I Heart Hearts!!

This afternoon, I pulled out the little heart boxes that I found in the Target $ bins a few weeks ago. I want to use them in an activity to practice multiplication by forming "groups of." It took me awhile to get it the way I want it and I'm happy with it now. I guess I'll let you know later how it worked.
I'm hoping that the mixture of valentines, candy, partner work and lots of back and forth during the game to keep up the interest will make it an engaging activity. Maybe I'll post a few pictures of the kids trying it out tomorrow.
If you were lucky enough to get some of those cute little heart boxes for yourself, you can try the activity by clicking here! Hearts in Hearts! activity sheet Cups, small boxes or even Valentine cupcake papers will work great, also!

So far, this game has been a hit and it was so easy to put together!

Cootie Catcher or Attention Grabber?

Kansas Cootie Catcher

"Can we review our facts for Social Studies time?" Yes... those words are coming from my classroom! My students love to make cootie catchers (or what they call fortune tellers). I could ban them from the room but I believe in using whatever is handy to teach my lessons! I created this pattern in Word and they did the rest! This morning, I watched as they folded their papers, helped their friends with their cootie catchers, and walked around the room quizzing each other with smiles on their faces. They had so much fun and got some other valuable things from the experience, along the way! 
If you would like to try one for yourself, click here for the file.  

Journey Update

Here is Journey being taken by a student for his turn to see Santa.

Journey, our classroom bear, occupies a very important place in our classroom and in the hearts of my students. When he isn't traveling to far off places, he goes out with the car riders almost every day. He receives gifts of notes, art and food for special occasions, is read to almost every day and has had his picture taken with different students many times. Now he can put a visit with Santa on his list of accomplishments! Here he is being taken for his turn while wearing his very own bell from Polar Express and getting his candy cane just like everyone else in the class. I have a feeling that he plays a more important role than I ever imagined he would.

A Message To Their Peers

A note I found on my board at the end of the day.

Journey is Home!

A special package arrived at school last Thursday! When we opened it, we found our traveling classroom bear, Journey! He was curled up with Baguio City coin purses for everyone and some interesting artifacts for us to study and they came all the way from the Philippines! Journey has spent several months visiting a 1st grade class there and we have been learning about life in a country 8000 miles from us through his journal entries and pictures he has sent us since school started. You would have thought Journey was the most important person they had ever met when he popped out of his bag. Their faces lit up and they could hardly stay in their seats.
I love 2nd graders! They are still willing to pretend and "believe" even though they know the difference between fact and fiction deep inside. It makes my job a lot more fun.
Oh... Journey also brought a snack for us. At first the class thought it was a bag of potato chips. Not quite! It was actually a snack of green peas called Munchers. They were a little surprised! :) We will be trying them tomorrow!
My experience with Journey has taught me some things about motivation for learning. I believe he has had a larger impact on my students by NOT being here for students to meet before he left on his trip to visit my cousin's class in the Philippines. There was an intrigue and anticipation that built over the last 3 months. They had pictures of him, read his travel journal entries and got to know him that way. I witnessed students studying maps and finding the Philippines on our globe. Getting them to write was a cinch when I asked them to write to Journey.
Now that he is home, the challenge will be to find new ways to incorporate Journey into what we are doing and keep that motivation going.

 I wonder where he could journey to next?...

 A couple of weeks ago my friend, Lisa, came to cook with us. I have a student with a peanut allergy which was brought back to the attention of the class when Lisa told him that she had brought him another treat. Soon after, I saw another little boy lean over and start to talk to him. As I moved closer to quiet him, I overheard what he was saying. With the most serious face, he said, "I'm allergic to cats and if I eat one, I will die!"

Coming Up For Air!

I'm not much of a swimmer and have never been in a race, but if I had, I can imagine that it might give me the same sensation as I have had during the last 4 weeks. I prepared for this race most of the summer. The first weeks of August were full of planning and preparing. I was doing what I could, but nothing that would help me enough to allow me to win the race without getting in the water. I feel like it shouldn't be a competition but that is exactly what it feels like so I'll continue using it.

On the morning of August 17th, I plunged in, along with all of my other colleagues, and began the underwater portion of this race. I wanted to avoid the word "race" when writing this because  It has taken me several weeks to feel like I might finally be coming to the surface for a breath of badly needed air.

Teaching has definitely changed since I was last in the classroom. As a coach, my brain always knew that teachers were being asked to step it up more and more each year. I admire all of the teachers I have worked with over the years for their hard work and expertise. It truly is one of the most taxing jobs I know of, although worth the labor because of the people who benefit - our students. 

It's the sudden dive into the water after so long, the unnerving silence as I realize how much responsibility I have in the final outcome, the struggle to keep my eyes on the goal while staying aware of where I am in my lane by constant assessment and observation. The knowledge that, as a former coach, there may be people watching to see what I have to offer to the team. The long pull as I force myself to work as hard as I can before I catch that first breath in hopes that it will get me out in front by the time I reach the surface is exhausting. I'm longing for that anticipated first breath and signal that the race is off to a good start.

I believe it will be worth the effort if I remember to swim strong and smart without panicking and flailing. The rewards will follow.

In the meantime, I want to enjoy this experience. I love the feel of the water as I move among my students and get to know them. The exhilaration of flexing my muscles as I craft my lessons and deliver them, and the small reward of a move ahead with each successful strategy that pulls us forward in the trip across the pool in our first lap, motivate me to keep on swimming.

Coming up for air and still swimming!