Tending the Eclectic Kinder-Garden

~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…

Tags: books, links

What wonderful cabinetry.  And I know what’s going behind the doors on the upper level: Books. Dear Daughter and I opened fourteen boxes of them, finding even more surprises left by the last crew of packers that prepared our belongings for the trip from Texas to Oz. Despite some bent corners and torn covers, it was good to see my favorite stories again after taking last year off from teaching.

Kindergarten teachers often teach concepts and skills organized into thematic units. “Autumn,” “Animals,” “Counting,” “Colors,” etc. I organize my books by how I USE them throughout the year. In August, books like Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten, Blueberries for Sal, Timothy’s First Day of School, and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See, are within easy reach for reading time. So are books about autumn, colors, numbers, and friendships.  My winter holiday books can all be found on the same shelf as my snow themed stories, and fairy tales are grouped together for the spring.

I also group books by author.  Norman Bridwell’s Big Red Dog Clifford keeps company with Marc Brown’s Arthur, and I love featuring Leo Lionni and Patricia Polacco as favorite storytellers too!  It’s my system, books sorted by theme, and also sorted by author, and it works for me.  Come October, I can pull down an entire stack of books featuring Halloween, bats, spiders, growing pumpkins, monsters, fire safety, and silly rhymes, and put them in the hands of my students.  Each November, family stories, Thanksgiving tales, harvest, and Indigenous Peoples pique my kindergartners’ interest.

Do you have sets of books, providing multiple copies so groups of students can read along with you or one another?  Try sorting them into easy-to-grab tubs (mine are on the bottom row of the next set of shelves):

Big Books need to be stored either flat (making it difficult to find exactly the one you’re looking for), in a book display specifically made for oversized stories, or in their curriculum kit box for easy access.

Find a system that works for you and your students- books are treasures!

*****

Don’t forget to organize your professional library too (mine is full of books and binders):

Tags: books, classroom, kindergarten, organization, tips

…and because I teach kindergarten students, this one is on my “must-practice” list:

Sing along, won’t you?

There was an old lady who swallowed a fly.
I dunno why she swallowed that fly,
Perhaps she’ll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a spider,
That wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
But I dunno why she swallowed that fly -
Perhaps she’ll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a bird;
How absurd, to swallow a bird!
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider
That wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
But I dunno why she swallowed that fly -
Perhaps she’ll die

There was an old lady who swallowed a cat.
Imagine that, she swallowed a cat.
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird …
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider
That wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
But I dunno why she swallowed that fly
Perhaps she’ll die

There was an old lady who swallowed a dog.
What a hog! To swallow a dog!
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat…
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird …
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider
That wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
But I dunno why she swallowed that fly
Perhaps she’ll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a goat.
Just opened her throat and swallowed a goat!
She swallowed the goat to catch the dog …
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat.
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird …
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider
That wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
But I dunno why she swallowed that fly
Perhaps she’ll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a cow.
I don’t know how she swallowed a cow!
She swallowed the cow to catch the goat… She swallowed the goat to catch the dog…
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat…
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird …
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider
That wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside her.
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
But I dunno why she swallowed that fly
Perhaps she’ll die.

There was an old lady who swallowed a horse -
She’s dead, of course.

*****

Don’t forget to look for these when you visit the library or bookstore:

It’s been busy around here! The daily blog has been put on the back burner for a bit- have you missed me?

I’ve managed to get caught up on reading and thought I’d share some links with you:

Recipes:

Penne Rigate with Spinach and Garlic Cream Sauce from Posy Gets Cozy

Pistachio and Lemon Bites shared by Cream Puffs in Venice

The Pioneer Woman Cooks Pots de Creme

Gruyère-Stuffed Crusty Loaves from Laura Rebecca’s Kitchen

Photography:

Di at Designer’s Block shares Fairy Tale photography by Eugenio Recuenco

Terry photo-documents the importance of first impressions at Bent Objects

I may just have to learn Photoshop now! PhotoJojo has provided a link for Mac keyboard “skins” (covers) that show keyboard shortcuts to make things easier…

*************

Thanks to coupons at Michael’s, Hobby Lobby and Joann’s, I’ve made some affordable and oh-what-a-treat purchases this week to see me through the rest of the summer and into the beginning of the school year. I found Amy Karol’s (find her at Angry Chicken) “Bend-the-Rules Sewing” book…aprons, coasters, purses, and lap quilts, here I come!

