Empty Nests, Normal Weeks, and Critic's Corner

Oh my...it is so quiet here this rainy Sunday. The quiet of my house without my kiddos can certainly be just as deafening as a house full of rambunctious teenagers.

This is Joshua after he completed his first job interview...see the thumbs up? He got it!

And this is him, my baby boy, ready to head out to his first day of work. I dropped him off and headed home to an empty house with all of my kiddos at their very own jobs. Goodness, where does the time go? I should be trying to write this amid sounds of laughter or teenage arguments...video games or songs played too loudly...mom what's for dinner or mom can so and so come over...

If anyone has a way to slow time, please, please let me know. I am NOT ready for an empty nest! LOL...

Alright, enough whining about my impending empty nest...on to more fun things!

Mark it on your calendars, ladies and gents, because we had a full AND normal week last week! Can I get a hallelujah? I know I sure was ready to be back to some sort of structure and routine, so I can't imagine how the kids felt. 

It was busy and productive; just the way I like it!

We are truly enjoying The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. You know when you hear a chorus of, "NO! Don't stop!" while reading a book, it must be a pretty good one!

 

 

This is one of my favorite things...walking around listening to my kiddos read and discuss their thinking together. I would have let them do this all day if I didn't have to keep to a schedule!

The habitats in Mrs. Whitt's room are growing by the day! Here is one of the latest additions. Isn't he cute. :) I stopped by this weekend to get some work done and to feed this little fellow...I could have watched him for hours. 

Thank you for sharing your sweet turtle with us!

A few more additions included quite a few tiny, tiny crawfish!. They were added to the tank with the tadpole eggs  (or we are thinking possibly fish eggs) and fellow crawfish. I am curious to see how all these little fellows enjoy each other's company. And secretly, I am just wondering who will get to take all these lovelies home at the end of the year....haha.

Our kiddos got to take home the sculptures they did in art. I cannot say enough how amazing our art teacher, Mrs. Lashbrook, is with all of her kiddos. Kudos to her for sure.

Students were to combine two different animals and here are a few really cool examples...

This one is a cat and a fish...haha
catfish

Ahhh....just look at that...nothing more gorgeous than a new shelf full of books. Well, this one isn't exactly new. It is one borrowed and returned. I didn't have the heart to get rid of it, so I made room for it. It sure didn't take me long to fill it!

With over 10,000 (and growing...yes, I have a problem) books in our room, I could not make it without an awesome library assistant.

These silly boys stayed behind to help me clean one day... I think they spread more dust than they actually picked up, but goodness they are so sweet and cute...and well, I know they created a fun memory for always!

And now what you've been waiting for...

Critic's Corner!

This little cutie is the ultimate horror fiction fan, and she wants to share with you one of my all time favorite Mary Downing Hahn books!

"In Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn we meet 12 year old Molly and Michael. They have never liked their step-sister, Heather, because she makes their lives miserable. Molly and Michael try to put up with her, but it is very hard to get along with her because she is always telling lies. When Heather starts talking to a ghost, Molly feels she is in danger. My favorite character is Molly because she is fearless, and she saves Heather. I don't want to tell you how because that might spoil the ending. I loved this book because it gets you on the edge of your seat. I liked everything about it because I love horror fiction. This is one of my favorites by Mary Downing Hahn, and it was hard to beat The Doll in the Garden! I recommend this book to Emily, my best friend. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars!" ~ Genna

This is my adventure lover! He is all about survival and adventure. In all honesty, I have been meaning to share this book with you for weeks, but he asked if he could be the one to share it. I think you can tell by the smile on his face just how much he loved this story.

"Endangered by Eliot Schrefer is about Sophie, a half American and half Congolese girl. Sophie visits her Mom at her bonobo sanctuary in the Congo. On the way there, she is riding with one of her mom's workers when she sees this scrawny man leaning on a bicycle with a crate attached. Sophie was curious and yelled for the driver to stop. Sophie opens the car door and runs to the man and the baby bonobo. Sophie buys the bonobo and names him Otto. My favorite character was Otto with his cute little face and soft, kind murps. I loved this book enough that it made me cry. Plus, I'm the guy who loves adventure and survival books. I recommend this book to Georgia with her love for fast paced books. This book is definetely 5 out of 5 stars." ~Austin

This beautiful girl is our historical fiction lover! She immediately knew just which book she wanted to review and knew just which basket to pluck it from.

