Hard Work #SOL16

Silence.

two heads huddle close -

whispering and sharing,

helping and suggesting.

Pencils scraping the paper.

Fingers tapping the keyboard.

My students are busy writers.

Laundry - #SOL16

Laundry

"Why?" you ask. 

Well, it's never ending. 

There always seems to be a pile 

of laundry somewhere - 

in a basket in a bedroom, 

on the floor in the bathroom, 

piled by the washing machine, 

stuck in the dryer waiting to be folded, 

in a basket patiently waiting to be put away, 

it's never finished, 

it's always waiting,

Laundry.

Bedtime #sol16

I was looking for inspiration for my Slice today, and I looked at the link provided by the Two Writing Teachers. Looking at the different topics in the wordle, I honed in on bedtime. That word immediately conjured up sweet memories, both from my childhood and as a parent.

When I was little and bedtime rolled around, I would stand in front of my dad, stepping on his feet. He would hold my hands, and we would walk together, my feet on top of his. Every step he took, I took. We moved around the house checking to make sure the doors were locked. Then we'd go to my room and lay down on my bed. We would read. I know we read many, many books, but we had a few favorites: Eloise at the Plaza, the Teeny Tiny Woman, and Madeline. He read to me until I was old enough to read to him. Often I remember him snoring away before the story was finished.

When my children were young, we would snuggle up in their beds at night. They would pick out three books. We read these together, and my daughter would often "read" to us. She had the books memorized. When they got older I read chapter books with them. I can remember reading Holes with my son and both of us staying up later than we should have because we were so entranced with the story - just one more chapter is what was often said.

These are sweet memories for me. My father is now 85 and cannot read to himself anymore because of macular degeneration. Although he listens to books on tape and my mother reads to him, he misses it terribly. My children are almost grown, one 17 and one 21. Although we don't read books together anymore, they both have a love of reading and always have a book of some type going.

Rituals and reading - both bring back sweet memories.

Feeling Bad #SOL16

There have been students out of my class because of the flu and a stomach bug over the last two weeks. I don't usually catch things, but this morning I woke up and knew I'd caught the bug. Fortunately, I didn't catch the flu, but the stomach bug. It's been a long time - my sweet daughter took care of me today, while I lay in bed and watched an entire season of Project Runway. I wanted to make sure I posted my slice, but it's short and sweet. Back to bed I go.

South Africa Country of Study Celebration SOL#16

The excitement is palpable.

Children running around.

Parents helping set-up.

Searching in a safari,

for the Big 5.

Elephants, lions, leopards, buffalo, and rhino.

Enter through Table Mountain,

Handmade musical instruments,

Walk through the mouth of a shark,

Painted sea scenes and research,

Dig for bones in the cave,

Listen to folktales being told,

Learn about myths and legends,

Wildlife, nature, sea life,

Traditional clothing, dance and food,

Tribal history and national symbols,

Education, sports and games,

God's Window and the Cooling Towers.

These are just a few things

Our students researched and created.

South Africa, Country of Study Celebration.

Parents, grandparents, and friends came.

They wandered from here to there,

The children were so proud

of all their hard work and learning.

All were eager to share.

The night was a big success.

South Africa, Country of Study Celebration.

Excitement in the Air SOL#16

For the last two years, our school has undertaken something called a Country of Study. We've had two teachers go visit a specific country during the summer - visiting as many sites and schools, and learning as much as they can in two weeks. During the year, each grade weaves this country into their curriculum in some way. Last year we studied Japan. This year the country is South Africa. When you walk into our building, the second grade has transformed it! You enter through Table Mountain and see beautiful artwork of animals and African instruments made by the second graders. You walk through an open shark's mouth up the stairs, while seaweed streamers hand down, and can see the research and writing the students completed on animals, posted on the sides of the stairs. At the top of the stairs set against black paper backgrounds in cubbies, are beautiful sea scenes they painted.  This is just a snippet of what the campus looks like. As you travel through the primary building, you go on a safari, looking for the Big 5. In the lunchroom, there are water filtration systems created by the third grade. My students, the fourth and fifth graders, chose different topics to study and represent - everything from history and native tribes, to education, to traditional dance and foods, to sports and games, to famous people, to tourist attractions like the Cooling Towers and God's Window, to a whole host of topics related to wildlife and nature. The students did display boards, paper mache, dioramas, used clay, paint, and so much more - even creating videos and a website. All the students will have a 15 minute time slot this afternoon to docent for their exhibit. Last year we had over 500 visitors on campus. Hopefully, today will be a big success. The students have really worked hard to create museum quality work, and now, the excitement is in the air.

Man's Best Friend SOL#16

There she sits.

Her eyes, big and round.

She watches.

She waits.

Her ears, soft and velvety.

She listens.

She hears.

Her tongue, long and pink.

She licks.

She loves to lick.

There she sits.

She's watching me.

She's waiting.

What am I going to do?

Where am I going to go?

She's always ready.

Wiggles, my pug.

Man's best friend.