Summer Field Trip Fun

I usually teach summer school, despite the burn out! 

Every year, each teach chooses a theme and then builds from there. I then develop lessons related to that theme as well as plan a weekly field trip to take the students on! 

This year my class has been studying 

Health! 

It's been fun to teach such little ones about the way they should eat and stay healthy. For some reason they all would rather eat potato chips and play video games, but they can never say that i contributed to their possible obesity. Let's hope that they all remain pretty active! 

Thought i would share a few of those ideas with you when it comes down to finding a destination for a field trip! 

Have a great day! 

10 on Tues 3.12.13

Here's my 10 on Tuesday! 

|one|

This video makes me cry every time i watch it! Love how sweet this daddy is! 

|two|

Bella and Tara! Best buds! 

The funny thing is my sister's name is Tara and she had a pet water frog named Bella when she was younger! 

|three|

I kind of feel like everyday in my classroom I should wear a cape, but really it would get in the way! 

Spring time in a classroom is always a whilrwind! 

|four|

I went shoe shopping last weekend out of necessity and because it was my birthday. I got out of the shoe store with THREE PAIRS! This is amazing for me. I am entirely toooooooo picky about my shoe choices. They must be comfy, have good soles, not dig in, make my toes look cute, be in my size (which would seem easy but apparently many are size 7.5), be inexpensive, and come in either a shade of black or brown that i can make work with my wardrobe. Oh yeah, and another criteria is that I have to be able to chase after children in them. You should have seen the sales lady's face when i told her that!!! 

|five|

On that note:

I think my cat clearly thinks this of me but does not need another cat for me to know it! 

|six|

The time change thing is the worst on Monday, but this year it also fell on my birthday! To that i say: UGH! I must admit thought that i love the sunlight at the end of the day. Getting to work in darkness though stinks for the first week or so! 

|seven|

My moment to complain: I want a house and I want it NOW! (Definitely screamed this just like the girl who turns into a blueberry in the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie) Home-ownership is gonna be such a breeze compared to this waiting game and then battling in this market! 

|eight|

My husband is going fishing this weekend with work buddies... I am gonna miss the guy, but at the same time ready for a day to catch up!!! Gonna do a bunch of stuff! 

|nine|

This diet I am on has been great! Lost a little more weight and even had my cheat day on Sunday! 

|ten|

Finally, I have been able to log in to work on my Autism Authorization through Project Optimal. They re-did their website and I know I am not alone, but they messed up my log-in capabilities for a few weeks! It was so difficult ot get some help and now, I gotta get my butt in gear and get some work done! Off to work on a unit now! 

Hope your Tuesday rocks! 

Don't forget to check other people's 10 on Tuesday posts! 

10 on Tuesday Round 1

Gonna try this out this week! 

I have been reading Linny's 10 on Tuesday posts for a while and I have participated in her Random Thursdays that she co-hosts on Thursdays. So it's about time that i tried this one out! 

One

Tuesdays as Mondays confuse me. I know, I know, the week goes by faster, but c'mon. It just feels a little unnatural. By Friday i will feel differently, i'm sure. 

Two

CA weather has gone from 30 degrees to 80 in the course of a week. My wardrobe is incredibly confused. Californians cannot really store away summer clothes. It doesn't work. 

Three

Have I mentioned that my kitten fetches? She is pretty darn good too! she brings back the ball, hair tie, toy mouse, or whatever you throw for her. She even meows a little when she does it! So cute! 

Four 

At one a recent social event where not everyone knew each other, i became completely convinced that people were recognizing each other from Facebook. I don't think this is completely out of the question. I think we all do our fair share of Facebook stalking and we could easily look at pictures of people we would potentially meet. Side note: I never thought anyone looked familiar at said social gathering, just made the observation! 

Five

So, while most classrooms might be filled with a variety of kids, mine is clearly filled with kids that are like the one at the end (on the far right). 

{source}

Six
My cat fetches.
This video is a bit old and please disregard that there are a million paper bags in the background!
(They were all ready to go to my classroom!)

Seven

Keeping on the theme of cats... this is really hilarious! 

