Want MAGICAL ideas??

I'm kind of a blog head... I feel like I should go to confession about it.  In fact, my mom and I talk about these bloggers as if we know them personally.  Apparently people like us are referred to as blog stalkers in the blogger world... I prefer to believe that I am considered well informed on others' teaching ideas :)

All joking aside, I love to read blogs about teaching... and man, there are so amazing ones out there to read.  My favorites...Teacher to the Core...I strive to be a teacher like Katie Knight!...Mrs. Jump's Class...Deanna Jump is part of my normal vocabulary and a minor celebrity in my and my mom's worlds...A Teeny Tiny Teacher...Kristin is super funny and if you do nothing else, you have to read her Halloween story.



While perusing through my favs the other night, I came across a call out for a book group....and get this, it's about creating MAGIC in the classroom!!!  As well as other things like engagement, FUN, and the death to worksheets.


Image from kickinitinkindergarten.com

If this sounds like just the ticket for you to get started on your MAGICAL adventure...hop on over to Kickin' It In Kindergarten to get the details (http://kickinitinkindergarten.com/book-study-work-sheets-dont-grow-dendrites-starting-february-28th/).

I'll meet you there!

The Magic of the Olympics

I love the Olympics!  I don't know about you, but there is something magical about them.  Maybe it's the music (don't you find yourself humming it constantly during that time??).  Or maybe it's the pride that is bound to come out for your nation.  Or maybe it's the shear talent and determination of the athletes.  Whatever it is, it is magical...

"We live in a world full of magic and wonder.  We just need to take the time to embrace it." Kim Bearden said it best in the book "Crash Course."  Our students want to be able to experience that magic.  It takes a little more thinking outside the box, but any lesson can become magical.  Think about it you learned that way... wouldn't you remember those lessons?

Image from jeremyrenners.blogspot.com

With that in mind, I wanted to end our measurement unit with a bang (and get in a little more practice as well).  We could have just done some more measuring worksheets.  We could have compared our pencils or our crayons.  We could have measured our desks of the sink.  But that seemed so mundane.  And while I'm lucky that I teach first graders and they are game to do just about anything, it's so much better with magic.

Cue the Olympic music.  Many of my students didn't know much about the Olympics or had never even seen them.  The students were told that they were going to compete in the Winter Olympics this year in four events.  They wanted to do their best because medals were rewarded.

Now, I realize that I am not the first or only person to do Measurement Olympics in my classroom.  But it was the magic that was injected into these eventsthat made it just a bit different.
country.

We started off by creating flags for our countries and making our winter ski hats to keep us warm during the events.  Blaring the Olympic anthem outside in our quad area, all my students jogged with the torch passing it off to their fellow classmates while the rest of us clapped and cheered for them and I used my official announcers voice to introduce each one.

When they entered the class for our first event, our classroom had been transformed.  And while I can't transform my classroom to the extent that they do at the Ron Clark Academy (due to lack of funds and the 4 year old at home who likes to see her mama every day), I can make it as spectacular as I can.

A giant sign with the Olympic rings on it adorned the front of every event.  A snowy mountain scene stretched out behind the event area.  Chairs and desks stacked together created a grandstand for our spectators to enjoy the events.  Each event has a sign that mimicked those of the actual events.  But most of all, I had been transformed from their loving teacher to an outgoing Olympic commentator and announcer.  The sillier the better!

From what I hear, RCA is also big on sounds and music making it a true experience too.  I'm still working on this piece.

Yes, this took a bit of extra time, but WOW, it sure was worth it in the end.  My kids had a blast!  They looked forward to math all week long.  If we can create that kind of magic during our lessons...not every lesson, but just a few here and there... how much more engaged and excited would our kids be?  How much more would they retain?  How much more would they love school?

"...when we take the time to create the illusion, the results are worth every effort we've made." (Bearden, "Crash Course")

How can we create more magic and make everyday lessons more exciting?  Think of the possibilities!

Do you believe in magic?

Envious.  Wistful.  Jealous. That's the best word to describe it. Reading about all those bloggers going to the Ron Clark Academy. We were in Atlanta this summer for a wedding and I could have gone...Georgia Aquarium or RCA?? Hmmmm, the 4 year old won out. But someday....

