My homemade Christmas ornaments

Here are a few pics of the Christmas ornaments I make for my fellow teachers.  I made 75!  It was more of a project than I thought it would be, but they turned out really cute.

 

The Polar Express read by Chris van Allsburg

Check out http://www.barnesandnoble.com/storytime/ to hear and see The Polar Express read by the author.  The Polar Express is available until Jan. 3rd.

Enjoy!

Scoop It

Scoop It has grown by leaps and bounds, and I am glad to have been a part of it.  I now see that Laura Candler has a page.  If you haven't checked it out, here is Laura's page, and my page. 

The weekend is almost over....where did it go?

Well, it has been a weekend!  Lots of things have gotten accomplished, but today I have a sick puppy.  He is my 90 lb. Catahoula Leopard Dog named Obi-Wan Kenobi....Obi for short.  Today I spent 3 hours at the vet with him.  He has been throwing up all day since 7am, so finally at 2:30, I took the bull by the horn, and went to the local Petsmart.  They have a pet hospital inside the store.  He was tested for all sorts of things, and I was glad to finally find out he has some type of intestinal parasite instead of a blockage!  He has been able to keep NOTHING down today.  So, $330 and 3 hours later, I am heading home with Obi, a liquid script along with an antibiotic pill, and a prescription diet food.  I get home, attempt to give him 20.5 ml of oral dewormer.......RIIIIIIGHT!  He shakes and blows it EVERYWHERE!!!  Okay, I try to get more down him, and my husband says this is cruel.  We stop.  I then attempt to give him the ORAL antibiotic.  Even put it in some cheese or with peanut butter....anything to get him to take it.  No go......so now I am depressed, my husband wants to know who the vet was that gave our vomiting dog oral meds, and Obi is exhausted.  He is now laying at my feet on his bed....sleeping soundly with an empty belly.  His sister, Princess Leia, is laying beside him.  Yes, we have two Catahoulas.  See the pics below!  This one is Obi.

And this is Princess Leia.

Tomorrow is another work day, and I am in Child Study or Student Support meetings.  Luckily, my husband works from home and will be able to watch Obi.  I will be thinking of him all day!  We then have Parent Teacher Conferences in the evening.  I won't get home until after 7pm.  I do hope he will get better!

It's Friday! and I'm Whining....

Well, I have been busy at school and at home, and blogging has taken a backseat in my life.  I continue to check my posts to see if anyone comments on what I have written, but no.....People are coming to my blog because the counter changes.  I am getting discouraged because of no one commenting.  When I began, I was gungho!  Every day or every other day I was blogging.  The new wore off, no comments were left, and it was just another 'thing' added to my busy schedule.   I know I need to spice it up a bit, but what's the use of pouring more into it when no one comments or visits?!

Sigh.....hope my whining is over.....I get more feedback on my Scoop It page.

Greg Tang

We had the GRCTM (Greater Richmond Council for Teachers of Mathematics) Conference last night, and Greg Tang was the Keynote speaker.  Man, how fantastic is he??!!  Then at dinner, he came and sat by me....what a super guy!  He is funny and intelligent.  He has so many neat tricks about math!  He also has his newest venture up and running....his newest website that his son has helped him 'bring to life'!  If you have not checked it out, please do.  http://gregtangmath.com/  It has his books turned into ebooks, games for kids to play, and other great things to explore!  Let me know what you think about it!!!  Enjoy!

It's my birthday and you get a 'Doubles' freebie!

A short note to say it is my birthday, and I have a freebie to offer to those that would like it.  It is actually a Promethean flipchart on Doubles or it can be printed, pictures cut out, and students use pics to show the doubles.

This is a screen shot of my flipchart.  I will upload it into Google Docs as a PDF also, so you can download it to cut out pics.  My son did something like this in his class.  They folded several sheets of construction paper in half, stapled them together to make a book, and on each 'page' a pic below was glued.  Above the pic was the number sentence of the double the pic represented.  For example, the armadillo would be 2+2=4, the apples 1+1=2, etc.  Click the pic to get the flipchart file.

Click here for the pdf.  Enjoy!

Testing and entering data

Hi all!

