First Day

We have a new building (beautiful!), a mostly new class (I'm multi grade) and an amazing staff but...I'm still freaking out!  Why do I stress myself out so much before every 1st day of school.  This is my 7th year teaching and I still worry about EVERYTHING!  I'm sure it will all work out just fine, it always does.  However, I can't help but wonder did I plan enough?  Probably too much!  Will I like my class? Of course, I will!  Will the kids like me? I hope so!  Will I have trouble makers?  Of course I will (I met one today!!).  First day jitters for sure...so I'm drinking my glass of wine, and printing off those last few things before I try to go to sleep.  To everyone starting school tomorrow...good luck!  And I can't wait to read all about it!

Postcard Exchange - Still Openings!

Hey everyone! I'm super excited to be participating in a Postcard Exchange this year with Mechele over at Barrow's Hodgpodge. It's going to be a ton of fun and there are still some (12) openings! Click on the picture below to learn more!! Hope to exchange a postcard with you soon :)

Alaska

Delaware

Idaho

Maine

Maryland

Montana

North Dakota

Rhode Island

South Dakota

Vermont

West Virginia
Wyoming

Please share this with your teacher friends, you never know who may want to participate, even if you don't want to!



Postcard Exchange

Hey everyone!  I'm super excited to be participating in a Postcard Exchange this year with Mechele over at Barrow's Hodgpodge.  It's going to be a ton of fun and there are still some openings!  Click on the picture below to learn more!!  Hope to exchange a postcard with you soon :)

Day 16 - 2 pops!

My teaching partner and I saw a super cute end of the year activity on Pinterest. You fill balloons with fun activities for a length of time, we chose the month of May since we get out on the 23rd, and each day your class pops one and does the activity inside. I thought I would write each day about the activity that got "popped." We explained to them that if they were below Green (Ready to Learn) on the clip chart, then they wouldn't be able to participate. Once everyone understood the expectations we were ready to pop...


Today was our last full day of the year.  With our rooms being packed up and the kids being crazy excited for the end of the year, we decided to pop our last two balloons.  First one was "Make a Collage."  It was basically our way of getting rid of all of our magazines and extra construction paper that we didn't want to pack.

The second pop was "Fun Friday, no matter the day."  This was very exciting!  For the kids and for us ;)  We busted out the games (which I left to pack until the very last bell rang).  There was a lot of smiles going on.  

This was the most fantastic idea that Jill and I have had.  It was just as exciting for us to pop the balloons and see what the afternoon had in store as it was for the kiddo's.  We will definitely be doing this or something similar every year.  I hope that you've enjoyed reading about our final month of school and possibly even been able to adapt some of these ideas for your own classrooms.

Have a great last few days (if your not already done)!

Day 15 - Half Pencils

My teaching partner and I saw a super cute end of the year activity on Pinterest. You fill balloons with fun activities for a length of time, we chose the month of May since we get out on the 23rd, and each day your class pops one and does the activity inside. I thought I would write each day about the activity that got "popped." We explained to them that if they were below Green (Ready to Learn) on the clip chart, then they wouldn't be able to participate. Once everyone understood the expectations we were ready to pop...


Today was a half day.  Don't ask me why our last three days are 1/2 day, full day, 1/2 day, but that's what it is and so we dealt with it.  Half days don't leave much room for a whole lot so we thought it would be fun to make it 1/2 pencil day.  Jill's husband works at a golf course, so the 1/2 pencils are free flowing.  This kids had a blast and thought it was funny to have to use 1/2 pencils on a 1/2 day.


Sorry for the lack of a picture, I was out celebrating my 30th birthday!

Day 14 - Marshmallow Structure

My teaching partner and I saw a super cute end of the year activity on Pinterest. You fill balloons with fun activities for a length of time, we chose the month of May since we get out on the 23rd, and each day your class pops one and does the activity inside. I thought I would write each day about the activity that got "popped." We explained to them that if they were below Green (Ready to Learn) on the clip chart, then they wouldn't be able to participate. Once everyone understood the expectations we were ready to pop...


