STEM Stuff, PIP, and a GIVEAWAY!!

Hello all! 

I know, I know...it's been a while....it's that end of the year nuts stuff and life on top of it and I have not been able to blog.  I wanted to share a few STEM activities we have done and the kids have loved!

 

This first one is from Get Caught Engineering and their Stem-a-Thon packet!

This pack is super full of lots of activities!  One we did and the kids loved was building a new house for Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.

The kids had a blast working together to plan and then construct their houses for Dorothy:)

I think the thing I love the most about the STEM challenges is listening to the students and their thinking.  It is amazing to hear how their little minds work:)  Of course you can have Dorothy without a tornado!  Enter Mrs. Eiken's hair dryer, the tornado!!!  That part was a blast!!!

 

Another challenge we started last Friday and will have to finish this week is making marble mazes:)

These are fun but they take forever to glue...I have to do all the gluing because I'm using a hot glue gun:)  Hoping to get done tomorrow:)  Then when they are done the kids can trade mazes and play away!

 

In other news Pip made his first visit to school Friday and it was a huge success!

He was all kinds of social!!  I thought he would curl up in a ball and stay there but he was all about saying hi to the kids!

 

 I don't know about you all but I am already planning my classroom décor for next year and changing things up a bit with a new set that I made:)

Kids and Colors Collection

I'm celebrating because I hit a little milestone on my FB fan page and finished my Math Meeting headers to coordinate with the new classroom set I made so I thought I would have a little giveaway:)

Kids and Colors Math Meeting

So....I'm giving away both of my new sets and 2 additional items from my TPT shop of the winner's choice:)  This is my last week with kids...I am going to have a terrible time saying goodbye:( 

 

 



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Book Reporting FUN!!!

Jen Runde, I LOVE you!!! 

 

We just had the best time last week with book reports.....book reports?  Those aren't fun...the kids don't usually like them, they don't do a great job, they're boring........

 

WELL, our book reports were amazing thanks to Jen Runde and her awesome Paper Bag Character Study packet!

These were so fun!  The kids really dug into their reading!  It was also a great way to stir up some interest in other books that some of my kids may have never considered but are now interested after hearing a little about them:)

Here are some pics of the individual projects:)

My absolute FAVE part of this project was the kids having to fill their bags with 10 things that connect/relate to that character.  Some of my kids really got into this by making things out of clay:)

I loved how creative they got with relating to their character and the items they chose.

Some of the items were really ingenious:)  I love how this student made an acrostic with the word positive which was a word that described his character! 

This girl was really creative with her choices and even dressed like her character for the day of her presentation!  I forgot to get a pic:/

 

Just a peek at the items chosen and made for their projects tells me that most of my kids have a great passion for reading and they really enjoyed sharing that with the class through this project!  Thank you Jen for creating such amazing products that my kids so enjoy!!!

 



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Symmetry, Reflection, Name Bugs

I do these name bugs every year because the kids LOVE them so much!  It's also a fun review/lesson for symmetry and reflection.  I'm pretty sure I've posted about these before but don't think I've given instructions...if so, sorry...lol....end of year teacher brain:/  Lots of pics ahead....a mini tutorial and some final products:)

Start with a plain piece of white paper.

Fold it in half...we say hotdog:)

Write or print your first name.  I have to remind my kiddos to do it pretty big.  If it's too small the bug won't look cool and their name will be lost in the pic.

Go over the pencil with black marker.

Fold it back in half...you will be able to see the black marker thru the paper....

Trace over that with the black marker again.

When you open it, you can see it thru the paper and you will need to trace it one more time.

Now you have the name on both sides.  I tell my kids to take their time so it's as close as possible to the other side...rushing messes it up and you lose the symmetry.

Now the fun begins!  Use a pencil and make your bug!! 

I only let them use black on their names so the name "pops" out of the picture when it's done:)

Hope this is something you can use and your kiddos will enjoy!!

Have a blessed Sunday!



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Teacher Anchor Launch

So excited!

Look what launched yesterday!  The 2015-2016 Teacher Anchor from C. Jayne Teach.

Beauty and organization all wrapped into one gorgeous package:)  You have to check it out!

 

Have a blessed weekend!

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