News From the Farm

Just another Monday...

Meet our newest first grader. She's a little young (3 weeks) and pretty hefty (90 pounds), but our principal made an exception and is letting her stay. :)

She doesn't have a name yet, but my class has brainstormed a few, narrowed it down and tomorrow will be the final vote. It will be decided between both first grade classes.

I feel kind of in charge. But thankfully, another teacher knows more and is a consultant on the case. And the other first grade teacher jumped right in and gave the first bottle. And I think she could easily be in charge, but I guess we will co-lead this project.

It was amusing today as we needed to decide the feeding schedule for the rest of the week and had a stalemate. We Rock, Paper, Scissored to determine the morning feeder. We went three rounds and every time chose the same. It was awesome--we are starting to think alike. And the students enjoyed seeing us do it. 

In other news... Our class has the saying of the year... Do. Not. Panic.

It comes from Roxie. The book about her and some hooligans is so enchanting. Seriously, go check it out and read it. It could make you laugh. (Find it on Amazon or at your favorite bookstore.) So, anyway, we say it a lot. 

During math. Do. Not. Panic. In preparation for lock down drills. Do. Not. Panic. When Mrs. Bartel is having a freak-out moment. Do. Not. Panic. And apparently, they (at least one) say it at home. I love it!!! I think that book may become a beginning of the year read aloud for every year in the future. Just so we can have that saying.

Do. Not. Panic.

Ag Camp, Day 1

Isn't it great to do "school" when the rules change, the atmosphere is looser, and the FUN stuff comes out?

For a number of years (I'm not sure exactly how many) my school sponsors an Ag Camp. It is usually a week or so after school has ended, and the activities are as varied as the grown ups that run it.

This is a smallish year, but mighty in the fun factor. Here are our five groups for this week-long camp:

1. Archery (in the gym, with our very qualified PE teacher and principal)

2. Cooking (in the kitchen, with our head and sous chef, today they made dog biscuits and strawberry jam)

3. Garden/painting (out back, with our teacher/gardener and art teacher, today they worked the garden--perhaps harvesting, I'm not sure--and painting fence posts)

4. More gardening (out front, with a couple of teachers that researched garden beds and know stuff, today they started getting the beds ready for planting)

5. Art (in my room, with me who is trying to find her artistic self and another teacher, today we made oil pastel drawings of a wheat field)

Fun, right?

Each group lasted about 20ish minutes, then they rotated. At some point, we gave the kids some grapes and a cheese stick snack. And I had the BEST conversation with a couple of boys about The Avengers, Age of Ultron during our snack time. So glad to be able to talk with knowledge about that movie. And maybe I tacked on a couple of "she's cool" points... But we never really got in to the girly stuff...

Each year the response we get is, "It is so much FUN."

To be at school, where the school rules still apply, but it's relaxed, and FUN.

The materials and teacher stipends are paid for by the camper's fees, and our local Farm Bureau even offers scholarships. Cool, right?

We will work all week to beautify our school, harvest produce, make baked goods and paintings and then sell it all on Friday at our "Farmer's Market" to cover more costs and have a little left over to do more ag-related projects next school year. 

Here's a sneak peak at today's artwork...

Come back tomorrow to see what we create with our time...

Five for Friday (October 24, 2014)

Just five? There is so much to share...

But I will narrow it down to my top five of the day...

1. I got another present today. Quite possibly I could be blinged out by Christmas...

2. My group during our 4-H time started learning about the lifecycle of a sunflower and wheat plant (by watching some short YouTube videos). They got a small bag of seeds to create patterns (a math standard for us--repeating patterns for K and growing patterns for 1st)

Thinking we've got the pattern thing. 

3. Jenny. She got moved to a new-to-her pen. With more green grass. This is how she felt about it. 

4. Jenny again. She is such a blessing to our school family.

5. This week I jumped into what so many do effortlessly... Facilitating research projects with first graders. Some day I may write about the process. For now, group photos are it.

Now, hop on over to Doodle Bugs Teaching and read what my friends are up to.

I'll be doing my homework--college class AGAIN this weekend. It's good stuff, but golly, I'm tired!

Occupational Hazard

OOOWWWWW that hurt!

My class has chores this week.

We were almost done. Chickens--check. Calf--check. Pigs--check. Hang up the hose--CRASH. 

Right into my thigh. I screamed (a little from pain, a little from surprise--nope, it was a LOT from pain). 

As I was doubled over I heard in the background--"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry."

I kind of hollered back--"I accept your apology!" I didn't want to accept. Someone RAMMED a wheelbarrow straight into me, but youngsters were watching, and I had to be a good example.

She continued out of the barn to whatever job needed that wheelbarrow and I staggered, teary-eyed to a bench to sit down. 

A friend of mine who was helping chore saw me, and said that she thought it wasn't broken (perhaps that was a comment on how much I was describing my pain). But it REALLY hurt. 

Anyway, I'm ok.

But next time you or anyone is in the barn, watch out for eager youngsters who should not be driving wheelbarrows at high speeds.

TGIF

Is there anything better than a Friday night?

The promise of a weekend. Time to relax and regroup. Someone else made my dinner.

