Where the Wild Things Are...

Everyone knows the classic Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Kindergarteners love it when I read to them and a building challenge to follow. While reading sometimes I like to make it a bit interactive. Watch this...

It was interesting to watch them learn new vocabulary like gnash their terrible teeth and rolling their terrible eyes. 

After reading the book and talking about the beginning, middle, and end I presented the challenge of building a boat out of toothpicks and cut-up pool noodles.  We talked about safety of toothpicks and I made them promise with their right hand up they would stick themselves or their friends. You can never be too careful. We then talked about how could you build with these materials and I take ideas until someone says you can stick the toothpicks in the pool noodles to connect pieces. I then demonstrate how to take the boat over to the water, test the boat, and how to not get water all over the place. Their faces when they find out they get to test it out in water are priceless!

The kinders had fun with this one and it was a great introduction to STEM challenges with a literacy start. Thank you Teach Outside the Box for the lesson.

Hour of Code

Each year we participate in Hour of Code. It looks different across the grade levels and we are building our program each year. I love reading about other classrooms through blogs and my Twitter feed.  We are constantly learning how STEM fits in to our daily lives and Hour of Code is a perfect fit. Coding with kindergarteners included coming up with a dance routine. We learned some moves and they chose the sequence-with help from random students and off we went. Check out these moves.

In first and second grade we worked with Botlogic to get our robot home. It was so easy to Air Drop this website to students on our iPads. We talked about various ways to get the robot home by creating different paths using arrows. As we progressed the moves became limited by number and obstacles to overcome. It was a great way for children to sequence their moves and perseverance as it got tougher to move through the levels.

The first video above I was pointing to the movements and actually cueing the students on the sequence of moves. First grade made the leap to watching me point and knowing the appropriate moves. It is exciting to see the progression with students K-2 and coding.

Shelter Building

Hurricane Season is a very real thing here in Florida! My parents lost their house to Hurricane Andrew while my brother and I were at Florida State University. It was devastating to see what a hurricane can do to a home, a family, and a community.  There are so many things that are different for Floridians after Hurricane Andrew. I am sure STEM careers has something to do with that right?
Our study started with learning about hurricanes and the different levels. Next came the challenge to build a shelter to keep your family dry with limited materials with some choice. I introduced the materials with a $ amount attached to each. We formed groups to then brainstorm ideas of shelters but wait there was a budget of only $10. Collaboration in groups was an experience for the students. It is sometimes difficult to show your diagram to others, share thoughts behind the design, and then decide which pieces of each you will use for building. This is a process and teaching the students to go through this process takes time. Each grouping is different so there lies another opportunity to learn from another and grow as STEM student. I love watching the students grow throughout the years. Building seems to be the most fun time for students. They are eager to put their plans into action! Materials are flying off the carts and out of the boxes. Teaching students how to use tape is something I learned early on in teaching STEM. I cannot tell  you the number of times A student has used a 4 inch piece of tape to then apply in vertically rather than horizontal and waste tape. Some projects I limit the tape but this build I did not. Students could opt for wax paper, aluminum foil and color paper but those priced were for individual sheets. 

Well maybe the testing is the BEST part...To meet the challenge was to keep the family dry. Things to think about were yes you needed a roof but a floor for your shelter? way in and out? what materials to use? They knew I would use a watering can to create a "hurricane". I know the wind was missing but we talked about how that would look as well.  I do have some videos of the moments when we soaked the shelters. The reflection piece is what I should have filmed so you could see and hear their learning and maybe just maybe one of them will create something to help families during hurricane season.

4th grade Mystery Science Rock Study

The study of rocks in 4th grade includes erosion and weathering. Often there is confusion on the concepts and hands on activities prove to make experiences stick out in a child's mind. In comes Mystery Science! The start of the unit is "Could a Volcano Pop Up in Your Backyard?" I love to see their faces when the question is posed and the video launches in to the story of Paricutin. We take a poll and they are pretty sure it could never happen but soon doubt creeps in and then you have them! Partners are  picked and they must graph volcanos around the world and put the maps together.

