BOO! HALLOWEEN IS HERE!

Well, Halloween is finally here...What a whirlwind! Today was a fun, but exhausting day! The costumes were wonderful and everyone had so much fun. Now I get to enjoy seeing all the cutest 'lions', 'monkeys', and 'zebras' come to my door step! Oh my goodness they are all so precious!

Here are a few Halloween pictures of the washing machine costume I wore to school today. While it was extremely cheap (less than $20), and not too difficult to assemble, it did take some time and preparation. I loved how it turned out, and the kids' expression was priceless! I also took a picture of the 'M' monogram pumpkin that I carved. After getting over my cold this weekend, one pumpkin was unfortunately all I could manage. The idea for the pumpkin came from Martha Stewart, and the font I used was Lucidia Calligraphy. 

I have to admit that I am not looking forward to tomorrow in the classroom. The little ones are going to be so tired and coming down from their sugar rush! I hope everyone's day goes well tomorrow!

HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN MATH

One more day until Halloween...I can feel the excitement and impending sugar rush of my firsties already! Halloween is always so much fun, but also so much fun! Does that make sense? Halloween is such a great time to incorporate fun activities into learning. One of the things I have done in the past is create some pumpkin activities around measurement, weight, and estimation. 

As part of fun Halloween based centers, I have the students estimate the circumference (length around the pumpkin) of the pumpkin with string. It is a great activity that they always love to do. We also do some weight estimations with items that the students believe are either heavier and lighter than the pumpkin. A final fun activity is for students to estimate the number of Halloween coloured jellybeans in a jar. While none of these activities are necessarily new, they are Halloween tasks that I use in my classroom every year to work math into fun and engaging ways.

Halloween Pumpkin Math

FALL FAMILY PICTURES

Well, I have just gotten over my first cold of the season. Not bad considering all the snotty noses and hand-holding that takes place in my grade 1 class. 

Although Halloween is just days away, I thought I would show you some new pictures of my family that were taken a while ago. I don't have children of my own, but love my dog, Della, like she is my child, which is pathetic I know, and drives some of my friends and family nuts! But I can't help it! She is just so adorable!

'W' and I With Della

Della and I

 

SHAPES JACK-O-LANTERN

With Halloween quickly creeping up on me, I tried to think of a new activity that was fun and engaging for the students, but also curriculum related, as report card writing is approaching. I knew I wanted to do something with 'shapes', and thought we could decorate pumpkins with various shapes. After the students decorate their pumpkins, they are expected to write about their pumpkins and the shapes they used to create a jack-o-lantern. I love it when I can incorporate several subject areas into a single activity, especially Math and Language Arts! Another variation of this same activity would be to complete the pumpkin as a 'jack-o-lantern glyph' with each of the colours and shapes denoting a particular student attribute. If you have some shape punches around, the prep work required for the activity is minimal, so it is something you can do the very next day. I have also included the writing sheet for you to use with the shapes jack-o-lantern!

Shapes Jack-O-Lantern

 

Shapes Jack-O-Lantern

BARBARA REID

So I have to say today was not the easiest of days...An exceptionally large class and lots of emotional dramatics were about all I could handle today! The only thing that was getting me through this difficult day, was how excited I was to attend a dual book reading by acclaimed Canadian authors Jo Ellen Bogart and Barbara Reid! As my teaching friend and I were there listening to the wonderful ladies read their works, I could feel the stress of the day and my headache melting away. Now if you are not familiar with the work of Barbara Reid, who is widely known for her plastercine illustrations, you need to run, not walk, to your nearest book store. It was amazing to listen as she shared how her ideas for a story turn into her beautiful creations. After listening to her read her newest story Picture a Tree, she was kind enough to personally sign the book for me! Picture a Tree is my new favourite Barbara Reid book, and I can't wait to incorporate it into my 'Seasons' science unit. The story ends with the clever statement "Picture a tree. What do you see?" that allows the students to think of the ways that trees have enriched their own lives. In the past I have done a Barbara Reid book study with my firsties, with a culminating plasticine art activity, which they have always loved. I hope this inspires some plasticine creations in your own classroom!