I was inspired by Mrs. Bainbridge’s Class blog to change up my spelling homework. My spelling homework has been the same since I started teaching four years ago. I make photocopies from a book for most of my spelling lists. There are a handful of list that were not included in the book, so the students have been writing a sentence with each word. I’m ready to change it up a little bit with these fun and new ideas. I’m bummed that it’s the end of the year and I won’t get to do this with my current students. However, I’m excited for new changes next school year.
Mrs. Bainbridge’s students follow a monthly spelling activity page where she lists four random ways to practice spelling, as well as three “usual choices”. I selected the random ways that I thought my students would like, added a few of my own ideas, and came up with this:
You can download the WORD DOC template to add your own words. The fonts I used are Action Jackson and Mossy.
I am always looking for fun ways to make writing more enjoyable. I have come across a few good ideas over on Pinterest and some of my favorite teacher sites. I found The Teacher Wife‘s post on Bubble Gum Fun, who was inspired by Mrs. Lee’s Kindergarten‘s Pink Day activity. Mrs. Lee’s kindergarten class filled in the word “pink” to describe bubble gum. The Teacher Wife created a sequencing template for her second grader’s writing activity, which is SUPER CUTE. The blog offers a free download of the sequencing template HERE. I used the sequencing template for my first graders. Instead of having the students create construction paper images of themselves, I wanted to use a photograph. I “Googled” for ideas and saw Mr. Sweet’s Fantastic Fourth Graders‘ blog. These fourth graders wrote a “How To” on bubble gum where he included a picture of the kids with the same “bubble gum” balloon.
Since we were covering sequencing again this week, I figured this bubble gum activity would be perfect. I gave each child a piece of Bubble Yum bubble gum. I have never seen children so excited. Chewing gum AT SCHOOL was “so cool”. We practiced blowing bubbles and came up with the steps of what was needed to ensure a good bubble. After we had the steps written out on the board, the children were instructed to take the steps and turn them into three to six sentences. They did a rough draft on a piece of paper. After an edit, the children transferred their sentences to the template.
Prior to activity, I took photos of the children and printed them in 4×6. After two trips to the store and three bags of balloons, I found the perfect size…5 inch. I poked a hole right below their mouths in the photograph. My kind husband blew up the fourteen balloons and I attached them to the photo by pulling the tie through the hole and taping the back. I used yellow polka dot magic tape to attach to the construction paper.
The kids really liked this activity and couldn’t wait for their friends to see it hanging in the hallway.
When I joined Pinterest this summer I came across this idea for a school auction item. I immediately repined it and knew I would try it for our own school auction in the spring. Since this is just a photo linked to a Flickr account, there were no directions on how to go about doing this, or what materials were used. It appears to be a canvas with water colored hands glued on. At first I was going to go the canvas route but decided that I wanted the art to be framed. Here’s how I went about doing my “Helping Hands” piece.
Materials:
27×40 Frame (fit 14 hands)
Matte Board (I bought 36×40 and trimmed it down to 27×40)
Elmer’s Spray Glue
Watercolor Paper
Watercolors
Sharpie Marker(s)
I traced each child’s hand/arm on their own sheet of watercolor paper and the kids watercolored their hand/arm. *Tip: the less water, the brighter the colors will be.
I then traced each of the hands with black Sharpie marker and cut them out. I arranged the hands on two pieces of paper from a large roll that I measured out to 27×40. I wanted to ensure that all 14 hands could fit on that size.
After trimming the yellow matte board to 27×40, I arranged the hands again. One at a time, I sprayed the Elmer’s spray glue on the back of each hand and placed it back on the matte board. *Tip: This glue is heavy duty! You need to do this outside on newspaper. Attempt to not get any of this glue on YOUR hands! I did this at home in the backyard…not really something I wanted 14 first graders helping with!
After all of the hands were arranged, I wrote the quote in pencil and placed it in the frame to transport back to school.
I then traced the quote and hearts in black Sharpie marker. I filled the hearts in with red Sharpie.
Here’s the item on the auction table at our event. I’m very pleased with how it came out!
