Update and wrap up

 March - May - it is a bit of blur mixed with lots of highs and a few lows.

In mid - March, I got a wicked case of Covid.  Nothing life threatening - but not fun.  2.5 months later, I am slowly feeling like a human again.  The tired feeling has been the worst part (think the day after a stomach bug feeling - where your energy is zapped by a shower feeling)...but all day every day for 2 months.

I kept all the plates but barely - evidence by my son's Mother's Day project.  Yes - the TV is my new favorite activity - but I am still teaching and volunteering!

However,  I am will celebrate the wins and the future.

WINS:
Tech take apart lessons, piloting Carnegie Museum course, trying AASL lesson plans, teaching, visiting Akron Zoo, Shrine of St. Dymphna, and Mother Angelica Museum, finishing up cub scouts this year, lots of end of the year celebrations, training for church (EDGE), and more.

My favorite lesson is the end of the year memory power points by the fourth graders.  Here are a few slides that touched me.

    

       

       

Plus I was crazy enough to add on a very part time.  I am learning about content creation with User Generated Content.  It is cool to make $12 and get a free product just to take a picture with a product.  Today, I am going to try my first video.  Thank goodness my teen daughter is on board as the script writer, picture taker, and idea generator.  JoinBrands  You can check out Join Brands too!

  

10 more days of school!  I can do it :)

Off to celebrate a 4 day week, graduation for my oldest from pharmacy school, and Memorial Day.

STEAM update

It has been two weeks.  Exhausting, rewarding, educational!

Dominoes are done...we calculated data and made our chain in the hallway.  It was a fun event and pre/post lessons.

We collected 109 boxes of cereal.

Then we worked on some classic favorite lessons and started some new units.

K-4 (except 3rd grade) worked on Copyright and Creativity.  Copyright and creativity

Great topic.

2nd and 3rd are doing an airplane unit.  

We are modifying a lesson plan from AASL.

The current highlights are the slow motion birds and making paper airplanes.

Bird videos

1st grade did a yearly favorite called The Perfect Square.

Most of K and 1 did some Dr. Seuss inspired centers and a creative drawing prompt.  Making Truffaut trees, 10 Apples Up on Top, and Lego patterns.

So much creativity!

4th grade is starting some tech take apart.  Keyboards are fun to disassemble! 

Then we will build structures out of the pieces...more pictures in a week or two.  

At home, 2 of my children are preparing for a musical.

Lucas is on book 11 of BabyMouse.

Cadia reads multiple books each night with Tim.

TJ and I just finished this book.  It made us think and discuss vocabulary.   It was nice to escape the chaos and read for 20 minutes one on one every night. 

He enjoyed the story in a story but did not pick up on the alternative life styles.

I also have gotten some recent book donations for the Little Free Library too.

From Hindi's library

Onward...lots of fun and learning at home and school. 

Dominoes!

Ok...we will try this a second time...I tried to add mini videos and Blogger was not working.

Problem solved - I would have to download them to my computer then upload them or share to YouTube.  But 'still' pictures of dominoes are no fun!  So I had to create a new plan to share domino chain reactions with you later in the blog.  

So I am going to re-type my post and hope to add some awesome videos.

January is long dreary month following the excitement of the holidays.  Luckily, I got an inspiration in early January. 

It was from one of STEAM Facebook groups...I saw this post and the rest is history ;)

I immediately thought of the Kids Heart Challenge in February...I  reached out to my dear friend who was leading this activity and she was open to adding it.  Then I asked my principal...and he said YES as well!

Now to plan and coordinate the fun.  Here is the letter that we sent to families!  

I decided that a lesson on dominoes would be cool.  I didn't find any that I loved...so I developed a totally new lesson, bought a pack of dominoes, and decided to throw in my observation as well!

My lesson included a power point...students wrote out SEE THINK WONDERS about dominos.  I think that we will answer some WONDERS next week.  I have to find a safe and easy way to research dominos.  Not sure if we will use Power Library Kids or a regular search engine.  

Plus we discussed potential and kinetic energy.  I found a short pandemic video on this topic.  It worked well.  

Then students were given a bag with 10 dominos, 10 Legos, and 10 Keva planks.  They had 10 minutes to engineer mini domino chain reactions.  Sharing was a challenge as well as keeping accurate counts in the bags...but we just made adjustments as needed.  

Students enjoyed this activity along with 10 minutes of coding on Code.org.

The end of class brought a discussion of the world record for cereal box dominos.  The video was a huge hit!  Cereal Box Domino

Plus some students learned about the history of the word DOMINO and a bit about the game on Wonderopolis.  Wonderopolis - Domino

If we had any extra minutes - they got to see a new fun website on CLEVER which was the Kids Guinness World Records - Kids Guinness World Records

I cannot add videos here so I created an album in Google with some of the chain reactions.  Student domino creations

This week will be our official Heart Healthy Cereal Box Domino on Tuesday.  Then before the holiday party, we will run the domino chain reaction.  After that, boxes of cereal will be donated to our local food panty.  Kindness is a part of the Kids Heart Challenge and a great message :)

Next week is on Copyright and Creativity and some quick research on our WONDERS.  

Excited for a quiet-ish weekend, fun week ahead, then a LONG weekend :)

Here is my start of the cereal box collection - I did not want to store all of them - so more of coming in!  The goal is HEART HEALTHY CEREAL!

