Middle School Matters Blog: Friday Favorites, a Freebie AND a Big Sale? Good Times!

It's that time once again...Friday is here and there's much to celebrate! (I'm hearing Kool and the Gang in my head right now..."Ce-le-brate good times, come on!")

First, I would love to share with you a couple of great finds that I made recently. One of them is a video that was brought to my attention by a former student who thought it might be something "cool to share on my blog." (How much did I love that, by the why? It made my day!) He was so right, and I posted it to my Middle School Matters Blog FB page, not knowing who Kid President was but loving everything that he said in the short clip that is both inspirational and guaranteed to make you smile. Wouldn't you know, I then saw Kid President was featured on the Today Show a few days after? Social Media is amazing. Who would've thought it possible that Matt Lauer would be taking cues from me? ;-)

In his "A Pep Talk from Kid President to You," this adorable 9 year old's platform is simply that "it's everybody's duty to give the world a reason to dance." It's one of the best pep talks I've heard, touching both my heart and my funny bone.

In case, like me, this is the first you've heard of Kid President, there are other sweet video that your kiddos will love...even if they've seen them before. They are great catalysts for discussion and/or writing prompts, for sure!

My second favorite I would like to share is a blog that I discovered through my first giveaway last week!

This is a great blog to visit to find TONS of creative ideas for your teaching and for your classroom. Tina offers her own creations, but she also generously shares ideas she discovers from others so that her audience can easily find them, too. Talk about "bloggy love!" What better way to start February - the month of hearts, valentines and all things kind - then to bring your attention to a blog that shares the love all year round?! Speaking of Valentine's Day, I also have a new FREEBIE that I would like to share. The beginning of a new month means the introduction of a new theme for my Cooperative Learning Partners:

(Click on image for download)

This month, I decided to ignore the temptation to focus on the "lovey-dovey" theme that Valentine's Day brings immediately to mind and chose to focus on perfect pairings for food - a theme much more palatable for middle schoolers. :) Be sure to click HERE to visit the first post about how I use Cooperative Learning Partners as a classroom management tool for cooperative learning. By visiting my FREEBIES page, you'll be able to pick up previous months' themes as well.

Lastly, I want to make sure that you are aware of two fantastic sales going on this weekend - as if the Super Bowl doesn't bring with it enough excitement! Teachers Pay Teachers AND Teacher's Notebook are both offering amazing deals on their own...and I am also providing additional discounts at both of my stores. MANY teacher sellers are taking part and making similar markdowns, so be sure to take time this weekend to visit all of your favorite stores and attack those wishlists!

Teacher's Notebook: Sale Saturday and Sunday (February 2nd and 3rd) all products in my store will be will be 25% off!

Teachers Pay Teachers: I will be running a sale for 20% off both Saturday and Sunday (February 2nd and 3rd) AND on Sunday, February 3rd, TpT will be contributing and ADDITIONAL 10% discount off my already discounted price! (That's 28% OFF! Sa-weet!) Just enter promo code: SUPER at checkout on Sunday.