So in place of experiencing first hand, I am reading "Crash Course" by Kim Bearden, one of the teachers and co-founders of RCA. It. Is. Awesome. Love love it! Short chapters...because who wants to read something long at the end of the day... But long in inspiration,

The first chapter us about creating magic in your teaching. I have really taken this to heart this year. How do I get my kids to truly experience their learning. Not just listen, but be transformed to that place. Make their learning real. 

Magic. It's showing on the excited faces whenever I welcome them onto Air Force One and open the Olympic event for the day.  It's in the running from clue to clue, excitably chattering about what the clue could mean.

This time tomorrow, come on back and see where the magic took us today.

How do you create magic in your classroom?

The Happy Day Project and Jilly

I have the most amazing friend from college.  She has 4 beautiful children and an amazing husband.  She is the most real mom that you will ever meet...and it makes us moms feel like we are all in the same boat.  She writes an incredible blog called liferearranged.com.  If you haven't checked it out then you MUST!  It is touching, heart-warming, funny, and real.

As part of her blog, Jeannett has introduced me to http://www.thehappydayproject.com/  Each day, you do a random act of kindness for someone different.  Last year, my class seemed to need a little kick in the heiny about kindness without cause, so I instituted The Happy Day Project in my classroom...on a smaller scale.  We wrote letters to soldiers.  We made cookies and packed them up to give to our neighbors (although who knows how many of those cookies made it to the neighbors house).  We made cards for a family member.  It was a blast!  And the kids' beautiful little hearts just shined out of their bodies.  It was awesome to witness.

Meanwhile, on liferearranged.com, Jeannett was fundraising for the Epilepsy Foundation.  Her beautiful daughter Jilly, who my class just FELL IN LOVE WITH, has very severe seizures as a result of epilepsy.  They were going to walk in the End to Epilepsy Walk in November in Los Angeles.  We wanted to support them so my kids and I videotaped us reading a poem of support for Jilly.  It was so cool to see how amped they were to support someone that they had only met through pictures.

Fast forward to this year, same time....

The Happy Day Project is beginning again, but this time we are starting it with a BANG!  (more on the Happy Day project coming soon)  I decided this year that we were going to have our own mini walk to support Jilly.  So I wrote the note home to my families and asked them to support our little event by gathering donations from friends and neighbors.  We were then going to walk for 45 minutes in support of Jilly and ultimately the Epilepsy Foundation. In the process of getting these notes out, my friends sidled over to see what I was up to...and now more classes were participating. Well, yay! Now maybe the $100 I was hoping to raise will turn into $300. This is what happened when the walk started this morning...

More and more kids kept coming out...one class after another.

More and more kids. Out there to walk for a little girl that they had met and fell in love with through 5 pictures. They wanted to support her.

Our purpose of our walk was to raise money and awareness for Epilepsy...but something much greater came out of it.  Our kids were proud to be there.  They were proud to be supporting something that wasn't about them.  They were happy to see each other and happy to be outside.  The excitement and feeling of community was contagious....and overwhelmingly amazing.  Seriously, it was not that hard to organize this event.  The amount of time that it took write the letters home

and make the signs was far outweighed by the happiness that we had created at our school.

Oh and did I mention that it was raining that morning...NOOOOOO!  We are in a drought!  Why is it raining on the one day that it can't??  But you will not believe it...

Sunshine.  Just in our little corner of Watsonville...

But that is not even the most amazing part...

WE RAISED $1500 FOR THE EPILEPSY FOUNDATION!!!!!

Our little walk-a-thon.  Our one idea.  Our $2 here and a handful of quarters there.  

FIFTEEN HUNDRED DOLLARS!!!

It just goes to show...

you can make a HUGE impact with just a little bit.

Excited to be in blog world

My daughter and I are starting a new adventure and are so excited.  We are always trying new things and this is our first blog.  I am teaching kindergarten after 18 years in first grade and my daughter, Darci teaches first.  We both have loved trying new things together and this is another newbie for us.  We come from a very crafty family and that transfers into our classrooms too.  I am always told how colorful my classroom is and how much learning they see happening in our room.  I am in my room so much that I really need it to be bright and cheerful.  I will try to show you some of my favorite projects that we do in our classroom at this time of the year but today I am at the end of my 4 days off for Veteran's Day.
  We hope you enjoy our  blog and come back often!