Five for Friday-May 31st!

Happy Friday night, Peeps!
PTL it is Friday! I am so darn tired! And it was a 4 day week-what the heck!

My kids were all kinds of crazy today. It probably didn't help that they started their day off with their Spring Performance (adorable, BTW), which meant we weren't able to do our Math Centers (the HORROR! I'm still twitching over it!), and it threw the whole day off! Luckily, they redeemed themselves by being absolutely GORGEOUS for their Open House photos (taken by your truly), and LOTS of Open House project making.

Which brings me to my five for Friday, courtesy of Kacey from Doodlebugs Teaching's linky party!

Okay, here we go. First up-Super Model Firsties! Could they be any more photogenic?? I mean, really!

Aren't they just ADORBS?? And I could have posted 20 more just like these~ Gotta love my 50 fixed lens from Canon. It is MAGIC!

Number 2: Welcome to RAINFOREST HELL. The week before Open House when I haven't put everything up yet. Yeah, there is stuff EVERYWHERE, and it is starting to eat my children, I think!

Oh man. I am getting the cold sweats just looking at all this. But, come Thursday, all of these rainforest projects will be up on the wall and looking fabulous! Fingers crossed...

Number 3: Red-Eyed Tree Frogs! These are one of my favorite projects to make each year. They are just too cute!

Number 4: Rainforest Mini-Me's. Each year, I ask my kids to create a Mini-Me rainforest kid that represents them in the rainforest. They do this at home with their parents, and they always come out AH-MAZING! This was the best.one.ever. Let's just call him the "Hipster" Mini-Me!

Oh yeah! Dark shades, the hipster haircut, and the handlebar mustache. LOVE IT!

Finally: Rainforest Research Reports. We have been hard at work all week on our rainforest animal research reports and today, my kids got to draw their rainforest animal as the final piece of their research report. I was FLOORED at how beautiful their artwork came out! And, this was with absolutely NO help by me (Peeps, I'm tired. I'm about arted out, for reals!)

Here the creator of the hipster rainforest dude. Isn't he so cool?? :)

I leave you with this-my girls sure know the way to my heart. Just give me jewelry and I am one happy teacher!! Who needs diamonds anyway? I got wooden beads! LOVE...

XOXO Kerri B

Jog-a-thon and research reports!

Happy Wednesday, friends!
For those of you on summer vacay already, this post will probably be meaningless and irrelevant to you, but for those of us still slogging away at school, here's whats happening in my neck of the woods! :)

We had our annual Jog-a-thon today! We have an Olympic theme every year, and First Grade represents the country of Australia. You know that cheer that the Aussie's do at sporting events? "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!" "Oy! Oy! Oy!" 
Well, we taught it to our Firsties and they walked out chanting it. It was pretty cool! I am happy to report that I ran exactly 1/2 of 1 lap. Hey, don't judge me! 
A-I was busy taking pictures of my kids with my "fancy" camera, and B-I certainly cannot be expected to teach after getting all hot and sweaty! Like that would EVER happen! :)

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the day...

Run, Firsties, Run!

Stretching it out...

Love this girl!

Besties forever!

He is very proud of his spiky hair! It lasted all through the Jog-a-thon!

After we finished with the Jog-a-thon, we were all TIRED, but Open House is next week, so no rest for the weary, right?? My kids are working on their Rainforest Animal research reports, and after doing some research at home, I have them get in groups to fill out their rainforest animal outlines (these outlines are courtesy of the girls from Made for First Grade-love them!)

Poison Dart Frogs

Jaguars

Blue Morpho Butterflies

Amazon River Dolphins

The kids thought they had died and gone to heaven during this activity! AND, since I was so worn out after running my 1/2 lap, I got to circulate and assist and help the kids research the info their were missing (AKA look it up on Wikipedia or the like...). GLORIOUS! I just love collaborative learning!! Tomorrow, we write our final drafts and then Friday we draw our diagrams. Good times!

Alright, I am totally knackered. Time for my bubble bath and some mindless TV!

XOXO Kerri B

Five for Friday...May 24th

Happy 3 day weekend, Peeps!! Kerri here...

Is anyone else as stoked as me that we have a 3 day weekend?? Well, I guess for those of you already on Summer Break, you have like a 60 day weekend (whatevs!), but for the rest of us, 3 day weekend!! WHOO HOO!!

I can't believe I missed last week's Five for Friday linky. So sad...But it's on like Donkey Kong this week PEEPS!!

First up...SLOTHS...my absolute favorite rainforest animal!

Definitely my favorite week of all the weeks I teach my Rainforest Unit. Did you know that there is a sloth called Buttercup and she is some lady's pet down in South America?? OMG!! I want one for CHRISTMAS!!

Number 2....Love is in the air!
I have a MAJOR love triangle, or maybe even a Love square going on in my classroom, and it is SERIOUSLY bugging BIG TIME!
Little Miss Thang brought in colored pencils for Mr. Man, who made a heart to give to ANOTHER girl. (How dare he??)
Meanwhile, yet another boy gave Little Miss Thang a clip-on earring he got out of a toy machine, and they were all passing notes to each other DURING my sloth art lesson. OH. NO. THEY. DIDN'T.  Yes, they in fact did, and here is the evidence...

Of course, ANOTHER boy took one of the hearts and threw it in the trash (he must be jealous), which prompted to 2 girls to stand up in the middle of the sacred SLOTH art lesson, and whisper to each other. Oh man...I was PEEVED. And then, I had to give them the "No girlfriends/boyfriends until your 24 years old, and no more love notes, GOT IT??" speech. Sheesh! It felt like Junior High in my classroom this week!

