Nature Spy, Natures Hunt, and a little technology make for a great day!

If you haven't noticed I love to make learning fun!  I want my students to go home everyday excited about school, about learning, and ready to come back for more.  This is my eighth year teaching and I am confident as a teacher.  I feel like I am finally at a point in teaching where I truly understand the curriculum and know what my students need to learn and how to get them there.  Now I have time for the fun stuff.  I have time to think outside of the box, to not only teach my students but engage my students!  This is the best part of teaching - getting just as excited as your kiddos. 

So a few weeks ago it was time for the story Nature Spy, Shelley Rotner, Ken Kreisler  in our reading series.  

                                                        

Click on the link to order your copy!

There isn't thing wrong with this story.  It is a great story to learn about main idea.   When I read books I want to make them come alive.  Make them real.  (Give the students a way to connect).  So I took it as my job to make it more -  more than just a listening center.

I do literacy stations on Monday - Thursday.  On Friday (Fun Friday) we do  literacy based activities. I usually pick on or two books and focus on those.  

I chose to do Nature Spy on this particular Friday.  We listened to the story, discussed the main idea, and then we took it a step further...we became Nature Spies!  I am fortunate enough to work at a school that has one to one iPads for our kindergarten students so I wanted to incorporate these into the lesson.  I have had an iPad in my classroom for five years.  This is the first time in five years that I have let my students take their iPads outside and walk around with them.  Ridiculous, I know!?!?  

But I do have some control issues and iPads are expensive!

So what I did was pass out a nature hunt list to each student.  The students were then given the challenge.  They were to take their nature hunt list and their iPad and see what they could find.  Once they found an item on the list they took a picture of it with their iPad.    Once they found all of the items we went inside.   I must admit...I had no idea that my students would be SO excited about this.  

We have a huge fenced in area outside of our school and the students could go anywhere within the fence.  (Between my assistant and I we could see the students at all times.)  I am not sure if it was the freedom they had, being outside, or just the fun of discovery - they LOVED it!  

Here a few pictures of the day! 

Once we came inside the students looked back at the pictures on their iPads and checked their "data".

They then marked their findings off of their Nature Hunt lists.

I took a typical book and made it into an entire lesson that the kids enjoyed and will remember.

Okay, so here is something I need to admit!  

I have a bulletin board problem!  I blame it on my love for teaching.  If I didn't do so many fun and engaging things I wouldn't have to share them.  But since I do, I am always changing my bulletin board!  Sometimes twice a month!!!  Lucky for me my assistant doesn't mind!  :) 

So here is my bulletin board.  

I have also included some of the pictures that they took with their iPads.  

So what started out as a typical day with a typical book ended up being a day where my students were fully engaged and excited to learn!  

That folks is what teaching is about!  

Halloween Math Stations and my LOVE for Target!

Target Dollar Days strikes again along with my other nemesis... the Dollar Tree!

So like any normal person...or maybe just teachers,  I saw these items and instantly thought ten frames, counters, math stations, oh my!  

Okay so I am a little dramatic but you fellow teachers know what I am talking about!  

For less than $10 I have the makings of an AMAZING & Fun Math Station!  

This will definitely keep my students engaged!

So here is the plan:

Fill the cute bucket with number cards 1-20.

Have students pull out one card at a time.

They then fill the ten frames with the erasers to match the number card.  

They can then fill out a ten frame worksheet to match what they have done.  

Cute, huh?

Wait there is more!  Of course there is,you say!   :)

I have created a product to go along with my purchases for this math station and it is yours for FREE!  That's right free.  You can download this product for free for the next 2 days!  

Here is the link to download the product.  

Click here to get it for FREE!!!

Here is exactly what I bought and how I am going to use each item!

I bought these Halloween Ice Trays at the Dollar Tree.  I am using them as 10 frames.  

I also bought these mini erasers from Target Dollar Days.  

I am using these as counters to put in the "10 frames."

I bought this cute  little bucket at Target Dollar Days to hold the number cards.  

You do not need these items to use the product but these make it a little more exciting and hands on.  

 Cut, Laminate, and you are ready to go! 

Math Station complete!  

Don't forget to download the math station here for FREE!

Halloween 10 Frames - Click here!

