Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! It has been a wonderful day! I hope that my student's  parents understood and loved their gifts when they opened them. Do you see the baby in the manger? I used plastic chargers for students to paint on to make these cookie plates. I had to spray them with a clear finish to protect them.

I'll use my hand to make a manger, a place for Jesus to Lay.
I'll use my heart for Jesus to live in, a place for Him to stay.

Though I sometimes miss the fingerprints and sticky hugs of having young children, I love the friendships my children have developed between each other and I love seeing them grow into beautiful, kind, loving and giving people. I am so blessed.

Tiny Treasures and a Freebie!

I almost threw away these stale hard marshmallows I found in my pantry. I decided I'd hold onto them and use them for counters, or game pieces. Late one night I had an idea... Today my students finished their snow-globe, marshmallow, snowman, nativity project! I was thrilled with how it turned out. My tiny treasures were able to put together their own tiny treasure to take home. Little fingers carefully glued stale old marshmallows together to produce this...

We learned about the words fragile and delicate as each child was instructed to hand carry their tiny treasure home. After being told it would not hold up to a real shake-up, as a true snow-globe would, one had to give it a try and ended up with Mary, Joseph and Jesus carelessly flung to the ground! "I like it better this way," he said!


We haven't had any significant snow here...Yet! Some of us are hoping for a good dumping Thursday night when snowstorm Draco moves into the area. This is the first year they've named snowstorms, and I like it! If Draco can create enough havoc, I'll be sitting in front of the fire reading between batches of cookies. I'll need a bookmark, so I'll use one of these...

Click HERE if you want a set for yourself...Merry Christmas!

All I Want For Christmas Linky

I'm linking up with Learning With Mrs. Leeby and Live, Laugh, I  Love Kindergarten.

Here are the "rules"!

Tell what you would like for Christmas from these people:

1. Students

2. Children

3. Significant Other

4. Parent/Family

5. BFF

6. Santa

I used to tell students they didn't need to get me anything...and they don't need to. However, I have learned that students do need to find a way to show kindness. We have to allow our students to express their love for us. Gift giving is a wonderful way to show love. I love getting gifts for others. I want my students to develop a love for giving. The world will be a better place when we all get more joy from giving than receiving. From my students I love to get owl things, homemade ornaments, and dark chocolate! 

My own children give me a gift every time I catch them hanging out together. They like to listen and make music together. They like each others company... sometimes. Those "sometimes" are a gift to me. It fills me with joy when I see them finding joy in the best gift I ever game them...each other! One night I caught them reading one of my blog posts. They were very upset with me. I said they were "no longer believers"! They are believers. They believe in a God who was so loving He sent His one and only Son to be born on Christmas...The very best gift of all!

They were believers then and they are now, too!

My husband always comes up with a way to surprise and delight me at Christmas. I can't wait to see what it is. I really want a heated birdbath. I would love an iPad to use with my students. I've been looking at some new flannel sheets...Something with owls would be nice!

My brother and sisters know what I like. Children's books and socks usually top my list of wants. You can never have too many of either! 

I would like to get more time from my BFF! I'd like to spend more time drinking coffee and talking. We can talk about anything. Time and a giftcard to our favorite coffee place is what I want.

Dear Santa, I would really like to have an all inclusive trip somewhere warm. I want to sit on a beach and read for five hours and then go eat some amazing food. If you throw in a couple of massages and long walks I would be even better this year! Somewhere with lots of interesting birds is preferable! 

Look! There is a spot for both of us! Do you want to come, too?

Imagine It!

I am so excited about this book...


This book allows children to think outside the box. They have a prompt to generate an illustration.  The only limits this books puts on a child is their own creativity. I have been sending this book home at the end of the day with one child. The next day they bring the book back and share their illustrations. Their ideas are amazing!

The Gingerbread Man is running away from school. Maybe it is his Christmas  vacation, too!

Make these lizards look different.

Finish the tracks.

Decorate this hat for a silly clown.

What creatures are hiding in the tree?

I love Carson Dellosa...They love bloggers! As long as I've been teaching (25 years!) they have been at the top of my list for great products that help students learn the basics and beyond! There web-site has great things to buy and share. Be sure you check it out!

Thank you, Carson Dellosa, for giving me the opportunity to review such a great resource. I love the quality paper this book is printed on. All 256 pages provide opportunities for children to be creative and are a great generator for discussions.

Here is some more good news...Right now this book is available from the Carson Dellosa Website dirt cheap at a very reasonable price! Order one now for your own children, or order now to start using it in your own classroom after our CHRISTMAS VACATION!! Can you tell I'm a little excited about those two words?!

Silence for Sandy Hook Elementary

Touched

Do you use Touch Math? If you do you may enjoy these three touch number sets. They can be printed and displayed in your room or at a math center. They are, of course, Christmas themed. Click HERE to view them! The graphics are by The Digital Bakeshop.


Talking about being touched, I have been touched by this voice. Listen to this singer and tell me that it is not the most beautiful joy filled voice you have ever heard. I dare you! I had a front row seat to this Christmas concert and loved every moment of it. I watched this little one go from being a little reluctant to exploding with joy.

In the midst of the pain, shock, fear and sadness of the tragedy of Newtown, Connecticut we must look for joy, hope, and light to take away the darkness, so that evil does not win. Love came down at Christmas to bring us a light for our path. That Light doesn't answer all of my whys, but it does bring me comfort in times of loss and hope in times of darkness.

Joyful Noise

You are about to see rare never before seen footage. This video clip will prove that angels exist and perform in bands! Yes these angels will convince you that their time here is to bring good tidings of great joy...

I had no intention of my students making guitars! I thought they would make harps. A project that was to take about 15 minutes took close to an hour! One had the idea of turning their "harp" into a "guitar" and soon they all wanted "catars"! We did make a joyful, if not musical, noise to the Lord.

We also brainstormed other things that could make a Christmas band. Each student took one of the items, wrote it into the frame and then illustrated it. Now I only have to laminate and bind it together for a class book. Here is a sampling...

10 little snowflakes

10 little elves

10 little angels

10 little snowmen

Here is the frame I used to have my owlets do their illustrations on. Click HERE if you would like a copy!

Today with my 7/8 book club we celebrated 12-12-12 day as the first graders did the day before. These middle school students acted very much like my first graders and I must say had as much fun decorating and eating their trees as them, too! The love making guest appearances, so here they are...