"Kristiana Gregory's Across the Wide and Lonely Prairie: The Oregon Trail Diary of Hattie Campbell, 1847 is  all about a girl named Hattie, and her life on the long Oregon trail with her friends and family. The ride is very long and many people die. If they didn't die, they got new land. My favorite character is Mrs. Big because she is caring to everyone, especially Hattie. The story begins with Hattie having to leave her best friends. Hattie forgets about her friends when someone in the camp steals pots and blankets. See which camper does it in Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie. I loved this book because you get to see the lives of the Lonesome families. You will love this book. I recommend this book to historical book lovers. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars." ~Olivia

Now...one from me!

Oh my how I have become a big fan of Kathi Appelt...I already shared this one with you...

My latest chapter book venture has been a precious little fantasy fiction by Kathi Appelt. I actually picked this one up for a former student because I knew that Ms. Appelt was one of her favorite authors. Then I picked it up for myself and started reading... The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp, and I am so glad that I did. This is the colorful story of the myths and legends of Sugar Man Swamp and its true blue scouts, raccoons Bingo and J'miah. Lots of beautiful language in this beauty!

You can read the entire post here. 

This weekend I finished up this beauty....

Again, this was a recommendation from my last year's Savvy...thank you sweet girl. I loved it.

Kathi Appelt has a way of weaving the past and present, her characters, many myths and legends, and amazing fantasy into one beautiful and moving story. You can't help but root for Ranger, Sabine, and Puck as they struggle to make their way back to each other after being separated from each other and the Underneath. And even more, you can't wait to see exactly how each piece will come together to be the perfect story you know it will be.

And get this...I mean just check out the illustrator...I know right....the one and only David Small. LOL...I promise you I am not a stalker, but I couldn't believe it when I saw this. You already know my love for this illustrator if you have read this, this, or this.  Again, not a stalker...I promise.

But check these illustrations out...

 

 

Ranger, Sabine, and Puck are in the last illustration, and I promise...you will be rooting for them!

This is just for fun...we got such a kick out of this video. The kids are all about Disney's Frozen right now, much like these cute parents. The dad reminded us of one of the boys in our class. :) If you need a giggle, just watch his great expression as he lip syncs. 

Well, with that I am going to say goodnight...I just picked up my boy from his first day of work, and I am off to find out all about it. Oh...and fold all the laundry I have been piling on the bed all day! Night Night...

Happy Reading, friends!

It's Friday!

As I sit here working hard to get this published on an actual Friday, I have marveled at the contrast in the pictures I edited last week as opposed to this week. Last week...wintry, snowy fun! This week...sunshine and smiles...and I love them both! Only in Arkansas!

This week

Last week 

If you haven't figured it out yet, I love linking up with Doodle Bugs for her Five for Friday linky party! It is truly one of my favorites. 

I started this week under the weather. Well, more like death warmed over, but my sweet kiddos and teammates nursed me through Monday. Tuesday...I stayed home in bed to try to nurse myself. 

While I was coughing away at home, my sweet Katie Byrd dropped by school to give me a late Valentine gift. She wasn't expecting me to be home in bed, so she made her drive in from Conway to Cabot for nothing. Although, she did get to visit with Mrs. Whitt.

Good thing Vilonia is on her way home! The new addition to our Flamingo collection. :) Thank you, Katie Byrd!    

I just have to share the sweet, sweet sunshine and the warmth it brought with it this week, but I'll let the pictures do all the sharing for me!

                                                                                        

 

 

We are a Responsive Classroom! And I LOVE that we are a Responsive Classroom!

A small piece of Responsive Classroom is our Morning Meeting. Each Morning Meeting consists of a greeting, a share, an activity, and a morning message.

Even though we were graced with sunshine and warmth, my kiddos were begging me for a snowball fight. This is one of their favorite activities!

We write our names on a blank piece of paper...wad it up....then Ready, Set, Fire! Snowballs are flying! We laugh (and control the uproar as much as possible) until I call time. 

