3/random posts
3 Elementary Math Activities - Unicorn Edition

3 Elementary Math Activities - Unicorn Edition

By 2:05 PM

Three Elementary Math Activities


Elementary math activities are fundamental to any elementary classroom. These three elementary math activities are super easy to set up and the kids love them! I use these activities during the month of May when the kids are wanting to be on summer break or on a dreary day to liven up the classroom a little. These elementary math activities are great for reinforcing basic addition, subtraction, and counting skills. If you are interested in these elementary math activities you can find out more here. Keep reading to learn more about Elementary Math Activities - Unicorn Edition.



Addition/ Subtraction Math Sort


First things first, the addition and subtraction math sort. I like to use this as a great "no paper" center. My kinders really enjoy centers where the only work they have to do is to move objects around with their hands. Included in this resource are unicorns with the numbers 1-20 and numerous addition and subtraction task cards for them to sort. You also have the added option of having the students write the answer on the line with a dry erase marker.



Number Counting


This resource also comes with a counting mat. If I am just planning to use the numbers 1-10, I like to cut the mats in half. However, if I am working with the numbers 11-20, I leave the whole page together. You can use any type of counters you wish, but my kids LOVE the mini erasers.




Addition/Subtraction Worksheet
The last elementary math activity in this unicorn edition is an addition/subtraction worksheet. For this activity, I like to either focus on 1-10 or 11-20. The kids then have to first sort the addition or subtraction task cards and then write the facts underneath the correct unicorn. If you teach the older kiddos, this could also be used without the task cards to see if your students could come up with the math facts on their own. 


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Mrs. Moore
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A Little Thing Called Change...

A Little Thing Called Change...

By 12:09 PM


Change (verb): to make or become different

Like most people, I do not enjoy change. However, in some instances change is good. In this case it is very, very good.

First, welcome to my new blog! I decided a long time ago that I didn't really mesh with my old blog design anymore. In my exact words, "It's way too much glitter!". A few years ago I thought the more glitter you had on a page the better it would look. Which was true for the most part up until everyone switched over to a more simplified/adult feeling blog design. So, with that in mind I had a new blog design created and I am SO in love with it!

In case you don't remember what this little blog looked like before, here's a reminder:





Second, there has been so much change in my personal life. My little girl is going to be TWO! I don't even know how that is possible. 



Last April, our little family moved into our forever house and it has been truly wonderful. Everything that is except planning dinners. Can I get an amen from anyone? 

We have also added another fur baby to our family. Say a warm hello to my little fur mister, Cooper.



Last, in my professional life. I made the move to Kindergarten and have been blessed to be finishing up my 2nd year. I truly love teaching my Kinder cuties and the awesome team that I get to work beside. In May of 2017, I finished my Masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction and I am always looking for ways to incorporate my knowledge back into my classroom. I have also decided to start an online course into learning ways to help promote my teaching business to the world. I am so excited to start on this journey and I can promise you that there will be more posts to come. 

Hope to see you around!

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Mrs. Moore
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Five on Friday

Five on Friday

By 12:20 PM

Hi all! On Fridays, I decided to start a little post called five for Friday. This is where I am either going to share my top five moments from my week, my top five new discoveries on Pinterest, or a mixture of both.



1.  My new chalkboard calendar!! 

I absolutely L O V E this calendar. I found it at Hobby Lobby for 50% off. It is still on sale and you can find it here.

I also bought chalk markers with it and it literally has been the Best Buy ever. 
I know, I know, I already have it set up for July, but there are only two days left in June and I thought it was a waste to do the whole June calendar to erase it only a few days later..... 

2. The Teaching Texan Lesson Planner

It's no secret that I have been a die-hard Erin Condren girl. However, I never actually used all of the planner. I would start in August with the idea of planning all my lessons out and writing down ideas and making sure everything was organized. But, slowly throughout the year I got busy and didn't have time to write it all in anymore. 

One day I was looking on a Teacher Facebook Group and saw that someone had mentioned the Teaching Texan Lesson Planner, so I decided to investigate.