My husband did not fins this as amusing as i thought he would. I love it! You may not think it is as funny. You have been warned!

Eight
The Bachelor is on tonight. Oh.my.goodness! Its so cliche, but here's my excuse for liking this show and continuing to watch it season after season. I love to watch where they go and what they wear! But to be honest, this season i REALLY like Sean! He was my favorite when he was on The Bachelorette with Emily. What I don't like? The stupid DRAMA commercials that air over and over again! I have no favorites just yet because so many of the girls seem to still be psychos!

Nine
Being a featured blogger on SITS Girls was pretty cool! Thanks to all those that visited and stuck around!

Ten
I totally thought my Monday off was going to be filled with tons of items getting marked off my to-do list. What was i thinking!?! I did however get all the cooking done for the week, like seven loads of laundry, and registered for my Autism Authorization that i have to get done by October! BTW while i cooked i watched old episodes of Family Ties on Hulu. It was fun, but i realize that TV was way different back then!

Hope you have a great Tuesday! Stop by some other blogs to see their 10!

(Linny & Amber- I have no clue where to find your code for this cute button! I think it's your plot to get me to spend a little extra time on your blogs! Guess what? It worked! Love ya both!)

The link up is here and here!

PS It's blog hop day! Come and join us!
 

Elementary Reflections

Happy MLK Jr Day! 

I am off work today, are you?
Hope your work day went awesome if you had to work! 

Here's some childhood perspective on dreams for our world that I thought i would share with you! 

The title says: 
My Dream for the World is...
(I have blocked out my kiddos names to protect their privacy!) 

Here's what these shots say (in case its too small!)

...to make everything look nice

...for everyone to make peace and have love.*

...to make everyone happy. 

...that homeless people would have homes, food, and free stuff. 

...to give people everything they want. 

...to help people be safe. 

...that homeless people would have food.

... to give money to homeless people. 

...that everyone would have mashed potatoes to eat. *

...that people would not hate, but only love. *

...that everybody would have somebody who cares about them instead of hate. 

...that everybody should care about everyone.

...that everyone would not be mean and stop killing. *

...that everyone would have houses or apartments for free. 

* = ones that i really loved hearing from my students! 

Its amazing what kids have to say about the problems in our world!

It's also a really big day for this BLOG! 

It's my SITS Day! If you are not sure what this is head on over to the SITS Girls site to find out more! I am truly honored to be the featured blogger today! 

If you are a visitor here, please pull up a chair and stay for a while!

Welcome! 

Oh and before i go, I had a little giveaway last week! 
So ... FIVE people entered and FIVE people won! 
Here they are:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congrats to you all! 

Enjoy your free rental! 

(Your codes will be emailed to you shortly!)

Evie's Adventures

Our classroom elf has done great! 

I am still not completely sold on the fact that the kids have changed their behavior, but nonetheless, it is worth it to see their faces each morning when they find this curious little elf! 

I have a lot more ideas to do and I can't wait to share them with you! 

Here are some of Evie's adventures from the last week! 

She pulled out the Christmas tree and left the decorating up to us! 

Began our count down to Christmas! 

Pulled out all of our Christmas story books and displayed them nicely and then read a book! 

Took a rocket ship to visit Santa and then lounged in it all day! 

We did have one curious little kiddo who touched our Evie and she rested for an ENTIRE day until she could get her magic back! That student got to write an apology letter to the whole class! 

Today we wrote about our elf and i will share those journals next week! 

Hope you've enjoyed Evie's adventures this week! 

Just a Little Elf

I am trying something new in my classroom this year. 

Yep, that's right, that little elf we have seen all over Pinterest, Instagram, and heard people chatting about around the water cooler, has made its way into my classroom! 

Today we read the book and I was SHOCKED! I did not have a single child who said "I don't believe in Santa!" This has me thinking that this curious little elf just might work. 

source

Our little elf's name is Evie and today we welcomed her into our classroom. I am not sure how it went over because i had to step out for an IEP, but i am hoping it went well! Either way I am hoping to update yo all every week about Evie and her whereabouts in my classroom. It should be fun! I have a few non-mess making  less mischievous ideas for her location! 