A Timeline - Through the Year

Okay... so I am a sucker for banners!  I LOVE them.  Banners for bulletin boards, banners for popcorn words, banners for back to school night, any where you can put a banner  - I put one!  

They are quick, easy, and look OH SO cute!  

So my latest banner is my timeline banner!  I saw a post on Pinterest where a teacher made a timeline on her whiteboard that grew as the year progressed.  It was your basic timeline with lines and months.  I loved that idea.  But like most things I needed to add my own flare!

My timeline is a banner.

(OF COURSE IT IS - you say!)

Each month is part of the banner with monthly themed clipart.  I laminated the banner so I can reuse it every year.  I then add a picture to the banner at the end of the month.  The monthly picture is something fun or special that we did that month.  

I LOVE the way it turned out! 

Here are some pics:

Our Bear Picnic

Our visit with Troy Cummings 

August & September

View in the hallway

Above my main bulletin board in the hallway.

I can't wait to add more as the months go by.  

I like that visitors can get a quick insight of what is happing in my classroom just by looking at my banner!

This could also be used for birthdays.  You could put pictures of your students on their birthday months!  

Click here to check it out!

Lets talk - Parent Teacher Conferences

Call me CrAzy but I love Parent Teacher Conferences!  As a teacher, I love parent teacher conferences!  As a Parent I love Parent Teacher Conferences!  It is that one time of the year that I get to spend talking about just your child or hearing only about mine.

At our school we have conferences for 2 nights.  This year we had conferences on Wednesday and Thursday nights.  It was about a 12 hour day, but well worth it!  

I love to share with parents all of the great things about their kiddos.  I also feel parents get a chance to know the real me.  Maybe I should be, but I am not a formal type of teacher.  Don't confuse my lack of formality with a lack of professionalism.  I want people to walk into my conferences and feel comfortable.  I want parents to feel like we can talk, they can trust me, and I want them to know that I care.  I feel that building that comfort level is important because parents don't feel judged (because I am not judging) and they tend to be more receptive.  I am a hugger not really a handshaker.  Do I hug all parents...NO!  That would be a little weird but the ones that I know from volunteering or stopping by might get a hug.    Our conferences are fifteen minutes long.  I do the talking at first.  You wouldn't believe what I can accomplish in about 7-8 minutes.  I am like the Speedy Gonzales of talking!  I talk and then give the parents a minute to take a breath and take it all in!   :)  Like I said I talk fast and cover a lot! 

So this is how it began.  

Before school on the first day of conferences I was getting ready...

Now lots of people feel that it is important to dress up.  You know wear nice dress pants, blouse, and high heels.  I am a kindergarten teacher so I need to be comfy.  My wardrobe reflects me!  Fun & colorful!  So when getting ready for conferences I choose to pick my clothes like I do any other day.  I wanna wear something fun!  As my husband says I have Flare!  (Check out my 180 days of Flare page above - it is all about what I wear!)

Okay so back to getting ready.  I was brushing my teeth and I thought hmmm... I need something catchy for my parents to do while they are waiting.  Something clever.  The third grade teachers in my building do cute little trees and have parents write little notes to their kiddos to hang on the tree.  I loved that idea but I needed to add my own touch.  My Gardner flare!

And then it came to me!  At this point I need to point out how AWESOME my assistant is!  She humors me no matter what crazy idea I come up with.  She is always excited and willing to do anything I ask!  So on the morning of conferences I came up with my Hats off To You product.  When I told her about my plan prefacing that she was gonna kill me.  HAHA!  She said (with a smile) I was hoping you would come up with something fun!  How great is she!?!?!   She cut it out, made the banner, decorated my table and then cut out 50 hats.  SO BLESSED!

So here is the final product.

How cute is this?

This is after the first night of conferences.  

Here are few other pictures:

As parents are waiting for their scheduled conference they fill out one of each hat for their kiddo.  I had planned on handing them out on Friday but they looked SO cute outside of my door I figured I would wait until next week.  I am a sucker for cuteness!  Cute Bulletin Boards and decor!
Here is my bulletin board on the wall right next to my door.  (To the right of the Hats Off)

So I was in love with the combo of the two... they had to stay!

Okay so how cute was that little kindergartener!  

That is my kindergarten school picture!  AWW!

Here is a link to my product if you are interested!  

Click Here to Check it Out!