Classroom struggles might be pointing to a bigger issue...

With school back in session homework and classroom routines are in full swing. Students everywhere are learning new skills and brushing up on old ones. While students are busy working hard both in and out of the classroom it is important to make sure they are prepared with all of the tools they need to succeed. While most parents make sure students have the school supplies they need, quiet time for studying and plenty of reading materials, sometimes the most important tools are overlooked....like prescription eyeglasses.

As teachers we see it every year as the new school year begins. Students complaining about school and becoming frustrated and overwhelmed. They sometimes complain of headaches or not understanding what is happening during instruction time. The signs are generally very subtle but they all point to one thing...your child needs glasses. 

Most children especially young ones have a hard time conveying that they are having difficulties seeing, so as parents and teachers we need to be vigilant in looking for some early warning signs like holding items at an angle or closer than normal to read, squinting, finding closer seating during whole group instruction, and headaches or other signs of strain or tension. These signs can all be indicators that your child might need a vision screening and be fitted for eyeglasses. 

Teaching first grade I have had my fair share of parents whose children showed signs of vision impairment, all were screened early and fitted for some pretty cool eyeglasses. Glasses now are very durable and made for young ones in mind. There are fabulous colors and styles that help your child to express their true style. Places like GlassesUSA.com offer affordable options that are both kid friendly and for parents on a budget.

If it's time to buy glasses let your child be the one who picks them out this will help their self esteem, change is hard especially a change in appearance. So if they go for the neon pink ones, let go of the control and encourage them to express their own style. After all they are the ones wearing them day in and day out.

So as your kids settle in to the new school year watch your child as they work, listen to their complaints and don't always assume that they just don't comprehend the material being taught. Difficulty in the classroom might just be related to a vision or hearing impairment, so be diligent and ask your school nurse or pediatricians office for a hearing and vision screening to ensure your child is as successful as they can be. 

Have your children test out this fun new way to try on glasses and find the perfect pair!

  

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Lil Sprouts Book Club: Apples, Apples Everywhere!

 

Did you know that September is National apple month?

What better way to welcome in fall than by learning a little more about the seasons of an apple tree and a purpose for all of those yummy apples. 

 

Apples, Apples, Apples by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace is one of my favorite books for the classroom. It follows a family as they take a trip to a local apple orchard. It talks about how to pick apples, the different parts of an apple and even includes a secret apple recipe in the back.

We took out daughter Kaitlyn apple picking when she was 2, she had a lot of fun with it. She was amazed that you could walk right up to a tree and get food. This trip helped her to make the connections that food comes from the Earth and not just the store. It also opened up a discussion to start talking about living things and what they need to grow.

So if an apple orchard is close by take the opportunity to go take a visit with your class or you children. Bring a few apples home and have some fun. After reading our book we decided to taste 4 different types of apples and compare them. Kaitlyn decided she liked the red ones the best! Little man liked them all, he just kept eating and eating. We didn't let our apples go to waste, after tasting them we used the other halves to take a closer look at and examine the parts of an apple. You can use the freebie below to help your little ones label and identify the parts of an apple.

For a fun art project let your kids paint with apples using them like stamps on their paper. We took it a step further and placed apple prints onto burlap to make a cute fall banner for our mantle.

This is a fun and easy project that won't take long, just purchase a half yard of burlap from your craft store. Cut into small rectangles about 12inX 6in. Fold in half and then cut from the corner to the center. Put some red or green paint onto a paper plate and have your little one dip their half of an apple in. Apply to the center of the burlap, use a wine cork to add some colorful polka dots. Last use some black paint (I like t-shirt paint because it comes with a fine tip and doesn't require a brush) add seeds and a stem. Attach banners together with ribbon and you are ready to hang. 

The apple cinnamon Glade plug in is in the wall, the apple banner is hung and we have some homemade applesauce cooking on the stove....now all we are waiting for is Fall to arrive!

If you are looking for some fun apple activities for your students, look no further we have some great classroom resources available in our shop so head on over and take a look!

We are being featured at Tatertots & Jello for their weekend wrap-up party!

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A Patriotic Thank You

Tomorrow is Patriot's Day and of course the eleventh anniversary of the tragic events of September 11th.  I find it appropriate every year on this day to share with my students the sacrifice and perseverance that our nation and its people endured on that memorable day, and continue to feel over a decade later.  As my teaching career lengthens, the age that my students were on that beautiful fall day lessens.  This year will be the first time that I have students that were not even alive on that Tuesday.  It's hard to believe.  Most of us have vivid memories of that morning.  We will always be able to recall where we were and how we felt.  I was on my second day of work two blocks from the White House and had only lived in Washington for about 72 hours at the time.  The day profoundly shaped me as it did all of us.

The beauty of Patriot's Day is that September 11th can continue to mold us into the Americans that we strive to be.  United, loyal, and grateful.  Whether you have toddlers or young adults at home, take a moment to share with them what it means to be a patriot.  This could include a discussion about the first patriots that framed our nation and fought for our independence, it might be reading a great book like A is for America, or simply writing down a few words of thanks.

Have your little patriots write or draw how grateful they are to the firemen and women in your community.  Our class has written thank you notes to military personnel, firemen, and police officers for years on Patriot's Day and I can't tell you how meaningful it is to those who give and those who receive the thanks.  Gather these precious notes and drop them by your local fire station.  You will see that a simple thank you can change many people's lives!

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Unraveling the Story

One of the things that I love to do, in addition to teaching a whole gaggle of kids in my classroom, is to work one on one with students.  I have tutored some of the same children for years, and thoroughly enjoy watching them grow as people and students.  They all have strengths and weaknesses just like we all do, and I remind them that my parents supported me just like their parents, and hired a tutor for me when I was their age too! 