This is a great activity and the discussion that comes from their observations is the best part. The lesson is so well organized and fits the time frame perfect.  The next lesson deals with volcano classification and we experiment with thin vs thick lava.

Here they are in action.

They are so engaged and working with one another to test out the samples.  Again the conversation that happens is my favorite part of the lesson.  If you haven't tried out Mystery Science you can give it a free trial and then see for yourself how well likes the lessons are for all age groups.  

The third lesson leads students to wonder will a mountain last forever? Just watch...

Needless to say we had fun finding out!

2019 Annual Fishing Tournament

We are spoiled by our Coaches! Each year our school meets under the Dunlawton Bridge for some fishing, hot dog lunch and some fellowship outside school.  The Coaches use funds to purchase raffle prizes to include trophies, sporting equipment and hot dogs for everyone! The kids look forward to it every year and we grow numbers depending on the local sporting events.  Moms, dads, and even grandparents are baiting hooks and chatting away with one another along the dock. It is a fun time for everyone and the smiles are the best part.  The fish are caught and released right back into the river so no harm came to the fish caught.   Check out the smiles in this video of students, teacher and parents.

CTE-PLC

What is CTE? Career and Technical Education is a broad branch to cover all the technology courses and certifications in a district. Students in elementary are exposed to an introduction of technology to include basic operation functions, Microsoft Suite-in our district, and fundamentals of web browsers. I was blessed to find our elementary CTE-PLC group my second year into teaching STEM as a special area. What an amazing group of educators! I live for the meetings where we share curriculum ideas, websites, and ideas to implement to further our students in technology. Not every school has an introduction to technology course so we are a group of about 15 that regularly meet or even chat in Teams troubleshooting and sharing. Our leader is the famous Debra Dumas and she is a gem! We try to meet in one of our classrooms and that is amazing for photos and ideas. Yet with drive time we are sometimes on a short schedule so she found a neutral spot for us to meet-Dave & Buster's!!

YES you read that correctly. Did you know they have wifi and a small conference room where we are able to have a webinar with Animation-ish from Fable Vision? It was a perfect setting for a technology group.

The sound was great, food was available, and we were from all over the district in one room. If you need to have technology PD why not at Dave & Buster's.

Debra even had door prizes for us after our meeting.

Penny STEM

Reading Molly Lou Melon is one of my favorite books to share at the beginning of school. She is spunky, loves her grandma, and uses her strength to her advantage. How many drops of water can you drip drop on the top of a penny? How high can you stack pennies? Have you ever made a penny spinner? All in learning our STEM room procedures for following directions, clean up, and even assigning jobs. It is a great get to know you activity and class building exercise.

Properties of Matter with 2nd Grade

Why Do we Wear Clothes? is a Mystery Science lesson that always grabs the attention of 2nd graders. There are giggles and laughs but what a great introduction to properties of matter. We talk about attributes of materials and when we use various materials based on need. During the lesson we are stranded at sea on our cruise ship. We only have some miscellaneous supplies and we need to make a hat to protect us from the heat, water, and grueling sun. We needed to test which materials would be best and then use our creativity to build a hat with the best supplies to keep our heads and necks protected.

After we talk about which materials were soft as to not scratch our head. Which material was absorbent since we would sweat. Which material would extend past our heads so we could stop squinting. The reflection piece is my favorite tot hear their thoughts and what they would change next time. If they get stranded these 2nd graders know what to do.

You have heard that saying Could you really fry an egg on the sidewalk? This leads us into testing the cold and hot of various materials to be an insulator. What a great way to use water bottles, tin foil, socks, and styrofoam cups to test our best guess. The funniest is when you try to get them to put socks on their hands. Mind you these socks have never been on feet, they are only used for this experiment. The faces they make are priceless. Oh and trying to get them to close their eyes as their partner slides the hot or cold cup is tough for them, you know they want to be right. The lesson is on what makes the best insulator and they are having fun experimenting.

