Ice, Ice, Baby!

I love, love, love 1st grade after Christmas! I love it before, too, but after Christmas, magic happens. If you teach 1st grade, you know what I mean. The kiddos really start "getting it" and it is so fun to watch their excitement in learning new things. They explode with learning and wanting to learn. We can do so much more and stretch their brains in so many new ways.

We hit the ground running our first few days back, but they had no idea because it was so fun! We did a hibernating/arctic unit. WE did experiments just about every day and they LOVE experiments!

We did some activities that I have done in the past, but we also did something new that I really loved.

We started off the week learning about hibernation. We read my hibernating comprehension sheet from my January Printables packet.

They love these comprehension passages because they are learning all kinds of new things. I love it because they are reading, learning new vocabulary, pulling out key points, tearing apart text, answering questions and so much more.

We read many books on the subject, including Bear Snores On and Bear Wants More to compare winter and spring bears. http://www.amazon.com/Bear-Snores-On-Karma-Wilson/dp/0689831870

Then we did an experiment to see what happens to bears if they don't hibernate.

 I put a pat of butter in water inside the baby food jar. The hibernating bear sits there sleeping away like he is supposed to. The awake bear decided not to go to sleep for the winter and he gallivants around exploring and playing during the winter.

 We pass the awake bear around telling what he is doing and shaking the jar.

 By the end, the kids are tired, just like the bear. The butter has broken up. I relate it to the fat of the bear. If he is up and moving around then he loses his stored fat much more quickly. He gets tired and hungry and might not make it through the winter. The hibernating bear stays warm and cozy because his stored fat breaks down slowly and lasts all winter. The kids LOVE this and really understand.

We also did our melting ice experiment. When we talk about polar bears, we also talk about how the ice is melting in the arctic. This is due in large part to pollution so we talk about the importance of picking up our trash and never throwing trash out the window, etc.

I freeze two big blocks of ice. I put on block in a container of plain water. In teh other one, I pour lots of salt into the water. This year, our classroom must have been extra warm. The fresh water ice block melted in 2 and a half hours and the salt water ice block melted in 3 and half hours. That's the fastest yet!

The next experiment came from Kristin Smith at A Day in First Grade. We had been talking about the arctic region. We watched the video about how igloos are built. Then I gave each child their supplies (paper plate, small cup, spoon, marshmallows, and frosting) and told them to create their own igloo. I didn't give them any instructions. I wanted to see what they would come up with on their own.Some of them started out just like I would by covering the cup with frosting and sticking the marshmallows on. Others, tried not to use the cup and tried stacking the marshmallows. Others put the frosting directly ont he marshmallow. Some didn't know how to start and had to look to friends for help. Others got frustrated because I didn't tell them how. It was a good learning experience and helped them to think outside the box and use their own brains instead of mine. :)

And their very favorite! Our classroom snowman!

 He also melted very quickly, in about 4 hours. They thought he was awesome, and wanted me to bring him back every day. This one is easy peasy. Just freeze water in balloons, making sure you have a small, medium, and large. When you are ready to build him, just pull off the balloon and you have 3 snowballs. Use a little salt to help stick the balls together. I used construction paper for his pieces. That worked just fine. Then set him in a container and watch what happens.

We loved the last 2 weeks. I can't wait for the rest of the year!

Be fun and fabulous!

~Mrs. Sweeney

Terrible Blogger!

So yeah, I am a terrible blogger, it seems! I fill my life with a ton of stuff to stay busy, but maybe a little too busy!

Let's catch up.

I love my class this year, but have a few little, I mean huge, challenges. We are making it through though. I love them all and want them all to succeed and do well, even though they are hard. I do want to take a nap everyday though, if that tells you anything. :)

Right now I have 2 full time assistants. Thankfully, I don't mind people in my room. I just do what I do . They can laugh at all my dumbness. Haha. I do!

I am starting my last semester of Grad School! Did you hear that?! I am starting my last semester of Grad School! I graduate in May! It really hasn't been bad at all, but it will be good to get done. It'll be one less thing on my plate. Yeah, right! Who am I kidding, I live to be busy and full. I'll just add something else to replace it. My whole family thinks I'll go back and get my Doctorate before too long. I say no. We'll see. I do like learning.

My oldest kiddo just got a car. What!? Yes. How did that happen?! He still has his Learner's Permit, but this car fell into our lap and is perfect for him, so why not give him lots of practice now. He loves it and is driving us everywhere. It is newer than mine though and much nicer, so I am jealous.

My youngest started Middle School. He hates dislikes it. Probably cuz he doesn't get to be with his mommy anymore. I know that is devastating. ;) Really though, he would rather be in the gym. He already spends more time there than he does at home. Gymnasts rock.

I get to teach summer school this summer. Yes, I am excited for it. I am weird. I just can't wait to give those kiddos a head start. Plus, again, I like to be busy. Might as well be helping children while I am it, right?

Ok, I think we've caught up enough. Maybe next time I'll do a real teaching type blog post. I love, love, love this time of year because they are just exploding with their knowledge and learning. Plus, there are so many fun themes to teach.

