Guys. I don't normally say this, but... I. Can't. Even!
Today was the first day of school. I'm so tired I haven't even glanced in the direction of the bag of stuff I brought home to look over before tomorrow. I had a FULL day of school with a few curveballs thrown in to keep me on my toes, plus it was my first day EVER in 3rd grade and they are so little. How can it be just a year difference from the kiddos in 4th???
I stand by the idea that no matter how much summer break you have or how well prepared you think you are, everything changes when you get to know those new kiddos in your class and can actually see how your class will function of the year.
I attempted to go to the gym and run, but ended up running one mile and just walking two more while I chatted with another teacher the whole time. I don't even feel bad about it. But I can tell this year will require some gym time! Back to it!
So there you have it. Day one is DONE! Back to the grind and ready to hit the ground running!
You can check out what other bloggers are up to with Farley!!!
Hi!!! I'm going to be totally honest. I'm in over my head right now with all kinds of good stuff and this sweet little blog hasn't been on the list. But it will happen. Once I get my school life settled. I miss you, bloggers and blog readers (but hey, keep up with me on {Instagram} in the meantime to stay connected!).
I've been flying half way across the country to visit family and friends, prepping my classroom for a whole new GRADE, plus going through new math stuff to pilot THREE new programs. AND I'm trying to figure out my NATIONAL BOARDS stuff. I see lots of coffee filled weekends in my future.
BUT I'm jumping on here because I just learned of this super cool opportunity for fourth graders and their families (sorry, every other grader). The National Park Foundation is inviting all fourth graders and their families (in one car) free admission to national parks for the 2015-2016 school year! How cool is that?
And just to entice you, here's a few snapshots from my visits to a couple national parks (and one monument- not sure if that one counts for the free visits...) in the past year...
Olympic National Park (Washington)
Olympic National Park (Washington)
Mount Rushmore National Park (South Dakota)
Devil's Tower National Monument (Wyoming) ...not sure this one counts for free admission, though.
It's still summer break (well, for me), and time to refresh anything that is starting to show that it's been well loved by children. This is when I get to repair books, or wipe down bookshelves, and gather new supplies that are worn and now a complete disaster. Kids are hard on things!
I decided it was probably time to look at my crate seats again since I had noticed one starting to tear at the corner this school year. Originally, I had covered these in fabric. Even at the time, I wasn't completely sold on putting plain fabric on them. Fabric tears over time with hard use. But also, it's GROSS after 3 years without being cleaned. You can't just tear it off and wash it and put it back on. These were beyond gross, and I had to get it out of my classroom.
This picture doesn't even make it look that bad! Tearing them off wasn't too difficult since they were already getting thin at the corners, but OH were they DUSTY! EW!
I went back and forth on new cover choices. Oil cloth is so thick and easy to clean. It won't tear easily and even the kids could quickly wipe them down for me. I ordered this great oil cloth on Amazon and was super excited about it.
Super cute! RIGHT after I ordered it, I happened to start researching oil cloth and discovered that {TEACHER PSA:} it is NOT CPSIA compliant for kids under the age of 12 due to the phthalates in the coating. WHAT? I'm not making bibs out of it, and hopefully none of my students will be chewing on these seat covers, but I still was super uncomfortable knowing that and still using this fabric in my classroom. I tried to return it before it even shipped, but unfortunately I had to have it delivered just to turn around and have it returned. Sad face.
So I had to figure out what my other options were. I've had friends use tablecloths before and really liked it because they are really easy to clean as well. In the end, I figured I'd give laminate cloth a try. You can laminate your own cloth, but I'd rather save myself the time and just buy it. So I placed another order right away.
It wasn't what I originally had my eye on as far as fabric is concerned, but they didn't have anything similar to what I had picked out before- although there are lots of nice options. But when this showed up, I really loved it! It's just regular fabric underneath with a laminate layer on top. Easy to clean!
So I tore off all those old dusty red covers, grabbed my staple gun, and started tucking in those corners!
They turned out PERFECT! Now I'll have to see how long these will last...
Also, don't forget the TpT Sale on August 3/4! The RTL Store will be 20% off of everything, for a total of 28% off when you use the code BTS15 at checkout! Start making that wish list!
...I'm terrible at student birthdays. I even blogged about it last year. I don't mean to be. It's not on purpose. I just get caught up in everything else and then suddenly at the end of the day a student says "Today was so-and-so's birthday!" and I'm all "I KNOW!!! Happy birthday to them! Let's...sing...right now!" Luckily I have a plan in place.
This year I am going to be great at student birthdays. I am.
Here are my tips for not being a birthday flake:
1. PREP all birthday "stuff" ahead of time- classroom display, student cards, student gifts (if you do that), and have a plan for what you do on student birthdays. My classroom display is the Birthday Hall of Fame, where I have monthly cards and I put these "vintage" frames underneath each month with student pictures. I make student name plates with their name and birthday underneath. Then I put together my student birthday cards and student gifts (more on that at the bottom). Be sure to write student birthdays on your planner or calendar.
2. ORGANIZE cards from the teacher or other materials in birthday order, so the next birthday is always on top. PRO TIP: Write the birthday in the upper corner so it's easy to see and remember. If you're really on top of things, place the half birthdays in their correct location based on when they will be celebrated in school. This way the next birthday is always at the top of your card pile.
3. ASSIGN student helpers to be in charge of birthdays. I have these students put the Birthday Monkey (it's a monkey, it sings, it's all around distracting) on the student's desk, place the birthday sign next to that child's picture, and most importantly, remind me.
4. KNOW your school's policy on treats. Or just birthdays in general. My school does not allow them. Treats that is. They do allow birthdays. I love my school.
5. CELEBRATE!With a birthday monkey (or whatever you do for birthdays!) on their desk, a card ready with a nice corner bookmark (see below!), sing a song or do what you do to make birthdays special! I like to have a Paper Party- I cut construction paper in four pieces (I try to use scraps in the work room before I cut regular paper because I really don't care if they are straight or perfect rectangles) and each student decorates one card for the birthday child. The I hole punch one corner of each and put them all together on a ring. PAPER PARTY!
When I student taught, one of my cooperating teachers always played the Beatles "Birthday", so sometimes we do that now, too. {I kind of love this version}
The best part is, all of this only takes about 10-15 minutes, so it's not a super time sucker at school. Excellent!
Student Cards + Gifts
This is what I've been working on prepping this week. Well, more than just this, but I got this all ready and prepped. Names written, dates on them, corner bookmarks folded/glued/placed on cards. Everything in order.
Start with your template (it's really just a square with two triangles off the sides), then follow these picture steps to make your bookmark corners!
DONE! How do you celebrate student birthdays??
Also, don't forget the TpT Sale on August 3/4! The RTL Store will be 20% off of everything, for a total of 28% off when you use the code BTS15 at checkout! Start making that wish list!
I've been prepping all kinds of school stuff in anticipation of these new kiddos that will walk through my door in a month or so. Then I came across Jamaal Charles' introduction at the Special Olympics and it made me think about meeting all my sweet students right where they are and helping them to find success. I love that moment when a student discovers they are really good at something and they begin to gain more and more confidence.
I had so many take-aways from this short speech- celebrating students gifts/talents, kindness, classroom community, teamwork, leadership. It was a great reminder for me as I work on all kinds of paper prep for my new year! Take a smile and pass it on!
