Two Hoots and A Holler

Hoot #1

 This year I wanted to focus on kindness and teach students how important it is.  I bought the book Bucket Filling from A to Z which is based off of the book How Full is Your Bucket? for Kids.  I have used this book as a read aloud to go along with our Alphabet Bootcamp.  We have been teaching a letter a day, and teaching a way to fill buckets that begins with that letter.  I have seen my students excel at sharing, using manners, and being kind to everyone. 

Over the summer, I read on a blog how a teacher used a "Giant Kerplunk" game to encourage her students in a positive way (can't remember the name to give that teacher credit...sorry!).  I decided use the same idea as a way to encourage students to be kind.  When a student is caught being kind, the student gets to pull a "kindness stick" from the Giant Kerplunk.  Eventually, all of the balls will fall.  When that happens, the class has earned a reward.  The reward maybe free centers one afternoon, an extra recess, lunch in the classroom, no shoes in class, or something that doesn't cost a dime, but the students will LOVE it.  

P.S.  My Giant Kerplunk came from a discount store and some of the pieces were missing....hence the duct tape!  It serves it's purpose though, and it is colorful too!  

These girls were caught by Jamie helping each other get to class one morning.
It was TOO sweet seeing my students smiling and helping one another first thing in the morning!
 

Hoot #2

Don't you just love that feeling when you see your students implementing something that you have taught them? I sure do! We have been working on the beginning stages of addition this week. The last two days, I decided that we would start our "student teachers". These are usually our helpers for the day. They get to come up and literally be the teacher. I do not do this on days that I am introducing a skill, of course, only when reviewing a skill. Everyone gets to be a student teacher several times throughout the year. The student teacher must do exactly like I do, including asking the other students questions. By doing this, we are meeting so many standards and the students have a blast learning!

This Week's Holler... 
This week's in holler goes out to Fiskar! Yes, that's right, the company that makes all of those student scissors. They get a big THANK YOU!! They donated enough scissors for every teacher to get what they needed for their classroom! We love our community!

Two Hoots and A Holler

Hoot #1 

Ever since Jamie has been using her microphone in her class, I have been dying to get one too!  I finally saw them on sale at Wal-Mart for $14.96!  Needless to say I got it, and I could not wait to use it in my class with my students!  The students absolutely LOVE speaking into the mic!  It has been very beneficial in teaching speaking and listening skills.  I have been allowing students to share their stories, thoughts, and ideas on the mic.  This allows me the opportunity to teach my kids how to properly speak to a group and present information; such as speaking loudly, looking at the group, using complete sentences.  The students are becoming better listeners because they have the opportunity to ask questions to the speaker or elaborate on what has been said.  Every student is engaged and paying attention because, let's face it, everyone wants to talk on the mic! This has proven to be one of the best purchases ever! Go out and get one today!  Your students will love you for it!! 

 

Hoot #2
This week, I decided to do something for the teachers. Thanks to the Desoto County Sheriff's Dept., we were able to have our very own women's self defense class. We had the best time!!  We learned so much about knowing our surroundings and how to protect ourselves.  I love our staff and want to make every effort for them to stay safe and return to our students!

 I invited my mom to join us. It looks like Mrs. Rhonda is really giving it to her!!

 

This Week's Holler...
This week's holler goes out to Emily over at Polka Dots Please.  We love her ideas for using word banks in the classroom. She uses them in so many different ways that could be beneficial to all grades. Go check her out! 

Two Hoots and A Holler

Hoot #1

The month of February is all about spreading love and kindness around.  So what better way to show love and kindness other than making Valentine's Days cards for LeBonheur Children's Hospital!  We got together with our housemates and created cards for patients.  The students worked so well together, and they put a lot of thought and love into this project!  Definitely one of our favorite house meetings yet!  

 

One Rockstar was so excited to spread kindness around, that she brought her 5th grade buddy a Valentine's Happy!  Her partner was so surprised when she gave it to her.  It was so sweet and priceless! 

Hoot #2

We celebrated Valentine's Day in the classroom with lots of activities. One of the activities was to make a Love Bug hat. We also made out "BEE MINE" Valentine bags! The students had a blast and so did we!

 

This Week's Holler...

This week's holler goes out to all of the hard working, dedicated, underpaid teachers in the state of Mississippi!  We support teachers all across our state, and we are proud to be a part of this wonderful network of educators!  Thank you for all of your dedication to our students.  We are grateful your compassion for teaching and your desire to make a difference!  So from Walls to Biloxi to Vicksburg to Columbus and all places in between...we want to say 

THANK YOU MISSISSIPPI TEACHERS! 

Two Hoots and a Holler

Hoot #1

This week was all about the Memphis Children's Museum. The students love doing age appropriate play. Students were able to explore adult careers in an atmosphere that allows them to use their imaginations.

We love when parents join us!

Hoot #2

Speaking of careers...This week we had a special guest come to school, Jamie's husband!! Brad was asked to speak to the upper grades at our school about his career. He is a Lieutenant at the DeSoto County Sheriff's Dept. He was able to give insight about his daily routines and the qualifications that it takes to be a deputy. The students were very interested, well mannered, and asked some tough questions!

 This Week's Holler

Today's holler goes out to Jonelle at A Place Called Kindergarten. She just added her 80th blog to her list of blog posts. I can already tell you what I will be doing this weekend...CHECKING OUT ALL OF THESE BLOG POSTS! Hop on over there and see who has made the cut!