Last Week of School

It's our last week of school. I'm so sad. 

But Mustache Monday cheers everyone right up!

Little Chicky Goes to the Vet

We have a chick with a bowel infection. Here are some pics from his trip to our vet:

Getting weighed... 35 grams!

Dr. Super Vet

(Thank You!)

Time for medicine!

Luckily my car has a drink/chick holder!

Back to school and snacking. 

Feeling stronger already!!!

True story. 

Lovely Life List

Have you ever read someone's Lovely Life List? This was the first I had come across. For some reason, I prefer it to a Bucket List...I don't know why, but when I began reflecting on my own lovely life, it reminded me of what a blessed life I lead and inspired me to keep dreaming!
Here are just a few things on my Lovely Life List...so far!

Stay tuned... There is much more to come in this lovely life!!!

Talents

source

An Amazing Gift

I cannot stop watching these! So amazing!!!

Have you every worked with students with hearing impairments? 

What an amazing inspiration and reminder of how blessed I am. :-)

Beautiful Cards

I want! I want! I want!
These are so gorgeous!! I can think of so many ways to incorperate these into small group instruction and independent practice. What a treat it would be to have them in class!
It reminds me of this,
"The most effective kind of education is that a child should play amongst lovely things." - Plato

Cinco de Mayo - Party for the Teachers!

Get inspired and have some fun!

dress, dress, pattern, pillow, play

Cinco de Mayo - My Personal Favorite

Frida Kahlo was the first artist that I really fell for... first for her art (so enchanting!), and then for her life story. The first art book I ever bought was of her works and I still pull it out now and then to be mesmorized all over again. Who is your favorite Latino/Latina artist?

source

Cinco de Mayo - Decorations and Snacks

Here's the fun stuff!

 

Banner, an encouraging bulletin board, make something with those old milk cartons, a healthy snack

Cinco de Mayo - Art and Music

Let's liven it up a bit with some art and music!

Great hats and other ideas. A fiesta isn't complete without music!

Cinco de Mayo... ALL WEEK WE CELELBRATE!

Here in SoCal, Cinco de Mayo is muy grande! In honor of the lovely families within my school community, I'll be posting fun Cinco de Mayo bits all week! 

Start with some Fun Facts, snag a free Math and Literacy pack, and read some good books

Growth

It's quite amazing to watch my little English Learner students blossom in a second language. Here's a little girl's writing from the beginning of the year and one from this week.
I remember for the first semester, she'd only write very simple sentences. In October, she wrote 'I like pumpkin.' In November, it was 'I like turkey.' She stuck to very safe phrases and did not venture into the land of scribing her thoughts.
But look at her now! An entire story!
Here's what she wrote:
One day, I have to tell you something. (At) night I go to the mall with my family, take me and my baby. My family for me buy some book and I choose the book. I choose a book I love, is Strawberry Land. And next I go home. I draw a pink strawberry. And next, that all. The end.

Your Next Read

I am always on the lookout for great books - both for my students and me. Have you ever tried YourNextBook.com? It's a pretty fun tool for discovering new additions to your classroom and personal book collections. Check it out!

135 Years

Today my school celebrated its 135th year. Isn't that amazing?!
We had alumni fly in from all over the country. They told stories of past teachers, memories of old classrooms and (of course) tales of a few shenanigans! There were booths for arts and crafts, food and even a pet show - a beloved tradition of our alumni. The mayor spoke, our new memorial garden was unveiled and we buried a time capsule.
I feel lucky to be part of such a special day.

Week of the Young Child

Did you know next week is The Week of the Young Child? Read all about it!

Another Earth Day Resource

I just love these cute PlanetPals. They're so cute!

I printed out and colored mini- posters of each character years ago and love hanging them up each year. Their site is filled with resources - check it out!

Life is a Collage: Earth Day

Earth Day - Absolutely one of my favorite holidays to discuss with children!

Here are a few fun things to get you in the mood:

- Mint skates, for enjoying the great outdoors

- A fun project for students, re-using classroom trash items

- Spiffy green nails (and a golden one, to remind us to treat the earth as we wish to be treated)

- An Earth Day pledge resource 

- A fun way to plant seeds in your classroom (and a super easy tactic for replanting at the child's home - just put the whole thing in the ground)!

