Classroom Inspiration

Friday, 17 October 2014

TGIF - big time!

Thank the lord that it's Friday!
This week has been a loooong and tiring one. We've stuffed so much learning into the last 5 days that I'm left feeling exhausted! Today was one of those days when something (usually a misbehaving munchkin) makes your mood change from cheery to grumpy. I left work today feeling a little low. But looking back on my photos from the week, I'm glad to be reminded of all the fantastic things my little wonders have done this week. 

I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday. Here goes!
(Be sure to click on the picture below to check out the other fantastic bloggers who have linked up)
This week we were learning all about probability. We used a great pack from Secondgradealicious that contained this activity. My little wonders worked in small groups to sort the events into the categories - certain, likely, unlikely and impossible. As I walked around I heard some great discussions about why or why not an event belonged in a category. They especially loved the one that said 'Your teacher will turn into an ant'. 
 Staying on the topic of maths, we also looked at the probability of selecting a certain object out of a group. I found a super cute pack by Jane Feener which uses gumball machines to pose questions about probability. One of the activities involved putting 12 cards around the room, and the children walked around and answered the questions. They had fun trying to find all the cards and it was a good way to see which children still needed a bit of support. 
This month is Mission Month in the Catholic calendar and as something a little special, I decided I would give my little wonders a secret mission. I thought up 20 acts of kindness that could be done at home or at school, and put one in an envelope for each of my kids. I also included a 'Secret Agent' badge and a letter explaining their secret mission. The children were very excited to receive their own envelope and badge, and were eager to get started. The Secret Mission pack is available on my TPT store. It isn't linked directly to Mission Month, so it can be used by anyone who would like to promote random acts of kindness within their class. 
For art this week we made some beautifully colourful parrots. They look fantastic and brighten up the otherwise dull (and ugly) area above my sink. I had some early finishers so they made some chain link vines to add to the 'tropical-ness' of the display. 
I found the idea and template for the parrots at Squish Preschool Ideas.
Does anyone else do Cosmic Kids Yoga?
My kids loooove it! The videos have a story line that the kids can follow, and are very engaging. Today we did 'Babs the Beaver'. It's a great way to help children relax and calm down, and also gets their wriggles out at the same time. 
Thanks for taking a peek at my busy, hectic, exhausting, fun, jam packed week!

7 comments:

  1. Those parrots look great! I love the colour. They're so bright and simple to make.
    I think I will definitely have to make some.
    Your classroom looks so great!
    Sheri
    Early Years with Sheri

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  2. I love the look of your blog! I use Go Noodle but am definitely going to have to try Cosmic Yoga - thank you for sharing (:

    Katie
    Living the First Grade Dream

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  3. Seeing all those little kids doing yoga was so fun! Thanks for sharing your photos. It does look like you had a great week!
    Carol
    Teachers Are Terrific!

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  4. I love your blog design and your classroom!! So bright and cheery!! as for Cosmic Kids Yoga...going to check it out now. :)

    Christy
    Crayons and Whimsy

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  5. Those parrots are so cute!! They are so bright and colorful!! Cosmic Kids Yoga looks great! Thanks for sharing!!

    recipeforteaching

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  6. Hello, I wanted to let you know that I have nominated you for the Liebster award! You can see your nomination here: Christina’s Kinder Blossoms: Liebster Award
    Have a great day!
    Christina

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