Reflecting!

Hellllloooooo Saturday!

Oh, how I have longed to see you all week.  As I reflect back how last week I can't help but think....some things could have gone a little smoother.  I feel like my kiddos are starting to pick and poke at one another constantly, they are having a very hard time focusing overall AND all they want to do it chit chat while I am attempting to teach!  What happened to my sweet babies...I know they are in there somewhere,!!!?? I was hoping for a calm *normal* {ha} week before the mass chaos begins next week {Spirit Day, Thanksgiving Feast with Parents, and Grandparents Day} but I had no such luck!  And I know for a fact this week was crazy when I went to upload pictures this morning and realized I only took 80 or so pictures...which isn't very many for me!

So here is a little wrap up of how our week went:

Monday and Tuesday were ALL election and President talk.  We read Duck for President and we also took an online Tour of the White House via TIME magazine for Kids, among other things. I have a class subscription that we read together.  They LOVE these magazines.  Just like a weekly reader, but a little more in-dept and magazine like.  Then of course we VOTED!

Kiddos brainstormed qualities of a good president!

I whipped up this little White House {we were studying the letter W} craftivity to go along with a Elections packet I had from Gladys Election Packet.  We made a 3d white house to hang outside.  I loved hearing about what they would do if they lived in the white house!  This little girl would "invit Emma uofra" {invite Emma over}.  Don't you just love to see them using the strategies you teach them!  Even though she was a little off with *over*  you can definitely tell she is trying and stretching out sounds! Proud moments :)





We made Hot Dog H's for our H letter study!

Thankful Sight Work Turkeys more previews at the bottom of the post!

And here are some of our Thankful Sight Word Turkeys that the kids worked on in the Art center this week.  Some look like they are in distress while others are looking like perky little turkeys!

We wrapped up our week with a trip to visit our school priest.   In early October, our class made rosaries and we walked over for him to give them a special blessing...It was a perfect way to start our Friday.  Calming!  How beautiful if this church?

We talked with Father, the kids listened and laughed, and we walked back to school {a parking lot away}.  Now I am going to brag because they we REALLY REALLY good. BUT you know there is always little Johnny who is ALWAYS in the front who tends to make your teeth clinch because he was swinging  his rosary around in the air BY THE CRUCIFIX and as Father was talking I could just see it flying and hitting him smack dab in the forehead.  But thankfully, I was able to make eye contact with him, and my aide was able to kindly go and remind him where we were and what he was supposed to be doing.  So all was good :)

We were also working on Solid and Flat shapes this week so we had a fun Math lesson wrap up where the sorted flat and solid shaped foods!  They enjoyed it!

I came across this quick and cute idea on Pinterest and thought it was an easy way to assess who was really understanding solid and flat figures.  And it worked!  I still have 2 or 3 who really just don't get it.  So I now know who needs a little re-teaching!

And Finally, next week!

We will be using my Pilgrim Pack and Gobble Gobble Pack throughout the week.  I am not introducing  new letters or new Math concepts...This week will be all Pilgrims, Native Americans, Turkeys and Family!  Oh, and I am giving them {and their parents} a break from homework too!  I truly think they need it.

Hop on over to my TpT Store

Pilgrim Pack!

Click here for the Turkey Pack!

I would love to hear any feedback if you do purchase any of my packets!  I enjoy hearing form you or even if you just stop by, let me know what you think!

As always, thanks for Keeping Up and Happy Saturday Y'all!
Lindsey

A Pilgrim Craftivity Pack and a FREEBIE!

My word....Mondays are exhausting!  And my head is bobbing as I write this post but I wanted to put up my Pilgrim Pack that I had been working on.  I plan on using it next week with my Kinders and really go into detail with Pilgrims and Indians {I asked a few questions today to see what they knew, and I pretty much got a Cowboy and Indian story} SO, I am very excited to use these resources next week!  Take a look and let me know what you think!!

Click here to grab it from my TpT store!

I think my little ones will enjoy it!

And a FREEBIE for visiting!

Mayflower Journeys

Night!

Lindsey

Currently!

So here is my first CURRENTLY!  So happy to link up with Farley over at 

Oh Boy, Fourth Grade for her November Currently.

Visit her here:

http://ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.com

if you would like to link up!

I also want to thank Coast to Coast Kinder because that's where I stumbled upon her Currently.

Visit her here:

http://coasttocoastkinder.blogspot.com/

So this is ME!

Also, remember to go back and comment on the one or two ahead of your link, and again on the one or two after yours.  Leave something meaningful for them to read!

Enjoy!

Lindsey 

Gobble, Gobble!

After my last sign off, I sort of freaked out and realized that there really were only 2 school weeks left until we departed for Thanksgiving break.  Don't get me wrong, I am over the moon about being off for a WHOLE week...but how am I going to do all of the cute things I pinned on Pinterest in two weeks!!  Throw in Grandparents day and a Thanksgiving feast in there and it doesn't leave much time.....at.all.  We will be discussing Veterans day and the Elections this coming week which leaves very little time to start all of my Thanksgiving fun!

