Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites - Chapter 6

I am behind again on these chapter studies! No excuse except that I'm on Spring Break and sleeping and reading (non school related books!) take precedence right now!!! For this chapter I am linking up with One Extra Degree to talk about Humour. Hmmm....

I'm not really sure how funny I am but I do like to have fun with the kids and we can get pretty silly sometimes! It helps that I have a teaching partner next door who is off the Richter scale for being silly and out there. She helps to bring out the silly in me!

Here's my thinking on this one...

I do love me a funny story! (And yes, Mum, I know my English was incorrect there!) There is just something about a really funny story that brings a group together. My new favourite is this one:

I picked it out when I was shopping with the teacher next door. She bought it and I can't wait to read it to my class. I heard and saw her reading it to her kids right before the break and, I kid you not, I thought the kids were going to pee themselves they were laughing so hard!!!!

Probably the place I inject humour and silliness the most is when using my own life as the topic for writing. I model writing for the kids by writing about little snippets of my life. Whether it is about my poor dear husband lying on the bed and right into a pile of doggie throw up (amazing how the grosser it is, the funnier the kids think it is!) to my dog doing hand stands every time he pees. My hubby and dog are the main sources of entertainment in my stories. Though I do sometimes put in things about my own childhood that the kids find pretty weird or silly. I find that sharing parts of myself makes a huge difference in the relationships I build with the students. 

I must admit that when I first started teaching I didn't really do this. I think it is something that comes with experience and practice. As a beginning teacher, I wanted to keep them on task and behaving as much as possible. Getting them all amped up and silly by telling a story would have made me worried about getting them back on task afterwards. Now, I am confident enough in my teaching and routines to be able to loosen up and show the kids that learning can be silly and fun as well as serious.

One of the best things about our new school is it has wide open spaces. These spaces just scream out for cartwheels! Last year, all three of the teachers in my community had a cartwheel competition in front of all 76 students. I am happy to say that I can still rock a cartwheel! I was doing them in my classroom (yes, you heard me right!) just before the break. And then, of course, the kids wanted to show me their cartwheels so we had a little impromptu cartwheel time during Choosing. So much fun!

One thing I dearly, dearly want to start using in my classroom is Go Noodle. 

I signed up ages ago but just haven't made using it a habit in our classroom. Luckily, I am currently reading Gretchen Rubin's new book Better Than Before and it is all about habits!!!! Maybe I'll be able to make Go Noodle a habit after I finish reading about how to make habits stick! Click on my quirky character up above to go to Go Noodle. It is filled with tons and tons of Brain Breaks! I will be using it this coming term. I want to set up some sort of timer to go off every 20 minutes or so for a Brain Break time. I think the class will love it!

I also like the suggestion in the chapter about using the "class clown." Kind of a "don't fight them, join them" philosophy. I have a couple of kids who can be disruptive at times. Maybe if I give them the task of bringing a joke to school and giving their silliness a focus it will help. Can't hurt to try, huh?

And, that is pretty much it for me on this chapter. I'm off to read some more non-school related books and, maybe, take a nap, too!

Cheers!

Olwyn

Lest We Forget

We spent a lot of time this past week talking about peace and Remembrance Day. I wanted to share with you today, on Remembrance Day, some of the wonderful ideas our class came up with.

First, here are some examples of the PEACE acrostic poem that we wrote with our big buddies.

I love the last one where A stands for active helping. Now wouldn't this world become 150% better if every single person became an active helper?!?!

And here are the poppies we made in Community Arts & Crafts...

We did some activities before making these poppies. It was a two day process with all 92 students in our community. 

On day one, we read Todd Parr's book called The Peace Book ( I got smart about reading a book to 92 students at once and photographed all the images so that I could put the book on the smartboard!) and then we brainstormed all the many things that peace can be before doing our own writing. We made the poppies on day two and added our writing to them. I am hoping that they are gracing front doors and refrigerators all through our school neighbourhood!

Here's the book we read. If you haven't read it, you need to. In fact, you can't really go wrong reading any of Todd Parr's books. He is awesome!!! You can check out his website here. And to find out more about the book you can click on the picture of it below...

I am always humbled by the ideas that children can come up with for these types of activities. Sometimes I think that if all the adults in the world would follow the advice of children, we would have a much happier and peaceful world!

