The 100th Day of School

I am really counting my lucky stars that I (unintentionally) had my students celebrate the 100th day of school a day early. Apparently, I can't count. It worked out for the best, however, because today (the real 100th day), we were closed for snow!

I invited my students to dress like they were 100 years old, and good golly, were they adorable!

We had an abundance of gray hair, glasses, and canes. 

Instead of having my little guys complete seat work first thing in the morning, I used Molly's super cute Hidden Hundreds activity. 

I projected Molly's example for my students. They loved coming up to the Smart Board to hunt for the hundreds!

They were so absorbed in this activity that they barely looked up for almost thirty minutes!

 I know I shouldn't say this, but I'm pretty sure this one is my favorite.

Obviously, I teach on the Eastern Shore. This little guy's pic has ducks, geese, and jellyfish.

My favorite part of this picture is the little dog in the bottom corner.

After we finished these, we moved directly into our math lesson. First, I shared Brain Pop Jr.'s video about the number 100. Then, we practiced counting to 100, using this catchy little ditty.

I couldn't help but sing with them!

I used Meet Miss Parker's adorable Common Core-aligned math pack for our rotations. This is the third year I've used these activities, and they are always a huge hit with my students.

I love how comfy these two little guys look, playing "100 Tallies."

It cracked me up to see these two "little old ladies" hike up their skirts and get down on the floor to play "The Hundred Flat Race."

We finished up our math rotations after lunch, and then, it was on to language arts. We read "100 Hungry Ants" together, and afterward, I had the students write to tell what they would do if 100 hungry ants came to their picnic.

Click on the picture above to go grab this simple freebie.

Do I have some kind-hearted firsties, or what?

Finally, we wrote about what life will be like when we are 100 years old. I downloaded Kelly's cute little freebie (I really liked this particular writing activity because it came with a great kid-friendly graphic organizer). Apparently, there will be a lot of gray hair, glasses and canes!

"When I am 100, things will be different. I will have white hair. I will have glasses and a wrinkly face. I will be a grandpa and I will spend so much time with my grandchildren. I can't wait until I am 100 years old."

"It will be weird when I am 100! When I'm 100 years old I will read in my bed. I will wear glasses. I will drink coffee. It is weird to be 100!"

I'm trying to decide if I'm offended by this. I already read in my bed, wear glasses, and drink coffee!

All in all, it was a great day, and I can't wait to see what the next eighty days will hold!

I believe I've earned a nice glass of wine and a new Diane Chamberlain book on my Kindle this evening. Make sure you take care of you, too!

A Catch Up Mash Up

Phew! I have some time to come up and breathe, so I thought I'd stop by the old blog and catch you up on some of the things I've been up to.

First, do you notice anything new about my blog? It's OK if you don't. It's a subtle change. I've added an Instagram button to my sidebar, so now, you can follow me on Instagram, as well as on Facebook and Pinterest! I'm all about Instagram. It's quick, easy, and I can post a picture as soon as I take it. Instant gratification! Check it out!

I also taught myself how to create my own desktop organizer, using this amazing tutorial. I'm a basic, black-and-white kind of gal, so I kept it simple.

Definitely basic, but it serves a purpose.

Now, my desktop looks like this! Much more organized, and I can find things much more easily now than I could before.

OK, on to the next update. During the month of December, the Kindness Elf, Noel, came to visit our classroom! I started using Erica Bohrer's fantastic (FREE!!) resource last year, and I was amazed by the impact that it had on my students.

I picked up this sweet little $3 ornament at Target last year. Adorable, right?

Here, my firsties are working hard to write notes of appreciation to our cafeteria staff. 

The finished product. 

"Thank you for making us breakfast."

My families truly went above and beyond when Noel asked the children to bring in donations for the local food pantry. It's hard to see in this picture, but the students brought in so many boxed and canned food items that the crate in the middle was literally overflowing! So was my heart.

We've also been working really hard on our animal research projects. I've been doing this project with my students for the past three years, and it is always a huge hit! (I've blogged about it before here). This year, my students have moved through the project much more quickly than in years past, and their work has been amazing!

This picture warms my heart. All three students are completely focused and engaged in their research. I love it!

I love that the kiddos find a spot in the classroom, flop themselves down, and get right to work with little or no prompting.

I adore this picture. This little guy was so proud of the cover that he created for his project. Check out that shark illustration!

You may have heard that the Mid-Atlantic experienced a little snowstorm recently. OK, it was a pretty big snowstorm. Fine, it was a blizzard. We didn't get hit as hard here on the Eastern Shore as the folks across the bridge did, but we still got our fair share.

We ventured out, right at the peak of the storm, and I can honestly say that I haven't experienced wind and snow like that in a mighty long time. 

Princess A and Deedle, braving the storm. 

We have already used four snow days, and it's only early February. Here in Maryland, we usually get the most snow late in the winter. In fact, they're calling for more snow on Monday evening and into Tuesday. 

