Share a little Easter joy!

I will always remember those early morning scavenger hunts.  Tiptoeing through the dew infested grass, in search for a big bright basket filled to the ream with a girls favorite things.  I had a lot riding on this discovery: finger nail polish, hair accessories, bubbles, water guns, coloring books, and candy.  

Those days are long gone as I stand at the beginning of my twenties.  Now, I find myself hiding the goodies instead of being the one to find them.  There is a thrill of knowing where the eggs are and watching the children seek the variety of color among the solid green.  The opportunity to be apart of something like this is not a guarantee as I have no children of my own.  BUT, I have to spread the joy.  

My little brother is four years old and I have a new sister who will be two-months old on Easter day.  In celebration of my sister, Easter, and Jason's fifth birthday (at the end of April), I decided to send a care-package.  This is the first time I've ever done something of this magnitude.  It took a lot of planning and organizing.  Here's how I did it!

1. Find a place to shop that has fun, inexpensive trinkets!

      2. Be sure to set a budget.  

Shopping for others is a weakness of mine, I will go over-over-over board!


3. Decide what kinds of things you plan on sending your love ones!  

Most of what I sent themed around Easter.  It's always fun to play with egg-shaped chalk!!!  I also sent an Easter dress for my sister...it was the smallest thing I've ever seen, complete with a diaper cover!!  I sent my brother an assortment of neck ties to go along with his new shorts and polo shirt.  For his birthday, I sent the game Operation...Tomater style!  I stuck something in there for my step-mom as well, she can't be forgotten.

4.  Pack your gifts safe and sound, so that they will arrive without harm.

I included a note, so they could read and recieve the love.

5.  Request pictures!!  

The worst part about sending a care-package is not being there once it's opened.

Share a little Easter joy with someone you love.  Send a care-package!

Morning Meeting 3

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Welcome!

Whose heart is calling out to you?  Chose a name from a pile and say hello to them the best way you know how!

Morning Greeting Activity!

Valentine Poem!  Start with ‘Roses are red’ and go around the circle to see what the poem will end up saying.  Each person adds a line to the poem.  Be creative!

Celebrations!

What fun stuff did you get for Valentine’s Day?

In the News!  

Valentine’s Day!

Read Aloud!

Morning Meeting 2

Okay, everyone try SnapIt!  It's an easy way to take screenshots.  This is very similar to OneNote.

See the bottom of the page for more details.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Welcome!

Say hello to your neighbor by waving all of your fingers at the same time!  "Spirit fingers!"

Morning Greeting Activity!

Who can stand on their tippy-toes the best?  Ladies, pirouette like a ballerina!

Celebrations!

Superbowl - how'd we celebrate?  Giant fans?  Patriot fans?

In the News!

Ballet Day!

Ballet is an artistic dance performed to music using precise and highly formalized set steps and gestures.  Classical ballet is characterized as a creative work of this form or the music written for it.

Read Aloud!

Morning Meeting 1

Hello Happy Friends!  It's been about a month since I've thrown a few smiles your way.  I have a plan to help me with this and it's sure to give goofy grins!  ;)

I'm studying to be an elementary teacher!!  This semester I'm focusing on the nature and management of a classroom.  A great way to practice this is creating lesson plans for morning meetings.  The morning meeting, an instructional strategy, is a time to demonstrate and practice the social-emotional intellectual habits that when combined help create a community of learners.  These communities are full of learning and provide a safe, respectful place for all voices and ideas to be heard.  In this way, children become increasingly invested in their learning and become gradually more responsible for their habits of the mind and heart.

 Each week, my group is responsible for preparing a Morning Meeting Lesson Plan.  I want to prepare something that children can enjoy!  Certainly, if a child can enjoy it, the children within can enjoy it too!

Until May (with a few exceptions, of course) I will post a little practice for me and a little fun for you!!  

Included for each meeting are as follows:

Welcome!  Introducing new ways to say hello can be a fun start to the day.

Morning Greeting Activity!  How can we wake those sleepy heads up?  

Celebrations!  Allowing students to share what they did over the weekend, special family news, or anything that may be important to them will help build a community.

In the News!  In order to build a strong community, sharing needs to happen within, but everyone should also be aware of what's happening in other communities.

Read Aloud!  Choosing a book that reveals strong characteristics and clear morals can help the children enter the world of learning.

Let's get started!!

This is for Tuesday, January 31, 2012:

Welcome!

