Reflections on 2015

Good Morning!

As I sit and think about what to write for this post, I can't help but be a little shocked at all the things that I have done this year...in a good way of course. I am a very shy person outside of my little bubble of friends and family. Last year I was a new mom to my beautiful baby girl trying to figure out how to be a mom, wife, teacher, friend, person, etc. It was overwhelming and then on top of all that I decided to step way outside of my little bubble which is what is so shocking to me.

One year ago a good friend encouraged and helped me get this blog up and running. It was so far out of my element I didn't think it would last, but as you can see so far so good. Then a few months later she invited me, the rookie blogger, to be a part of the amazing Hello Sunshine Blog. For some reason unknown to me I said yes. Why not throw another blog in the mix. As it turns out that was a smart decision, those ladies are amazing and have been so welcoming and encouraging over this last year. Even when I miss a post or freak out because I feel like I have nothing to say, they are still there to pick me up and keep me going.

Around the time that I joined Hello Sunshine, I also got an instagram account to go along with my personal blog. Now lets keep in mind that at this point I still barely know how to blog and still don't understand all the parts of Facebook but I signed up anyway. Oh my goodness I had no idea the world that would open up for me. I have gotten so many great ideas and come across so many amazing teachers on instagram that its mind boggling. From there I was introduced to Periscope. That is even more amazing. I love watching teachers share ideas and tips on there. My personal favorite is Ashley from Schroeder Shenanigans in Second. She has some great tips and tricks. I still have yet to do a Periscope myself but who knows what 2016 will bring.

All of these things are amazing to me. I have never put myself out there like I have with the blogging and instagram. I am so grateful for Mrs 3rd Grade for encouraging and helping me along this journey and for the ladies of Hello Sunshine. I am achieving things that I never dreamed were possible thanks to the journey that are helping me walk along. Thank you to all the other teachers out there who have shared ideas, triumphs, and failures with all of us. It is more encouraging and uplifting than you could possibly know.

My final thoughts are of my goals for this next year. My goals are to become more consistent in my blogging for both my personal and Hello Sunshine. My other goal would be to attempt a Periscope. I would love to find the courage to let you all see me as I share something fun that I do with my kiddos. We will see how long it takes to find the courage.

Thanks for reading my ramblings. Have a wonderful New Year's Eve and a beautiful beginning to 2016!

Ashley

Peek at my Week: Christmas Week 1

Hello Again!

I can not believe that we just finished celebrating Thanksgiving or that I only have 14 and a half teaching days until Christmas break!! That seems crazy to me!

I do love this time of year though no matter how quickly it seems to come or how crazy it can get. There are just so many fun things to do in the classroom and I absolutely love Christmas and celebrating with Christmas activities. Thankfully may teaching partner and our third grade teacher friends love it just as much as I do because we have teamed up on some awesome activities for this month. To show you what we will be doing I usually link up with Mrs. Wills Kindergarten for her peek at my week linky but it is not happening this week. I am still going to share my plans and some of the fun we are having just because I am so excited.

We begin our festivities tomorrow with Elf on the Shelf. Our Elf Cocoa (we named our elves to save a little sanity this season) will make his appearance somewhere in the room introducing himself with a special note. We will be writing letters to our elves that we will leave out for our elves to take tomorrow night. The kids will have to write the top three things that they want and then the three reasons why they feel they deserve those presents. We will then team up with our third grade friends to make an elf and watch the Elf on the Shelf movie.

On Wednesday we team up with our third grade friends again to begin Christmas Around the World. We will visit 6 countries over the next three week. We have a book, passports, luggage, etc. to make it all as fun and interesting as possible for the kids.

On Thursday we will be reading Mooseltoe and finishing up our Mooseltoe themed math centers. We will also partner with our third grade friends to make Mooseltoe and watch a Christmas classic: Rudolph.

As you can see we have some exciting activities planned and this is only the beginning of the fun that will be coming. My lesson plans are below and any packets that I am using will have links underneath my plans.

Mooseltoe Math and Literacy Activities
The Nativity
Second Step
Christmas Around the World

Have a great week!

Ashley

Currently: November

Hi!

I can not believe it is already November 1st! Where did October go? I love this time of year but it definitely goes by quickly.

This afternoon I am linking up with Farly over at Oh Boy Fourth Grade for her Currently linky.

I love that the Hallmark channel begins playing Christmas movies on November 1st and plays them all day and night until Christmas. Its my favorite time of year!

I am also so very excited that cooler weather is finally making its way to Arizona. It is now finally starting to feel like fall here. I'm hoping that the temp will drop even lower so I can pull out my sweaters and boots.

My want and need are the same today. I want another day to rest and relax to get over this bug. Both my daughter and I have it. I'm hoping I feel better tomorrow when I head back to the classroom. If not it will be a very long day.

I have not really eaten a whole lot this weekend but I love all the yummy pumpkin treats that come out during this time of year. I am a big pumpkin fan!

Have a wonderful week!

Ashley

Hello Sunshine

Good Evening!

