It's Time for the County Fair!

The county fair has been a big part of my family's life for over a decade.  My daughters were all in 4-H for many years.  I was in 4-H as a child, and am still involved in it as a project superintendent.  I oversee two projects: "Consumer Clothing" (my daughter Sarah and I are co-superintendents), and  "Decorations."  Even though it has been several years since my youngest graduated out of 4-H I like to remain a part of it because it is such a great organization.  (Pardon me while I step up onto my soapbox...  4-H is not just for country kids!  In addition to all the animal projects, 4-Hers can make crafts, sew, bake, research veterinary sciences, make posters about music, create Lego sculptures, and much, much more!  I greatly encourage anyone who has school aged children to look into 4-H.  My girls learned so much, gained confidence, and earned trips and money for college through 4-H.)

Needless to say, I love the fair!  I am anxiously awaiting my granddaughter's 4-H experience!  But, in the meantime, I am happy to enter my own creations in the "Open Class" division.  This year I entered five items, and was very pleased that each one earned a ribbon!

Yay!  I got a blue ribbon!  The children's wear division is pretty competitive. I sewed this on an oldy moldy sewing machine from 1969.  I didn't know how I would do, knowing that there are some very talented sewers who have sergers.

 My 1969 Singer Touch & Sew machine.  My 1980 something machine quit in the early 1990s & my mom gave me her old machine.  (I'm glad that she kept it!)  I've had it tuned up several times & it still runs well.  (It's one of the last models to have all metal parts & is quite heavy.)  My daughter Sarah learned to sew on this machine, and when her machine (one that I bought second hand from a home ec teacher) conked out, she scoured ebay to find the same model!  Now we both sew on vintage machines!  :) 

Third place for a matching doll dress.

I made this twisted bead bracelet.  Sometime between the time I checked it in and judging, someone untwisted it (maybe it was dropped & they thought they were being helpful??).

Oh well, it did get a ribbon & I can always retwist it once I get it home.

I made this scrapbook page with Isabella swinging & Robert Louis Stevenson's poem "The Swing."  I took the pictures with my phone!  I used my trusty Cricut (Playtime cartridge) to make the backing for the photos & some of the embellishments.

 Third place in the "Family" division!

Santa posed with pets at our nearby feed store!  (Macie on left & Chrissy on right.)  I used my Cricut (Winter Frolic cartridge) to create all of the embellishments for this spread.

Fourth place in the "Other" category.

Bargains!

Who doesn't like to get a good deal?  (No one...)  About a week and a half ago I received an email from The Mailbox.com about an incredible deal:  Buy 3 get 3 free sale items.  Included in the promotion were these wonderful theme kits.  Last year I purchased one of them - they were $20 each.  With this sale, they were only $10 each - plus I got three more for free!  So for only $37 (with S&H added in) I got SIX of these kits!  The BOGO sale is no longer in effect, but you can still get these thematic kits for only $10.  They are already laminated - just cut them out.  (I have lots of cutting to do this summer!)


Each kit contains 8 or 9 activities.  I got two preschool sets to use in the beginning of the year.  The activities will make great Skill Tub or Center, or early finisher activities.  Yay!

Some Awards!

How cool! Yes, I know that the heat index reached 114 yesterday, and may reach 105 today...  What's cool is the fact that my blog was given two awards!

Thank you so much to Antonia at Forkin 4th for The Versatile Blogger and One Lovely Blog awards.
Thanks also to Janelle at Mrs. Janelle's Kindergarten Kingdom and Ms. Lindsey at Lovin' Kindergarten with Ms. Lindsey for The Versatile Blogger award.

Rules for "The Versatile Blogger" Award:
1. Thank the blogger who nominated you.
2. Include a link to their site.
3. Include the award image in your post.
4. Give 7 random facts about yourself.
5. Nominate 15 other bloggers for the award.
6. When nominating, include a link to their site.
7. Let other bloggers know they've been nominated.

Rules for "The One Lovely Blog" Award:
1. Follow the person who gave you the award.
2. Link back to the person who gave you the award.
3. Share the love! Pass the award onto 15 new bloggers!

And now for the 7 random facts about me:

1.  I was born in Wheeling, West Virginia - no longer live there.
2.  I am the 5th of 7 children - big family gatherings!
3.  I do not like gardening - way too much dirt!
4.  I love Mexican food - el Salto is my favorite place for great food.
5.  I have about 40+ pairs of shoes - don't tell my hubby...
6.  I have 2 dogs:  Macie the Chihuahua, Chrissy the border collie, 2 tabby cats: Sweet Little Kitty & Ella, and 4 horses: Sundance the Mustang, Bob the Tennessee Walker, Mystery the Arabian & Alice the Paint
7.  I love to sit on my front porch - hoping for cooler temps so I can get back to my rocking chair.

