Who Doesn't LOVE a Great Sale?

Who doesn't LOVE a great sale?

Today felt more like spring.  When I walked out around 6:20 this morning it was SO nice not to have to start my car.  Even though it's suppose to be spring winter is holding on strong.  I know I have some spring cleaning I'd like to get done.

Enjoy the sale from March 28th to the 31st.  EVERYTHING in my store is 20% off.

In Summer with Olaf

After reading Tammy's post, In Summer, (Forever in First) I knew I had to do something with Olaf!!  Frozen has been the rage in my class and kids are often humming or singing the songs from the movie.

Today, I showed the kids the video (In Summer Video) and of course we watched it more than once!!  After the song I had kids create their own.  This wasn't a guided drawing.  I quickly sketched the shapes and told them to go for it.

I wanted them to also create some writing with their art so I decided to add flowers.  On the stem they wrote, "In summer I like..."  On each petal they had to write one thing they liked about summer and in the center they had to decorate their names.

All I did was add the grass to our lobby wall and I let them create. They added their Olafs and flowers to create this ADORABLE art.

All day I was continually saying..."In summer I like..."  HmmMmm, hoping summer arrives soon (or at least the warmer temperatures). Looks like we might be getting another winter storm.  Blah, I've had enough already.

At least this brightened up our day.

Click to enlarge.

Mission Complete for Space Race

We finished our Space Race!!  In order to move to each planet students had to read 3 books.  Once they made it to the sun they earned a "SUN"dae party.

Students made and enjoyed their sundaes Friday afternoon.

To finish up our unit, students picked their favorite planet.  They wrote a riddle and created a puzzle to go with it.

Here they are sharing their riddles and checking their guesses by putting the puzzles together.

Next up, we'll be learning about the moon.

TpT Sale Until Friday

Hi, I'm having a TpT sale!!  I started uploading products a year and a half ago (even though I was extremely nervous and scared) and even though I'm not making millions just knowing other teachers are using my products warms my heart.

Sooo, my store will be on sale (20% off) until Friday.  Thank you SO much for reading my blog and purchasing products.

Here's a link to my store (Teachers Pay Teachers).

Lucky Leprechaun, Green Staches, and Shamrock Shakes

Where did the days go of just wearing green on St. Patrick's Day?  I tend to do a bit more because I know these are some of the memories kiddos remember of school.

These would be the three topics today my students would want me to share with you!!

We set a trap on Friday hoping to catch the sneaky leprechaun who was leaving coins and shamrocks in our room.  

This is how the trap looked Friday afternoon.

We lifted the trap today and the kids couldn't believe HOW MUCH the leprechaun left behind.  Jocelyn read the note he left.  Lucky Leprechaun was quite impressed with the trap but he ate the marshmallows and found a way to escape!

Next up...GREEN STACHES!!  These were a hit and I will admit I even wore one for a bit.  Here are some CANDID pics of the kiddos.

Last up...we did some How To Writing.  We wrote How to Make Shamrock Shakes.  Of course, some were convinced I added shamrocks (clean, of course) to the recipe.  

Happy St. Paddy's Day!!

And the Academy Awards for "Best Pirates" Goes To...

Our class has been completely consumed with PIRATES.  We've read many read alouds, completed Character Maps, a Pros and Cons List, planned, and wrote a class book.

This week I heard so many comments about how much fun this was and how they LOVED writing.  I was able to take a moment to reflect and realized these are the experiences kiddos need.  To work together, plan, listen to other ideas, and create.  Of course I still taught my mini-lessons before we wrote but they also learned SO much from each other.

Here's the class story the students planned and illustrated.  Click on the picture to enlarge

For the last two days students have also been finding pirate items in our classroom.  Oh my!!  This was to get them excited for our treasure hunt.  We complete map work in first grade so this is such a FUN way to incorporate the compass rose and following directions.  Here are some items they found in our room.

Pirate map, coins, gems, and a parrot that really made noises

We had 4 maps to follow today.  One lead us to the office where we were SHOCKED...no, COMPLETELY STUNNED to learn that our principals are REAL pirates.  I feel they definitely win the Academy Award because every year they give 100%.  They had the pirate clothes (Mr. Cyr had two lovely gold earrings), pirate talk, and even the personality.  Some students didn't know how to react.

My class was able to overtake them (even though those pirates put up a good fight) and they got the treasure!  A huge thank you to Ms. Tuell and Mr. Cyr.  Your faces in these pics had me cracking up!

Today was also Winter Wellness Day.  What a fun packed day!!

We began the day with an assembly and healthy snack.  Students went on the bike path and put some food out for the animals.

In the afternoon we walked over to the YMCA where some physical activities had been planned.  Students did Boot Camp and used the parachute.

I tried to tire them out.  I hope your firstie came home exhausted from today!