I'm still here!

Don't worry, I didn't fall off the face of the earth.  I am sure a lot of you were super worried about that.  I have just been busy and stressed.  To explain this, I should finally share some terrifying exciting news on here:  My husband accepted a position with Northwestern University in Evanston, IL (just north of Chicago).  It is going to open a lot of wonderful doors for him and really help him to expand his experiences.  

That said, the idea of moving has been creating a lot of stress around here.  Eddie (my husband) is trying to write his thesis to wrap up his doctorate while also working on things for his next opportunity (apparently there is a lot of work that already needs to be done).  Eddie's field is organic chemistry...so that means I usually just smile, nod, and say "uh-huh" a lot when he talks about all of the things he does or has to do.  I really try to understand, but there is just so much that is honestly over my head!  I mean, I teach kindergarten.  I spend half my time tying shoes and reminding my students to cough into their elbows (ok, ok, ok...not half my time, but it sure feels like it).  But seriously, we talk about letters, words, numbers, weather, our community, but we don't touch chemistry.  I have smart kids, but I think that's pushing them a little too hard. ;)  

Anyway, I have been so busy because I am working on transferring my license to Illinois.  Apparently this is no simple feat.  I have been completing all of the forms and paperwork over the last few weeks.  Also, I have been studying like crazy for the tests I have to take.  I actually took both of them yesterday.  I know I passed one, but I have to wait for the release of scores for the second test.  I am just going to keep my fingers crossed until then. Today I finally feel like I can breathe a little bit, so I am taking this time to blog.

We are working on addition in my classroom.  Have you heard of the wonderful idea of Addition Annie?  She is fantastic!  I found her on a blog the other day (some people were posting it on Facebook), but I cannot find it anywhere!!!  I want to give the teacher credit for coming up with them because HE/SHE IS A GENIUS.  My kids LOVE Addition Annie.  For those of you who don't know her, she is a superhero whose power is to put numbers together.  (Later we will meet Subtraction Sammie, the villain that takes numbers away!)  Addition Anne has made teaching addition a lot more memorable for my kids (we even use her to help us remember key addition words in word problems).  Do any of you know who came up with this idea?  If you do, please leave a comment so I can give credit to the appropriate person!  Thanks!

I also created a math center for addition (and subtraction).  

This is a hands-on center for students just learning addition and subtraction. Students use the visuals to help them solve the problems. This makes a great math center for introducing addition or independent work for review!

Head over to my TpT store if you're interested in checking it out.  Also, be sure to check back in the next couple of days because I am going to create an addition freebie soon!  :)