Deck The Halls and Classroom Walls

I just got back from my school's second grade Holiday Concert.  My kids have been practicing so hard and they got all dressed up tonight to perform for their friends and families.  Listening to "Jingle Bell Rock" and "Super Santa"  is exactly what I needed to get me into the holiday spirit.

We've been busy in the classroom "Decking our Halls" with all kinds of holiday fun. I am linking up with Amy at Step Into Second Grade with Mrs. Lemons to showcase some of the exciting things we've been up to these past few weeks.

In Math we are doing all kinds of fraction practice so I changed up an old favorite of mine, "Fractionpillar" and made it into a strand of Fraction Holiday Lights. The kids got to choose any 8 colored lights and filled out the fraction for each color. 

I needed a second hallway craft for the area that is just at the foot of the stairs going up to my room.  For this we did a very simple triangle reindeer.  A couple of traces and cuts and this reindeer is good to go.  

From my TpT Shop: Two Simple Holiday Crafts

To go with these cute reindeer we read the classic "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" and "The Wild Christmas Reindeer" by Jan Brett.  

When we finished reading both books we did a little Compare and Contrast activity to finish it all up.  These compare and contrast pages are from Detectives Only Book Club by Tiffany Gannon.   

Every year we make something in the classroom that the students can give to their family.  In the past I've done an ornament of some kind but this year we are doing something a little different.  Instead of an ornament we are making calendars.  

The kids illustrated the four seasons in each of the boxes, I laminated them, and attached a 12 month calendar which was a free download one of my coworkers found online.  Voila! I let the kids pick their color background and I had one little guy choose the color "beige, because that's the color of my kitchen where my mom will hang it up." I asked him what the accent color was in his kitchen to liven up the background and he had NO IDEA what I was talking about. Ha :)

Less than 2 weeks until Christmas!!!  

I don't know about you but my little ones at home and at school are starting to be taken over by the excitement.  I found this sign at HomeGoods which for the next two weeks I want to tattoo onto my forehead.  I think it would send a friendly reminder both at school and at home :)

 

By Santa, I mean this little guy. (His sisters got a kick out of this outfit.)

"Currently" what I am up to.

It's September 3rd and the night before SCHOOL STARTS.  Why on earth am I awake when I should be resting my brain and body for tomorrow??  This is my first time linking up with Farley at Oh Boy Fourth Grade.   Here it is.

Listening:  "Chopped" is my night time show. It's perfect because it's the kind of show that I can let "watch me."  I don't have to follow any kind of story line drama. It plays in the background while I do school work, clean up the house, or ultimately drift asleep.  I started watching it last fall when my infant son was waking for his night time feedings. It was ALWAYS playing in the wee hours of the morning when I needed something to keep me from falling asleep.  

Loving:  Don't get me wrong, I love summer. However, Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year. As soon as September 1st hits, I am all about the Country Apple, Pumpkin, and Harvest scents. It makes me feel good.

Thinking: Tomorrow is the first day of school with my students and also the first day of school for my oldest daughter.  I know I have a busy day ahead and that at 6am when my alarm (or 10 month old son) wakes me up I am going to regret being up this late. 

Wanting: I wish with all my heart that there was a way for me to be in two places at once because tomorrow is my oldest daughter's first day of Kindergarten. It is her first day riding the bus and going to full day big kid school.  I want to be there so badly to see her off.  It is also my first day with my students so taking the day off wasn't really a possibility.  Well, on the upside my husband no doubt will videotape every second of the walk to the bus stop, her getting on the bus, and the bus pulling away. He is very thorough at documenting moments. I'm thankful for that. 

Needing: I know I'm not the only one needing more hours in the day but let me present my case to you and I think you will agree that more time is something I need.  My day is full, jam packed, bursting with activity from the minute I wake up until I go to sleep. I have three young children. So in addition to being a teacher I am a cook, maid, driver, grocery shopper, entertainer, bath giver, story time reader (my FAVORITE time of day),  and a monster under the bed exterminator.  My day is full but most of all I remember that my heart is full too :)  I love every second of my crazy life.

3 Trips:  Number one on here is Vegas. It has nothing to do with the TpT conference, although that would be fun to attend one day. The reason I chose Vegas is because in October my sisters and I are meeting in Vegas for a long weekend to celebrate a 40th birthday!!! (Not mine...I'm the youngest of the three sisters and I always take an opportunity to point that out ;)  

Number two is Greece.  I have been to Greece more times than I can think of right now. My family is from there and as a kid we spent a minimum 6 weeks there every summer. I recognize that I am one lucky duck to have ties to the most beautiful place I've been. 

Number three is Alaska. I have always wanted to go. It seems so majestic and large.  I imagine the air is really crisp and has a fresh smell to it.  I have to check it out one day.