Wordless Wednesday - 9/17 - Clubs!

Linking up with Miss DeCarbo for another Wordless Wednesday!

Clubs started this week at school. Today after school, I have "The Goop Group" for an hour. These K-2 kiddos will be making a different type of goo each week! Who doesn't like playing with goo/gak/slime?!?! They are so excited, and so am I!

My question this week is:

Does your school have after school clubs to focus on student interests?

Scripture Sunday! - 9/14/14

Tonight I'm linking up with Ashley & Amanda from For His Glory for Scripture Sunday. I've always loved the little verses they share, and thought I would start making my own! :)

I have NEED this verse lately. I left the classroom this year, and I feel like that's all I talk about. I truly truly miss it. I can't wait to get back to it. However, this verse sheds some truth on the situation. One day - I'm not sure when - I will understand why I was meant to be in my current position. I need to calm myself down and be patient. So...here's a reminder!

Click here to grab the printable file. There are two included so that you can place one at home or at work, or maybe even pass it on to a friend.

Peek at My Week - 9/16-9/20

Linking up with DeeDee from Mrs. Wills' Kindergarten for...

I am SO excited to begin teaching this week. Although I am not in the classroom this year, I do get to teach Character Education as a special to K-5. This only lasts 12 weeks (now until Dec. 19), so I am going to soak in all the lesson planning love I can get until then!

Keep a few things in mind that are different from full-time classroom teachers: 

I teach on Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Fridays only.

I have a variety of grade levels on Tuesday & Thursday, but only 5th grade on Fridays.

I only have 30 minutes with each class (EEEKKK!)

I teach 2-3 classes of each grade level during the week.

I have been told that this special is mostly discussion...however, I have added in a few short activities in case time allows.

Here's a little peek at my week. We are focusing on listening skills & being respectful students. This has the links to books, videos, activities, and lots of FREEBIES!

I can't wait to read these books this week! They are just plain FUN. I'm also curious to see what the kids come up with for their Lacey Walker activity.

This version is exactly the same but allows you to see more of the discussion questions.

I'll be back later this week to show you some of our fun activities in action! 

Five for Friday! - 9/12/14

Keeping it short and week this week, but HOOORAY for Friday!

Excited to be linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching again!

My September 11th unit was a HUGE hit. Both in the classroom and on TpT. It was a blessed week!

I finally figured out how to keep my hyperlinks active while still securing the PDF! I know this is silly, but I felt SO accomplished. :) Check the post before this one to see a step-by-step how-to!

I reached 2000 followers on Instagram! Yay! A little giveaway on Facebook over the weekend may be in the works... 

Our Back to School Carnival is tonight...well, maybe...the rain forecast may cancel it...

No picture for now. The sky is blue and I hope it stays that way. Praying that the torrential rain last night doesn't return!

This has been my life recently. More testing today. I feel like it takes FOREVER! I have a condensed Master's class on assessment, plus I'm not in the classroom this year. So...needless to say, it's been difficult to pull kids and use part of my work day to test them on this extensive test. But...this is life. I will test and move on! Don't you just love beginning of the year testing?!?!

Be sure to link back up with Doodle Bugs Teaching to hear from other teachers!

Inserting Hyperlinks into Secure PDFs: How-To

For the longest time, I thought I was securing my PDFs correctly. Only recently did I realize I was only HALF correct. When you save a PowerPoint or Keynote file as a PDF with a password so that others cannot copy and paste or drag your fonts and clipart off of the page,  the hyperlinks do not always stay. What happens? The PDF secures everything. Therefore, when PDFs are posted for buyers, they see tons of buttons, but no links.

Also, many clipart artists have written in their Terms of Use that a link to their store must be provided. How can you do this if your link isn't working in the secured file???

I had no idea. I searched for hours on the TeachersPayTeachers Seller Forum and finally discovered the answer. I have taken screen shots of each step, in the hopes of clarifying what I was completely confused about. 

***Before you begin, you will need Adobe Acrobat. The free Adobe Reader that is usually on computers is not the same. Adobe Acrobat is NOT free. It's about $20 a month or $120 for the year (educator discount). However, there is a free trial. I am using the free trial right now and plan to purchase for the full year when the trial is up. As far as I am aware, there is no other way to secure PDFs while still keeping hyperlinks active in the PDF.

