"This is the best day of my life!"

Give your students permission to wear the pajamas, bring their stuffed animals, and eat lots of candy and you have one happy classroom! Thursday was an absolute joy in every way. We started our day with a read in (Thanks to Josiah's dad, Keri, for joining us!). We chose a cozy spot in our room to read and hang out with our blankets, stuffed animals, and friends. We then celebrated our hard work by watching "The Emporer's New Groove" with the entire first grade! I'm not sure who liked the movie more...the kiddos or me. It was so uplifting to listen to the kids giggle and laugh. When we returned from lunch, we finished our gingerbread glyphs and played with gingerbread play dough that I made for each of the kiddos. I forgot how magical play dough is to kids! We played for a long time! It was wonderful to see all of the kids playing together-even the ones who do not usually interact together. We ended our day by munching on some popcorn, carrots, and grapes and then cleaning our room so it is ready for us to come back after break.

Not only was it a great week, but it has been an exciting, silly, and happy school year so far! I wish you and your families the very best winter break and holiday season!

Look at our miracle pumpkin now!!

"It's the holiday's so we have to let the light from our heart shine!"

This week is flying by, and it's no surprise with everything happening! We started Tuesday morning by admiring everyone's snazzy outfits. On Monday I suggested that the kiddos wear something nice for our Tuesday performance at Crestview. Well, these kiddos took me seriously! Everyone was dressed their best and were ready to sing and perform. It was absolutely darling. Our bus ride to Crestview was very short so we arrived and started singing right away. It is always interesting to watch the transformation these kiddos go through here. They start extremely shy and quiet...but by the end, we have to tear them away from their new friends that they made. All of our hard work paid off because our singing was beautiful. I was so impressed at how bold and kind the kiddos were as they ventured through the audience to mingle with the residents. Now I remember why this is my favorite day of the entire year. When we returned to Highland, we had a long discussion about our experience. This is what we have concluded:
1. Sometimes people need help doing things. Young or old, we all need help.
2. Even though these people are "really really old" they still might like Spiderman and the things kids like.
3. It makes us feel good to help them and make them happy.

Throughout the rest of Tuesday and into Wednesday we continued discussing our winter holidays that are quickly approaching (Eid is already over, ooops!) and enjoyed reading books about gingerbread people. Today, (Wednesday) we started working on our gingerbread glyph. This is a project that tells about the person making it. For example, if you are a girl you put pink eyes on your gingerbread person. If you are 6 you make a red nose. We also started comparing the different gingerbread books we have been reading. One of our favorites was reading a book about the Hawaiian gingerbread man. We noticed many similiarities even though the stories are from two different cultures. These were not the only project we worked on in these past two days. We have been making a super secret surprise for our families and we are done and ready to take them home tomorrow! You are going to love it!

We are all looking forward to pajama day (I think I am the most!) and a popcorn party tomorrow. And of course, winter break too!


Books We Read Today:

The Gingerbread Man - Jann Brett
The Gingerbread Girl - Lisa Campbell Ernst
The Gingerbread Pirates - Kristen Kladstrup
The Musubi Man: A Hawaiian Gingerbread Story - Sandi Takayama
   **(THANK YOU FOR THE BOOK MARCIA O'DUGGAN!)

"It's Gingerbread house day! I've been waiting my whole life for this!"

 I think these pictures speak for themselves. We had a crazy, sugary, candy-filled, frosting-coated day!

"My wish for the whole world is that you are pregnant, Ms. Carlberg!"

Hmm, we had a discussion about our wishes for the world today. I started by sharing that my wish was for everyone to have a safe, peaceful home. We continued around our circle and I was so humbled by the wishes: food for everyone, pets for everyone because they make us laugh, cooperation, money to buy food, water, houses...and then comes the wish about me being pregnant... When I asked why this kiddo responded, "Well because I want to see how round your belly is and what your baby looks like." I laughed to the point of tears and then was at a loss for words...how can you recover from that? Needless to say, this wasn't the only silly and funny moment we had today.

We have continued this week working with patterns in math but also learning how to use the number line to help us do addition and subtraction problems. We have learned how to read a number model (4+7=__) and then make "hops" on the number line to solve it. We can even solve subtraction problems this way! When I say "hop" on the number line, this is what I mean:

We also started working on our "Super Secret Holiday Surprise" yesterday! We have all taken a vow of silence in order to prevent anyone from sharing the surprise before winter break starts. The kiddos are all very excited about it and working hard. I know you will all love it!


We continued our Holidays Around the World celebration today with Mrs. Bergman. She taught us about the Saint Nicholas (Christmas) tradition, how it originated in Germany, and how a pickle is involved. Ask your kiddo about it, they would be thrilled to tell you!




Books We Read Today:
Penguins by Liz Pichon
Sheila Rae the Brave by Kevin Henkes (Thanks for the Christmas present Brandon!)


Interesting Tidbits From Our Day:
"Aww, Ms. Carlberg if you're not going to have a baby now, when are you going to have one? After winter break?!"

"Sometimes when I eat too much at lunch, I feel like my booty is all jello-ey."

"Ms.Carlberg, I saw santa this weekend. He's for real. No, Ms. Carlberg, I mean like for real for real!"

As the holidays approach I can't believe how the time flies! (Last week I only posted once, so sorry for those looking for more updated information!) We have been extremely busy in first grade, but we have also been working hard and having fun!