In fact, I am excited because I have my February Printables pack done and I got to look at all the things we will be learning. Cuteness and fun are coming up! Anyway, since I am done with the packet so early, I am giving it to you for $1 off through the month of January. It'll go back to full price in February. If you have my other packs, you will love this one, too. I added a few more pages and already have some new things in mind for March. Check it out and get it while it's cheaper!

Be fun and Fabulous!

~Mrs.Sweeney

Fun and Fabulous!

Write the Room August to June is done!! Over 200 pages of awesome ELA and Math Write the Room Sets. I love, love, love it!

Kiddos love to “write the room”! This product is perfect at center time for both Literacy and Math. Just print, cut, and “hide” words around the room for a fun way to get kids writing, learning vocabulary, and practicing skills.

This product includes:
August: Back to School, Friends, Short Vowels, Colors, and Shapes
September: Apples, Rhyming, Punctuation, Number Words, Addition Dice, Ten Frames
October: Fall, Pumpkins, Halloween, Nouns, Ten Frame Addition, Odd & Even
November: Thanksgiving, Nouns & Verbs, Syllables, Sentences, Tally Marks, Counting On
December: Christmas, Nouns, Verbs, & Adjectives, Long & Short Vowels, Sentences & Punctuation, Numbers Before & After, Making Ten
January: Winter, Contractions, Black History, Polar Habitat, 3-D Shapes
Fractions
February: Groundhog Day, Dental, Valentine’s Day, Presidents Day, Commas,
Fact Families, Word Problems
March: St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Dr. Seuss, Compound Words, Tens & Ones,
Adding 3 Numbers
April: Spring, Insects, Earth Day, Weather, Subtraction, Measurement
May: Families, Space, Field Day, ABC Order, 2 Digit Addition, Unknown Numbers
June: Summer, Beach, Farm, Mixed Up Sentences, Time, Ten More, Ten Less,
One More, One Less

Here are some of the cute newest pages for you to see.

Kiddos love to “write the room”! This product is perfect at center time for both Literacy and Math. Just print, cut, and “hide” words around the room for a fun way to get kids writing, learning vocabulary, and practicing skills.

This product includes:
August: Back to School, Friends, Short Vowels, Colors, and Shapes
September: Apples, Rhyming, Punctuation, Number Words, Addition Dice, Ten Frames
October: Fall, Pumpkins, Halloween, Nouns, Ten Frame Addition, Odd & Even
November: Thanksgiving, Nouns & Verbs, Syllables, Sentences, Tally Marks, Counting On
December: Christmas, Nouns, Verbs, & Adjectives, Long & Short Vowels, Sentences & Punctuation, Numbers Before & After, Making Ten
January: Winter, Contractions, Black History, Polar Habitat, 3-D Shapes
Fractions
February: Groundhog Day, Dental, Valentine’s Day, Presidents Day, Commas,
Fact Families, Word Problems
March: St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Dr. Seuss, Compound Words, Tens & Ones,
Adding 3 Numbers
April: Spring, Insects, Earth Day, Weather, Subtraction, Measurement
May: Families, Space, Field Day, ABC Order, 2 Digit Addition, Unknown Numbers
June: Summer, Beach, Farm, Mixed Up Sentences, Time, Ten More, Ten Less,
One More, One Less

Set 1: August to December is available for purchase.
Set 2: January to June is also available for purchase.

Back to School TpT Sale!

Woohoo! I love sales and I know you do, too! Teachers Pay Teachers is having a back to school sale Aug 3-5, 2015 and most sellers will have their stuff on sale for 20% off, too.  It's a great time to get new products for the new year. Go have fun shopping and let me know your favorite purchases. Use code BTS15.

Don't forget to check out my newest packet. It's already half price and then the sale on top of it will make it an excellent deal. A whole year of literacy and math write the room centers for a low, low price! Get it now!

Be fun and Fabulous!

~Mrs. Sweeney

Where, oh, where did summer go?

Summer gets faster every year. My to do list was a mile long, but I think I only marked off 3 things. How does that happen? I spent most of the summer just trying to rest my shoulder from my injury. Plus, I doubled up on Grad school so I had twice the workload thrown into 2 months. I will be done early though, so I am happy about that.

My classroom is ready to go, I've got my new class list, and I'm ready to start a new year with new, fabulous kiddos. At the moment, I only have 16 on my roster. Let's see how long that lasts.

One thing I've done this summer is my favorite packet yet! I am so excited for it. My kiddos love to "write the room" and I try to put that as a center each week. I am really into themed learning and want to coordinate everything about what we are learning, the time of year, and the skills. I also wanted to let them "write the room" for math, and there just wasn't much out there. So I decided to make a packet that works for me and fits all of that criteria. I am happy to say that I have the first whole half of the year done and ready to go. I will be adding the second half later as a growing bundle, so you can get it now for half price! This means that you can re-download when I get the 2nd half of the year finished for free.

I can't wait to use it, and I hope it helps you as well.

