SNL: Weekend Update

That would be Sunday Night Live.  And I'm not nearly as funny as Tina Fey.

I love the weekend.  Every bit of waking up to coffee and fuzzy bedheads makes me love life a little more on Saturdays and Sundays. 

Even when he's being naughty {i.e. removing all cereal containers from the pantry and tasting each one individually}, he's still cute enough to make me want to snag the camera before I reprimand him for his latest stinkerism.

Of course, B worked on the kitchen...or The Artist Formerly Known as The Kitchen.

Let me introduce you to my new sink.  You don't have to tell me how jealous you are. 

Actually, we're having to get water from our bathroom sink.  Which is pratically comical.  Because it is barely big enough to let me fill the coffee pot.  Earlier today, it was actually full of dirty dishes that need to be washed, so I totally brushed my teeth and spit out the front door.  Don't worry, I made sure the neighbors weren't watching first.  And you'll be happy to know I transferred the dishes to the bathtub so Becks could brush his teeth tonight.  We like to call experiences like this character building at our house. 

Becks and Papa Mike explaining something remodeling related. 

And, lastly, here is a picture of our Noble Steed, who doesn't get much blog time.  But she does exist.  Her name is Leland.  And she is 12 kinds of crazy.  When we were first married, she ate an entire Ugg Boot.  An ENTIRE Ugg boot.  I try to still love her.

{PS.  Hi! Hi! to all my new followers!  While I do post teachery things quite frequently, this blog was initially started as a day-to-day life blog to document our family goings-on.  I envision having a teacher blog in the near future, but simply don't have the time right now to set one up.  Thanks for reading and have a great week!}

Penguin Unit for First Grade

Hopefully, I'm getting this out to you with enough time to incorporate it into your January or February lesson plans!  And, if you've already done penguins this year, maybe it will just give you some new ideas.  I also want to note that many of my idea came from or were inspired by activities given in Deanna Jump's Penguin Unit which can be purchased at Teachers Pay Teachers.  {It will be a purchase worth your while!  Promise!}

Also, I would have to say this was probably one of the most fun topics that we have studied all year.  The kids LOVED it and were totally into all the non-fiction books we read.  They were inspired all week - even to the point of waddling through the hallways when we were on our way to lunch or specials!  Their excitement was contagious.  When I know my kids are truly inspired about learning, I am inspired.  Those are the best kind of teaching days :)

Click the pic above to download the 5-day {brief} unit plans!

{Day 1}

To start off our week, I created this large, whole-group graphic organizer so that we could ground our old knowledge and add our new learning throughout the week. 

After our readings and discussions, we completed the following activity (this was my sample; the worksheet is in Deanna's unit).

{Day 2}

After reading another non-fiction selection, we defined habitat as a whole group and listed penguin habitats.  They LOVED talking about "guano" - AKA penguin poop - and we had a really good laugh discussing how it was part of some penguins' habitats.  One of my students even wrote a sentence about it {see below}. 

Our culminating activity was to paint a penguin in an icy habitat.  This idea came from  Deep Space Sparkle.  {I would HIGHLY recommend this blog if you enjoy doing artsy projects with your kiddos!}  I modeled this by drawing and painting a large scale scene and guided the kids through the lesson.  I think the results were marvelous!  Little kid art is my fav!

{Day 3}

Earlier in the week, I'd asked my students to wear "tacky" clothes for Tacky the Penguin Day.  {No pictures of my kiddos due to privacy, but they were hilarious!}.  The kids thought this "odd bird" was extremely entertaining and have been singing Tacky songs ever since :)  All worksheets were taken from Deanna's unit.  I had some penguin stationery and the students made up penguin stories to write about.

{Day 4}

Though our readings really didn't have anything to do with the glyphs, they were enthralled with the birth of a baby penguin.  They wanted to read more and more!  To make the glyph activity easier to understand when "shopping" for the pieces, I made this whole group chart and laminated it for reuse next year.

We also completed an can/have/are whole group chart.

{Day 5}

The kids LOVED the "blubber" glove simulation activity.  I didn't take pictures {because I was busy slathering Vaseline on hands!}, but it was definitely worth the mess.  My recommendations - add LOTS of shortening to the baggie!  Once you think you have enough, add another dollop! 

{Literacy Center Activity - Long I}

Since we are studying long i this week (we didn't do it the week before Christmas due to all the snow days we had), I made this to keep it current.  You can download it by clicking HERE.   

Lastly, here is a Long I chart I made to use throughout the week and for upcoming lessons...

I did write the poem - but please feel free to use it or change it! 

Whew!  That was a lot!  Please feel free to use and or alter any activity you see here! 

Let me know if you have any questions or if a link is down.  Have a great day! 

Cheap Teacher Buys

I have nothing to type about tonight.  I have started this post four times and erased when I was a paragraph deep after rereading it to see it was totally blah.  So, instead, here's what I bought tonight {and I'm pretty sure only those who eat, sleep, and live school will appreciate it}. 

First off, how much do you love The Dollar Tree?  Everything is a dollar, so you pretty much can't beat that.  I was pretty pumped about this insta-snow that I snatched up.  It's pretty expensive at the teacher store (like 12 bucks for a tiny bottle!) and kids adore it.  I'm doing a snow/winter unit starting next week, so it was a complete necessity.  Go getcha some!  I also got some great super-sized, fun-colored post-it notes.  Anything that is self-adhesive and colorful and I can write on it is pretty much right up my ally. 

Then, I went to Christmas Tree Shops.  Which, if you're not familiar, doesn't sell Christmas trees, but a grand assortment of all things cheap and wonderful.  I might have to take my camera with me next time so I can show you all the greatness you can get for under $10.  You will be amazed. 