Here are some of their thoughts...

Peace is...

• being kind
• having food
• wishing on a sun
• helping people
• having toys
• skating
• having fun with friends
• sleeping
• school
• wonderful
• recycling
• having dreams
• planting trees
• reading to myself
• watching birds fly in the sky
• playing with my dog
• sharing
• hugging
• spreading love
• having a house
• learning
• being me

And I have to share one of the Peace is... pieces in its entirety. This kid gets it big time!!!!

Can you read them all?

It says Peace is...

• giving love to someone you love
• saying something nice to someone
• being free
• having a family
• being a kind person
• being a nice expecter
• having a home
• being a great friend
• taking good care
• giving a present to someone
• a grateful world
• giving cards
• eating food

My favourite one? Being a nice expecter. When I asked her what she meant she said it meant expecting nice things all the time. As in, having a positive attitude, looking at the bright side, having a half full glass etc. I just love how she put it. Be a nice expecter. That's something I can totally get behind!

I hope that you find some inspiration in the words of these young people. Their wisdom far exceeds the amount of credit given to them. 

Wishing you a peaceful and gratitude filled day.

Cheers!

Olwyn 

Wishing You Happy....

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I hope that today is filled with good food, lots of loved ones and the making of wonderful memories!

I am at my mother's for Thanksgiving today.  A bittersweet time of year for me as it marks the fourth anniversary of my father's death and, most likely, the last Thanksgiving with my mother in the house she has lived in for 50 years.

The class made turkeys during Community Arts and Crafts on Thursday. Thought you might like a look see. They turned out as individual as each student. 

Sorry for the focus. I used my iphone and I really need to go back to using a camera. The pictures just turn out so much better that way!

Have a happy day!

Cheers!

Olwyn

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope everyone out there has enjoyed a day filled with mother love. Whether it be directed at you for your mothering, by you towards your mother or simply shared with all of the other kinds of mothers we have in our lives. May the day have been one of joy for you all!

My lovelies did wonderful tissue paper collages on canvas for Mother's Day. They turned out really well.

Here is a wee sample. I love the rainbow of gifts as they all sat, wrapped and ready, waiting to go home!

Many of the kids did an ocean them (as we've been studying that) but there were some abstracts, some animals, some gardens, just a whole variety of ideas. They were all so beautiful. I wish I had taken pictures of all of them but I didn't remember until I was wrapping up the last few. So, you'll have to trust me on it, but they really were all lovely!

Cheers!

Olwyn

Happy Easter!

We made Easter baskets with our buddy class last week. They turned out super duper cute!

Then, on Thursday, Cooking Group #2 worked with my Amazing SSSW (the latest acronym for our support workers) to make Chocolate Chow Mein Noodle Nests. These are super easy to make and quick as well!

I found the recipe here but didn't use the peanut butter and substituted jelly beans for chocolate eggs. 

Students were all smiles as they headed out the door on Thursday with a basket full of chocolaty goodness in their hands!

Hope Mr. Easter Bunny was good to you and yours!!!

Cheers!

Olwyn

Happy Valentine's Day

Currently....January 2014

It is that time again...

The beginning of a new month...and a new year, this time!

I am linking up with Farley over at Oh Boy, Fourth Grade for this month's Currently.

listening...I have W network playing in the background. There aren't very many channels on the tv upstairs at my mother's house and most are playing afternoon soaps (not my thing at all!) but I like to have background noise while I work on the computer. So W channel it is!

loving...I bought a box of specialty hot chocolates and today was just the day to have one. It isn't super cold out but I wanted the coziness of a comfy sweatshirt and hot chocolate!

thinking...of school...and what I am going to teach next week. It is Back to Basics Boot Camp in my room starting Monday (that means REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW of each and every routine taught in first term!!! And after the review it is PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE all the routines over again!)... okay, is it bad that I think about work on my vacation? Probably! But, I can't help it. I love my job!!!!

wanting...I have started running again and need new running shoes...PRONTO! My wonderful class gave me a VISA gift card for my end of term/Christmas gift. It is off to the running store for new shoes (and maybe a new top or two) for me!

