Sing, Sing a Song

I really, really, Really want to add more music into my school day! So I was super happy to see a Linky Party about just such a thing.
Teaching Maddeness is having a Turn the Music Up Party!
Education Music I use:
(Rock N Learn Addition and Subtraction Rap)
I bought this music DVD last summer. I was looking for something fun to help my kiddos with their math facts. I had decided to try to hit those in as many different ways as I could. I really like part of the songs - they have good ones for adding zeros, ones, and doubles. My students really liked the songs and it wasn't too "rappy" if you know what I mean.

I also used some phonics songs from Between the Lions. In particular, I used songs for ar, oo, and ee. You can find these on their website site (but sometimes its a little hard to find them there) or go to YouTube and type in the phonics pattern you are looking for.

I went to a Kim Sutton workshop earlier this summer and she uses Ron Brown from Intellitunes music, so I've bought a couple CDs. One is called Math Beats and the other is Addition (I'm really trying to get those math facts stuck in their heads :)

Fun Music: Well, the sad fact can be summed up by what one of my students said to me at the end of the school year, "Why don't you have any good music?" I have a couple Disney CDs and some other music my daughter listened to when she was about in 2nd grade. I just don't understand why they don't think that is cool :)
I do love Louis Armstrong, and I played his greatest hits; and other older music that is just a tad bit more mellow.

Looking for: I'm looking for some motivational type music. That was something that Kim Sutton encouraged - using music as a motivator to get work done - for example, here's a song, you need to finish cutting that out by the time it is done. I have a couple ideas floating in my head, but I'd love to see what others are doing. If you use music in your room, what do you play? Videos? CDs? From your phone or computer?

I'd love to see you Link Up to Teaching Maddeness!
Sara

My Little Robin Story

This is a funny/scary little thing that happened to me earlier this week.
The other day, I was in the backyard with my dog. I had gone around the corner of our house and she was on the side by our patio. I decided I needed something from the front yard, so I came back around the corner and started across the patio. That is when I heard furious bird chatter and our dog was being dive-bombed by some birds - but she was also chasing something - which out of the corner of my eye I could see was a bird! As my brain tried to figure this out, I realized it was a baby bird, probably just learning to fly and it had gotten from the tree down to the ground by our house. Only to be confronted by this humongous dog!
My first thought was, Oh, No! Then I was yelling, "No, Blondie, No!" Then I hollered, "Come, Blondie!" Well, for some reason, that little robin decided to come. So it started heading my way, followed by its new pal, my dog. As the dog tried to get by me, I grabbed her fur with both hands and just stood there, holding her, while this little robin ducked under a tree (still on the ground) and mom and dad robin were giving us the word! (If only we understood robinese - maybe it's better that we don't!)
I hauled my dog inside and watched from the window. The poor robin - I can't believe it didn't have a heart attack - managed to get enough to get enough air time to make it up to this bush.

Where its parents encouraged, and encouraged, and encouraged it to try again. And it must have - because it's gone. Happy Ending, don't you love them! 

My Bad

Ahem, well, whoops! I was visiting Mrs. Stanford's blog and earlier this week she talked about how she loves to comment on blogs and then about a couple of her pet peeves. Well, whoopsie on me - I think I was guilty of number one. I do want the record to reflect that I really thought I had gotten rid of the "robot" thingy - the deal where you have to type in a crazy word and now a picture from a house number. Yikes! Truly, I thought I had gotten rid of that - I don't like them either. So please, be a bud and tell me if you are still having to type that in when you comment on my blog and I'll work harder to fix it. :)
And as for her #2 pet peeve (responding by email) - well, I think I fixed that, but I can't tell. Hopefully?? Fingers Crossed??
What's my pet peeve? Hmmm, I can't remember, I had one yesterday - oh, wait! There are some blogs when I go on them and I have to click "no" I don't want to receive updates via Facebook or "no" I don't want to get points. This is probably just me, but I'm not interested in that, so it's just an unnecessary step for me. Oh, I hope that doesn't sound mean - it's just not my thing.
Someone else mentioned not getting comments on her posts - oh, me too, me too!
Well, can't think of anything else. If you want to jump in with your two cents, go to Jessica's site.   
 

Oh, and yahoo, my (18 year old) baby is coming home from a week in Europe. She should be here sometime this evening!
Sara

Last Day Blues

I was going through some things yesterday, looking for something, and I ran across this (which I'll tell you about in a minute) and I thought that I'd share. 
During the last week of school, I read the book, "Last Day Blues."

