Fabulous Feedback – August

It’s that time of year again and things are cRaZy around here.  I’m dropping in for a brief post to announce that I’m joining Christina’s Fabulous Feedback linky! 


Last August I posted about my paper bag books.  If you missed the posts, you can check here and here.  I love being able to make interactive books to perk things up around my class.  The best part is they are easy peasy to make.


I recently received some encouraging feedback on my Paper Bag Matter Books from two wonderful people.  With busy schedules, I know it can be hard to slow down long enough to leave meaningful feedback.  I’ve been guilty of it, but it does really mean a lot to the seller. 



Anyhoo… to show my appreciation, I would like to offer gwdfdf and Chrissie Rissmiller a free product from my store.  Please email me at hootyshomeroom (at) gmail (dot) com so I can send you something special.

Leave a Comment fabulous feedback, linky

I’m Lovin’ It – Frixion Markers

I’m linking up with Covered in Glitter and Glue for What I’m Loving Wednesday.


Some other bloggers mentioned they loved using Frixion erasable gel pens so I checked them out.  All I could find locally was a 2 pack of black.  I snatched them up because I knew if I loved the pens I could get color ones from Amazon.  Amazon has everything!

I fell in love with these pens!  So, I hoped onto Amazon to order some in pretty colors.  Low and behold, Pilot also makes Frixion markers and color pencils!!  Who knew?! This is what I ended up buying.


They are the cheapest pens and markers around but they are definitely cool!  I tend to make mistakes (A LOT!) so having pens and markers that really erase is worth the expense.


Frixion markers work great in planners. 


Here’s how my planner looked after I finished erasing.  Dang – these markers erase well!!



In addition to using my new markers in my planner, I plan on using them in my interactive notebooks.  They are bright, erasable, and don’t bleed.  Check out this math entry:


Ooops. No biggie!




Here are some quick links if you want to go check out these markers for yourself.  These picture links will take you to Amazon.


Is anyone else in love with these pens?

UPDATE -
The Frixion pens and markers have built-in erasers on the caps that never wear down.  Gotta love that!  However, I did a little experiment this morning to find out if any eraser would work.  The short answer is yes!  However, I found out that some erasers work better than others.  If you're interested, I can do another post to show (with pictures!) the results of my eraser experiment.

1 comment favorites, linky

Freebie Palooza

We all love a good deal and it doesn’t get any better than FREE!  Each month I’m going to showcase some freebies that I particularly enjoy.  I’m hoping that by putting them all in one place it will be easier for you.



This is a great way to show your fellow bloggers some love.  If you want to join in on the linky fun, grab some of your favorite freebies and start posting.  You can post about your own freebies but be sure to spread the bloggy love by including a few from other people as well.  Tell everyone how valuable the freebie is and show them where to snag it for themselves. 



A freebie that I really like using in my classroom is “A List of Character Traits” by Mrs. R.  You can grab it at her TpT store HERE.  It’s a 2 page list of character traits that I have my kiddos glue into their reading journal.  They refer to it all year long when we’re discussing traits.



Since we add these to our reading journals, I shrink the pages so they both fit onto one page.  I used to do this with a copy machine by reducing, cutting, and pasting.  Now I do it with my printer’s dialog box – SO MUCH EASIER!!  Your printer’s dialog box probably looks different than mine but the concept is the same.  This is what I do when I shrink & print a pdf.



After we trim off the top, right, and bottom margins, we use the left margins as a glue tab.  The trait page hangs out of the journal so we fold it back.  You can see in the picture where I creased the page.



This is how the trait page looks folded up nice and neat in the journal.



If you only put glue under the left margin, then you will be able to lift the page up and write stuff underneath.  I have my students list their own traits.




This freebie is from the wonderful Kim Sutton.  If you ever have the chance to attend one of her trainings, you HAVE to do it!  She’s very upbeat and informative.  This is her Math Riddles Set #1 which you can pick up from her TpT store. She has a ton of math resources on her Creative Mathematics website.  In the download, Kim shows you how to set up a riddle board but, of course, I like to put everything in our journals. 



I have my students cut out the cards and glue them into their journals so that each card is a flap.  Math Riddles Set #1 comes with answers (thank goodness!), but I don’t share them with my students.  We pick one riddle a day and discuss possible answers.  I allow my students to pick the answer they like best.  Then we lift the flap and write our answers.  





I found this Fakebook freebie from Best Teacher Resources on TpT.  I’ll be honest – I haven’t used it yet but certainly plan to.  This is a great way to have kids show what they have learned about historical figures, scientists, and characters from novels.  I plan to add Fakebook to our journals so I trimmed off the margins and glued it in as a flap.  I’m going to have my students lift the flap up and add more details underneath.



I would LOVE to see some of your favorite freebies and how you use them in your class.  Please join the linky and share.

4 comments foldables, freebies, journals, linky

Ten Pin Linky: Writing Ideas

I’m linking up with Just Reed to share some of my favorite writing pins.  I hope you get some pinspiration from these.

Here’s a great activity for show – don’t tell.

The bulletin board turned out super cute!


This is another great activity for showing emotions and feelings.  I’ll definitely be adding this one to my writing journals this year.



My class did this one last year and LOVED it!  If you need a persuasive writing activity, be sure to check it out.  It’s from Teach on a Limb and it’s awesome!


This one is from Katie at Rock & Teach.  This is a great idea for getting kiddos ready for icky state testing.  I must admit, I love everything foldable!


Here’s a fun anchor chart for word choice.  Love the lips!


I haven’t done this one yet, but I certainly plan to.  It looks like snow much fun!


Here’s a cute activity for descriptive writing.  Create a snowman, and describe the snowman so that others can find the one that is yours. Very cute for a Winter Writing board!


I saw this one this past spring and instantly fell in love.  This one is from Krista Wallden at the Creative Chalkboard.  She uses this activity as an incentive for kids to “expand” their writing.   Krista bought one of those tiny little critters that grow when you add water.  The more descriptive detail the kids include in their writing the more water they get in their cup. The kids get to pour the water they earned into the critter container and watch the critter grow.  I can’t wait to try this!!



Here’s another pin that I plan to use next year.  It comes from Ms. Fultz’s corner and includes a FREEBIE.  I’ll be using this set to help my class write autobiographies.


Have you heard of Boom Writer Kids?  It’s a web site that allows kids to collaborate together to write and publish small chapter books.  They even have an online summer camp.  I signed my daughter up for a session that starts next week.  Bestselling author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney, author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, will be a part of it.  My daughter is uber excited!!



I hope you have gotten some pinspiration from this post.  If you haven’t entered my Summer Giveaway for a Mastercard Gift Card, be sure to check it out.

Have a great weekend!

1 comment Anchor Chart, linky, Writing