Dinosaur Mania!

 Today was our field trip to the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point.  We got to see many different kinds of dinosaurs and fossils.  We even got to touch a lot of them!  We also got to go through a star tunnel, have our own dinosaur dig. put together large dinosaur puzzles, and so much more!  It was definitely a full and wonderful day!

 After we finished up at the museum we ate our lunches at Discovery Park in PG and then got to play on the amazing playground.  It was the perfect day for play!

Walk-a-Thon!

 Last Friday we joined the rest of the school in a walk-a-thon to help build interest in exercising our bodies and as a fundraiser for the school.  We had a blast!

 Some walked, some ran, some of 'ralked' around the 1/4 mile field.  We got prizes or treats for every mile.  Jordan ran for 30 laps!  He was the top first grader!

 When our hour and a half was over we were certainly pooped!

We earned cool glasses, grizzly wrist bands, key chains, water bottles and treats!  But the best  thing we earned was the satisfaction of accomplishing something harder than we thought we could ever do!!!

I love First Grade Writing!!!

This week, because of Mother's Day, we've been writing stories about our moms.  These kiddos of mine have the most amazing moms; it's very evident through their writing.  As I read their books I can't help but giggle at some of the creative things they say.  Here's a sampling...

"My mom has great stile.  My mom's stile is pretty.  My mom is cute!"

"My mom is pretty.  Her hair is as soft as a blanket.  She is tall as a jient.  her hair is a sbrown as a grizly bear's fur.  Her eyes are as shiny as a star.  When she talks it's like a bird singing a song."

"She can cook everything in the world.  She can do shapes without holders that are shapes!  She can even make the cutest owl cookies.  I love my mom's cookies.  I can eat one right now!"

"My mom can do longery about every week or so.  But the worse part is that I have to put it up.  But sometimes I get to lay down and watch TV or play.  Sometimes I like to get in the langery and mess it up and my mom has to put it back.  It takes a hour!"

"My mom's eyes glow like crasy.  My mom's hugs make you feel like you can do anything in the world!  I even bet that her heart feels like jelly!"

"My mom works as hard as a huney bee.  I will help every day so my mom won't die."

"She is pretty because her eyes sparkel like her eyes got transformed into jewles.  Her hair is as soft as the expesevest blanket in the world.  Her smile is so beautifl like a rose.  Her voice is so much beautiful.  she makes me want to die in her arms like I faneted and I stopped breathing!"

"She makes the best cakes ever!  She can make your mouth water.  It is so so good!  She can make it better than Subway.  You should try it!"  

"She has blond prity hair.  It is so soft as a new blankit.  She always has a botuful smile.  If you see it you will really really like it."

"My mom is a hard worker.  She vacooms the hows so it's always cleen.  She does all my londry when my basket is full.  She always cleens the dishes so the neckst time we use it, it won't be drty."

"My mom is beautiful.  Her eyes shine like little dimends and her hair is soft as little candy rapers!  Her teeth are white as a snugly polurbear.  My mom is nise as a dollfent.  When I look at her she is pretty as a pecok."

"My mom loves me so much.  She loves me more then 20000,000,00 dallers.   But we sometimes we have fights about who loves more.  But I think I love my mom more then my mom's home made chicken pie!"

"My mom is pretty.  She has shiney brown eyes like the stars.  My mom's teeth are as shiney as ice mixed with snow mixed with water."

"She works like a bee. She kleens up as fast as a race car.  She is as nice as a puppy."

"My mom is a good cook.  She lets me eat like 20,801, 350 oringsticks a day.  She makes delishis cookies. The cookies are all chocklit, even the chocklit chips!"

"She is as cutly as a panda.  Sometimes she holeds me so close I can't get out!  She will melt your hort."

"My mom is a great cook.  She makes yumy choclate cake.  If you eat a crum your mouth will water.  It tastes so good that it tastes like dineomite exploded!  It tastes like real choclate."

"I love my mom more than a cookie."

"She rmines me to do my chors.  She weycks me up.  She dus my homewoke. She gives me a bandad whin I have a bludy knee.  She dus my loggery.  I love my mom."

"My mom is good at cooking.  She's the best at cooking panda egspres cheken."

"She can make choklit and voanla cupcakes with dots of food coulering.  I can't teast the food coulering.  She can make the best cake ever.  It is so yumy.  I like angle food cake the best.  She puts frousting and strawberys.  It is dealishes.  I love it.  You should get the reacepea from her."

