5 Random Things & Pin to Win!

First week of break is speeding by quickly! Filled up with a bunch of to-do's, but I need to get back into the blogging groove, and what better way than with Doodle Bug's 5 for Friday?!

 http://doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com/2014/05/five-for-friday-linky-party-may-30.html

With the end of the school year last week, I had an end of the year gift for my students made with the app Pic Collage. Students held up a whiteboard with what they want to be when they grow up and using the app, I was able to add a background and text to jazz things up.



Do you use apps in the classroom? Be sure to link up each month & check out other ideas for using apps in the classroom by clicking the tab above!
One thing I love to do is try out new recipes. Get the scoop on this awesome sandwich or standalone meal, on Monday. While your at it link up your favorite recipes, meal ideas, and restaurant recommendations each Monday all summer long!


I finally blogged about most of our end of the year activities. I'm sure by the time I finish downloading various pictures I will probably have to do some "throwback Thursday" posts to catch up on all the topics I neglected to blog about over the last couple of weeks.

http://teaching-in-oz.blogspot.com/2014/05/end-of-year-fun.html

Synonym Sort


Parts of Speech Sort
Fragment, Sentence, or Run-On?

At the end of the year, I surprised my communications classes with ice cream; only after they completed a few centers without going completely end-of-the-year-CrAzY. The students worked hard through the centers and enjoyed the sweet treat. If you'd like a chance to win them, just click the image below it will take you to TeachersPayTeachers, pin it, copy the URL and leave it with your email address below. I'll use the number generator to select a winner Saturday night!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/I-Scream-You-Scream-Ice-Cream-Math-ELA-Centers-for-Upper-Elementary-1221649


Gearing up for a weekend filled with painting... 70's paneling is getting a facelift! Yay for adventures in owning a home!


Happy weekend friends!


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End of the Year Fun!

So, this post should have come in several smaller segments last week.... but between state testing celebration {surprising students with a trip to the movie theater to see Frozen}, student talent show {complete with teachers movin' and groovin' in granny get-ups}, water games, and farewells, time to blog went by the wayside. To those of you already on break, maybe you'll find a few ideas to pin for later, and to those of you still in school, God's speed for summer and hopefully you'll find an idea or two that you can use!

First, part of our morning work came from the gals at Pinkadots Elementary. We made 4th Grade Memory books, they turned out great! I love the student's suggestion of school starting at 10 a.m. I could be on board with that idea! 




The fourth grade staff put together a water day for the students to do something fun for the end of the year. Unfortunately a thunderstorm delayed it until the last day of school. My station was a play on 'duck, duck, goose' with 'drip, drip, dunk'. 10 minutes was not nearly long enough, the students had a blast at my station. Each of the rotations was fun from water cup relays, to wet shirt relays, the kiddos were good and wet by the time it was all said and done.





The students voted on awards for each of their classmates. The certificates from Joanne at Head Over Heels for Teaching, were terrific. I loved that she included a voting sheet, made life much easier for me when tabulating!


I gave the students a little something along with their compiled time capsules. We used Fourth and Ten's Back to School pack for this. {Sorry I forgot to get a picture of that in the craziness!}




During the last week we made self portraits about what we were looking forward to most: one lens had ideas for summer and the other for next year. I found the idea at Third Grade Love but free handed the glasses so I could photocopy them easier. 


Before the last farewell, we got rid of some energy doing "Minute to Win It" games. So much fun! I found several games on Pinterest, and I chose just a few to do. I think that next year, I'm going to ask for some of the supplies at back to school time and make a 'minute to win it bucket' to store the supplies in and have on hand. The students had a blast!

Picking up noodles with a piece of spaghetti in your mouth, no hands.


Balancing six dice on a popsicle stick that's in your mouth.



Petroleum jelly on your nose, relay to see who can get the most cotton balls 8-10' away. Can only use your nose to pick up the cotton.




My favorite. Place a cookie on your face, and using only facial movements, no hands, get the cookie from the top of your face to your mouth.




It was a fun end to the school year!


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Summertime Top 10 To-Do's

I cannot believe that my school year is done. We finished up at 1:15 yesterday and in all the craziness I may have neglected this blog a bit... but I'll be blogging about all the fun we had this last week in the next few days. For now though, I'm joining the fabulous Denna Jump and looking forward to the following plans this summer!
http://mrsjumpsclass.blogspot.com/2014/05/top-ten-things-i-want-to-do-this-summer.html
Finishing up my Masters in Special Education. I'm so close, just a two week course, a couple more sections of my portfolio to tweak, and a short interview stand in my way. It'll be beyond great to be completely done!

Celebrating my birthday! My portfolio is due on my birthday, so there will be double the celebrating come June 13th!

With #1 & #2 being big deals for me this summer, I'm hoping that I can celebrate on the blog too... a thousand follower giveaway isn't too far away... send your friends my way!
Las Vegas to meet many of my blogging buddies in real life and many teachers that I admire. Cannot wait!!

Our new to us home, is full of projects. We bought a few more gallons of paint this afternoon and I have a date with some blue trim and door in one of the bedrooms. It's got to go!!


With summer comes a little more freedom with our dinner menu. Last summer I hosted a recipe/restaurant recommendation linky and I am reviving it again. Every Monday of the summer starting in June. So if there is a recipe or fun restaurant you run across this summer, be sure to link up!


Working in our first garden. Hopefully by the end of the growing season we will have a bunch of veggies and watermelon too! 



 
Learning a new ELA curriculum, Journeys, and figuring out ways to keep it engaging while utilizing our iPads.



Pool time, grilling, hanging out with friends. Enjoying the lazy, hazy, days of summer as much as I can.

Working on a few of my projects. With my course work ending in the beginning of June I'm looking forward to a few projects I've had on my to-do list and keep pushing back: figuring out my camera more, working on some projects for the next school year, crafting, getting my workout groove back on... I'm sure there is more on this list than I'll get done.



So what are you up to this summer? Be sure to join in the fun and link up!



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