Open House Photo Dump!

Happy Saturday, Peeps! Kerri here...

Boy! Have I been MIA or what!?! I am STILL. IN. SCHOOL. Peeps! GAH! 5 more days, 5 more days, 5 more days...(It's kinda like a mantra...)

Open House was a little over a week ago and I meant to post photos of the finished product, BUT I also had the overwhelming desire to lay around and veg, so that won out! 

Open House was FABULOUS!! This year, to add to the ambiance,  I wore my parrot dress...

and found Rainforest sounds on iTunes to play while the families entered our rainforest and explored. Here is what they saw (caution-massive photo dump commencing!)...

All of this rainforest goodness can be found in my TPT store, if you are looking forward to next year's Open House theme!! 

Well, I'm off to get my Downton Abbey/Treadmill on. Downton makes exercise soooo much better!!

XOXO Kerri B

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

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!}