Knock-Knock...Freebie

Whoooose there?
Owl
Owl Who?
Owl cowboy, Owl Posing , Owl Jumping and an Owl Freebie!

My son is recovering from shin splints...ouch! This morning I was thinking wouldn't it be cute to have an owl with a mustache. I like owls...I think you knew that! I like mustaches...Did you know that?  They just tickle me! Back to my son...He is going to study animation in college and has a talent for graphic arts. So I said to him, "Can you make me an owl with a mustache?" What did he do? He made three owls with mustaches!! What a kid!! He makes me proud. If you'd like your own copy click on the picture! My students will get a copy in their owl themed  home to school communicator to remind them to be a wise owl and practice skip counting every day.

 Would you like to see more of my son's work? He's posted some wonderful videos on youtube and he's working on some more great ideas. Here is my favorite video. If you go let him know his mama sent you!

By the way, my son does not have a mustache! 

Speaking of owls...I just saw the cutest owl collection. I pinned it and hope to win it! go see these for yourself...You'll be glad you did.

Words of Wisdom!

I'm late to the party, but I like writing to a prompt and I liked this prompt! You can link-up, too, or go see other wonderful words of wisdom. Even a veteran teacher will enjoy the gems of wisdom given by fellow warriors!  The host of this party is Deb at 

Even better is talking to the wisest person I know!  I hope you know Him, too! I place each student in His hands every day. Some of my firsties have seen more life in their six years than I'll ever see in mine.

If I want real true wisdom I think about O.W.L.S. I like to hang them around my room to remind me everywhere I look that God is with me every step of the way. Philippians 4:13 happens to be my favorite verse because it's helped me through some tough times. Feel free to grab your own OWLS and put them around your room, house, purse, to remind you of a strength greater than your own!

Marvelous Mentor Award and Summer Challenge 2 Freebie

I wish I could say I was feeling better. This cold is going to drag on for a while. I guess I'll just have to go to the beach and try to bake it out of me. Book, sunscreen and a beach chair packed and ready to go! You'd be amazed how fast time slips away down at the beach. I just don't feel well enough to pack and lug boxes across the street today!

I have felt speechless for several days. This is highly unusual for me, but someone named Dana recently bestowed upon me a great honor. Dana honored me with a new award. Her friend at Cherie designed this award just for her. Here it is:

Is this not a wonderful idea? I tried to mentor Dana and after three tries my idea for her finally worked!  That was back when we both had 80 followers and were planning a give away together. I wish I could give the award back to her because I have a feeling she could help me a bit...okay more than a bit. She could probably help me a whole bite!
The rules for passing on the award are simple:
1. Thank the person for giving it to you.
2. Give it to people who helped you learn the blogging ropes.
( Dana, I hope it's okay that I changed person to people...I've got a couple people to mention!)
1)THANK YOU, DANA!





Thank you for helping me learn so much, Renonda! You are the best blogging buddy anyone could ask for. Your friendship means the world to me! My family thinks that you are my imaginary friend, but I know you are real. I wish you could have been here for the 4th of July. I managed to find some zombies that would have loved chasing you!!
  

Laurie, I have enjoyed getting to know you! I know that if I needed help you would be happy to give it! You are one of my besties! Someday I'll come visit you and you can mentor me when I get my tattoo of Philippians 4:13!

Finally, I have to pass this award on to Deedee. She has close to 3000 followers and she took the time to help me out when I needed some help! I love her blog and you probably already follower her! Just in case here she is...

Are you still there?  I hope so! I have one more thing to share. My summer challenge has been so much fun. I have been getting e-mails from my students all summer. Check out this child's response to my summer challenge... 
Now I've had to come up with a Summer Challenge number 2! I'm sharing it with you in case you'd like to use it, too! I've had a parent ask me to send it to her older child as well. Someone asked if I really go to their homes. Yes I do! I love seeing where my students live and how they interact with their families. They love having their teacher come over and visit. I don't stay long and I bring them a notebook with a custom designed sticker with their name on it and a fun pencil. I'll take some pictures to share with you when I start my rounds! First they have to pass challenge number 2!

Click on the picture...I hope it takes you to my TPT account....Help mentors!!