needing...so, we have been living in two houses for 3 weeks now. So far, so good. No major meltdowns from me or my mother!!!! Anywho, over vacation we have been going from house to house without much of a set schedule. It works fine for my hubs to decide on the day of if he's sleeping at our house or at my Mum's. But...it sooo doesn't work for me! I like to have a schedule and knowing where I am going to sleep each night is one of the things that I need scheduled! So, next week we are going to have to figure out a set (well, semi-set, as life can be unpredictable!) schedule so that I know where to have what clothes, what food is in which fridge, etc. etc. etc.

memory and/or tradition....there are so many things about the Christmas season that I love and enjoy. But, this year, by far my favourite memory is of my good egg singing on facebook. Watching her father's face as he watched her video is pretty darn close, too. He can be pretty hard to read sometimes but there was no way to misread the tears of love in his eyes as he watched his daughter sing. It was beautiful!!!

And, there you go...my January 2014 Currently...

What are you up to...currently?!?!

Ms. Hughes 

Hope you all had a...

holly, jolly Christmas!!!!

Okay, okay...I know that Christmas has come and gone and that we are now well into the swing of Boxing Day/Week.

Hmmm... Boxing Week....(does that seem as weird to you as it does to me? How did one day become a week?!?! And when did it become about getting more for ourselves and not about giving to others?!?!)

...but I am at my own house for the first time in days, with my own computer and my photos saved on the hard drive, so I want to post a few Christmas-y things.

My Christmas was quite lovely really.

As many of you know, we are now living in two houses. We spend time at our house and, are also simultaneously, living with my Mum. My daughter says it is kind of like divorced families where the kids go back and forth between houses but, in our case, it is the adults who go back and forth!!! (Well, we sleep there the most, but the good egg does sleep there at least 2 nights a week. Thank you!)

My good egg and I did up our Christmas tree a few days before the big day. It used to be that we would put lots of basic ornaments on it but now that she is 17, we mostly put her ornaments on! I started buying an ornament (or 2) a year for her when she was born. Each ornament signifies something about her life over the previous year. She now has a very large shoe box filled with ornaments about her life. She pulls them all out and organizes them chronologically and we enjoy a trip down memory lane as she puts each one on the tree. It is something I look forward to doing with her each year (her dad is a wee bit Scroogey and doesn't do the tree with us!)

Some of her ornaments are childhood memories of favourite shows. While others are of things like taking skating lessons or learning how to play the violin. One is of a woman singing and symbolizes the years she spent in choir. This year we added two new ornaments to the tree. Both from Disneyworld this past summer.  One day she will want to take the box of memories away with her to put on her own tree and I am not so sure that I am going to be able to let her!

                                    

So, as is our tradition, we spent Christmas Eve in our own home. Our little family of three has a tradition of eating a picnic in front of the Christmas tree and then opening all of our gifts to each other afterwards. The menu never varies. Shrimp cocktail, crackers, cheeses and pate. Simple and easy. Oh, and wine...can't forget the wine!

 This year, we had a real fireplace for the first time...ever! It was really, really lovely to sit and enjoy a glass of wine (a red given to me by one of the parents in my class AND my first sip in 10 days as I finally, finally finished the second round of penicillin for my now gone strep throat!) and open the gifts my hubby and daughter had gotten for me.

One of my favourite gifts  is the Pandora charm my good egg got for me. It is this one...

and has matching hearts that go together to make a bigger heart. On one heart it says mother. On the other it says daughter. I love it!!!! The thing I love about the Pandora charm bracelets is how each charm acts as a visual reminder of something or someone near and dear to me. I can look down on my wrist and literally count my blessings.

Then we headed back to my Mum's house and slept there. We had a lazy morning with my sister and brother (with their children) coming over around 2pm for an afternoon of gifts and family time. Then off my brother went to continue with his Christmas and the 6 of us left had a turkey dinner. I let myself eat wheat (how could I turn down my sister's homemade stuffing?!?!) and, unfortunately, suffered for it. Oh well. Live and learn, right? I have not been very good about being gluten free over the last week or so and, boy howdy, can I ever tell! It is back on the straight and narrow for me!

Mum did very well over the holidays, all things considered. This was the third Christmas without Dad here in person. Plus, she had her 83rd birthday two days after Christmas. When you add the stress of the holidays to all the moving out, moving in and cleaning that has been going on around her house the last two weeks, I am amazed that she has held up as well as she has. There were a few tears here and there but, overall, I think that she enjoyed the time spent with family.