I also picked up Therese Laskey’s “Softies” so I can make some cool characters for my toddler and my students (I love the robot and ice cream sandwich!)…

Some edge punches by Martha:

And a much-needed desk caddy (on a lazy Susan):

*************

I hope you all enjoyed your Memorial Day weekend as much as we did!

Tags: books, crafts, links

No, no clear path to follow in this train of thought today…random, random, random!

* My morning routine is seriously going to have to change once we get back to Oz this summer: up with toddler (today at three!), having coffee, reading blogs/news/emails, making breakfast, starting a load of laundry (and folding the load left in the dryer overnight), unloading the dishwasher, making beds, straightening up bathrooms, opening the blinds to let the sunshine in, vacuuming, getting dressed… then going down the to-do list of errands to run or complete. I’m thinking those things aren’t going to happen once I’m back to teaching! My solution? My family’s least favorite words: “delegate” and “distribute responsibilites.” That’s going to be a rude awakening…

* I haven’t finished reading A New Earth yet. I’m having to complete it in stages due to my mommy routine with the toddler, our preparations for moving, and the time required to really think about Tolle’s assertions. I’ve skimmed through it once, and am now going chapter by chapter, downloading the Oprah podcasts after each one to help me rethink the material. Some of it can be a bit difficult, but it’s challenging in a positive way, and feels, at least to me, relevant. I’ve recognized bits, pieces, even huge chunks of myself in the book in regard to Ego: my material possessions, my job, my role in the friendships I choose, and the goals I’ve had for my physical health. Tolle describes the imbalance of the world’s resources as a result of the “egoic entities” (corporations, governments) whose only goal is to acquire more, have more, take more… And he offers an exercise on familiarizing yourself with your “inner body,” (page 52) by focusing on the “feeling of aliveness” in your hands, or just your feet, “going there with your attention to noticing it.”

It’s a good read. A good think.

* I love encountering new-to-me-terms or phrases. In the latest blog from Cakespy “Donut Speak,” the author(s) try to determine which term or spelling is correct: doughnut or donut. There are arguments for and against either, but what caught my eye was the following quote: “Kenneth G. Wilson, in The Columbia Guide to Standard American English, says: ‘Doughnut is the conventional spelling, ‘donut’ a variant used in advertising or signs and as eye dialect.’” Yes, the emphasis is mine. Eye dialect. As a teacher, I flood my classroom with environmental print year after year. Students add to it, and often greet me in the morning with “Teacher, teacher, guess what I saw? That big yellow thing at McDonald’s is really the letter M!” and the like. “Quik-Mart” instead of Quick Mart. “Sammies” instead of sandwiches. “Drive Thru” instead of Drive Through.

Eye dialect. I like it.

*Mama Luxe at An Army Wife’s Life shared a link to Military Wives’ Best Tips for Dealing with a Spouse’s Deployment which I thought I’d pass along as well. I’ve lived in military communities for the past five years, but am aware that there are large civilian communities that might only vaguely understand the enormity of what “those Army wives” (or members of other military branches) go through each time a spouse is deployed. Yes, there are “Army husbands” too!

It’s not easy, and yes, it may be that our own family will experience at least one more deployment in the next two years. If I start getting weepy a year-and-a-half from now, you can’t say I didn’t warn you.

* I’m anxiously awaiting my teaching contract in the mail. Not knowing which school I’ll be at or which grade I’ll be teaching has pushed me to either extreme of the pendulum swing that mostly encompasses my job: contemplating which scrapbook papers I want to use for my lesson plan book cover, and reading blog articles such as “The Surge Against First Graders,” reposted at Schools Matter. Parents might find the lesson plan book cute, but they should also follow the links in “The Surge” article. Really.

* Are there any colleges or universities that require Ethics in Education as a class? Seriously, I’d like to know.

I’m off to crochet!

Tags: books, links

My sleep habits:

*Long-gone are the days when I could stay up for forty-eight hours, and still be productive and pleasant. Like twenty years ago long-gone.

*Toddlers and teens need extra sleep. So does this extra tired mommy of a toddler and teen. Unfortunately, there’s a conspiracy working against me: if I get to bed by nine, the toddler wakes up at one…two-thirty. Three-forty, four-fifty, etc. If the toddler only wakes once, upon my return to bed my husband’s shake-the-house-and-rattle-the-china-in-the-dining-room snores kick in, miraculously.

