Father's Day Freebie

Even though we are out for summer, I still like to send home a little something for Dad for Father's Day. I wanted to do something that I knew most dads would like, which is no easy task! But I think this year I got a winner!

It's the World's Greatest Pop!

Each student needs a popcorn tub and 4 kernels of popcorn. I suggest you copy the tub on white construction paper or card stock and the kernels on yellow construction paper or card stock. There are 8 kernels on a page, so each students only needs half of the page.

Students will color and cut out the popcorn tub. Then they will write 4 things they love or appreciate about their dad (or another special male they would like to give the gift to). Next they cut out the kernels and glue them to the top of the popcorn tub.

I ask my students to write a note to their dad on the back of the flap of the popcorn tub. The key is to write the note UPSIDE DOWN, so that when you fold the flap up, the note will be facing the right way.

When they are done, you can staple a bag of microwave popcorn between the tub and the flap. And VOILA! I LOVE the way they turn out every year!!

 Click HERE to snag your own free copy :)

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FIVE for FRIDAY... the week from you-know-where...

This is going to be a quick post, just to share some happy things from the week. This week has been awful for me. The hubs was admitted to the hospital on Monday for an infection in his leg and he is still there... five days later. There is a chance he might be able to come home tomorrow, so we are praying for good news. Single parenting + 2nd to last week of school + 2 small kids (3.5 yrs and 19 months) + my son's gymnastics and hockey classes + my own physical therapy (3x a week) + going to see the hubs at the hospital, which is 35 miles from our house + dog responsibilities = one lady on the brink of snapping.  I just keep seeing this:

Anyway. The good stuff :)

1. NEW CHAIR POCKETS!
My chair pockets are 5 years old and have seen better days. My mom has been on the look out for new fabric, and she found this Sunbrella canvas fabric last weekend:

Beautimous, right?! Best news: it was $6/yard! This stuff normally sells for $30-$70/yard!!! I can't wait to get started making them!

2. LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! 
OK, it's not until next Thursday, but we busted out our frame so we could get the pictures taken so we can send home on the last day of school. My teammies and I were having a little too much fun with the frame...

3. END OF THE YEAR CELEBRATION!
On the last Friday of the year, we have a little celebration. I didn't take many pictures, but here's one of my faves:

It's one of my bunnies participating in a relay race. They had run across the gym and pop a balloon with their tushies, and then run back. ACTION SHOT!

4. PUSH POPS!
At our celebration, there is alway a special snack time. Normally it's a freeze pop, but this year our principal upped her game. WE ALL GOT PUSH POPS!!

My teammies! We were all VERY excited about the Push Pops!

OMGoodness I don't remember the last time I had a Push Pop, and it was SO tasty!!! Some of my kids didn't like theirs and threw them away. A little piece of my heart was thrown away with every unfinished Push Pop that ended up in the trash...

5. CLASSROOM QUICK TIPS LINKY!
Don't forget! Every Thursday! No rules... well OK, one rule. No paid products. But that's it!

Click on the image to check it out!

Thanks to Doodlebugs Teaching and Teaching Maddeness for hosting!

OK I'm off to bed. My mom is coming tomorrow to watch my kids so I can go into work. Yes, on a Saturday. Because I have a MOUNTAIN of things waiting for me... :(

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FIVE for FRIDAY!

It's been a while since I linked up to Doodlebugs Teaching and Teaching Maddeness...

I'm linking up today because we went to Chocolate Fest last night (see #5). You know you'd do the same if you were in my position!

1. BRAGGING!
OK, so I have to brag. I had a little love come in to second grade at a reading level D. LEVEL D! O.M.G. Child didn't leave first grade that low. Experienced what we all know and love: Summer Loss :( We worked and worked and WORKED this year, and guess what?! Little Love is now reading at an M. YES PEOPLE!!! M!!!!! The bunny went from a beginning first grade reading level to end of second grade, meeting grade level expectations! YAY!!!! I am so proud!!!!

2. FOSSILS!
We made fossils yesterday. Probably my most favorite project in all of 2nd grade!

Put a golf-ball-sized piece of clay in a punch cup. MUST be a punch cup, as they're wider than regular Solo cups. Smooth it out with your thumbs.

Imprint a dino figure into the clay. Make sure you push in the head, legs, tail, spikes, plates, etc.

Take dino figure out.

