We Are 100 Days Smarter!

Izabelle concentrates....

Connor flips....

After several snow days threw a wrench in our calendar, we were finally able to celebrate our 100th Day of School!  In elementary school, that's a pretty big deal and we usually have quite the celebration and this year it was no different.  We enjoyed many 100 Day Activities, such as Flipping a Coin 100 times and graphing our results.

 All Flip a Coin 100 Times worksheets can be found on Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT), which is where I do all my shopping!  I'm not sure what the students liked more -- the thrill of having to go "all the way to 100" or learning how to flip a coin "the real way."  Either way, each student enjoyed the activity and learned more about how the number 100 can be broken apart into two different numbers.  Look how they concentrate! It's amazing!!  ----------->>>

Cora and Cameron work, work, work!



Freddie counts....

Autumn writes....

 After a quick snack, we enjoyed making 100 Words I Know booklets.  The kids had a blast walking around the room and seeing if they could reach 100 words.  Every 100 words earned them a pack of Smarties (since they are so SMART, get it?).  I don't yet have pictures of our next activity, but they will come soon.  We worked on creating a list of things we would be when we were 100 years old.  Some examples were that we would have hairy noses and ears, we would be called Granny, and our teeth would fall out.  We then created some really awesome "self portraits" of ourselves at 100 years old.  Pictures will be posted soon of some finished products.


Kaysen finds 100 words...

Lastly, we ended our awesome 100th Day with a sweet treat and challenge.  I told my kids that I would happily give them each a Blow Pop sucker, but there was a catch:  they had to lick it 100 times before they could crunch into it!  It was fun listening to them attempt to lick the suckers and count to 100, and although I know I heard some early crunching, some of them were quite serious about making that challenge!  Overall, we had a great day and we all left school feeling pretty happy-go-lucky and ready for 100 more!

My Wild and Crazy Bunch of First Graders!

A Heart-to-Heart....

I love the time leading up to Valentine's Day.  There is something about the ooey-gooey-ness of love that makes our hearts pitter-pat.  I remember the fun of making Valentines -- getting out the red and pink construction paper, hearing that sound as my safety scissors would slice through -- you know the sound.  I loved ever-so-gently dabbing on small pools of Elmer's glue, sticking on little puff balls of reds, whites and pinks, and finally having a use for those white paper doilies.  I remember sitting with my mom on snowy afternoons and cutting out decorations to hang on our windows at home.  It was always such a nice, quiet time -- she always paired it with hot chocolate and music playing in the background.  Knowing her, it was either the Beatles, Fleetwood Mac or Linda Rondstant.  I loved those afternoons.  We would cut out paper hearts and have our own little heart-to-heart talks.  I knew in those quiet moments with my mom that she truly loved me.  I think sometimes those are the quiet moments  that some kids are missing out on today.  It's a busy, busy world and it's practically impossible to have a family without having to work.  Add in all of the sports and extra curricular activities and pretty soon we hardly have time to say good morning and good night.  Now that I'm a mother I have promised myself to make paper hearts with my daughter.  I can't wait to sit at the table on a snowy afternoon and watch as she cuts through construction paper and signs her name with several X's and O's. 

And so to the parents of my students I have a little "homework" for you.  Try not to look at it as "yet something else that we don't have time for."  Look at it as a moment for creativity and expression and heart-to-heart conversations.  It's that time of year to make our Valentine's Day boxes!  Get out the red and pink papers, break out the glitter glues and ribbons -- it's time to think of something fun together.  I've added some example photos I found online to get your creative juices flowing -- but a shoebox, some paper hearts and and glue will do the trick, too.  Whatever you choose -- choose to have fun and to truly enjoy the moment with your child.  Valentine's Day is February 14!!