 

Greet the person next to you as if you were a gorilla.

Gorillas communicate with each other by using gestures, body postures, facial expressions, vocal sounds, chest slaps, drumming, etc.  Although they cannot make the sounds of human speech, gorillas are capable of understanding spoken languages and they can learn to communicate in sign language.

Morning Greeting Activity!

Who can open their banana the fastest?

Fruits are one of the plant like foods gorillas eat.

Celebrations!

I tried a new flavor of ice cream.  It's called 'Cookie Doughn't You Want Some'.  It's from Cold Stone.  During the month of January, they were giving away free waffle cones with any purchase of a signature flavor.

In the News! 

National Gorilla Suit Day!

 

Do you know what a mascot is?  Gorilla suits are full embodied costumes that resemble a gorilla.

Read Aloud!

Diamond Candles

Christmas is a time to spend with family and friends. The anticipation is almost overwhelming. Even as a young adult, trying to sleep is hard knowing Santa will 'pitter patter' sometime before the morning. This Christmas was different for me. I got to spend it with my Knight-in-shining-armor and his family. He dazzled me with fine clothes and perfume. He knows me well, I'm a sucker for fragrance!! Amoung other things, I also got a Kindle Fire from my dad. This was a great surprise because now I can read and blog whenever I want (hence the format change). My Knights sister (we will call her Princess for identity's sake) got me a candle. Its not just any candle, inside there is a ring. The only thing is you have to burn the candle to get to the ring. It could be worth $10, $100, $500, or $5000. Its almost magical waiting to see what your ring looks like. The smell is amazing. I got cupcake and love it. What magic came your way this holiday season? For more information on these magical smell goods, visit www.diamondcandles.com.

Sunshine in October

I heard on the radio this morning that the month with the best weather is October.  I can agree with that.  I love the autumn and everything that comes with it.  Light long-sleeved blouses, boots, scarfs...an endless list of corresponding attire.  There are other things to enjoy though.  Changing of the leaves, desserts that are inspired by the season (wink, wink).  There are so many things we look forward to during the fall.  The  best thing about moving into a season of color, though, is the cooler weather.  After spending three months (or longer in some cases) baking in the heat, the slightly less baking is usually welcomed with open, covered arms.  For most this is true, but we shouldn't forget about the one thing that made us so happy throughout the summer.


The sun.


It's warm rays shining down a few months ago are still here.  However it is that that mad science stuff happens, it does and we shouldn't neglect it.  I don't mean striping down to your ski bees and laying out in the grass with goosebumps.  Instead, try having a picnic.  You can do this in your boots after all.  


This isn't as fun as eating tons of food outside, but I'm going to read a book.  I love to read and doing it outside where it's not too cold or hot is quite nice.  Besides, I could use a little color on my face.


Go outside and get some sunshine.  While you’re out there soaking it all in, doodle all kinds of sunshiny prettiness here.  – The Happy Book

Exploring Happy Meals, Part 3

In only a weekend, I've moved on from the FF combo.  For all you that don't might understand that lingo...Fried Food.  This is because, I was humored and inspired by a McDonald's employee.

hmmm...want to understand a little more why this might be the third successor to Happy Meals...proceed...

I pulled through McDonald’s all of 30 minutes ago and noticed the new Sweet Autumn shake. As someone who likes to try new things, I wanted to know what was in this mysterious dessert. So I asked. The reply was of no help; the woman I was speaking to said, “uh, it tastes like Autumn. Like Halloween.” I chose to go a different route this time, but curiosity takes on a whole new role with this one. I want to know, WHAT IS IN THIS THING? Before seeing exploring a little more, I looked at McDonald’s website and it said the following:

“Football, falling leaves, soccer, pumpkins, hay bales, volleyball, turkeys! These are some of our favorite things that remind us that FALL IS ALMOST HERE! And now, we have one more thing to add to our Fall Favorites: the New Triple Thick McCafe Sweet Autumn Shake! 

Our newest McCafe shake combines delectably creamy reduced fat ice cream with the fresh flavor of Autumn. And if that’s not good enough, we add whipped topping and a cherry. The McCafe Sweet Autumn Shake is only here for a limited time, so hurry in and try yours today!”

Can you see why I might still be skeptical? I did find a fellow blogger that mentioned a few ingredients…but I’d like clarity…and I need your help. 

What does Autumn taste like?