My Daddy Snores

*I haven’t been able to sleep in for years. Many friends and family can actually *sleep* extra hours each weekend or when they’re on vacation, but not me. If I have to be up at five each morning during the week for work, I’m up at five on Saturday and Sunday. If I’ve been out of bed, dressed and productive by seven each day throughout the school year, so too will I be up and puttering around the house accomplishing something, anything, during summer break. After two-and-a-half months of summer vacation have finally settled themselves into my routine, I will sleep in once or twice three days before school starts again, and yes, then find myself dragging as I set up my classroom and attend professional development meetings. Murphy’s Law lives at my house.

*I run through my mental checklist before bed each night: did I lock the doors? Set up the coffee pot? Start the dishwasher? Make sure the door to the litter box is open for the cat’s evening activities? Brush my teeth? Blow out the candles? Check on the toddler?

*During both of my stay-at-home-mommy years, I’ve ended up resorting to afternoon naps with the then infant now toddler. Naps are only for students when I’m back to work.

Naptime is the New Happy Hour

*****

Here’s a pretty little sleep mask by HeadtoToe:

Though my twisted sense of humor also finds the “nightmare sleep masks” made by FreakyOldWoman entertaining:

*****

Tags: books, humor, links

Thankfully, these don’t growl:

I mentioned in a previous Show and Share Thursday post that my husband has a thing for bears. Consequently, so do I!

The first bear figurine to mark our relationship was the one with our favorite animal posed at a computer desk. The reason I purchased it was because one of the first photos I’d ever seen of my husband had been of him sitting, leg crossed over, at his computer:

One of the first holidays we celebrated together was Christmas (in Alaska), so naturally the snow globe had to join our technically proficient bear.

When we married, we wanted a bear family that matched our own (little did we know that cub number 4, our toddler, would arrive two years after we were wed!), so we adopted the bear couple, a standing bear for my stepson, the pair of bears playing (it’s actually a napkin ring!) for my two children, and the extra bear because he was too cute to leave at the store (it’s probably what guaranteed the toddler’s addition to the family!):

My husband had this bear tucked away in his bachelor belongings:

…and we purchased this bear family on the road trip from Oz to the Bordertown last summer:

We hadn’t found a new bear to add to our collection for quite a few months, and then lo and behold, Polly sent us the cutest coaster set/figurine that I’ve turned into a candleholder:

We are always on the lookout for a new bear to add to our collection~ yes, we’re “beary” happy when we find just the right one!

---

~Sky Manor shares a recipe for Teddy Bear Bread
~ Author Jez Alborough has written some of my favorite teddy bear books (kids love them too!):

~ Here are the lyrics to The Teddy Bear’s Picnic
~ What are polar bears called when they’re caught in the rain? Drizzly Bears!
~ Bear activities for kids at DLTK’s Growing Together

---

Tags: books, collections, links, Show and Share

It’s been a mish-mash kind of week: domestic goddess duties at home; the start of our relocation planning; strange encounters with rude people; filling out teaching applications; juicy news from friends and family; photo-journalism at home; longing for the same types of proof that spring has arrived that my favorite blogs have been publishing (alas, we get flowering shrubs here in the desert, not tulips or crocus or snowdrops); and a return to watching what I eat and making time to get on the treadmill.

I’ve been able to do a bit of exploring as well and have found some ideas and items to add to the online version of my Inspiration Binder. Here’s some of what you’ll find in the “flagged” column on my read feed:

(Art by Tammy-Fleetwood-Moody)

*****

I thought I was good at patriotic decor influences until I came across Karnas Hus. Nope, I don’t understand a word of it, but thanks to the author’s photographs, I “get it.” Interesting to see our nation’s colors and symbols used so beautifully in a country style cottage home… in someone else’s country.

*****

Casa Sugar did a quick review on the following book:

and I want it!

Not just because it has a wonderful illustration of “nasty urchins” on the cover (though that is certainly what grabbed my attention first) but because I love trying to identify flora I’ve not encountered before when we move to each new state. What are “nasty urchins?” Nasturtiums, of course, though I’ve had several kindergarten students throughout the years ask me “Teacher, teacher, when do we get to take the nasty urchins home to give to our moms?” at the end of our Seeds/Things Grow units. Nasty urchins go home right before Mother’s Day, by the way, just so you know.

*****

I’d like to go shopping at The Cottage. Soon. Here’s their blog with close up photos. I’m liking vintage looking (and truly vintage) furniture more and more…probably has something to do with the movers “giving our furniture character” each time we relocate.

