It's Simply Elementary

Organize · Simplify · Teach

Five for Friday! :)

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Happy Friday friends! And welcome to my Five for Friday! I am linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for my favorite linky of the week!

Let’s start off my 5 randoms from the week with some freebies, shall we?! Like – A LOT of freebies!
If you haven’t headed to Facebook yet today, you’re going to want to make sure you do that at some point this weekend! I’m part of Amanda’s (from the Primary Gal!) Facebook Free for All!!
Click the image above or HERE to head over to my facebook page to get started and find my yellow Facebook Free for All Tab that looks much like above! A freebie is waiting for YOU ANNND it will lead you to dozens more!! 🙂 Happy hopping!

So I was on Spring Break this week and Spring Break, to me, is a golden opportunity to get some extra jobs done around the house, catch up on a few school projects, and . . . spend LOTS of time creating.  I seriously can’t stop creating! The creative juices and inspiration have been pouring out into these products lately, and I THANK you for the sweet encouragement that keeps me inspired to keep on creating more!

This week I took a day to create a Vocabulary Toolbox – great for 2nd and 3rd grade kiddos! It’s gotten a lot of great feedback so far and is filled with skills that can always use more practice at this point in the school year, and I wanted to give you a closer look at what it includes!

contraction building, breaking and matching
context clue anchor charts and practice to define silly, nonsense words in a passage…
root word SCOOT!  . . . They will use what they know about root words to answer task cards in a game of SCOOT! Anchor charts are also included!
prefix and suffix anchor charts as well as a build-a-word game matching a root word with a proper suffix or prefix to make a new word . . .
homophone scoot and practice sheets!
…and making words/word building with compound words! There is also a compound word practice activity for the interactive notebook!
I have some of these laminated and ready to go for next week! I will post more pictures of this pack in action soon! 🙂  Check out my Vocabulary Builder Toolbox HERE or by clicking ANY image above!
This week, I have also gotten a few requests and suggestions to add to my blogging binder pack that you can read much more about HERE.
Here are the updates, so make sure that you re-download!! Click the images below to take you to re-download your newly updated binder!

The first update included a place for you to sketch out your ideas for a slide or activity that you are creating, an additional way to list your product plans for the future at a glance, a place for you to keep track of your log in information for the 438290 apps and websites that you log into every day, AND a place for you to just list upcoming giveaways at a glance.

The most recent update includes a general list for your product ideas and to dos, a page for you to list your blogger buddies by name, blog, and/or instagram :), and a WINNER WINNER page for you to keep track of who wins what products from you!

My binder has been getting a workout and a half this week! What makes me so excited about it, now, is how many VETERAN bloggers and TPT sellers have bought and left feedback about it being helpful to them! It was so exciting this week to hear that my list making madness that I turned into a binder is helping so many of my bloggy friends! <3

Confession – I don’t read a ton – ESPECIALLY during the school year. However, when I do sit down to read – or am on a road trip and my laptop batter dies ha;) – I want it to be good.  So . . .
This happened this week.  I jumped on the Divergent band wagon.  I bought this at Target last weekend during my normal Saturday morning, post Zumba Target date with myself 🙂 I haven’t had a ton of time yet to dig in, but so far, I’m definitely hooked. #bookbandwagonner #itsfine

And lastly, yesterday on IG, I posted about a little tool I whipped up to organize my purchases . . I have bought so many fantastic resources – I’m talking so many that I checked out TWICE on TPT yesterday:), and I honestly forget what all I have!! SOO I posted this picture of what I created to help me keep track of what I own .  .

I’m hoping it helps me to have a better visual of what I have! Basically, I created a SIMPLE table – created categories for each separate page (reading, math, spring math, spring reading, March, science,  etc),  inserted a screen shot of the cover photo of what is in my “purchases” on TPT, and I left a little spot below to which I plan on going back to add some notes – – – like “laminated entire packet”, or “fits with unit 4 in math”, or “awesome homophone activity that the kids loved” – basically anything that will help be to remember what it is and why I bought it!  Here’s a quick shot of one of the inside pages and a sneak peek of a few things I own and adore for March!! <3

My next step is to go through my EDUCENTS purchases and my other awesome packs that I’ve won, gotten as a flash freebie, etc, that aren’t in my purchases page so I can keep track of those gems, too!:)

I hope that helps give you an idea or two to organize your purchases!

** UPDATE – After many requests and questions – I’ve put together an Organize you TPT Purchases (and more!) pack and, if your interested in taking a much closer look you can click HERE! OR either image below! I will be blogging about this organization tool in detail over on The Collaboration Connection SOON! 🙂  Stay tuned!

Ok – for this final day of Spring Break, I’m headed to school for just a bit to make a few copies, prep an observation lesson, and take in some finished lamination that I got done yesterday to put it where it goes so I’m all ready for the kiddos next week for the home stretch of the school year!  I hope you all have a great Friday!!

Comments

  1. 1

    Susan K. says

    Your products are beautifully done, and they are useful to boot. I'm having the same issue with knowing/keeping track of what I've bought at TPT, too. Great ideas! Enjoy your last day of vaca.

  3. 3

    Jennifer Reynolds says

    I checked out THREE times on TpT yesterday! It is an addiction and an affliction! Thanks for the great idea on how to organize my purchases! It will keep all my great stuff from being lost in the shuffle!

    Enjoy your weekend before you head back to school! I bet you are going to find lots of fun stuff in the Target Dollar Spot!

    ~Jennifer

  6. 6

    The Colorful Apple says

    Oo good idea, keeping track of all your purchases! I find myself going through my files and thinking, I totally forgot that I bought that! I also can't read much during the school year. I get sucked into a book and tend to ignore everything else (including sleep)!

    Sara 🙂
    The Colorful Apple

  7. 7

    Allee Ellen says

    First, you'll love Divergent! Unfortunately, you won't love the last book, but you've got a while until you get there 🙂
    Second, you should sell your "Do I Own This" product because I know I would buy it! Great way to keep track!

  10. 10

    C Hath says

    I love your idea on organizing your purchases! This is such a great idea and something that makes so much sense!!! I can't wait to spend some time getting that together and doing that this summer! Thank you for the inspiration ALWAYS!!

    Mrs. 3rd Grade 

  19. 19

    Schroeder Shenanigans in 2nd says

    Haha oh girl, sleep totally gets ignored in my life, too! haha! I'm glad you like my organizational idea for my purchases! I've got to finish putting in the freebies I've snagged as well as my Educent resources! It's endless the materials I have and I just don't have enough time to teach it all! 🙂 Thanks for your comments!!

  25. 25

    Schroeder Shenanigans in 2nd says

    Thank you so much Gladys!! I really appreciate your sweet comments! I just knowww those great purchases that I've made are SOMEWHERE – – now they have a home! 🙂 Thanks for commenting!
    Ashley

  27. 27

    Ashley says

    I just finished organizing purchases 1-40 or my top page of purchases on TPT. I am going to do a page at a time. I am trying to not buy anything until after I am all organized. We will see how that works out. It helps that I am on spring break:)!

    Ashley