- Something beautiful to help you "think green"

Faithful or Foolish? (a completely personal post)

A while ago I taught a little boy in first grade, then a few years later, I had the joy of teaching his younger brother in kindergarten.
They were a lovely family, 5 kids in all, devout Catholics and a pleasure to have in our community.
The mother was quite busy and confessed to (in her words), "not spend a lot of time doing academics with the kids". It seemed as the family grew in size (three kids, two years apart each, then twin boys), the less time she had for things like reading stories and math discussions with her brood. (I'd say this is extremely normal for almost all families.)
When I sat down for our fall parent-teacher conference, I shared with the mom the fact that her son was very behind in his reading and language skills. Her response to this (and future concerns) was always, "I know God will take care of it. I've been praying for him."
Yes! Of course God will take care of your children; all of us. I agree completely!
Buuuuuuuut, what if God's answer to your prayers is me, telling you, "You should read every night with your son."
Maybe I'm the messenger angel you've been hoping for every night!
It seemed foolish to me, but faithful to her.

As I hit crossroads in my life, I wonder (dare I say, doubt myself) and fuss over my decisions.
Is this new opportunity something I should jump into? Is this God opening a new path for me? Or is it another unwise mistake?

Am I being faithful or foolish?

Science Fun

I love the hands-on projects in FOSS.
It's the only way to teach science!

Our current kit is "Wood and Paper" and has an underlying theme of change (i.e. wood can be changed into furniture, paper, etc.).
Before we started our experiment for the day, we reviewed the concept, citing how the weather changes, seasons, leaves on tress and so forth. Then, one of my first graders asked, "How come everything in nature changes?"
It was one of my favorite 'thinking moments' of the year. I love when the kids have those little discovery/connection moments, don't you?!

Truth!

Sir Ken Robinson and a PBS special taping

The Mr. and I went to the PBS taping of Sir Ken Robinson's special on March 21, down in L.A.
Ya know, you're typical Thursday night thing.

NOT!

I was SO freaking excited to score tickets to his lecture/taping (about his new book 'Finding Your Element')!!!!!! I saw on SKR's Twitter feed that he had a few more seats available for the taping and I whipped up an email begging to be admitted.

Who knew begging could be so beneficial?!?!

It was wonderful to listen, in person, to the speaker that helped me think so much about my own educational practices and how I can help foster creativity within my students, as well as help students find their passions. His work was a great inspiration to my thesis work and I never dreamed I would have the opportunity to see him live. What a treat!

His new book is a sequal to 'The Element' and acts as a guide to those that are seeking to find their element/passion/talent. While I feel in my element many times at work and in my personal life, I know we are all gifted in many ways. I want to read his new book to open myself to new opportunities and hidden talents that are currently dormant... I need to know how to keep my eyes peeled for them, so when they pop up, I'll be able to recognize them and ride those wild horses into the sunset!

Some of my favorite bits from the night were:
- Finding your element is finding the truth within you; and everyone is entitled to finding their purpose and work that is fulfilling.
- Sometimes people get caught up in a mission for/of their life, but really, finding your element is more like a quest, than a mission. A quest is a journey of discovery. We cannot predict our future, but we can open ourselves to a journey of discovery, one where every person is unique and we create our own life. After all, life, by nature, is creative.
- Life is not linear; it grows and changes. When you become frustrated by a temporary situation you are in now, think back five or ten years ago. Could you have predicted your current situation? Nope. We're all movers and shakers, going with the tides of life. Just point your boat in the direction you'd like to go and then enjoy the ride.

Risk - a poem by William Arthur Ward
To laugh is to risk appearing a fool,
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental
To reach out to another is to risk involvement,
To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self
To place your ideas and dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss
To love is to risk not being loved in return,
To hope is to risk despair,
To try is to risk failure.

But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.

The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing.
He may avoid suffering and sorrow,
But he cannot learn, feel, change, grow or live.
Chained by his servitude he is a slave who has forfeited all freedom.
Only a person who risks is free.

The pessimist complains about the wind;
The optimist expects it to change;
And the realist adjusts the sails.

Happy Easter!

Source

Cesar Chavez Day - April 1

I am new to California and this state holiday, but I am very familiar with Mr. Chavez's wonderful work toward equality. 
Here are a couple of my favorite quotes of his:
"Preservation of ones own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures."
"Once social change has begun it cannot be reversed. You cannot uneducated a person that has learned to read. You cannot humiliate a person who feels pride. You cannot oppress people who are not afraid anymore."

