Hello! Remember Us?

I can't believe how long it has been since my last post. I feel badly. Perhaps it could have been because we are so busy reviewing for end-of-level testing. Or, it could be because of the fact that Miss Bush (our student teacher) was in charge for about a month. But, whatever it is, we are back.

Lets start with our zoo trip! On April 26th, we went to the Hogle Zoo! Oh what fun. This is the earliest we have ever attended the zoo in all the years that Amelia Earhart has been around. As we had worried about the weather being chilly, we really had no idea what was in store. I believe the high was 46 degrees!! We had snow! It was freezing! It was FABULOUS! The children were absolute troopers. I was so proud of them and their awesome attitudes.

So, here are some pictures of the day. Unfortunately, they are mostly of the students who were in my group. If any of you have any other photos you would like to share, please send them to me and I will gladly post them for all to enjoy.

This was a very exciting part of the day. While in the bat cave, we found this abandoned bunny rabbit. We felt like absolute humanitarian rescue workers. Just see for yourself...

We loved this day so much. Thank you to all of the chaperones who came along for the very chilly ride!

Braids and Two More Journals

One day this past week, one of our friends was having a rough day. She was having a hard time getting to her assignment. I kept reminding her to "get busy". Then she cried great big crocodile tears and told me she missed her mommy. I'm a sucker when it comes to my first graders. I have to wipe away the tears and make everything all right. No sad faces in Room 5!

I had her come behind my desk to sit on a stool that I keep back there for these types of "emergencies". I gave her a clipboard, pencil, and writing page and told her to get to work. Then...I braided her hair! When she stopped writing, I stopped braiding. By the end, she was smiling and so was I!!

GUESS WHO???

GUESS AGAIN...

...and one more guess

BAILEY!

(Look at that sweet little happy face!)

On another note...

Alex finished his first journal.

And so did EMMA!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Honest Abe/More Journals!

Oh, how I love this annual activity in my classroom.

Did you know that Abraham Lincoln was a very disorganized president?

Did you know he kept his important papers inside his hat?

He was.

He did.

You can read all about it here:

So after reading this to the children,

they all wrote about what they would keep in

their own individual hat.

I wish I would have taken a picture of some of the writing.

It was fantastic.

Some of the items mentioned: cookies, paper, money, pets, blankies, and even a scooter.

(Wow! That's some hat!)

Then, they made a hat with a little replica of Abe's face

at the bottom.

The result is always a hit.

See for yourselves:

On another note:

Here are Heston and Grant.

My little authors who have worked hard to finish their first journal.

I'm very proud of these children.

Dear Journal:

I finished my First Grade journal! It was a lot of hard work and I had to think of lots and lots of ideas. I'm getting to be a pretty good author. In fact, I love to write. I also love the awesome bow I'm wearing. I hope you can see it there on the side of my head. You would never miss ME in a crowd!

Love,

Princess Janey

A couple of months ago, we made a list of about 10 different parties we could use as rewards for good classroom behavior. We came up with: a fancy party, a pizza party, a beach party, a pj party, a popcorn party, etc... My very favorite party they (Marley came up with the idea) came up with was a cereal party. HONESTLY this was one of the best parties in the history of my teaching career!! It was a blast. You can read below about all the details. Following the note, you will find some photos of the event! I will definitely make this an annual event.

Casey, Bailey, and Grant

Who doesn't like Fruit Loops??

I never would have imagined that some children do not

like cereal! So, this little one brought a lovely,

coconut covered donut! It looked elegant of her doily.

\

And some children aren't really sure what to do with

their cereal bowls or lids!

Silly Bryan!

The end of a lovely little party.

A VERY Sweet Valentine Celebration!

We had a fantastic Valentine's Day party yesterday. Dylan's family brought some amazing cupcakes with tons of frosting. Aurora's mom brought some brownie bites. Grant's mom came along to help with "crowd control". And Mrs. Houghton organized the entire thing. I love our moms and dads! What would I do without them??

I'm pretty sure that Rebeca LOVED her

cupcake.

What do YOU think?

Brieanna's Valentine

Valentine Vomit!

(Valentine treats rival Halloween!)

I can't figure out if Ryan likes his cupcake or not!

Just look at Bayley's loot!

I admit...I had two of these puppies!

So yummy!

Aurora's loot bag.

Here is a short video of Rebeca showing us her beating heart ring.