So today the kiddo's got to build Marshmallow Structures in teams of 5.  Then we walked around and looked at everyone's masterpieces.  Jill and I had close to 1,000 toothpicks and still is wasn't enough!  The kids had a great time and got really creative.  When we were done, they were able to share the structures with their teams so that everyone could take some of it home.

Day 13 - Extra Lunch Recess

My teaching partner and I saw a super cute end of the year activity on Pinterest. You fill balloons with fun activities for a length of time, we chose the month of May since we get out on the 23rd, and each day your class pops one and does the activity inside. I thought I would write each day about the activity that got "popped." We explained to them that if they were below Green (Ready to Learn) on the clip chart, then they wouldn't be able to participate. Once everyone understood the expectations we were ready to pop...


Today they got extra lunch recess.  We usually give them a few extra minutes on Friday's, so they were super excited to have it today with it being a Thursday!  No picture today...sorry!

Day 11 - Bubble Gum and Prizes

My teaching partner and I saw a super cute end of the year activity on Pinterest. You fill balloons with fun activities for a length of time, we chose the month of May since we get out on the 23rd, and each day your class pops one and does the activity inside. I thought I would write each day about the activity that got "popped." We explained to them that if they were below Green (Ready to Learn) on the clip chart, then they wouldn't be able to participate. Once everyone understood the expectations we were ready to pop...


Today the kiddo's popped "Pick a Prize", which is great, except we haven't been planning afternoons since we know we will be popping the balloon and getting an activity.  We forgot about this one! Since we rigged added the Blow Bubbles Outside balloon when we had a sub, we had an extra balloon in the bunch.  We let them pop 2 today!  The second was Bubble Gum project.  They each got some bubble gum and got to chew it, record descriptive words about it, "taste test" it every minute and then try to blow bubbles.  It was a close call, but "YES, I can blow a bubble" won by just a hair.  The kids thought it was great and so did we.  Once I SAW them spit out their gum, they were able to pick a prize from our LARGE prize box.  Usually that's reserved for 5 Off the Charts days.  It was an exciting day to say the least.

Don't mind my impromptu chart!!!

Day 10 - Movie!

My teaching partner and I saw a super cute end of the year activity on Pinterest. You fill balloons with fun activities for a length of time, we chose the month of May since we get out on the 23rd, and each day your class pops one and does the activity inside. I thought I would write each day about the activity that got "popped." We explained to them that if they were below Green (Ready to Learn) on the clip chart, then they wouldn't be able to participate. Once everyone understood the expectations we were ready to pop...


Jill and I were sure that they would pop Watch a Movie on the very last day, but....THEY POPPED IT TODAY!  On a Monday, none the less :D  Super happy teachers and quiet kiddo's on the 2nd to last Monday of the year.  Does it get any better?

P.S.  We watched Disney's, "Meet the Robinson's"

Day 9 - End of the Day Recess

My teaching partner and I saw a super cute end of the year activity on Pinterest. You fill balloons with fun activities for a length of time, we chose the month of May since we get out on the 23rd, and each day your class pops one and does the activity inside. I thought I would write each day about the activity that got "popped." We explained to them that if they were below Green (Ready to Learn) on the clip chart, then they wouldn't be able to participate. Once everyone understood the expectations we were ready to pop...

So today they popped "End of the day recess."  On any other day we would have been thrilled with this, but it was a Friday which already meant some extra time after lunch.  Also, we have this cool event 4 times a year at our school called Exploration Friday where volunteers from the community come in and teach the kids about everything from gardening to cooking to pets.  It's super awesome, but means that they get an extra recess thrown in after the two classes.  So they spent a lot of time outside today.  They didn't mind, we were just hoping to have had that one on a day that they really needed some extra play time.

Side note:  We have been thinking about how we would do this next year, and we may color code balloons so that we can have a better idea of planning.  More on that in another post...

