Baby, It’s Cold Outside….

Well, old man winter decided to pay us a brief visit and brought us some frigid temperatures. It is FREEZING outside!! Due to the inclement weather, we have been having two-hour delays. Although, I love the “extra” time in the morning to scurry around my house and getting a few odds and ends accomplished, I do not like trying to “fit” everything into my school day. I feel like I am rushing through my lessons and activities. I come home from a two-hour delay schedule more exhausted then more normal day… Anyone else feel like this??? I know I need to cut/shorten my lessons/activities, but I feel as though I am not giving them the whole “enchilada”.

Well, on a brighter note I finally introduced our “new”pencil sharpeners to the class.

Yes, these are the amazing sharpeners seen all over pinterest and teacher blogs!! They are in stock and ready to ship.

Can I say, “Oh My Word… Where have you been all year?” This is the BEST pencil sharpener I have ever in my entire life used. Believe me when I tell you every review or comment about this outstanding device is TRUE!!!

I am actually headed over to the site as we speak to order a few more. This little babies come in a few different colors to coordinate with your room décor. I personally have a fetish with anything “black” so I ordered black for my room.  I wonder how many ways I can say “LOVE THIS”.

FACEBOOK LINK FIXED (I HOPE)

Head on over to my FACEBOOK Page to snag up the link for a 5% off coupon. You will not go wrong with this amazing device. (I think I may order a few extra for my sweet teacher friends for gifts!)

Well, since it has been pretty frightful outside, we have been spending some “extra” time in the classroom for indoor recess. What are some things you like to do with your kiddos who are stuck indoors for recess? Lately, we have been using “Spelling City” to occupy our time and enrich our minds. My kiddos are obsessed with Hang Mouse. To keep things exciting, I created a few “Spelling City Sticks” I simply wrote the names of various spelling city activities/games. I have my teacher’s assistant pull a stick and that’s the game/activity we play during recess time.

Today, we played Word-O-Rama (compound words) Okay I think I had more fun watching my kiddos laugh and smile and work together in their teams then they did with this game. The adorable Penguin game show host made me smile and the catchy music had everyone moving and grooving in their seat.

Word-O-Rama!

The main objective of Word-O-Rama is to identify words by their definitions, synonyms, antonyms, or by their context within a sentence.  I placed my students into four different groups. When it was their turn, they had to work together to “figure” out the answer. We kept a running tally on the board and the winning team got to go get a “long” drink from the water fountain. (I try to do various prizes some tangible some not! This keeps my kiddos always on their toes because they “never” know what I have up my sleeve.)

Do you use Spelling City in your classroom? What are your favorite activities/games?

Do you encourage your kiddos to use at home?

How do you promote for home use?

Look forward to hearing your ideas!!

Stay Warm my frosty friends!

Always, Melissa

Facebook Link Mrs. Freshwater's Class