It is Monday and I had another busy week. Pre-planning is only 2 weeks away. It will be nice to go back and use what I have created and learned from other bloggers but it would be so nice to have a few more weeks. I finally decided to pull out my teacher bag and box that I brought home the beginning of June and see what needs to be done. Before I share my teacher made it I want to show off my home made it.
I am super excited to show off my amazing find from Hobby Lobby. I found the mirror below on the Clearance aisle for $18.00!!! Yes, $18.00!! As you can see the frame is broken but my mind started turning as soon as I saw it.
Very excited about this. I then used old canvases I had and covered them with fabric I bought at Wal-Mart. So easy and pretty. My wonderful husband hung the mirror for me and we now have a beautifully decorated wall. :)
PKM is what I am calling the oh so good treat I made this week. PKM = pretzel, kiss, M&Ms. I found the idea on Pinterest, not sure what I did before Pinterest. LOL!
When I made mine I made 6 different types, overachiever I know. Plain Kiss and peanut butter M&M, plain Kiss and peanut M&M, caramel Kiss and peanut M&M, plain Kiss and plain M&M, caramel Kiss and plain M&M, Hugs and plain M&M. I can't do anything simple, but now I know figure out the best combination ;)
Heat oven to 200 degrees. Line a pan with Parchment paper and lay out pretzels with Kisses on top. I used mini pretzels, I have seen people use circle and the square ones. Put the pan in the oven for 3-5 minutes, do not over heat! It only took 3 minutes in my oven. You want the Kisses to be shiny and soft but not so hot that they are melting and loosing their shape. When you take the pan out gently press the M&Ms onto the top. Put them in the refrigerator or freezer to set. **The Hugs do not need as much time! I over heated mine and they melted everywhere. The caramel Kisses do not melt well at all. I will not use them next time.
I was searching for beginning of the year ideas and came across a Facebook status page for the first week of school. The one I found was for middle school math so I created one for my 4th grade students. I am excited to use this at the beginning and end of the year so they can compare their statuses.
This started in May when I saw an article about a girl who was abandoned by her parents and worked as a janitor at her school as she finished high school and was accepted at Harvard. Wow! That takes serious determination and focus. I want my students to understand that their actions can mean the difference between being homeless and going to Harvard. After reading her story my mind started turning. CNN Story: From Scrubbing Floors to Ivy League
I decided to work this year on developing a classroom environment that is more caring and considerate of others and aware of how their actions affect their life and others. When I went to the Holocaust Museum the beginning of the summer I found the book called "Real Kids, Real Stories, Real Change" and a poster that says "What Do You Stand For?". I love that it has positive characteristics listed. I plan to make this the theme for my classes this year. It can be a question that I can ask my students in almost any situation.
My plan is to start the first week of school with a story each day from the book and news stories about kids making a difference. The book has stories about kids helping the environment, helping others, standing up for themselves, overcoming challenges, and using their talents. The stories are short and can be a great way to discuss kids in today's world standing up for something. I am planning to continue this all year with one story a week. This will be for individual and group reading assignments as well as a homework assignment some weeks.
I need your help with next weeks Made it Monday! I have a ton of stress apples and fish from my husbands office. The fish come in the little can you see in the picture. I love how others are using light bulbs but I would rather use what I have. Does anyone have suggestions for how to label these for when students need a mental break? I have racked my brain and can't come up with a cute saying. The saying "an apple a day..." comes to mind but I can't tie it into taking a mental break. If anyone has a suggestion for sayings or any other way to use these items please let me know. Thank you! :)
I love the m&m pretzel idea. My son will love that! I found your blog through the Monday Made It. I am your newest follower. I love when I find other 4th grade teachers. I'm new to 4th grade and I need all the ideas I can find. :-)
Welcome to 4th grade! You will love it. This will be my second year and I am still learning so much about the grade. There are lots of grade 4th grade blogs out there. I have a few listed under my favorites.
Thanks so much for sharing the facebook page you made. I think your plan sound fabulous for using the real kid, real stories book.
I love all your projects! I've made those pretzel treats before and they are always a hit! Wish I had some right now...:) For the stress thingies, the only thing I can come up with is maybe "Squeeze an apple a day to take the stress away!" IDK about the fish though! Good luck...:)
Your projects look yummy! I actually have a facebook bulletin board activity I made that is free for the rest of this month:
Thanks for the FB page...I was looking for something to use with my science classes and this will be great!
As for the apple squeeze things...maybe something like "Think like Issac" (Newton that is). And for the fish maybe "Catch a brain break"
I love your made it items this week. Everything looks so cute. For the the fish maybe you could say: "Thinking of an "o-fish"ally good idea." Or "O-fish"ally stress free.
That mirror turned out fantastic! Super super cute!! I also love the book you shared and the ideas to make a classroom community in your room. What a powerful thing to have real stories to share with your students. Fabulous idea.