Hmmmmm. That will definitely mess with my 100th Day of School preparations!

Speaking of the 100th Day of School, I actually thought ahead this year, and I took these awesome pics of my students to accompany the writing that they will be doing.

These are a few of my favorites. I just searched "aging apps" in the App Store, and I downloaded a freebie. It took me five minutes to take pictures of each child, upload them to my computer, and order prints. They arrived in the mail yesterday, just in time for Tuesday's (fingers crossed) celebration.

I've been a slacker when it comes to running lately, mostly because I've discovered Piyo. Now, I'm not one who likes to pay for something before I try it (call me cheap, I'm OK with it), so one of my good friends lent me her copy of the DVDs. I was skeptical at first, but after the first few workouts, I realized that I was using muscles that I didn't know that I have! I'm a believer! Don't get me wrong: I still love my runs, and although I didn't run my first half-marathon this past October, I have plans to run my first this spring. So, before I completely pig out on Super Bowl food later today (think ribs in the crockpot and cheddar brat meatballs with three dipping sauces), I'm going to head out for a long overdue run. 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and RELAX!

Feeling Thankful

As usual, I've been MIA during the first few months of school. It always takes me some time to hit my stride and to get into a routine that allows me some time (and the energy) to blog. Lately, however, when I've had a free evening, I've been putting on my PJs and watching Bravo from the comfort of my warm bed. I just can't help myself, now that the weather in Maryland has turned chilly! But, since I'm off for five glorious days on Thanksgiving Break, I thought I'd catch you up on everything that has been happening at home and in the classroom. Warning: this post is guaranteed to be a little random!

As hard as it is to believe, Princess A and Deedle started second and first grades this year, respectively. I'm not quite sure how that happened, but I do know that I am incredibly grateful that they both have outstanding teachers this year.

Deedle with SpurDog, one of THE most amazing first grade teachers I know.

 Princess A with one of my good friends and former teammate. Princess A is so lucky to have her!

The three of us on the first day of school. Getting Deedle to hold still long enough to have his picture taken was more than a notion, but we got it done!

I've also been fortunate to have another group of amazing little firsties this year. I didn't think it would be possible to have another class like the one I had last year, but somehow, it has happened. 

One of my sweet little ones, working diligently on a writing assignment during the first week of school.

My kiddos love some Go Noodle, and I was extremely grateful for it during the first few weeks of school when they were still struggling to get through the day.

This was my third year, incorporating the Daily Five into my Language Arts small group rotations, and I'll tell you, it gets easier and easier every year. My little guys took to it like ducks to water!

Check out that EEK position! Nothing makes my heart happier than engaged readers.

Check out this adorable little guy, using finger spaces in Work on Writing!

Thankfully, we were able to get Accelerated Reader up and running much earlier this year than in previous years. And, my grade level finally has an iPad cart to call our own!

It's been so great to see my students so excited to read!

 I love this picture! Nothing better than reading new books outside on a beautiful fall day.

This year, we've also started using PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support) school-wide. Does anyone else out there use PBIS? I think it's so great to use a consistent behavior incentive that all of the students and staff have "bought into". We've had two incentive celebrations this year, and both have been a huge hit (even though our October celebration had to be held inside, due to rain).

Ice pops, free play, beach volleyball, and twins. What could be better?

At our October celebration, the kiddos got to finger paint, color, play limbo, and have a go at a game of Human Hungry, Hungry Hippos. This is Princess A with one of her friends. Love those smiles!

Last week, as part of American Education Week, our school had a Dress as a Professional Day. 

Bet you can't guess what this little cutie wants to be when she grows up. We're twins!

And since it is the time of year to be thankful, I had my firsties write in their Olweus bullying journals about what they are thankful for. 

I adore this picture. This little friend is quite the artist!

As for what I'm thankful for, I am thankful for:

1.) My patient, generous, and secretly hilarious husband (who, I might add, has been putting up with my antics for the past ten years, as of October 16th).

 

2.) My unique, talented, kind, creative, quirky, healthy children.

My kiddos had perfect attendance during the first quarter! How the heck did that happen?

3.) Fantastic, dedicated, innovative coworkers (and, more importantly, friends!).

This girl inspires me, every single day. Did I mention that she's getting married in July?!?!?!

4.) Running. In the past two years, running has become my absolute favorite thing to do (besides binge watching Bravo, of course, while eating every variety of Angie's popcorn that I can get my hands on). I've run two 10Ks this past year and more 5Ks that I can keep track of. I am planning to attempt my first half-marathon next spring.

Earlier this month, I ran the 10K Across the Bay. It was, hands down, one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had.

5.) Seasonal beer, Kindle books, yoga pants, Chai tea lattes, a clean house, flannel sheets, new shampoo, our Border Collie, and Zenni Optical. To name a few.

If you like hard cider and pumpkin beer, you have to check out McKenzie's Pumpkin Jack.

And now, I'm off to finish up Thanksgiving dinner. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families!