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

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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?

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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!