Perspective week

 Some weeks life is going well...Some weeks cause you to pause.

This was a tough week...tougher for others but losing two woman was a bit of a mental health speed bump.

Saturday morning my sweet second cousin passed away from brain cancer.  A fellow mom and teacher.  I saw her once a year at reunions...maybe at a wedding or funeral.   I always remember her smile!  It was tough...I regetting not sending a note in January like I wanted to send.  We drifted apart with COVID and no reunions. 

Fast forward, Sunday I fought a mild stomach bug brought home by my 5 year old.  Thanks honey.

As Monday started, news spread of a dear mom in my community who suddendly passed away.  Her son a senior...I knew her as the kindest person.  Any visit to her food truck resulted in her trying to give me an extra.  Plus I worked a few nights with her over the summer.  I was doing a bit of waitressing and she was one of the cooks/fryer.  Her son was playing football and a senior.  She jumped in to fill the opening. What stands out most, her infectious smile.  Always putting others first.

Two smiling joyful giving women...loved others...gone too soon.

There is a beautiful message here...but writing is more therapy than inspiration. 

I just know that I need to live every day with no regrets...

So I am signing off to make home made poptarts, drive kids to musical practice, then build some memories in my home.

I have lesson plans to write for a new exciting lesson on dominoes...not the pizza.

Dominoes are the vehicle to a new unit on energy, kindness, heart health and more!

I like to post photos in this blog, but nothing fit but this quote. This is what stuck out to me as I was listening to my Catechism in a Year podcast this week...we need grace and we need each other! It spoke to me.

The last two minutes really was what I needed to hear...but this was the best nugget.

2023 - week 1 and 2

 I often write and re-write my blog post starters in my mind for a day or two before committing "pen to paper".  I have so many thoughts swirling in mind...I am trying to focus my ENERGY and use it for good in 2023...so I am going to JUMP into the main reason for typing up blog posts...sharing the awesome things happening in my STEAM room.  

Week 1 was a slow return to normal with a 4 day week.  Years ago, I found that this was a great time re-visit internet safety.  I have never explicitly taught kindergarten internet safety and usually skip it in first grade, but in our tech ridden world I felt moved to pull out some lessons from Common Sense Media.  I love the power points, videos, and take away papers.  This hopefully allows a few families to see that we are talking about internet safety in a safe age appropriate way.  

This is the link to the curriculum - it is free to sign up for educators.  Plus they have a parent section too!

Common Sense Media

Plus we talked about encryption and secret codes, revisited EduTyping, and some students did a creativity challenge.  

 

 

 

Week 2 was a return to more diverse STEAM lessons.

K learned about winter animals and return of centers.  We started to watch Sci Show kids, researched on Pebble Go, used shape/pattern blocks, and Keva planks.  

  

1 snowflakes (science, art, and engineering).  We watched Dr. Binocs, made a basic paper snowflake, learned how to make e-snowflakes, and then did some engineering :)

2 snowflakes - They also watched Dr. Binocs, made two different paper snowflakes, and also explored an e-snowflake generator.

3 snowflakes and edutyping.  Grade 3 made snowflake gears, made a variety of paper snowflakes, and then made some e-snowflakes. 

Here are some pictures of the paper snowflakes and e-snowflakes.  The website is E-Snowflakes

4 binary - I love show students how computers work and the idea of binary.  We start with the Zero, One song then watch a short Brain Pop video on Binary.  Then I use a worksheet from Code.org to decode and figure out the binary alphabet.  We wrap up with a bracelet with initials!  

I am moving more and ready for a new week.  I am busy editing a book, wrapping up the first semester, preparing for a new fun activity for February on dominos! 

Personally, my life is uber crazy with my kids in 3 different scouting groups, 2 in the high school musical, Sunday school (3 different times/days),  1 in middle school cheer, 1 in an elite choir, 1 taking shooting lessons, and then add it random play dates, PTO events, library activities, and family fun and it is a scheduling matrix.  But it is only a short time in life!

2023

 It is a tradition to start the new year with a deep post...

I pick my 1 word...I reflect on the past year...

However, my remaining two days of break demands that I keep this short and keep cleaning and purging.

2022 was about memories...I was 1 of the top 3 Computer Science teachers in Pennsylvania, we went on vacations and camping trips, day trips, reconnecting with friends, and more!

Here is my One Word post from last year to learn about this concept. One Word 2022

2023 is for energy...I have been on the energy struggle bus...aka I go in spit and spurts....run hard Monday through Friday and collapse most weekends.  This is great at work...but my family gets tired cranky mom who is addicted to baking shows and quick naps.  The goal is to focus my energy in more equitable ways.  Cleaning up my life will require a refocus of energy and time.

Here is my meme inspiration for 2023.

Here is my list of past 'words' :)

2022 - MEMORIES 

2021 - ENOUGH

2020 - ENGAGED
2019 - CREATIVITY

2018 - PATIENCE

2017 - TRUST

2016 - FOCUS

One way to track my energy use is my smart watch.  Below is my energy use for 2022.

I am curious to 'watch' my smart watch to compare 2022 to 2023!

Off to clean, start my friend's book that I am editing, write lesson plans, and maximize the next few hours before the evil nap monster tells me to stop moving ;)

What is your one word for 2023?