Loose Ends

We just finished our Unit 2 Benchmark last week, but I managed to sneak in a few craftivities to celebrate the season.  We made our Grinchy arrays again using templates from Deanna Jump's Grinch unit.  {This was completed during one of our EAGLE Time off-days.  We have intervention/enrichment periods every other day.} We also {partially} made our Cara Carroll inspired mints.  This year they showcase C/VC and CV/C words on them instead of multiplication fact families.  Yay syllabication!  We still need to wrap them as you can see.  The chain is just a chain.  Nothing educational or fancy.  It should be hanging in the hallway right now above the sad little display case that my teamie and I share.  However, it is on my table.  This is real life.  I totally need to get it together!

In other news, we made these ornaments with our kiddos.  All you need are glass bulbs and acrylic paint. You simply squirt a little paint into the bulb and let the kids swirl it around.  If you put the cap back onto the bulb, they can gently shake the paint around to coat the entire surface.  They are stinkin' adorable!

My teamie and I are also in the middle of making these ginormous snowflakes with our thirdsters.  They are soooo cute, but we are sooooo not done with them yet.  We are trying to fit them in around our assessments, instruction and intervention periods.  Slowly, but surely.  For a tutorial, click HERE!

We are currently starting Unit 3 in Reading Street, and our spelling focus is on contractions.  This skill is ALWAYS on the OAA, so I really want to make sure my kiddos have a solid understanding of them.  We did a fun introductory activity today since we had our Christmas program practice and dress rehearsal today.  I only had 40 minute blocks to work with, and I knew I had to make it fun and meaningful to get anything out of the time I had.  :)  So, I tore a page from Abby's book and switched it up a bit.  Since it's December, we made contraction gingerbread men and women.  They are darling!  You can get her adorable  template HERE!

Don't forget!  I'm giving away one hearAll assessment recorder by Learning Resources!  YOU could be the LUCKY winner!  Join the fun HERE!