9/11 Patriot Day Booklet Freebie

See previous post about September 11 here.

 Friday is the 14th anniversary of 9/11.  I was in my first year teaching when these horrific events took place.  Just as then, it is difficult to discuss this anniversary with young children. 

As years go by and elementary age students now where not even born when the World Trade Center Towers fell, when Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, PA or when the Pentagon was hit by yet another airplane it can become more and more challenging to express to students the tragic happenings and what it has meant for all Americans.

A few years ago I created this free, printable booklet about Patriot Day and 9/11.  I just updated it again and it is available for FREE on my TpT store.

It is a four page booklet that lays out the events and the meaning behind Patriot Day.  Need help printing files as a booklet?  Check out the instructions below!

TpT Seller Challenge Week 1: Makeover Madness

Today the TpT Seller Challenge provided me the motivation to revamp one of my best selling TpT products.  Ya'll, it was hideous!

 

Glitter background, crazy frames and the glow!  Good heavens the glow!

It took a few hours for me to finish the makeover, but it is so worth it.

Working with Y as a Vowel has been successfully updated!  It's on sale through Friday.

The original product was posted in 2013.  It was the third product I had for sale.  It's interesting to go back into old files.  I must have just learned how to add the glow around text because all the titles had some form of the glow effect.  Most had glow and shadow.

Step 1: Ditch the entire cover. 

Melonheadz's Nerds are one of my most favorite clip art collections.  Nerds have a special place in my heart.  This cutie got the call for cover girl today!

Add Hello Fonts.  'Nuff said.

Step 2: K. I. S. S.

That's right. I looked back to junior high for design inspirations.

I can admit it-the original was tacky.  The file no longer includes any glowing or glittering objects.  Not that I am strictly apposed to either.  I like a well-place glow.  I love me some glitter.  Both were overkill.

I also simplified the frames and borders.  The zig zag was too much for the small spaces.  I went really simple with plain, thick gray lines and a nice pop of red border in some places.

Lesson learned:  Alignment is your friend.  Sometime after finding the glow effect, I must have ran across the align button.  Boy, do I love that thing!  It makes it so easy to center, distribute and well...align.

Now I think the cover is eye-catching (for positive reasons) and all the pages inside are easy to read, have good flow and won't use up all the ink, even if it is mostly color.  Hopefully I can go back and add blackline versions, too.

As I scrolled through my products list I was able to tag a few more products due for a summer makeover.

Another part of the challenge is to track stats.  My beginning digits:

We'll see how the effort over the next month changes these numbers.

Join in on the fun!

Five for Friday

Finally!  I have time to link up with Five for Friday!

 

How about that new logo and banner?!?  LOVE* LOVE * LOVE The amazing Rebecca of Rebecca B Designs created them for me from this inspiration palette.

{from design-seed.com}

I'm still working on the blending the blog design to meet the awesomeness that is my new logo and banner.  It's a work in progress.

Part of my summer is spent happily cutting, stitching and pressing handmade chair pockets for my fellow educators.  The hum of the sewing machine is very Zen for me.  I've already finished a few orders and have several in the works.

Check them out at hermionejschwartz.etsy.com.

School's out for summer!  Can I get a wahoo!  This year was long.  Longer than usual with our extra hour.  Every. day.  Next year I will continue to be our school's literacy interventionist.  I am slated to have 80 students from K-5.  Exciting and overwhelming.  Definitely something that will be on my mind all summer.

This is how I left my new portable.

We just moved all the stuff in, tried to get what we could off the floor (for waxing) and called it even.  Next year the math interventionist and I will share a room.  I'm really looking forward to it.

I'm also throwing a sale this weekend on TpT to celebrate the end of the school year.

 

Happy Friday!

Sales Galore!

Ok, maybe not galore, but I am running two sales. First, all the products in my TpT shop are on sale through Sunday. Wahoo!

The second sale is happening over at my Etsy shop.  Use the coupon code in the image during check out for a "Hooray for Summertime!" discount until July 31.

 By the way, my creating and shipping times have been adjusted for the summertime:

Glimmer and Shine Classroom Decor Set

{"You're beautiful.  You pop, sparkle and buzz electric."}

I love Leonard's super confident pick up line (from The Big Bang Theory).  It sat in the back of my mind while I was creating this new classroom decor set.  Glimmer and Shine is just pretty, isn't it?

