More From Wednesday

Here's a smidgen of our Wednesday (the other part of the day that didn't make it to the previous apple post...

Everyone printed the apple he/she brought to school!

Printing is one of my favorite

Art medium.

Anthony brought his new baby sister

Alia

for Show and Tell.

She is a beautiful baby who reminded me of my own little girls.

(They are now 22 and 23 years old mind you!)

Mr. Anthony is pretty cute himself.

WARNING: soapbox moment ahead...

Right after Show and Tell, our school had a "Lockdown Drill". I hate those things. I do realize that they are important but it seems we practice doing things that we most likely WOULDN'T really do in an actual emergency. What I AM sure of is, in an actual emergency, I will do everything possible to protect those children and they will be safe with me...even if I haven't practiced it before!

Having said that, there are some things I can't protect my little ducklings from...

Poor little Janey!

This is how her forehead looked when I picked her up from PE.

Apparently she was playing some serious cat and mouse game and

"took a header" into the gym floor.

She is one tough cookie.

She didn't cry.

She didn't complain.

She was actually kind of giddy.

I want to be like her when I grow up.

:)

Now, I'm ready to do it all again next week.

Teeny Tiny Tortilla Maker

Lizbeth brought a little wooden tortilla maker. 

It was from Mexico.

I fell in love with it and so did the class.

Lizbeth's mother prepared some tortilla dough and sent it with Lizbeth to school.

We made a little roll of dough and smashed it flat between two wooden blocks.

I had so much fun that I had to make two.

Too bad we didn't have a frying pan and some grated cheese!

Yum!

(Kyare, in pink, carefully hiding her show and tell behind her back.  The element

of surprise is a bonus when it comes to S and T.

She brought a cute little ballerina music box and her dance pictures.)

My Love/Hate Relationship With Show and Tell

Today was the first day of Show and Tell.  I both love and hate Show and Tell at the same time.  I love it because of the chance to hear what my students have to say about the things they love.  To see how their oral language is developing.  I love it because, if a Show and Tell is great, I catch a little glimpse into a child's life.  

I hate it because...it takes so much time.  Time is limited these days in a classroom.  There are lessons to learn.  Tests to take.  You know, the boring stuff that makes kids dislike coming to school.  Unfortunately, that is what is becoming of education.  Teach.  Test.  Teach.  Test.  No time for this.  No time for that.  Take away the "extra" stuff (usually the fun stuff) to make room for the test.  ( Hopefully, you know me well enough to know that this is totally tongue in cheek...if you don't, it was.)

Before today, I would have said that I hate Show and Tell because of the mundane items the children bring.  A crystal.  A bouncy ball.  A lego.  A doll.  As I sat today and listened to my students tell about their items, it occurred to me that what may be mundane to me is a treasure to them.  I saw the light.  It was worth the time.  It was exciting for me to hear what they each had to say and the questions that the other students formulated and then articulated.

I take it back...I love Show and Tell!

                                             

Here is Tristan showing her dog, Sebastian.

Listen to the brilliant way they are house training the puppy.

Ethan brought a cicada that he found while he was in Texas.

Not only did he bring the bug, he had a bug book to go with it as well

as a picture of him with his uncle, and a live cicada.

Dallin won this medal for running a whole mile when he was in Idaho.

The bouncy ball of which I speak!

Chloe got this ball from her grandma's treasure box.

See!  I told you I was wrong.

One last picture of Tristen and Sebastian.