Anyway, I'm trying to step up my math block by incorporating some critical thinking centers that involve little upkeep and can entertain my kididdles for 10-15 minutes.  Enter: the often ignored jigsaw puzzles - which are great for problem solving, fine motor development, reasoning, and hand-eye coordination.  I found some mini puzzles in their own storage tins for - get this - 89 cents!  Love it!  Then, I rounded the corner and, whadayaknow, imposteror Wikki Stix!  For $3.99!  And you get 120!  I pretty much could speak only in exclamation marks at that point.  {FYI: real Wikki Stix sell are around $9 for 48 stix on Amazon.}

Lastly, I went to my beloved teacher store.  Where I fell in love with the dazzling assortment of paper cut-outs, manipulatives, and any and everything DJ Inkers.  I bought an assortment of things to use for upcoming centers.  Oh, and glitter too because life is so much more fun with a sparkle.

{PS.  I'm finishing up my Penguin Unit tomorrow, so I will be posting an entire Unit Plan along with pictures and downloads sometime this weekend!  I just didn't want to post it until I had the chance to complete all the activities so I would know what works or what didn't!}

TGtomorrowIF!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Link up with Jamie here!

1.  Sadly enough, I am loving the preview for Jersey Shore where Snooki faceplants into the sand.  I seriously CRACK UP every time I see it.  She's walking, she's walking, aaaaaand she's down.... He he he!

2.  On that same note, totally loving the fact that the Season 3 premiere airs tomorrow night.  Sorry.  That show {and all other questionable MTV reality shows} are my vice.  That and Diet Coke.  And thrifting.  And blogging.  Maybe perfect handwriting too.

3.  I'm loving that I've kept true to my New Year's resolution and have not stayed after school to work late.  Granted, it's only Day 3.  But I haven't worked from home either.  This is big for me.  I'm a recovering workaholic.

4.  I'm loving that my IRL friend, Rachel, is having a BABY GIRL!  Ah!  This little {Alpha Delta Pi} legacy will be here in May.  Yay for the Webbies! {Rach, I stole your pic!}  Isn't she beautiful?!

5.  I'm loving these Michelina's Lean Gourmet pizza rolls.  Yummo.  And they cost only 88 cents at Kroger.  A healthier unhealthy cheap snack ;)

6.  I love, love, love the prediction of snow on Friday and Tuesday.  Yup, totally ready for a snowday already.

7.  I love the fact that my husband can do things I cannot.  Like remove cabinets and cheap wall tiling.  No matter how long it takes, just getting the process started means that we will have a new kitchen!  Someday...

8.  I'm {not} loving the fact that we're probably going to be eating a lot of microwaveable meals in the next two months.  Blah.  I'm hoping to become better friends with Crock.  As in Crockpot.

9.  I'm loving that our calendar for 2011 is completely open with the exception of a wedding in July that a certain someone gets to participate in.  And this time it's not me!  Won't this little guy be stunning in a tux?

10.  I'm loving that tomorrow is Thursday!  Praise. The. Lord.

Happy Day, y'all!

Here we go again!

Remember when we got all crazy last year and sold our furniture on Craigslist and moved in with my in-laws for two weeks during a horrific snowstorm so we could finish the hardwood floors?  {If not, you can read about it here, here, and here.}  Last February was cah-razy, but darnit the floors are beautiful!

So, call it the new year's inspiration or the fact that we've been dealing with vomit-inducing linoleum and extremely limited counterspace/cabinetspace for almost four years, but the DIY bug has bit yet again.  We... er...B is demo-ing the kitchen as I type and I no longer have a stitch of cabinetry. { I cannot find a pic in my archives of my kitchen in its complete state of ugly, but I'm sure if you look you'll find one! } 

We might not be Young House Love, but we're going to give it our best shot!  I'm sure I'll post updates as we progress, but here's to what will hopefully not take until 2012 to complete.  Wish us luck...and lots of patience!!! 

He might need an agent.

Because sometimes it's necessary to sing Crash {yes, the one by the Dave Matthews Band} into an echo mic with headphones on...

He's so serious about it, too!

Back to school, back to school... {a la Billy Madison}

Tonight my house is completely devoid of Christmas decor - with the exception of a rosy pink poinsettia to remind us that just two weeks ago we were anticipating a visit from the jolly old elf. 

Now, the only elf around here is this one. I guess he'll do.

It's the eve of my first day back to school.  I don't know whether I will walk into chaos or if the kiddos will be completely wiped out from two weeks off of holiday exhaustion {maybe that will just be me} and it'll take a couple of days for them to perk back up.  Personally, I could use another two weeks off just to recover from the holidays.

I went to my classroom yesterday.  For eight hours.  I'm not exaggerating.  I think my New Year's resolution is to work less and enjoy my family more.  Leaving work at work is really hard.  Because teaching is also a fun hobby for me, I do enjoy blogstalking all you amazing teachers out there which usually translates into either replicating your ideas or inspiring me to do something similar.  Regardless, I have better things to do at home and two cute boys to do them with.  Please remind me of this as the next few months unfold. 

I'n other news, I'm sorry I haven't posted a winner of my headband headwarmer giveaway yet.  I will.  Hopefully before the seasons change ;)  I kid.

And, while a completely random addition to this post, I want to encourage you to spend seven bucks and buy our new favorite dice game: Farkle.  Go ahead, say it out loud.   Farkle.  Farkle. Farkle. Isn't that a fun word?! 

It's completely mindless, so you can talk or hold children or make the person who farkles wear a silly hat until someone else farkles.  We love it and have played it a gobzillion times in the past two weeks. 

My Brother-in-Law, Mattie, being a good sport about wearing the Farkle Hat.

Sophie, The Princess Fairy