  Yes, it has been a while!  I have been busy giving all the first and second graders a screener to see who would qualify for intervention.  The test was to be on the computers, but with our large county, and everyone trying to test on the same days/times, the testing website couldn't handle the overload.  I opted to use paper and pencil, to avoid not knowing if my technology would work.  I only had a 9 day window to get 9 classes tested, and each class had to go two days.  It seemed the best for me, even tho I am over ridden now with bookoos of data to enter manually.  I have all my first grade entered, and now will begin on the second grade.  Fifty answers for each student multiplied by 100 students = I'm gonna be crazy by week's end! haha

Hope your week is going well!

A PLC at school on Debbie Diller's Math Stations book

I seem to be getting farther and farther behind on my blogging.  With school back in session, there just isn't enough time in the day to do all I wish to do!  (blogging being one of them).  I haven't forgotten about the blogging world, and I have even been spreading the blogging word at school.  

Next week, I am starting a PLC on Debbie Diller's Math Stations book.  After reading all the great ideas and such from the Linky Party, I thought it would be fun and helpful to do a book study for staff development.  I sent out an email to get an idea of how many teachers would be interested, and my principal volunteered to buy the books for participants.  I never thought 24 teachers would sign up!  (I am sure my principal didn't either!)  I ordered the books, and they are all in now!  Next Tuesday is our first meeting, and everyone is supposed to read the first 2 chapters.  I will keep you informed thru my blog of what we discuss, and hopefully get feedback from you, too!  I am WAY excited about this.  I can't wait to see the K-5 teachers using stations in math!!!  and yes, I said k-5.  I have third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers also coming to the PLC.  Everyone does place value, geometry, measurement, and numbers!  I am sure modifications can easily be made!

Anyway, if you have any ideas for leading the group or suggestions for things to stress at our meetings, feel free to leave comments! 

Have a great week!

Math Train

Math Train is an awesome website for children and teachers alike.  Eric Marcos, a teacher at Lincoln Middle School in Santa Monica, CA, helps students make their own videos that cover important math skills and concepts.  He really just facilitates while the kids make the videos.  Amazing!  Watch this video of how he started!

So, if your students (or kids at home) are having difficulty with a certain concept, check out Math Train.

I can't wait to send this link to my upper elementary teachers!!

Enjoy!

My Vistaprint Swag :o)

My Vistaprint swag finally got here!!!  I actually got a shipment last week, but wanted to make only one post on Vistaprint.  Thanks to Pinterest and the many blogs I stalk, I got some great ideas to do with my free stuff at Vistaprint.  I couldn't have done it without all the help!!!  See the pics below :o)

Pinterest

WoW, I guess I have been busier than I thought!  I can't believe I have not posted since the 13th....Shame on ME!  Actually, I have even been behind on my blog stalking, too!  I have just been too tired when I get home to do anything!

Anyway, I have been checking out Pinterest, which is worse than any addiction I can think of!  I usually search around looking for new math ideas, but this one caught my eye.  They are just precious!   I am talking about page corner bookmarks.  The ones I like look like monsters!  See pic below.

I can not wait to make some.  When I do, I will post them!  Can't you see your kids having a blast with these?  Maybe this can be an incentive to read!

Until next time......

Finally finished!

Well, I have finally finished getting my room together.  See the pics below and make sure you check out my 'reflection pool' :o)  I might go into it and read sometime! hahaha  I am on cloud 9 knowing that is behind me now, and I can focus on my math classes and such!  Our old mailboxes hold my math games and some manipulatives.  I still have to organize it a bit more, but they are out of boxes!

Almost finished!!!

Well, I am almost finished setting up my room.  It has been a task taking 23 years worth of 'teacher stuff' and moving it from 2 rooms into one, and from one side of the school to another.  But I do believe the hardest thing has been putting it all away.....getting rid of the boxes, and finally seeing that light at the end of the tunnel!  Here is a pic of the lockers in the room.  Above you can see the boxes that are still there.  In another pic below, you will see a set of mailboxes I am waiting on to be mounted on the wall.  AFter that, I will be able to take all my math games (in some boxes) and stick in the holes and label them.  Teachers will have easy access to them.  In the other boxes are all my math manipulatives.  A bookshelf will go under the mailboxes to hold the manipulatives. (base 10 blocks, teddy bears, scales, etc.)Notice that the floor in front of the lockers is clear.  All the boxes/totes have been emptied or stored on top of lockers.  A HUGE feat!

These are the mailboxes to be mounted to the wall and sitting/setting on the file cabinet for extra support.

This is a two sided bookcase.  My desk is directly behind it facing the left.

