Pizza for Math?

Comparisons....

What are some differences between Matzo Cracker Pizza and "real" pizza?

How are they the same?

Counting...

How many spoonfuls of cheese are you supposed to use?

How much sauce?

Following directions...

What order do I complete the steps in?

What did Ms. Susan say I should do when I am done?

My students and I made pizza together today.

Every child except one enjoyed the taste and several begged for more. I love learning through real life experiences. Sure my students do worksheets and flashcards like everyone else, we just are blessed with a principal who encourages hands on activities as well.

"School" is over for the week!

Only play days remain as our local schools are out and there will be "big kids" at our building for the next two days. I have a few hours of work to do and one parent meeting. The rest of the time is mine courtesy of a bit of personal time.

I am surprised you can't hear my happy sigh...

I pray that your week and weekend are wonderful... I'm starting mine early.... YAY! =-)

Signs of fall... WOOLLY BEARS are sighted again!

With every Kindergarten child holding a partner's hand,
we went on a nature walk today.
Learning to walk in a line
with a partner not of our own choosing
is a necessary but not always easy task.
My students rose to the occasion,
with only one child giving in to the urge
to squeeze a buddy's hand too hard.

We looked, listened and even smelled the sights of fall.
Along the way we even found a woolly bear!
This is our second sighting of the year
and my students were speculating
if it was the same critter we saw last week.
It was a valid question,
I was wondering the same thing.
Kindergarten exploration and curiosity are beautiful things.

Stars on your nose!

With bitty ones smiling,
I put stars on my dear one's noses today.

Not given out "willy nilly",
my little students had to earn them!

Completing new Centers on Opposites or One on One Correspondence,
they showed me their efforts.

I grinned and handed out liberal praise
and two Mylar prismatic star stickers per customer!

Extra special listeners...
good helpers...

Who knew what might be the ticket to shiny bliss...

Sigh,
I love being a teacher.

What a nice group of children I am leading this year.

Tonight,
Tomorrow,
Always....

May your day be filled with small wonders...
Like sticky bits of joy...


I don't think it matters
if it is you who are the one sharing the treat
or if you are the one receiving it.

I wish you happiness.

August!

It is July.

However,

my mind is somewhere about a month in the future.

Today my boss

handed me the August summer camp calendar

and invited me to fill in the unscheduled days

with fun activities relating to our themes.

I looked at her shocked,

there were only two weeks of August shown.

I knew then that my flash card making

and lesson planning

was probably a feeling

that was akin to birds

knowing when to fly South.

For the last several weeks,

I have begun to feel a pull back to lessons.

I've purchased teacher supplies,

lesson books

and even stickers for grading.

I've been writing out schedules,

interviewing Kindergarten students and yes...

making word wall flash cards.

I can barely contain my excitement.

Today I was writing out my tentative schedule

for the transition week.

My major focus will be on team building

and learning to follow directions.

We'll make things together,

play line up games

and learn my signals for transition times.

There will be a multitude of stickers passed out,

a great deal of constructive praise

and probably a kid or two

who will have to learn about

"the wall"

at recess.

Sigh...

a new start...

Dear ones yet unknown to my heart,

who come to me to learn and to grow...

Who,

for a year,

will become part of my classroom "family".

I pray that as July rolls into August

and my final preparations begin,

that I will be given the gifts needed to lead my unique new students.

Grace to know when a stern word is needed

and the patience to know when a hug is more appropriate.

Like every teacher trying to follow God's path,

I pray for my students and myself...

In the year ahead there will be...

plenty of band aids,

hugs,

books

and

stickers.

Lots of mischief and mayhem...

crazy hats,

silly songs...

happy contests...

bugs to catch!

Sigh...

yup...

I'm excited.

Our "Meet the Teacher" night is scheduled.

A smile is on my face and a plan for a wonderful evening is in my mind.

Full of cookies, handouts and happiness.

May we all be blessed,

this night and always.

