Communities

The classrooms at my school are organized into pods. In my pod, we have grades 1-3. Kindergarten is in another pod, but also moves to ours for some activities. Within our pod, we have a rotation of yearly themes. This year, our theme of focus is community. Each classroom can take that focus in any direction they choose. My class has begun by studying the different types of communities: urban, suburban, and rural. We have been creating representations of the different types of communities using different art methods. 

For our Suburban art activity, each student created trees in green and also fall colors. Each student also created a house. Afterwards, we rolled out a long piece of paper and each student claimed a space. Their job was to turn the individual houses into a community project that showed a suburban neighborhood. They had to place their houses and trees in their space and could add grass, a road, clouds, etc. I am loving how it turned out overall...despite that fact that we ended up with three suns....live and learn. Next time I do this project, we will discuss ways to be more successful and only include one sun. 

For the rural area, we did a directed drawing of hills. On each hill, students were to create a pattern of stripes, swirls, circles, or whatever their heart decided. Once the landscape was done, we added fences, a farm, and animals on top of the hills. We simply colored these with crayons. We focus a lot on quality of work at our school and because of that, we will be redoing some of our farm pictures to up that quality. It's a process.

Our final community is the urban city. We looked at some pictures of big cities. We talked about the shapes we saw. We discussed the different types of buildings. Then we drew our own cities. Afterward, we got out the watercolor paints and the details came alive. I am loving these. Most of my friends did an amazing job!

Next week, I hope to wrap all of our community learning up and move on to something new.   

Math Fun with Balloons

The kiddos in my class keep running across the balloons I had in my closet and were wanting to break them open and take one. I keep telling them that I have them for activities. So last week I was trying to think of a fun and easy way to use them. That's when I had the idea that we could use them to practice the money skills we have been working to master. I gave each pair of students a balloon. They had to try to keep it up in the air and each time one of them hit the balloon they would say the next number that you count when counting by 5's (nickels). If they dropped the balloon, they had to start again. After a couple of super-engaged minutes, each pair got a chance to tell me their highest score. Then we switched it and did the same thing counting by 10's (dimes). To say they had fun was an understatement. I held onto the balloons for a couple of days. At the end of day two, I gave each student their own balloon which had some coins inside. They had to pop the balloon and then  they used an exit ticket to tell me which coins were inside, the value of each coin, and the total of all coins. It was quick, it was simple, and sometimes the simple ideas are the best ideas. For less than a buck we practiced skills we needed to in a fun way and got students laughing, interacting with each other, and totally engaged. What's better than that? 

Nature Journals & Scavenger Hunts

When I was engrossed in my master's degree program, nature journaling was a huge part of it. My master's is in outdoor education so we kept field journals full of notes, sketches, and watercolor paintings. That journal has since disappeared somewhere in my mementos, I am sure. But those classes, those moments sitting quietly, soaking nature in by streams, in fields, and by simple planters got me thinking about how this could make a difference in my classroom and with my students. 

In the years since, I have done nature journaling with some classes and not with others. I loved the times that I did do nature journaling and the students seemed to as well. This is a great activity that can enhance observation techniques and documentation skills. It is a reflective activity that brings those tech overloaded students a way to connect again with nature. 

Statistics show that today's children are outdoors less than ever before. While they spend hours staring at a screen each day, the average student spends merely a handful of minutes in unstructured outdoor activities. Despite the research that shows the way students with ADHD and other disorders are impacted positively with a few minutes in nature, students are kept inside, locked in their learning indoors. 

Why can't they go out and experience the calming effect of nature? Why aren't they being allowed to garden, play, walk, and yes, journal in the great outdoors? Students and all people need this connection to nature as it reduces stress and gives a sense of peace. 

This year I have moved to a new school. At our school, we are creating a lot of outdoor learning environments. We have an osprey pole that is waiting for nesting season and an osprey family to build it's first nest. We have a bat house. A pond with an island and dock are situated at the back of our property. A trail has just been blazed through our wooded area. You guys, I am so excited about all that is happening. I have big plans for these gifts our school has been given. But even if your school is in a city with little natural areas, most schools do have flower boxes or shrubs, trees, or even picnic areas. Get those students out of the class. You will never regret it.

