Potatoes and Potato Heads

Have I mentioned our school garden lately?

Mrs. Jones is getting our first graders out there. Yesterday they planted potatoes.

We have a great set up...

1. Mrs. Jones gets dirt under her fingernails, teaches the kids the correct way to plant potatoes, and how to measure the space between mounds and depth of each.

2. I rotate the kids to her, while watching the rest play on the playground.

Who's job is easier? I'm going with mine. :)

To go along with planting potatoes, and reading Jamie O'Rourke, we made "Potato Heads" yesterday. So next up today was "write about it." That's a nice thing about art and writing, they tie so nicely together.

And with the writing instruction for the past two months, these kids can write a "paragraph," (don't tell that to the kids). A beginning sentence, three supporting sentences and a closing statement. Sometimes with transition words. Sometimes with appropriate capital letters and punctuation.

Beautiful, right?

As I was helping the kids put the art and writing together I swelled right up.

Happy, working buzz was all OVER the room. Kids working, sharing, laughing. Teacher grinning, loving, beaming.

I may have even said--"you kids are awesome! Look at this art, look at this writing!"

And a sweet friend said in return, "We are the best class in the school and we are awesome!"

YES, they have been listening. :)