Wednesday, August 19, 2020

The One Where Ms. O Spent Too Much $ at the TPT Sale

but is super ready to ROCK distance and hybrid learning.

Consider this like a haul post. That's a thing, right?
Hopefully it will not be as annoying to y'all as the emails and IG posts about the sale, though. I KNOW, I don't need to be reminded twenty hundred eleven times. Is that grouchy?


What can I say I liked the layout/colors/look of this one. I might edit/smash it together with what I was working on in the previous post. Thanks, Funbrarian!



The silly thing is I ended up making mine look at lot like my real space. It is a small rectangle with no windows. But I did use a couple things and now if I wanted to design the most awesome space, it would be easier. Wouldn't have to do all that png searching. Thanks, InOurLibrary! (Also did you know about Google Slides recolor? I did not. Blonde wood turned cherry. Voila!)



So many good books. And so many neat activities that support the books and standards. Easily adaptable to different grades. Thanks, Two Little Birds!



Once upon a time I would have wanted to design it all myself. But now? I'll enjoy the headstart Mrs. ReaderPants gave me and tweak to my heart's content. So much faster and more downtime for me!


Last but not least (by a long shot ... I got in on the first set the first BTS20 TPT sale) ...

So many good titles. Not just for kinder. So many lesson ideas (and FUN stuff) that can be virtual or in person. Yes, it was an investment.  Between this and the TwoLittleBirds and LearningLibrarian's PreK bundle ... well. Like I said. Too much $. BUT if it is good stuff for kids and makes my life less stressful? I AM THERE.Anyway, thanks to PrimaryScouts for this one!

Please don't do the math. I know it was overboard. This is not even all of it. 
I will keep you posted on how actual implementation goes. This week I've been reading 

book cover image

in honor of the movie release. Not even a book from all the lessons I got. HA! What I would give for a pic of the days when I would go visit Ivan at the B&I. Without the bad late 80s hair, mind you.


One day I'll get creative again. Thank YOU for sticking around and reading! For now my energy is spent being virtual with the kids. When I get home it's reading or TV time. ME time. A little blogging time. and actually should add exercising back into that, too, but baby steps.


Thursday, July 30, 2020

Digital Organization

Mind helping me think something through? Who uses like a digital agenda with learning targets and maybe timers projected up on the board for different things.

If I leave it til school is actually in f2f session it won't get done so I wanted to get a head start.
The learning targets ... I'm not going to pretend I did all the work of double checking everything against CC standards or in my case TEKS. The video shows the entire thing so far and the screen capture shows the targets I have.
When it's done it will be Google Slides. The pictures won't move but the targets will be drag and drop and/or you can pull in a timer from YouTube.




school library student learning targets


It's to update this because honestly that one I haven't changed since I posted it like two and a half years ago. I only ever started putting stuff there because it helped recoup some of what I spent. Deciding on whether to keep that up, too. I don't know how some of y'all do it running super awesome programs and blogging and IGing and sort of semi side business self promoting. It's overwhelmed me the last couple years and I don't even have kids. There will be a lot of revamping, though, for distance learning. We know we are doing that for the first three weeks and that is all we know. Hence my organizational binge (just wait, more pictures to come) trying to control what I can. Hello dumb ol' anxiety. Hope you are feeling as calm and ready as you can be! Let me know if you have any ideas/suggestions?

screenshot of old hard copy agenda visuals




Wednesday, July 29, 2020

When It's Been So Long Since You Last Blogged You Forgot How to Create a New Post


*taps on mic to Internet* "Is this thing on?"

So. I started this blog when I came back from the BYU Books for Young Readers symposium TEN YEARS AGO. And funny that this is the first year I've been able to experience it again. They went virtual because, well ... you know.

If you're on IG you've seen these. So far it's been SO FUN. Kate DiCamillo's keynote was awesome and so was Guy Francis'. Then they also have posted booktalks and a little tour of the Provo Library's Attic gallery space.



photo of webcast illustration

Tomorrow they will release Candace Fleming's presentation.
You can see the schedule here at this link. It's not free but it's SO worth it. And you'll hear about the books in the booktalks because I am looking for them! They mentioned some new ones I didn't know! Had a couple years there with no budget. Y'all that have dealt with that for a long time ... power to you. It's hard.

