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!

October - Currently I am...

Another month done and dusted! Can you believe September is over already??
Well October is here, so I say bring on the pumpkins, costumes and candy! Living in Australia, Halloween isn't as big of a deal as it is in America and other countries. But I still like to teach my little ones about the history of the holiday, so I'm looking forward to that :)

A new month equals a new currently! I'm linking up with Farley from 'Oh Boy 4th Grade' to share what I'm upto, so here it is!

Listening - My parents are off to the Gold Coast tomorrow for ten days and have only been allocated 20kg of luggage between then. Cue the awkward struggle to condense two adults luggage into one suitcase with a weight of under 20kg. It won't happen....I predict a call will be made to the airline to increase the luggage allowance. 

Loving - School holidays are essential! It's a much needed break for teacher and students from each other. We all love our kids, and are extremely lucky to be able to spend so much time with them, watching them grow and sharing in their stories and experiences. But toward the end of the term, it is clear that both parties are ready for a break. 

If you're anything like me a chunk of your holidays are spent making all those little improvements to your classroom that you don't get time for during the term. It's also spent thinking up new lessons, better ways to run your day, and trolling teaching blogs for new ideas. This doesn't feel like work to me though, so it's still relaxing and enjoyable :)

Thinking - Uuuuugh term 4....reports. Enough said. I know we all feel the same about this time of the year. Yay for Christmas, Boo for reports. 

Wanting - My friend just posted on Facebook about her recent laser eye surgery. She has worn contacts and glasses her whole life, and now has better than 20:20 vision. Definitely something I want to do. Just need to save for a house first, unless I win the lotto, then I'll be booked in the next day! I don't personally mind the look of glasses, or mind wearing them...at school. But when I want to go shopping or spend the day/night with friends, having rubbish vision is a bit of a bugger. I can still see by all means, but it's definitely not great. 

Needing - I think I've mentioned before that this year (and next) I am studying to gain my Catholic Accreditation. This course is by far the WORST I have EVER undergone. It has zero relevance to actual teaching and is sooo full of theological jargon that it confuses me just to read the assignment titles. I am so lucky that I have other teachers doing it as well or I would be well and truly doomed. 

Trick or Treat - Treat!! I have just uploaded my 'Holiday Themed Writing Templates' and they are currently in my shop for....FREEEEEE! (for a week!) Head on over and grab them now. 

Head over to 'Oh Boy 4th Grade' for more blogger insights :)