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Thursday, February 23, 2012

Polar Region Finale

I don't think I have mentioned that we have been studying the Polar Regions.  I love teaching children about these extraordinary areas of our planet!  This year I found Penguin Party Pasta!  This adorable pasta can be found at The Pasta Shoppe.  Penguin pasta was too good to pass up, so I grabbed a bag and started thinking about what I could do with it.  I thought it would be great to end our study of the Polar Regions with a Polar Region Luncheon.  The penguin pasta would be the main course.  As the date came closer and closer, I realized I did not have enough pasta to feed all 23 students and any adults who may be tempted by the smell.  Off I went to the store and to my horror and dismay they were out of the cute little penguins, but they did have Woodland Pasta.  Well, the grizzly bears and moose looked just like polar bears and caribou to me, so I added them to the penguin pasta to have polar animal pasta!  We had two crock pots going- one with pasta and one with sauce.  Here's a picture of the dueling crocks!

We also had Blizzard Salad; fruit salad with mini white marshmallows and coconut, very yummy and made by our classroom assistant!  For vegetables we served baby carrots, cucumber slices and cherry tomatoes, or as I like to call it, Caribou Crunch.  (I initially planned to have short veggie kabobs which we would call Veggie Inuksuk, but that plan fizzled.)  Last, we had Arctic Seal Cakes for dessert.  Very yummy and awfully cute.  

                                    

                                    

These little cuties were made from white cake mix (nope, not from scratch), white frosting, coconut and two chocolate chips for eyes.  Don't they look like baby arctic seals?  My students also thought they looked like polar bear cubs, ermines and arctic foxes!  They were so tasty!  We all ate together in the classroom (instead of the cafeteria) and it was a really nice time.  While we all visited I heard my kiddos talking about the polar regions, the food we were eating and that our classroom assistant and I are "good cooks".  Pretty great way to put this unit to bed.  


Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Writing Assistant- Spaceman!

Anyone who teaches first grade knows that spacing can be a problem when they are writing.  Of course, I advise students to use a finger space between their words, but this is tricky for some writers, especially left handed writers.  That's when I came up with an idea...Spacemen!
We used popsicle sticks and painted them green.  Then we used our glue sticks and coated the green sticks with green glitter.  Last, we glued one google eye on our sticks.  They looked like this when we were finished.


We had a lot of fun making these cute little guys.  Here is a quick shot of one Spaceman in use.  


  
Whenever we are working on our writing projects, my students take out their Writer's Checklist and their Spaceman.  You know how those little ones love their tools!



I'm enjoying this lovely week off and hope all of you are, too!


Saturday, February 4, 2012

The Mother Ship Has Abandoned Me

I suppose it was inevitable.  It had brought me such joy- surpassed every expectation I had.  Never, ever let me down.  But a mere 14 minutes ago, the Mother Ship closed its doors.  Shocking, but true.  My beloved, local Dollar Tree closed today.  I went to the store, bought about 10 more checker boards (they are so darned handy!), bought the rest of their beads (400 for $1!), grabbed some great contraction cards, used my last Dollar Tree gift card and tearfully said goodbye to the lovely Dollar Tree ladies.  How is a teacher to survive?  During the tearful exchange I shared with the lady in aisle 3, she told me there was a lease issue and they MAY reopen in about 6 months in a nearby location.  Well, this information is the only thing keeping me going.  Six months will be tough, but I loaded up on all my favorites today so I might just make it through.  If this 6 month thing is true, then I should be able to start restocking my classroom in August.  Keep your fingers crossed for me, bloggers- I hope I can make it.  They say the first step is to admit you are powerless.  Well, I am and I'm not ashamed to admit it.  I love you, Dollar Tree and I don't care who knows it!
Please offer a few moments of silence out of respect for the mother ship that has left us for the time being.  And please, please think of me anytime you visit your own Dollar Tree. 
All good things come to an end.  Hopefully this end is temporary. 
Thanks for sharing my pain.