"My mom is buttuful.  Her eyes shimer like stars.  Her close are like jools.  Her hair is golden.  Her joolere is shiny.  She even has a cecles and it has a real perl on it!  My mom's smile is so wide that I have to smile bak."

"My mom is as cool as school.  My mom's eyes are as bright as the sun.  Her hair is solt as a fether.  My mom in my eyes is always byootyful."

"My mom is realy good at playing games.  She wun me like a thowsend times!  She wins me the most with vunopuly deal."

"My mom is a good cook.  She makes the best choklate cake.  She even can make vanila cake.  It taists like a choklate swiming pool."

"My mom is a fantastic cleener!  She vacums.  She pics up my toys instid of me cle ning my room.  She dos the logeree and the dishis.  She mops and clens my sisters bedrom."

Salzburger Echo Assembly

 Last week we had a wonderful assembly.  We got to experience music from the Alps!  The band was called the Salzburger Echo.  They played brass instruments, the accordion, the long alps horns, and the bells.  They even had some of the teachers come up and try their talent.  They were very entertaining, and we learned a lot about music!We even learned to say "Good Morning" in German.  Guten Morgan. (probably spelled differently, however)

End of the Third Term!

Today we started the 4th and last term in first grade.  As we were getting ready to send report cards home and have SEP conferences we talked about the fact that we've now been in first grade for 132 days!  The boys and girls wrote letters to their parents telling them how they are different now than when they started first grade.  Here are some of the interesting things they feel about how they're doing so far in first grade... (Names withheld to protect the innocent?)

"I've been in first grade for 132 days!  I have got beter at reading and riding.  I like art and cooputers. I also like my teacher becus she is creativ and fun.  I also Like Mer. Stott.  She is my stoodint teacher.  She is nice.   I want to do reading and riting mor". 

"I've been in first gerade for 132 days.  I am 132 days smarter than I yoostoo be.  I am a better reader.  I like school because I lern so much stuf.  I want to get better at math". 

"I have been in first grade for one hundred thirty two days!  I am really good at reading!  I really like my teacher.  Thank you for geting her.  I need to work on spelling.  I really like first grade.  I use to be on Es but now I am on Js.  I like first grade".

"I lilke my teger.  We are learning about butterflys.  Butterflys are cool.    I like reading.  I am going to stude math.  I am going to work at reading.  I am going to work at being good at math and being nice.  I love you". 

"I've been in 1st grade for 132 days!  I like teacher because she is nie!  I'm setting a gowl to read more fluent!  I love you"!

"I've been in first grade for one hundred thirty two days now!  I'm realy good at spelling.  I like that we eat lunch at school becaus I get to sit by my friends.  I'm trying to make more friends and to get my homework done.  I feel great at school".

"I've been in first grad for 132 days.  I am a lot smarter then I yose to be.  I can wirt much better.  I like my techer and my firnds.  My goal is to do math better.  I luve you"!

"I've been in frst grad four 132 days.  I am 132 days smortr.  I love my tethr.  She is so so nise.  I am glad you sined me up.  I love her plan.  I can thry to do betr at riteing.  We only have 48 moer days until the end of school.  I wont 10,000 moer days of school.  I rely rey rely wont to staey in frst grad.  Plese, plese, plese!  I love frst grade".

"Ive been in first grade for 132 days.  I am good at art and righting!  I like art and righting!  Art is were we have fun drawings.  Rightine is a good store.  I am wroking on math.  I love you Mom and Dad"!

'I've been in 1st grade for 132 days and I'm good at math.  I'm good at comeputers and PE and art.  My goal is to be good lisaner".

"I've been in first grade for one hundred thirty tow days!  I'm better at speling.  I like writeing.  I also like my teecher.  I also like cumpuooters and art.  My gool is to be a better reader and lisiner.  You gise are so nise.  Thank you for all the things you do ".

I've been in school for 3 terms!  In school I like math because it's fun.  I'm praktis on reading.  I love you mom and dad"!

"I've been in first grade for 132 days now!  My favout thing is P.E. becus I like to strech out my bonse.  I wont to be beter at writeing becus I allwas go fast.  I like you so much mom and dad"!

"I've been in first grade for 132 days!  I am good at words in school.  I do better words then I youst to.  I am going to be better at not going to yellow and lisoning at school". 

"I've been in first grade for 132 days.  I am 132 days smart at reading.  I like lorning abowt butterflies.  We make crafs abowt butterflies.  I am trying to read flowit ley an books.  I am going to lisin so so good!  I am trying to get better at hard math". 