This semester I became a coach for Girls on the Run. Our school began this running club for girls in the fall of 2011. After hearing the type of activities this group was doing and the inspiring lessons that the young girls were learning, I volunteered my time. So, starting in January I spent my Monday and Friday afternoons coaching fifteen 3-5 grade girls. I am no runner, so this was something very new to me. With the help of three amazing coaches, we had a fantastic semester and sent fourteen of our girls (and their families) through the finish line of the Run Louisiana Girls on the Run 5K on Saturday.
Here’s some info on GOTR:
Girls on the Run inspires girls to stay true themselves and live free from societal stereotypes. How? Combine 3rd – 5th grade girls with inspired mentors for 10 weeks & 20 life-changing lessons – train for and complete a 5k. Powerful impact!
We inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running.
Girls on the Run is a non-profit prevention program that encourages preteen girls to develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles through running. Girls on the Run curricula address all aspects of girls’ development – their physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual well-being.The programs combine training for a 3.1 mile running event with self-esteem enhancing, uplifting workouts. The goals of the programs are to encourage positive emotional, social, mental, spiritual and physical development.
My favorite part of the program would be the lessons. Being a teacher, this won’t surprise many. Plus, as I said….I’m not a runner! The lessons deal with issues such as positive/negative thoughts, bullying, gossiping, healthy habits, and media imagery. As the GOTR mission states, we help to encourage these girls to develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles.
Following each lesson we train for the 5K that is held at the end of every semester. It is unbelievable just how much these young girls can run! After a long day of school, they still have enough energy to run 1-1.5 miles after school in just a short period of time.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent with past students. I have seen them grow over the course of just 4 months and can’t wait to do it again next semester–hopefully I’ll enjoy running a little more!
Video and Photos
The girls are holding lap counters that have been linked.
The Instagram “Photoaday” challenge was created by user @fatmumslim. She creates a new challenge for each month. Here is my submissions for April. To see my February and March pictures, click HERE and HERE. If you’re an Instagram user, follow me @britrabalais and you can see all user’s photos from April by searching the hashtag #photoadayapril. Here is the PhotoADayApril Challenge…
Here are my 30 days in April! I used the app Labelbox to add the ribbons and text. Any collage was made using the app Diptic.
If you’re interested in May, today’s the day to do it! Here’s the challenge:
I came across this new site yesterday with the tag line, “The world’s largest collection of books and movies for smart, confident, and courageous girls”. I was hooked. I am a first grade teacher, I love children’s books and movies, and I found myself this year being a Girls on the Run coach which helps empower girls in 3rd-5th grade to stay true themselves and live free from societal stereotypes.
Within 24 hours of finding the site, I have surfed AMG for it’s resources, LIKED them on Facebook, became a follower on Pinterest, and sent an email out to my students’ parents about how wonderful of a resource this can be. In doing some research on how the site came to be, I liked reading that the site was created by people who had a difficult time finding books and movies for their nieces. The information page states,
A Mighty Girl is the world’s largest collection of books and movies for parents, teachers, and others dedicated to raising smart, confident, and courageous girls.After years of seeking out empowering and inspirational books for our four young nieces, we decided to create A Mighty Girl as a resource site to help others equally interested in supporting and celebrating girls. The site was founded on the belief that all children should have the opportunity to read books and watch movies that offer positive messages about girls and honor their diverse capabilities.Girls do not have to be relegated to the role of sidekick or damsel in distress; they can be the leaders, the heroes, the champions that save the day, find the cure, and go on the adventure. It is our hope that these high-quality children’s products will help a new generation of girls to grow and pursue whatever dreams they choose — to truly be Mighty Girls!
What I like best about this site is it’s organization. I am a tab bit OCD. AMG helps you find books, movies, and television based on recommended age, category or topic, language, award winning books, and price value.
Recommended Age
As a teacher, I want my students to be challenged with their reading. I want a book to grab their attention and be appropriate for their age and reading level. A book that is too easy or hard for a child can gear them away from reading. AMG helps you narrow down media that is appropriate for ages 0-13+ in five age categories.
