How is it that I can feel more tired now, than before the holidays? I'm now 5 days into my 14 days off and I'm spent. I've been contacting books for my class library, organsing last semesters worth of 'stuff' into new pretty folders, rearranging my classroom, playing Lego Batman on the PS3 with my little guy (well, he's almost 13 and has long since grown taller than me and out of the Lego games, but they're the only games I know how to play because they don't require great skill) and doing a little DIY for my classroom. Oh, and I also spent a lot of money... I feel bad for spending so much on school stuff, but aren't these pretty?
New pretty rainbow rug.
I've only got a couple of bookcases and no other storage, and I'm sick of buying storage carts. I thought I'd use this to hold all of my math and word work manipulatives.
New book tubs for guided reading groups.
And lots of other little things I don't want to bore you with. Can't wait for them to be delivered.
I went into school today to rearrange so I actually had room for the storage shelves. My back is sore from moving bookcases around. I swear I'm walking around like an old woman!!
Look what we made on our last day of school for the semester:
I totally forgot the tablecloth!
We are learning about procedures next term, so I thought I'd get them ready for it by making fruit kebabs! First we discussed how we would make them. Each kiddo got a job - some peeling and slicing bananas, or scooping out rockmelon, cutting watermelon, peeling and slicing kiwi fruit or peeling and segmenting manderins (I cut the apples and they had plastic knives). They had so much fun and it was great to see the kids helping each other. I went around and took photos of what everyone was doing so that we could share write the procedure.
They stood in a line and threaded the fruit to make their kebabs. We went and sat outside our room on the grass and ate our fruit with a cup of juice. Most kids went back for 5ths and 6ths! I ended up just bringing the fruit outside so they didn't have to keep on walking inside (it's just up 4 steps, but I also felt like chilling outside, so it was easier on me). You should have seen some of the kids - it was like they've never had fruit before! They just couldn't get enough! I had one girl vomit in the bin from eating so much...the bin right near the door... where she could have vomitted on the grass...but no, she did it in the bin... It sure is amazing what a little wooden stick can do to motivate kids to eat fruit.
We actually had a great last day - cutting up the fruit and eating it took up about an hour and a half, so that was a great start. I also got a lot of tidying done but then I had a visitor, the husband of a friend of mine who works at the highschool. I was so embarrased as he came as I was madly cleaning up and the class looked a mess. The kids had also been cleaning out their tidy trays. Oh well, it was really tidy by the end of the afternoon!
Have you ever been embarrassed by the state of your classroom? Or is it just mine that gets heaps messier while I'm cleaning before it starts to look neater?
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