Moving to Kindergarten

So this past few weeks has been absolutely CRAZY.  I set up my fourth grade classroom, worked on benchmarks, attended professional development, set up my room, and then taught a week of fourth grade.  Then on Friday, I found out I was being moved to kindergarten due to a transfer teacher coming from another school who did not have her k license.  Soooooo I spent all Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at school moving my things.  Then Monday I had to teach fourth one last day, and tomorrow will be my first day with my new class.  WHEW!  What a crazy past month.  Anyway, not that it is a good enough excuse, but that's why I have neglected my blog.

I am excited for kindergarten - I do love it - but I spent ALL summer preparing for fourth grade and gearing myself up for the year (not to mention buying more appropriate books and teaching materials).  Now I need to get myself back in gear for kinders....26 of them.  I know that once we get started it will be a great year, but I just have to get through the first few days, set up my procedures, and help my kids get some structure and routine.  I totally believe in the power of positive attitudes, so tomorrow will be a GREAT day!  

Yesterday, I decided to compile the Common Core LA standards for kindergarten into a Google Document.  I thought that in celebration of starting a new grade, I would share it with others that perhaps haven't compiled them yet.  (I mean, all I did was copy/paste, but even if I save one person some clicking and a few minutes, I'll be happy.)  Here it is:

Kindergarten Common Core - LA


Anyway, wish me luck!  I'll let you know how it goes.

DIY Dry Erase - Super Simple!!

I have seen the dry erase boards made with glass photo frames and scrapbook paper, and I have been wanting to make them.  Finally, I did, and they turned out sooooo cute.  
I found some cheap glass frames from Big Lots (2 for $5), but they didn't have any cute scrapbook paper, so I waited until I found some paper that I liked.  On a random trip to Walmart, I found the perfect paper.  I got 2 sheets of 12X12 peach colored glitter paper for 97 cents!  I traced the paper from inside the frame on the back of the glitter paper.  I cut the glitter paper and put it in the frame.  DONE.  Now that is the kind of DIY project I like!

They cost me a total of $6.00 and I love them.  I was a little concerned that the dry erase marker might not come off that well, but it comes off very easily! 

I am planning on hanging them near my writing station with some circular, light blue dry erase peel and stick wall clings that I also got from Big Lots.  I am hoping to let students use these boards to share some of their creative writing ideas.  

Homemade Granola

After reading this recipe on Hungrygirl.com, I was inspired to make my own homemade granola.  To my surprise, it came out awesome!  I am always searching for healthier and lower calorie foods, but my fiance always prefers the full-fat and less healthy options.  However, I made this granola, and before I could eat more than a handful, my fiance had demolished the whole batch!  I think that says a lot for the recipe!!!


I did not follow the recipe exactly as it is written on Hungrygirl.com.  I could not find any puffed rice cereal, so I used only puffed wheat cereal (and it was sweetened).  I used the Great Value brand called Honey Crunch puffed wheat cereal.  I also used quick oats since it wasn't specified in the recipe (I don't think it really matters).  Anyway, here is the recipe that I created.


Ingredients:
1 cup quick oats
1 cup puffed wheat cereal
5 tablespoons sugar free syrup
raisins (as much as you like)
1 apple (I used a Granny Smith)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup water
Cinnamon 
Sugar (or sweetener like Splenda or Truvia)


Directions:


Basic Granola
1.  Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. 
2.  Combine the first three ingredients in a mixing bowl.
3.  Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and then transfer the oats/cereal mixture onto the pan.  Spread the mixture out in a thin layer.
4.  Cook the granola for 35 minutes.
5.  Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and let the granola cool on the pan.


Dried Apples
6.  Adjust the oven temperature to 250 degrees.
7.  Meanwhile, combine the water and the lemon juice in a bowl.
8.  Cut the apple into thin slices.  The thinner, the better.  If you want, you can core them.  I left the cores in the apple and just removed the seeds.  As you slice them, place the slices in the lemon juice and water.  
9.  Let the apples soak in the water for about 8 minutes. 
10.  Remove and lay them out onto a cookie sheet.
11.  Mix cinnamon and sugar in a small dish and sprinkle (to your liking) on the apple slices.
12.  Place the apples into the oven for about an hour or until they are fairly dry and brown.
13.  Remove the apples and lift each one so that they won't stick as they cool.


Finish the Granola
14.  Transfer the basic granola into a bowl.
15.  Add the raisins and dried apples.
16.  Mix and enjoy!