And a linky party! Thanks Kacey @ Doodle Bugs Teaching for this weekly party, an opportunity to share five pictures/events/randomnesses from my day.

1. Math Stations are going ok. The kids are learning so much. I love having the time to focus on a certain skill with a couple of kids while the rest are "doing" meaningful math. (These pictures are from earlier this week...we were very busy today with "special" activities and did not have time for stations.)

2. Our Cloverbuds group met today. My rotation was not fancy (the other three were fantastic), but it worked. After looking at several examples of 4-H group banners, the kids designed a possible banner for our group. the only requirement--must have 4-H some where. I will choose the "winner" later and on another meeting we will make a new banner to hang in our hallway.

3. The garden needed to be weeded. What's to be done? I bet you know...

Give the kids recess, have me watch them playing while Mrs. Jones grabs a few to work in the garden. Win-Win-Win.

4. How about a lively game of Duck, Duck, Goose? You betcha!

Thanks to Mrs. Jones for snapping these photos. I cannot believe how long these kids played this game. They waited patiently for a turn (really!!) and had fun.

As the "It" person walked around, I still had the same thoughts as I did when I was younger "please, do not say goose on me."

And one friend said, "I sure hope she gooses me." I had to chuckle a bit.

5. Our farm family guy (Mr. Williams) invited us to his field (nice that the field was the field "next" to our school--that means 1/4 mile away) this afternoon to have a lesson on planting wheat. I am not going to try to name the equipment we saw (I will just embarrass myself with incorrect terms), but it was COOL and HOT!!

And your bonus #6...

Late afternoon (think 4:30-5:30) collaboration session with Mrs. Jones. We were dedicated on a Friday afternoon or we were just too tired to get in our cars and go home. Which do you think is true?

We like our math structure, but we want to LOVE it. While talking and debriefing about our week we happened upon the topic of math. We researched. We sketched ideas. We briefly planned. And then we flew out of there to go be with our families!!

Here's hoping that you had a fantastic Friday and that your weekend is just as lovely!!

State Fair 2014

Who takes a field trip on day 16 of school??

Crazy teachers...

But oh what a day!!

Walking. Talking. Learning. Earning a free ice cream cone. 

Holding the hand of a student who came to me so shy in August. She is the one who took my hand.

Trust.

A good-bye hug from a student who has always given me a high five.

Growing affection. 

Connections on the inside (building relationships) result in connections on the outside (think--kids doing what I want them to do).

I'm sure I have done it in the past--making, creating, building relationships.

But this year feels different.

I seem to be MORE aware. Of me. Of the students.

As I looked at each one on the trip home I could think about something unique or that I've learned about him/her in the past 16 days.

That's a relief! Because so much of the time is putting out fires, that I don't take time to look deeper into the child.

But I have looked deeper and I like what I see.

Students and teachers looking at each other--

     --how can we learn together?

     --how can we help each other?

     --I like being with you.

Yes, a field trip is a crazy way to spend day 16 of the school year. But it was so good for me in an awareness sort of way.

Introducing...

Welcome Home Jenny!!

Jenny is two weeks old. And cute. Her dad is a shorthorn (I think) and her mom is a black angus. And she's cute. Jenny walked through the school (and Mrs. Jones' class) to get to her new pen. She got to do that because she is cute.

My first graders didn't get to see her then. A road trip was in order...

Jenny needs two bottles a day. One first thing in the morning, and another in the late afternoon (or as late as we can before the students go home).

Soon all the kids in the school will be involved in feeding Jenny. And they will need to know what to do. Good thing there is a board with directions in the barn.

I think Mrs. Jones did a fantastic job writing some detailed instructions.

I'm on for Jenny chores through Sunday afternoon. The school kids can help on Thursday and Friday, and then who wants to come and help Saturday and Sunday???

I'm looking for volunteers. Are you up for the task?

Come on over and I will "let" you feed and water the sweet, sweet Jenny calf.

Oh What a Day...

Oh What a Day.

That is what I'm singing today.

Watch it.

And I am singing it good, not bad.

Today I took the plunge. Math work stations.

We already knew how to play the games. So what we added was independent/partner time to play/practice.

It's not that I'm a slow learner (I've known about stations/centers for years), but I am slow at figuring out "how" to do them so that I don't go crazy. Today worked.

This wonderful group worked for 15 minutes and they were using a whisper voice, so that they did not disturb the kids around them. Talk about a happy teacher!!

And as an elementary teacher, I have to teach apples in September, right??

Ok.

After a little compare and contrast lesson, we "busted out the seeds" as one funny kid said. (Really, a sharp knife did the trick.)

And now woking on a science experiment to learn if seeds will grow without sun and soil.

The idea for the experiment came from here.

For the next three days we will be observing changes in the seeds.

Aaaaaaannnnddddd--it's a girl!!

We are getting a heifer calf this week. She is coming from our farm family (Mr. Williams) and will arrive soon. Mrs. Jones decided that we should spruce up her new pen a bit...

Once again, she did the hard work, while I monitored the students. I did loan her my chore boots (why doesn't she have her own??).

Pictures of our calf will come soon.