Wildlife and room design...

     Well, I have been working long hours the past two days at school and I am not officially back unitl next week. There is just so much to do and I have put it off all summer! Bad news...I still have a long way to go in the lab. Good news...my principal approved the purchase of a wildlife cam! Does anyone have one of these at school or home? I have been googling and searching...I don't know which one to get. I haven't gone the hunter route and checked out the cameras they use, but I am heading over to the Cabela's right now. Kindergarten is starting the year with "Mysteries of the Wild" as wildlife biologists. I have ordered safari hats and binoculars. On campus, we have hawks, foxes, possums, and the occasional owl, so I thought it would be great to have a camera in a tree to capture what we don't see!
                                                                                                               

Now, I need some classroom design help...
Do I go straight with my lab tables?















Or angled?



Summer is ending... :(

     And so it begins... I need to arrange my tables (trying to decide angled or straight?), do my bulletin boards, redo some stuff on my walls, make a new so valance for my ugly blinds, reorganize cabinets and closet (which is huge!), set up everything electronic, clean tanks, set up critters (that are at my house for the summer), and finish units for first and second grade for the first 18 days of school. Only ONE week of summer left... :(

     My wonderful hubby started working on my bulletin boards! He put up the black material and layered my borders just like I wanted (and he does a much better job than me!).  I am going with black and white (dots in bloom-creative press) with a touch of color. My wonderful daughter put my new label maker to work and started labeling my cabinets. I want everything organized and labeled! Teachers grade K-3 come in once a week for an open lab time and I want supplies handy for them. I also try to maintain supplies for experiments they do in their classrooms.  

     Tables on an angle or not? I might try them straight. Last year, I had them like this and it took me a little while to get use to them (I like straight lines), but I ended up liking the arrangement. I am so not ready for summer to be over!

Mysteries of the Wild and insomnia...

What to do when you can't sleep? Work on school stuff and blog! I just finished our first kindergarten unit for the lab...see below! It will be going in my TPT store shortly...  

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mysteries-of-the-Wild-exploring-the-senses-and-nature-of-science

This is a unit that I do with my kindergartners in the science lab. I do have quite a few lab pets and we have great local wildlife. Please adapt to your local wildlife. The kids love this unit! I purchased safari hats and binoculars for them and we fully immerse in our role as wildlife biologists! We are a STEM school and our unit is fully integrated. They do math, reading, writing, social studies, and science in their classrooms also based on this theme. Our school focus for the first nine weeks in “Mystery Madness” and our kindergarten spin on this is…”Mysteries of the Wild” There are so many great books and songs to go along with this unit at the beginning of the year. My favorite books are the “Epossumondas” books (4) by Coleen Salley.  We also do a lot of bear hunting! We go on a school wide bear hunt to introduce the campus and staff to the students. We love Dr. Jean’s Bear Hunt song. And the best bear book, “The Very Cranky Bear” by  Nick Bland.  And for you techies…there are great ipad apps for the books above. J

Happy Dance! 100 Followers!

     I am doing the happy dance...I have reached 100 followers! Woo-hoo! So, in honor of my accomplishment, I am giving away my newest "Superlative Science Signs and Labels". Please visit my TPT store when you get a chance, I am working on finding new followers for my store. Thank you!


Spiders and more...

Spider by Melonheadz

Check out my latest item... "Superlative Spiders"! This is the perfect packet to complement your favorite spider literature such as "A Very Busy Spider" or "Diary of a Spider". In this packet, I also discuss "Bottle Biology". A must have book for any classroom interested in science and biology!

Also, starting tomorrow, check out Kindergarten Lifestyle. Jeannie is celebrating 1000+ followers with a freebie frenzy! My Scientist Theme Classroom Set will be available for download for one week for FREE! Check it out!

http://kindergartenlifestyle.blogspot.com

Science Notebooks

     All of my students, K-3 have a science notebook. When they fill one up, they get a new one. These are theirs to keep for reference and resources. We glue in any lab sheets (they are taught how to fold them and only glue one half of the paper so they can still open it and it does not stick out), foldables, leaves, different types of sand, soil, clay particles, etc. I also have small ziploc (snack size or smaller) bags, so they can put liquids, slime, etc in their notebook also. In the first few weeks of school, I pass out old science magazines, national geographic kids, or whatever I have on hand. They get to cut out pictures of what science means to them and make a collage on the front on their notebook. I then cover in it in clear contact paper or clear packing tape. They are so proud of their notebooks and show any guests who come in! Their favorite part is taping things in. I go through a lot of tape, but it is worth it. :) Every table has their own dispenser. I always start off with modeling my own notebook. Anytime I go to any science prefessional development or I am trying out a new experiment/investigation, it is logged in my notebook. We have tried binders, folders, spirals, and the best thing is the compostion notebook. Consider using science notebooks...it improves science inquiry skills and writing.



My science notebook...

TPT Addiction Sale!

In honor of TPT being back up (may it neve leave us for that long again!), I am throwing a sale!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Superlative-Science

How many times did I check TPT yesterday to see if it was back up? Ummm...I don't think I want to count that high! 20% off of my store! :)

P.S. This is how I feel today!

Graphic of how I feel today by http://melonheadzillustrating.blogspot.com/