investigate the magic of bubbles.

Bubbles, Bubbles, Bubbles Pack on TPT is where I dip into to help my students with some bubble reflections, observations, and extensions!

I also love to play a little music as they blow bubbles! Here is a fun song for the occasion! Blowing bubbles and popping them=joy!

Simple Science: Dadelions

This is the first in many posts that I will be sharing this year as we all find our niche. Several emails that I received or even blog comments have been about how to add science into the school day. Science is like that dandelion...you can see it as a weed, or a flower. Here, at the Science School Yard I will focus on how to help you make science simple.

Maybe it's just a science trade book and worksheet...maybe it's a book and an easy STEM idea with simple household items...maybe it's an NGSS science concept using the scientific method in an easy, set for you plan.

I know that your scheduled are packed with reading, writing, and math and sometimes science is hard to "fit" in, but if I can help you make it simple...that is what I am here for...

It is the end of the summer school cycle, our garden is in...and now it is time to learn about weeds. During the last week of summer school, my littles (K-1) will be learning about the dandelion.  My students love time lapse...here is a quick one to show the life cycle of the dandelion!

We use a great picture book to help make connections on how seeds can travel once we write our ideas down!

Next, we learned about the life cycle through pictures. We followed it up by going outside to find each stage. The kids love being able to go out into the school yard for their "field" trip. I give them the sheets I have been working on in a dandelion pack. Stay tuned...but here is A SNEAK PEEK FREEBIE.

Hope this small taste of science will get you thinking of how simple it may be to add some science to your school day! And for even more Dandelion fun and activities...check out my Dandy Simple Science Stations...A Dandelion Pack on TPT!

Linking up and a giveaway!

I am linking up for a blog reveal this week...Sasha at Sasha's Creations N' Things is having a  BOGO, Giveaways...and so much more!  Check out her sweet TPT Store Sasha's Creations. 
From July 12- July 16th these wonderful bloggers are helping celebrate...check out their blogs...
Longwing Montessori
Sara Rucker
Engage and Play In PreK
The Berry Hill
Glimmers of Learning
Love Luck and Laughter  

Toad-Ally Exceptional Learners
Enchanting Elementary
My Heart Belongs in Kindergarten
Shakin' it up with Mrs. Shannon
Reflecting Mrs. Liana
Mrs. Garcia's Super Scholars
Little Shop of Honors
Pink Polka Dots & Pre-K
The Science School Yard

To celebrate this new beginning for her...I am also holding a sale on Thursday.  Don't forget to enter  the giveaways this week as well as follow us...you could win a free Kindergarten-1st Grade 5 Senses Science Pack  or one of the other great Packs just in time for the new school year!

                            Come celebrate blogging, giveaways, and fun!

Tired. But Inspired!

I was a "homie" this week...I didn't get to go to Vegas...I was a bit scared to...I don't know anyone...I am a K-5 science teacher which is very unique it seems...but there were so many people that inspired me! Even though I didn't get to Vegas...I did get some great ideas!

I now have a twitter account due to everyone sharing! @k5sciencegal
I now know how to use Periscope...@k5sciencegal
I now have two tribes! #scienceteachers and #midwesttptstribe     (I even learned what a # is!) 45 and still learning!!!!!

This week alone...I shared one of my packs for a collaboration give-away! I have NEVER collaborated before. I have someone that will edit a product...WOW! How we have connected this week is amazing! I also am so thankful to all the teachers that went to Vegas that gave us a little taste...it is on my 2016 bucket list! Lucky Little Learners and Schroeder Shenanigans in 2nd are both true rock stars!

I love these ladies! They are the leaders of the tribes! So helpful!!!

Okay...so I didn't just spend hours on social media....I finally was able to release our little froglet and frog today! They were very helpful in our heredity and traits lesson!

All the time and effort making great products is for them! To inspire...to help them learn life skill while being engaged...as well as help me help my family...TPT has been a blessing in so many ways!

So....through all of the weeds life "grows" your way...I just have to remember the hard work and time put into it...will reap its rewards...can you find the carrots????

Our kiddos pulled out any intruder that wasn't part of the family...I inspired them to pull weeds! It feels good to inspire and to be inspired! I learned that this week!
I want to thank all of my new teacher friends and followers...this week I felt I won the jackpot!

Heredity in the Garden!

I have been working on ways to incorporate NGSS science standards in the garden. School gardens are a great way to get students engaged in a whole new way. Whether it is container gardens or a raised bed, you can find great ways to get kids learning FOSS concepts....NGSS standards and more!

Here is what we did this week...we asked the questin "How are young plants and animals like, but not exactly like their parents? I told them to look at a partner as I  turned over cards that read...
1. What is your length of eyelashes? long or short
2. What kind of eyebrows do you have? bushy or thin
3. What are the shape of your lips? large, medium, or thin
4. Are your earlobes attached at the end or does it hang down?
5. Do you have freckles?
6. Do you have dimples?
7. Do you have a widow's peak?
8. What color are your eyes?
9. What color is your hair?
10. When you do I love you in sign language...is your pinkie the same size as your pointer?

They have so much fun sharing. Then, we talk about how you get those traits. That those attributes get passed down to us by our parents and grandparents and beyond? I then show them a picture of my sister and I. We have different dads, but have very similar features. I let them tell me how we are alike... then let them know we have the same mom, but not dad. I also share the following picture to let them figure out how animals are also similar, but not the same. We share our ideas.

 Then...I let them know that we are going to go out in the garden and see how one type of plant is similar to the same seed that was planted. We look at our pea plants...our pumpkin plants...then we look at the zucchini. They look very similar? Why? They are both part of the squash family. They are related. We try to figure out their differences to tell them apart. I love that the kids are figuring out how to look at leaf structures and tell the plants apart!

Our Pumpkin plants...

Our cucumber plants...

The sheet that we did together! They can understand heredity and traits!
Here is the freebie to go along with what we did this week!
Download Heredity Freebie Here