Making Memories

I hope you all enjoyed a blessed holiday with your family and friends.  We've been making the best of our holidays together here, with more to come.

On Saturday we had the opportunity to take part in a Polar Express event.  It was so much fun!  We took a train ride to the North Pole (our local ski hill).  On the train there were actors and actresses playing the role of the characters in The Polar Express.  We were also treated to a reading of the story and carolling.

When we got to the North Pole we were led to Santa's workshop where the kids started making crafts (bell bracelets and reindeer food).  It was a great way to keep the kids busy while my husband got our ski equipment prepped and ready for us.

After lunch we hit the ski hill.  My husband snowboards and I ski, but our kids had never been skiing before so they took a quick lesson on the bunny hill.  My oldest caught on quickly, so I was able to take her on one of the bigger hills before the end of the day.

After skiing, right before we headed back home, we went back to Santa's workshop to mingle with the big guy himself.  He had a bell from Santa's sleigh for all the kids.  Such a fabulous day ... and definitely a memory maker.

Over the holidays we also had a little photo session with the girls so I could give some pictures as gifts.  My sister is a talented hobby photographer, so we got all the kiddos together so we could give our parents a beautiful framed picture of all the grandkids.  I also got a large canvas of my three little beauties ... Merry Christmas to ME!

And then it was Christmas ... x3.  On Christmas Eve my whole family gets together at my parents' house.  Christmas morning is a love-filled, chaotic event with just the 5 of us.  And Christmas evening is spent at my mother-in-law's house.  That's a lot of Christmas ... and I wouldn't change a minute of it.  

Tomorrow morning we're leaving on a little mini vacation to take the girls to see their first NHL game (a true Canadian holiday).  Looking forward to a little relaxing, a little shopping, and NO CLEANING!

Happy Holidays!  Enjoy the rest of your time ... time to relax and recharge.  I'll "see" you all in the New Year!

8

Art Feature - Line and Design Christmas Trees

This was a fun, quick, and easy art project we took on this week.  I'm definitely in the Christmas mood already, and wanted to bring a little bit of into the classroom.  I love line and design art projects - so simple, and yet so effective.

For this one, we started by drawing some simple holiday and Christmas themed shapes and words on our paper (we used plain white computer paper) and then outlined them in black sharpie.

We then divided our paper into many sections using a combination of straight and curvy lines (but we didn't let any of the lines run through the Christmas shapes we had already drawn.

We then drew in a simple Christmas tree shape, and outlined it in green sharpie.  They also used the same green sharpie to go over the previously drawn lines that ended up inside of the Christmas tree shape. (Students had the option of adding a star and a few Christmas balls to their tree).  

They then used different shades of green pencil crayons to colour in the sections within the tree (patchwork style).   

Once the tree was coloured, they went back to their black sharpies and filled in the sections around the tree with different variations of lines and designs.  I LOVE how they turned out.

This is our (very) large bulletin board that I display most of our art on (some of it makes it onto bulletin boards in the hall).  This year I've tried to keep a sample of all the art we've done in the year.  So, when we're ready to post a new art project, I take down all but one row of the previous art, and add all the new art underneath (we might have to start fresh at the beginning of second term).  I laminate all of our art projects, so that's why the pieces at the top look so shiny.  Once an art project comes off the board, we store them in our art portfolios until the end of the year when we turn them into our "Art and Writing Books" for students to take home at the end of the year.  You can read about that project HERE.

Well, that's about it.  Hope you're having a relaxing weekend!  Happy Saturday!!!

3

Cyber Monday Pin It to Win It WINNERS

I have my two winners for my Cyber Monday Pin It to Win It contest!  I used the random number generator to choose 2 winners from the comments in my last post.

The winners are .... (drumroll)

#20 - Loren StoreyNovember 30, 2013 at 11:35 PM

We have been using your interactive math journals and have LOVED them. I'm excited to use the ideas and resources in your "Reading Comprehension Strategy Resource Binder!" Thanks! http://www.pinterest.com/pin/220043131767262753/

#94 - MW (Meredith)December 1, 2013 at 9:47 PM

All of your products are inspired! Here is the one that I am wishing for now!
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/234398355579665803/

Congratulations, Meredith and Loren!  You both won a copy of my Reading Comprehension Strategy binder and a $25.00 gift certificate!  Please leave me a comment below with your email address so I can send you your prize!

If I don't hear from a winner within 24 hours, I will choose a new winner.  Be sure to follow my facebook page for the announcement.

Happy Sunday evening!  It was a great day - theatre date with my three little girls, hubby made supper, Walking Dead on TV (still in shock), and a roaring fire in the fireplace.  Life is good.  :) 

1