Random Acts of Kindness FREEBIE!

Hey y'all!

Things have been crazy around these parts- I'm sure you have been too! 

Today at church, we talked about how being the light in a world of darkness is the only way that things will change. With all of the scary and horrific things happening recently (most recently, Paris) we need to be the ones to spread some good and cheer around! This really got me thinking about what our students and children are experiencing and seeing through the media and other people. I want to be different and give them a reason to show love. They need to understand that they can be the ones who spread happiness in a time of darkness. 

I've been dabbling in Photoshop this week after being given a quick, but thorough lesson from a friend and I.AM.IN.LOVE!!!! It is so much easier and user friendly than Powerpoint and I cannot believe I've been without it for this long. I know I still have a TON to learn, but I am ready and willing!

I whipped this adorable Random Acts of Kindness ticket up after my church handed out something similar to us this morning to "show God's love in a practical way". LOVE IT! So I made it kid (and of course public school) friendly and here you go! (click the picture!)

I hope you enjoy it and please remember to leave feedback when you download! 

Thanks and I hope everyone has a great week before Turkey Day! ;)

October Craziness...

Umm... Did someone see October?! I'm sorry- I haven't seen it!!!

Talk about a ridiculously crazy month?! I cannot believe we are already in November! This is my absolute favorite time of the year and lots of exciting things are happening in our family, so I'll update as much as possible, however no scheduled updates are promised! My little sister is due any day with Baby Blake and I am so excited to be an aunt! She is the first of us to have a baby, so he might be slightly spoiled already! Also- my big sis and BIL are coming for Thanksgiving ALLLLL the way from Abu Dhabi! I'm so stinking excited! Check out her blog,  she is hilarious and you can watch her worldly adventures! 

October closed with a bang with our Magnet Program's annual Pumpkinmania! This event is so much fun and the kiddos always have a blast! The teachers all choose a pumpkin themed activity (normally science or math related) and the kids rotate through the classrooms and do each activity. I always try to do something new every year so that the experience is always new. This year, I made pumpkin moon sand! OMG- Talk about fun! {messy might be another describing word} This is not the activity for the faint of heart, but I highly suggest it! The kids loved the feel of the stuff and they had a blast building with it. 

You will need (per kid)

-1 cup of play sand

- 1/4-1/2 cup of cornstarch

- 20mL of water

- 1/8 teaspoon of Pumpkin Pie spice

- 2 drops of orange food color

Mix the dry ingredients together first really well. Add the water and food color and direct students to mix together really well. Pour onto a plastic plate and build away! It is very similar to kinetic sand! It was amazing :)

My students from last year had a blast and told me numerous times how much they miss me! The feeling is mutual! ❤️ 

We also had our annual Dress Like a Storybook Character Day and I always make my costume. I decided on one of my absolute favorite classics- Charlotte's Web! I decided I would be Charlotte and one of my sweet girls from last year decided to match me and be Fern! Adorable! 

We also have been working on Student Led Conferences and I found out about a fabulous new app called Seesaw! You guys- seriously, download this! It's an electronic portfolio where students can upload their work and parents can access it from any device or the computer. Students can upload videos, PDFs, pictures, and many other things to show what they know. I've also used it as an authentic assessment by having students reflect on certain lessons using the video feature. It.is.amazing. 

Here are some of my kiddos using it to talk about text and graphic features. They love sharing their work and then I know I have a running record of it! Win win! 

I hope everyone had a great Halloween and survived the epic week of school!