Boom Cards Diphthong OO Read & Match Deck

I may be obsessed with Boom Cards. I only recently heard about them. I am wondering if many people are using them or if they are still in that newish stage?

This deck includes 20 cards practicing the 2 sounds of oo. The student reads the word then clicks on the matching picture. They get instant feedback and my niece loves that she is rewarded with diamonds at the end. Ha, starting early!

Again, I included audio so the student can listen to the directions and the two sounds of oo.

If you click on the picture above it will take you to a live preview so you can try them.

You can buy this deck on Boom Learning or my TpT store for only $2.

Boom Cards Diphthong OW Read & Match

I'm loving making these Boom Cards and my niece keeps asking for more!

This deck has 20 cards practicing the two sounds of oo. 

I recorded audio directions with a reminder of the two sounds to try.

If you click on the picture above it will take you to a live preview so you can try it!

Did you know you can get a premium Boom account for free right now due to COVID-19?

https://wow.boomlearning.com

You can buy this deck on Boom Learning or my TpT store for only $2.

Free Boom Cards Diphthong OO Sort

Have you tried Boom Cards with your students? They are digital task cards that can be completed on any device by going to the boomlearning.com site or downloading the app. They can be used for any topic and any grade.

As the teacher, you can create a class, assign a deck and then get to see the student's results. Seems perfect for distance learning (assuming your kiddos have access to technology, of course.) Like so many other great companies, you can sign up for an account for free right now due to COVID.

I really feel for those of you with young kids at home. I am teaching remotely full time but my boys are a senior in high school and sophomore in college so they are very self-sufficient. My sister says it is very tough trying to work full time and help the kids.

My first grade niece was telling me she is working on the vowel digraph (or diphthong) oo this week so I took a stab at making her a sorting deck.

If you click on this picture it should take you to a working preview.

I like that you can include an audio recording so you can read directions for the younger ones. In this case, it was helpful for me to go over the two sounds oo can make. I also explained that this was a drag and drop activity.

I made this FREE if you want to try them. Click HERE to see them on boom learning.com.

Stay safe and sane! We have 2 weeks left and I feel like we are all just going to barely crawl over the finish line.

TpT Sale!

I can't believe it is almost time for school to start again! I hope everyone has a wonderful year.
My entire TpT store is on sale if you need anything.

Here are a few ideas that may help your year start off right.

And over 100 other products!

Farmhouse Kitchen Table Makeover

Are you like me and tackle larger house projects in the summer?

This summer, I was determined to refinish my kitchen table. It is Ethan Allen and I have had it since we got married in 1997.  It has a beachy feel which doesn't match our current house but the real issue was the messed up finish on top.  I think part of it was my fault when I tried to iron with a towel on it once. Not smart! Regardless, after years of daily use, paper plates and even tablecloths would stick to it. I was nervous about taking a sander to it but I figured I couldn't mess it up more than it already was.

The first thing I did was use wood filler to get rid of the grooves. I knew when I bought the table those grooves were a bad idea but it was before kids so I thought I could clean out the crumbs occasionally. HA! They were a pain and gross!

Then I had my boys move it out back and went to town with my sander. I left the legs and bottom of the table alone. This table has two leaf extensions too so it took me over 3 hours! Thank goodness for audio books!

I used wood conditioner and then started going to town with my choice of stain, American Walnut. BIG MISTAKE! This pine seems to be even more yellow-orange than usual so the stain looked much redder than I expected!

I lost a night of sleep and decided I couldn't live with it and had to sand the whole thing down again! Luckily it came off easier this time since it was just stain and no sealer.

 Next I did what I should have done the first time and bought several different stains and extra pine to test samples. I have a darker floor so I was thinking of trying to go lighter but nothing seemed to look good with the creamy white legs and antiqued stain.  Also the sample pine I got was not giving off the same yellow orange as my table so I knew whatever I did would probably still look different on the table.

I even tried my own weathering concoction and white washing but those didn't look right either.

I finally decided to use Dark Walnut very lightly and rub it off right away. I don't really like the  Varathane Premium 1 Hour stain. It is really thick and my wood sucked it in immediately. I worked in small areas and wiped rubbed off as much as I could. It still came out much darker than my sample but luckily I still like it. I was smarter this time and let just one of the leaves dry to make sure I liked it before I did the rest.

I decided to use Polyurethane, even though I was afraid of the golden color, because it is more durable. Three coats are recommended with at least 4 hours of drying time between. I did this over a couple days. The smell didn't bother me at all until I brought the table back inside. I should have left it outside longer but I was worried about the final finish getting ruined after all that work. I had already had to deal with berries dropping from a tree and leaving purple marks (luckily before sanding so I sanded it off) and bird poop which I was able to clean off with no lasting damage.
                                       

AFTER

BEFORE

 
You may also notice that I turned the painting upside down. This is the way I saw and liked it originally in the store but when I got it home we realized that it was "supposed" to go the other way. I like it better with the more dramatic movement at the bottom because it got lost with the chandelier so I turned it around. Art is open to interpretation right?

Now I think I need a cute centerpiece! Maybe something like this but with some blue?