Day 8 - Sit Where You Want

My teaching partner and I saw a super cute end of the year activity on Pinterest. You fill balloons with fun activities for a length of time, we chose the month of May since we get out on the 23rd, and each day your class pops one and does the activity inside. I thought I would write each day about the activity that got "popped." We explained to them that if they were below Green (Ready to Learn) on the clip chart, then they wouldn't be able to participate. Once everyone understood the expectations we were ready to pop...


Remind us NEVER EVER EVER to put this in a balloon again!  Seriously...

Today they popped, "sit wherever you want" which turned out to be a complete disaster.  They chatted, fought, argued and questioned all day long.  What we should have done was let them sit wherever they wanted for a small part of the day.  All day was a big mistake!  Please trust me when I say to never do this.  Learn from my mistake!

Day 7 - In the Garden

My teaching partner and I saw a super cute end of the year activity on Pinterest. You fill balloons with fun activities for a length of time, we chose the month of May since we get out on the 23rd, and each day your class pops one and does the activity inside. I thought I would write each day about the activity that got "popped." We explained to them that if they were below Green (Ready to Learn) on the clip chart, then they wouldn't be able to participate. Once everyone understood the expectations we were ready to pop...

Today we all got to spend the afternoon in the garden reading, drawing or writing.  It was so nice to be able to spend time in our schools garden before it gets torn down for our new building.  These two boys decided to draw. 

Day 6 - Edible Jewelry

My teaching partner and I saw a super cute end of the year activity on Pinterest. You fill balloons with fun activities for a length of time, we chose the month of May since we get out on the 23rd, and each day your class pops one and does the activity inside. I thought I would write each day about the activity that got "popped." We explained to them that if they were below Green (Ready to Learn) on the clip chart, then they wouldn't be able to participate. Once everyone understood the expectations we were ready to pop...

What a fun and yummy "pop" today.  They all got to make yummy Fruity O's necklaces, bracelets, there were even a few pairs of earrings.  So easy, just strings and O shaped cereal...yummo!



Day 5 - Bubbles

My teaching partner and I saw a super cute end of the year activity on Pinterest. You fill balloons with fun activities for a length of time, we chose the month of May since we get out on the 23rd, and each day your class pops one and does the activity inside. I thought I would write each day about the activity that got "popped." We explained to them that if they were below Green (Ready to Learn) on the clip chart, then they wouldn't be able to participate. Once everyone understood the expectations we were ready to pop...

Jill and I had subs in our rooms today so that we could grade and input our Benchmark scores.  We kinda rigged the balloon pop today so that we would know how to plan.  It's one thing for us to not know what the afternoon/day will hold, but way to much to try and explain to even our most trusted subs (which we happened to have!).  So they got to spend the afternoon blowing bubbles!  So fun and we hear they really loved it.  No picture today though since I wasn't there to get some shots.



Day 4 - Great Job!

My teaching partner and I saw a super cute end of the year activity on Pinterest. You fill balloons with fun activities for a length of time, we chose the month of May since we get out on the 23rd, and each day your class pops one and does the activity inside. I thought I would write each day about the activity that got "popped." We explained to them that if they were below Green (Ready to Learn) on the clip chart, then they wouldn't be able to participate. Once everyone understood the expectations we were ready to pop...

Today, all of the kiddo's got to start the day with their clips on "Great Job!"  I had 7 kiddos off the charts, today!  Woohoo :)

Day 3 - Magic School Bus

My teaching partner and I saw a super cute end of the year activity on Pinterest.  You fill balloons with fun activities for a length of time, we chose the month of May since we get out on the 23rd, and each day your class pops one and does the activity inside.  I thought I would write each day about the activity that got "popped."  We explained to them that if they were below Green (Ready to Learn) on the clip chart, then they wouldn't be able to participate.  Once everyone understood the expectations we were ready to pop...

Our schools annual talent show is coming up soon.  Our classes are singing the theme song to the Magic School Bus movies since our kids love them so much.  So do Jill and I!  There seems to be one for every topic.  The kids were pretty excited to watch one just for fun.  We chose "In the Dough" since the kids favorite line in the theme is "you might get baked into a pie!"  Jill and I were thankful for 20 something minutes of quiet ;)

 

Don't mind the blurry iPad picture and the mess...

we have to get our entire room packed in the next few weeks to move into our brand new buildings!

