Wordle

We were tagged recently by Mrs. T to create a Wordle. Our Wordle is a collection of the words that have most recently been used on this blog. We love that family and fun show up the largest because that is exactly what this blog is about!

Here is how to create your own Wordle Meme:
1. Create a Wordle from your blog's RSS feed.
2. Blog it and describe your reaction. Any surprises?
3. Tag others to do the same.
4. Be sure to link back here and to where you were first tagged.
5. Create different Wordle clouds of your blog's RSS over a period of time. Do it once a month for the next year to capture the spirit of the times.

Holiday Break Ideas!

Decorate you own virtual gingerbread man for the holidays at this fun sight.

Another fun sight is Elf Yourself. You'll just need head shots (photos) of your family or friends to make a videos that will have your family laughing!

Track Santa on Christmas Eve or play some of the fun games on the Kids countdown page.

Holiday FUN!

Our last days before the holiday were filled with all of the fun and exciting activites that provide snapshots and memories that will last a lifetime. Enjoy some of the memories below!

We would each like to say a very special thank you to the class for your very generous holiday gifts. It'll be a shopping bonanza! We did call Santa right before we left school to let him know that all the TDs should be on the "VERY GOOD" list! He wasn't one bit surprised
Until next year,
Mrs.Daniels, Mrs. Timmons, Mrs. Ruark and Mrs. T

Holiday Homework

Make sure to ask your child to sing the sight words below to the tune of Jingle Bells! Great practice for saying the words!

To the tune of Jingle Bells

flower
bird

children
grow

mother
of
all
call

paper
so
she
try
first
love

today
her
funny
cat

picture
these

people
fly

father
see
five
fall

family
friend
eat
every
room

our
world
a
blue
green
house

Happy Birthday, Mrs. Daniels!

We celebrated Mrs. Daniels birthday today with a cookie cake and our handmade cards. Wishing you the best... and many more!

Green

Our December Book-of-the-Month is When Santa Turned Green. It's a wonderful story for children about global warming. The message is that each child can do their part in making a difference. Mrs. Phillips challenged each class to do their part by coming up with "green ideas." Visit their web site to see what other children are doing around the world.


Among other things, our class decided to plant a tree to replace many of the trees that are being lost. The children carried the oak tree outside and all helped to dig a hole.


They covered the hole, pruned and watered the tree.



Finally, each child was given a chance to mash all the dirt with their fingers to make sure the water absorbed into the ground!
Below they made their pledge to do their part.


Leave a comment and let us know what are you and your child are doing to make a greener world?

Sometimes You Have To Get Dirty

You may have noticed Tracy Ruark, who has been in our classroom for several weeks now. She is spending time with us and we are expecting she will be taking over when Mrs. Timmons goes on maternity leave. From this except, you will realize what a treat our students are in for!

Mrs. Ruark... I have to admit that my first lesson in front of Randi Timmons and Cathy Daniels was a bit nerve racking. But after admitting I took a couple of soil classes in college Cathy announced to the class that Mrs. Ruark has a degree in soils (my actual degrees are in Geography/Environmental Conservation and International Relations/Soviet Studies). It was then immediately determined that I should teach a lesson to the class on soils. I thought to myself, “Oh boy, I’m in big trouble!”

The night before my lesson I was really concerned about engaging the children. I prepared a number of different things only to place them on the chopping block. My husband’s advice was to see science as an action like a verb instead of a noun. I was aware of the 5 E model that is used to teach Science at Chets Creek and I was determined to, at the very least, create an exciting hook so the kids would be jazzed about science.

Finally, after hours of surfing on the Internet with my pug snoring at my feet, it came to me…just be myself animated and nutty, kind of like a cross between Bill Nye and Deb Rossignol. So I did just that. I let my mind roam back to my childhood and remembered a Sunday morning when I was about seven or eight and I was walking the top rail above the pig pen dressed in my finest clothes on my uncle’s farm in Iowa. Gravity did the rest. Needless to say, I was fully engaged with the soil, and other things.

So I decided to reenact the event and cover myself in mud from head to toe. And that is exactly what I did. I burst into the classroom and shouted excitedly, “Guys, I really need your help. Mrs. Phillips has asked me to go out and find different kind of soil that would be good for growing plants. I have been digging in the dirt around Chet’s Creek and have been unsuccessful. The job is just too big! I need help! So, I need you to help me look.”

The kids immediately blurted out, “What happened to you?” I knew they were hooked! What followed was an amazing dirt digging, soil gathering, slide making extravaganza. After coming inside we explored the slides under the doc-cam and the kids made wonderful observations about dirt (actually humus, clay and sand). The children stayed engaged for the whole lesson. I knew then, at least in some small way, that I had contributed to the building of new schema within our students. It feels pretty good to go with your gut and have it work out. I owe a huge thanks to Kathy and Randi for letting me be me, an animated and nutty dirt doctor.