Bees, Buttons and Bribery...I Mean Persuasion!

Today my firsties had another word search.  This time they had to search for bees scattered around the room.  Once found they  used giant fly swatters I found at a dollar store to bop the bees.  One student calls out the word to bop while two others race to be the first to bop.  After five words, they trade places.

Ready to bop a bee!

Bee Bopper graphics by Digital Bake Shop!  My favorite!

I found dig!

I have wasted two evenings trying to make a grab button!  I think they're a nice touch on a blog and I used a Digital Bakeshop design to create one that I love.

Wouldn't this look
nice sitting a little to the
right?!

Every time I think I have it, it shows up five times bigger or with letters all over outside the place the code is supposed to rest.  In the meantime laundry has piled up, birds have gone unfed and I have a headache.  I'm not giving up, but I'm taking a vacation from trying!

Today we worked on persuasive writing again.  I wasn't very pleased with our last attempt.  When the kids work is not what I hope or think it should be, I suspect that something went awry with my teaching.  I haven't done much writing for them in the area of persuasion, so I wrote an example of what I had hoped from them on convincing the Little Red Hen's friends to help her next time she would be planting, cutting, threshing, and baking bread.  I thought I was very convincing.  If I was Red's  friend I would help!

I used some of our music time to continue with our persuasive talk. Since they had just come in from recess, I asked them what it was like outside today.  They told me how nice it was. I said I’d like to go out, but I’d have to be persuaded.  Someone said they’d bring me $100.00 tomorrow if we went outside. Someone else promised me chocolate!  They had a hard time knowing the difference between bribing and persuasion.    

The listening to birds was what persuaded me!
I am expecting some chocolate tomorrow...

I love the woods next to our school.  Wouldn't you love to set up  a  guided nature trail here someday?

The kids got so excited watching this chickadee. They held sticks up in the
air hoping the pair working on their next would land on them!

He was building a nest inside this dead tree branch.

These girls decided to build a hawk's nest.  I love letting them experience playing in the woods.

I would really like to persuade someone to help me with buttons and blogging!  I can’t get my post to format today the way I want it.  Good grief!  Technology is not my friend this week, but I’m glad you are!  Thanks for stopping by. 

Jenny 

5 STAR LINK-UP

St. Patrick's Week! Plus a Freebie!

I just finished up creating a game and a writing activity for my firsties tomorrow.  St. Patrick's Day is such a fun day and because it falls on Saturday this year, we'll just have to celebrate a wee bit 'o the green each day this week.  I'm not Irish, but Irish I was.  Plus, I used to babysit for people who were Irish, so that makes me honorary Irish, right?  I have been trying to come up with an exciting way to get my students excited about persuasive writing.  I think I've come up with something that is sure to be a hit!  Seamus the Leprechaun has written each student a letter about needing to get rid of some gold.  I'm sure that more than one of my firsties will want to get in on some gold.  They'll hang there letters and rainbows up in hopes that Seamus will be persuaded to leave them gold.  You must be excited to see what my students will come up with.  Be sure to check back later this week to see what they say and to see who gets the gold!  Check out Seamus Patrick McCune's letter at http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Luck-of-the-Leprechaun. (It's freeeee!) Be on the look out for green owls and please let me know if you see one!

We are going to make the crayons tomorrow, too!

My first Teachers Pay Teachers purchase!  KB Konnected, thanks for the cute graphics!!