The best place to grab this is by going to my TPT store. It seemed to make the transfer the most easily and with the best results.  If you don't have a TPT account you can get a pretty close rendition here:  Google Docs Summer Challenge Number 2

In Pictures and In Words Precision and Detail

I have a special gift from my daughter. A summer cold. I don't feel good. Sore throat. Stuffy nose. This should only happen during the school year, so I can take a day off. Pity party over time to move on...

I can't begin to tell you how much I'm enjoying this study.  Thank you Deedee for being the host for the first two weeks.  It has been a pleasure getting to know you. I've often wondered if people with 1000s of followers still get excited about a new follower, or notice beginners. If you are a person of character, like Deedee, you do. I wish she taught next door to me!

This weeks study made me look at picture books more closely. I could see how authors and illustrators worked together to bring precision and detail into their pictures and words. I chose three books to try and find various techniques highlighted in this chapter.

Do you have these in your collection? Ferdinand by Monro Leaf  illustrated by Robert Lawson
Olivia by Ian Falconer One Tiny Turtle by Nicola Davies illustrated by Jane Chapman

I'm going to use pictures from the book that I found to show the different techniques from this chapter.  The most important idea I took from chapter 8 is that small illustrations or details leave big and lasting impressions.

Ferdinand just sat on a bee!  Did he like it?  What do you think? Poor Ferdinand. The
"recruiters think he's going to be a prized bull for the bull fights!  I'll use this for technique number 13...Crafting details of expression and gesture.

Olivia shares a special bond with her mom in the arts. Here they
enjoy a Jackson Pollock  I think this reveals character with background but also
an element of surprise. I love Jackson Pollock and so does my son. He got quite excited when I read this
book to him because he recognized the inside joke, if you will.

I love the  rich background of these illustrations, but also the details from nature. Come a little closer...

This crab is even smaller than the tiny turtle!

You can really understand why Ferdinand would enjoy sitting under
a Cork Tree smelling flowers on this very hot day in July! These details from nature are
some of my favorite illustrating techniques. I love the shadow! Look at those corks growing
from the tree. What a hoot!

Ian does a wonderful job showing us just how busy Olivia is.
Olivia reminds me so much of my little Ella. Ella spent one summer dancing
with nothing but a tutu on and was caught in the cupboard applying some
of my bright red lipstick...I'd never have noticed that!

Do you think Olivia sings quietly?  Me either! Again, Ian is able
to give the illusion of sound with a simple illustration.

Here is Olivia's mom once again sharing a special snuggle with her favorite little girl
as she also shares her passion for the arts. Who is Callas you ask? Only one of the most
renowned opera singers of the 20th century!  What a wonderful surprise if you are an
opera lover!  I just love the way Ian ends the book with Olivia's mom showing love. Look
closely at the facial expressions on their faces and the way they snuggle together around the
book. What a great way to end any book, day and post!

As promised, I have finished this handy guide for you to be able to keep track of the books you have or will use to show each technique. I appreciate any editing...REALLY! I'm happy when someone actually reads what I wrote or shared.

Thank you Growing Kinders for hosting this week!  I can't wait to link up!!

Turn up the Music...A Linky Party!

I love music.  If I don't have a blog post running through my head, I have some song that I love or that my children have been singing around the house.  I grew up in a family fathered by the best dad in the whole wide world. My dad was the church organist and choir director. Music was always playing on the stereo...Bach, James Taylor, Elton John and it wouldn't be Christmas without John Rutter carols playing. 
My brother is a professional musician among other things.  He is amazing. If you are ever vacationing in the Harbor Springs/Petosky area of Michigan you have to go see him. Here he is at my nephew's wedding. The tall person ahead of me kept moving in my way and I didn't get the whole song, but the part I got makes me cry every time I watch it, but he is MY big brother!

START HERE IF YOU WANT TO SKIP MY WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE!It starts from the moment we gather in our nest, thanks Laurie! We start with our good morning song and the day ends with our good bye song when we ask the Lord to watch over each of us until we meet again!  I have a CD filled with "brain break" movement songs that have made every student the hit of any wedding they go to. The Chicken Dance, The Hokey Pokey, The Electric Slide and of course the YMCA!  

This year I'm adding a listening center to my room.  This center will feature two to three songs each week.  The songs will be placed in a binder and placed in the center. Students can go back and read  past featured songs, or listen to the new ones. The only thing I worry about is kids singing loudly off key!  I'll let you know how it goes. 