I will end up purchasing this one as it goes perfectly with my farmhouse chic theme. 

If you want to check out all the ones that are offered, head on over to this site right here.


3. Pinterest Quote

I love finding quotes that are particularly relevant to my life right now. While I was looking for items for our little farmhouse, I came across a sign that said "Love grows best in little houses." I thought that it was so cute so I decided to do more searching for that quote and I found that it belonged to a longer quote. It fits so perfectly into our life right now and it will end up being in our decor somewhere. :-)

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/19140367152292213/

4.  Girls <3 Dinos Too!

I have fallen in love with dinosaur outfits for girls. They are in style right now, but I have yet to see an outfit in a print I like. That is until this one..... It is so cute and summary. I may have to add this to A's closet. :-)
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/19140367152239717/


5. Interactive Alphabet Notebooks

Since I teacher Kindergarten, I am always looking for new and different ways for my students to learn their alphabet letters. I recently found this pin on Pinterest and I am now thinking of ways to incorporate it into my classroom this year. 

My fellow Kinder teachers, have you done something similar? If so, how did it go? Did your students like it? 
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/19140367152191878/


If you would like to do your own Five on Friday post, feel free to comment with a link to your post below!! I look forward to reading all your awesome Friday posts!!




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Mrs. Moore
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Doggie Mail!

Doggie Mail!

By 11:25 AM
It's no secret that at Christmas time, Santa decided to bless us with an adorable Australian Shepard puppy. Her name is Sadie!


True to her nature she is HYPER to the extreme!!! She also went through that puppy stage of chewing/biting/ripping apart E V E R Y T H I N G! We still think she is in that phase, but she hides it very well!

To save our sanity, we decided to try out Bark Box. I ordered the first box last Wednesday and it was here by Saturday.


Here is a look at the inside packaging which was so cute and doggie themed. Each month Bark Box does a different theme. This month it was Paradise Unleashed. Just look at all the cuteness!!!

Inside the box, they sent three toys and three different types of treats. The first toy was a coconut pina chew-lada. I am sad to say this was the first toy to be DESTROYED probably after two hours of her playing ripping it apart.



The next toy was a cute little fishy and it is still going strong. Sadie really enjoys this one because it has that crinkly material inside.


The last toy and one that has met its demise was a toucan. Sadie had a ton of fun flinging this one around the whole house and chasing after it outside. This morning was when she decided to make a tiny hole in the top that just got progressively bigger throughout the day. 


Now onto Sadie's favorite part of her box, the T R E A T S!!! First up was a treat that she had devoured in 10 minutes flat. It was a roasted beef tendon chew and she LOVED it!!


The next treat was called Hawaiian Duck. The "bones" were shaped like little ducks and it said that the flavor was duck with Hawaiian hints like pineapple and tropical flavors. She wasn't too interested in them at first, but has come to enjoy them.


The last and final item in the box was another bag of goodies. This one was called Beast of the Feast. These "bones" were shaped like little pigs and the flavor was said to be pork with apple hints. She wasn't too sure about these ones either, but has come to enjoy them now.


Now the fun part, the big reveal. I took the treats out and let Sadie find her toys in the box. She was so E X C I T E D!!


After she had ripped up the one toy, I got online and messaged a lady from their customer service team. I wanted to see if there was a different/less destructible box that I could try for my pup. She was so nice and told me about the Super Chewer box, which Sadie is set to receive next month. She also sent me a replacement toy to "tide" her over until her new box arrives. Little does she know that the new toy probably won't last more than a day.

If you think the dog(s) in your life would like to try out a Bark Box, please feel free to use this link Bark Box.

You can sign up to just try one, six months, or a whole year subscription. If you don't have a fuzzy friend in your life you can decide to send one to a shelter dog and brighten his/her day.

Overall, I was very pleased with the speedy shipping, quality of toys/treats, and the promptness/ease of contacting customer service.

Sadie and I give Bark Box TWO PAWS UP!!!!






