Friday, November 23, 2012

So Much To Be Thankful For...

I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving with their family and friends! We gathered last night-my mom's family (Wards). There were 43 of us there. :) So much food and lots of fun. We have lots of kiddos who we enjoy watching grow up and some babies on the way for 2013! not me though-haha! 3 is enough and I am very thankful to have them!
The person I was most happy to see last night was my cousin Lesa Ward. She is battling brain cancer and presently taking chemo at Vanderbilt. In fact, they are on their way back this morning as we speak for another treatment. She is very upbeat and looks GREAT! so happy and blessed that she has not experienced any severe side effects from chemo up til this point. please pray for her and that her cancer will be stalled enough that she can continue to enjoy more time with her husband,children, grandchild  and soon to be granddaughter. God hears our prayers-ALWAYS!
Kirk got out last night and took advantage of a few deals at WalMart-well, he took care of his Christmas gifts from us. Since he's heading out to college next fall, he got a new tv and a blu-ray player. Kara went with a friend and her aunt (Tasha-another teacher friend) to Walmart and since she spent the night with them I'm not sure if she came back with any purchases. :) Kali of course reminded me that she never got to do anything and Kirk and Kara always do so she and I rode past WalMart a few times to see how crowded it was and chuckle at all the cars-WalMart is down the road from our house so we didn't have to drive far to see the excitement! We came back home and Kali started putting up our Christmas tree. The tree is up, lights our on it, and she is working on the ornaments.
Now, to a little school news-our Thanksgiving feast went off without a hitch! The kids (and adults) all enjoyed it and all the food was delish! I got my Write The Room activities up for the next 3 weeks before Christmas break and I will wait and put up Christmas tree in classroom sometime next week. Kali has asked her elf on the shelf to ask Santa to bring a girl elf on the shelf for my classroom! Now, that would be fun wouldn't it?!
To all of you I am thankful for your friendship and I am especially thankful for all my teacher blog friends. You inspire me with your dedication and your blogs! Enjoy the remainder of your Thanksgiving vacation with your family and get rested up for a fast and busy December at school! Love to all, Leigh Ann
P.S. I am presently working on the design for my blog so it will probably look different everytime you see it for the next few weeks. :)

Monday, November 19, 2012

krazy4K: thankful tuesday

krazy4K: thankful tuesday: tomorrow we will celebrate our thanksgiving meal in our class thus the title of this post-thankful tuesday. the turkey is in the oven-no,i'm...

thankful tuesday

tomorrow we will celebrate our thanksgiving meal in our class thus the title of this post-thankful tuesday. the turkey is in the oven-no,i'm not crazy-i have a wonderful recipe of my aunt's that i use every year-if you want it just ask. :) ham is in the crockpot, sweet potato casserole, dressing, caramelized carrots all done-just need to heat up in the morning. all of the other side dishes are being brought in by some of the students' grandmas and  my mom and sister Jennifer(i don't call her an in law :). the kids are so excited about it! i am too!
even though this is just a two day week, we are still getting a lot of our common core standards covered in the classroom. we are just using lots of fun Thanksgiving activities to do them! i can't stand the thoughts of wasting these two days coloring, playing and watching tv. no way! i have to cover the some of the standards or i can't think straight or feel good about my teaching that day. i want the students to understand how the activities relate to our standards and learning.
i had several students out friday with a stomach bug and i'm praying it doesn't strike me or any of the rest of the class tonight or tomorrow. let's just get through tomorrow and then get home for the holidays! 
we made our blessings mix today ( a trail mix where each food item represents something and tells a story from the first Thanksgiving) and we will make our bead bracelets tomorrow that will tell the story of the first Thanksgiving. if you need info on these let me know.
to all of you. Happy Thanksgiving!
p.s. you may have noticed i changed the for to 4 in my blog title. this was an afterthought and i just got around to doing it.
my 3 kids-kirk,kara, and kali + my  1 kindergarten class of kiddos each year= 4 K's   :)

Thursday, November 15, 2012

krazyforK: I can not believe that we only have 6 more days of...

krazyforK: I can not believe that we only have 6 more days of...: I can not believe that we only have 6 more days of school until Thanksgiving break-crazy!!! This first semester of school is flying by. I kn...

Monday, November 12, 2012

I can not believe that we only have 6 more days of school until Thanksgiving break-crazy!!! This first semester of school is flying by. I know every year goes fast but this year seems SUPER FAST! Could it be implementing the new common core standards? Don't get me wrong I really like the common core standards it justs seems that we are so extremely busy during the day trying to implement all the standards that the day is over before we turn around. :)
We have had a lot of fun with our learning centers this past 6 weeks. I started using Alessia Albanese's from mrsalbaneseclass.blogspot.com Write the Room and Pocket Chart Activities. They are great and really keep the students engaged. I also really like her hidden sight word activity sheets and playdough mats. Be sure and check her out on her blog and her products at tpt. Of course, I still use many of Kim Adsit kindergals.blogspot.com great products for centers and also Deanna Jump's products mrsjumpsclass.blogspot.com  
All of these gals are super and I love them and their ideas. There are many others I use and I will throw their names out on another blog.
I will be preparing a Thanksgiving meal for my class next Tuesday. I'm even bringing out my fine china for it. :) I will make the turkey and dressing. My mom is making her delicious rolls and my sister in law does the country style yummy green beans. One of my students' grandmother is making creamed potatoes, another grandma is making dessert and another gmom is making baby carrots. We may add a few more items to the menu as the date gets closer. I really enjoy this day because many of the students do not have a traditional style Thanksgiving meal with family and it is just another day for them. I want them to have the experience of seeing the turkey before it is carved and enjoying a traditional feast!
This week and next we are talking alot about Thanksgiving and our family traditions and of course what we are thankful for. 
I have many things to be thankful for-my faith in Jesus Christ, my family, my friends, my health, my students, and of course all of you my dear teacher friends. Even if I have never met you, I feel like we share a common bond-our love for children and their learning.
I hope all of you have a blessed Thanksgiving surrounded by your families and friends! Leigh Ann :)