When they can meet in real life it's in Provo, UT. This is yet another reason I know I'm old cause this was run down and abandoned when I was in college in the area. I remember my humanities class offered a guided tour at the time and they talked about Philo Farnsworth testing there. That was back when it was the BY Academy and even more years ago than my college residency!
They obviously put in a lot of restoration effort. The pic will take you to their website.

screen grab of Provo City Library webpage

So. Last year I spent a lot of time sick. Like ... a lot. Coughing and coughing and coughing and fever and pneumonia. And that was before the world went crazy and we had ever heard of this novel virus. Here's hoping to more interesting and worthy of posting content in the year ahead. Will probably still be more on IG but I'll be here, too. Reflection is good for the craft, right?

We're starting our year with 3 weeks of remote instruction. They finally finished off the walls over spring break so going back next week will really be the first time (I popped in a couple times over the spring quarantine but never spent more than an hour or two) I've been there. It's ironic that we have less ventilation NOW (no windows, center of the school, and the HVAC leaked for years) but you know. Whatever. The construction on my commute has made a lot of progress. Still a long drive but not quite as slow.


Friday, September 13, 2019

Lovely Emails on Friday the 13th

So how was your Friday the 13th? Crazy or calm? I had to borrow the nurse's office for a nebulizer treatment since I don't have an office and I didn't want kiddos walking in wondering what on earth Ms. O was doing. DUMB ALLERGIES. Before the last year or two I wouldn't have known what I was doing. Anyway.

I hope ... internet, if you have never received an email like this, know that I see you. I hear you. It has been quite some time since anything like this was ever heard on my campus. That's why I had to share it. It might take a while. A good, loooooooooooooooooooong while. But eventually it comes.




Thursday, August 22, 2019

Be You

Rant ahead.
I'm getting a little ... over the "girls don't like Star Wars" "kids don't like Star Wars" thing. Had several interactions the past week and I really am OVER IT.

1) Many of them DO in fact like Star Wars.

2) You know what? They don't have to. That's not really why I have some signs and I share things in the library. It's because it's part of me and the kids see that and they appreciate THAT, even if they don't happen to love Star Wars and prefer My Little Pony or Five Nights at Freddys. They connect that their teacher librarian has a passion and they know what it is. They draw me pictures and tell me about when they watched the movies with their families.

Take down the Rey that is in the window (specifically BECAUSE people stand right there and hold loud discussions and the walls don't go all the way up to the ceiling and we can hear every word so yes. She is looking at you). Don't have a cutesy Yoda doodle they color after finishing tasks on a Read You Must promo. Argh.

They also know I love Harry Potter. And Mo Willems. And them.
























Rant over.


Tuesday, August 6, 2019

#IMWAYR On Tuesday Some of my Summer Reads


It's (almost) Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Date. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now… who knows, you might discover that next “must read” book!
Our Kid Lit to YA version is hosted by Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers.





It has been a long time since I got around to participating in It's Monday What Are You Reading.

partial Goodreads list
partial Goodreads list

That's some of them from this summer. It almost feels cheesy to have enjoyed Atomic Habits so much (FICTION FOREVER!!!!) but it was so good. 132 Kindle highlights gives you an idea.


Winterhouse #1 has some issues but ... I still really want to know what happens next so I need to find book 2.

Archimancy is brand new I feel kind of the same ... it has a few, to steal a phrase from the Deck the Hallmark podcast WAIT WHATS but still, on the whole, I REALLY want to know what happens next. I got to read an early copy from Netgalley or Edelweiss. One of the two. So it will be a while before the next one is done. The Thickety was super fun. Archimancy I think could be read by younger kiddos than The Thickety.

Any time there is a Bruce book I am there! I sent the new board book to my nephew but he lives far away so I haven't seen it. :(

We Are the Gardners is lovely ... but do kids like it?

You can see more specifics on other titles on Goodreads. Hopefully I am back in the saddle. Seriously, I started blogging forever ago and that was what it was for. To document my books!

Tomorrow I go back on contract. Kids don't go back to school until the 19th but we go tomorrow. So my two focuses will be the audio that FINALLY came back in (it ran out last time before I finished it!)

Aru Shah book cover
and this one. Yes. Inspired by Shark Week.
Left for Dead book cover