Tabata Rounds - 2 Cardio, 1 Core Strength, 2 Cardio, 1 Core Strength

I tried a new workout at home this morning.  It got my heart rate up pretty well and worked my core!  I got the workout from Lindsay at theleangreenbean.com.  She called it  Rev and Recover Tabata Workout, which I thought was pretty appropriate.  The hardest thing was that there are no rests in between, so it was difficult to keep the timer right.


Round 1 (20 seconds on/10 seconds rest of each x 4)
Burpees
Scissor Jumps



Round 2 (20 seconds on/10 seconds rest of each x 4)
Reverse Lunges
Squat Jumps



Round 3 (20 seconds on/10 seconds rest of each x 4)
Russian Twists
Leg Lifts



Round 4 (20 seconds on/10 seconds rest of each x 4)
Mountain Climbers
Push Ups with Donkey Kicks



Round 5 (20 seconds on/10 seconds rest of each x 4)
Line Jumps
Side to Side Shuffles


Round 6 (20 seconds on/10 seconds rest of each x 4)
Reverse Crunch with lift
Bicycle Crunches (Lindsay has toe touches here, but I wasn't sure what she meant by that so I just did bicycle crunches)


This took about 24 minutes altogether.  It got my heart rate up to about 160 - 180 during the tabata rounds.  Not too bad.  :)


I finished with some lunges with light weight, bicep curls, tricep extensions, light weight dead lifts, and calf lifts.  Decent full body workout for a short amount of time and completed at home.  

1, 2, 3 Magic

1, 2, 3 Magic is a procedure for classroom discipline.  It was recommended to me by a fellow teacher who had seen great results from it in a fourth grade classroom.  The basic ideas behind it is very much common sense, and I think that is why it works. It emphasizes no arguing, discussing, or "adult tantruming" with children when they are exhibiting disruptive behavior.  The kids get three chances before taking a "timeout" for 5 minutes.  I really like the idea of them getting three chances (in the form of one word warnings), but the idea of a timeout makes me very nervous.  With my background in Applied Behavior Analysis, I know that many behaviors are maintained by escape.  The students don't want to do the work so they act out and escape or delay the task.  That is the last thing that I want to do, so if I am going to use 1, 2, 3 Magic, I am going to have to come up with a timeout that is less desirable than the tasks at hand.  I am thinking about having them fill out a "poor choice form" during this time.  Hopefully, filling out one of these would be less fun than whatever activity we are doing in the "time-in" situation.  Click here to get the poor choice form I made for free.


I am also wondering if it is possible to use the 1, 2, 3 Magic program with a clip chart?  I love the idea of letting kids clip up as well as clip down.  Has anyone out there used both together?  If you have and would like to give me some ideas/advice, that would be great!  I gladly welcome any ideas!!!


I am really big into positive reinforcement, but I do understand the need for consequences as well (why I like the 1, 2, 3 Magic procedure).  I want the biggest part of my discipline procedures to be positive reinforcement, so I am debating on exactly how to use the 1, 2, 3 Magic program in my room.  I was thinking about a classroom economy (I used one with my kindergarteners last year, and it worked really well), but I am wondering if it will be too complicated for my first year in fourth grade.  I have also seen some great ideas on Pinterest, like the idea of Sparklers from Mrs. McHaffie's blog.  I just can't make up my mind yet!  I better be figuring things out quickly...I only have a few weeks until school starts!  Wahoo!  :)

Tabata Rounds

Today I wanted to try another workout.  After searching around on the internet, and not finding anything I could wanted to do at home (felt kinda lazy about driving to the gym).  I wanted something that would get my heart rate up fast but not use a lot of weight or moves that I am not 100% sure how to do.  Some of the exercises seemed too complicated while others seemed like I would just get hurt doing them.  So....I decided to combine some different Tabata workouts for a quick, heart-pumping workout.  Here it is:




Warm Up:  10 minutes running


Tabata (20 seconds on and 10 seconds rest for each exercise)


Set 1:
High Knees (or Stationary Run)
Mountain Climbers


Repeat 3 more times for a total of 4 minutes.


Rest for 1 minute.



Set 2:
Seal Jacks
Plank Jacks


Repeat 3 more times for a total of 4 minutes.


Rest for 1 minute.



Set 3:
Skater Jumps
Plank to Push-up


Repeat 3 more times for a total of 4 minutes.


Rest for 1 minute.



