Smart Classroom Beach Party

As the year comes to a close, it gets more difficult to gain the students' attention.  Last week I decided to have a Math Beach Party.  When the students were outside at recess I readied the room by putting down the beach towels.

On each beach towel I put a beach themed math center. 

My third graders had just been learning about decimals, so their math centers were from my Beach Party Decimal Pack at TpT.

My fourth graders had fun practicing their Roman Numerals with this freebie from TpT

This was our best day ever in Math Class!  Quiet . . . Focused . . .  and FUN!

Life is better at the Beach!

Amy

An Appreciated Teacher is a Happy One

This week has been amazing at school!  Did I say that in May?  Our parent group has gone all out to appreciate the teachers all week!  As I posted on Monday, our classroom doors had all been decorated over the weekend. What an awesome Monday morning surprise!  Here is another great door!

Today was if you give a teacher  . . .  an apple.  So this delicious apple was mysteriously placed on my desk during the day.

It's great to be appreciated!  Take the time today to appreciate someone . . . even the little things like an apple can make a BIG difference!

Happy Appreciating!

Amy

More A"Door"able Teacher Appreciation

Here are some more amazing happenings around our school on this fabulous Teacher Appreciation Week.  We each found our door decorated on Monday.  My students did a great job on their bananas on our door and they are still buzzing about them.  Here is the door, next-door to our classroom! So cute!

And how sweet is this preschool room door!  So fitting!  The teachers really are so sweet in there!

Today we had another delicious surprise given to us . . .  a tasty and delicious cinnamon roll!

I certainly was smiling from ear to ear today . . . most of the time!

Thank you teachers! Enjoy your day!

Amy

A"Door"able Teacher Appreciation Week

After an exhausting spring weekend of parental duties, yardwork, and of course schoolwork,  Monday morning came all too soon!  It was NOT a bright and cheerful walk down the hall to my classroom this morning armed with papers, books, computer, iPad, and a mindful of duties that needed to be accomplished before 8 a.m.  But when I saw this . . . .

What an amazing classroom door secretly designed for Teacher Appreciation Week!  See that little sign under the doorknob . . . a fun listing of the week's special treats!

 What a great way to begin a week!  I will keep you posted during the week to show you some more a"door"able pictures!  In the meantime, have a great Teacher Appreciation Day and don't forget the TpT Sale!

 

Happy Shopping!

 

Amy

Smart Spring Planting

Last Friday my class celebrated Earth Day by cleaning up the school grounds.  The students had a great time raking and picking up trash.  It is amazing how excited kids can get over finding a smashed soda can or a crinkled Dorito Bag.  At the end of the very "earthy" afternoon we came back inside and made terrariums.
I put out the supplies of soil, gravel, plastic cups, tape, and grass seed  The students worked to design the best growing terrarium.  Look how awesome they look soaking up the sun in our classroom window!

It is so fun to watch the students arrive in the morning and take a peek at their terrariums.  They check throughout the day to see if  the grass is growing.  To the students' delight three of them had sprouted tiny grass hairs by Tuesday.  They are really amazed at how quickly one of them is growing.  I love hearing their conversations . . ."I put too much water in mine!"  "Why isn't mine growing?"  "I think mine needs more sunlight."   Little scientists at work!

And the best thing about this project is . . . .
  In our world of expensive digital devices that keep our children's minds blooming, this simple, easy peasy idea may be the best of the mind bloomers yet!

What smart, simple projects have inspired your students?

Amy

Warm Reading Lessons in the Chill of Winter

There's been a chill in the air for a few weeks here in snowy Wisconsin!  I finally, after pondering about it for a couple years, bought two sets of snowshoes.  I thought it would be a great way to get some winter exercise and have some fun with my teenage daughter.  The good news . . . we have plenty of snow.  The bad news . . . its too cold!  Soon . . . I hope.

Before Christmas, my class read Sarah, Plain and Tall, by Patricia MacLachlan.  It is my favorite class novel to read for historical fiction study.  I choose to read it before Christmas since I have the Hallmark Sarah Plain and Tall buildings that I display in the classroom.  The kids love it. Every day after they read from the book I would see a couple students over by the display with "thoughts wheeling in their heads."  What a great visualization!  Thanks Hallmark!

During our reading of Sarah, Plain and Tall the students constructed a quilt book.  They had a great time making the cover as we discussed some of the traditional quilt patterns.  Each day they added a piece on the stapled second page to connect to their daily reading. 

 The Quiltbooks look fabulous hanging in the school hallway! 

 

 

 

 

 

My complete unit is available at Teachers Pay Teachers.

 

How are you warming up the reading lessons this cold winter?

 

Stay Warm!

 

Amy

 

 

 

 

 

 

SMART looking Spiders

Fall is such an awesome time in the classroom!  Leaves, pumpkins, owls, and spiders . . . the project ideas are endless!  If only fall would last a little longer!  Last week my 3-5 grade art class made some fun spiders and webs.

First we practiced drawing spiders by watching  this u-tube spider drawing lesson!

http://artforkidshub.com/how-to-draw-a-spider/

 

Next, the students had to plan a theme for their spider and web.  They used glue to draw their web on black paper.  They then, worked on designing their spiders. 

 

Can you guess the themes?   Sponge Bob Spider, Swimmer Spider, and Packer Spider!

 

The next art class the students used chalk pastels to color their webs in a theme to match the spider!

 

 

Can you guess which spider lives in which web?  These are fun to hang in the hallway for students of other classes to match  up. 

Hope your fall projects have been fun! 

Happy spidering!

 

Amy