We Heart Worms!

Hello Everyone!
"This is the best day ever!" Don't you love to hear that from your kids??  I heard it over and over again yesterday during our SCI FRI.  We've been studying living and nonliving things all week and ended the week with our comparison of gummy and earth worms.  The kids couldn't believe that I actually had live worms for them in the classroom!!  You should have heard the squeals as I uncovered them!!  Delightful for some and a little freaky for others!  I put the kids into groups and they went to work comparing the two specimens.  So much fun learning!!

Look at the heart shape this little worm made for us!!

We heart worms and worms heart us!!

You can get worms from any pet shop or WalMart.

Next week we will compare what living things need to survive, culminating with the hands on visual creation...pet rocks!!

You can get all the printables you need for these activities HERE!!! CLICK!!! :)

What a great week back!! Thanks kids!!  Your enthusiasm for learning helps me want to do more for you!!! 

Thanks for stopping by our little Window On Wonder!!  We love visitors and comments, so don't leave without leaving a quick comment!!

Have a great weekend!!

Joyfully!

Nancy

We're Gonna Knock Your Socks Off!

Hello Everyone!
I want to start off sending warm and cozy hugs through the lines to all my friends and family in the arctic vortex!  I can't even believe the temperatures some of you are enduring!!! It has been cold here, but nothing like a large part of this country.  Please stay safe!  I am keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers!

We were blessed enough to get back to school today after 2 weeks off. I missed my kids so much!  I think some of them were anxious to get back to the routine and the fun of first grade.  We had a great day!!  One of my favs from the day was our "In 2014 I'm going to knock your socks off by..."  We first had to talk about what that little phrase meant, and what we wanted to work on that would knock someone's socks off.  
Here's our chart!

I think the kids came up with some great ideas!!

Then they had the opportunity during our D5 Work on Writing time to write their own and create their own hands on visual.  They had to write their own, make a sock from scrapbook paper and share!  Great job, kiddos!!

I kept our cute little snowman up!  I think he will fit in with our class all winter!  In fact he is going to help display some socks that the kids will get to clip on as they knock them off!! I can't wait to fill up our little man!! 

If you want to try the "Knock your socks off" activity, you van get your free printable in this unit!

                                                       Click HERE!!!!

Looking forward to tomorrow!! Ready to have my socks knocked off!! :)

Joyfully!

Nancy

Out Of Sight But Not Out Of Mind

Hello Everyone!!
Well, our two week winter break is almost over.  I have to say it was about perfect!  Our high school state championship winning football game, then some amazing Christmas family time with my guys, some fun shopping with my son's girlfriend, a ton of cooking---and with that a ton of cleaning, some sleeping in, and then a surprise little mini trip to Cow Town! Yee Haw!  For those of you not from Texas, Cow Town is just another name for Fort Worth, one of my new favorite historically significant cities of Texas. Ahhhh, preserving everything Cowboy!

My husband had to turn my new camera on me! But don't you love that giant spur???

My turn to get some good shots!

 You would think I could leave thoughts of my  students, classroom, and future lessons home, but no!  Even when I am away, I am always keeping an eye out for interesting things for school. Do you do the same thing?? Is it an illness???  I don't know,... but I know I can't help it!!
While walking around the stockyard area of Fort Worth, in between the rodeo and bull riding adventures, we came across a fun little shop called "Crosseyed Moose."  I instantly fell in love with the sweet manager, Shari, and her collection of all things Texan.  If you know anything about me, my classroom, and my love for animals, you can just picture me in this shop filled with animal skulls from Texas critters. I found a havalina skull, a wild hog skull, coyote teeth, a badger claw, a small bobcat skull, and beaver teeth!! Oh! And a piece of buffalo hide!  I know what you're thinking, CREEPY! But sooooo cooool!!  My kids are going to love being able to touch all of this!!

From our study last year we learned that the front layer of  beaver teeth is made of a different, and much stronger, enamel than the white tooth beneath. It takes much longer for that orange part to wear down. The result of this uneven wear (the orange front wearing slowly and the white back wearing faster) creates a nice sharp, chisel like tooth, perfect for an animal that scrapes and gnaws its food. Many rodents have the very same orange teeth!

havalina--youch!

wild hog!


You can check out Cross- eyed Moose HERE!!!! :)

Shari loves teachers and will do what she can to hook you up with some amazing things for your classroom!  Thanks, Shari!!

In the spring we do a huge animal unit with one major component being how and what animals eat.  These fine specimens will fit perfectly with a little unit I put together last year. I can't wait to add to it.  Until then here's the unit from last year, but keep an eye out for an update soon!

The 40 page unit is here! CLICK!!! :)

Well, back to my littles tomorrow!! I have missed them!!  I hope they know I am always thinking about them!! Can't wait to hear all about their break!!

Should be a fun week!

Talk to you all soon!

Til then, stay warm and safe!!

Joyfully!

Nancy

Historical Figures, MLK and Inventors

Hello Everyone!
It is so nice to have time to put some finishing touches on a couple of units that we have coming up! Another historical figure we will study after Eleanor Roosevelt is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As a nation we celebrate his life daily! Thank you Dr. King! Officially we celebrate on the third Monday of January. I have posted about our activities before, but I went through and cleaned up, and added to my unit.  Here are some pics from the updated unit!

If you would like the 30 page free printable unit CLICK HERE!! :)

My second offering for today is a unit our curriculum team worked on this summer. We had fun integrating reading and social studies and are finding it a natural way to teach and get everything in.

This next unit is about other important historical figures.  It includes posters about Alexander Graham Bell, Ben Franklin, Thomas Edison, Garrett Morgan, and Richard Allen along with reading strategy practice activities.  It also includes an invention home project packet for kids. The unit ended up to be over 50 pages! I am excited to include this unit in our curriculum in a few weeks!!  Here are a few pics from the unit!

For your free 52 page Inventors Unit CLICK HERE!! :)

 So glad I had time to share these endeavors!  Hope you can use at least parts of either one!  It is my joy to be able to share and help your journey in the classroom or homefront become a little less stressful. As always, please let me know if this is something you can use, if there are any typos or problems, and if you would like to see something else in particular on this little blog.  I hear from teachers and parents from all over the world, and I am so grateful for all of you!!  
Joyfully!
Nancy