Set 4:
Burpees
Mountain Climbers


Repeat 3 more times for a total of 4 minutes.


Rest for 1 minute.


Cool down:  5 minute Run/Walk/Jog 


My inspiration for this workout came from ThePostGame.  Check out this site for a video and great explanations for most of these workouts.  This workout left me feeling pretty tired and my heart rate was way up.  It was an effective 35 minute workout.

Fractured Fairy Tales

The best thing about going back to an older grade is being able to do a fractured fairy tale  unit.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE fairy tales, and I love fractured fairy tales even more.  They are so creative and inspire kids to use their imaginations and have fun with writing.  I personally enjoy doing fractured Cinderella stories.  There are so many GOOD examples of fractured Cinderella stories.  Bigfood Cinderrrrella, Cinder-Edna, Bubba the Cowboy Prince, and Dinorella are a few of my favorites.  To assist with the writing process, I have created a graphic organizer that highlights all the important elements of a Cinderella fractured fairy tale.  This is great for prewriting.  I also have a PowerPoint that I used as I had my second graders (when I did this two years ago) complete the organizer.  Using both of these tools and reading a lot of great examples (as mentioned before), my kids wrote AMAZINGLY creative, detailed fractured Cinderella stories.  

To see either of this products, check out my TpT store.  

If you are interested in either of these, head on over to my TpT store and download a copy of either, or both!  


I also really like to connect EVERYTHING to fairy tales when I do my unit.  Below you will see some images of math related materials that I created when I taught second grade.  

Fairy Godmother Glyph

Fairy Tale - Plot the Points 

Map of Far Away Land

These are just a few of the fairy tale downloads at my TpT store.  I hope you find them helpful!  

Daily 5

I did a project on Daily 5 for my master's program last semester and fell in love.  It was too late in the year to go all out with my kindergarteners by the time I had a good grasp on it, but I did incorporate some elements.  This year, I will be moving to fourth grade and will be implementing a full Daily 5 model.  I am super pumped and I can't wait to see how it goes, but I am still a little nervous.  I'm changing grades, changing schools, and changing my teaching model.  Whew!  Anyway, to start, I have created a recording sheet to help my kids track where they have been each day.  If you are interested, head on over to my teacherspayteachers store and get a FREE copy.  Watch out for other Daily 5 materials that I hope to create as we get closer to the start of school.  Enjoy!  (Oh, and feel free to leave comments or suggestions for things you do with the Daily 5 that perhaps a first time user should know!!)

HIIT Run

I am really beginning to enjoy HIIT workouts.  I decided to do a HIIT run that I made up using this infographic as a guide.

This infographic is awesome.  It really sums up a lot of information about these workouts that are so new to me.  I used the section on the Little Method to come up with this workout.

Time (in minutes)                     Speed (in mph)

0 - 3                                            6

3:00 - 4:00                                  9.5

4:00 - 4:15                                  6

4:15 - 5:15                                  9.5

5:15 - 6:30                                  6

6:30 - 7:30                                  9.5

7:30 - 8:45                                  5.5

8:45 - 9:45                                  9.5

9:45 - 11:00                                5.5

11:00 - 12:00                              9.8

12:00 - 13:15                              5.5

13:15 - 14:15                              9.5
14:15 - 15:30                              5.5
15:30 - 16:30                              9.8
16:30 - 17:45                              5.5
17:45 - 18:45                              9.0
18:45 - 20:15                              5.5
20:15 - 21:15                              9.8
21:15 - 22:30                              5.5
22:30 - 23:30                              9.8
23:30 - 24:45                              5.0
24:45 - 25:45                              9.5
25:45 - 27:00                              5.0
27:00 - 28:00                              9.8
28:00 - 29:15                              5.5
29:15 - 30:00                              5.0


The intervals may seem a little sporadic, and that's because they are!  I wanted to push myself during the high intensity intervals, so I sort of changed it as I went along.  Sometimes I even went up to 10 mph, but it was never for the whole minute, so I just left that out.  For this interval training, I decided I was going to go over 9 mph during my high interval sections (depending on how I felt) and between 5.0 and 6.0 mph for the moderate intensity.  I felt like this was a pretty good workout and I think I ran about 3 3/4 miles.  It definitely kept me from getting bored!!!!  