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Mrs. Moore
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Dear Struggling Parents,

Dear Struggling Parents,

By 12:37 PM
It has taken me a while to wrap my head around this post and exactly what I want to say......

 Some of you may know that our sweet little girl arrived a bit earlier than expected.....about 6 weeks early. (She didn't even let me attend her baby shower) There were some medical concerns which caused me to be induced and our little girl to make her arrival sooner and I wouldn't change it for anything in the world. I get an extra month (summer break) to snuggle, kiss, and pamper her. :-)


Usually I reserve my blog for posts dealing specifically with education, all things classroom, and my tips/techniques that have hopefully helped someone along the way......

 However, I think I want to branch out and start to talk a little about my personal life and try to help someone on that level as well.

 So here it goes...........................

 Some of you may have strong opinions about this topic (and I did too until I found myself in this situation). Breastfeeding.

 We have all heard the saying "Breast is best." and whether you believe that statement or not isn't the point. The point I want to make is bigger. Sometimes there are mothers who for one reason or another can not or do not want to breastfeed. Unfortunately I found out that I can not produce enough milk for my dear little girl. I have tried and tried, gone through many sessions with a lactation specialist, and even given some old wives tale strategies a go with no luck.

 As if that wasn't bad enough, the disappointing looks and comments from others hurt me even worse. I would love nothing better than to be able to breastfeed my daughter, but I literally and physically can't. So, this post is going out to all the mommies who have struggled in one way or another like I have.

 Dear Struggling Parents:

 I see you trying to keep it together when you are holding your little one beside me. Snuggling our little ones tighter because they mean the world to us. I see your tears when you are told you can't take your little one home today because he/she didn't pass the car seat test. I see you looking in on your little one under the special lights wondering when you will be able to hold them. I see your little one hooked up to so many wires you are afraid to move them for fear of pulling or tugging one wrong. I see you looking at the other moms who are pumping in the corner and thinking that you are letting your little one down because you can't. But here's what I want you to hear. You are doing what is right for you and your baby. That's ALL that matters. No one is the same and no one knows what they are doing (if they say they do, they're lying). We are all new at this and truth be told we are all scared, worried, nervous, sad, and a million other emotions. I have seen you cry, struggle, and break down. But, more importantly......I have seen you laugh, cuddle, kiss, and nurture that little one. You are going to be a great mommy because I have seen it first hand already. We mommies need to stick together because no one knows what we are going through better than other mommies. Every mommy is different and has a different perspective on being a parent. We need to respect each other and lift each other up on our journeys of parenthood because it only gets tougher from here. But, it also gets a lot more fun as well.

 XOXO,
Your fellow Mommy friend
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Mrs. Moore
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My Pregnancy Journey

By 5:34 PM
My pregnancy was pretty much by the book. Except for the fact that I basically knew when I was pregnant at week 3 (my friends can attest to that). Week after week, appointment after appointment, everything was going smoothly. Until June arrived.

June came around and that was the busiest time of the year for us. We were busy getting ready to close on our house and preparing for our baby shower. I will forever remember that weekend. We had our closing in the morning and a baby appointment later in the afternoon. The closing went off fine except looking back I did feel a little weird while in the meeting, but I thought it was just the heat/humidity and being pregnant that was weighing on me. My appointment started off like any other until they took my blood pressure. It was high. However, I have anxiety especially around doctors. My doctor decided to have me wait and then try to take it again. The second time was a little bit higher. She told me that her recommendation would be to go to the hospital. Of course that freaked me out and I didn't want to go. The hubby insisted and by the time I got there it was even higher. They decided to induce me Saturday afternoon and they told me that I would either have the baby Saturday night or Sunday. This was the scariest/most exciting moment in my life. We didn't have the nursery ready and our baby shower for her was supposed to be on Saturday so we didn't have any items for her either. 

Saturday morning came and the doctors discussed their plan of action. By the afternoon they started to induce labor. At 6:11 am on Sunday our beautiful baby girl was born weighing 4 lbs 8 oz. 