My favorite go to musician for children's music is Katherine Dines. She has won many awards and her music is fun and quite often carries a wonderful message of hope and kindness. Here is a fun song all about bubbles...

We sing another song about bubbles were we float around the room like a bubble until we pop and land back in the nest.  

Music is such a powerful tool. I found some great information about the role music plays in learning.  The Role of Music in Learning By Dr Roy J. Paget  says in his research,

 "Recent research has proven that music affects the body.  It appears to massage 

organs, entrain biorhythms alter hormone levels, reduce stress and increase 

learning.  Music carries with it more than just feelings; it can be a powerful 

vehicle for information. 

Music acts as a premium signal carrier whose rhythms, patterns, contrasts and 

varying tonalities encode new information.  The use of music as a partner can 

be a powerful way to carry a large volume of content.  In fact, music can do 

60% of the teaching work in about 5% of the time! "

He also give a list of music that is suitable for creating an environment for learning.

Many articles have been written on the effects of music and stimulating the brain to get it ready to learn. I got 127,000,000 results when I searched "effects music learning children". No doubt about it music will always have power that touches our emotions and effects our brain. Music education as well as using music as a tool to teach should be present in every school and classroom around the world!

Guest Blog With a Monster Freebie!

I was thrilled an honored last week over and over. First I won a Versatile Blogger Award from a sweet follower.  Then I was contacted to be a guest blogger for Stephanie at .  Guest blogging was a little  scary, but I was happy with the results and you'll want to check this blog out! Monster Freebie Link...Click here!
 Finally, I got a One Sweet Blog Award from a favorite new blogger:

Carole at Kindergarten Cafeteria has wonderful insights to share about education. I enjoy going back and reading what
she has to say.  You will, too! Thank you, Carole!
I just wrote a post with seven random facts about me. I'm not sure I can come up with seven more but here goes a try: 1. I'm reading a great book called The Maze Runner. 2.  I live walking distances to the beautiful Lake Michigan. 3.  My first teaching job was in St. Louis, Mo...Home of the Cardinals!  4.  I love sewing. 5. I love watching the flowers in my garden grow until the deer eat them. 6. I went to the Cerulean Warbler Festival a couple weeks ago...Fabulous! 7. I don't like bare-feet. To see the beautiful award scroll down a little and check it out under "My Proudest Moments" I bet you'd like one, too!  I'm giving this award out to the blessed bloggers who have been following along with the Book-Study, In Pictures and In Words by Katie Ray Woods.  Here are the rules:

• Thank the person/people who nominated you and link back to them in your post.
• Share seven possibly unknown things about yourself.
• Nominate fifteen or so bloggers you admire.
• Contact the chosen bloggers to let them know and link back to them.

I nominate:
Deedee at Mrs. Wills Kindergarten
Primary Graffiti
Mrs Jump's Class
Learning With Mrs. Brinn
Frogs in First
KinderGals
Kathy Griffin's Teaching Strategies
First in Maine
Life is Sweet In Kindergarten
The Very Busy Kindergarten
Growing Kinders
KinderSpot
Tales From a Traveling Teaacher

Dawnzer Lee Light

Let me be the first to wish you a...

Do your students know the Dawnzer Lee Light song? If you've read Ramona then you know that each morning at school they sang the dawnzer lee light song. Of course Ramona thought there was a special lamp that gave off lee light.  I'm happy to say that none of my first graders leave first grade unaware of our National Anthem.

I consider myself  patriotic. I love the USA and the freedoms I have here. I've traveled from "sea to shining sea." Though my children have never been to Disney World they have been to The Grand Canyon, a redwood forest, The Rocky Mountains, The Smoky Mountains and countless other national treasures.  My son got to lay the wreath on the tomb of the unknown soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in honor of his grandfather who was a B-17 pilot. I'm immensely proud of my niece and nephew who serve in the armed forces.  I cry when they play the National Anthem at sporting venues. I am a United States Citizen and proud!

I have found this book to be immensely engaging and helpful when I teach the National Anthem to my students.  Though it is a board book, it's not just for babies!  Even my 8th grade music students found it to be interesting and informative.  I learned from this book that Francis Scott Key wrote the poem on the only paper he had...The back of a letter!

click if  you'd like your own copy!