Five For Friday

Ahhhh Friday ... I LOVE you, Friday!  Was it just me, or was this week incredibly long?  I have a feeling they're all going to be like that until the end of the year.

Join me as I link up with Doodlebugs Teaching for this week's Five for Friday ...

I have some exciting news to start with.  I finally started a facebook page this week - YAY!  It's been a long time coming, and I wasn't sure I'd have the time to keep one up, but I'm loving it so far.  I'd LOVE for you to join me there.  Click on the "like button" below and come on over and see my page.

Even though it's not so the weather isn't so spring-like today (or this weekend, for that matter), my spring flowers keep blooming.  These hyacinths smell absolutely delicious!  So pretty, too!

We're working with 3D shapes right now in math.  I have a few kids in my class this year who are obsessed with Angry Birds, so I thought it was the perfect time to combine the two.  We cut out the nets for these shapes (see link HERE).  I had them trace the nets onto construction paper, then cut them out and assemble them.  (If by some miracle, you are unlimited with your number of colour photocopies, you could skip the step where you trace them out on construction paper).  We've been assembling our 3D solids this week, and next week we will begin to solve the volume and surface area of the shapes.  I'm also going to integrate it with our structures unit in science, and have them build a weight-bearing structure to use with their angry birds.  Can't wait - I'll keep you posted on the progress of our project.

We've been working with The Secret Knowledge of Grown-Ups in language class this week (these books are so FUN!).  We've read both books and used our Monitoring Comprehension Reading Strategy Poster during our read alouds.  We're also writing our own individual copies of grown-up rules.  The kids are having a lot of fun with this project - we're going to publish our stories into a real book when we're done.  I can't wait to share our progress with you.  We've just finished our rough drafts as of today.

Last, but certainly not least, we made these adorable cards for Mother's Day today.  I found the idea on Pinterest, and tracked down a template for the card HERE.  We had to add a little glitter to our cards (because everything is better with glitter), and we added a little poem to the bottom.  They turned out so nice - the students are so excited to share them with their mothers.  ♥

Happy Friday!!!  And a very Happy Mother's Day weekend to all you mothers and grandmothers out there.

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Mother's Day Purse Poems

I so wish I was one of those organized people who post their fabulous ideas days (even weeks) before special occasions ... but alas, I'm not.  I'm lucky I even squeezed in a Mother's Day activity this week.  So, I'm offering  you the next best thing.  This is what my class did for Mother's Day ... and if you like it, you can pin it for next year (I guess that's the best I can do).

We've been studying and writing poetry lately, so I wanted the kids to write a poem for Mother's Day.  And, I wanted to present it in a special way ... so we made Mother's Day Purse Poems.  

We used 12 x 12 scrapbook paper cut in half for this activity (I included the link for the pad of paper I used at the bottom of the page).  Fold the bottom part of the paper up, so that it is about 2 inches from the top of the paper.  Fold the top of the paper over to fold a flap.  Then the students cut the paper into a trapezoid shape.  I told them they could round off the edges of the flap if they wanted.  They cut a thin strip to use as the purse strap, and taped it to the inside of the paper.  We used a velcro dot to hold the flap down to the paper (purse).

For the poem we used one of the simple "I Am" templates found on the internet.  We just changed the "I" to "She".  Because some of my students don't have a mom in their lives, they could write about a grandma, aunt, or any mother figure they have in their lives.  Students wrote the poem on the inside of the purse, so that when the flap is opened, their "present" is revealed.  Cute, easy, and quick ... just what I needed on a Friday afternoon!

I also wanted to express just how jealous I am reading about all of you who are just about finished the school year.  I'm not going to tell you I still have 7 weeks (35 days) left ... wait, I guess I just did ... ;)  I guess I was living vicariously through all of you, and wanted to feel like the end of the year was just a bit closer, so I made up a fun little reflection activity for the end of the year.  End of the Year Cootie Catchers would make a great activity for pairs or small groups to get them thinking about all the wonderful things they accomplished and took part in through the year.  You could also turn one of the prompts into a reflection writing activity - a perfect end of the year activity for the students' portfolios.  Click HERE or on the picture to take a peek at my newest set of cootie catchers.

As always, I'd like to offer you a little treat.  Be one of the first THREE to leave me a comment with your email, and I'll send you a free copy of the cootie catchers.  Enjoy ... and HAPPY SATURDAY!!!

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