DE-STRESSING WITH MINNIE

We were finally able to get in to our classrooms this past Wednesday.  Woo-hoo!  So...I went to bed Tuesday night all gung-ho telling myself I was going to get up early and get in to my classroom as soon as they opened the doors (which was 7:00am).  Umm...yeah right!  Not only did I get there at 9:30, I didn't get anything done!  Oh, you know how it goes...you see your colleagues after three months and you just have to catch up!  I think I spent two hours just walking around and visiting.  Ha!

I went back on Thursday after attending a two hour training and got a little work done.  Yesterday was a little better but they kicked us all out asked us to leave at 3:00pm.  People!  Don't you understand there is just so much to do?  Anyway...having to leave at 3:00 really stressed me out!!  Our official day back to work is on the 16th and I wanted to get my classroom completely organized and decorated before then.  Aargh!!

Well...nothing I could do about it!  So, I went home and started on a cookie project (Yay!  My first post about cookies!)...a Minnie Mouse cookie bouquet for a first birthday party.  I don't know why, but decorating cookies is a real stress reliever for me.

Here's how everything turned out.

Minnie Mouse 

Close-up

H is for Hailey who is turning 1

Close-up of Hs, 1s and flowers

All done!

Arranging cookies into a bouquet is not easy.  I could use some lessons from a florist!

Well...thanks to "Minnie" I was able to de-stress.  I'll be back in my classroom on Monday and will share pictures as soon as it's all done!!

Until next time!

CURRENTLY {MY FIRST LINKY PARTY!}

I've been seeing a lot of these cute linky parties lately so I decided to try and join one.  Remember, new blogger here...hope I did it correctly!!

This is an August Currently Linky Party started by Farley at Oh Boy Fourth Grade.

Here it goes...

Now it's your turn!  Just click on the link above to get started!

Hope you have a great Sunday!! 

Until next time!

CRAFT DAY & BLOG BUTTON

Hi everyone!

Today was a great day!  My cousin ~who also happens to be a first grade teacher~ came by and we hung out pretty much all day.  It's always nice to have family around!!

We started the day off with lunch ~yummy fish tacos~ and then spent the rest of the day putting together birthday straws for her class.  She has a star theme in her classroom so we designed the tags and mounted them on stars that we cut on my Cricut machine.  They turned out SO CUTE!!  I am so jealous!!

My cousin is pretty computer savvy and is always up for a challenge.  When I told her I was having trouble trying to figure out how to create and add a blog button to my blog she was like "Let's do it!"  After a lot of trial and error we finally figured it out.  So...feel free to "Grab my button!"

Well, I hope all of you had a great day too!

Until next time!

QUOTES IN THE CLASSROOM

Hi all!

I just finished putting together the quotes I will be using in my classroom this year!!  I already have a set but I had to make a new one to match my new theme and color scheme.   (You know how that goes!!)

 The school I teach at is a Great Expectations model school.  You can learn about Great Expectations here.   One aspect of GE includes teaching and using quotes in the classroom.  I LOVE doing this with my kids!!

Every Monday, I introduce a quote to my students.  We read the quote together and then I talk to them about the person being quoted.  I ask the students what they think the quote means and then we spend a lot of time talking about situations in which the quote would be used or applied. 

In order to help the kids remember the quotes, we turn them in to call backs.  For example, the quote I always start the year with is "If we don't all row, the boat won't go."  This quote is great to teach at the beginning because it is all about teamwork!  So...what I do is I say the first part of the quote "If we don't all row" and the students respond with "the boat won't go."  It is amazing how quickly the students learn the quotes when you turn them in to call backs!

I put up the quotes as I teach them.  The kids LOVE to practice reading them when they are doing their Read Around the Room station.

You know the students are really learning these quotes when they use it in the classroom or when one of your little boys comes up to you and tells you how he used the quote "All things are difficult before they are easy." when his sister was having trouble learning how to ride her bike. (That sure put a smile on my face!)

Well...hope all of you have a good night!  

Until next time!