I am passing these awards to the following blogs.  Please visit them, and tell them Kinder Doodles sent you!

Keep cool!

Linda



http://firstgradeglitterandgiggles.blogspot.com/
http://www.primaryinspired.blogspot.com/
http://teachinginprogress.blogspot.com/
http://www.littlemisskindergarten.blogspot.com/
http://acupcakefortheteacher.blogspot.com/
http://www.tisforteaching.com/
http://paperpencilsbooks.blogspot.fi/
http://mintonkindergarten.blogspot.com/
http://mrbsbeachbrains.blogspot.com/
http://time4kindergarten.blogspot.com/
http://joyoflife2011.blogspot.com/
http://www.miss-kindergarten.com/
http://livelovelaughkindergarten.blogspot.com/
http://journeyofasubstituteteacher.blogspot.com/
http://learningwithmrsbrinn.blogspot.com/

Some More Linky Parties!

Thank you TBA!!

  

Visit this blog hop to view some pretty special classrooms!

 

Visit this blog hop to get some smart ideas!  (I shared the link to my skill tubs. 

Everyone loves a Freebie!

Visit this hop to get some fresh ideas for behavior management.

A Day in My Shoes



I love a new pair of shoes, or two, or three...  That is why I am linking up with Ruby Red Slippers on International Blog Hopping Day!

A typical school day:

5:25  Alarm goes off - hit snooze
5:35  Alarm goes off again - want to hit snooze, but I drag myself out of bed
5:35 - 6:40  Shower, get dressed, do hair & makeup
6:40  Eat breakfast  (I keep it simple: OJ, coffee & Cinnamon Toast Crunch w/o milk)
7:10  Wonder where the time went & leave for school
7:14  Arrive at school (I live really close!)
7:14 - 7:35 Get things ready for the day:  Turn on lamps, computer, put out morning papers, etc.
7:35  Greet students in hallway
7:35 - 7:50  Once everyone is in the classroom we do some sort of morning work, take attendance, lunch count and wait for morning announcements
750 - 7:55       Announcements
7:55 - 8:10      Opening story - I begin the day by reading a picture book
8:10 - 8:30      Morning Meeting:  Calendar Math and Morning Message (We do some stretches and sing a song or two)
8:30 - 9:00      Special (Computer Lab, PE, Music, Library, or Art)
9:00 - 9:10      Misc. activities
9:10 - 9:35      Recess (Just Kindergarten in AM!)
9:35 - 9:45      Break (Restroom & snack)
9:45 - 11:15    Literacy Block
11:15 - 11:45  Lunch
11:45 - 11:55  Quiet Time (this past year's kinders loved to color and read books!)
11:55 - 12:20  Writing
12:20 - 12:50  Special (Computer Lab, PE, Music, Library, or Art)
12:50 - 1:30    Math
1:30 - 1:55      Recess (with first grade)
1:55 - 2:20      Developmental Centers
2:20 - 2:30      Story
2:30 - 2:40      Quick review of letters, sight words, numbers, and then get ready to go home
2:40                 Dismissal
2:40 - 3:10      Talk with my teacher friends, grade level meeting, etc.
4:00 - 4:30      Finally leave school! 
4:30  If I go straight home (instead of visiting my mom, babysitting my granddaughter, going to the store, etc.) I put on something comfy  - quite often my pj's*!
4:30 - 10:00  The usual evening activities:  dinner, clean up, papers, reading, Pinterest, falling asleep on the couch in front of the TV with my little dog  *Thursday is date night with my husband - I don't put my pj's on at 4:30!

I am in the Top Twenty "Most Fascinating Kinder Blogs!"

Thank you to all who voted for my blog! It is such an honor to be counted among the other wonderful blogs that are on the list.



Paint Sample Word Rings

When school ended last  month I gave myself a challenge to come up with as many inventive uses for cheap or free items.  Today I came up with a nifty way to use those paint samples which the manufacturer has so kindly perforated with perfect little circles:

Word Rings!

I'm not sure if I'll put these in the Literacy Center or make some more sets so each table group can have their own set.  Either way, these are portable and much more hands on than our wall mounted word wall.  Paint samples are pretty sturdy, so they should last at least one year of use.

I wrote sight words on the cards and fastened them with a book ring.

Color words written on "that" color paint sample.