Category Archives: #teacherfriends
The Pencil Grip
One of the other fun things I received at the Spring Blogger Retreat in March were these pencil grips from The Pencil Grip, Inc. I used them right away with my kiddos and they helped some of my friends A LOT! 🙂
What I loved most about the three grips that I got to try was that they were marked clearly with an “L” or an “R” to show where my kiddos thumbs should go. That helped all of us remember how to hold the grips correctly.
I also loved that the grips have “stages“. The Pencil Grip has some AMAZING downloads available on their site so you can check to see which grip is “write” (hahaha!) for you. You can also find a chart of correct and incorrect handwriting positions, along with instructions for using the grips correctly.
This is the “Crossover Grip“. It REALLY helps to keep those fingers tucked in and in a great position for beginning writers! I love the “superhero cape” that’s built in and it got my kiddos excited about writing using a grip! I think I’ll have to take some paint pens and draw some superhero logos on the front to really get them going!
Next up is the “Pinch Grip“. It works exactly like it sounds; the child pinches the grip and uses that force to help guide their pencil. It looks a lot like the Crossover Grip; without the cape, but still has those deep pockets, perfect for perfecting proper finger placement.
Last, is the “Original Grip“. I could tell this is the grip my students felt most comfortable with at this point in the year. They cranked out names of students in our classroom with no trouble at all! The Original Grip is perfect for all year use and we use them a lot in my school in Kindergarten to help correct previous writing habits. You can get these bad boys in original, metallic, neon, and glitter too, so that makes them even more fun!
Now wouldn’t you love to win some grips of your own? Click the link below and enter away!
Click HERE for the giveaway!
*Please note that this giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only*
I’ll choose the winner on Saturday. 🙂
Tuesday #TeacherFriends Chat
Hi #teacherfriends!! I am SO excited about our guest this week on our #teacherfriends chat! The current #NSTA president Carolyn Hayes is our guest this week! I LOVE talking with Carolyn! She is a wealth of Science knowledge and is going to share lots of her love of science with us on Tuesday!
During the chat, you can register to win a 1 year membership to ESGI and use their amazing data collection/creation software in your classroom. Every Kindergarten teacher that I know that uses it LOVES it!! It makes creating assessments quick and easy and keeping records even easier!
Here are this week’s questions to get you started:
Also, later on in March, I am going to be a guest on the #teacherfriends chat (3/22/16), so mark your calendars now! I’ll be sharing more about my use of Science Notebooks in my classroom and I’ll have lots of ideas you can use right away!
I’ll be giving away a Gift Certificate to my Tpt store as well as an “I ❤ Science” tumbler that I made just for the winning #teacherfriend that night!
Tweet Chat
Don’t forget to join us tonight for a great tweet chat practice with Deb Chitwood. Deb is an expert in the area of Montessori! I can’t wait to learn more about Montessori–I’ve been getting back to more Montessori type activities in my classroom recently. Use the #teacherfriends to find us on Twitter (or use TweetDeck for an easier time). Here are the questions that will help lead the chat today!
Teachers Pay Teachers Sale
If you haven’t heard, TPT is having a Back to School sale! The fun starts on August 3rd and runs through August 4th. I’ve put my entire store on sale…it would be a great time to grab my Interactive Number Line and my Stamp a Letter, Word, or Number!!
Don’t forget to use the code BTS15 to save 28%!!
And don’t forget to join us on Tuesday for a Back to School chat with Scott Wiley! Use the #teacherfriends tag to “see” us on Twitter!! 🙂 Lots of great prizes will be given away. 🙂
#teacherfriends Tuesday Tweet Chat Practice
Join us on Tuesday for our weekly Tuesday Tweet Chat Practice. You can learn how to use Twitter with other teachers, some newbies and some more experienced tweeters! The conversation is always awesome and I learn so many new ideas each week! You should see the list of websites and books I need to check into! 🙂
This week, we are joined by Elena from @SimplyCircle to talk about Parent Involvement. We can all use ideas in that area! 🙂
LOTS of great prizes will be given away at the end of the chat!
I’m giving away a copy of my Ten Frame BINGO!
Debbie is giving away 3 copies of her awesome “You’re Wonderful!” Song. Its one of my very favorite songs! 🙂
Maggie is giving away a copy of her Test Prep packet!
And Maggie, Debbie, and I are giving away this SPRING themed prize! We’ve put together resources from our Tpt stores that can be used beautifully together!
We hope to see you on Tuesday! 8:30 pm EST for Early Bird chat (this chat is much slower and will help you learn!) 9:00pm starts our chat with our guest and is much faster. Even if you don’t want to actually tweet with us, I would encourage you to “lurk” in the background and at least watch the conversation happen. You can get LOTS of ideas from that way alone! 🙂