Our first week of Advent.....so far!

Boy!  If I take a night off, you all get a photo overload to look at the next day!

Sunday began the first week in Advent, and the students are learning about how the church looks different in the different seasons of the liturgical year.  Our worship table is decked out for Advent, with it's purple cloth and Advent wreath along with the Jesse tree.

I don't actually have a wreath, but we have four candles to light and the Holy Family in the centre reminds us that Jesus is 'the reason for the season.'

When my oldest boys were in Grade One, their teacher had them make a craft each and every day in December.  He told me that Christmas belongs to children and if we couldn't celebrate Christmas everyday when we are little, then we were missing the spirit of the season.  I am hoping to live up to his expectations.  For our first craft, the students made their own candle.

Goodness!  Have you heard about Snowflake?  She arrived, all wrapped up in a parcel from the North Pole yesterday.  This morning we found out that she had started to decorate our little classroom Christmas tree.  Silly girl!

We really couldn't have these wonderful field trip opportunities without the dedicated parents and grandparents who volunteer.  Here we all are listening to our guide at the Mutant Conservatory, Keira.

We visited all four pyramids.  In the arid climate, we learned that it is the Three Kings who bring the children of Mexico their presents, and that they are left in their shoes.

The tropical pyramid had these colourful orchids,

and we learned about a Philippine Christmas tradition.

We also had to search and see if we could find the plant that matched the cards...like banana

...and coffee.

They were so darn cute, I just kept taking pictures..

These little ones really like each other,

and are kind and gentle towards each other.

I am blessed to spend each day with them!

Here's my class along with a few cuties from another Grade 1 class.  We had to have only 3 groups for the program.  We just made it work with our 4 classes!

Today's special Christmas activity was a directed drawing of Santa Claus, which then was outlined with Sharpie pen and painted with watercolours.

It was a real learning experience for some of the children that you had to put lots of water, like a puddle, into the paint circle, and that you had to only go one way with the brush, not back and forth like a crayon.

Each one had it's own personality!  They are all 'hang on the fridge' worthy!

Grade One teaches puppies to read

We read this wonderful story about a dog named Rocket, who was just minding his own business, napping under a bush, when a little yellow bird welcomes him into her classroom....and she teaches him to read, starting with the wonderful, amazing, glorious alphabet!

Rocket came to visit our class...

... and the next day, other puppies showed up.

We are pretty sure that they are friends of Rocket, who heard that we are becoming readers.

Each student agreed to take care of a puppy and the puppies come out of their kennel if they can behave, and they are learning many new things about the alphabet, the sounds of the letters, how letters go together to create words, how words are needed for reading, and how to write words.

To help the puppies out, the students labeled many things around our classroom,

and when the puppies walk about with their human friends, they get to practise reading those words.

One day this week, the puppies even helped the students write a math story about cats, because dogs really do like cats!

Here's our blast from the past! Celebrating the 50th day of school!

Last Wednesday afternoon, as part of our 50th Day of School celebration, we pushed all the desks out of the way and learned how to twist and jive and have fun dancing in the style of the past.

Can you find your little bopper in the crowd?

They were such good sports, and tried all the moves we saw on the little videos that I showed them, except for the ones where the girls were getting thrown over the boys' backs!

How low can you go?

The boys learned that dancing with girls is kind of fun!

This little guy helped me demonstrate how to twirl a girl around.

Wouldn't we all love going for a ride in a pink cadillac?

I'll want to know where these two are in about 10 years!!

(SOOOOOO CUTE!)

Waiting for a turn at bowling.

Learning how to make the hula hoop go around!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you to the mom who rescued us and took these wonderful pictures with her phone!

What a week!

Our 50th day of school was on Tuesday.  I can hardly remember the first day, how about you?

Because of the choir recording for the CBC contest, we pushed back our special celebration until Wednesday.  I forgot my camera at home AHHHH!!!!!

Good news is that a very helpful mom took photos for me and I'll put a few on the blog this week.

I know it seems that the 50's day was just a whole lotta fun,

but in reality, there was a whole lotta learning going on.

We did tons of math, lots of writing and even a little bit of craft time was thrown in for good measure!

One of the new experiences for the students was learning how to write steps or directions in correct sequence.  They can tell you how to make a root beer float!  We used the opportunity to also create a graph and you can see by the results, that almost every student in the class liked them.

Yummy!

We also had our 'new to our parish' priest come and visit.  Father Jim absolutely loves kids!

Actually he loves people, and it shows!

If you haven't met him yet, you really need to!