I hope you all had a fabulous Halloween!! I had to share pictures of the AWESOME treats my students got today! I have the best parent helpers this year. They are really creative!!!
The mummies are white chocolate covered oreos. So yummy! What a great idea!!
I posted 3 of my favorite Halloween jokes on my Facebook page, but here is one last joke .....
I LOVE my blog design!! It is just what I wanted and really expresses my style. Thank you Christi for doing such an amazing job!! You are professional, easy to work with, and very creative!!
If you're looking for a new blog design, you should definitely check her out!!!
I'm obsessed with music! I play it all day long .... in my car, when I'm home, and of course in my CLASSROOM!! Not only does music put me in a good mood, but it truly helps me to be a better teacher. I use it for classroom management, transitions, and to put a smile on my students' faces!!!
Using music for transitions is brilliant! I initially got this idea from the fabulous Rick Morris. Check out his website for many great ideas!! He's amazing. Attending his teacher workshops permanently changed how I do transitions in my classroom.
Like Rick Morris, I have a playlist of songs that I use for important transitions throughout the day. Instead of giving oral directions ALL day long, these songs cue my students to do specific jobs. They love it and it saves my voice a little.
It's also a HUGE time saver. It only takes my students 2 minutes and 51 seconds (the length of Raiders of the Lost Ark) to clean and pack up at the end of the day!! I'm talking about ALL 28 students!! It's so great!!
My playlist:
* Crazy Frog Ding Dong Song -
I play this in the morning. Students know to put their backpacks away, turn in homework, and start working on their morning work.
* Andy Griffith Show Theme Song -
I play this right before recess & lunch. Students know to clean up and get ready.
* Dancing with the Stars Theme Song -
I play this right before silent reading time. Students know to take out a book and start reading.
* Raiders of the Lost Ark Theme Song -
I play this at the end of the day. Students know to clean up, pack up, and get ready to go home.
* You've Got a Friend in Me(Toy Story) -
I play this after art or when we have rainy day schedule. Students know to clean up and put their supplies/games away.
My favorite song is the Ding Dong Song. My students love it!! I play this song with the video. The first few times I played it, my students were in a TV coma and stared at the screen instead of doing their "jobs". I promise they'll get over the novelty of it and it will work like magic!!
If you can't access YouTube at your school, you can also find it on Vimeo.
I found all my theme songs from televisiontunes.com. This site has a ton of shorter songs that are perfect for transitions and more importantly, they are FREE!!!
Using music for transitions adds some FUN to your classroom and will make your life a little bit easier. Enjoy!!!
Here's another fall art project I love putting up in my classroom. It adds a nice harvest touch and it's really easy to prep. I love the colors!!
Here are some student samples. All you need is construction paper, scissors, and glue. I always encourage my students to free cut each item. Some will ask if they can draw the item first with pencil, but I like the look of a rough cut. It makes it look like "kid" art, which is always SO cute! I have each student cut out one large pumpkin, two bunches of grapes (green and purple), one red apple, and a yellow pear (or squash). All pieces are glued onto a black background and mounted on yellow. Voila!!!
I'm so excited to start my blog!! Yay! This is my first blog!! I can't wait to share my ideas with others. I get so many great ideas from other teacher blogs. I'm always so impressed with the creative and clever ideas out there!
Even though summer is my favorite season, October is one of my favorite months. I love the colors, decorations, and art projects I do with my students. I love going to Lombardi Ranch, a family owned ranch in my hometown, to get pumpkins and the BEST corn on the cob ever!!!
The entrance to Scarecrow Alley at Lombardi Ranch
One of my favorite art projects during this time of year is my Frankenstein Art. This art is based on the book Frankie Stein. It's a cute story!!
I love doing directed draws!! They always come out great. Even though I give the students step by step directions, all finished products come out differently and are SO unique. Here's the basic template and a few AWESOME student samples. Feel free to use it in your classrooms.
My students loved making these and were so proud of themselves!! Enjoy!