Our properties of matter unit ends with a challenge of making the tallest tower with only index cards and paper clips.  Every group receives the same materials and we quickly learn that folding and bending can make the card stronger.  With partners they are to build the tallest stack. I got to see teamwork, collaboration, problem solving, measuring and perseverance while their towers toppled over. They were a bit surprised how you could stack index cards by rolling them, folding them, or bending them.

2nd graders Lego Simple Machine kits

Our otters really enjoy Legos, from free builds to themes to working together with Lego Education kits. Thank you to FUTURES Foundation for helping fund the kits to supplement our learning of simple machines. I had 6 kits so most classes had 4 to a group. With kit building I found it was important to assign jobs for each student and then rotate those jobs so everyone was able to build, direct the group, find the pieces, and then check the build.

Let me share what I learned to work for our students during introduction of the kits to our 2nd graders. According to birth month each child was a 1-2-3-4. For the first session 1-was in charge of directions, getting the kit and returning the kit. 2-was the piece finder and placed the pieces on the lid for the builder. 3 was the builder and everyone groaned that was not a 3. It happens and that is why we rotate jobs. 4 was the checker and the first to try out the build. Procedures helped us to maximize our 45 minutes. Believe me 45 minutes is not long enough when you have a cart of Legos the kids want to get in to and build. The teamwork, kindness, patience, and support of one another was a beautiful thing to see. When we cleaned up we would talk about what went right and what we could improve upon. Of course everyone wanted to be the builder but then there were kids that liked finding the pieces and ones that really liked the group they worked with, and even one that said it was so fun they couldn't wait to come back to build again. Of course everyone then agreed with that student. These are skills adults use daily and I am so proud of our second graders for finding the positive with their roles and creating.

1st grade LEGO top building

Thanks to FUTURES Foundation, teachers can ask for grants to supplement programs within their classrooms.  Our second graders used the early learners Simple Machine kits so towards the end of the school year I thought maybe the first graders would enjoy learning. They had a blast! Students of today don't play with tops but ask any of them about Bayblades and they can launch into a discussion on their design, colors, and all about the launcher. We followed directions, used teamwork, and they had to figure out how to fit the gear's teeth into one another to make the top spin. It was so exciting to see it when they finally got it.

We talked about what worked, what didn't, how could you make it move faster, and then the aha moment came...can we battle one another? You mean like Bayblades do? So engaging and exciting!

I am sure these firsties won't soon forget how much fun they had in STEM class learning.

Nurse Rhonda

We were blessed to have the same nurse at our school for 13 years and it was bittersweet to see her retire. Think about a person that touches the life of every single student at a school. Students on medication see her, students with diabetes talk to her each day to maintain levels, and every student with a bump or bruise ends up in her office. Nurse Rhonda provided comfort, kindness, and a safe place within her walls. That is one special role in a school. All of this and we are excited for our new nurse. Just a note Nurse Rhonda opened Cypress Creek way back and has seen several hundreds graduate over the 13 years. I often wonder of those hundreds how many can recall a specific memory of Nurse Rhonda? I bet most. Nurse Rhonda has no idea the impact she has had on all of these children over the years. We wish you well on your next adventure.

Mystery Science Pollinate the Flowers

Mystery Science is amazing! They have a lesson, "Why do Plants Grow Flowers?" and the students loved it! Every lesson starts with background and introduction to vocabulary. They pose a question and then there is a hands-on activity for the students to bring the learning to life.  The students created flowers and we used coffee grounds and cinnamon to use as seeds.  Students then created bees from pipe cleaners and pollinated flowers while buzzing around the room.

After the buzzing around we sat down to make some observations. The students observed coffee grounds and cinnamon on their bees. When asked about that they started with one in their flower and quickly saw that the other brushed when they buzzed other flowers.  Then they looked at the center of their flowers and the sticky stigma-they were amazed at what they saw. It was such a  great aha moment to be a part of with the kids. Great job Mystery Science!

