Eggstravaganza!

We did all things Easter/eggs related today!

We started off by creating our own Egg Venn Diagrams using adjectives to describe them.  We did this as a class first a couple of days ago but it was time to see if they have grasped the compare and contrast concept as well as using adjectives to describe.

Here is another look at our class Venn Diagram!

Here is a look at some student samples!  They are quite the artists!  If only some of them would put in the effort on their spelling! :-)  We're getting there!

For some of our literacy time and most of our math time, I had "Easter Basket" time.  I once again found and AWESOME Easter unit online and was able to print, laminate, cut, and sort everything out pretty quickly.  Each tub has one literacy activity and one math activity.  Four students are assigned to one tub and do one activity and fill out the coordinating recording sheet to hold them accountable.  Then, they move onto the next one, do the activity, fill out their sheet, and get their tub packed up!  Seems pretty simple right??  That is until they seem to completely forget things that we have done all year....  Between this week and next, they will have a chance to check out all 6 tubs.

Super cute & cheap buckets from Wal Mart.

I placed everything inside the bucket that is needed.  The only thing they have to bring is a pencil.

And last but least---some super eggcellent workers!

Have a great and hopefully extended weekend!  We will be laying low and won't be running around like chickens with our heads cut off so it has to be an awesome weekend! I will certainly be thanking the Big Man upstairs for all of the blessings in my life! Travel safe if you are heading out to see family and friends!

An Eggcellent Time to Review!

Where has March possibly gone!  It has flown by and now that April is just around the corner, this means we only have TWO months left of school.  It doesn't seem possible!

We wrapped up our President's Unit and did a little craftivity.  They had to choose either Abraham Lincoln or George Washington, create him, and then do a writing portion.  They then had to share out their three facts (that were written in complete sentences!)....this is an ongoing battle!

George Washington at his finest!

We have spent the past month or so working on spelling combinations of our vowel sounds!  These are tricky since our English language only follows the rules some of the time!  I bought an amazing Long E  Unit from thefirstgradeparade.blogspot.com.  She is simply amazing and I wish I could find a way in my salary to buy all of her stuff!  Here is a little look at my munchkins working in their Literacy Tubs!

Making words with long e endings!

Sorting Real words and Nonsense words!

Spin, it, Flip it, & Write it!  This was an all time favorite!

This unit was simply amazing!  It even came with stories for each long e that was linked to a kiddos name!  My kids loved it!

We have since moved into our Nutrition Unit--one that I am passionate about.  Yes, I bribe my loveys with candy and yes I bribe them with mini marshmallows to get their snow clothes off quickly but I do talk regularly about the need to be healthy.  I go to PE with them and show some of them it is okay to get sweaty!  Nothing bad about a hot sweaty mess. :-)  I think this is something that they are not yet comfortable with!  ...and I'll step off my soap box :-)  We are exploring the new and improved Food Pyramid and discussing healthy food choices!  We also got the ever-so-exciting opportunity to make and bake bread with our school cooks.  Have I ever mentioned that our cooks make homemade bread EVERY morning and it is just coming out of the oven when I get to school in the morning!?  My mouth is instantly watering and I normally take a lap to the kitchen and back just to enjoy the aroma!  Each 1st grade kiddo got a ball of dough after helping mix all of the ingredients and got to make any shape they wanted!

They had a blast and we even got to enjoy it later on in the day!

This week, we are working on comparing and contrasting & adjectives!  Why not tie it into some fun Easter eggs?!  I created a life size Venn diagram and we used adjectives to describe the two eggs!  They then got to create their own and show me they could use adjectives that compare!

I'll get some pictures up of their eggs and some of our Easter Literacy and Math tubs later on this week!  But for now, I need to get prepped for the day!  Have a great day and travel safe if you are heading out to spend some quality time with family this weekend!

Happy Easter if I do not get back on here before!  God is good!

~Toodles!

126 Days in the Books!

It is hard to believe that I am well over half way--almost 3/4 of the way through my first year of teaching!  I can still remember getting offered the job, Back to School Night, my first day like it was yesterday!  There are lots of things though that have flown by in a blur!  I was always told that my first year would be challenging.  I have definitely had my challenges but none that I haven't been ready to step up to the plate and take on.  Along the way though, there are lots of the things that I already know I will do differently.  Actually, there were things on day 2 that I said I would do differently!  Here are just a few.