I know it is very hard for her to get up and continue on each day knowing my father is no longer with us physically. I just wish that she could feel him all around us the way that I do. He is here as much as he ever was, just in a different way. I know because I see signs of him all the time.

And on that note, I am going to say a belated Merry Christmas to all. I hope that your loved ones were with you as mine were with me (both in person and in spirit!)

Cheers!



This e-card pretty much sums it up! I have not had a Fall so full of illness in I don't know how long. First, a horrible head cold. Then the flu. And, now, strep throat. I think I'm due for some healthy days soon, don't you?

I suppose the only positive is that I'm down 7 pounds in about a week! Craaaaazy!!!! That'll happen when one lives on ginger ale and Popsicles! 

I have spent the better part of the last week sleeping. I couldn't even manage to stay awake long enough to watch a one hour tv show. Or read. Or go online. Or read. Or anything!

The flu symptoms finally pretty much left by yesterday but the fatigue just wouldn't give up. Then, today my doctor calls...strep throat. Yay me!

Now, two doses of penicillin later, I am starting to feel human again. I expect to be pretty much 100% by Monday and back at work raring to go!

Aaaah...work. How I have missed being at work (when I was awake enough to miss anything that is!) and being with all of my lovelies. I was so happy to hear from both my support worker and colleagues that my guest teacher was really great. Knowing that everything was under control made it much easier to just go back to sleep and concentrate on getting well.

But I am sooooo looking forward to being back at work next week. Beyond just simply missing my days with the lovelies, I also just love the three weeks before the holidays. We spend time talking about family traditions, learning about winter festivals of light and just plain having a good time. Report cards are done (well, that is the idea, though they are due next week and I haven't even started!), vacation is coming and there is a general feeling of excitement in the air!  

I love teaching the grades I teach. It is still the age of wonder and I really don't think there is more of a season of wonder than the winter holidays (although I suppose the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny come a close second!) The belief in miracles that is Hanukkah. The story of Christmas. The magic of Santa Claus. It all comes together to create a time of year when teaching 5-7 year olds really is the best job on Earth! 

Cheers!

Ms. Hughes

Somewhere Today....

I wanted to post these for Remembrance Day, however, I forgot to take the photos!

One of my very favourite stories to read for Remembrance Day is called Somewhere Today: A Book of Peace.

 

We read the story and then thought of what someone in the world could be doing today to make this world a more peaceful place to live.

And, my personal favourite...

Then we did a craft with the entire community and I hung them up along with the writing. This idea came from another blog (wish I could remember which one! I was so sure I had pinned it!) Let me know if you know who needs the credit.

Aren't they striking? 

It was a very powerful lesson. One I find difficult to teach each year. It is so hard to understand the concept of "fighting for peace." 

I mean, I have trouble with the concept. How to make this concept understandable (without being totally frightening) to 6 & 7 year olds? 

It is a tough one but I really think that this year we did a good job of it. The community of students saw their teachers struggling to understand and explain a difficult concept. They saw their teachers shed a few tears talking about Remembrance Day. They understood the seriousness and importance of the day. 

And, as a result, they were amazing in the assembly. Quiet, respectful, serious, thoughtful. I was so proud of them. 

Ms. Hughes

Remember

In remembrance of all who have fought to keep Canada safe and free. 

And to all who continue to help others in this world strive for freedom. 

Thank you.

Currently....November

It's that time again!

Time to link up with Farley over at Oh Boy Fourth Grade for this month's Currently!

listening....I am not usually a Castle viewer. I used to watch it all the time in the first two seasons or so but not much since then...

however, being bored out of my mind has made me into someone who watches pretty much anything! Though I have not yet succumbed to daytime tv. Currently (get the pun!), Beckett is standing on a bomb that is set to go off in 10 minutes. Oh the suspense!!!!!

loving...okay, okay, I know that this sort of thing really annoys some people (I'm pretty sure it only annoys the unorganized ones out there!) but I am one of  those people who finishes ALL of my Christmas shopping, baking, card writing etc before December 1st. I want to enjoy December. NOT be exhausted! The last couple of years I have used a site called Organized Christmas that has helped me tremendously. It wouldn't work for everyone but it sure works for me!!!!

