No Turkeys Here

After seeing the cute disguised turkeys on other blogs, I finally gave it a try.  To get the students thinking of ideas, I read Piggie Pie by Margie Palatini and T'was the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey.  Then I sent a letter home explaining that the students wanted to save Tom Turkey from being eaten for Thanksgiving.

Unfinished Bulletin Board

I had so many favorites for different reasons.  The most resourceful non-turkey was made from things found in the yard; gravels, leaves, and seeds.

Most Resourceful

The most original non-turkey was Sponge Bob.  I don't care for Sponge Bob, and the students know this.  Leave it to my students turn a turkey into an irritating sea sponge. LOL!

Most Original

The cutest non-turkey was Santa Turkey.

Cutest

I think one of my students was still in the spirit of Veterans Day.  The most patriotic non-turkey was a soldier. We had just finished our Veterans Day unit and participated in our annual Veterans Day Parade.

Most Patriotic

Finally, my all-time favorite was the Carolina Tarheel non-turkey.  I don't know how they did it, but it looks like a Carolina napkin was folded into a jersey to fit Tom perfectly.  All Tom needs now are the Carolina pom-poms that decorate our ActivBoard.

#1 Fan

Rock Stars,  Princesses, and Spider Man will also be safe.

Scrabble Storage

I have organized and reorganized my word work station so many times.  I think I finally have it the way I want it. 

Thanks to Melissa at F is for First Grade for one option during word work.  Which Word is Worth More? is a favorite word activity.  The students choose which spelling words to make, and then do the math.  I've bought the Scrabble Apple, but there are not enough letters.  So I found some printable Scrabble tiles, copied them onto yellow paper,  and laminated them.  For storage,  I bought four pill organizers.  I painted the tops blue.  While the paint dried, I found some Scrabble tile printables.  

After the paint dried, I used Mod Podge to adhere the tiles.  I had two students put the laminated tiles in each compartment.  Another blogger gave me the idea to store each word work activity in storage drawers.  Now students can easily access the vocabulary maps, "Stamp It, Write It!, and Scrabble activity sheets and supplies.

Thanks to Mel at Seussstatic Classroom Inspirations for this idea.

Owl-themed Baby Shower

What do teachers do after school?  PARTY!!!!  I'm not sure how much planning went into this shower, but it was beautiful.  The owl-theme is one I've never seen before.

 

...random post :)

Journey North Tulip Garden Project

This week, we planted 50 Red Emperor tulip bulbs for a Journey North project.  The students will be scientists for the next few months.  They will watch the weather, check the temperature, make observations, and keep a journal. 

I am encouraging the students to plant some tulip bulbs at home, so we can compare the growth.  As a class, we will be comparing our tulip garden to other classes across the country.

We can't wait for the tulips to bloom in the spring.  We're hoping the squirrels will fill up on acorns, and leave our bulbs alone.

Teamwork

7 inches deep, 4 inches apart

Our Young Photographer Took a Break

Ooops! Too Much Digging