Mix Plaster of Paris

Pour plaster into the cup, filling the imprint. Tap it on the table a few times to get rid of the air bubbles and get it into all the spaces and grooves.

Let them dry over a few days. A long weekend... say Memorial Day weekend would be ideal.

Try really hard not to let the plaster splash up onto your face...

....  or get it all over your clothes and hands.

I gotta work harder at that "don't get it all over you" part.

I actually did this with two classes today, as one of my teammies was home with a sick baby, and we thought it would be cruel to make the sub do it. LOL. It was stressful, but fun!

3. DIRT CAKE! 
My other teammie had two birthdays in her class yesterday! The birthday bunnies both brought in dirt cake... on purpose! Ha ha ha! I got both! I LOVE dirt cake :)

SO delish!

4. LINKY PARTY!
Don't forget about the Classroom Quick Tips linky that Jean and I are hosting on Thursdays!

You can still link up with a quick tip that makes life in your classroom easier :)

5. CHOCOLATE FEST!
There is a Nestle factory in my town, and every Memorial Day weekend, the city holds Chocolate Fest. Now now, don't get too excited. You get a fun-sized Crunch bar when you come in, but that's pretty much it. It's your typical small town carnie, but fun can still be had by all!

The kiddos LOVED this puppet show. It was quite possibly the most annoying thing EVER!

Train Ride! 

Putting out fires!

Bumper cars (that didn't work)

Met up with my brother in law and sister in law. They snapped a pic in front of this REALLY CREEPY  automated music show.

The dragon roller coaster.

We went home, got our jammies on, then came back to watch the fireworks. This is one way we entertained ourselves while we waited for them to start.

Ooooohhh! Ahhhhh!!!

Happy Memorial Day and 3 day weekend!!! :D

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FIVE: Field Trippin'

I usually link up with my week-in-review post, but we went on a FIELD TRIP today and there's LOTS to tell you!

1. Milwaukee Art Museum
If you ever visit Milwaukee, you need to go to the art museum.

I wish the wings were open today... So beautiful!

Inside the Kalatrava.

2. Creepy Guy

As our docent was leading us through the museum, we came into a room and I caught a glimpse of a guy standing along the wall. He seemed like the kind of guy that you wouldn't normally see in an art museum, if ya know what I mean. I didn't look at him because I didn't want him to think that I was staring or being rude... but then I noticed he wasn't really moving. I kept trying to steal glances out of the corner of my eye, but then I pulled one of those, "I'm just going to turn around and pretend that I'm looking at art, but I'm really looking at you." moves. Turns out he was a sculpture! HA! He scared the you-know-what out of me! Thankfully I'm not afraid to laugh at myself :)

This was the only work of art I took a picture of... LOL!

3. Schlitz Audubon Nature Center

OK, seriously. Wisconsin teachers. You NEED to come here for a field trip! We were a little nervous because we had never been here before. I heard of this place from my cooperating teacher nine years ago. We wanted to do something new this year, so we decided to do their Dinosaur program. This place did NOT disappoint!!!

Not the best pic, but it was a beautiful building.

First we got a little introduction and watched a video. Then we split into our groups. Our teacher was AMAZING! The bunnies did their own dino dig!

Most of the "fossils" we found.

Finished skeleton!

4. REAL FOSSILS!!!
Then our teacher took us down to the beach to look for real fossils. Turns out the land used to be a shallow salt water sea 400 million years ago.

It was so windy and the water was SO loud! Our teacher said that she had never heard it so loud nor seen such big whitecaps! 

Not really sure what this is... I missed the explanation. It kind of looked like a tepee shelter thing. The bunnies loved it!

Here you have it! A REAL FOSSIL! It's a bunch of crinoids.

Someone found an bird of prey dead on the beach and our teacher gave him this bone. LOVELY...

5. Treetop Classroom
Lastly our teacher took us to the Treetop Classroom 60 feet up. We were as tall as a Supersaurus!

I counted. There were 98 steps.

OMG. Don't look down. Don't look down. Don't look down.

So instead I just hung my phone over the fence and snapped this pic!

The view!

I was trying to see you across Lake Michigan, Jean (from Diving into 2nd Grade), but you are too far away :(

This was BY FAR the BEST field trip we had EVER been on!!! We're thinking about making an all-day event out of the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center next year! What has been your favorite field trip you take your kids on?

HAPPY WEEKEND EVERYONE!

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