I am hatching chicks again this Spring in my kindergarten classroom!
Here are some snapshots I took with my phone using this egg scope when I candled the eggs.
They reflect the development of the chick at day 8.
I plan to candle the eggs once more next Tuesday with hope of a hatch the last week of April.
I will keep you posted!
Around Here....
We have been enjoying time together outdoors on the weekends on the slopes at Giant's Ridge. We are enjoying alpine skiing, snowboarding - and - this mama's new style: telemark skiing.
Zoe and I are spending time on the nordic trails as well. We are having a lot of fun together and it is good for everyone to get away from the responsibilities of home and have a weekend day of fun.
Around Here....
It certainly feels like December in kindergarten! There is lots of energy and excitement. In December I like to pull out some of my favorite projects and activities to share with the kids. We are in the process of hand sewing project with felt and buttons. This week my kids completed a winter birds project (I get a lot of inspiration from Patty Palmer's Deep Space Sparkle site) . The Kindness Elves have also been visiting our classroom, this week the kids were inspired to make Christmas cards for residents of our local nursing home. (I love this alternative to the elf on the shelf idea.)
Around Here.....
James is continuing to make great progress on our sauna building. We now have an installed stove, a sheet rocked wall and a door!
Around Here...
The nordic ski season has begun! Our daughter competed in her first meet this past week and did great. We are excited to cheer her on at our first home meet next week!
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This act of sharing photographs and ramblings of our daily life is a practice in gratitude that brings me joy.
I encourage you to reflect on the good in your life.
What are you grateful for today?
The August Issue issue of Minnesota Parent Magazine is available throughout Minnesota and online now.
My School Days Column, for this back to school issue, is titled: "Getting Ready for K".
This month I also wrote a recipe feature, sharing my mom's recipe for zucchini chocolate cake for the "In the Kitchen" column. Be sure to check it out!
Pick up a print copy, or read the full issue by clicking --> HERE.
Find the online link to my article ---> HERE.
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If you like what you see, social media 'shares' are appreciated!
As always - thanks for reading!
It was a busy and exciting week in kindergarten!
Monday morning we celebrated the efforts of our spring sugaring with a classroom pancake party.
Then, on Tuesday morning we had our first chick hatch in the classroom! For the rest of the week, we had the opportunity to witness several more chicks hatch and I shared the experience of observing and handling baby chicks with my students.
As you can imagine, it was quite an exciting week for these young learners! This teacher-mama is ready for the weekend!
Who are the cutest chicks on the block? My kinder-chickies of course! The peeping in the classroom will be ending soon as sending them all off to be adopted by kindergarten families by the end of the week.
It is that time of year again in kindergarten! This year we are proving to have a very successful spring hatch. Yesterday I was able to say good morning to these 5 chicks that had hatched over night, another one hatched right at the end of the day and I am guessing a few more hatched overnight. (I will be making my way into school later today when weather improves to check things out as school was canceled today due to freezing rain.)
I got a new learning tool this year and was able to learn and share more about candling eggs with an OvaScope, confirming fertile eggs and watching the embryos grow.
This is always such a fun and exciting process. I truly enjoy sharing this experience with my kindergarten students!
Here are a few snapshots from short, busy and fun week in kindergarten.
In the lesson plans were: pumpkin investigations!
Monday: Pumpkin seeds (My garden was generous this year I grew 16 pie pumpkins - and I had a couple donations - so each student was able to investigate their own pumpkin. I brought home one 5 gallon bucket of pumpkin "guts" for the chickens - and two 5 gallon buckets of cut and seeded pumpkins.
Monday night: The kindergarten teacher (and husband) roasted pumpkin seeds, the kindergarten teacher also bandaged the blisters that she got from slicing and cutting the tops off of 18 pumpkins.
Tuesday: Roasting pumpkins. In class we roasted a crockpot full of sliced and seeded pumpkins throughout the day, sharing with the kiddos one way pumpkins can be cooked.
Tuesday night: Roasting pumpkins - I had two crock pots going at home roasting pumpkins overnight and during the daytime to make the most of our harvest.
Wednesday: Pumpkin puree and pumpkin smoothies. In class I showed the kids what part of the pumpkin that we make into pumpkin puree and we celebrated our efforts by making (and enjoying) pumpkin smoothies.
Wednesday night: Before we went out and celebrated our anniversary, I finished up making pumpkin puree from all of the baked pumpkins. I was able to put up over 26 cups of fresh pumpkin. (I freeze it in 2 cup servings in quart freezer bags.)
Another successful year of pumpkining at home and school - done!
Now I just need to make it through a Halloween on a Monday night.
If you are looking for some pumpkin inspired ideas, check out my recent post on mothering.com:
I thought it would be fun to take a minute and share a sneak peek into my kindergarten classroom with you. This year will mark my 16th year as an educator, and I still get caught up in the anticipation and excitement of a new school year!
It is so nice to have a fresh start each year: shiny floors, sharp pencils, new books (and, of course, seasonal favorites),
Tomorrow I am officially back at work, and students will start school after Labor Day.
Each day that I step through these classroom doors, I pray for patience, wisdom and knowledge with my words, choices and actions. I look forward to the year ahead and I hope I will touch the lives of each and every one of my young learners in a positive and meaningful way!
The August issue of Minnesota Parent Magazine is available throughout Minnesota and online now. My School Days Column in this month is "Not Ready for All Day Every Day K" where I share my own experience and perspective as a parent and teacher on our decision about kindergarten entry with our son. You can find the article through THIS LINK. If you like what you see, social media 'shares' are appreciated.
Be sure to check out all of the other great content in the full issue as well - including a feature article on the same topic "The K Question" written by Camie Christensen, the program director of the Early Childhood Education Program at St. David's Center in Minnetonka.
As always - thanks for reading!
School is out for students for the summer in my neck of the woods! Teachers will be going back for a bit next week to wrap things up, but as we have been celebrating high school graduations, washing backpacks and lunch boxes, filing away special projects and learning portfolios - the feeling of a new season is here: SUMMER BREAK!
I wanted to share these images of successful project I completed with my kindergarten students the last week of school -as a reminder to myself -so I remember to do it next year- and for you - some inspiration for a purposeful project for your home or classroom using the bits and pieces of worn crayons.
Making recycled crayons is so easy! 1)peel off the wrappers 2) fill molds 3) melt in the oven
The most time consuming part is peeling off the wrappers. When that is done the creativity begins. I purchased these molds, which worked great. When the crayons were finished I had a classroom full of excited and pleased a classroom 5, 6, & 7 year-olds.