 If you have read "First Day Jitters," this is a companion book. In the story, the students are all worried about their teacher being sad about the last day of school. They want to make something for her, and finally decide to make a book. At the end of the story, the students are all getting on the bus to go home for the last day, then you turn the page, and all the teachers are dancing and celebrating because it's the beginning of summer. 
So I read this story and then had them write and draw what they thought I would be doing this summer. I had many students think I would go swimming. And several thought I would go fishing - what?? Like, never! According to them, I was going to go on a trip - some thought to the beach or Disney World or Colorado or even Hawaii (yes, please!) One student even thought I was going to Denver to see his cousin - sorry sweetie, that's you that is going to do that! I had one child who thought I was going to spend time with my daughter, Debby. Ummm, I think the daughter I always talked about in class is named Libby! And the sweetest idea was, "I think she is going to go home to Mr. Sanders." Yes!
Hope you have some fun things planned for your vacation. 
Sara 

Thinking Colors

Do you kinda hate yourself for even Thinking about school today? I would love to just shut down/ shut off, but then I peek at someone's blog, or think about something I want to check on Teachers Pay Teachers - and there I go.
Anyway, thinking today about colors and my room. I think because yesterday I downloaded some pictures off my camera and there were some pictures of my classroom - I had great plans to do the Clutter Free Challenge - ha! (I think if you click here, it will take you to this.)
OK, here are a couple of lovely pictures - and as I was looking at them yesterday, I just thought - this is not welcoming; this does not look like a fun place to be.

Now part of my problem is I'm not an all-cutesy type gal. The other part of the problem is I just don't want to do a ton to make my room all special. (And I applaud and admire those of you who do - there is a teacher in my building that did a Caribbean theme this year - it looked great! But I just know I would not do something like that.) And a final problem is that I just get used to seeing things and don't really take in how it looks or how appealing (or not) it is.


Happily enough, Clutter Free Classroom has an idea I just might steal. See this!



I think this would work nicely with my beautiful (ha) orange wall that I'm stuck with.


OK, so, Clutter Free Classroom is selling on TpT her Bright and Beautiful kit - terrific. Maybe I'm the only one, but I can't stand to think of all the ink it is going to take to print things out.


I was thinking, I need to pick my colors and get some color swatches and carry those with me wherever I go. Because you never know where inspiration might strike! (Like today at Target, which I did not give in to because I wasn't sure on my colors - yeah, me!)


So that's my rambling for today - from somebody who wasn't even sure what she had to say!


If you've thought about your classroom decor for next year, please leave a note.


Please enjoy your summer. I'm trying hard.


Sara

Jessica and Kim

Jessica Stanford has to be one of the nicest ladies. And she has gotten 300 followers - so she's having a Super Giveaway! She's giving away everything in her TpT store.

Click on her sign to go to her blog. (She also has some freebies on her TpT store that seem pretty nice.)

OK, Day Two of my Kim Sutton math workshop. Hold on to your hats, we're moving, moving, moving (you can not believe how fast this lady talks and moves on and keep up, keep up!). I don't want to go so far as to say this has revolutionized my math teaching - but What A Lot Of Great Ideas! Number Lines, Number Cards, Songs, Games, Dice... Oh, man, can I remember until August?? Yes, I will remember until August (even if I have to force myself) and I will incorporate these ideas into my schedule. Also, I bought 2 CDs. I really want to do a better job of incorporating music into my classroom. And as Kim says, That song is 1:51 long - I challenge you to teach that concept that quick. So, we sang this little triangle song with actions and descriptions of triangles and viola - a ditty stuck in my head (and hopefully my kids' heads).

Now, a break. I'm going to have a do-nothing time for the next four days. Can I do it? Yes, I can! (Oh, I hope I can.)
Please tell me you are enjoying your summer! :)
Sara 

Kim Sutton

Oh My Goodness!! Spent the day at a Kim Sutton workshop.
Wow! Too fun, too terrific, too much learning (my head even hurts, can you imagine??)
This gal kept us busy: learning, practicing, cutting, singing, dancing. Today the focus was on place value. She had so many simple ideas (and cheap) to practice and reinforce place value with the kiddos.
And I'm heading back tomorrow - can't remember what the focus is, but can't wait to learn more.

Clean Up, Clean Up

Is anybody else doing this? Yikes! You can't see because this shot is from the doorway, but around the corner is a set of shelves and that's what I was working on yesterday. You can see the mess that ensued.
Well, here's how they ended up:

OK, what is it about showing the world that makes you go that one extra step? (Or two, in my case?)

Made room for the box that was on the floor. And plastic bag of seeds (used for my sort of cool, first of the year thing two years ago, never know when I'll need them again) - went into one of the boxes of misc. stuff. Isn't miscellaneous a synonym for "I can't bear to throw it out?"
Anyway, that's how I spent yesterday. What about you? Are you staying away from school stuff completely? Or are you working?
Leave a comment and let me know.