"There's NO dancing because it's not Funky Friday!"

I would like to start my post today by saying that the above quote is absolutely not true...a kiddo said this because another student was wildly dancing and flailing his arms in line instead of walking. I'm glad to see that the Funky Friday dance party theme is sticking. Last Friday we invited Room H (our next door neighbors) in to enjoy our Justin Bieber Funky Friday. Our sharing during our Morning Meeting was, "If Justin Bieber walked in to our room I would...". We had responses everywhere from screaming to saying nothing to pretending to sleep. There is an unprecidented joy that circulates throughout our room on Funky Friday. Don't worry, we are going to listen to a wide variety of artists and genres on Fridays, not just teeny-bopper music.

Yesterday and today we have continued to practice working in small groups. This is the time of the year when our routines and expectations start to click. This is exciting because it allows us to start some serious learning time! It's also refreshing to hear students redirect and remind their peers. ("Remember we walk in our hallway." or "Please show five, we won't start without you.") We learned how to play a new math game yesterday and practiced again today. It's called Fill Five and the purpose is to fill all five towers with beans. This game is exciting for the kids because: 1. It's a game. 2. You get you use beans! (Seriously, they're simple beans you can buy in the grocery store but oh so exciting!) This game requires students to practice to skill of "counting on". They start at a number and count on like this, "Start at 5. 5...6...7...8." This is a very tricky skill but one that is slowly starting to catch on. It's entertaining and exciting to watch our kiddos learn together and help each other out!

We learned more about bullying behavior this week. First, we learned that bullying is a choice. Just because someone chooses that behavior it doesn't mean they are a bad person; they can always choose a better choice. We also learned that bullying is repeated. If someone pushes them at recess one day that's not bullying. If they do it everyday even after the student asked them to stop however, that is bullying. We also learned what it means to be a bystander. This is someone who sees or knows about bullying but does nothing to stop it. We had some very meaningful role play regarding this issue. I would role play a situation about bullying, stop in the middle, and ask "What can this person do to help?" This is such an interactive and meaningful way to teach about this topic. I am blown away by the responsiveness and the  focus the kiddos show. You can continue this conversation at home too! You could even role play a situation that your student is struggling with! If you need help setting it up, please let me know I'd be more than happy to help!

Tomorrow we are returning to Kordiak Park in search of perfect fall leaves! Hopefully it won't be a hurricane!