Every few weeks my students get to preform either a song/skit or a Bible verse in our weekly Chapel service (school assembly). It is fun, but a little stressful, because I have to make sure that they do well.
This week, I totally forgot about it, so I had them sing a simple song that I taught them at the beginning of the year. It turned out great, and they were so cute. Here is part of our performance . . .
Songs and Handmotions,
Miriam
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Rainy Day
We don’t get a lot of rain here in Kansas
One of my girls’ favorite things to do is
snuggle up and listen to me read the chapter Rainy Sunday in Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary. This is a favorite pastime, and even my high
school girls will beg to hear it yet again.
Today we haven’t been reading Ramona (yet), but we have enjoyed taking
some extra time with the books that we were already reading for school. The little ones love snuggling up under
blankets on couches, or laying sprawled on the floor with markers and coloring
books, while I read aloud.
At the moment we are studying the early
frontier and reading Sarah Whitcher’s Story by Elizabeth Yates. This is a precious story with rich vocabulary
that has always been a favorite. Emily
is reading The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare independently. For our fun read aloud, we are reading one of
the endless Boxcar Children books that the kiddos never seem to get tired of… this time it is The Mystery of the Singing Ghost. We’ll probably finish this one up this
afternoon, complete with blankets and hot tea. I love it that all the kids associate a nice
rainy day with a good book- just like their mom!
I had the kids brainstorm other
activities that they love to do on a rainy day…
1) sit and read
2) watch tv
3) splash in puddles
4) run around in the rain
5) sleep
6) drink apple cider
7) eat vegetable soup
8) play Clue
9) draw pictures
10) do crafts
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Drawing-Conclusions-Inferencing-Fall-workbook-for-1st-3rd-Grades-905055
Happy reading!
Angie
Friday, October 25, 2013
Reading Day Video
Hello World,
Well, a little bit ago I posted about the fun of reading day. Well, I just figured out how to upload the videos from my phone, so here is our class on that fun day . . .
Well, a little bit ago I posted about the fun of reading day. Well, I just figured out how to upload the videos from my phone, so here is our class on that fun day . . .
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Feeling BOO Lately!
Fall is definitely my favorite
time of the year! There’s
nothing like the changing colors in the trees, pumpkins on doorsteps, and crisp
mornings to put a little renewed energy into our home and school. We like to switch our learning
activities up a bit with the change of seasons- adding some extra crafts,
playing a game on the computer in lieu of a workbook page one day, or taking a
time-out from our ordinary schoolbook to throw in a fun activity page.
Gracyn (4th grade) has enjoyed switching things up
a bit with the Halloween Reading Comprehension and Inferencing worksheets we
created. Hey, if you’ve got
to read, you might as well have fun doing it! You can check out our Halloween
Resource Pack here:
One of the best things about
homeschooling is the flexibility. If
the day is gorgeous, why stare out the window wishing school was over? Let’s throw a blanket on the
back porch and carry out our books to enjoy the day! If reading is becoming a
struggle, let’s find something that grabs your attention!
And hey, you even get to take a
bubble gum break every now and then! :D
Happy Fall!
Angie
Friday, October 4, 2013
Reading Day
Since my school is an international school in Africa, we
don’t celebrate all the traditional American holidays. Yet, we do have some pretty fun replacement
days. One of the best days is reading
day. For this day, everyone dresses up
as their favorite book character and we have a parade. We then have a fun assembly with music,
prizes, and skits.
This year, I had my husband’s 6th grade class
partner with mine. We did buddy reading,
and then we had the 6th graders and Kindergartners do a reader’s theater skit together. The 6th graders had to teach the skits to the
younger kids and then practice them. It
was really fun!
We also had a costume competition for the students. What I didn't know, however, was that they
were having one for the teachers as well.
I was really excited because the costume I made for my husband
won!! Let’s just say, I am very thankful
that I brought my hot glue gun to Africa. J Here are some pictures from our day . . .
The Chinchen's (Vice Principal & Founders of the school)
All the teachers
My dinosaur Charles and the "Gingerbread Man"
Mr. Flinstone and a sleepy one
Here I am, "Juliet"
My husband, the "Tin Man" & winner of the Best Homemade Costume!
My Class!
(If you would like to see more, here is a facebook link to the album: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.616978968230.1073741833.118900228&type=1&l=cf1ac86d42)
Love and Costumes!
Miriam
Monday, September 2, 2013
School Rules
At the beginning of school, one of the most important things
to learn are the rules. I just feel like
this sets up a classroom for a successful year.
