What's for Lunch?

Hey Everyone! Molly from Lucky to Be in First here! I hope you've settled into 2016 okay! 

If you know me, you know I'm not so into cooking.  So, you can imagine it bums me out pretty hard to need to pack a lunch, too! Years ago, I hated leftovers. But recently, I've realized that leftovers actually provide lunch the next day. So, my dislike of leftovers was quickly overcome!

All I can say is thank goodness for Pinterest! My lunches {and dinners for that matter!} have definitely improved thanks to all those amazing mommy and lifestyle blogs out there showing me that cooking is actually not that difficult! {I hope JB isn't reading - I don't want him getting any ideas that I'm starting to enjoy cooking!}

Here's my list of favorite lunches {and some I plan to try this school year!}

I'm obsessed with mason jars and the salads you can create using these versatile jars! I love to set up an assembly line on Sunday and make all of my salads for the week! Now, keep in mind...there is a total process to this so that your ingredients don't get gross during the week!  Make sure you follow the guides to ensure your salads will be great all week. Click on the picture to learn more.

When I have the Sunday blues {or I'm too lazy to make my week of salads!} I sometimes just buy all of the ingredients for the week and leave it in the fridge in the staff room! Then, I just take out what I need and whip up a salad right in the break room!

This tortellini salad is BIG in my lunch rotation. You can find the original recipe by clicking on the picture below.  My only variation is that I use a vinaigrette dressing to perk up the flavor a little bit! If I make a big package of this on Sunday night, I can stretch this out through the week. {My mouth is watering just thinking about it!}

Follow my Savory Salads on Pinterest for more yummy ideas!

When the weather cools down, I am a big fan of soups! You make 'em once during the week and then you've got lunch and dinner for days!

This chicken noodle soup is sooooo easy to make! To make it even easier, I will break up a rotisserie chicken we've already eaten most of for dinner earlier in the week! 

I am obsessed with Trader Joe's Organic Creamy Tomato Soup.  Throw in a few croutons and shaved parmesan cheese and you've got a hearty meal! If you're into cooking soups from scratch, this is a great recipe! I'm just far too lazy for that!

 

Now for this next soup, I don't have a fancy picture, but I can promise you...it will be a favorite! My friend Aubrey {who is an amazing cook and baker!} shared this deliciousness with me! Click the picture to grab the recipe!

 

Follow my Mmmm Mmmm Soup Board on Pinterest for more ideas! 

By October, I'm pretty much over sandwiches!  One can only eat so many Pepper Jack & Turkey or peanut butter {I don't like jelly!} sandwiches!

To mix it up, I use a panini press to liven up my boring old sandwich!

My absolute favorite panini is a Caprese.  Super easy and so delicious!

 

Another fave is just a plain 'ol grilled cheese! I get some yummy sourdough bread {the bonus for living in the Bay Area!} and cheese and throw it on the panini. So simple!

Follow my Yummy Board on Pinterest for even more ideas!

As we run around the classroom, it's great to have snacks to fuel snacks.  This granola is delightful! A batch of this will last me a few weeks!

And I haven't tried this yet...but oh. my. word.  These look incredible! I'll definitely be adding these to my back to school treats!

In addition to the panini grill, I also have an electric tea pot {to make tea or oatmeal}, a microwave, and a toaster!

Don't worry - it's all hidden away from kids!

Need a little help planning your weekly meals? 

Snag this Meal Planner FREEBIE. Just click on the picture!

 

What are some of your favorite School Lunches? 

Frosty Fun!

Hello! Are you staying warm? Here in California the weather is dropping below 60 and I'm not sure what to do! 

So, I thought it would be a good time to get our classroom ready for the winter! 

I whipped up this Frosty Fun writing activity to share with all of you! 

One of my all time favorite books to read is What Snowman Do At Night - isn't that book just the sweetest? And did you know they wrote a sequel, Snowmen at Christmas? Even cuter! 

You can extend that adorable book into a writing project with one of the pages I've included!

Click HERE to grab this Frosty Fun Freebie! 

Love freebies? Sign up for my Lucky Newsletter to receive even more! You get a freebie just for signing up :) 

Have a very Happy Holidays! 

Hurry...Let's Do Some Math!

In the beginning of the year, we all know that skills can be all over the place {especially in first grade!} Some kids are experts at counting, while others have trouble even holding their pencil! 

To capitalize on collaboration {and peer help!}, we play “Hurry to ____!” a lot in these beginning weeks! 

The basic concept is to fill up your number chart before any other team.  To play, first split your kids into groups of four or five.  Once you say go, each child takes a turn writing one number in a box, then passes it to the next child who writes one number in the box and so on. The kids must write their numbers correctly {no reversals!} so it’s definitely a challenge!  Our goal is to make it all the way to 120 over time!

It's fun to listen to the kids help each other out and cheer each other on!  Click here to snag a copy of this set of games! 

If you're interested in even more games to play, head on over to Lucky to Be in First to snag some more freebies! 

Have an awesome week!

Favorite Read Alouds!