Class Yoga

I always start my school day with a class meeting.  I love my morning meeting time, especially because of all the "good news" I get to hear.  I give my students a time where they can share one good thing or something they are excited about/looking forward to.  Everyone gets a turn if he/she wants to share.  This is an awesome time for me to get to know my students better, and for them to get to know one another a bit better.  It is also the perfect time to practice whole body listening and being polite.  I usually stop the person who is sharing and wait if there is someone who is talking.  Then apologize to the student and let them continue.  I also always choose my next "good news sharer" based on who was demonstrating wonderful whole body listening skills.  


After this, I always go over the schedule and the objectives for the day.  This gives the students an idea of what is coming up and when.  I don't know about you, but I do a whole lot better when I know what is going to happen next.  I like to know the schedule and keep track of where I am in the day.  I just helps me function a little bit better, so I think providing and discussing the schedule helps the students as well.  


I am thinking of adding something for my morning meeting in fourth grade.   I have been reading about the benefits of yoga for children.  The mental, emotional, and physical well-being of children can be positively influenced by the use of yoga.  Because of this, I am wanting to try some yoga at the beginning of each day to start us all off on a good note.  I am hoping that it will help to focus the students and get both sides of the brain connected and working.   It would be nice to have a repertoire of yoga movements/poses to pull from, while most days still having a set routine.  My plan as of now, is to start the year by teaching several poses or stretches to the kids, give it a name, and perhaps have a drawn symbol.  Then, I will use those movements to create a routine that we will use for a couple of weeks.  I will probably have to change it every few weeks so that the kids never get too bored with it.  Anyway, this is my plan for now, and I'll let you know if I come up with any better ideas or changes.  Once I get some yoga routines made or symbols for the movements, I might post them here or on my TpT store.  Also, any advice or ideas would be greatly appreciated! 

FYI and Today's Workout

I just wanted to let everyone know that although I posted all of these workouts in one day, I did not do them all in one day.  I have been trying them out over the past few days.  :)  I'm not that motivated!!!


Today, I wanted to focus more on strength and less on cardio.  I started my workout with 5 times up and down the stairs in my house to warm up.  I then took a brisk, short walk up and down a couple hills in my neighborhood (maybe a 5 to 10 minute walk).  


When I got back, I did the following workout (I kind of just made it up after reading a few different ideas and watching some people at the gym):


20 Squat Sweeps
30 Lunges each leg (with five pound weights in each hand)
30 Calf Raises (with five pound weights in each hand)
1 minute Wall Sit
100 Jumping Jacks
1 minute Wall Sit
40 Squats with 20 pound weight
30 Lunges each let (with five pound weights in each hand)
30 Calf Raises (with five pound weights in each hand)
20 Squat Sweeps


Then I did a butt workout from this website.

(I used a 20 pound weight for the first exercise.  If you go to the website, each picture will show you the move over and over again.  Helpful!)


Cool down:


5 times up and down the stairs again.
Light Stretching.


Verdict:  My legs were pretty tired during the wall sits, but it wasn't too difficult overall.   The end was harder, and the 5 times up and down stairs at the end was a little difficult for my legs.  Decent workout, but tomorrow I will be able to tell how much it worked out my thighs and butt compared to my usual gym leg workout of squats (115 pounds) and lunges.

Tabata?

Okay, Tabata is also very new to me.  4 minutes and that's it?  I find that hard to believe.  So I found one, and decided to give it a shot.  The good thing is, it is only 4 minutes so if you don't like it, it isn't like you wasted your time.

Here is what I did:

Verdict:  It was HARD.  You push yourself so hard for the 20 seconds that it definitely gets your heart rate up pretty high.  It was short, so it wasn't too painful.  Do I think it burns as many calories as a 40 - 60 minute run???  Probably not, but I really wish it did.  This would be a great morning workout!!  I am not a doctor or a fitness expert, so honestly that is just a feeling guess that it isn't as effective as a long run.  However, it would still definitely be a great workout for days when you are short on time (or oversleep!).

Anyone have any ideas/comments about Tabata?  I am just learning so any help for advice would be greatly appreciated.  :) 

My First HIIT Workout

I have just starting learning about HIIT workouts.  So far I have only tried one.  


Here is the HIIT workout I tried at home.  It is the HIIT workout designed by Jessica Smith.  The site is extra helpful because it shows you how to do each exercise properly.  This specific workout alternates between a minute of high intensity and two minutes of moderate intensity.  With this kind of workout, it is suggested that you only do it a couple of times a week, or if you are in great shape three times a week.  

