Being a Teacher Mom

Last night, as I was up nursing, at 2:30 am, I came across this article.  Since then, I have seen it all over social media. 

As a new mom who recently returned to work, from maternity leave, I get it!  Before I was even pregnant, I was searching for balance in my life.  Now, with an 8 month old that search is FAR from over.  
What do you think?  Can you be a present parent and educator at the same time?

Rainy Day Busyness

There is nothing like being cooped up inside with an 8 month old.  Mind you, my 8 month old is a maniac!  He is into, in, and on everything.  One of his favorite games right now is to crawl over to the window, stand up, and pound on the glass. 
This new found game inspired me to create a version of a busy bag.

All you need is...

hair gel,  ziplocks, tape, glitter, and confetti.
I highly recommend using quality ziplocks and double bagging them (baby nails are no joke)!
Once you gather the materials, just add a generous amount of hair gel into the bag with some glitter and confetti.

Seal up the bag and tape it to a window or the floor.

Obviously, your child should be under adult supervision at all times while playing with this busy bag.

Little man loved squishing the confetti around!

And making faces at me while I tried to snap some pictures.
What have you created to keep your little one busy on a rainy day?

*$%!@ Kind of Day!

Yup!  You read that right!  It was one of those days.  You know, the first day of break when you have a To Do list a mile long that you are ready to make a dent in, and then the world happens.  I didn't know about these days in their entirety until I became a mom.  These days are no joke!  That phrase "go with the flow" was designed for days like this.  Well let me tell you, my Type A self has a hard time going with the flow. 
So after a sleepless night with a teething 8 month old, I am here to tell you 5 things I wish I knew before becoming a teacher mama...

1. Tomorrow is a new day!  As a teacher, I know that when my lesson flops I can try again tomorrow.  As a mama, I have to remember the same thing.
2. To Do lists take time.  I have always been one that loves checking things off of my list.  It makes me feel good.  I have learned that it just takes longer to get things done and that is OK.  Really, it is OK.
3. Breaks are no longer about getting stuff done.  Well, they still are to some degree.  But, breaks are for soaking up time with the babe.  There will be time to check things off of that To Do list later.
4. Love ALL the moments.  Yes, all of them, even the cruddy ones where you want to curl up in a ball and cry.  These moments fly by and you don't want to miss out on any of them.
5. SMILE!  This is one of the hardest ones for me.  I get in the thick of the chaos and I forget to smile and be present.  As a mom, your child is always watching you.  They see and sense all of your emotions.  So even when you are exhausted, just smile.  This goes for dealing with your students, too.

These may seem like no-brainers, but I really wish someone would have mentioned them to me several times while I was pregnant; no promises I would have remembered them then. 

What words of advice do you have for when your day isn't going as you planned?

Joy Cowley Characters [and a contest]

I am a sucker for great text for my kiddos.  I guess that is one thing that makes me a teacher.  Yet, text that is accessible to my emerging readers is absolutely vital in my classroom.  I absolutely love Joy Cowley's books for this reason.  Her stories are fun, engaging, accessible, and contain adorable characters.

Hairy Bear is one of her endearing characters.  Throughout the Hairy Bear stories, he encounters problems that be must fix.  From a leaky roof to helping sad friends, Hairy Bear uses his problem solving skills to get the job done. 

Another one of Joy's characters is Miniboy.  He and his mouse are extremely adventurous.  According to my students, they are serious risk-takers. Miniboy and Mousie set off each day in the kitchen of the giants.  They have to keep their eyes open for problems they may encounter.  I love how Joy includes action in this character series, and that Miniboy and Mousie return to their home safely at the end of each story.

 

The Joy Cowley Collection is packed with so many fabulous characters, Miniboy and Hairy Bear are just two of them. 

 Right now, you can enter to win her collection packed with over 90 books.

 

Don't wait this contest is only going on until April 13, 2016.  Click on one of the images above to enter.

Who is your favorite Joy Cowley character?

How We Express Ourselves: Part 2

We are in it!  We have fully immersed ourselves in all things Mo Willems.  Last week, our inquiry unit on How We Express Ourselves was spent looking at character traits and how they relate to our PYP life.  If you are not familiar with the Learner Profile and Attitudes you can read about them here.
My kiddos read the Knuffle Bunny series, several Pigeon books, plus as many Piggie and Elephant books as they could get their hands on.  As a class we then created these three posters:

The posters are being used as a resource for books my authors are writing.
The discussions around each character provided a great knowledge bank for my students as they started planning out their next story.  Throughout the week they sketched the ideas that were floating in their heads.  This is similar to Mo and how he draws a cartoon every day. 

