Pre-New Years Resolution

Okay, so I am not the type of person to have resolutions, but two of my coworkers have been doing zumba so I thought, why not. I hate exercising and all, but connecting with coworkers was my goal this year because everyone is sooooo busy and streeeesssssed out. We started talking as we were warming up and could still breath, and one of my friends brought up our biometric screening that we have to sign up for again after last year's big push to lower our health care costs. They gave us incentive. With that test, my husband was diagnosed as pre-diabetic and since than my hubby has lost over 40 pounds.

Now onto my resolution...I am suppose to also improve in some way???!!! Yikes. That means lose some weight, lower my blood pressure...okay, so now you can see my dilemma.  It is the holiday season. Food is the theme. Resolution time... I will drink more water... I will continue zumba with my friends...I will do one workout on my own per week... and I will (try) refrain from eating in excess. I will also (try) avoid Mountain Dew. That might help me with my goal of losing 5 pounds. Wish me luck. Here is the zumba video that I have been using:)

Wish me luck!

Freebie Friday, on Sunday!

I love linking up with other bloggers. Today, I was blog hopping and found this great blog with some fun freebies. There are some great freebies so stop on by Teacher Blog Addict to check it out. This site also does a great job with video tutorials. I put a facebook link on my site with her steps. I just have to fine tune it. Here is my Friday Freebie: Pet Rocks, Rock!

Human Body Centers

I have been contemplated an idea that I saw on the Science Penguin. Ari teaches science to her kiddos in Texas. Something that she does is set up centers or stations for her students and then as they are working she is able to meet with her struggling students in a direct instruction group. So.... I am trying this next week. I am going to be setting up stations for the students in 4th grade that are working with bones and the human body. I will use the "bones" of the lesson from the FOSS kit, but then have stations to learn the bones, using this sheet from Crayola.



http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/print/human-skeleton-coloring-page/. I am also using this Cloze activity for them to fill in as they work on learning the bones from boggle.  bogglesworldesl.com/files6/skeletalsystem_cloze.doc‎ 

I also created a scavenger hunt I will be placing around the room as the fourth graders go from picture to picture trying to recall the names of the bones. They use a smart device to check their answers after they studied the bone sheet from the FOSS pack. Check it out...

Skeletal System "Bone" afide Review QR Code Style

No bones about it...it was a busy week. My planning day for next week is on Monday, stay tuned for some FOSS FUN!

Sneak Peek

Have you ventured over to Mrs. Laffin's Laughin' ? She does a fun linky party to take a look at everyone's week. 
I have been busy planning for next week, now that my day 1 is on Tuesday. Last week, I sure was busy taking some pictures of our busy day. Take a look at how FOSS can be fun...
Kindergartners are working on things that move. We move and so do objects, but friction is when things rub together, which makes things go fast or slow. Here is their experiment...

cars and balls go fast, and blocks and rock go slow...friction

My firsties, were rock hounds once again. They separated and sifted rocks and we got this great book from a TPT seller that I am sharing with you:)  https://drive.google.com/a/wausauschools.org/?tab=mo#search/my%20rock%20book  Thanks Angela Potter!

Our second graders used solids to build towers, but not before we had them learn all about being architects, engineers, and constructions workers by using Gail Gibbons book . We then worked on a sheet that helped us plan what we wanted our tower to look like and what materials we would use. Our skyscraper needs a strong foundation!
Now, onto our third graders, we were working with surface tension. You know the one where we see how many beads of water can fit on a penny. We did that, but then we added some pizzazz. We learned about how water bugs can stand and even walk on water. We then used the crayola site I added on an earlier post, here is what they drew...

Water bugs are cool!

  Fourth graders are learning to become doctors, nurses, CNA's, by taking their first medical class. Next week, however I am working on finishing a QR code scavenger hunt for them. I can't wait to share it with you! In my last post I showed you what I did with my biggest kiddos, mixtures and solutions stations and qr code review. They loved it! Thanks for taking a peek at my week.

Mixing Up Something New

I hooked up with my blogger buddy over at Head Over Heels For Teaching with Spark Student Motivation!  Something that I did this week seemed to spark student motivation! I created stations for my fifth graders to help them foster independence, time management, and study skills!  This week flew by and was sooo busy I can't believe it. I really wanted to try some new things after break and so getting a great idea from Ari at the Science Penguin. She teaches science down there in Texas. Her kiddos are lucky, she is very creative. I was reading her blog and I saw that she does stations and then works with a group for direct instruction. Love that idea. Soooo, I tried it myself. I set up 5 stations for my kiddos using the FOSS bones. We defined mixtures and solutions with one of Ari's sheet I got from TPT, then we also did a QR code review practicing how we would separate ingredients. I had three stations that also had them working as a team to separate three different sets of ingredients one where they had to use magnetism and even review with qr codes...
















One, where they had to use a filter and flotation...

And one where they had to choose from a bucket and then separate it themselves using one of the six methods we studied: filter, evaporation, screen, chromatography, magnetism, and flotation.
 
If you want to take a look at the stations, I have them for you on my TPT Store with my Mixtures and Solutions Pack. Just trying to find ways for my older kiddos to self guide themselves. We did fist to five and they all seemed to love the lesson. Hope it helps their test scores next week...we shall see.

Just In Time For The Holidays!

I just finished a Holiday Themed Science Stations pack for TPT. In this pack I created activities for the FOSS mixtures and solutions unit. I included a holiday chromatography activity which separates the mixtures in a marker. I also included a Mrs. Claus mixture activity that has the kiddos figuring out what mixture is the right one for her to make cookies. Also, there is a QR code activity allowing students to use a smart device to answer questions about reindeer. Last, but not least I also included a STEM activity that has students building a sleigh for Santa. Hope you enjoy!

                       Happy Holidays!

Moving Along!

Well, it is time to come up with another activity for our little kinders and the push and pull unit. Here is what I am doing for the lesson down the slide... I am starting this lesson with having our kiddos share how we move. We are making a list on our poster.

                                    Silly Sally


Then, we read the book Silly Sally and all the ways she moves...

        Kindergarten Sliding Worksheet

We then use the ramps and items listed on the worksheet that we fill in after we do the experiment. We finish up by drawing how we move down a hill or slide...