5 minute warm up (I went for a short jog outside)


Interval:
1 minute lateral burpees
2 minutes jumping jacks
1 minute mountain climbers
2 minute high knee march
1 minute squat sweep
2 minute toe jacks


Repeat the interval set for a total of 2 or 3 times.


Cool down (I went for another short jog and then stretched)


This HIIT workout was more intense than I thought.  It killed my shoulders and core while I was doing it.  I really thought I would have no problem getting through the workout three times because I feel like I am in decent cardio shape.  I have to admit, I only got through it twice.  Each interval section is 9 minutes, so two times gives you 18 minutes and three gives you 27 minutes.  


The ten minutes of warm up/cool down plus the 18 minutes of intervals seemed to be a decent workout for the morning.  My whole body was sore by the evening (okay, shoulders, chest, back, hips, and core...close enough?).  Does anyone have much experience or advice with HIIT workouts?  

Intense Running Workout

Here is a workout that is awesome and it is done within a half hour.  However, you do need a treadmill, which for me means going to the gym.  It is tough, but you feel awesome when you are done.  (Sometimes I have to decline the incline for level 10 - it is really tough).  The workout comes from pbfingers.com.  I love this blog - if you haven't visited this site, you NEED to.  Here she has a list of treadmill workouts for beginners and more advanced runners.  Here is the workout I used from this website: 

This one is really, really difficult and it will make you feel so proud of yourself if you do it.  I am planning on doing it again tomorrow.  Wahoo!  It is also nice because you start out walking (although walking on 4 for me is hard because I have really short legs).  Push yourself and give it a shot!!!

Welcome!

Summer is the best time of the year, and the worst time of the year.  I love, love, love the weather and getting to sleep in.  Getting a chance to get things done at my own pace is pretty awesome, too.  However, I miss my job and spend most of my free time thinking about how I want my classroom to look, my schedule to flow, and my management plan.  I have only taught for three years.  My first two years were spent in second grade, and then I was moved to kindergarten.  I loved both kindergarten and second grade (and my school!), but in March of this past year, my boyfriend of 5 years proposed.  It was an awesome proposal - Meet the Parents style.  He came into my school (some how everyone kept a secret), got me out of the room (with the help from some other teachers), gave each of my students a letter (or an exclamation point), and arranged them so it read "Marry Me Lee Ann!!!!!!!!!!!!"  

I have never been so shocked in my life, and I thought it was going to be impossible for him to surprise me.  I guess he showed me!  Anyway, my fiance lives about two hours away and we decided that after four years of living apart we should live in the same city again.  :)  I started searching hard for jobs in his city and spent a lot of time driving around and personally handing my resumes to principals.  I'm sure you all know how hard it is to get a teaching job right now!  I was prepared to sub, work as an instructional assistant, or even work at Target.  This wouldn't be my dream, but I would be with the person I love.  I prayed and prayed and hoped that God would put me where he wanted me.  About a month ago, I was hired as a fourth grade teacher at a school in town.  I am so excited!  


Now I am trying to build up my classroom library for upper level readers, learn about fourth grade curriculum, create my management plan, think about setting up my classroom (aka wasting spending a TON of time on Pinterest), finish moving, and coming up with a good workout plan.  I love teaching, but during the school year it demands a lot of time and energy.  For the last three years, I would get up early, drive 45 minutes to work, work all day, stay late and plan/grade, drive 45 minutes back, and go straight to the gym before going home.  That worked for me then because it was a small town and I didn't have too much else to do.  However, now that I live in the same city as my fiance I would like to be able to spend more evening time with him and some of our friends that live here (while still spending enough time at school planning and grading).  My goal for this year is to workout before I go to work.  This is going to be difficult for me, so I want to have a plan that is going to allow me to be successful.  I like to run, but I don't want to run in a dark neighborhood; most of the school year it will be dark at the time when I would be able to run.  Also, I want to do some strength training.  I could go to the gym, and that is still my backup plan; however, I have started looking into interval training (HIIT and some circuit training) that is time efficient and challenging.  I'm going to try to figure something out to help me be successful, and hopefully this blog will help.


I am going to use this blog to work through the challenges of fitness, teaching, and life in general.  I do know if anyone will find this interesting or helpful, but I am doing this for me.  I hope others can find inspiration or at least can commiserate with me on this blog.  This is my second attempt at a blog, and I hope it goes a little bit better than the last one.  I'm going to try to do better!