For those that don't know: There are hundreds of elves that make their way into the homes of children to help Santa check his list. The elves report back nightly and before the children wake up the elf finds a new spot. Half the fun is finding the elf in a new spot every day. The trick is that the elf cannot be touched! Or else it will loose all its magic! 

So in the coming 2+ weeks you will see an update of all of Evie's adventures! Let's hope my kiddos believe and that they have a little bit of Christmas cheer! 

Have you tried the Elf on the Shelf with your kids? 

Have you ever used it in a classroom setting? 

PS. I know many people are anti-elf! I see their point, however this is one way that i am hoping may coax excellent behavior out of the kiddos! I may even spread a little Christmas cheer! 

Thankful Pumpkins

So, Friday and these next few days before Thanksgiving will be filled with lots of Thanksgiving activities for the kiddies in my classroom! What else would I do with only 2.5 days of teaching right before a holiday? We will be playing a thanksgiving math game, writing about thanksgiving, and talking lots of turkey! Before the weekend we took a few minutes to write about what we are thankful for and we made these adorable little pumpkins! These little cuties would make a great activity for Thanksgiving Day over at the kiddie table, but they could also be a classroom activity!

Isn't it cute?

All you need is this handy freebie:

 Thankful Pumpkin Strips

And

A paper fastener (a brad)

Orange paper (3 strips for each pumpkin)

A strip of brown paper

A piece of green paper big enough to cut into two leaves

A stapler

They aren't hard to assemble. 

Here are the steps:

Fill in the blanks on three strips and then place those strips in the shape of an asterisk.

Staple the middle and then punch a hole in the end of each strip.

Then put together the stem. Fold the strip of brown paper and fold the end.

Cut out two leaves from the green paper. Staple the leaves to the folded part of the stem.

Next hole punch the folded part of the stem and stick the fastener through.

Lastly, begin gathering the orange strips of paper by putting the brad through each hole. Make sure the brad stays inside the pumpkin and before you know it you are ready to fasten the brad by spreading the prongs!

 

You cute little pumpkin is ready!

This would be great to get your little pumpkins thinking about what they are thankful for this Thanksgiving! One of my new little kiddos said he was thankful for ME! So cool!

Hope you enjoy! 

Givin' it a Go!

I am often talking to inanimate things. Not usually out loud, but in my head i say little things. Lately, i talk a lot to the kitty cat. I love her so and think she truly understands what i am saying.maybe not, but oh well!  I also think about writing cryptic letters to my friends and family on this here blog. So i thought i would switch up my Friday post a bit and give Friday Letters a try. For those who don't know about this one ... its just a bunch of letters to say your piece and it happens to be a link up on Friday! You'll really get the hang of it if you click the link and see other Friday Letters at the bottom of this post. 

Dear Hubs, I cant wit until we are out of an apartment and have a real home that we own! Thanks for starting that process for us. I know i need a kick in the pants when it comes to huge decisions like that. 

Dear Apartment, We love you, but our time here is limited. 

Dear Classroom, Please, please, please, do not get more crazy. Even though i know i get two more new kiddos on Monday, I pray you remain as crazy calm as it has been. Please?!?

Dear Life Group, You all are amazing! Past and present members show their love and care and concern all the time! I am so blessed to have you in my life. I am so grateful for you all! 

Dear Bed, I can not wait to meet you tonight. We do not spend enough time together! 

Dear Students, i pray for each and every one of you! Please learn this year! Where you are weak may you grow stronger! I love you all and I am blessed to be your teacher! 

Remember to check out other Friday Letters!

Boo!

OK so i got BOOed! by Lisa over at The Lower Elementary Cottage

Here's what that means: 

If you've been booed, copy and paste the above pic and these "rules" into your post.
 

1.  Give a shout out to the blogger who booed you and link back to their site!

 

2. Share 3-5 October activities, books, products (yours or someone else),

or freebie(s) that you love!

 

3.  Share the Boo love with 5 bloggers- make sure you check this link to make sure you don't boo someone again:
 Click Here to check whose been BOOed!

And don't forget to tell them that they have been BOOED!

 

4.  Link up {here} so that others can find you and read about your October ideas!  And while you are there... check out the other great blogs!