I've been in first grade for 132 days.  I'm geting better at reading and spelling.  I like my tearcher and I like first grade!  Because you get to learn and have fun.  I'm ginow get better at math and read more minets.

"I like my teacher and I like reses and friends.  my friends play with me, even come over.  I like reses because it is fun.  I love it. I am going to get relly good at reading more.  I love reading!  I even want to read at home too". 

"I am really good at lisaning and learning and working even at bell work.   I like my teacher and my friends who I play with and my class.  My goul is to work very hard and I want to do good". 

"I am 132 days smarter than I yost to be.  I was so glad that I nowe my teacher all raty before I even stared frist grade.  I whant to be bater at art like you are".  

Fairy Tale Puppet Show!

Our class did a puppet show last Friday.  The kiddos were so excited that they could hardly breathe! They sang songs for each of the stories and were loud, expressive, and animated.  It was a lot of fun to see all the different little personalities come forward!  The students each scripted their own dialog that their character would say. So each time we'd practice it was a little different.  The day of the performance was exciting because I wasn't sure just what the story would be like!

The first story was The Three Little Pigs.  Those pigs frightened the big bad wolf so hard that he flew right off stage and was never seen again!  We loved it!

At the end of Jack and the Beanstalk, the giant fell right over the curtain on the floor!  It was great!

When the Great Big Billy Goat Gruff said to the troll, "Bring it on, big boy!" we all broke out giggling.

 Our story of The Little Gingerbread Boy was especially tricky because we had added a couple characters and they were squished to fit behind the curtain, but they did it!  And it was wonderful!

 Our last story was Little Red Riding Hood. The audience loved it when the wolf actually did put on Grandma's nightgown!   

Dr. Seuss' Birthday!!

We celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday on Friday since Saturday was his actually birthday.  We had fun decorating cookies, making hats, reading and watching some of his stories, and learning about Theodore Seuss Giesel.  What a great man who really understood what young readers need!

Pig Day!

Friday was Pig Day in first grade.  We learned that pigs are incredible creatures, very smart, quite cute, and yummy too!  We got to pet some piglets that are only a week old! We even got to "Pig Out" as we watched a fun video story. 

Snowball Attack!

 Our class had collected so many boxtops this month that we won the chance to attack whatever class (or person) with snowballs!  We each got to make 14 snowballs.  We chose to attack our principal, Mrs. Killian.  We surprised her in the office and had a riot!  She and Mrs. Pruitt were pretty good at getting us back, but were no match for our amazing skills!  It was so much fun!!!!!!!!!!

Valentine's Day was a blast!  Some of the comments I was hearing was..."This is the best day ever!"  This is my 2nd favorite holiday!"  I think this is even more fun than Christmas!"  You gotta love first graders!

Hooray for Chocolate Day - The sweetest yet!

Chocolate Day was sweet!!!!!  We learned all about how chocolate is grown on trees!  The cacao beans start out in a big football-sized pod.  Then they are picked, dried, and ground into a cocoa powder before they are mixed with milk and sugar to make the delicious chocolate we now know.  

We made chocolate-dipped pretzels with Mrs. McKee, played games  and did math with chocolate M&Ms, read stories about chocolate, and even did our spelling in chocolate pudding!  What a delicious,(and somewhat messy) day!!!

Hooray for 100 day!

Friday was our 100th day of school!  We're now 100 days smarter and  100 days more amazing!  But we look nearly 100 years older!  Everyone dressed up like they will look when they're 100 years old.  We had wrinkles, sore backs,  and creaky bones by the hundreds!  But despite our old age we had a wonderful day!  We started out the day by magically changing 100 pennies into a dollar, then got to eat a 100 doughnut!  We read books about 100 ants and had then had to find 100 ants hiding around the classroom.  We made 100 day hats, wrote about what we would do with $100, counted out 100 treats, and even read 100 books! We ended the day with an assembly where a magician helped us understand the importance of reading 20 minutes each day.  It was the best day ever!!

Snow Day!

We've had 3 weeks without an outside recess because of the crazy cold weather and the kiddos are starting to go crazy!  So yesterday we had a snow day and took them out in the afternoon for a chance to slide off those winter stir-crazy blues.  It was still not very warm, about 12 degrees is all.  But these polar penguins never even felt it!  They had too much fun to complain about the cold!  They brought their sleds and traveled down the south hill at 'lightning speed' as they would say!  After about 1/2 hour of sledding we came in for some hot chocolate and donuts.  ---Another one of our "best days ever!"