Clockwise from top-left:

- Meet your class at the local farmers market to meet the folks that bring us our food. Great job Mrs. K!

- Use this gardening poster to help your students evaluate their own learning.

- Grab this free facts sheet about Chavez's life. 

- Esperanza Rising is the BEST book I've read about migrant farm life. It's riveting and gives an amazing perspective on the lives of families that lived the life of inequality Chavez worked to abolish. I couldn't  put the book down! However, it is not for young children. 

Life is a Collage: April Fool's Day

I am lucky enough to have April Fool's Day fall within our spring break. Yay!

For those of you that will be in school, here are a few fun April Fool's Day tricks!

Before regular snacks are passed out, bring out a delicious pan of brown E's!

Write your Morning Message backwards.

Slap some googly eyes on that pencil sharpener.

Good luck! (And that's no joke!)

Happy First Day of Spring!

What do you do to help your students understand how the seasons are created?
In my class we always act out the Earth's rotation, with one child being the sun and holding a flashlight and another holding a globe. We sing the months of the year song as Earth orbits, then say the seasons.
I'm still looking for a great video clip/animation for the kids to watch. Any suggestions?

Changing the Paradigm

Today I attended a conference entitled Changing the Paradigm: The Intersections of Adverse Childhood Experiences, Trauma Informed Care and Nonviolent Child Raising.
It wasn't a conference specifically designed for educators; the room was mostly filled with a variety of social workers and therapists.
I listened to some very well-informed folks and enjoyed spending the day taking in new information. Of course, the most important part of new learning is reflection time and I wanted to share a few thoughts that I took away from the day:

- We are agents for change for children. If something needs to be changed, we can put into motion what needs to take place.
- Asking/answering the question "How are the children?" can be an excellent indicator of our society's success. Can we say that the weakest/voiceless/powerless members of our community are treated with dignity and respect?
- Change the question, "What's wrong with you?" to instead "What happened to you?"
- Trauma can overwhelm a person so much they have an inability to cope, not just with the past, but with daily life. I see this with my students when they fall apart over a small social misunderstanding or are paralyzed with no options in sight when their pencil breaks.
- An overwhelming event + an inability to cope = loss of safety
- We can help by (1) increasing a person's ability to cope in daily life and (2) help them feel safe now.
- "Often trauma victims are protected by shame, secrecy and social taboos..." (I thought the use of the word 'protected' was so interesting)
- All traumas can influence brain development in childhood (effecting learning ability)
- When a child's home base is unsafe and they are confused in situations (i.e. abuse, neglect, etc.) the first thing they will do is blame themselves. ("It must be me. I am the one evoking the abuse/anger. I am dumb - everyone gets it but me.")

I could go on and on, but I know I need to internalize this information a bit more before adding to this list.
Thoughts, anyone?

Grant...Granted!

It was a wonderful day in my class today! The Prize Patrol arrived right on time and the kids were elated (and so was I)! Now we're off to do some shopping!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

How about creating a St. Patrick's Day photo booth? Students can create WANTED posters and write personal narratives about their mischievous leprechaun ways. Some great mentor text for writing from another's perspective include 'Memoirs of a Goldfish' by Devin Scillian or 'The True Story of The Three Little Pigs' by Jon Scieszak.

Journal Writing

Sometimes "free writing time" in first grade is the best kind of writing.

Life Is A College - St. Patrick's Day

I broke the news to my class this week that there is no such thing as Leprechaun's Day. They were a bit devastated, but got over this when I assured them the holiday of St. Patrick's Day included leprechauns for some people and confirmed it is customary to pinch someone if they are not wearing green on March 17. All this made me excited for this Irish day and thought I'd share some inspirations with you.

Green jeans

5 LA & 5 Math Centers for St. Patrick's Day

Visual writing prompt: Where is this tiger going and why?

No green beer for me, I'll have green macaroons instead!

Winner! Winner! Chicken dinner!

I did it! I was awarded a Cash 4 Conejo Classrooms grant for my students! I wrote a grant to buy an incubator, so we could hatch chicks while we study life cycles and they chose me! Yay! Yay! Yay!
More photos to come! The prize patrol is scheduled for sometime next week.

Cash4ConejoClassrooms

My Next Party

How does your state measure up?

Check out this cool site that allows you to create your own comparison tables for our states' education system! How does your state measure up? Are you surprised by th results?

http://www.eddataexpress.ed.gov/