The following steps start at your original PowerPoint or Keynote file. I used Keynote for these images, but PowerPoint will be essentially the same.

You have successfully secured your PDF. If you open this PDF you will not be able to drag your clipart or borders off of the screen.

Now on to the hyperlinks. But first, you must find the PDF you just secured. It usually has a little flipped back corner in the top right.

I want to add hyperlinks to my credits page, so I go to that page first. I will also add a "Provide Feedback" link that directs buyers straight to the product so that they can leave feedback and gain TpT credits (We all love us some TpT credits!!!). In the future, I will also be adding a "You May Like..." page where I list a few cover pages of other products that are similar. This page will have direct hyperlinks back to the products in my TpT store. 

Once you have clicked on "Add or Edit Link":

MAKE SURE YOU SAVE! :)

And that's it my friends. I hope this was helpful information for some of you. I know it was for me! When you are finished, your products will be hyperlinked and ready to sell! Adding hyperlinks in product listings on TpT is also a great way to promote similar products within your store. Hyperlinks have been shown to increase sales....so why wouldn't you spend the extra few minutes?!?!

If you have any quick questions or comments, please leave them below. If you have a more in depth question about this process or a question that relates directly to your product, please email me at creativitytothecore@gmail.com.

Happy Hyperlinking!

5 for Friday! - 9/5/14

Whew! My first 5 for Friday link up in a LONG time. This new job makes me TIRED!!!

First off, here are some quotes that are currently keeping me going. The new job is OH SO different than teaching, and I'm not thrilled by it, but also don't despise it...I need to give it more time. I think I really just need time to adjust.

 This is a great one for those mornings where I just really don't want to go...

It's getting better...day by day. :)

I'm loving this new creation of mine. I've been wanting to create it for a LONG time. September 11 is so hard with little ones in the classroom. You want to respect the day, but you don't want to go into much detail...INTRODUCING "Remember 9/11 with Little Ones". 

I based this unit off of the book The Man Who Walked Between the Towers, which is a true story about a man named Philippe who walked on a cable between the Twin Towers in the 70s. This is a perfect way to touch on the memory of the towers without going into the sensitive material. Click on the preview for a link to the unit, and grab the freebie from this unit here.

I'm super excited to be a part of a wonderful group of teachers who are starting a collaborative blog for the primary grades! Keep an eye out on IG, Facebook, and here for more information and giveaways!

More information coming soon!

I'm obsessed with fall and it's almost here! Well, maybe not in Florida, but a girl can dream!!!! Here are my adorable kiddos last year on Pumpkin Day in various math, reading, and science centers.

I'm working on a pack right now that I just LOVE! It incorporates the centers you see above plus some additional ones. Keep an eye out for this! It will be perfect for primary classrooms in October, especially if you need to stray away from Halloween.

I am oh so excited for the weekend! I need a break, but have lots of Master's homework starting back up. It's my last year in this Reading program, and I do love the material. However, I am not a huge fan of the actual classes...hence my computer screen...

But it's Friday, so we will ignore the homework now! Happy Weekend!

Be sure to link back up with other teachers!

Currently: September! It's Labor Day!

Linking up with Farley at Oh' Boy 4th Grade!

Oh, how I LOVE 3 day weekends! They are a teacher's dream!

The Office has been playing nonstop for the past few days as my husband and I lounge around, plan lessons, and create. It's gotten to the point where we are totally out of it and then simply look at each other and crack up! The dry humor of the Office gets us every time!

I'm loving my warm coffee and soft blanket while I work at my desk this early morning...I may or may not have my air turned extremely cold to emulate Fall in Florida...We shall see how well that works. :)

I have a crazy week coming up with trainings and meetings with various grade level teams. Whew! It's overwhelming to think of! ...One day at a time.

I really want pancakes, hash browns, and bacon. Yes, it's not good for me, but it is SO GOOD! YUM!

As I create new products, I always find that I need more clipart. I swear it's an addiction. I can never have enough. Same with coffee.

I have many trips coming up and I just cannot wait! I miss my family! We're going to my hubby's family in Virginia for Thanksgiving. That will give us a little splash of Fall weather. But I miss my Ohio and Colorado family! Can't wait to get there this year!

What are you up to??? Link up with Farley to learn about other teachers!