 

Day 2 - Markers only

My teaching partner and I saw a super cute end of the year activity on Pinterest.  You fill balloons with fun activities for a length of time, we chose the month of May since we get out on the 23rd, and each day your class pops one and does the activity inside.  I thought I would write each day about the activity that got "popped."  We explained to them that if they were below Green (Ready to Learn) on the clip chart, then they wouldn't be able to participate.  Once everyone understood the expectations we were ready to pop...

Never in a million years did Jill and I think that the directions "Use only markers all day" would be so difficult!  They were so confused...during math? Yes.  During writing? Yes.  In our doodle books? Yes.  I guess that's what happens when you don't usually allow markers in the classroom...

Day 1 - Shaving Cream

My teaching partner and I saw a super cute end of the year activity on Pinterest.  You fill balloons with fun activities for a length of time, we chose the month of May since we get out on the 23rd, and each day your class pops one and does the activity inside.  I thought I would write each day about the activity that got "popped."  We explained to them that if they were below Green (Ready to Learn) on the clip chart, then they wouldn't be able to participate.  Once everyone understood the expectations we were ready to pop...

Day 1 - May 1st

Shaving Cream the tables!

Each friend started with their initial and then got more as the time went on...

It was messy, but fun, to say the least!  They all helped clean up the mess and managed to keep it only on the tables (and a few shirts!).

1 down, 16 more to go...

Spring is in the Air

WOW!  That's really all that I can say about the past few weeks in my room.  This year I was blessed cursed with a group of very spirited children.  I have 7 or so kid's out of 22 total that are just really hard to manage. Which means keeping them at separate tables is a no go.  I've tried every technique known to man, from clip charts, to spending time in other rooms, to making them all work together, to try and correct the aggressive, snarky, disrespectful behaviors, to no avail.  I had one of them tell me "summer is getting close and we are just excited!"  Trust me kiddo, SO AM I!  One of those students was suspended for the 4th (4TH!!!) time today in as many weeks...when is enough enough?!?

In a last ditch effort, I busted out our new carpet that I got through Donor's Choose.  It has 30 colored squares and each student now has a place to call their own.  I was trying to wait until our school moved into our new building in the fall, but if ever a class needed some structured space during whole group, this is it!  So my question is this, how do you deal with your "spirited" children?  How do you handle repeat offenders? Any advice is welcome...only one more month to go...

2 weeks of being sick, a new student and a great neighbor

I've been sick for 2 weeks!  Yes, 2 WEEKS!  It started last Tuesday when I had what I thought was just a cold.  I stayed home with my baby girl in hopes that I would be able to just relax and be better.  Well I woke up Wednesday and attempted school.  I only stayed for 1/2 of the day and slept that afternoon.  I felt much better Wednesday night.  But Thursday I woke up with a fever.  I went to school, thinking that I'd be fine, but didn't even make it 10 minutes.  The diagnosis...Strep Throat.  The good think is that strep goes away within 24 hours on meds but I was still contagious on Friday, so a doctors note meant no school for me.  Thank goodness the meds kicked in because I had a trip to Disneyland for my daughters first birthday that weekend.

Monday was a Holiday and Tuesday was my babies first birthday so I had already pre-planned to have that day off.  Wednesday I had a district training on the CCS.  I was pretty excited to get back to work on Thursday, but in the middle of the night I woke up with a nasty stomach virus and fever.  So here I am, 2 weeks of not being at school!

Luckily I work with the best group of people!  Especially my neighbor, Jill.  I could not have dealt with all this without her.  She has basically given the subs everything that they have needed from copies to instructions.  The kids, I've heard, have started to get a little anxious and who can blame them!  Oh yeah, I also got a new student last Friday that I haven't even met yet!!!  I'm a little scared what to expect on Monday when I get there!

Please keep your fingers crossed for me...