         

{Alphabet Pennant}

For my classroom this year, I wanted to use a color palate as my driving force behind the decor.  I just get tired of specific themes before the end of the year and never carry them over to the next year.  Glimmer and Shine is just the look I want.  Calm and relaxed, but eye-catching and pretty.

Click on the image or here to check out the preview on TpT.

Only 2 weeks left before pre-planning.  I wonder how many more items will get checked off my back-to-school to do list.

Florida Blog Hop ~ Bundles of Sunshine Giveaway

Welcome to the Sunshine State! Enjoy yourself as you take a tour around our wonderful {and large!} state! Grab some freebies along the way, and be sure to enter to win our Bundles of Sunshine!

My family moved to the Jacksonville area 3 days before I started ninth grade. Ah! We moved from Michigan, where I always said I would return.  *Sigh*  However, I got hooked on Florida.  And how could I not? Beach, warm weather, beach, fun things to do all the time...beach!  While in college, my friend and I lived one block off the beach.  I went everyday.  Even in the winter.  I loved it.  I've lived in Florida for about 20 years now.  Wow.  I am old.

{Two of my favorite bridges}

The First Coast has pretty nice beaches.  I'm not saying gorgeous because we are only gorgeous for about a month when the currents come up from the south and bring the pretty, clear blue water.  The rest of the time we take what we can get.  

 {One of my favorite beaches.  In college I volunteered to walk up and down the beach at sunrise to look for sea turtle nests.  Tough, I know.}

 We enjoy surf fishing, kayaking, canoeing, snorkeling.   Pretty much everything to do with the water.  Except sting rays.  Those jokers are scary.  (PS, don't throw your fishing pole at them to scare them away from you when a whole herd is flying at you.  They don't care and your reel will fill up with salt water and get hard to use.  And people will laugh at you...for a long time...like years.  That is my FLA PSA to you.  You're welcome.)

This weekend, we (FL blog hoppers) have freebies for you to enjoy! Stop by each of our blogs for an activity or idea to use in your classroom. To grab my freebie just click an image below!

    

These personal dictionaries have kept me from pulling my hair out (which is not a good look for the beach).  Choose from either the Dolch list or the Fry list.  

It drives me crazy when students stop writing because they can't spell something.  Instead of students asking me 837,592,749,592 how to spell "was" or "because" or "friend" I just point to their writing folder.  Each student has a copy of the dictionary pages in a sheet protector in their folders.  So handy!  The students even tell each other to look up words after they give up on asking me.  Ha!

    

  

 This weekend my whole TpT store is 20% off!  Pick up some (or all) of these products.  Just click on the image to go the TpT product page.  Call it spreading the sunshiney goodness.

I also have an Etsy shop: hermionejschwartz.etsy.com.  Now through July 31, I am offering a 10% off coupon.  Use coupon code FLbloghop during check out!

The Florida teachers below have two fantastic giveaways for you! You can enter once from each one of our pages. All you have to do is follow my blog! Hop around to all the blogs listed below, and be sure to follow them to get more entries. The more entries you have, the more likely you are to win! Each pack also includes a Starbucks gift card (because, well, a teacher's gotta have a coffee!).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Come find out more about the beautiful state of Florida by reading about these other sweet teachers!

An InLinkz Link-up

Bubbles, Updates, Decor and a Secret...shh

Finally!  My best selling unit on TpT has received a beautiful makeover! Bubbles! sports an updated cover, fonts and graphics.  It can be redownloaded if you already have it.  If you don't, it is on sale today and Saturday.  Blow on over and grab it now!

Pumpkin Project is also showing off a new cover. The remainder of this product is the same, but seriously, look at that new cover!  Love, love, love.  And it's free.

Driftwood Beach is my first decor set.  It's laid back, beachy style will look great in classrooms with a beach, camping, forest or other relaxed theme.

{Alphabet Pennant}

 {Number Pennant 0-9}

 {Schedule cards, number 1-132, Job Chart}

Driftwood Beach also includes Days of the Week signs, Months of the Year signs, behavior charts, table/group/team number signs and several blank signs.

Making decor takes a lot of time, sheesh!  I also have two more themes in the works. They should be available soon.

Want to know a secret?  Next weekend I'll be in my first blog hop!  I'm very excited.  I don't want to give away the juicy details yet, so check back here Friday, July 25 for all the sweet Florida goodness!