This summer one of my kiddies, Kaki, and I spent some time focusing on the challenging text that sometimes comes with fifth grade.  Intermediate aged children are introduced to a wide variety of informational, persuasive, narrative, and historical reading that they are sometimes not comfortable with quite yet.  We used a technique to prepare for each passage that a great teacher at my school taught me.  Mrs. O'Brien has used this strategy with her students for years, and has had much success as a reading teacher! 

Many of you have probably heard of the UNRAVEL technique, but this simple foldable makes sure that students have it right at their fingertips at all times.  Kaki and I cut some squares of paper, taped them along the back, wrote out and illustrated the technique, and then tucked it in the pocket of her reading binder.  Each time that we tackled a new reading passage, we pulled it out and unfolded one square at a time.  That allowed her to focus on each individual step in the process. 

I love that she was able to use her creativity in making her one of a kind foldable, but that this also becomes a tool for her to use in the classroom and at home when working on homework. 

UNRAVEL the Story Technique

U - Underline the title

N - Now predict what will happen in the passage

R - Run through and number the paragraphs

A - Are you reading the questions and circling important words?

V - Venture (go ahead and read) through the passage

E - Eliminate the obviously wrong answers

L - Let the questions be answered, and write the paragraph number where you found the answers next to the question

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We're Ready For Some Football!

Football is part of my genetic makeup, and football season is part of what makes the South a special place to live.  We cherish the season that has us memorizing schedules and rosters, picking out cute game day attire, planning tailgate menus weeks in advance, and making us feel like we are indefinitely a college student.  Even if you're not a Southerner, it's hard to imagine a region of America that doesn't get excited about this time of year.

I was raised by a 40 year veteran football coach, who never played a down himself, but taught his players and his own children to give it your all.  He nurtured young people to compete fairly, play hard, and be the best person that you can be.  I think these are such valuable life lessons on and off the field. 

I came across this great little book about all those lessons and more.  Gunner, Football Hero by James E. Ransome follows the lofty ambitions of a young boy who just wants to play football.  He makes the Pee Wee football team as the third string quarterback, but spends more time on the bench than throwing any passes.  However, the story is about so much more than the obvious and has a fourth quarter thrill of an ending!  This is a great read for all age groups, especially during this time of year.

While we're on the subject of football, who doesn't love the concession stand food?  Your kids will get a kick out of listening to this story while enjoying some popcorn!  Make a football stencil on a file folder, and have students trace it on two sheets of brown paper.  After cutting the two pieces out, have them use a hole puncher to punch holes along the bottom of the football.  Pass out white ribbon or yarn and have them practice their fine motor skills by lacing it through the holes.  Tie a knot at both ends.  We used a white crayon to draw a football's eight laces. 

Instead of popcorn you could have students fill the football with adjectives that describe someone with good sportsmanship.  It's important to teach children that competition can be fun and build strong character!

Marcy and I cheer for opposing teams, but we know in the end that having fun on Saturdays is what matters most!

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Hats Off to Laborers!

Our hats go off today to those men and women that provide a multitude of different services to our local community and global community.  We wear a lot of hats around our house (literally and figuratively) and whether our son is dressing up like an architect, a solider, a sheriff, or farmer we try and discuss all the important jobs that these hats imply.  Playing dress up, reading a good picture book, or completing a simple activity together is an excellent way to teach children about the jobs that different people in your community have.  It's also fun to be able to point out men and women that are community helpers when we are out and about too.  Here are a few fun and educational ways to learn more about those that make our communities a great place to live.

Use these templates to create Popsicle puppet shows about different people and their jobs.

Brainstorm different community helpers from A to Z.

Encourage children to use scraps of paper to create unique cut and paste portraits.

These firetrucks are also a great way to teach children about different shapes.

 Let children pick a profession that they are interested in and design a self portrait around that job.

Popsicle puppets, community helpers chart, cut and paste self portraits, shapes firetruck, fireman portrait.

In honor of Labor Day we hope that you have a great day with your families, celebrate those who work hard at any kind of job, and learn something fun along the way!

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Hootie Who's Ready for the Weekend?

The flock is ready for the long Labor Day weekend, and we have the perfect kid friendly activity to usher in fall.  We can only hope and pray that fall is around the bend, because honestly there is enough heat and moisture in the air to cut it with a butter knife!  Nonetheless, we are super excited for the traditions that the season fall brings.  Back to school (you already know we love that!), college football, yummy food, family gatherings, pumpkins, and these adorable owls!

Making these cupcakes would be a perfect home or classroom tie in to Wednesday's Lil Sprouts Book Club choice.  Here's what you'll need:

Box of cake mix
White cookie/cake icing
Oreo cookies
Sixlet candies
Shaved almonds
Coco Puffs cereal
Goldfish crackers or Cheez-It crackers

Directions:

Follow the directions on the cake box to make cupcakes.  Let the cupcakes cool completely and then add your icing.  

Your mini pastry chefs can decide if they would like to create a brown owl or white owl.  If they would like a brown owl, have them put a handful of Coco Puffs into a resealable baggie and crush.  Sprinkle cereal crumbs on top of the cupcake.  Carefully twist apart two Oreo cookies to use as the owl’s eyes.  You’ll need to use two so that you can have two eyes that are covered in the yummy white frosting!   

Place a Sixlet candy on the icing to finish off the owl’s eyes.  Now using your shaved almonds create wings for the owls by making staggered rows.  Your final touch will be the beak.   

Let your kids use their creativity!  They can shape a Goldfish cracker into the beak, or even bite off the corner of a Cheez-It cracker.

 Extend the fun and learning with a journaling activity that has your little owls practicing their writing and sequencing skills.  Simply save the image below into a Word document and print for your kids. 

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