We have started Unit Three in math and have had a blast exploring patterns not only with shapes, but also with numbers on the hunderds chart, colors, sounds, and even music! Every sound we hear is turned into some type of melody, rhythym, or pattern. (I love it for two reasons: 1. The kiddos are picking up the concept of patterns. 2. This is exactly how my brain functions so it's perfect for me too!) We have enjoyed having time in the morning and at quiet time to use our pattern blocks to explore! Today we started using dominoes! We played Domino Top It and had a great time counting and playing together. Here are a few pictures from our math adventures.

On Friday we celebrated all we have learned in Read Well by having a Read-In! Kiddos brought in blankets and pillows and we all got cozy and enjoyed reading together. Usually everyone has a specific job to do during our Read Well time but on Friday they got to choose what they wanted to do (computer, classroom library, skill work, bingo, or indpendent reading). Not only was this fun for the kids and for the teachers (because we got to hang out and read with the kids too) but it was also an awe-inspiring lesson about cooperation, sharing, and empathy. I was worried when some kids brought in blankets and were so proud and protective over them...I thought it would create some drama. I should have known, however, that these kiddos were not only willing to share but also gave up some time with their things so that others could have a turn. How selfless! I am lucky to spend each day with, and to learn from, these amazing kids!

Today we started our Holidays Around the World celebration! (This is one of my absolute favorite parts of the year!) Room F kids went into Mrs. Cahlander's room and learned all about Hanukkah. They learned how to play the dreidel game, where the holiday started from, and all the intricate details about it. It was fun to hear their stories about the holiday and to hear what they learned. Tomorrow they will visit another first grade teacher to learn about another holiday.

Books We Read Today:

The Best Little Monkeys in the World- Natalie Standiford
The Mouse and the Motorcycle- Beverly Cleary


Interesting Tidbits from our Day:
"I can't stop wiggling! I'm too out of control! HELP!"

"My teeth hurt...I think they're growing... will they grow out of my mouth like a beaver?!"

"Are you, Mrs. Cahlander, and Ms. Harper sisters? Because you all laugh REALLY loud..."

Our day started out a little silly today and I think I know why...

We found these wonderful sunglasses and had a blast wearing
them throughout the day.

We had some tired kiddos this morning! We spent the morning relaxing while reading during Read Well. it was hard for most of us to stay awake actually! We started learning about a new sound today- "sh". We also learned what the word shivering meant and had a really fun, creative time showing each other what we look like when we shiver....some looked like dance moves, others looked like kids spiraling out of control, but it's all good.

We took our Unit Two math test and I'm happy to report all of the things we know!
-Tell time to the nearest hour and draw the hands on the clock to show that hour.
- Read a graph and answer questions about it.
- Count nickels and pennies.
- Count on using our fingers
- Make groups of 8
- Make groups of 10
Tomorrow we start Unit Three that focuses on patterns and the hundred chart.

We started our study of snowpeople this week. (Formerly known as snowmen, but to be fair to the ladies, we call them snow people) We began by reading, Snowmen at Night! We will continue to read books about these frosty characters, then will compare and contrast them, and then at the end of the week (if we have time!) we will make our own snowpeople using marshmallows.

Our singing practice is going great! The first graders really love singing and are catching on to the songs quickly. Here we are practcing, and here is Mr. Wahlberg strumming away on his guitar.

Also, check out our Miracle Drain Pumpkin!

"I can't get out of my snowpants!"

The snow brought, yet again, more excitement and wonder today. It also brought many confused, stuck children. We had a plethora of jacket zippers that were stuck, boots that needed to be strapped on, snow pants that needed to be fixed, and random mittens finding their way to various places throughout our room. The buzz of excitement that it creates is almost magical and it's wonderful to see the kiddos so happy and intrigued. We will start our study of snow next week by reading books about snowmen, comparing and contrasting those books, and then ending our week with a project including marshmallows.

I am happy to report that we are making progress in counting nickels and pennies! We played Penny  Nickel grab today with great success. We learned why it is important to start by counting the nickels and how to use what we know about counting on to help us count our change. If you're looking for something easy to do at home with your student, have them count your pennies and nickels.

To help us learn how to use cooperation even further in our room and school communities, we learned how to play a game called "Lightning". In this game, a high five is passed around the circle while the students are timed. The purpose is to do this as quickly as possible. It is a seemingly easy concept, but sparks great discussion about cooperation, strategies, encouraging others instead of blaming them, and using self control so we don't hurt other people. Once we have mastered this, we will add more complex tasks to the game. The kiddos really enjoy getting up and playing, and I really enjoy the discussion that results from it.

Books We Read Today:

[one of my all time favorites] Scardey Squirrel - Melanie Watt
Kitten for a Day - Ezra Jack Keats
There's A Wocket In My Pocket - Dr. Seuss


Interesting Tidbits From Our Day

[after reading part of Scardey Squirrel that talks about how Scardey Squirrel is afraid of bees] "Hey, Ms. Carlberg you can't be around bees either. You and Scardey Squirrel have a connection...YOU'RE JUST LIKE A SQUIRREL!"

"I think instead of yelling at each other to pass the high five we should tap each other on the shoulder. Then we can say good job when we're done."

"Ms. Carlberg, do you know where you are? You keep saying Room H...." (Ha! Morning's aren't really my forte...)