Pinterest Widgets and Pin It Hover Button Tutorial!



I seriously just spent well over and hour trying to figure out how to get the pin it button to hover over my images.  I found numerous blogs with html code ready for me and not one of them worked for me.    Did you know that Pinterest has a widget builder?  It was SOOO easy using their website and it worked on my very first try!  Here is the link to their widget builder: Pinterest Widget Builder. 

It was so easy!  I just selected the pin it button up top by clicking on it.  Where it says button type, I clicked on image hover and it took me to this page where I clicked build it!

After clicking Build It!, it gave me the html code and where to embed it in my blog.

  If you don't know how to find your html code, it is super easy!  Go to your blogger dashboard.  On the left hand side click on template.

 

 

Once you click on template, you will see this screen:

 

 

 

I suggest backing up your html code by clicking the backup and restore button in the upper right hand corner before you mess with your html code.  I do this no matter what I am doing, just in case I mess something up!  After you back up your code, click on edit html and follow the directions that are on the Pinterest sight!

Easy, peasy lemon squeezy!

 

 



I'm A Little Late....

But follow me on BlogLovin!  I'm not real sure what is going on, and if I even use google reader.  I just follow blogs by the blog list on the bottom of my dashboard.  Everything I have read, says that is not going away, but we will see tomorrow.  Either way, I know a lot of people are starting to use BlogLovin and I love that they have an app for my Galaxy!

 

Keeping things short and sweet today!  My girls want to play outside, and since it isn't raining for the first time in like a week, we are headed outside to play in the pool, ride our bikes, blow bubbles, and maybe go for a walk!

 

 

Whole Brain Teaching...Getting Started

I have started to read the Whole Brain Teaching Book, which so far has been amazing and eye opening.  I must say, I wish that I started reading this at the beginning of August so I could jump in and get started sooner.  It all sounds so perfect on paper, and I can only hope it works as well in the classroom as they say it does.  I know going in that I am going to be making A LOT of changes in how I do things and it is going to be a lot of work up front "training" them.  I don't like using the word training, but in essence when it comes to routines, that is what we are doing.

 

 

 

The idea of WBT is to engage the child's whole brain in learning so there isn't any mental area left over for challenging behavior.  The book gives some pretty detailed explanations on how to do that.  On top of the book, which is awesome, they have an amazing website with a plethora of resources. One of the thinks that stood out in the introduction to me was when the author pointed out that no adult really wants to punish a kid, we punish because we don't know what else to do.  I don't know about you, but this is very true for me.  I get to the point where I am pulling out my hair and I don't know what else to do sometimes. I can't wait to try the ideas outlined in this book and put them to use this year.  I want to leave you one final quote from the introduction today.  This quote is so extremely true, and I need to remember this when I get to that frustration point at home and in the classroom.

 

Ps.  I took my little cuties camping last weekend.  Despite getting 8 inches of rain the two days we were there, we had a blast!

 

 

 

 

 

GIVEAWAY!

Katie Orr has reached 100 followers on TPT and she is having an AWESOME giveaway!

Check out her store here, it is fantastic!  Click on any of the pictures below to be taken to her blog where you can enter to win 1 of 5 amazing prizes. 

 

I can't wait until I can host a give away.  Only 40 more followers until I reach 100!  It is still amazing to me that 59 of you actually care about what I have to say.  Thank you for being so amazing. 



Owls, Owls and More Owls (and a FREEBIE!)

My coworker and best friend is changing her classroom theme next year and I could not be more excited!  She told me she wanted to do an Owl themed, but couldn't find exactly what she wanted.  Of course I jumped up and down, waved my hands around and said "pick me pick me!" 

 

So I created desk tags (4 different background options), which are a freebie in my TPT store.  Click on the picture below to be take to the product in my store.

 

 

I also created word wall letters, for her word wall.  Once again, I gave her options, so there are three different options.  These are $2.50 in my store right now. 

 

Then she reminded me about her calendar bulletin board, so I created a calendar pack that includes 31 3x3 number cards, 3x3 cards for each day of the week, month of the year cards and days of the week cards.  This pack is on sale for $3.00 in my store right now.

 

I also created sight word cards for the word wall that have Fry's first 100 words and number cards.  Check out my TPT store for all of the adorableness.  I am secretly jealous of her classroom.  It is going to be adorable!

 

 

 

 

 



Feeling A Little Anxious...

Everytime I think about the last time I saw my classroom, I get a little bit anxious.  We had to take EVERYTHING down off our walls and the tops of our shelves had to be cleared off and packed away or put in boxes so it was easy to move.  Here are the images burned in my head...

It seems so wrong to have a classroom with NOTHING on the walls.  It looks so cold and empty.  I can't wait to decorate again this fall.  It usually takes me a couple weeks to get things exactly how I want it.  This year, my goal is to get a sitter for my girls for two or three days, shut my door, turn up the music and finish it.  I already have ideas in my head for what I want to do different and where I want to put my new Super Improvers Wall, but for the most part, I am going to keep it the same as last year.  A jungle print/monkey themed classroom.

Whole Brain Teaching

Holy cow, it is hard to believe that June is already halfway over.  Why oh why does summer have to go by so fast?  So far this summer I have spent A LOT of time outside with my girls.  They are fish and would spend all day, everyday in the pool. 

 



Over the past year, thanks in large part to pinterest, I have heard and seen a lot about whole brain teaching.  The little bits and pieces that I saw intrigued me and I want to learn and know more.  I love trying new things in the classroom and I am really stoked to try this out next year.  I got the book Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids by Chris Biffle.  I find it interesting that the little things they are suggesting you add to your routine can make such a big difference in motivating children and getting them to be productive.  I have to say, I am a bit skeptical as the author claims that this has been tested and worked in grades k-college.  I am not too far removed from college and I don't think that I would have bought in to this system.  But, I think it is perfect for elementary, especially first grade. 

 

 

Here is a seven minute video to show whole brain teaching in action.  A-MAZING!

 

I love how organized this teacher is.  She has everything planned out and ready to go and the kids are so focused.