She had to stay in the NICU for a while because she was 6 weeks premature, but that is another story. 

After she was born and whisked away to the NICU, came the hard part of trying to control my blood pressure. They had me on a magnesium sulfate IV throughout labor to reduce my risk of having a seizure and that made me a hot mess. After that IV was put in, I couldn't get up and move at all. Plus, it made me feel dizzy and like I was in a fog. After that was taken out, they started to try to control my blood pressure through the use of multiple means of medication. They had determined I was severe preeclamptic and had caught it just in time. After a week spent in the hospital after giving birth, they released me but I still had to continue on multiple medications to continue to control my blood pressure. On top of the medications, I had to check my blood pressure every 2-3 hours to make sure that it was normal.

The first week home:
Thank god for my husband and my mother! The first week home was stressful and challenging to say the least for a few reasons. 1.) I had just gone through giving birth. That is a challenge in itself. 2.) Our precious baby was still in the NICU. 3.)  I was still taking multiple blood pressure medications. I vividly remember one morning in particular. I had gotten up early to see Jeremiah off to work and that was time for my first dose of my medicine. I took my medicine and decided to make myself some hot tea. While waiting for the water to boil, I took my blood pressure. It was really low, like 112/60, and I didn't feel like myself. I decided to try to eat something with protein to try and raise it back up to a more normal rating. I ate and drank my tea. I decided to lay on the couch for a while and watch TV. After a few hours, it was time to take my blood pressure again. I did and it was still low. By this time, my mom had woken up. I told her that I didn't feel right and she told me to contact my OBGYN. I waited for her office to be open and I called her. She told me to come in and I did. When she checked my blood pressure she confirmed it was low and decided to take me off of one of the medications. Over the next several weeks, we continued to monitor my blood pressure and eventually got me off of all the medication. However, there are still days where I do not feel like my blood pressure is back to normal, but it is a work in progress as my OBGYN has said that most patients take a full year to recover from preeclampsia. 

You may wonder why I am choosing to share my pregnancy story. My reason is simple, my pregnancy was wonderful/by the book up until the very end. Then it frightened the daylights out of me. I was so scared, scared that I was going to lose the baby, scared that I was going to die, scared that I would never fully recover. So, that is why I am sharing this. I never knew about preeclampsia until I was diagnosed. I never knew of any of my family or friends who went through the same thing until I shared the news. Then, a couple people came out and said that they had gone through the same thing. Why is it such a secret? I am hoping that through my journey I can shed some light on preeclampsia and help someone else because I know I felt so alone while going through this. If you are/have gone through this, I want you to know that you are not alone and that it will get better. 

Please feel free to comment if you or someone you know have gone through this. <3 
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Mrs. Moore
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I'm Back!

I'm Back!

By 2:47 PM
Hello everyone!

 I know, it's been since the beginning of 2017 a long time since I have posted anything new on my blog. But, I have several good reasons for my absence and I can't wait to share them all with you!!!

 1.) Life happens

 Currently my husband and I are in the process of building a home, which needless to say comes with a lot of other struggles, headaches, setbacks, surprises (both good and bad), and emotions just to name a few.

 I also will tell you if you are thinking about/going through this process it is not easy by any means. Whenever someone tells you about the pain they went through to buy/build their home, my one piece of advice is......IT'S TRUE! :-)
2.) First comes love, then comes marriage, next comes a BABY!!

 My husband and I are so excited to announced the anticipated arrival of our baby girl in July! We cannot wait to start on the wonderful, scary, and will testing journey of parenthood. :-)


3.) I will now be teaching Kindergarten!

 Oh and on top of everything else going on in our personal lives, I decided to make the switch from 3rd grade Special Education to Kindergarten. I am so excited to make this change and cannot wait to share all of my ideas with you all! :-)

 If you have any suggestions, advice, or resources that I should look into, I would love to hear from you!

I look forward to posting/blogging more this summer so stay tuned!! :-)

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Mrs. Moore
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