Presidents 1 & 16

As part of our Presidents and American Symbols unit we drew George Washington and Abraham Lincoln for art class. The kids did a fabulous job with their drawings. It's interesting how similar AND different the projects turned out.

Project idea from Deanna Jump's America Math and Literacy Fun unit found on HERE TpT. I love Mrs. Jump's units, and her blog is a wealth of information and ideas for early elementary teachers!

Show & Share

Currently the 2nd graders are earning - and losing! - U Bucks. Essentially, U Bucks is a behavior management system and classroom economy all rolled up in one. The kids earn U Bucks, count, trade, and keep track of how much they have. They can use their bucks to purchase coupons. Coupons allow the 2nd graders to do special things in the classroom. For example, the "Stinky Feet" coupon allows them to take their shoes off in the classroom for a day. The "Pet Shop" coupon (a very popular coupon, I might add) lets them bring a stuffed animal from home to keep them company. The "Show & Share" coupon is essentially a show & tell coupon. This past week two of our friends used their coupons to show us two very different shares.

Here's a sea sponge (yes, it used to be alive in the sea!) that this 2nd grader's grandmother brought back for him from Florida. The kids were amazed that this sea sponge 1) used to be alive and 2) it is just as squishy as a kitchen/bath sponge.

For another Show & Share we had a special guest visit our classroom. Meet Holly, a  spunky Yorkie puppy who became a member of her family during the holidays.

Scientist of the Week 7

This week's science experiment was the perfect complement to the unit we have been studying over the past few weeks, states of matter. I love when things come together unexpectedly!

 

HAA's Got Talent!

Our 2nd grade friends did an amazing job during last night's talent show! I'm so proud of the three who were part of last night's program. All proceeds from the show are going towards the Senior Class mission trip to St. Croix, Virgin Islands this spring break.

The night started off with a Kinder friend performing a piano solo. He is a piano prodigy in the making!

One of our 2nd grade girls sang a duet with her friend from 1st grade. They sang "These are a few of my favorite things . . ." so beautifully, and they looked so lovely in their coordinating outfits!

Another musical act by one of our 2nd graders was a harp solo. Many members of the audience, including one of the hosts of the show, commented that it was the first time they had ever heard a live harp performance! She did a wonderful job playing a piece that was written by her harp teacher.

And finally, the act that was awarded 1st place in the Preschool - 6th grade division, a brilliant hula hooping act by one of our 2nd grade boys who was assisted by his big brother. These two really had the audience clapping and cheering, it was that good!




Awards were given out for the Art Show portion of the night as well. Three of our 2nd graders were awarded with ribbons and prizes for the Preschool-2nd grade age division - 2nd place, 3rd place, and Principal's Pick. I'm incredibly proud of all the kids who entered. I hope that HAA continues to exhibit art each year, because it gives our artistically inclined students an opportunity to show off their creative talents! Here's a group photo of those who placed in elementary.

Congratulations to all the participants of the talent and art show!

Impact & New 100 Club! Members

Every other week or so we have high school students from Mr. D.'s Impact class come and spend time with us. I typically have the high school kids read to and with the 2nd graders and they also write reading responses (usually book reports) together as a group since they come during Daily 5 (literacy instruction) rotations. Last week the kids were excited because I let them play a math and Bingo games. It really is a blessing that our lower elementary students have the opportunity to form positive relationships with the older kids of our school.

On another note, since the holidays two more 2nd graders were initiated into the 100 Club! for reading and logging in 100 books outside of school. Congratulations, girls! I'm incredibly proud of you!

States of Matter

Over the past few weeks, the 1st and 2nd graders have been learning about states of matter. The students have enjoyed the watching the videos at Brain POP, Jr. They have been an excellent resource in helping the students understand the topics we have been studying in science.

Pinterest is another excellent resource! I have found tons of activities there for anything and everything related to teaching. Pinterest is where I found this fun hands-on activity to help the kids understand the concept of solids, liquids, and gases.

For teachers who might be interested in an excellent supplemental resource to teach the states of matter, I highly recommend "Marvelous Matter Activities for Little Scientists"created by 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Lamb, of whom I am a fan. These cards are part of her unit.

What my students really look forward to are our science experiments. Most recently, we did an experiment that I had pinned on Pinterest months ago. (Our Kinder friends did it too!) It was the perfect demonstration of physical change, one of the key concepts we have been studying about in our states of matter unit.

Valentine Themed Activities

Here are some pictures from Valentine's week. As you can see, it wasn't all fun, games, and candy! We worked hard all week counting, tallying, and graphing conversation hearts. We practiced our friendly letter writing skills and wrote "love letters" to our friends. We filled each others' Buckets. We had a special K-2 worship and sang songs about God's love for us.

 

For anyone who's interested, this Candy Heart Math activity was created by one of my favorite teachers who blogs, Lory Evans. You can purchase her super cute activity HERE.



February has been quite a busy one for themed units! Next week we will be doing a unit on America which coincides nicely with Presidents Day. At the end of February we will spend time on a dental health unit. A dentist (daddy to one of our kindergarten friends!) will come and talk to us about what he does as a dentist and how we can help keep our teeth healthy.

Super Scientist of the Week 6

This week our Scientist of the Week performed an experiment using yeast and balloons (!) to see if soda, a sparkling juice drink, or milk has the most sugar. His experiment was an excellent learning experience as well as an eye-opener for the 2nd graders and myself!

Picture taken approximately 1.5 hours after the experiment.

I have to admit, having been trained with a Science background, Super Scientist is easily one of my favorite activities. I'm so glad that I decided add it to our curriculum this year!

Celebrating 100 Days!

Here's a look at how we celebrated our 100th day in pictures.

Here's a look at the things the students wore. Their assignment was to wear 100 of the same thing. This year there were several ideas that were new to me! Some of them included 100 dots painted on fingernails, a colorful straw necklace, 100 tally marks on a sticker name tag, and puzzle pieces glued to a t-shirt!

 

Here are some photos of activities we did, all based on the number 100. My personal favorite are the art pieces we created of what we think we might look like at 100 years old. The 2nd graders have loved the comments of students, teachers, and parents who have stopped by our bulletin board to admire our 100 year self-portraits!

Tornado in a Bottle

As part of our weather unit, we did a study about tornadoes. The students were most excited about this experiment. In fact, one of the 1st graders (I teach science to 1st and 2nd) commented that I was the "awesomest teacher in the world" for letting them do this experiment!

Super Scientist of the Week 5

Who doesn't love the floating egg experiment?