This week we are building our robust language banks, channeling the characters through readers' theater, and taking our pencils further on our papers.  Stay tuned!!!

Do you work at a PYP school?  I would love to connect and learn about your inquiry units.

KooKoo for the 100th Day

This year's 100th Day was a hit!  My teammates were total rockstars and agreed to be "KooKoo" with me.  

I LOVE my teammates!!

We spent the day doing all things 100.  It was different than our normal schedule, but all of the kids enjoyed the change of pace.  Take a look at what we accomplished...

Secret codes and crown templates were waiting for each kiddo.

What can you build with 100 cups?

Spin and color 100 race.

What can you build with 100 cubes?

Roll and tally to 100

Build a sentence.

Flip a coin

Our art project was probably my favorite activity...what can you make with 1-0-0?

100 days down, still plenty of learning to go!

What are your favorite 100th Day activities?

How We Express Ourselves: Part 1

I have officially launched our How We Express Ourselves PYP unit.  This year's central idea was slightly tweaked to read, "Authors and Illustrators use character relationships to portray a message".  For the last week, we have tuned into what this central idea means.  Here is a peek at what my firsties have accomplished:

• "What is an author?" discussion and share out.  Our conversation produced this anchor chart:

• What do you know about Mo Willems?  My kiddos explained that he is not only an author, but also an illustrator.  We read about him using the same Close Read as last year.  We also watched this video segment.
• Very quickly after reading and listening to Mo himself, my students started telling me that they too were authors and illustrators (WOOHOO!)  My teacher smile has become huge!  I am so excited that they are already realizing this.

Stay tuned for Part 2 as we dive into Mo's characters and their relationships with the reader and each other.

Do you teach at a PYP school?  I would love to hear about your Units of Inquiry.

Flocabulary

I have found another great resource: Flocabulary!  This website houses songs and videos that cover all content areas.  My kiddos love the grammar songs.

I love that there are so many content areas and topics available.  Even more exciting than a site packed with great resources is a site that is easy to use.  The content areas are easy to access and topics are super easy to find once you pick your content area.

I love that I have been able to use Flocabulary to introduce new topics, but also use it to review with my kiddos.  

Grab this link to try Flocabulary out for a FREE 75 day trial.

Mom Life: My Favorite App

As a new parent, I feel like all I do it try and capture every moment.  Therefore, the amount of pictures I take is crazy.  I have learned that having a smartphone is a blessing and a curse.  You can take pictures at any time, but they enter the blackhole of the digital world and you never look at them again.  Yes, some get posted to social media, but we all know that the mass majority never make it out of your digital device, until you need room for more pictures.
I found an end to my digital madness and downloaded the GrooveBook app.  Have you checked it out?!?!   Through this app, I can access my pictures and pick up to 100 pictures each month.

Every month is then beautiful documented and organized!  The pictures are turned into a photo book.  The best part is that the photo books have rip and share paper.  I can pull photos out to send to family members, or I can switch out framed photos.  The BEST BEST part is that these books only cost me $2.99 a month.  I can't ask for a better deal!

If you use my code GODESA10 you can get your first GrooveBook for free.

Happy Picture Taking!!

Mom Life: Product Review

I very quickly realized after giving birth that I would no longer be the SUPER productive person I had always been.  For goodness sake, I couldn't even take a shower without assistance (someone watching little man).  I brainstormed every possible way to accomplish things with a child who wouldn't take decent naps.
The first tool that allowed me to get anything accomplished that the bouncy chair.  He would actually let me strap him in there long enough to take a shower.  This worked great for several months, until he was Mr. I am NEVER sitting still.
I started doing tons of research on alternatives.  I knew I needed something that would keep him in a space and entertained.  The thought of an exersaucer made my head spin.  I was afraid it would be too much stimuli for my little guy.  I also knew I wanted something that would grow with him.  I feel like all we do is buy things to use them for a month and that is it.
So after tons of research and countless trips to Babies R Us, we ended up with the FisherPrice Step n' Play Piano.  It has been an instant hit and the best part is, for now, I can get ready for work in the morning and know that little man is contained in a safe place.  I love that when he starts walking the seat can be removed and the table is a functioning music stand.

It was an instant hit!

It is nice to be able to slide it down the hallway and plop it outside the bathroom door.

I totally recommend this product to any parent searching for a way to contain an active child for a short period of time.  What product do use recommend for keeping your kiddos safe and entertained for a chunk of time?