Why animals need blubber

I remember doing this experiment in 2nd grade. That was over 12 years ago and I still remember. This involves getting an aquarium (or other large container) of ice water, then 3 plastic ziploc bags. (the bigger ones work best) Then having students put their hand in a plan ziploc bag and tape it around their hand. Then fill one bag with shortening, make sure it would be enough to completely surround a hand. Then put another bag into the one with shortening (so their hands aren't in the shortening exactly) Then tape that bag around their other wrist.

Have the student simotaniously put their hands into the ice water. Ask them to tell you which one is warmer. They should report that the one with the shortening or "blubber" is warmer. Then you can tie it to a science lesson about why some arctic animals need blubber. It's a great experiment that gives students the hands on learning that they truly need!

For a full list of instructions/supplies visit this link:
http://octopus.gma.org/surfing/antarctica/blubber.html

Enjoy!

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Top O' The mornin' everyone!

No, I'm not Irish, but in the spirit of this Irish holiday, I thought I'd share a St. Patricks day craft for the kiddos (or us older kids.) This little treat involves the fudge stripe cookies from Keebler (or any cookie that you like that's bigger in a diameter than a marshmallow), marshmallows, and chocolate. First melt the chocolate then dip the marshmallows (however many you're going to use) completely in the melted chocolate. While the chocolate is still wet, set the marshmallow on top of the cookie. When it's dry, decorate with green icing, or just eat! This could also be good for pilgrims hats at Thanksgiving. Enjoy!

Kids Panel

Hey there!

So today I had a special opportunity to have a group of kids ages ranging from kindergarten - fifth grade come to our school. They sat in the front of the class and were asked questions by our group of future teachers. We were allowed to ask them anything (within reason) to help us become better teachers. So I wanted to share a few things I learned from the kids with you all. Here we go.

What do you like about your teachers?
       -"She's nice"
       -"She's funny"

What is your hardest subect in school and why?
       -"Math because story problems are hard to figure out"
       -"Math because I don't get it"
       - "Math, I don't like it"
       - "Writing because I don't know what to write about"

What kinds of books do you guys like to read?
        - "Chapter books"
        -"Magic Treehouse books"
        -"Mystery books"
        - "Chapter books"
        - "Picture books"

What does your teacher do to make you feel specail?
        -"Spends one-on-one time with us"
        -"Asks us about our day"

Have you had any special needs students in your class? And if so, what do you do to include them?
        -"We do peer-to-peer work so we include them and play with them on recess and we calm them    down if they get mad"

What do you do first thing in the morning on a school day?
         -"We like to start things right away"
         -"We do daily math packets"
         -"We read"

Do you like to work as a whole class or in groups?
           -"A whole class because we don't have to have things repeated"
           -"A whole class because when friends work together they talk and don't work"

Is there bullying in your school, if so what do you do to stop it?
           -"Unfortunately yes, but if I see it I tell at teacher and try to stop it"
           -"Not really"
           -"Nope"

What do you do in between activities?
           -"Read"

What are the rules in your classroom and what happens if you break them?
           -"Be honest"
           -"We get cards switched, everyone starts out green then if they misbehave they go to yellow which is a warning, orange is losing 5 minutes of recess, and red is silent lunch, no recess, and call home"
            -"We have to write a behavior plan, and trust me you don't want to write a behavior plan"

How are you rewarded in your class for good behavior or grades?
           -"By getting 100% on math packets we get math tickets and win prizes every week"

Do you like it when teachers go to events at the school?
           -"Yes I really like it"
           -"Yes"
           -"Kinda it makes me nervous"

Do teachers give you a chance to talk about your own life?
           -"Yes on Monday we get to talk about our weekends"
           -"No but I wish we did"

What advice would you give all these future teachers?
           -"Watch out"
           -"Be kind"
           -"Don't have lots of substitutes because your kids will goof off"
           -"Watch out for bugs"

What else did I learn?

•  Let kids move around the classroom, don't stick them at their desks
• Let them choose their own partners (at least sometimes)
• Be understading, loyal, nice, kind, and not strict

I hope this is helpful or at least funny. Enjoy!

Counting Pies

I love this activity for the classroom! This teacher just took cut outs of pies, and then wrote numbers on them. She gave the students a tub of Cool Whip that was filled with cotton
balls. The kids got to use ice cream scoops to put the right amount of whipped cream on the pies. So cute! This could be done with ice cream too. This is a great idea. Enjoy!

Venn Diagrams

So I love this idea. It uses hula hoops and cards that the teacher made. I think in this example it is comparing books, but this could be a great activity for anything! This is great because the kids can do it on their own as a quiet activity, or they can work in groups. I can definitely see this activity popping up in my future classroom!

Enjoy!

Ladybug Math

Fun idea for the kiddies:

Make ladybugs with different numbers in them and draw the dots to math the numbers! This way the kids learn how to count the dots, then they can visually see how it matches the number. So cute :)

Enjoy!

Welcome!

So the good news is, this isn't my first blog so I'm not a newbie anymore. However, this blog is different than my other one. This blog (contrary to the other) is about my future. I am currently studying to be an elementary special education teacher. Therefore, I created this blog to give teaching tips and ideas for not only my future classroom, but for others who are in my shoes.

I can't wait to be a teacher and I hope to share some great tips along the way for everyone else that feels the same way. Now, this isn't just for teachers, it's also for daycare providers, babysitters, and even parents. I hope to share my love for teaching with everyone who chooses to visit/follow my blog.

Enjoy!