Sep 30 2008
Here’s a slightly different version from my usual Raffi favorite:
*****
Mrs. Nelson’s class offers some wonderful ideas and activities for a pumpkin unit…
The Activity Idea Place offers many, many, MANY ideas for October/Halloween activities for preschoolers and kindergarten students…
*****
Off to decorate!
Sep 28 2008
The season of change has taken up residence in my home. Not autumn, not back-to-school time, and not Uncle-Sam-is-moving-us-again, but rather the season of No-matter-how-long-I-wait-and-hold-on-to-these-clothes-I-will-probably-never-fit-into-them-again. Trying to soften the blow, Dear Daughter reminded me that living in Oz for the next few years won’t offer too many opportunities for me to wear my wool/blanket style skirts, gorgeous hand knit sweaters, or heavier-lined career dresses that worked so well in Alaska.
I ended up making Goodwill’s day yesterday and feel better that my clothes will no longer just take up room in multiple closets at home when they could be put to better use by those who need them. I’ve held on to my clothing treasures since finding out I was pregnant with the Toddler. Four years is a long time to live in denial over hip-spread, you know?
But I kept the sweaters. Just in case Mother Nature is friends with Murphy’s Law (I’ve heard she is).
*****
…and the HAIR. Texas was so hot and dry last year that a little hair mousse and a straightening iron kept the wavy/curly stuff neat and frizz-free. Here in HumidityLand, my hair has few options other than a french braid or being pulled up by a banana clip. If I were to cut it much shorter for some heat relief, I’d walk around looking like a poofy shrubbery most of the time (okay, a much larger poofy shrubbery than at present). To chemically straighten, or not to chemically straighten…THAT is the question. NI!
*****
I tried a “simple” sewing (and FREE) pattern yesterday in an attempt to make a stuffed Halloween Kitty. I love the creator’s kitties that are featured in the current Mary Englebreight’s Home Companion magazine. Mine, not so much. Apparently I’m better with a glue gun than a sewing machine.
*****
Dear Daughter wants to decorate the house for Halloween later today, rather than waiting until next weekend. I’ll finish up the Halloween banner, maybe make some smaller ones for the kids’ rooms, and review one of my posts from last year for inspiration. Thank goodness for blog-documenting!
*****
My aide has loaned me her copy of The Kite Runner. You KNOW you’re in a good place when you work with colleagues who share book recommendations with one another! One of my parents also brought me a book about teaching in Alaska (it’s on my desk at work, and I can’t remember the title off the top of my head)- double SCORE!
*****
Sep 27 2008
(Whoops, sorry about that! I forgot I drove over the bridge OUT of Kansas and into Missouri to get to the farm!)
Sep 26 2008
…but at least most of it was done using my own personal table top laminator!
My students drew self portraits:
I cut out white background paper and some smaller polka-dotted paper:
Used some glue:
… and took a moment to enjoy those sweet smiling faces!
My aide added “fiesta” fringe:
…and then we strung up the portraits in a boy/girl pattern on blue ribbon. After hanging the banner up and photographing it from multiple angles, I muttered not-so-kindergarten-teacherish-words under my breath when I realized I couldn’t get the GLARE out of the frame! **SIGH**
I’ll attempt another here’s-the-finished-product photo for you next week.
*****
We visited a farm today! We learned lots and lots about animals and plants, a bit about Kansas history, and a whole LOT about BEES. Can’t go on a field trip without the proper accessories, now can we?
Thank goodness for construction paper, yellow plaid scrapbook paper, black Sharpie markers, glue, a tabletop laminator, silver tone pin backs, and hot glue guns!
BUZZ!
*****
Sep 26 2008
Check out this video- then bake a sheet cake and decorate!
*****
1. black wreath detail, 2. cute, but can they compost it?, 3. Spiders, 4. Halloween 2007 with Jeremiah Christopher, 5. Halloween goodies…, 6. halloween is coming y’all!, 7. black and white halloween, 8. Seasonal Home Decor
Sep 25 2008
Wouldn’t you know it…once I get all of my autumn decor up, it’s time for Halloween! Check out the following links if you’re in need of some pumpkin-ey inspiration:
~The Cottage Gals have had me wishing that I lived in Virginia for months now. They’ve also had my husband feeling ever so grateful that we DON’T. Check out their shop full of autumn treasures...
