school projects

I am taking one graduate class this semester called Content Area Reading.  That's fancy talk to me. Someone asked me what my content area was during orientation, and it took me a few seconds to respond with "Spanish".  Whatever happened to, "What do you want to teach?"

Anyway, we've done three projects in this class so far.  This video is the last one I did, briefly summarizing a book I had to read called 51 Wacky We-Search Reports, full of ideas of projects for kids.  What could be more appropriate than using all the creative projects my kids have done over the years?  They've had some great teachers, and these projects are what they remember most.  (OK, so there are some Halloween costumes thrown in there, too, but they went along with an egypt unit study and children's books.)

Taking this class has been inspiring.  I'm still the one sitting in class wondering what the heck they're talking about when they use words like paradigm, pedagogy, and scaffolding techniques.  But we've been reading lots of great picture books I can't wait to read to my own kids at night, plus I am getting to observe some real middle school Spanish classes!  The teachers I've sat in on are amazing,  hard working, creative,  and willing to share everything they've learned over the years with me.  I've still got a long way to go, but so far, I'm enjoying being a student again.

maymont in winter

I think Maymont will always be our favorite playground.

Even in winter, it's beautiful.

Another New Year's resolution...get these four kids outside more.  I think the blog makes it look like we're outside a lot, but we're not.  Just because I often imagine we're camping and hiking and having fun in nature, doesn't mean we're actually doing it.  There's always some cajoling to get these four to agree on anything, but we just need to remember that Maymont is usually the meeting point.

I'm pretty sure you're not allowed to do this.

Isn't Carmen growing up fast?  That's not allowed either!

A view from above.  They convinced Carmen and I to take the steep bamboo trail, came and rescued Carmen, then left me to fend for myself, so I stopped to take a picture.  I was really glad to have my camera back around my neck.  With my new iPhone, I often decide not to bring the big camera, then I forget to take the pictures!  

JP's pretty good about taking pictures with his phone (since it's always attached to his hand....).  Some of them are even better than the ones taken with the real camera!

This one never gets old.  Carmen can't even remember the last time she went across these stones.  We definitely need more trips to Maymont this spring.

Looking up.  This is the part that always scares me.  They scurry up these steep and jagged rocks, and I stay at the bottom hoping and praying.

Is that angry bird looking at me?

We had a quick little picnic at the top of this trail.

I told them not to do this.  I thought I'd document them not listening to me one more time.

I didn't even bother to tell him not to do this.

last minute valentines

I know it's March, but this blog is like our family scrapbook.  We've used it to reminisce and for school projects...instead of searching loads of digital pictures, we simply search the blog.  So in that spirit, I'm late sharing our valentines.

Two of the kids have aged out of valentines.  And one of those was pretty bummed about that.  Can you guess who?

But Diego still needed to make 22.  And Carmen also had to make 17.  And then, literally on the day of my own class's party, I decided to make 18 for my two-year-olds.  What kind of teacher doesn't give valentines to her own class?

Carmen's were a two step process.  She had painted some red, purple, and pink circles all over some paper for fun one day.  I decided to cut that into hearts and then drew these cute little bears to deliver them.  These are the same bears that were at her first birthday.

Diego's valentines were a little harder.  Our first idea bombed.  I had printed off some from the internet, and all he had to do was write his name and who they were to.  I had left it all out on the table for him to do while I was at work, and he did.  But when I got home, I saw that he had written his name in the "to:" spot.  What?  I just couldn't have him give those out.  Plus, we decided we didn't like them that much.  

Plan B.

The same ninjas Joaquin had made in fifth grade.  But we didn't have the time to draw and color all of those at 7pm the night before.  And brilliant Isabela simply offered, "You could make a stamp."

And so we did.

Using craft foam, I just cut it out a ninja shape and pressed it onto our ink pad.  I traced it, Diego wrote who it was to and Daddy cut the slits for the fighting stick.  With that team effort, we knocked them out just a little past bedtime.

And then the next morning, I had Carmen paint her hand  blue 18 times! Pete the Cat is my class's favorite book right now so I was pretty sure these would be a hit.  I ended up writing, "It's all good, valentine!" on them, and they were finished at school by party time. 

 Whew!  For a brief minute, I hated valentine's day.  But then they were finished, and we were all in love again.  

We'll try not to wait so long next year.

ps.  It was Joaquin that was bummed about not making valentines this year!  I told him to make them for family and send them out.  Did you get one in the mail?  I guess he didn't go for that.