Thanks to Lisa! So sweet of her to boo me! 

Her blog is adorable! Be sure to go check her out! 

Here are some products I have either used or plan to use this month to celebrate Fall or Halloween! 

Source: teacherspayteachers.com via Simone on Pinterest

Source: teacherspayteachers.com via Simone on Pinterest

I used both of these clip art packs just last week! My kids used them to match them to different types of nouns and then had to verbally tell me an adjective to describe the noun. They had lots of fun and loved that they got to take all the pictures and sticky notes home! 

Source: loryevanspage.blogspot.com via Simone on Pinterest

Really hoping to find these treats for our Halloween Celebration! 

Source: teacherspayteachers.com via Simone on Pinterest

This might make a fun warm up! Gotta find which one is different! 

Source: teacherspayteachers.com via Simone on Pinterest

Halloween Cookie Math Facts Game! Free! 

BTW - all of those pins are links to FREE items! Love that teachers share such GREAT resources for FREE! How helpful is that?!? 

Wanna find more of my educational pins? 

Head on over to Pinterest and follow me! 

My Teachable Moments Board is chalk full of great resources! 

And last but not least... here's who i am Boo-ing! 

Jessica @ Apples and Papers

Taylor @ Baking... Crafting... Teaching.. Oh My!

Chrissy @ Buzzing with Ms. B

Katie @ Dirty Hands and Lesson Plans

Elyse @ My Life with a Cherry on Top

These ladies are all great! Be sure to check out their blogs! 

Hope everyone has had a great Monday! 

Back to School Night!

Tonight is Back to School Night at my school!

Here's a little peek into my classroom and some of my prep work to give my classroom a little polish:

**Please note that none of these boards are completely done... all of it is a work in progress! Also, I would not have slept last night if i had done this all by myself! A BIG HUGE THANKS to my classroom aides and to my hubs who helped me cut out all you see in the tub pictured below! 

Also, today we celebrated Johnny Appleseed Day! 

Ignore how tired i look and check out the cute hat!

More on this in another post! 

This is Mrs. Simone Appleseed signing off... 

Apples & Spice

Alright, so there was a bit of a blog break that was not intentional. It's just i got pretty busy and well, you dont need excuses! The important thing is i am back! 

Today i am linking up with Michelle over at The Vintage Apple for Oh How Pinteresting! Wednesday 

&
with Kailyn at Wandering Free

This week my theme kind of picked me... it's not quite Fall like weather (more about that in a post soon) here in So Cal, so we have to improvise! Two things that remind this gal of Fall are cinnamon and apples! So, here are my pins from the last week or so! 

Cinnamon 

Source: aliceandthemockturtle.blogspot.com via Simone on Pinterest

These look delicious! 

Source: abitchinkitchen.blogspot.ca via Simone on Pinterest

Um cinnamon AND pumpkin... count me in!!! 

Source: buddingbaketress.blogspot.com via Simone on Pinterest

Wow! Who knew that could happen!?! Gingerbread and snickerdoodles in one cookie?! And the names are soooo cute too: Snickersnaps or Gingerdoodles! Aww!

Source: lovintheoven.com via Simone on Pinterest

Snickerdoodle Blondies ... mmmMMMmmmm! 

Source: creationsbykara.com via Simone on Pinterest

Snickerdoodle Cinnamon Bread 

And now it is time for the apples... 

Today my class will be celebrating Johnny Appleseed Day! Here are my pins: 

Source: youtube.com via Simone on Pinterest

Just a video to bring back a few memories! 

Source: acupcakefortheteacher.blogspot.com via Simone on Pinterest

We will be making these hats in black! Look out silly yearbook photos! 

Source: acupcakefortheteacher.blogspot.com via Simone on Pinterest

Some more ideas for Johnny Appleseed Day! 

Source: teacherspayteachers.com via Simone on Pinterest

Definitely using this tomorrow! Awesome freebie! 

Source: teacherkimbo.blogspot.com via Caitlin on Pinterest

Great Idea! 

I think that is all the apples and cinnamon i can take for one day! 

Hopin' you all had a great Fall Wednesday! 

What have you pinned?