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Friday, May 31, 2013

Five for Friday

To say it's been a crazy week would be putting it lightly.  I am glad it's over and I survived it.  We have 2 days of school left and I cannot wait to sit back and enjoy them with my kids.  I can't wait to just have fun with them. 

I am linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for her May 31st Five for Friday Linky.
 

Here are my random photos/events from the week.
 
1.  Monday was Memorial Day.  We went to my parents and had a BBQ.  My parents found out they would be losing their trees soon.  We took pictures of the boys in the trees they have climbed since they were babies.  It's going to be sad when they are gone.  My dad fought hard to get the power lines moved...but he lost.
My boys.
 
My dad and me in front of all the trees.
 
2.  My husband had a birthday this week.  We went to Applebees to celebrate.
 
3.  We had Swim and Read Day (Tuesday), Watermelon Day (Wednesday), Track and Field Day and Ice Cream Day (Thursday) and Author's Tea this week.
 The kids dressed up in beach clothing and read a book to their classmates in a swimming pool.

 
 On Watermelon Day we had a seed spitting contest.  It was so much fun watching them spit seeds.

 We tried watermelon flavored Twizzlers, watermelon gum and a watermelon sucker.  We graphed which one we liked the best.  Most of the kids chose the gum.  I think they were more excited that they got to chew gum in class than the actual flavor of the gum.

We each got a piece of watermelon and picked out the seeds and had a seed spitting contest.
 
Our Seed Spitter Winner.
 
 My son at Track and Field day.
 
 My class was yellow.
 
 Making Ice Cream.  Shaking it in bags.

 
 All done and ready to eat.

 Author's Tea.  The boys were so cute in their ties.
 
The girls were cute in their dresses too.
 
 
 
4.  We had Author's Tea today!  It was so much fun!  The kids did a great job reading their stories.
 Each kid got  a bucket filled with bubbles, Kool-aid and a beach ball.   All these ideas were from Pinterest.  I also gave them their baby chick back that they took care of for 21 days.  They were sooo excited about this.


The front of my room.  Our theme was a Hollywood theme.  The high school let me borrow their stands that they use for prom for our special day.

 I had a VIP background for kids to stand in front of and have their pictures taken after Author's Tea.

 Each kid made a star with their picture on it.

 The kids brought in cookies.  They each got a trophy after they were done too.  It's hard to see them on this table.

We had so many parents, grandparents and friends here.  The room was packed and we ran out of chairs! It was a huge success.  The kids did well.
 
5.  My 5th grade son decided that he wanted to end his elementary school career with a bang.  He fell in Phy. Ed. on Thursday morning.  At the end of the day one of his friends asked him what happened to his thumb because it was so swollen.  He went the to nurse and she let me know that something was wrong with it.  I brought him to the ER and found out he broke/fractured his thumb.  Poor thing sat through school all day and never said anything.  
 
 Tonight we went to TRIA and had the cast put on.
He picked purple and black as his cast colors.
 
 My son and me waiting for the cast to be applied.

Thursday after school we went to the ER and found out Riley broke his thumb.  Poor kid. 
 
I hope you have a fantastic weekend!  We only have 2 days of school left!  I will be doing report cards, writing cards to my kids and will be cleaning my classroom. 
Sara


Sunday, May 26, 2013

Classroom Decorations: Beach Theme

Last year a friend/coworker asked me if I would design some labels for her classroom.  Her room was a Hawaiian/Beach theme. I designed her desk tags and locker/book bin labels.  I just added them to my TPT store.  Her room was so cute and I was so jealous of it that I thought about doing it for my classroom this year as well.

 
 Name tags for Desk (with and without lines)


 ABC cards for walls....
 
 Word Word ABC Headings
 Greeting Cards to welcome kids to school
 
I am willing to do any theme.  If you would like me to make some for you...let me know your theme and what you want.
Sara

Five For Friday Linky + a freebie

Ah....I can't believe it's already Sunday!  I seriously hoped to get my Five for Friday post up on Friday this last week, but that didn't happen.  I was EXHAUSTED on Friday after a busy, emotional week.  I did A LOT of reflection this weekend thinking about the past school year.  Right now I think I could write my own version of the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.  It would start like this....If you give me a job *do my Five for Friday Post* I am going to think back to the week.  I will think about the tragedy that happened in Oklahoma this week which will make me think of the field trip tragedy in MN this week and the Sandy Hook shooting on December 14th.  It will make me think about this group of kids that I had in my class this year and how I have never before felt this emotionally connected to a group of students.  Don't get me wrong, I always feel connected to my classes, but seeing the pictures of all the children lost this year through tragedies connected to schools (shooting, tornadoes, freak field trip accidents) I have looked deeper into my students eyes and have put myself in these other teachers places.  This group will always be in my heart as I have thought over and over about what I would do if something like this happened in our school and how I would protect the babies in my class so that they would go home safely to their parents.  After reflecting upon the year, I thought about making some cards for my kiddos to tell them how special they are.  In doing that, I went to upload my cards onto TPT and saw a posting from someone asking for a specific item.  I decided on Friday night, that I would see if I could create that item....and I ended up spending all of Saturday on it.  I still hoped to get my FFF post up but after completing the packet I was making, I wondered if any other graded might be interested in the same thing...so I started one for kindergarten. 

So here goes, my Five For Friday on Sunday.  You can link up with Doodle Bugs Teaching to do the same. 
Here are my 5 random things from the week....
1.  Tuesday is Swim and Read Day at school.  On Thursday I got my classroom ready for when my students return on Tuesday.  They will be reading stories or poems in our pool throughout the day.
 
2.  I purchased a cute necklace from Sassy Steals.  It was 1/2 price and I was not intending on purchasing it, but my 9 year old was sitting next to me by the computer and saw it.  He said I had to have it because that's what I always say to him and his brother when they go to bed at night.  You can still get it here...Love-you-to-the-moon-back necklace.
 
 
3.  Track and Field was cancelled again for our first graders!   We are going to try again this week on Thursday, but the weather forecast isn't looking very promising.  Crossing our fingers.  My son was fortunate enough to have his in one of the days that I couldn't see it because we were at the zoo.  Here he is taking first place in the 100 M dash.  My hubby said no one else was even near him. It was a proud moment for me even though I wasn't there to see it. 
 
4.  Author's Tea is this week and we have been busy getting ready.  It's a red carpet theme, so our room will look like Hollywood. 
We have red curtains hanging.


And lots of things hanging from the ceilings...it's taken awhile but we are getting there.
 
5.  These past few weeks I have been frantically looking through everything I have collected from my students all year.  I always hope that I taught all my standards well enough so that my students are well prepared for 2nd grade.  This weekend I made a checklist for next year. Every page has a common core standard for math or reading on it.  Underneath the standard is a place for me to record all the activities that I taught throughout the year to cover the standards.  I am hoping that this will help me stay organized and not have to doubt myself at the end of the year next year.  I also did one for kindergarten and am working on other grade levels too.





 

 

 

 You can print them off, cut them in half, fold them and write a message to your kiddos inside them.  I am going to make a bunch of them for the school year.  I want to get better and sending my kids mail throughout the school year.
 
I hope you are having a great Memorial Day Weekend.  I am preparing myself for hearing this over and over during the next 6 days as I finish the school year.  :)
Sara