Categories
The way AMG categories their books is AMAZING. There are 6 main categories: Mighty Girls and Women, Fiction, General Interest, History/Biography, Personal Development, and Social Issues. Within these categories are multiple topics. Here are just a few of the topics that I found were special to this site and to girls:
Might Girls and Women: Role Models, Women’s History
Fiction: Classics, Multicultural Fiction
General Interest: Animals/Nature, Jobs/Money
History/Biography: United States History, World History
Personal Development: Daily Living, Life Challenges
Social Issues: Abuse/Violence, Poverty/Hardship, War/Conflict
Language
Coming from a language immersion school, I like that the site offers books in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese and movies/television in English, French, Dutch, and German. There are just a few foreign langauge choices now, but I’m sure as the site grows that more and more possibilities will become available.
So if you are a parent, teacher, or “other” to a girl who can benefit from the tons of resources A Might Girl has to offer, help spread the word. AMG’s FAQ page states that you can help support the site by:
Spread the word about A Mighty Girl!Like us on Facebook, tweet about us, pin us on Pinterest, tell your friends on Google+, email the leaders of your Girl Scout troop, and call your mother to share the good news!
If you are going to purchase a book or movie listed on A Mighty Girl, please click the “Buy from Amazon” button on that product’s A Mighty Girl page listing. By doing so, at no added cost to you, we receive a small commission from Amazon which helps to pay for our site-related expenses and allows us to maintain and grow the site.
Recommend products to add to the site. We would love to hear your suggestions for books and movies to add to A Mighty Girl. And, we would like to expand to include toys in the future so please feel free to send your recommendations for toys as well. To send your recommendation to us directly, please use the “Contact Support” button; to post your recommendation to the site’s public forum, please use the “Give Feedback” button.
Write product reviews and share them with others. To write reviews, simply create A Mighty Girl account and select the “Write a Review” button on any product page.
Make a donation to A Mighty Girl. This site was created by a wife-husband team as a labor of love. Your donations help offset some of our site-related expenses and allow us to continue to maintain and grow the site.
I made this pasta dish a while back and it was one of the easiest dishes. After coming home from vacation and noticing I had a nearly expired pack of fresh mushrooms, I remembered this recipe and made it for dinner Monday night. To change it up a bit I added a few handfuls of baby spinach, julienned sun dried tomatoes, and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese after adding the cream. The sweetness of the tomatoes made this pasta even more enjoyable than I had remembered it. I also made sure to use fresh squeezed lemon juice and used the entire lemon instead of just half. The best thing about this dish…it was even better left over for lunch the next day!
I don’t think there is a recipe from Chenin Boutwell’s Fudge Banana Swirl that I have tried and not liked. All of her recipes are simple and delicious. This lemon pasta was nothing but that. I followed this recipe to the tee and wouldn’t change it! Perfection!
Back in January I made PW’s Lemon Basil Penne with Grilled Chicken. I made it again two weeks ago. I realized after the second time that I REALLY like the marinade she makes for the chicken. This week I just made the marinade and grilled the chicken to pair with some potatoes and garlic bread. It marinades over night and makes for a yummy and moist chicken breast. It’s even good the next day. Very flavorful.
In my last Recipe Review I talked about these honey roasted potatoes. They were AR’s favorite part of the meal that night. Last night I prepared this recipe with a little change. Instead of using red potatoes, I used sweet potatoes. I didn’t realize this recipe could get any better! The sweet potatoes were amazing! *Note: This time I also added the onions the recipe suggests but didn’t include last time…a nice addition to last night’s meal.
You can find these recipes on my Pinterest board HERE.
Back in August I did a post called AR’s Art to gloat about my husband’s latest alternative movie posters. Since August he has created 23 new designs and has caught many fans’ eyes.
Film writers Sean Hackett and Robbie Cox “discovered” Adam’s artwork and had him design posters for their current/upcoming films. Below are the posters for Hackett’s films Farewell Tour and Sanctity and Cox’s film ‘Til Death Do Us Part.
