Five for Friday [March 27]

Phew!  Can't believe how fast this year is flying by.  Whenever Easter comes around the end of the year is here within a blink.  Starting to really get sad to part from my sweeties!  I'm a horrible blogger but am linking up with Doodlebugs Teaching for her Five for Friday!

We did lots of little fun activities with St. Patricks day a few weeks ago - we did some graphing with lucky charms and even did our first directed drawing by First Grade Blue Skies.  We've never done one before (as a class or as a teacher) and oh my goodness they turned out so stinking cute.  We added a cute little story problem about the leprechaun and hung them in the hallway.  We have been given so many compliments on them! We made these little jello snacks as well that had green jello and whip cream on the top.  It was a festive day with a visit from Shammy at the end of the day.

I was so honored this year to be nominated for Teacher of the Year by a wonderful parent in my class.  Such a surprise and very humbling to realize what a difference you are making first hand and to be recognized for efforts in the classroom - not that I need recognition but it was definitely awesome.  Our dessert banquet and the announcement of the winner was this week and it was so much fun to get to eat delicious dessert with the hubs and hang out with my first grade team. I have the best team.

I am slightly obsessed with Starbucks (coffee or anything else really) and was browsing around their website to look for a new thing to try and saw that their Peach Green Tea Lemonade was announced as "BACK!"  I about died on the couch - that was my favorite drink this summer and one that I would drink on a weekly basis - most of the time, more than I needed to but it's okay.  Anyways, I went there today to get myself a little "weekend start pick me up" and they said that they couldn't release and open the syrup until March 30.  UGH.  My heart sank - but, guess where I'll be going on the 30th.

I've been thinking ahead to summer - you know, that mindset of it may be too late to implement any o my new ideas this year but I could try thinking about next year - and have already started a summer list that I'd like to tackle throughout the 3 months of wonderful.  One of the things I want to be more consistent in my classroom is my Daily 5 work on words, and work on writing choices.  I'd like to create a binder with month "masters" it in along with centers (cut, print, laminate heaven) to just put out each month.  Any ideas of sellers for these would be wonderful!  My students this year loved little center ideas and writing prompts so I'm willing to take any ideas!

Students left at 1:00 today and we have a quick little meeting until 1:45 and then we were blessed with a work day until we could leave for our contract.  I got so much done and felt victorious.  Finished prepping for next week, got science tubs out and ready, planned work on writing and word work for the end of the year, messed around with iPads, moved desks - it was great.  I have not felt so accomplished in a long while.  Thankful for administrators who simply give the gift of TIME when it is so needed and valued.

To kick the weekend off, Ryan and I are going to dinner with our closest friends and their sweet baby girl and then hanging out, playing games, and watching movies.  A Friday night never sounded better - and the idea of sleeping in tomorrow makes me want to cry happy tears.

Happy weekend!

Currently: March

It's time for my favorite linky!  Hooray!  I love linking up with Farley at Oh Boy Fourth Grade for her monthly currently linky.  I can't believe it's already March! Makes me so sad that I only have like 9 weeks left with my firsties!  I've grown to love them and care for them so much.  They're incredible kiddos with the best hearts.  I'm going to soak up our time together before the end of the year.  Where did my second year of teaching go! AH.  Slow down time.

So, here we go - I love the design of this linky by the way.  Hoping to get another blog post in this week so this one might be short - also, the Bachelor is on and I am in love.

Listening: I am in love with this season of the Bachelor.  I watch it every year but I really like Chris and think he's got great intentions - call me crazy.  Also, this episode of "Women Tell All" might be one of my favorite because all the women get to chat out all the drama.  I'm a sucker for reality TV.  I have so much TV I'm sucked in with right now - Survivor, Real World, the Challenge, Catfish.  Told you - I'm a sucker.

Loving: I decided to start REALLY focusing on math workshop after Christmas.  I talked to lots of different teachers who use a math workshop format with Investigations and finally found something that works for me.  My kids are doing so great with it right now.  They love math and sharing their strategies and I am really seeing how they're grown as mathematicians.

Thinking: It's already report card time in our district.  Granted, the report cards are not due until next week but I like having them done before the quarter ends so they're not hanging over my head.  I'm hoping to get them finished up in the next few days while my kiddos are practicing for their music program on Thursday.  All I have left to do is comments and actual posted grades.  But still - report cards suck.

