Philanthropy

Our class had a visit from Imagine Children's Museum, our amazing local Children's Museum.

The wonderful volunteer read the story, One Hen about an African boy that recieved a small loan to buy a chicken.  What he did was incredible (BTW...it's a true story!)

To see the book click {HERE}.

The Museum gave us a copy of the book and $10.00 to find a way to help others.

As a class, we decided to collect food for our local food bank. 

Wow...and this isn't even all of it.

The kids had a chance to learn about kindness and giving during the Holidays.

A Moment of Silence for Sandy Hook

My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone touched by this tragedy...

Fruit Loop Multiplication

We have been learning about how arrays help us learn our multiplication facts.

Better yet...they help us to understand that it is just repeated addition.

You should have seen the relief on their precious little faces...like, wow, I already know how to add.

Anyway...it was fun and they learned a lot!

We started off the morning by cleaning our tables and sanitizing our hands, because we have had a nasty bug going around that will knock you out for a week (or more!)

They all got a bunch of fruit loops and were told they needed to eat the broken ones and the doubles (you know the ones that stick together when you buy the knock off fruit loops?)

Yummy...

Then I called out different mulitiplication facts...

6 X 4 OR 4 X 6

They needed to use different colors to show their groups.

2 X 6

3 X 3

As we worked we filled out a sheet.

They had to:

• Write the equation
• Label the equation
• draw their array
• write the equation again

Sorry the pictures are blurry...it's a lot of info and not a great camera!

But you get the idea...

If you click on the picture you will be able to scroll through them and see them better.

Then they got to eat all of their fruit loops.

Every kiddo was engaged and FINISHED their paper! 

Liebster Award...X 3

I was nominated for the Liebster Award.

Not once, or twice, but three times.

The Liebster Award is for new blogs with less than 200 followers. 

I’m so excited...Thank you.

Thank you so much to the blogs that nominated me:

Lauren

Simply Second Grade

Stacey

Teacher's Take Out
Kelly
Getting to the Core in Third

Here are the Liebster Blog Rules:1. You must post 11 random things about yourself.
2. Answer the questions that the nominator set for you.
3. Create 11 questions for the people you nominate.
4. Choose 11 other blogs with fewer than 200 followers to nominate and link them in your post.
5. You cannot “tag back” the other blog, but leave a comment on this post with the URL of your Liebster post so I can learn more about you & see your nominations.


11 Random Things About Me:

1.  I was a horrible student all the way through high school.

2.  I would do anything in the world for my family, friends (and most strangers)

3.  I love going to work every day.

4.  I also love summer.

5.  I love comfort food.

6.  I am a total dog person.

7.  I think chocolate and wine make a nice meal.

8.  Traveling is my favorite thing to do.  I plan to travel everywhere when I retire.

9.  I am a bit addicted to office supplies.  Sharpies are my favorite.

10.  I love watching Project Runway and usually predict the winner from the first show…but really have no fashion sense.

11.  My husband and I have a cool RV that we fixed up.  Our kids named it, The Rolling Turd.  We have taken our kids on many trips, near and far.  Our friends like to have parties in it.

Here are my answers to Lauren’s questions:

1.      How long have you been teaching? 10 years

2.      If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be? Italy

3.      What is your favorite unit to teach?  Ancient Egypt

4.      What is your favorite meal? My hubby’s prime rib, garlic mashed potatoes, Caesar salad (and ice cream!)  He’s a firefighter and CAN cook.

5.      How long have you been blogging? Last August…and loving it.

6.      What is your favorite children’s book?  The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.

7.      What is your favorite movie?  Tough one…I’m a movie junkie.  Old School: Feris Bueller’s Day Off, newer ones, Ocean’s 11, 12 and 13 Trilogies.

8.      Do you have any pets?  I have two adorable rescue dogs.  A husky/sheppard mix, Sophie and a hound/lab mix, Gunner.  My 7 year old son has a sweet dwarf hamster named Sammy.

