My goal this year is to try more things that I have found on Pinterest. Is it as addicting for you as it is for me? I can pin things like crazy but I was never daring enough to actually try it and see how it went unless it came with a template or something. Here are some things I have tried and actually completed with my kids. Now it is on to find Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa stuff. My motto (and my principal's motto) is to be MORE hands-on... we are sort of in a paper shortage again... now we have to get what we want copied approved!! I still have my own paper but now I want to use my construction paper!
This was another cute idea for Halloween/Red Ribbon Week. I needed myself to get into the Halloween spirit but we were also supposed to be doing more red ribbon stuff with our kids rather than Halloween. (Bummer, I know) But this way it fit into everything. The kids got a kick out of it and this was one of those projects that you have to let the kids "go" with it. I do find that difficult... to let go and let them do it how they want. You know when you see something (on Pinterest) and you want to copy how it looks exactly, but when you hand it to a child they sort of run with it in a different way... that is what happened here and for my next project.
Aren't these cute? This project turned out great but boy did it take a long time... we had to postpone our ice cream party til Monday as our turkeys took the whole time. But if you click on the picture check out some of their answers. And I wrote exactly what they said (even that was hard for me). I'm a work in progress.
Speaking of our ice cream party... my kids are celebrating how many compliments that they got since the last party. I found this idea off a blog somewhere (if it is your idea please let me know) to hang paper chains/links up for each compliment you receive and have it measure something across the room before you can have your next reward. Well my kids got 24 compliments in September (it wasn't even over yet) and our chain started at the top of the bulletin board and went to the floor. From there we started a new pattern color and used the edge of the bulletin board wall to the end of our carpet for the next reward (a cookie party). Then I let the kids vote on their next compliment prize and they voted for ice cream (popsicles and popcorn lost). In order to get that party they had to get the compliments to reach from the end of our carpet pass the green table. Maybe I should have done a table further away but we were on a roll and I went with it. So now my kids have earned 94 compliments and it is only the middle of November. I still have 2 compliments to add from Friday. If we reach 100 compliments, I might have our 100th party early (our 100th day of school always happens around Valentine's day... boo!) I can see it now... asking the parents to bring treats so we can celebrate and practice counting up to 100- we sing our I Can Count to a Hundred song (Jack Hartman) every day, but to put it into practice would be great.
So after that celebration happens, does anyone have any other ideas for rewards? I might try to see if they would want to have double recess for a whole week... Double recess was our first September prize and they seemed to have liked that. I am open to all ideas. Thanks so much! Here is one more picture to leave you with... it is a labeling activity I had my kids do with a partner. They labeled "the teacher" then they labeled their partner.
Have a great weekend! Enjoy