Wanting: Ryan always loves planning a big trip at the end of the school year for us - whether somewhere in the states or somewhere out of the country.  Last year we went to Cancun and he's planning another amazing trip for us again this year.  He loves making us have the best trips while we are able too.  So thankful that he takes the time to plan the best trips and times together.

Needing: My kiddos need some Readers Theatre ideas.  They love to act and pretend and I would love to put that to use in a positive and learning environment.  If anyone has some great readers theatre ideas on TPT or blogs let me know!

Spring Break Plans: Husband and I may take a weekend trip to the cities to do some shopping and hit up IKEA as we are redoing our master bedroom - or, we may stay home and relax and clean.  Which, more than likely will be the case.  But that's okay! :)

Thanks for checking out my currently!  Until next time!

President's Day

  What a nice mid-winter break it has been.  I've done lots of - well wait, let me try that again.  I've done a lot of nothing this break and it has been fabulous.  We had conferences for 3 days after school (4-8) 2 weeks ago and it was exhausting so to make up for that time we had Wednesday afternoon, Thursday, Friday, and Monday this week off.  Thursday and Friday I did a lot of nothing - except finishing up Reign on Netflix and starting One Tree Hill.  I still wish I had episodes of Reign to watch. My heart loves it.

  I also got some time to read this break - which has been great.  The Selection is a book you should check out.  It's a mix between The Bachelor and the Hunger Games.  I really like it so far!  Thanks to my very good friend for recommending it.  So, I haven't done just a little update on what our classroom has been up to so I thought I'd fill everyone in.

Since we only had 2 days before we went on break, we dove into Presidents so that my littles really understood why they were getting 3 days off of school.  We read lots of books on George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and we even got to pretend that we were the President for the day, and what we would change.  Our school district has bought a subscription to PebbleGo books. As a teacher I LOVE them.  They were simple, made my emergent and early readers, and it reads the books to the kids.  I let the kiddos explore some of the presidents books on their iPads and read more about the Presidents of their choice.  My littles are also obsessed with BrainPOP Jr. Sometimes I'll tell them that we HAVE to watch another Annie and Moby video (and make it sound like a tragedy) and they get all excited - they really love the characters!  Brain pop is usually someplace that I look first thing for topics - they have great introductory videos. After reading about the Presidents we practiced our comparing and contrasting and describing of characters - my littles got together with partners and they did a great job!  They focused on their hair, and clothes, and faces - some of them wrote "they both have wrinkles" and I about died in my seat.

They also have become huge fans of Arthur & Marc Brown books.  When we have indoor recess - and indoor recess that lasts all day, for all 3 recesses mind you - I usually cave on the 2nd or 3rd recess and put on a movie for them.  It's calming and the kids love Arthur. You can find full episodes on YouTube and it is a teacher's DREAM.  I have a browse bin in our classroom that I fill with books on topics we are studying - animals, space, etc. - but I decided since next week we are focusing on point of view I filled up that bin with Arthur books.  My littles were so happy - they dove into them when they were done with their diagrams and read with their friends. It was so cute! 

We also ended our week with a Valentine's day party - load them up with sugar and send them home! We played a relay game, decorated cookies, and made Valentines for our parents.  I had kiddos make Valentine boxes at their homes and bring them to school.  I love seeing home creative they get with their boxes!  We had such a fun party day, and since it was at the end of the day I got to just send them on their way for break!  No better way to end the short week than a party of fun. 

The robot one was so cute!  They took a lot of time with their boxes - and they were so proud of them!  We open Valentines in the last few minutes of the party - it was so cute to see their faces and when they walked up to each other and thank them.  I love my group this year!

Today I'v been running to appointments all around town - doctor, eye, dentist - and getting stuff ready for the week.  Tonight, the husband is taking me on a date for Valentines day!  I'm super lucky to have such a great husband.  He knows I hate crowds so we didn't go out Saturday and he made plans for tonight.  We just enjoyed a nice Saturday night of homemade food and Netflix.  Super blessed to have a husband who loves and cares for me the way he does.

Hope your week goes great! Enjoy your last few hours of break! Until next time.