~Katie, The Constant Gatherer has shared posts and photos from Kansas City locations that I’ll be visiting once payday hits…
~A Fanciful Twist is hosting a Halloween Party (check out the gorgeous photos!)…
~Shabby Rose Cottage shares a lighter autumn palette at Everyday Shabby Chic…
~Don’t forget Shannon’s autumn goodies (I have the jack-o-lantern and several dolls!):
…and of course her jewelry (check out the acorn earrings!!!!!)
~Andrea at Everyday Beauty shares an easy how-to for making glittered gourds…
~Hostess With the Mostess shares candy corn inspired decor…
~…and The Pioneer Woman Cooks shares quite the TREAT, a recipe for pasta carbonara!
*****
*****
Sep 23 2008
Goodbye stars, crayons and rainbows…
HELLO leaf spirals, apples, and autumn trees! With the help of our buddy class, my students have transformed their Super Star classroom into a Super Autumn environment!
I traced my students’ hands on brown paper for tree trunks, cut them out, glued them to light blue construction paper, and had the Stars use their fingertips to “dot” autumn colored paint onto the paper to create leaves. After the paint was dry, they counted and glued die cut paper apples (an apple shape punch would work great too if you don’t have mini die cuts):
For colorful leaves, I cut transparency sheets in half, and cut autumn colored tissue paper into squares. The Stars then used glue sticks to cover one side of the transparency sheet with glue, and layered the tissue paper on top, overlapping edges. Once dry, my aide took the transparency sheets down to the workroom and cut out leaf shapes with different die cut blocks:
I cut dark brown spirals from 8 1/2 X 11 construction paper, and with the help of our Fifth Grade Buddies, my Super Stars cut out various leaves from red, orange, yellow, and brown construction paper. Our buddies made sure the kindergartners used correct scissor position and that they turned the paper when cutting instead of the scissors…no more cut clothing!
Our buddies then helped the Stars glue the cut leaves onto the spiral (their help was appreciated since we didn’t want to end up with spirals that were glued closed!):
*****
This week I’ll also be changing out some of the artwork I hung at the beginning of the school year for more autumn-ey looking displays.
Check back in to see what I’m using the Stars’ drawings of themselves (first photo, upper left corner) for this week!
Sep 22 2008
~Nancy at Teacher in a Strange Land advocates FOR recess, though others want to increase academic time for students by reducing or taking it away (you know how I feel, recess isn’t a reward, it’s a REQUIREMENT!)
~Blogwalker shares a link to Childnet International resources available in the U.K., promoting knowledge over fear when teaching students how to use the web responsibly. From their intro:
“Digital citizenship isn’t just about recognising and dealing with online hazards. It’s about building safe spaces and communities, understanding how to manage personal information, and about being internet savvy - using your online presence to grow and shape your world in a safe, creative way, and inspiring others to do the same.”
I’ve worked for some school districts who would benefit from shifting the fear paradigm from which they operate to a more constructive and productive one in regard to online resources and their use.
~Jim Horn at Schools Matter reminds us all, no matter our voting affiliation, that the most significant educational reform that can take place is ENDING POVERTY.
~My students just finished taking this district’s required assessments (beginning of the year, but they’ll take it again at the end of the year to “document their growth and progress”). I was glad to read Jennifer’s post at Inside Pre-K discussing a more holistic approach to authentic/accurate assessment for our youngest students. I keep anecdotal records, work samples, and assess both informally and formally, and I ask my students themselves what they feel they’ve learned, have more interest in, or find confusing. How students “perform” with me year ’round is a much more reliable indicator on whether or not they’re ready for the first grade than is their performance twice a year clicking and dragging words, photos, or the cursor on a computer screen.
~Finally, parents of wiggly, fidgety students (who are perhaps experiencing difficulties in school) may find Open Education’s blog post “Improving Academic Achievement - Executive Function Could Hold the Secret” VERY informative and helpful. Frankly, so would many teachers! Executive function is defined as a “set of cognitive abilities that control and regulate other abilities and behaviors.” Executive function is necessary for GOAL-DIRECTED BEHAVIOR.
MindDisorders.com further notes: Executive functions “include the ability to initiate and stop actions, to monitor and change behavior as needed, and to plan future behavior when faced with novel tasks and situations.” Therefore, “executive functions allow us to anticipate outcomes and adapt to changing situations” while providing us the specific “ability to form concepts and think abstractly.”
Children must develop the skill to resist distraction before they can stay on task and focused.
*****
Here’s the next book on my reading list…
