Community Maps, Mother's Day Adventures, and Spring Diversions

I feel a bit frazzle dazzled this Tuesday afternoon.  Anyone on the same page?  It seems like as the year winds down there is SO much to do and NO time.  Tonight my plan is to sit down and map out the next month.  Ambitious, right? I always feel better when I have a plan of attack.  On the 'to do list' are the following items: open house, report cards, applying for jobs (booooo lay offs yet again!), figuring out my classroom packing up plan, and much more.  Yowzers!  Sometimes I look at my cat sprawled on the couch as I work away and think hmmmmm if only I could put you to work my little friend.  

I found this on Pinterest and just about lost it.  My cat looks JUST like this!  I adopted her when she was already a grown kitten and she had a litter of kitties I never got to see.  I TOTALLY think this is what she looked like as a kitten and her kittens were definitely this spunky.  *swoon* Ok I have no children at the moment just a cat so thank you for bearing with me! 

And in the midst of all the end of the year craziness I am going to remember this... summer is more and more within reach!

                

Now on to kinder cutie FUN!

Community Unit

Our Community Unit is well underway.  Here students are coloring in fun-funky houses, community buildings like post office, police station, grocery store, our school, they even came up with their own favorite places in the community.  We had Starbucks, Target, The $1 store,  pet shops etc.  After cutting these small pieces out we kept them in a zip lock bag. 

A few days later students pulled out their community pieces and started mapping them out on a large white piece of construction paper.  The key now was sorting the pieces and then planning where they would go all the while keeping in mind transportation and how the cars would get from each place on their map.  Students bustled and chatted using the community vocabulary we have been discussing.  "I want a neighborhood by the school that way kids can walk to school" one girl said.  My students got a kick out of arranging the houses and having a community where they could live next to their best friend from class.  This activity ended up being an assessment of sorts.  I realized quickly which students could use their critical thinking skills, make a plan, and problem solve.  

Rulers were used to make roads.  

Some serious community planning going on here.  One little boy had just seen a helicopter land at a hospital.  He made sure to put the landing pad near the hospital on his community map.  

Some of our finished community maps.

 (The community map cut out pieces can be found in my Community Unit click HERE)

Mother's Day Writing

If I could send my mom on a Mother's Day vacation I would send her to..... Disneyland, Paris (wi wi ooooo la la)

Mexico, Hawaii...

(This writing activity and more can be found in my Mother's Day Unit.  Click HERE!)

Weekend Excursions Spring Diversions

(just a little taste of the last few weekends)

Discovered while on a hike.  Reminds me of The Great Gatsby.

Mr. Wine Maker and my favorite winery.  We ALWAYS find an excuse to head here on the weekends.  

Mr. Wine Maker has quite a swirl.

 My favorite tree.  

 We met Giada!!!!!  Not only did we meet her but she signed our cookbooks and so did her daughter.  Her new cookbook looks great.  The focus of the cookbook is quick weeknight meals.  Yes please!!!

Cheers dear teacher friends! Adieu.