I have a set list of rules that are premade, but I let the students
“write” the rules, and then I basically guide them to the rules I want. I just try to keep them condensed.
I also, try to assign a “Rule Homework” sheet. This year, I couldn't find the one that I
have always used, so I decided to make my own.
Here is a link to it:
Wish you the best in your classroom this year!
Love and Rules!
Miriam
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Playground Saftey
So, living in the states is a bit
different than living in Africa. In Africa, you don't have to
have constant supervision of kids . . . apparently. Parents
send kids off to play everywhere and they don't know where they are. It is
okay for them to play outside with no worries about being kidnapped.
For me, I am having a hard time
adjusting to this. I want to be able to see my
students at all times! Especially on the playground
at school. Already
this week, we have had kids get feet stuck and
fall off of walls! One little boy even cracked
his skull, literally! (He had to be airlifted to South Africa!)
It is a scary thing for me, but I am
trying to adjust. I am always going to be out
there watching my students though. What would you do?? Do you
think it is okay to watch kids unsupervised?
Here are some of our
playground pictures . . .
through . . .
Cute African Jungle gym . . . but with hazards galore!
Now does that look safe to you?? And it is a bridge!!
Oh well, I think being an American I am just overly cautious! I am very paranoid about safety and hazards. I wonder how that will change as I am here . . .
Much Love and African Paranoia!
Miriam
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
The start of a new year!
So our new school year is officially up and running! This year I am all about
doing interactive notebooks… a wonderful alternative to the lapbooking that
I’ve always loved. This technique uses
foldables along with traditional notebooks to create fun, hands-on learning. There are wonderful
websites out there that have free printable lapbooks (with lesson plans) and
free templates that you can use to fit your needs. www.homeschoolshare.com is my favorite!
We have done a
combination of both so far for our school year. For American History I created my own foldables
and templates based on the what we are studying… currently Christopher
Columbus. We’ve been reading Pedro’s Journal by Pam Conrad as a wonderful historical fiction
go-along. So, for example, we made
a cute ship’s journal foldable for our notebooks.
In Reading I printed the adorable Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle lapbook and we have been simply putting the
foldables in our notebooks rather than a traditional lapbooking folder.
And speaking of notebooks… I
have been on a KICK creating adorable notebooks for the girls. I used simple bound
composition books and created individualized covers for them. They are easier to keep
up with, the pages don’t tear and there are no metal spirals to bend, and
here’s a great tip: I love to wrap them in clear contact paper. This keeps the printed
covers I made protected and attached to the notebook, keeps the binding from
pulling up, and protects them from spills. You can find the clear contact paper at Walmart
(or similar store) with the shelf paper. The notebooks are also so personalized that they
don’t get mixed up like the dozens of solid colored spirals that usually drift
all over our house during the school year.
Hope everyone is off to
a great start this year, and I look forward to sharing more of our learning
adventures!
Here is the completed Christopher Columbus Unit with all of these foldables, lesson plans, and more!
Love & Interactive Notebooks!
Angie
Pay no attention to the random dates on the pictures. Looks like the camera needs to be reset!
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Classroom Themes
So, themes . . . we have a love/hate relationship.
Since being a teacher (8 years), I have done 3 classroom themes (including this
year). I have done a Jungle, Robot, and now a Bug
theme. At times I love them, but at times I hate them!
In the states, I try to flee from the trendy.
Or, I try to buy the trendy when it is just coming out so it is not so popular
yet! This year, I went school supply shopping before
moving to Africa.
While out, I didn't really
see anything that I loved except a couple of small pacts of bugs.
(See below) And a few additions to the robot materials which I bought last
year.
So, when I got to Africa I was planning on just doing the robot theme again, but the cuteness of the bug theme won me over. I had to make a ton of stuff for the theme, but I think it came out. I designed an alphabet, name tags, tags, birthday jars, bug names, a job chart, a behavior chart, and more! What do you think about how it came out??
Check out some of my bug themed materials in my
teacherpayteachers store. Just click the link below!
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Out of Letters in Africa. . .
So. . . I live in Africa. No cute school supplies here. No teacher stores. No sticky tac even. Everything we need or want has to be shipped or
brought in from the states. I brought
in some supplies, but what I really lacked was bulletin board letters. With no di-cut machine here, and nowhere to buy
more letters, it is back to the old fashioned way. So I got out my construction paper and
scissors, and this is what I came up with. I have a
bug themed room, so I thought it worked well with my room.
What do you think???
Love and Construction Paper Letter!
Miriam
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