These are containers of games and manipulatives.  I tried to decorate them with pics of my family and such.

My tables are still full of stuff that will go on the bookshelves or the mailboxes.  Hopefully, if the GAWDS are with me, I will complete this task on Monday!!!

Final pics on Monday!  Have a great weekend, blogger buddies :o)

Will I ever be finished???

I am slowly but surely getting my room back together.  My new room was used as storage, then the custodian found any excuse not to help me move my heavier things to my room.  Finally, with the help from a different custodian, I was ready to begin moving in.  All of my 'stuff' is now there, in boxes, and scattered around the room.  I begin emptying one box, then I'm called away to help with something else.  Today was our first day, and my room is still NOT finished.  BUT, I am not responsible for any students, so that is a plus.  I have this week to get my things in order.  It is coming, but very slowly!  Here are some pics at the beginning, and after Friday...

 

So, there you have it.  My room is coming along...slowly but surely!

Awesome website!!

BillsTeachingNotes is a fantastic website for posters to put in notes, hang in the room, or add to math journals. There are too many to mention, but worth your time to check out!!! I found this on Pinterest, but went to the source to credit them! I can't wait to get some printed on cardstock and shown to my teachers/students!!!

Kleinspiration: Revolutionize your Teaching with Class Connect! Sign up today and get entered for our awesome Give-Away (Starbucks, Target, and iTunes)

Kleinspiration: Revolutionize your Teaching with Class Connect! Sign up today and get entered for our awesome Give-Away (Starbucks, Target, and iTunes)

Check out this awesome free 21st Century tool!!! Also go to Erin's page to enter the contest!

We have POWER!!

WoW!  We finally have power restored in our home/neighborhood!  You really don't realize how much you depend on the 'necessities' in life, until you DON'T have them!  We had power Saturday night in Hurricane Irene until around 7:30 pm.  Trying to tell a 7 yr old that you don't know when it will come back on, that is another post!  We fared okay during Irene tho.  We did have limbs and lots of leaves in the yard, but we did not lose any trees.  Our neighbors were not so lucky, but no trees damaged houses in our neighborhood.  In Metro Richmond, there are still 245,000 without power, which is why my school is closed again today.  This is to be teacher work week, but with no power at the schools, they county has closed them.  I am getting a bit paranoid, because I have not been able to step foot in my room, AND Open House is Thursday night.  My principal did email that she will open the building today at 9am.  Evidently the power was restored to our school yesterday, but out of 60 schools in my county, many are still without power.  I do hope to get into the building today and work on my 'own' time.  The 'planned' staff development meetings this week have been cancelled, to give teachers a chance to get some order in their rooms.  I do hope to have pictures of what my room will actually look like without everyone else's 'stuff' in there.  (go back a few posts to see my new room and all the furniture in it)  Then I will show the progression as I get it ready for learning!  Thanks to all for the well-wishes during Irene.  We made it thru her wrath and the after affects with no power.  Thankfully we now have internet, air conditioning, and the ability to cook (without using the grill) or get into the fridge whenever we want!

Hurricane Irene is here!

Well, we have removed all the furniture from our deck and porch, moved all plants to ground level, put all toys, etc in the yard away so they won't become missiles, and battened down the hatches.  We have plenty of batteries, water, ice, beer, and wine.....so let the storm begin!  Hopefully we won't lose power, and I will be able to blog hop today, but we shall see!  The rains and winds have begun here in Richmond, VA...gotta get the dogs out before the hard rain hits.  It is going to be a long day/night!

Thanks Hurricane Irene....

In case you were wondering why I was 'back to blogging', my family and I WERE vacationing on Hatteras Island (Rodanthe) on the Outer Banks.  We were evacuated yesterday morning because of Hurricane Irene's expected landfall some time tomorrow.  Although I know I should feel 'safe and sound' now that we are home, it does not make up for the 3 days we missed at the beach.  We always make tie dyed shirts and have a family pic wearing them.  We never thought we would be evacuated so early.  We made the dyes Wednesday, but they had not cured, been rinsed/washed/dried by the time our evacuation began at 8am yesterday.  We do have a family pic, but not in our dyes.  Here we all are yesterday morning before our early and unexpected departure.  You can see the disappointment in and on some faces. 

Now we have to wait on Irene's impact on us in VA, and hope it won't be a bad ride! 
Happy Friday, Blogging Buddies!