Five for FRIDAY!!!

Hi-ya, peeps!  It’s that time again! I’m linking up with Kacey from Doodlebugs Teaching for another fab Five for Friday! It’s been one long, busy….{cray, cray} kind of week!



We had lots of hands on fun with area this week in math.
 

We used a variety of die cuts to make simple comparisons of things that covered more or less area. After a great discussion of what area meant, we wrote a simple definition, then glued a choice of die cuts to the middle of the paper. Students then got to roam the room to find examples of items that covered either less area or more area than their die cut. If they could put the item on top of it and it disappeared….well, it covered more! If they could put the item on top of it and still see the blue color of the die cut, then it covered less. Simple…straight to the point, but fun!

And yes, I was just a tad disturbed to know that hair was used to make a comparison, lol! For the next day’s lesson, we kept all of our strands firmly attached to our heads!



This one was a less hair raising experience. Art-ish + Math = FUN! Students used tiles to create a design that they then had to reproduce on paper. SO….not as easy as it sounds, but they enjoyed it. After creating their design on paper, they counted the number of squares they used and roamed the room to find one friend who covered less area than they did and one friend that covered more.

Did I sneak in a little writing with this activity?  Why yes, I did! Sneaky teacher strikes again…..they had to write their findings in complete sentences. Score…..for the sneaky teacher practicing use of punctuation too! =)



Our class seemed really quiet this week without the chirps from our sweet, little peeps! After waiting impatiently for 21 days to meet them and the excitement of watching them hatch, we really missed them this week! We did get an update on them though, and they’re all doing fine with their new family. They actually got to be reunited with their mom and dad!

Now, don’t flinch too much when I tell you how we used what learned about them in science as we discussed the interdependence of animals and plants….you might be able to guess where we went with it by looking at the pic below!

{GASP…….I KNOW…..sorry!!!}



My students will never look at a chicken nugget or a chicken wing in quite the same way!



These beautiful painted ladies didn’t chirp, but they did cause quite a stir as they emerged from each chrysalis, one by one throughout the day. It was so awesome that it happened while we were in school, BUT did we actually get to witness it…..NOPE….not a one?! Those little suckers were quick! Every time we blinked another had …..POPPED….right out!

Soooo, that was our highlight reel for the week! Head over to Doodlebug’s to see what else everyone has been up to and don’t forget to link up!

Just a few short weeks left, but whose counting?! {wink, wink} Have a great weekend! =)

Chicks, caterpillars, plants…oh, my!!!

Hi, Friends! How are ya?

What a day! There is a LOT growing on in our room and we wouldn’t have it any other way! We started the day with one little chick hatched out of its egg….one very feisty little chick….



…affectionately named, Mr. T! After he made his debut, he was not content to be on his own, so he spent the better part of the morning waking up his peeps and calling them out of their shells!  Next came Blaze and then…….a whole heap of peeps! By the end of the day, we had 6 live chicks and a classroom full of friends that couldn’t pull themselves away from the incubator!

 

Blaze got his nickname because he hatched in a flash! Once he made up his mind it was time to hatch, he was out of there FAST! Our school is not only generous enough to provide all the supplies we need to hatch eggs each spring, but also has a live feed set up online for all classrooms to observe. Kids from all over the school were excited and jumping up and down to inform their teachers that an egg had hatched right before their very eyes! Can you say, thrilled?!

 

What an understatement! We had a blast…..ALL.DAY.LONG!

 

To say the very least, we’re really GROWING in first grade! Growing chicks, growing tiny caterpillars into big fat ones, growing plants, and growing firsties who are benefiting from all that’s going on around them! After meeting the first chick, my students quickly noticed that our caterpillars are heading north signaling time for a change! Will tomorrow morning bring a chrysalis too?



Praise the Lord! We’ve also got sprouts! I’m so happy for my kiddos to see something, anything grow out of these cups! 

With all that was going on around us with the chicks, there was no need to fight for the kid’s attention. We turned our focus to the chicks by observing them on the live feed for most of the day. After recess, we completed a little directed drawing and writing to record our observations.



After school, the REAL fun began, lol! We had lots of sweet friends come by to meet the chicks and help them along their hatching journey. Getting out of that egg must’ve been a lot of work! After a long hard day of breaking shells, drying, fluffing and meeting new friends, our little peeps ended the day cuddled up to take nap!



How sweet!

FIVE for Friday~SOOOOO Random

Hi~ya, Friends! This week has been a busy one! We spent a huge chunk of the week completing our end of year {only 6 more weeks} reading inventories, so the camera didn’t leave the case much. This Five for Friday is a mix of randomness that I haven’t shared before.



We created these little cuties as we were preparing for our spring Open House and will be using this painting technique again in the coming week as we connect with my FAVORITE story of the year…………….The Dot. =)

As of today, our little chicks are on day 20 of 21….we’ve got our fingers crossed that they’ll wait until we get back to school on Monday to start crackin’ out of those shells. We used a few nonfiction texts and video clips this week to learn about the chick’s life cycle and to prepare ourselves for what we’ll see as they emerge. EX.Ci.ted!!!!



My firsties are the sweetest! I just love them! Check out the cute note one of them left me on the back of his work today. Awwwwww…*LOVE*…..A+ for HIM!!! =)

I love you, Ms. Dwyer. Thank you for your kindness.

 

Annnnd, what better way to end the week than to come home to new shoes in your mailbox? =)

 

Have a great weekend! See ya next Friday!

 

Got Chicks?

We do! This a quick post to share a quick FREEbie! Our beautiful baby chicks have hatched! The kids will be so excited to come back after a long weekend to meet out new little friends! Grab the freebie below to make your own observations about the chicks in your classroom! Don't you just love spring ?

Click the pic to use it for writing about YOUR chicks! Have a terrific Tuesday everyone! Follower 100...I know you're out there! See ya tomorrow {fingers crossed}!