That mirror was a steal! It looks beautiful! I've been wanting to make my own wreath for a while. I should get started! Thanks for the inspiration!
Oh how I love your Facebook back to school page-thanks for sharing! I am also going to use your ideas for the what do you stand for theme-I had thought of using articles about kids who make a differenc-but like your wording of what do you stand for-I just linked up a youtube video on my blog about a 9year old-check it out if you have time
in the tin can; write out positive messages on different colored paper, card stock or what ever you have. Label the can "Yes You Can" allow the students to take a message anytime they are feeling low or in need of encouragement. To take it a step further, if they take a message have them add a positive message to the can.
I want to use the facebook idea in my classroom in August. Is there anyway to get an editable Facebook document ? This way the date could be changed from year to year.
for the apple something about growing from handling stress positively or something humorous like better to make applesauce than visit the school boss (principal) lol corny but you might get an idea from it... fish- they are slippery, rub them the wrong way and they cut ---so something about handling stress like a fish the right way things are cool the wrong way- ouch! well there is my brainstorming for you- good luck.
You have found the newest member of your family and are finally bringing him/her home for the first time. But what do you need to do in order to ensure that this new family member will have a smooth, healthy and safe transition from the kennel/breeder to your house?
When bringing home a new puppy, you need to be prepared for the worst case scenario. Chances are, your puppy will be an angel compared to what you expect of him/her, but at least you would have covered all bases. As with anything else in life, it is always better to be over-prepared than to be under-prepared.
The most obvious supplies are usually at the forefront of any new pet-owner’s mind. These include feeding and water dishes, a leash, a collar or harness, teething toys, a bed, some sort of confinement and sleeping quarters for the puppy, wee wee pads, food and of course treats.
When choosing feeding and water dishes, consideration must be given to the size of the puppy. Dishes too large may prevent a tiny puppy from eating and dishes too small may provide too little food for a large puppy. Pay particular attention to the amount of food the puppy is currently eating and the height of the puppy when choosing dishes.
A leash and a collar are two very important items as a puppy needs to get used to walking on a leash even before he/she is ready to go outside. Speak to your veterinarian before taking your puppy out for walks but in the meantime you can get your little furry addition to warm up to the leash by walking him/her inside the house. When choosing between a harness and a collar, attention must be focused on the size of the dog. If a dog is very tiny and fragile, a harness may be a better option because it will prevent accidental injury to your puppy when restraining him/her with a leash.
Teething toys are a must in any household with a new puppy. Puppies, just like babies, lose their puppy teeth and gain adult teeth as they grow. Because of this, they constantly like to gnaw on anything in sight. If you provide your puppy with quality teething toys that entertain him/her then the puppy will continue to chew on the provided toys. You must be sure to select toys that you know your puppy will be entertained by. If the puppy is not entertained, he/she will look to other “toys” around the house to play with.
Choosing a confinement area for your new puppy also needs a lot of planning and thought. Puppies should be supervised at all times if they are freely running around the house. However, there will be times when no one is able to supervise the puppy (when you are sleeping or out of the house etc). During these times, the puppy needs to be confined to a crate or a safe area of the house. If left alone, puppies can be destructive and they can cause harm to themselves. The easiest and most popular form of confinement is usually a crate or an exercise pen. However, you may also choose to have the puppy confined to a gated off section of the house like the kitchen, hallway or bathroom. Whichever form of confinement you choose, you need to choose the proper bedding and soiling area for that arrangement as well. Housebreaking pads work well as a scented paper that encourages a puppy to go to the bathroom. These pads will help to ensure that a puppy has an area to go to the bathroom when you are not there so that there are not many soiled areas of the puppy’s sleeping quarters. These pads should be placed away from the puppy’s bed so that the puppy can differentiate between the sleeping quarters and the bathroom area as puppies inherently do not like to soil where they sleep.
Feeding your puppy is also another important factor in preparation planning. As far as treats are concerned, they should only be given to a puppy when the puppy has done something to earn a treat. Always follow the guidelines on the packages to ensure that you are not over-treating your puppy. As for feeding your puppy, you need to ensure that you have the same food for your puppy that the puppy has already been eating. Changing your puppy’s food too quickly can cause upset stomach and diarrhea. Keeping your puppy on a constant, healthy formula is the best way to guarantee your puppy a healthy transition to your home.
After all these factors have been considered and decided upon, you need to make an appointment to have your puppy examined by a Veterinarian to keep him/her current on vaccines. If all goes well, then it is up to you when it comes to training and caring for your new puppy. You can always seek the help of a professional trainer (free with purchase) if you are not able to train the puppy properly please speak to one of the consultants at Teacup Pups.
With the proper planning, care and attention, your puppy will be acclimated to your household within a short period of time. Always remember to socialize your puppy with people, kids and other dogs so he/she will be well rounded as an adult. Puppies need lots of sleep, lots of care and most importantly, lots of love.