Hi guys! It's Molly from Lucky to Be in First! I'm here today to share some of my favorite read alouds {and a freebie, too!}

First up, one of my closest friends in the world {Greta!} wrote a book along with her sisters and mom {isn't that the cutest?!} Well, her book is fantastic! It's a great story about being yourself.  Head on over to Amazon and get it! I'll wait here.  

Seriously...she sells her book on Amazon! Isn't that amazing?? They're actually creating an entire series of books! 

Another one of my faves stars little miss  Molly Lou Melon.  Again, this story is all about being yourself.  I love this goofy little gal! There's also a bunch more in the series now, too!

Now this next book, I can barely read aloud without cracking up! Have you read The Night I Follow the Dog? Its hysterical! Your kids are sure to love it, too! 

And here's my classic favorite book. I still get a little teary every time I read this one!

The good 'ol Giving Tree! 

I also love to show my students this video on YouTube - Shel Silverstein actually reads it!  

If you're looking to stretch those little minds a little further, click on the pic to grab this freebie! To use, simply ask the kids to roll a die and complete the activity that corresponds to the number they land on! 

Want to snag even more FREEBIES? Sign up for my newsletter to have an exclusive freebie delivered to your inbox each month :) 

My Favorite Apps for the Classroom!

Hello there! It's Molly from Lucky to Be in First! As you may know, I'm a HUGE tech nerd. I love gadgets and gizmos of all types for my classroom! I am super fortunate to work in a district where technology is embraced and encouraged.

In each of our classrooms, we have a set of six iPads.  I use our iPads during Daily 5, as well as during our Math time. There are so many great apps out there that it can be overwhelming

Today, I'm sharing my list of favorite apps in the classroom!

First up is my very own app, Smart Cookie Math! In my classroom, we use the Smart Cookie Math paper and pencil program to work on our math fact fluency.  Parents were always asking, "How can I help my child at home?" In this digital age, an app was my solution!

 The app mirrors the program exactly! So, when a child may need some extra practice on Level 6, they can use Level 6 on the app to squeeze in a little practice!

You can read more about my Apps {here}

A great reading app is Rhyme to Read.
You can read my post about it {here}. Make sure to check out their website to learn more! It's a phenomenal app at a great price!

When I was at the EdExpo in Atlanta last month, I was fortunate to meet the amazing creator of the Touchtronic apps, Duncan! He was so humble about this incredible system!

Basically, you tap the letters and numbers directly onto the iPad to play games and create numbers and words.  It's amazing!

You can read more about it on my blog {here} or head over the Junior Learning website for the letters {here} and the numbers {here} This app will seriously BLOW your mind!

During Daily 5 time, my students "read the newspaper" each day through the News-O-Matic app. Every evening, a new digest is delivered to our iPads. It's filled with five headline news stories...but in a very kid-friendly format.  I LOVE hearing the students discuss the news!

There are multiple editions to choose from for various grade levels.  Check out their website {here} or the app {here}

During Math time {after students have finished their "work" for the day} they are allowed to use the iPads for Math games.

One great app is called Kodable. It's a programming curriculum to use with early elementary students. What I love is that students can begin their program in the computer lab {or at home} and continue their progress on the iPad.  Check out their website {here}

I'm sure most of you have heard of RAZ Kids but just in case, it's worth mentioning how fabulous it is! To use this app, you must already subscribe to RAZ Kids.

The RAZ Kids App is filled with TONS of leveled books. You can assign students to a specific bookshelf.  From there, they can have a story read to them, read it on their own, take quizzes, and even record their reading! This is well worth the price tag!

Do you remember those fun magnetic letters we all had on our fridges growing up? Well, here's the 2015 version of Magnetic Letters! I give my kids a list of sight words and let them go crazy!

I've mentioned that we use Everyday Math for our curriculum. The best part of this curriculum are their games they have embedded into the program!

A few years ago, they added digital versions of those games! My favorite is Top-It, but they have a huge list! Even if you don't use this program, the apps are great reinforcement for basic math concepts!

And lastly, who can forget the Osmo?! We love ALL of the apps for Osmo! I'm so excited to get the kids started on their latest, Masterpiece! Yippee!

Do you have apps that you can't live without? Leave me a comment - I'm always looking for new apps to check out!

I Have a Dream {with a Freebie!}

Holy smokes - it's January! Holy smokes - it's 2015! How did this happen so fast? 

This week, I started diving right into our unit on a great American hero, Martin Luther King, Jr. 

To start the unit, we begin with a schema chart. As the kids share an idea, I write it onto a post-it {yellow for What We Know and green for What We Want to Know} I keep this schema chart up throughout our study so we can refer back to it, add to it or clear up misconceptions we may have started with!

Then, over the next few weeks, I slip in a bunch of projects, activities and discussions to further expand their knowledge of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the importance he's had in American history! 

Here's a peek at some of what's included! 

I think the kids' favorite activity is the Martin Luther King, Jr. Puppet {with excerpt of his famous speech!} It's great practice for their reading fluency!

My 1st grade nephew had a little too much fun while working on his fluency! 

There are TONS more goodies, too so make sure you head over to TpT and check it out! 

Or, you can read more about what's included {here} over on my blog.  

Click the picture to snag this MLK What If... FREEBIE! 

Till next time!