Number 3: Fabulous Firsties Self-Portraits-these are THE. BEST!

It's all about the peace signs, really...

Tiny head, GIANT shoulders...

Acessories make ALL the difference...

Name brands ARE important...

Number 4: Teacher Seeds of Happiness! This is the baby one, but I got my friend who just graduated from college to become a teacher a GINORMOUS one! I love them!

Is this not ADORABLE??

I NEED this giant one! :)

Last up... This kid cracks me up. "Sometimes my mom irks me." (Good to know...) "Sometimes I flirt with the girls." (The girls at 7-11, he told me!) HA!!

Have a happy weekend, friends!

XOXO Kerri B

Yearbook Wrap-Up, Smartie Boards, Mother's Day and Sloth Poop - A Smorgasboard of Kindergarten Goodness!

Hiya peeps!  Lindsay here . . .

Well, I just had to share some SUPER FABULOUS GRAND news . . . The. Yearbook. Is. Done!!!!!

Phew.

That was a "so-huge-I-couldn't-think-about-anything-else" kind of project.  But now . . . its . . . done!  And mark my words, this Yearbook Coordinator is hanging up her hat!  Okay, well maybe there's not really a yearbook hat that I can hang up, but I am definitely retiring from the position!!  (Hear that Newport El friends - the job is up for grabs!!).

So - let's move on to other things!

The kiddos in Room 17 have been up to lots and lots these past few weeks:

1. First, we had our "Muffins With Mom" celebration.  I told my kiddos that when their moms heard them sing their Mother's Day song they would love it so much they would cry. (Which they did, and which the kids thought was so great!!)

The moms were very touched by their little Mother's Day plates and cards and the sweet interviews each student gave about their mom.  It was a super fun, special day!


2. We got a SmartBoard!  Or a "Smartie-Board" as my students have affectionately named it.  UN-fortunately it was installed (yes, drilling and all) right smack dab in the middle of centers.  Grrrrr.  And then on top of THAT it turns out that all of my classroom computers are far too ancient to even run the SmartBoard software. 

Sooooooooooo . . . technically I guess we don't actually have a Smartie-Board.  We have a large white thingamajig taking up our white board space that the kids can't touch and the teacher can't even use. Sounds fun, right?

Anyway, I am sure SOMEDAY I will actually get the mounted projector, and the new(er) computer and the actual software to use our Smartie-Board. 

I just hope it's sooner rather than later . . . :(

3.  Open House prep.

That's right.  We have 23 more days of school, and only 17 days until Open House. O.M.G.

Needless to say we have been knee-deep in all sorts of fun Rainforest projects (many courtesy of Kerri's fantabulous Rainforest Art & Writing unit (check it out if you haven't already!).

We made our Rainforest Guide faces last week which turned out oh-so-cute.

Then this week we researched the three-toed sloth and did some writing about what we had learned.  Here are some samples:

"Sloths have very sharp claws. Sloths go potty on the forest floor." Hmmm  . .. . interesting.

"A sloth can climb with their claws. And they go potty on the forest floor."  Aack!  More about going potty????!!!

And finally . . . "Sloths have really sharp claws. Sloths can go potty on the forest floor. Sloths have algae in their fur. Sloths are really slow and furry."

Okay.  I'll admit it.  My kindergarteners are fascinated with the toileting habits of the three-toed sloth . . .

I showed a brief Jeff Corwin sloth video via Discovery Streaming and at the VEEEEEEERY end it showed a sloth climbing down a tree.  So, of course, Jeff Corwin had to make a big deal in the video about the fact that the sloth was climbing down the tree in order  to DEFICATE.  And then they showed it. Deficating.  On the forest floor. And I swear that sloth was smiling!!

I was horrified . . .and my kinders were mesmerized.

So . . . there ya go. Sloths poop on the forest floor. Who knew?  (Thanks a lot Jeff Corwin!)

Well, that's it for now folks!  Hope you have a great night!  (And for all of you already on summer break . . . I am so jealous!!!)

Good night!

Lindsay

P.S. To our friends in Oklahoma - you are in our thoughts and prayers!!

{A special thanks to Tanja Tlusty for the graphic!}

Summer! Where are yoooouuu??? (FREEBIE here...)

Hiya Peeps! Kerri here...

I have 5 weeks of school left. Five. Long. Weeks. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my kidlets and I am going to be super sad to see them go, but man, I am TIRED already! And, we are in the midst of Open House preparations, which is making me lose clumps of hair on a daily basis! I know, I know...It's my own fault. I do this to myself EVERY year, and in the end, I am always so proud of the hard work my kids put in, but the process can definitely be stressful sometimes. Anyone with me?

So, I hear that some of you are already out, or close to being finished for the year. W.H.A.T.E.V.E.R. (Can you hear how jealous I am??) We still have 5 weeks. Oh wait, I already said that. Yup, 5 weeks! Sigh...

Today, in order to psyche myself up for this last long push, I will be cutting out miles and miles of lamination from my newest creation...(cue Grease soundtrack!) Summer Lovin! (had me a blast....) Math and Literacy Centers. These babies are sure to get my kidlets in the mood for their Summer Vacay, whilst keeping them engaged and learning until the very last week of school. Here are some closer looks at all the centers included in this pack (10 in all!)....

I have a little At the Beach Summery FREEBIE for y'all, to help your kids work on sequencing events. All they do is cut out the At the Beach story strips and glue them in the correct order, and then illustrate each sentence. Easy Peasy fun for your kidlets! Click the picture below to access via google docs...

Have a wonderful week, friends!
XOXO Kerri B