Though you may not share my enthusiasm

for sentence strips,

play dough

and field trips,

I know there is something you are passionate about.

Something that lays happily on your heart.

I pray that this coming month,

this year...

your forever...

will afford you many opportunities to enjoy your favorite blessings.

May you find wonderful adventures!

A lovely treat...

Tonight,

as I type,

I can begin to smell a lovely aroma,

creeping up my stairs.

What is the hint of heaven that I am starting to detect?

It is the happy result of school errands.

You see,

Tomorrow,

I am "Mother Goose"

in our Kindergarten's rendition of the "Three Little Pigs".

The story is told,

as if the wolf and pigs,

are kids on a playground,

trying to learn how to be kind to each other.

I can't wait to see all the students of "Fairy Tale Elementary School" act out their parts!

Tonight,

I went to Target to buy feathers and flippers!

It was while on this"goosey" errand

that I once again wandered down the coffee maker isle in reverent silence.

While daydreaming,

a sale sign caught my eye.

A programmable coffee maker...

one that could have coffee ready for me when I wake up...

Was on sale....

For more than ten dollars off...

AND

If I purchased my desire,

I would even be given a ten dollar Target Gift Card!

How could I pass up such an offer?

With a smile and a happy noise,

I scooped up a box and headed,

with my intended purchases,

towards the checkout counter!

Now,

I pause to sniff,

and can't wait to head back downstairs.

When tomorrow dawns,

and my children announce it's arrival.

I will grab my robe and slippers

and head

just a little bit quicker to my kitchen.

May the gift of a new day bring blessings to us all.

May the little ones entrusted to my care,

smile and say their lines with pride.

May their parents snap pictures

and have their hearts warmed.

May you and I,

find a smile as well.

May we all be blessed,

with peace,

with love,

with wisdom

and contentment.

Visiting the Moon

Yay for my best co-worker and I!

We had so much fun tonight.

Tonight was our school's Science Fair Open House.

Together with the Preschool and Pre-K teachers at our daycare, we put on four rooms of experiments and general happy silliness.

Our theme was outer space.

My friend Laura and I chose the gym as our "classroom" and carried in tables.

We had an experiment with balloons (rockets),

coloring sheets of outer space,,

"moon" play dough (Can you say "moon critters"?)

a "moon" photo op created by the Kindergarten students

and

even six kinds of cheese to taste. (Did you know the moon isn't really made of cheese? shocking!)

Not only a chance to learn,

tonight was also a chance for prospective students to get a look and my friend and I.

Sigh....

It was a lot of work.

I am tired.

But,

it was completely worth it.

There is nothing quite like the joy of little ones playing with simple things.

Like crayons...

play dough...

balloons.

I pray that you may be as fortunate as my friend and I...

...That you may experience the joy of a job well done.

I hope you rest easy tonight and awake tomorrow ready for the adventures before you.

May you be blessed.

Today,

Tomorrow,

Always.

We had so much fun!

Last week, in their homework folders, my students were asked what it was they'd like to study before the end of the year.

Today, in response to one young man's suggestion,

we learned about worms!

We read a book about worms.

Visited an amazing interactive website

all about the squirmy critters!

Watched a Max and Ruby cartoon entitled, "Worm Cake".

Made our own construction paper "friend".

and....

drum roll please!

We worked in pairs,

with metal spoons,

to dig for worms!

We found worms enough for everyone and brought them inside to examine them at length. We even put wet paper towels in the bottom of our collection container so they wouldn't dry out.

I'm not fibbing...

I had students' begging to take their worm home.

I told them I could make no promises about that.

That...gasp!... not everyone loved worms.

I reminded them about how I felt about wolf spiders.

(I hope only a few parents want to skin me alive for the new "pet".)

Days like today make me so glad to be a Kindergarten teacher.

Where else could I play in the dirt and be paid?

I hope that your evening,

your weekend,

is just as blessed as my day has been!

Enjoy the simple pleasures all around you!