I thought I would share what I plan to begin working on at the end of the week.  Its a turkey packet with cross-curricular pages that could easily be put into centers for independent work. I love Thanksgiving and I hate that it will have to be rushed this year!!  You can check it out at my TpT store!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Gobble-Gobble-Sight-Word-Craftivity-and-More

Isn't he cute!!

I am working on a Pilgrim boy and girl craft and writing activity and hope to get it up by the beginning of the week!

So tell me, are you able to fit everything in??!  Do you have a week off for Thanksgiving break too??  I would love to hear your thoughts!

Night!
-Lindsey

TGFTW

Yep!  Thank goodness for the weekends! {TGFTW}

I really think it should be a rule that Trick or Treat should be observed the Saturday before the 31st if it falls on a week day!  My poor babies were tired, cranky and just down right nuts-O the two days after Halloween!  It. was. rough.

We did lots of pumpkin, scarecrow, bat and other fall things leading up to Halloween and I saved SPIDERS for the week of.  My kids LOVE non-fiction.  When I read, I can see their little brains thinkin' away.  We read about spiders from books and watched a few quick videos from lpbmedia.org. {This is a great site for all things Science and Social Living} They loved the fact that spiders actually taste with their FEET!

We are not supposed to have an actual "Halloween Party" so we call it a Halloween Center Celebration!  The parents were invited to come and we played BINGO, decorated small pumpkins, decorated cupcakes, ate a snack and took pictures in a "photo booth" using sticks with big smiles, bow-ties, funny glasses and other props!  They certainly enjoyed themselves and I think the parents did too :)

Here are some pictures of our Halloween week!

"Dissecting" the pumpkin.  Predicting how many seeds would be inside!

Recording their findings!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Pumpkin-Observations-and-Predictions-Record-Sheet

Feeling the gooey "pulp"

We put the seeds in groups of ten first, then counted by tens to get the real number

On Halloween day, we used pumpkins to measure the kids, myself and other things around the room.

Recording their findings again!  They had to predict how many pumpkins tall they were, and they also had to ask a friend how many pumpkins tall they were!  They enjoyed this so much!

Waiting patiently to me measured!
Spider hat template can be found in my TpT store too!

The recording sheet.
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/My-Pumpkin-Measurements-non-standard-measurements

This is monster Math for last weeks math center.  I found it as a FREEBIE over at  

http://rowdyinroom300.blogspot.com/2012/10/monster-match.html.  The kids LOVED it.

Fall syllable clapping and recording.
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fall-Syllable-Counting-and-Roll-Count-Graph

I believe they had a blast!  And to think they were just getting started on their fun filled Halloween!

By the time the bell rang to go home, I felt like I had been  hit by a train!  Or at least I think that's what being hit by a train feels like!!  I kept thinking on the way home...keep your eyes open...keep your eyes open...I was exhausted and it was only 4:00 and Trick or Treat doesn't start for 2 more hours! What in the world am I going to do?!!

Well my son did not want to be Woody and refused to put on his costume and I had no fight left in me so I asked him if he wanted to be a skeleton.  He decided on his skeleton jammies and keds {the $11.00 pj's we bought from old navy, not the $50.00 costume we bought from the Disney Store...lesson learned first time mom} But oh well, he was a cute skeleton too!  Michael didn't get home until after Trick or Treat started, so Thomas and I hung out and handed out candy and decided not to go full out and trick or treat around our neighborhood. {We had already trick or treated twice before with his grandma and in our neighborhood last weekend}  He enjoyed giving out the candy just as much as riding in the wagon, which made this tired teacher one happy lady!

Here are a few pictures from our Halloween adventures!

Walking with Dad....couldn't stay out in the wagon!

Super Thomas ready for his Halloween party at school!

KK and Woody

Cheese!  Can you tell Dad  had made it home...he gave him FUN DIP!  I wanted to strangle dear hubby!

 AND I forgot to mention that it was my hubby's school's Homecoming, which happens to be our Alma Mater too! So Thursday and Friday night were packed with parades and football games!  By the time Friday came, I absentmindedly left the camera at home and don't have any from the football game, I guess I will live!

Geaux  Pan'fers!! {Panthers}

Thomas' big cousins hanging out before the HC parade!

Thomas spotted his godmother, KK...who is without a doubt one of my  dearest friends.  I hate that we  don't live a little closer! {30 minutes away ;)} 

Thomas and Lolli watching as the parade rolls!

Looking back as I write this, thinking most of these events happened in the last three days completely makes me understand why I feel like I do today.  Worn. Out.

I am so looking forward to a quick 2 weeks of school, then a little R & R with the family for our Thanksgiving WEEK off!  Wooo Hooo!

Happy Saturday Y'all!

-Lindsey

Our newset family photo....I used the same photo props for our  own Halloween get together .  I think the adults enjoyed them just as much as my Kinders!