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Happy First Day of Summer!

Instead of the traditional Hallelujah Chorus,

 

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

played over our school's loudspeaker at 3:10 yesterday.

 

Happy because I can wake up whenever I want.

Little sad because I had some really good kiddos in class this year.

They pick out some really good presents, too.

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You're invited to be a

Fly on the Wall

of my classroom!

 

Wednesday afternoon-

Our playtime is scheduled after lunch.  On warm days, we play outside.  Two days a week, we play in the gym.  On rainy or cold days, we mix up the schedule a bit, completing our afternoon work before rainy day recess.

My Math lessons are based on Common Core standards using activities from Math in Focus (our new program) Saxon (our old beloved program) books I've had for years and the internet.  Children work with a partner using two dice to Roll, Count and Color (a freebie!)

My goal for this year is to remember to discuss the standard and give a purpose for each lesson.  After playing for about ten minutes, each group discussed what this game was supposed to teach, then listed their ideas on the back.  Some answers were spot on: addition, numbers to 12; some not so much: math.

Our writing routine is described here,
except now we write five sentences each day.

So proud of this little guy!

So many great ideas AND finger spacing!

 

We burn off some energy with an exercise DVD- Fit Kids 

Finally, what everybody waits for...

Rainy day recess!

  These special centers are only used during playtime.

Four computers are also available.



After that, we go to Art class, then home.

When you have a chance, go check out some other classrooms!



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Our field trip planned for next Thursday has been cancelled.  We're trying to turn bad news into good news by listing ideas for an at school fun day.  Here are their ideas:

board games

dance party

races

exercise

bring a book

sing

show and tell

goody bags

walk around the school

watch a movie on the Smartboard

dress up like a Magic Treehouse character

coloring books

chalk

Sounds fun, huh?

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Weekly wrap-up

 

After Spring break, Monday through Wednesday are okay, but by Thursday and Friday even the quiet kids are pretty talkative.  The teacher-intensive kids become even more so.  Outdoor playtime and extra center time save the day.  Naps in the evening help too.

Last Saturday, we walked a 5K in support of an eighth-grader in our county fighting bone cancer.

Wednesday, we spent a rare school-night out: dinner, the mall and Target.

My cherry tree and redbud are blooming, and so are these:

Spring has sprung!

Happy weekend!

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We started our fifth and final Reading book yesterday, which means our writing goal is five sentences a day in journals and in our writing center.  I gave a topic starter-

I like Spring break.  It is fun.

Often, early in the year, many kiddos write sentences similar to this but I quickly put a stop to it by asking why? and what makes it fun?  Everybody added

because

then started their five sentences.  To encourage re-reading and editing, I asked them to put a star by the best part of Spring break.  Here are few responses with spelling corrected and sorted by themes that emerged:

 

I helped my Dad with the horses.

 

I played my DS.

We play with the dogs.

I played cornhole.

I get to ride bikes.

 

I get to go to my friend's house.

You can stay up all night with friends.

 

I went to a city. Charleston, WV he told me.

I got to go to Tennessee.

 

Flowers, butterflies and ladybugs.

 

I played in the pool. 

We had a party at the pool. 

I get to get in water.

 

We celebrate my family's birthdays.

 

I learned to ____ with my armpit.  I'll let you fill in the blank.

 

I saw Ms. Leach at the gas station.  Really? That was the best part?

 

I'm linking-up these first-grade slices of life.  Go see what's going on with the other slicers.  

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Warm Spring weekend

Drove to Louisville for Lego KidsFest Friday afternoon.  It was a lot like their Discovery Center in Chicago- several of the same models and activities, but some new stuff, too.

  We added our tiles to the Art Gallery

and used lime green for a monochromatic build.

I built the spider at the bottom.

We stopped in Lexington to shop on the way home.  Saturday, my Dad brought his push mower over for some areas of my yard that had already gotten tall.  He also turned the dirt in my raised bed over- so many earthworms!  I chopped it up a little more today.  Tomorrow, back to school for six more weeks.

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Spring cuteness

I made some fabric shoelaces today! 

Right- 1 1/2" strip.

Note to self: always cut across stripes (not lengthwise) to show more color.

Left- 1 3/4" strip.  Much better.

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Fifteen-minute challenge

 

Tues, Wed, Thurs- no sew

Fri- olive green block

Sat- blue block

Sun- no sew

Mon- lavender block

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Light It Up Blue for Autism

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2013 Rainbow Challenge so far

Thirteen down, seven to go.

 

My front porch this weekend:

We had the sweetest party at school yesterday- an egg hunt, some read-alouds, a little dancing and a cookie buffet.  During the planning, one little sweetie-pie asked, "Can we bring you pretty flowers?"  Who am I to say no?

Happy Easter!