Tonight I blogged over at Hello Sunshine about a few of the fun Halloween math activities that we have been working on this month. Go check them out if you can and look at all the other posts from my awesome friends about their favorite math activities or teaching tools.

Ashley

Peek at my Week: Week 10

Hello Again!

I am returning again to join DeeDee Wills at Mrs. Wills Kindergartern for her Peek at my Week linky. Come join us if you can!

 Last week we ended our pioneer unit and we always end with a Pioneer Day. It was so much fun but it was incredibly exhausting. I wrote a post about it yesterday, feel free to read through that and see the adventures we had.

This week will thankfully be a little calmer than last week. This week we will be studying bats in science. We will be using two different packets to complete that unit. It will be lots of fun. We will also be celebrating our 50th day of school this Friday. Our 50th Day is actually Thursday but we pushed the celebrations to Friday because we were able to get a 50's Dress day approved. I work at a private school where students wear uniforms, so Halloween dress or shirts aren't allowed. Having a 50's Day helps alleviate some of the frustrations over that.

Here are my plans for the week. Links to all the packets you see on the plans are below the image.

Bats: Math and Literacy Activities
Thankful Thoughts
Number Sense to 100
The Pumpkin Prayer
Pioneer Unit
Bat Bits
50's Day: Activities for the 50th Day of School
Candy Corn Mathtivities

Have a wonderful week!

Ashley

Pioneer Activities

Hi Everyone!

Yesterday was our Pioneer Day. We host this awesome day for our first graders every year at the end of their pioneer unit. It is crazy, super exhausting, but completely worth it when you see how much fun the kids have in their activities. This event is also made possible by the wonderful parents we have at our school and in our classes who step up and help us run the centers.

All our festivities start at lunch and go to the end of the day. We have a dad come on campus and grill hot dogs for our lunch. We pair that with popcorn, apple slices, and cookies. Once they have eaten and had a recess break we split the first graders into 4 teams. Each team will visit all 4 centers: Pioneer Chores/Cooking, Pioneer Games, Pioneer Crafts, and Pioneer School.

In Pioneer School the kids use feathers and ink to write the alphabet on hornbooks. Then they use rocks to help them solve math problems. They will also read a pioneer story book and have fun with a mini spelling bee.

At the Pioneer Crafts center they complete 2 crafts. First they make a mini wagon with popsicle sticks and paper. Then they make a yarn doll. This center takes the most volunteers because of the yarn dolls. The kiddos do great with the yarn wrapping, but the tying of the doll is difficult for them.

For Pioneer Games they have fun with Wagon Wheel races, hot potato, duck goose, musical chairs, and they drop clothes pins in jar while pinching it between their chin and chest. We do provide music for this center using a cd player because neither of us can play a fiddle.

Pioneer Chores/Cooking is the favorite. Several years ago a dad at our school built us a wooden goat that he rigged to be milked. His wife covered it with faux fur and gave it ears, eyes, and a mouth. The first class to have the goat for Pioneer Day named it Snowball and the name has stuck. This center is probable my favorite to because of the goat. It is amazing how little aim first graders have. Poor Snowball is usually soaked after being milked, yet the bucket is typically empty. They also have fun washing clothes using a washboard and then hanging them on the line. They sweep, collect wood for a fake fire, and then finish by making ice cream.

At the end of the day we have very happy but tired children. We also have very exhausted grown ups. It is so worth it though watching them have fun in each group all dressed up like little pioneers. I have included a few pictures below.

Thanks for reading!

Ashley

Peek at my Week: Week 9

Hello!

Well fall break as come to an end and we are now returning to what I feel is the craziest part of the year. We have 5 weeks until Thanksgiving break and in that time we have our PT conferences, Pioneer Day, book fair and the activities that go with that week, Thanksgiving units, and our 50th day of school celebrations. It is all a lot of fun but it is a little crazy and exhausting as well.

I am excited to be sharing all these things with you this year. I am going to give you a glimpse as I link up with DeeDee Wills at Mrs. Wills Kindergarten for her Peek at my Week linky.

Prior to fall break we had been in our second week of our pioneer unit. We had a lot of fun that week. We started by learning how to Square Dance. They had so much fun! We then talked about the types of homes that Pioneers would build when they got to their new land. We then learned about patterning as we made our quilt squares from different size triangles. Some kids were very serious about their squares. Others were very free in their pattern creations. At the end we made a lumber house and added our own artistic touches to the picture. Those are now hanging on my classroom wall. The kids did a great job with them. Here are a few pics of them in action.

This week will be even bigger though. We are closing our pioneer unit. To close the unit we have a Pioneer Day. This is a day where they come to school dressed as pioneers and we go through centers with pioneer activities: games, crafts, school, and chores/cooking. We also have a first grade only barbecue before the fun begins. The kids love it because it is a special, fun event just for them. Little do they know they are actually learning as they go. Look for a post this Friday with some fun stories and pics about how the day goes.

That is are biggest activity/lessons this week. The rest of our plans are laid out on the plans below. The links to all the files you see can be found below the image.

Number Sense to 100
Pioneer Unit
Thankful Thoughts

Have a wonderful week!!

Ashley