When I call time, kiddos grab the nearest snowball and find the person to match the name written on it. Sometimes we simply greet each other, and other times I include a share. It may be something as simple as name your favorite book, or something more content driven.

Lots of movement in this activity!

We had a very rare visit by my Justin this week. He had an appointment in Cabot, so I asked him to stop by to say hello to the kiddos. Because they all hear so much about all my own kids, they usually love meeting them.

It didn't take me long to put him to work! Here he is working with a word study group!

Then later, I put him to work for me, labeling all our new books. 

How about some true randomness for you.....

These cute temporary tattoos came in our book order with the book Who Would Win? Rhino vs Hippo....so funny...

Fourth grade birthdays on Friday are always interesting but yummy!

Cleaning up my yard this afternoon, I found this big old girl. Boy did she startle me! I couldn't believe she was still out and about in February. She was easily the biggest black widow I have ever seen. I am sure that's not saying much since I have only personally seen a handful...three of them this year, but still she was honking huge, people!!

Now...let us get bookish!

You all know by now how much I enjoy sharing my love of all things BOOKS! 

Well...I got to thinking....why am I hogging all the book love? I mean the people I really want to share all the love are my kiddos. 

So I have decided that each week one or two of my lovely book lovers will share their own thoughts about their own reading in our very own Critic's Corner!

I know...what took so long, right?!

Here's to our first critics....

Critic's Corner

My sweet dystopian fan has much to share about The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau.

    "In City of Ember, we meet a girl named Lina Mayfleet and her friend, Doon Harrow. Both try to save their dying city, Ember. My favorite character was Lina Mayfleet, an energetic 12 year old girl who cares for and dearly loves her city. I liked this book because it is a fast paced book that keeps you turning pages as Lina and Doon keep discovering shocking and surprising things. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a fast paced, adventurous story. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars!" ~ Georgia

This horror fiction lover is a true fan of Mary Downing Hahn. She tells everyone she sees that she loves Deep and Dark and Dangerous!

"In Deep and Dark and Dangerous, we meet Ali. She is going on a trip with her aunt and her cousin, Emma. They go to a cabin to spend the summer, but when she meets Sissy, her summer changes. My favorite character in the book is Ali because she is always questioning and wanting new information, but she always seems clueless. I liked this book because it inspired me to read horror fiction, and I would definitely recommend it to my brother, Austin, just to scare him! I give this book 5 out of 5 stars" ~ Emma

Moving on...how about some picture book love....

We celebrated President's Day with a reading of So You Want to Be President by Judith St. George. I know this is a true blue classic that has not escaped many of you, so I am sure I am not sharing anything awfully new here. But....ahem....look at the illustrator here... Yes, that would be one Mr. David Small of past posts...including last week's post, and here and here.  Hmmm....have you noticed a pattern?  I do love this illustrator, and his images and illustrations always carry the story even further! 

We read this beautiful and informative story, giggled here and there, and then wrote all about.."If I were president for the day, I would...." Very cute stuff...of course the number one thing all of our precious fourth graders would do is get rid of or close school. Not much job security for me there. :)

Since all the fourth graders want to close the school house down, maybe I should give it a shot as president and tell them school for always!

My Teacher for President by Kay Winters is a cutie patootie! Sure makes me think I have what it takes!

My latest chapter book venture has been a precious little fantasy fiction by Kathi Appelt. I actually picked this one up for a former student because I knew that Ms. Appelt was one of her favorite authors. Then I picked it up for myself and started reading... The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp, and I am so glad that I did. This is the colorful story of the myths and legends of Sugar Man Swamp and its true blue scouts, raccoons Bingo and J'miah. Lots of beautiful language in this beauty!

With this one, I have well passed my goal to read the forty books I asked my kiddos to read this year, and honestly, so are many of them. But we all continue to spend our days surrounded by amazing books and the sweet students that love to share them! That makes for one happy teacher!

With that....I will say goodnight, friends. I am oh so tired and up way past my bedtime, and I am thinking I am really not sure that I can consider this published on Friday since it is just after 12... oh well

Happy Reading, friends!