Punch Cards and Hot Chocolate

Hi Friends!  Have a I mentioned lately that I am so excited I can add an "s" to that word?! Thanks, guys!  :) 

So, in my neck of the woods, it's stinking rainy and just plain cold (AKA low 50s, so I know I'll get no sympathy out of some of you guys)!  A great day for being lazy, right?  Hmmm, let's see:  Strike One, had to leave the house at 7:20 this morning for my youngest son's 8:00 basketball game.  By the way, my older son had a game at 11:00, so we stayed at the center until then.....Talk about numb bleacher butt.  Strike Two, we have a birthday party to attend at...wait for it...Chuck E. Cheese.  I think I'd rather take a bullet.  The total antithesis of relaxation.  And, finally, Strike Three.  The five loads of laundry staring me in the face.  Oh well, maybe tomorrow.  (Come on, am I conjuring up any pity from you people? LOL)

Well, here's what we have been up to this week!  We made some hot chocolate mugs from Abby's adorable Hot Chocolate Unit.  They turned out so cute!

I love them!  We will be making hot chocolate in the crock pot on Monday.

I also wanted to share with you guys somthing that I started doing this year.  You should all know that Vista Print offers free business cards!  So, I wanted to find a way that could work for me in the classroom.  And this is what I came up with!

On their website, I made up a business card for myself with my school email and the school phone number, figuring that would be a great way for parents to have my info readily available when they need it. 

Then at the bottom of the card, I added some capital O's with reasonable space between each one so I could also use it as a Punch Card for my students!  They absolutely LOVE it! They are able to earn punches by completing homework and for getting everything right on their morning worksheet (a review worksheet that is on their desk when they arrive at school in the morning).  When they fill their cards, they have several rewards they can choose like: Shoes Off Day, Lunch With a Friend, Change Desks With a Friend, Show and Tell, Pet Shop (where they can bring a stuffed animal from home to sit at their desk with them all day).  They get so excited about these! 

And, might I add, it puts all of the responsibility on them.  I am ALL FOR building responsible kiddos.  I don't have to keep up with the card or special stickers or anything like that.  They are responsible for their own cards, so if they loose theirs, they must start over.  And no one wants to do that.  This has worked wonderfully in my classroom. 

Oh, and can anyone offer me advice on how to post documents on the blog?  I can't quite figure it out!  I'd love some help from you pros!   :) Have a great weekend!