Birthday Cup Bash!

 Are you thinking about back to school time?  I know, I know... summer CAN'T be over yet!  That to-do list starts growing and growing, but so does your excitement as you get closer to meeting your new group of kiddos.  This is one project that is actually FUN to make and gets you excited for the year to come.  And... SO CUTE, right?!

I first learned about Birthday Cups stumbling around online.  Mrs. Hulsey has a great post about how she makes her cups.  I posted the idea to my Facebook page and there were several local teachers interested in having a little assembly party!

Here's what you'll need for your Birthday Cups.  I've linked to the supplies I ordered online.

1) Clear Plastic Cups with Dome Lids:  A little spendy, but so worth it.  They really complete the look!

2) White Tissue Paper:  Dollar store, y'all!  So easy, and cheap!

3) Pencils:  Dollar store!  (Although I bet you have a ton sitting in your prize bucket right now.)

4) Candy:  Any assortment will do!  I put around three pieces in each cup.

5) Sticky Hands and Stamps:  Just for fun!  :)   Amazon and Oriental Trading have great little party favors that would be perfect in these cups.

6) Pom Poms:  You know, like the cherry on top??  I just hot-glued them to the lid.

7) Full Sheet Labels:  Sticker paper would work here, as well as address labels and such.  Use what works for you!

I used Mrs. Hulsey's Birthday Cup Labels, because, come on.... So cute!

I invited my friends over for a few hours and we knocked out over THREE HUNDRED Birthday Cups, in an assembly line.  Each teacher contributed $20 for the cost of supplies, and they each left with over 30 birthday cups!  That's less than a $1 per cup.  What a steal!  :)

BONUS: Post this list of all of your learner's birthdays, and you'll be SO SET for the year!  

Just click to download!

How do you celebrate student birthdays?

First Grade Highlights

It's been an entire school year since I've posted.  I am not going to apologize, because I took this year to really focus on school.  I did very little with my TpT store or blog, and instead focused on what first grade was all about.  Boy, did I have fun.  :)  It was a GREAT year!  I truly fell in love with my students and decided that first grade was a great fit for me.



Below are some of my favorite moments from first grade.  Enjoy!

My team and I on the first day of school.  I am so grateful for them!

After the first week of school, I finished my 10th race!

Dave and I went to NYC during Fall Break to visit his sisters.  What a blast!

We got a package from Koo Koo Kanga Roo!  OMG my students were so excited!

My team and I dressed up for ugly sweater day.  I made my own ugly sweater with sight word Christmas lights.  :)

My siblings and I at an American Cancer Society Gala.  Love them!

My bestie Eva, a dental hygienist, came to talk to my kiddos about dental health!

I worked hard on creating engaging word work centers... more on those later!

We made Leprechaun Traps using materials from our school's Maker Space!  Unfortunately, we didn't trap any Leprechauns. 

We took a field trip to an old farm.  Just look at the excitement on that kiddo's face!  :)

My team and I presented at a district professional development in April.  SO fun to share our thoughts on Personalized Learning with other teachers.

One of my students found a turtle outside.  We decided to do some research and keep the little guy.  We named him Mikey (after Michelangelo, the Ninja Turtle, duh), and he quickly became a part of our classroom family.  I now have him at my house.  :)

A coworker and I attended the Personalized Learning Summit in San Francisco, CA, in May!  What a NEAT opportunity!  We became Personalized Learning Jedi Masters in one of our sessions.  

We also did some necessary sight seeing in San Fran, too.

I was awarded the Humanitarian Award at our staff's end of the year celebration.  What an honor!

These kiddos stole my heart.  It was an incredible year full of laughs, hugs, and learning.  

I can't wait for next year!!!