*****

Di at Designer’s Block featured a beautiful French getaway recently, so I followed along, and found my own dream getaway-girls’-only cottage (sorry Honey!). Rock walls, clean lines, simple furnishings, twinkle lights…I can feel my stress melting away. I’m not entirely sold on the pink walls though, but there are some nicely photographed decor ideas to tuck away for future inspiration…

*****

I don’t like green beans. Never have. Ask my mother. She’ll tell you all about how I would constantly try to mask the flavor and texture and smell and existence of said beans with mounds of catsup as a child. It never worked of course, insert dramatic gagging followed with tons of eye-watering begging please-don’t-make-me-eat-this here. As a result, I didn’t like anything that remotely LOOKED like green beans…. meaning *asparagus*. Then Smitten Kitchen goes and writes up (and photographs) a Spring Panzanella, and my goodness… I might have to be brave… risk revisiting the childhood trauma/drama for a taste…or two, or three… It looks THAT delicious.

*****

Scribbit reminded me that I’m missing break up again this year. Remember folks, I’m an Alaska Girl…

*****

Inspire Company has a new online magazine- once you get there, keep clicking “next” to see each wonderful, crafty feature! I’m going to find some time this weekend to make a cake like the one outlined in the Creativity Journal (number 6).

**************************************************************************

What’s been catching *your* eye lately?

Tags: books, family, humor, links

Yes, that’s *really* the title of the book! While wandering through B&N last week, I found this thing staring at me from the Art/Craft section and of course, HAD to pick it up. I had a few additional errands to run so I did a quick flip-through of the pages, found the photos and patterns interesting, and decided to buy it.

Mark Montano is the author/craft compiler, while photos are by Auxy Espinoza. The projects are all about being affordable (in some cases, CHEAP) and creative, but after several popsicle stick projects and Mark referring to crocheted blankets as “knit,” (I know, I know, I’m being…(k)nitpicky), I had to put the book down and leave it alone for a few days.

After a second looksie, I’ve found several projects I’m hoping to make in the next few weeks: magnets, photo art, possibly a screen room divider, though that one might have to wait until we’ve moved. The “Urban Corsage” will probably end up being Dear Daughter’s new favorite gift to make and give:

…and I’m going to be on the look-out for the perfect fabric to make wall panel art with, since my husband’s military plaques and awards will be moving to his office once we relocate- Mark’s examples are gorgeous:

While there are some fabulous looking projects in this book, (it’s over 350 pages, by the way), there are a few train wrecks as well (the “Bronze Baby Sculpture” made out of a plastic baby doll, spray paint and glue for instance), so be warned.

Cynic that I can be, after Mark’s misidentification of crochet/knit projects, I’ve been wondering how many other goofs he’s made. I think I need to put the book down again for a bit.

Tags: books, crafts

*It was wonderful spending time with Shannon last week/weekend! Crafting, shopping, driving, laughing, and a few hysterical games of Trivial Pursuit with Dear Daughter were just what the doctor ordered. I shared photos of Rosie’s Workshop with you, but I won’t be done with her thank-you chipboard book until sometime tomorrow since I ran out of color ink for my printer. Funny how that happens right in the middle of some fun craft!

*Old Mesilla was windy and dusty for our last excursion, so much so that the weekend vendors stayed away. We visited a few shops, but mostly the kids ran, twirled, and otherwise stayed away from all things breakable:

…while Shannon and I ventured a bit closer to the pretties we found:

A shopkeeper even pointed us in the direction of a little nook inbetween shops similar to the ones that Tara had just posted about :

* It was incredible being part of Oprah’s “webinar” last night, with author Eckhart Tolle, discussing A New Earth. Incredible until everything crashed- my screen froze up, and nothing would load. Apparently with a global community of participants (over 139 countries were represented), the web slows down a bit. Okay, more than a bit. But it was still amazing. I still have to visit Oprah.com to download the rest of what I missed last night. New ways of thinking, paradigm-shifting… very neato topics. We’ll see what happens next Monday night!

* Catching up on my blog-reading, I came across a link to housemartin who posted something that made me think of my mother: knitting. Go look. I want the rug. You have knitting needles that size, don’t you Mom?

* Another link I stumbled across features sock monkeys, but not the old brown and cream ones- these are happy happy happy!

* Sally Jean has posted her list of suggestions for ways to celebrate March…

* And finally, right before the ol’ diet starts up again, Smitten Kitchen posts on homemade devil dog, ding dong, or hostess cake.

Tags: Hi Mom, links