thinking...that I am so, so, so sick of being sick. I have been home from school sleeping, coughing, sleeping, coughing, you get the idea...since Wednesday! Yep! That's right...four days. Four. Very. Long. Days! I am back on Monday (no matter what!) but won't be there until the afternoon as I have a scheduled appointment in the morning. Not the best timing for the appointment but, what can I do?, I've been waiting awhile for it and I'm not going to miss it.

wanting...okay, this one goes with the loving one. I want the other 50% done. Finished. Complete. Nuff said.

needing...I am kind of like a skipping record today, huh? I can live with some of the cold symptoms but the laryngitis has got to go. I have spent 4 days not talking and still I have a scratchy, rough voice. One that I know will be completely gone again once I teach for a day or so. Maybe what I am really needing is a plethora of silent signals to use when teaching in order to save my voice!

a yummy pin...as some of you know, I am gluten free. I haven't bothered trying to bake much the last few years since finding really good cookie and cake recipes that are also gluten free has been somewhat of a challenge! However, I found this site Gluten Free on a Shoestring and I have decided to give it a try. I mean, how can you look at this picture and not want to try it out?!?!

And there you go....another Currently done!

Cheers!

Ms. Hughes

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving has become a bittersweet holiday for me. 

I am so grateful for all that I have in my life.

And I want the day to be about remembering all the wonderful things that I have - my health, friends, family, a job, books, a home I like etc. etc. etc.

But...the day is also tinged with sadness as my Daddy passed away on Thanksgiving day three years ago. Since then, the day hasn't been the same.

I read somewhere that things never really get better after losing someone you love dearly. They just get less worse. 

I get that. I really do. I still think of him daily. I miss him very, very much. And, well, I just miss him that much more on Thanksgiving day. 

So, today I am going to give thanks for my father.

Ten (of a Gazillion) Reasons I am Thankful for my Dad:

1. He paid for my entire university education without complaint (something I am even more grateful for as I look at the prices for my daughter entering uni next year!!!!)

2. He taught me that it is not only okay, but essential, to carve out alone time each day (for him it was by listening to music - for me it is reading).

3. He taught me to teach for 40 years rather than teaching one year 40 times. 

4. He taught me to learn the difference between doubt and fear. And would always say, "If in doubt, don't" I still live by these words.

5. He spent time each week making my then young daughter a "girled" cheese sandwich and then watching old movies on AMC with her on her early dismissal day. I never had a close relationship with my grandfather as he lived 3000 miles away. Seeing the closeness between my child and my father filled my heart. 

6. He never judged me. 

7. He showed me that if you have a passion (his was Rachmaninoff) you need to follow it no matter what others think.

8. He taught me not to bring work home. (I only bring work home about 2% of the time. Not perfect but pretty darn close!)  

9. He kept his own counsel. He was like a vault when it came to being professional and keeping information private. I could tell him anything and know that he would maintain my privacy. This is a lesson everyone needs to learn.

10. He gave me a love for the South. He was born in small town Georgia and I love all things Southern. Give me some shrimp and grits any day of the week and I'll be happy! 

This song always reminds me of him and the small town, Homerville, where he grew up. She sings of a town in Carolina while he was from Georgia, but, the images she evokes are so clearly a Southern town that it could be any small town in the South. Listening to this song brings back so many happy memories of visits with cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. 

I love you Daddy and I know that you are with me always.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ms. Hughes

'Twas The Night Before Thanksgiving

So, if you know anything at all about me, you will know that I am a bit of a Pinterest junkie!

I found this great lesson at Mrs. Wood's Kindergarten and did it with the class on Wednesday afternoon last week. 

I love doing lessons like this because they are so valuable in terms of observing the students' listening skills and their ability to follow simple step by step directions. Plus, they always turn out so gosh darn cute!

So, first we read this book:

Then, we imagined we were the kids in the story (who save the turkeys on the turkey farm by smuggling them out under their shirts!). 

Next, we brainstormed what we would eat instead of turkey. They had some fun ideas. My favourites were sushi and spicy noodles!

Finally, we did a teacher directed cut and paste craft to go with the story. I love  the way they turned out. So much that I didn't send them home yet. I hung them up in our Quiet Room.

Check them out! They are so cute!

And now I am off to save a turkey and eat the salmon salad my daughter and her friend have made us for Thanksgiving dinner! 

Cheers!

Ms. Hughes