Fellow artist Tracie Ching and Adam came up with the Raba-Ching Challenge, as the two share a love for movies and art. The goal, according to Tracie is…
Pick a beloved movie. Pick a deadline. Create a poster.
The result…
Two (hopefully) badass posters and a ton of fun.
Since January, the two have created posters for Alien, Back to the Future, Firefly, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and Leon: The Professional. For May, their poster will feature the 1985 film Legend.
Below are images of the newer posters and a few links to the generous things people are saying. All posters can be seen on his Deviant Art page. His posters can be purchased on ETSY. And you can “like” him on Facebook.
Every so often, a creative genius reinvents posters and posters of the films that marked the lives of thousands. Now was the turn of Adam Rabalais, which gives us the poster for the movie Alien, 1979 in a style that has simplicity as the cornerstone and brilliance as a goal achieved. In my view an excellent work.
Adam did an interview with Anobium about his work.
Slashercast discussed Adam in a podcast back in January. The discussion starts around 1 hour 57 minutes. *Warning: Adult language.
Cinema Teaser talked about Adam’s posters for the third time. Article translation:
This American illustrator which we had already spent two items strikes againwith new and beautiful posters of his own.
Last July, we took turns first creations of the American illustrator Adam Rabalais,with posters of COWBOYS AND ALIENS, SHINING, INCEPTION, JURASSIC PARK or MOON. Less than a month later, we presented some of his othercreations, including posters NOSFERATU, TRON, STAR WARS or 2001.Rebelote today, with the latest creations of the designer, who graces us work just as successful, elegant and classy, this time devoted to ROGER RABBIT, BACK TO THE FUTURE, BATTLE ROYALE, HARRY POTTER or the Universalmonsters. Posters that we’ve obviously found his DeviantArt profile and only confirm all the good that one thinks of the man.
A great article from /film who once before featured his Inception poster now features a few of Adam’s designs.
Brandon from Nerdlocker is seen wearing Adam’s design for Friday the 13th which was sold on TeeFury back in September.
Comics Alliance has a nice write up and gives him props for NOT creating another poster with,
…crowded headshot clouds and little-to-no semblance of plot-associated content.
A local paper/magazine, Dig Baton Rouge, featured Adam in their article “Adam’s Poster Habit”.
Last, the people over at Rotten Tomatoes feature Adam in their 12 Days of Christmas Gifts. Adam’s posters came up first under poster ideas to give as gifts!
There are so many cute prints out there in the Internet world. A few months ago I spent some time finding old frames around our house and at the local Good Will. For our bedroom, I picked 6 frames that I thought I’d spray paint. After putting the prints into the frames and laying them out, I realized I liked the antique eclectic look of the frames just as they were.
I learned a trick from none other than Pinterest to help me get the set up just right from the floor to the wall. With the use of tissue paper, I traced the frames, cut the “stencil”, and taped them to the wall where I wanted the frames to go. Adam then put in the 6 nails and voilà I was ready to hang them up. No use of the red laser or level.
*The bottom of this posts tells you where you can buy or download these prints.
iPone pic of the tissue paper trick.
After Pics
Other pics of prints (and art) around our home.
Click to find out where to buy and download these prints:
13. An original painting of our home from friend, Logan Berard. She does WONDERFUL work. You can follow/”like” her on FACEBOOK, take a look at her shop on ETSY, and follow her board on Pinterest.
While skimming through Pinterest, I found THIS activity on “Multiple Meaning Words”. We go over homophones in my first grade classroom. We had just went over homographs (words that sound the same, differ in meaning, and are spelled alike). Last week we discussed heterographs (words that sound the same, differ in meaning, but are spelled differently).
I like the idea that the Krazy About Kiddos blogger had her first graders do. She offers a free download of her version of the activity page on her site. I created my own page so that it can be titled “homophones”, as that is the word we used in class to describe this type of vocabulary. I also wanted the directions to ask the students to highlight and for my paper’s orientation to be ‘portrait’ (so it can be displayed on my bulletin board).
You can download a PDF of my activity page here: Homophones PDF