Keep in mind that I am typically not a patient person, although I have to say I have done a pretty good job keeping patient with my little ones!  Gavin says I use all of my patience up at school and have little none at home!  Opps...will need to work on that

• Starting with Day 1, we will practice tying shoes!  Most kid shoes now-a-days are velcro from day one but lots of new school shoes come with laces!  126 days in and I refuse to tie shoes! I could spend my whole day tying shoes. Please go find a friend to tie your shoes before you leave the room.  It has become one of my biggest pet peeves!  I hate seeing shoe laces destroyed because they just walk on them and I'm sure parents don't appreciate it either!

• How to HANG things in your locker!  I totally overlooked this!  I just figured they would know how.  WRONG!  They like to just shove it all of the bottom in no particular order.  This probably wouldn't matter a ton but we have the wettest, sloppiest, and muddiest playground!  Lots of times I find coats on the bottom, then snow pants, and then dirty boots!!  We had to have a little discussion and practice hanging everything up.  Note to self, do this on Day 1!

• How to put things in a folder--another thing that I thought they would know how to do!  It blows my mind watching my munchkins shove, crumple, and fold things to put them in their Take Home Folder.

• Lining up!  I have battled this one all year!  It may have been partially my fault because I let them get away with chatting too much in line at the beginning of the year.  After Christmas break, I cracked down on it and they haven't been a fan!  We simply don't leave the room until everyone is facing the front of the line and with their voice off.  This is a challenge and it some times takes us 4 or 5 times of lining up before we walk down the hall.  If they are talking, I send them all back to their seats to try it again! This can become quite the fuse blower to some of them that think they won't make live another moment without lunch.  You would think this would be a motivator to not talk....

• When I say hustle, I don't mean continue talking to your buddy and not taking off your snow clothes!  I picked up a little trick from a friend of a friend---she gives one mini marshmallow to the first 10 little ones into her room after recess!  This has shortened our recess undressing time into a fraction!  It didn't work for all but certainly a majority!  Bribery at its best!  And one mini marshmallow?!  I feel the need to eat the whole bag every time I allow myself to have one--handful! ;-)

• Bathroom breaks!  There was a time when I would have half of my class asking to go to the bathroom---right in the middle of core instruction time!  It has always been a first grade rule that you must use the restroom before each recess.  Evidently that wasn't enough or my littles were eluding work!  We had to switch some things up!  They now get one freebie through out the day and they have to make the choice any other time during the day if it is an emergency or not.   If it is not, they have learned how to hold it.  If they still think they need to go, they will need to move their clip down. Now, I am not a bully about this.  If I can tell that it really is an emergency, I let them go.  I figured out real quick that they could hold it.  Our bathroom trips deceased dramatically!

• Simplicity is best!  Short and simple!

There are certainly more that I have written down here and there but this is all I can think of right now! I hope you are having a great weekend and are looking forward to your week to come!

~Toodles!

Birthday Blessings!

Monday marked me getting one year older!  Everyone warns you that once you get past all of the exciting ones that they aren't quite as fun.  While every birthday is pretty exciting to me, I would have to agree that this one wasn't one that I over celebrated, which was perfectly fine by me!

None the less, my family and friends made me feel super special!  Gavin and I spent Sunday at my parents.  My mom made us one of my favorite home cooked meals: mushroom steak and mash potatoes!  Gavin and my dad got to give Simbah (and the my parents' dogs) a bath since he thought it would be fun to play with a skunk the night before when he stayed at their house while we went to the State Championship game (how about that for a run on sentence?!).  Needless to say, he still stinks and I got to sneak Drake into the house to let him dry! :-)  If anyone knows my mom, she NEVER let an animal into her house before a couple of years ago!  She even remodeled it this past fall and was perfectly fine to let her baby Tucker, Simbah, and Drake hang out in the house to get some extra TLC while they dried from their baths!

Monday swung around and boy or boy did my friends and family shine through with the Facebook comments!  My phone never stopped dinging!  Thank you all for the love!  One of my munchkins came walking down the hall with this beauty!  Seriously, does it get much cuter than this!?!  They make me feel loved each and every day!

I am guessing it is a Pinterest idea and I am in love!  A whole bouquet of tissue paper flowers!

It didn't stop there though!  Towards the end of the day, our secretary came waltzing in my room with this GORGEOUS bouquet of roses from Mr. Wonderful himself!  My kids made me open the card right away to see if they were from him.  Before this year, I have never gotten flowers.  But twice in one year!?  Actually, twice within a month!!  He's pretty amazing if I do say so myself!

Love, Love, Love!

Here is to getting one year older!  I can't wait to see what this year has to bring!

~Toodles!