Here is a collection of resources to help me along the way. You can also check them out on TPT by clicking on the names below.


Bug Journal

Nature Journal

Scavenger Hunt

I am getting ready to brush off my nature journaling resources and get my students out there to connect with nature again or maybe for the first time. I can't wait to combat their nature deficit disorder with a touch of nature. What about you?

Pop Math Game Fun

The beginning of the year is a great time to spend some time reviewing skills. I needed to spend a couple of weeks reviewing these basic skills to get a feel for where my students were at the beginning of our year together. I was looking for a fun and engaging way to practice tally marks. I found a few ideas, but wanted another game to throw in the mix. That's when I created this simple Pop math review game. It's quick, easy, and will keep your students engaged while you  work with small groups. Check it out over here. 

The First Ten Minutes

As students enter my classroom for the very first time, I know how they are feeling. They are filled up with butterflies tickling inside them. They are nervous and often times do not know anyone else. They need to be able to quickly find a seat and have something do do that is easy and can clam their nerves while other classmates arrive and until class starts. With that in mind, I have created this fun little activity called Me, Myselfie, and I. It is perfect for the transition into the classroom on the first day of school. Students can decorate and color the front to look like them. Inside, they can tell a little about themselves by completing one of three different activity choices. 

Once the activity is completed, make sure to allow students to share in small groups or with the class. As an added bonus, you can quickly turn this into your first bulletin board of the year with the included letter set that spell out the words, "Oh snap! What a picture-perfect class!" and these cute little "selfies". It's quick, it's easy, it's perfect on day one or any time during the first few weeks.

Classroom Decor Debut

With the start of school around the corner, classroom decor is on the mind of teachers everywhere. I am pleased to introduce My four newest classroom decor sets and show off an old favorite as well.

1. Boho Llama Decor Set
Llamas are popping up in classroom decor everywhere. This is a boho llama set that has muted, boho colors and llamas.

2. Into the Wild Decor Set
Bring the outside in with this stunning nature-themed decor set. This set is sure to add a calm feel to your classroom. Perfect for your little nature lovers!

3. Selfie Decor Set
What student isn't obsessed with selfies? This quirky camera set is a fun way to bring the love of photography and selfies into your class! 

 This is one of the different name plates included in the set.

This is a pink ombre binder cover. It also comes in blue.

This is one of the other binder designs included. It comes in blue as well.

 4. Superhero Decor Set
Superheros are always a classroom favorite. This set has boy and girl superheros. Students will rise to superhero status with this fun set that will inspire the hero in everyone. 

5. Llama Llama Decor Set
This is my best seller. It came out last year just in time for the start of class. It's a fun llama decor in bright colors. The lime green, pink, and navy will brighten up your classroom with lots of fun. 

Boho Llama Decor Bundle

New things are about to happen in my TPT store and I am so excited about it. I have several new decor sets coming out this month, just in time for school. Before I post the new sets, I want to introduce my Boho Llama Set. This set has been up in several pieces for a while now. I am getting everything bundled together and hope to have the full bundle up this weekend. I absolutely love it. A few people have somehow stumbled across some of the pieces that I have up on TPT and are already enjoying them. 

How cute is this alpha banner? Seriously, I absolutely LOVE this style...and the colors have me swooning!

Another look at a small sample of the alpha banner. You can also see some of the positive notes home resting on the little shelf. Love using little notes like this to let parents know that I see the good in their babies. 

These are a couple of the different binder covers that I have for this set. There are six different styles in all, and they are so llama-licious. 

Just a quick peek at the overall look of the set. You can really tie it in with so many different color combinations. You can see a little view of the calendar set as well on the floor in the picture below. 

Love this sweet calendar bulletin board with hanging pieces.

An up close view of the positive notes home.

If you are interested in snagging the full decor set, be on the lookout for its debut this weekend. I will update with a post here. 

Update: My Boho Llama Decor set is now available here.