Right now this product includes:

August: Back to School, Friends, Short Vowels, Colors, and Shapes
September: Apples, Rhyming, Punctuation, Number Words, Addition Dice, Ten Frames
October: Fall, Pumpkins, Halloween, Nouns, Ten Frame Addition, Odd & Even
November: Thanksgiving, Nouns & Verbs, Syllables, Sentences, Tally Marks, Counting On
December: Christmas, Nouns, Verbs, & Adjectives, Long & Short Vowels, Sentences & Punctuation, Numbers Before & After, Making Ten

Here are some of the cute pages for you to catch a glimpse.

Vocabulary work

phonics work

                                                                             Math

                                                                  Sentences and Punctuation

                                                            More math

                                                                     and so much more!

Each one has 12 word cards and a recording sheet that actually makes them think. :)

Hooray for the start of school. I hope your year is fabulous!

~Mrs. Sweeney

Life

Life sure gets in the way of things sometimes, doesn't it?  Last time I blogged, I told you I would tell about the ordeal I had had that weekend. Well, I didn't get around to it because it turned into a much bigger ordeal than I could have imagined. Let me start at the beginning.

At the end of January, my teaching friend and I were supposed to go to another writing/math training so we could bring back what we learned to our school. The night before it snowed. Here in Tennessee that is a big deal. A tiny bit of snow wreaks havoc on our roads, grocery stores, schools, etc. We just aren't prepared. I think it's funny because I grew up in the west where it snows feet at a time. :) The next morning I wake up and check to make sure that the training is still on. I didn't have an email, so I prepared to go. My friend came and picked me up and we were on our way. Less than a mile from my house, we got to see firsthand why Tennesseeans freak out over winter weather.

We were about to pass the fire station, when suddenly we started sliding. We slid to the left, to the right, back to the left, and then turned around backwards. Both of us expected the tires to catch on dy ground any second. Nope. We see us sliding towards the edge of a creek bed into a creek that is full of icy water. I'll never forget that image, that's for sure. We went over the ledge, I forced myself to relax so the impact wouldn't be as bad. I had always heard that drunk drivers don't get hurt in car accidents because they are so relaxed. I figured it was a good strategy. Then suddenly, we slammed really hard and wedged into 2 trees. Thank goodness for those 2 trees. If not for them, we would have been upside down in the freezing creek.

After we hit, I looked to the left and saw the water less than a foot away. Then I looked right and a fireman was already at my window talking on his walkie talkie. We crashed directly across the street from the Fire Department and they just happened to be outside working on their truck! They pulled us out and did everything for us. If it had to happen, it couldn't have happened in a better place!

 Notice how close and high the water is!

We seemed to be fine after the wreck. We got to sit in the warm Fire Department for 3 hours while they tried to get the car out. It took 2 different tow trucks and several different towing cables (they kept breaking) to get it out. They finally had to pull it straight up into the air. Crazy!

I was totally fine. I was definitely sore within 30 minutes, but was good. I even went grocery shopping that night. I noticed that I kept holding my left arm funny, but it didn't hurt, so I couldn't figure out why. Then I noticed that I was sleeping very carefully with my left side super close and protected against my body, while my right side was willy nilly everywhere. After the 3rd day, the pain set in. I had definitely hurt something in my left shoulder.

I got into the doctor and had an MRI. Verdict- partial tear in my rotator cuff with severe inflamation and tendonitis. Yuck! I started physical therapy. I could move my shoulder pretty well, even above my head, but I was in constant pain. The PT started off strong, thinking it wouldn't take more than 3-5 weeks to get me good to go.

Nope, I have now been in PT for 9 weeks and I am not one bit better. I went back to the doctor and had a cortisone shot. Everyone told me it would be a miracle cure. Nope. It lowered the inflammation SOMETIMES, but I am no better. Sigh. They started talking surgery. Wah.

We are on Spring Break this week. I have spent 3 of the 4 days at the doctor. They sent me back for an MRI again. This time of my neck. I started having numbness, weakness, and my hand keeps turning blue. Maybe this will show something. Probably not though, since I can't seem to do anything easy. We'll see.

Needless to say, I haven't been around because pain is not my friend. I am barely making it each day. I have had to do this blog post in 5 different sessions today. Work is horrible, but thankfully I love my job, and am good at pushing through and dying later. :)

I've done some fun things though. We had a Family Fluency Night. As soon as I get around to downloading pics from my camera, I will show you. I loved it! We have done great activities in class. I am in the middle of my Masters Program. I am a coach for future teachers. I am competing in a quartet contest in 2 weeks, and so much more. Life still goes on, pain or not. My youngest, Crazy Boy, also turns 11 on Saturday! What?! How am I this old? :)

I have managed to get my last homework packet completed though. :) Here it is if you need it. I really, really want to get on of my  monthly printables packets done too. Darn shoulder really messed up my TpT plans! We'll see if I get to it. Hopefully, pain-free days will be coming soon!

Be Fun and Fabulous Even in Pain! :)

~Mrs. Sweeney