Wear a Cardigan Day-November 13

Have you ever heard of Wear a Cardigan Day? It is a tribute to the late Mr. Rogers from Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood to celebrate World Kindness Day. When I was a child I watched television and I remember Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. He taught us about careers, sang songs, and was a kind man. He is famous for "There is not person in the whole world like you, and I like you just the way you are." He died in 2003 but is remembered fo the way he talked to children about feelings and life events. Teachers through school wore their cardigans on November 13th. #worldkindnessday

Best People

Over my 26 years I have met hundreds of people, little friends, parents, teachers, and staff.  Sometimes we take a moment to say thank you to people we meet along the journey but far too often they leave and we missed the chance to say their presence is missed. They move on to the next chapter and we find the replacement  person is nice enough but just not them. I have met some pretty incredible people in my 26 years...

Debbie is in the black shirt and she was our registrar extraordinaire before her retirement. She was always willing to put in extra work to make sure the job got done and on time.  There were times we had to make sure grades were posted correctly when others made mistakes. She was resourceful and if she didn't know something she would research or call someone to learn.

 Our special area team with Debbie on her last day.

 Her last day at school with some of the fifth graders she had been photographing all year for their end of year slide show.

 Debbie's mom and dad at school on her last day of school-Happy retirement!! Her dad used to be our tax guy way back when. Small world! Enjoy every minute of it!

 Amanda Serrano is a gem. I met her years ago when her mom was my assistant while I taught Vacation Bible School at South Daytona Baptist Church. That year her granddaughter was entering first grade and I was blessed to have this family cross my doorway. Amanda is a go getter. She is a worker. She wants to be the best in everything she does. She is about the kids always. They work hard but she has researched methods to have her students perform and if they have trouble she makes sure to enlist help. The coolest thing? She is bilingual and for our Spanish speaking children she teaches in both english and spanish?!? I am in amazement of her often.  She has a treasure chest where the students can make a deal with rewards earned throughout the week and year.

 My sweet friend has been saving tickets and wanted to spend them on me :( yes ugly cry it is! I am the proud owner of sunglasses and Play Dough thanks to Mason. Thank you Mason and Mrs. Serrano for making me feel like I am important.

 This is my principal, Mr. Bronson. I happened to be in the office one day when these 2nd graders were there to share their positive referrals from their teacher. Do you notice Mr. Bronson's pink shirt? Well I did and it means the world to me.  When I was diagnosed last year it there was worry on my part of how I would get through the treatments in front of the students. I honestly didn't know how I was going to make it and not effect the students.  Mr. Bronson did not hesitate with making sure I was taken care of from the start. Schedules and appointments were shifted to minimize disruption and there isn't a day that goes by that I am not thankful for the support of my administration.

Speaking of support and love-these are my cafeteria ladies or should I say-our cafeteria ladies!  Always a smile, nice word, and just a feel of support when you see them whether you are at school or out and around Port Orange. Love them and they make the BEST Thanksgiving dinner around!

 This is my special area team. We celebrate birthdays and meet weekly to talk over strategy and kids.  Even during our time with distance learning last year we still met on Zoom each week.  It was a highlight because these people lift you up. We laugh and joke but when it gets time to work we are all in for one another. My team helped pick up the slack when I needed them for appointments or just not feeling well. There were notes and flowers and just a place where I knew they had my back. Just some of the most important, best people around!

Years ago we started Parents Night Out, modeled after Port Orange Elementary.  One Friday a month parents would entrust us with their children from 5:30-8:30pm while they had a might out. It was a fundraiser and teachers volunteered to manage stations and supervision during centers, dinner and a movie.  Our local movie theater provided popcorn as our preferred business partner. Funds were used for technology, teachers to attend conferences, and other needed materials for school-wide-use. When I got sick last year these people here did not want me to work Parents Night Out.  They wanted me to be at home with my own children and husband to rest after working all week. They made sure the families that trusted us had teachers volunteer on those Friday nights. They made sure the show must still go on and I am forever grateful for them all!

These people are the BEST!! These are my marigolds. You have to find your people, your tribe, your ride or die. These ladies have made me a better person because of their friendship. After diagnosis there wasn't a week that went by without a note, flowers, inspiration, or laugh. If I could be half the person they were to me... They will never know how very much each and every one of them means to me.  Thank you for everything. I can never repay you. Love you all...