9.      Do you have any children?  Yes, 3 boys! 15, 12 and 7.  I am WAY out numbered in my house.

10. What is your favorite season? Summer.  I love warm weather…it’s wet the rest of the year here (Seattle Area).

11. What is your favorite band/music artist?  Dave Matthews Band.

Here are my answers to Stacey’s questions:

1. Where were you born? Everett, Washington (30 minutes north of Seattle).
2. Where are you living now? Stanwood, WA (60 minutes north of Seattle, but I still teach in Everett.)
3. What is your favorite dessert?  I love to eat ice cream.  I love to bake anything.
4. When did you start blogging? Last August…loving it.
5. What is your favorite subject to teach? Math
6. What grade(s) have you taught? K (2 years), 1^st (2 years) 2/3 (1 year) 3^rd  (on my 6^th year).  3rd is my favorite.
7. What is your favorite movie?  Tough one…I’m a movie junkie...Old school:  Feris Bueller’s Day Off, newer ones, Ocean’s 11, 12 and 13 Trilogies.
8. What is your favorite story to read to students? The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.
9. What is your TPT link? http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Amy-Seiber-8281

10. What is your favorite color? Teal/light blue
11. Do you have any pets? I have two adorable rescue dogs.  A husky/sheppard mix, Sophie and a hound/lab mix, Gunner.  My 7 year old son has a sweet dwarf hamster named Sammy.

Here are my answers to Kelly's questions:
1. Do you use blogging in your classroom?  My parents and students read it but I haven't really used it in my class.  We just started a wiki though.
2. How long have you been teaching? 10 years
3. What was your first job? Babysitting at age 11...I stayed so busy my 16 year old brother would borrow money from me. 
4. How would you like people to remember you?  That I was selfless person
5. Who was your favorite teacher and what qualities did he or she possess?  Mr. Taylor, 6th grade (elementary school).  He was fun, had high expectations, and was hilarious.
6. Share a favorite quote. "The more that you read, the more that you know, the more that you learn, the more places you'll go."  Dr. Seuss
7. How do you manage stress? Baths AND wine.  Sometimes together, sometimes seperate.
8. What is your favorite game? Apples to Apples
9. Mistletoe or Menorah? Mistletoe
10. Share one tip with new teachers. Don't plan to far ahead, be flexible.
11. Why did you choose teaching for your career? I love to make kid's days better.

Here are the questions for the Blogs I've nominated:

1.  What is your classroom pet peeve?  You know you’ve got one.

2.  Do you have pets?

3.  Do you have kids (if yes, how old and how many)?

4.  What is the last “grown up” book you read?

5.  How long have you been blogging?

6.  Where do you live?

7.  Where were you on 9/11/01?

8.  What was the best trip you ever took?

9.  Do you have a tattoo?

10.  If you had to choose another career, what would it be?

11.  What is your ideal Saturday?

Blog I am nominating:
1.  Classroom Snapshots
2.  Mrs. King's 2K
3.  2nd Grade Learning Safari
4.  A Whole Brain Teacher
5.  Adventures in Second Grade
6.  Being Teacherish
7.  Teaching With a Touch of Twang
8.  The Polka Dot Owl
9.  2nd Grade Rocks!
10.  A Love 4 Teaching
11.  A Teacher's Toolbox for Common Core Standards

Don't forget to leave me a link to your blog when you've answered. I look forward to finding new blogs and meeting new friends.



Classroom Elf on the Shelf

Have you heard of Elf on the Shelf?

If you have a kid, you probably have!

He's everywhere, especially on Pinterest!

 

 

Well on Thursday when I got to work, the cutest little elf was perched upon our SMART Board!

 

 

He watches us and reports to Santa at night.

In the morning we find him in a new spot with a note about important things to remember.

Well, my kiddos were so excited about our Elf (we named him Joseph, after a very democratic voting session...thankfully we just did a unit on elections) they WANTED to write about him...you've gotta love that right?

 

I got an ELF on the Shelf Journal {FREEBIE} from Lauren.  Thanks Lauren!

It is an adorable Elf Journal...we are going to write a little about where he moved each day.

 

 

 

 

 

Day 1... 

 

After we wrote about where Joseph was hiding, we spent some time learning about the meaning of Christmas!

I got this Elf Writing pack off Teachers Pay Teachers.  It's great!  Each day the Elf leaves a note and you focus on that important meaning of Christmas (helping others, love, friendship, 17 days of messages in all!)

It's from Kerri B. and its called Magic Elf Activity and Writing Pack.

 

Aren't their pictures adorable?

 



 

We are currently doing a holiday food drive in our class...more to come about that later.

But this is why the kids were focused on the food drive while we were talking about helping others.

 

And of course one of my little friends couldn't get enough...and wrote in her Reading Response Journal too!  Just click on the pic to make it big!