Backdrops of My Life

Hello, 

My name is Emily.  I have realized I can't say no to a good deal, or a good sale, or a good backdrop. I also have a very supportive family that goes along with my crazy ideas.  

I wanted to share the backdrops that have made their appearance into my corner cabinet... you know the one in the classroom where things go to hide...  And by hide, I mean put away until I decorate for a mini room transformation.  

Oh no, you say, this is all about Room Transformations?  Why yes, I say... 

A couple of years ago I read The Wild Card by Wade and Hope King and it totally opened my eyes to the impact of the little things.  How it's so easy to throw a backdrop/banner up and create a new-ish environment and transport my class to somewhere new. I want to be known as Miss Frizzle, and take my kids on crazy field trips, without having to pay the bus fee.  So that's been my purpose over the last 3ish years.  To add to my menu of different ideas to spice up my teaching. 

Disclaimer - these are not ads, I don't get anything for sharing.  I just like to share.

The first backdrop that kids see during the year is this slide from Head Over Heels for Teaching.  I project this slide for our Book Tasting that Friday of the first week of school.  It's a way to celebrate the 5th day of 5th grade.  Projecting images onto the screen is so easy. We've also used the Olympic Medals and the NASA logo as well over the years.  

The next one is my global travel banner.  I use this when we go galavanting around the world on a Context Clues adventure by Teaching with a Mountain View. I also have the different flags of the world in a bunting that hangs around the classroom, and each country station also has some pictures of the location that I have printed for kids to feel like they are there.  I use this at the end of August/beginning of September when we are wrapping up our unit.

Another banner is the ocean/deserted beach one.  In October for Talk like a Pirate Day, we are also knee deep in our Explorer unit.  I use this for both. Pirate day and our Explorer Simulation.  

Then I have some other pirate, sailing, explorer items that I put on tables to decorate, and we listen to the theme song of Pirates of the Caribbean Disneyland ride over and over as background music.  

For reviewing roots, I have decorated the room as a hospital.  I hung plastic tablecloths on our hanging lights for the different operation rooms.  Kids wore masks (before they were cool), gloves, and I picked up syringe pens for them to use. They had paper people that they had to operate on to attach the roots to the prefixes and suffixes. I use this Affixes resource by Your Thrify Co-teacher. I play a heart beat over our sound to start us out.  It was so fun.  

Another one is a Minecraft one that I use for Volume.  Teaching volume makes me think of building blocks, and since the kids are Minecraft obsessed, it totally works.  We make a gallery of our volume designs.

I have a Game On banner that I use as the center of a bulletin board.  When the kids come back from winter break, we always have a talk about New Years resolutions and what they can do to step it up a notch.  This year I put it up when we moved from distance learning to hybrid. It's the final push for the new trimester.  Our goals usually hang around it as a reminder of what we want to accomplish. And yes, I know it says Leve Up, instead of Level Up.  It might be why it was such a good deal. :) The kids get a kick of telling me, as if I don't know, but it's so much fun that I don't really care.  

 

For review I love to make special days to spice it up a bit.  I have all the materials for a Glow Day.  I was gifted it from Donors Choose.  I use a banner to help cover my big window.  It blocks out a lot of light. I also was given black lights, reflective tape, glow sticks, and some cool pens that glow. This year my skylights have decided not to completely close, so it doesn't get dark enough to use it.  I'm super bummed... at least my neighbor can use them though.  :)  

My newest addition is a concert themed one for our Rock the Test review.  I picked up some inflatable instruments as well (that can easily be sprayed down). My son had a music inspired birthday a while back, and I kept his record decorations to hang on the lights.  It just makes it fun.  

I'm sure by now you are thinking that I have issues.  But it's fun and it's memorable. :)  Kids remember what they were doing and learning on these special days.  You know, when something is a little different than the ordinary. We have plenty of ordinary days too. Right now I have a bunch of these banners hanging back up in the classroom, to cover my boards for state testing.  All banners are found over on Amazon.  

Do you do theme days too? Hope you had a great day!

Grateful for this Last Year

It’s been a while since I did a chat about my own special kids.

I have 3 kids. 

All boys, preteens and teenagers.

Now before you ask, nope - we aren’t having any more. 

That train left the station a very long time ago. :)

If you were to look at my boys, they are turning into young men. I mean a countdown is kind of forming. 

Counting down to summer. To a drivers license. To a first job. To senior year and then all the college decisions. And that’s only for my oldest in the next 4ish months. Then my middle, counting down to when he will actually step foot on his high school campus for the first time. All the fun that will happen next year. Of Friday night lights, of finally meeting those high school buddies. Or getting his permit and starting to teach him how to drive. So much he gets to experience. Or when my youngest will get to start attending our middle school and youth group. There’s a lot of fun things, big things, on the horizon. Change. 

Over spring break I had an epiphany. Of all the times that I have been sad over how fast the years have flown. This last year has been a blessing in many ways. I have been able to appreciate their day to day moments, that in other circumstances, normal circumstances, I would have missed. When time has slowed down and we had more family time. When we had to rely on each other more. When we had to think outside the box. Of all the obstacles that we’ve tackled. 

I have given so many home haircuts over the last year.

We’ve also seen first hand exactly how our own kids learn with their academics and have been able to support them, get some habits and organizational things going that will help in the future. Two of my kids have IEPs, and all three have done really well this year, all things considering. There has been growth. There are still challenges, but I'm proud of my kids.

All these years of being busy and rushing to the next thing and phase... I have been so focused on the lasts of things. All the milestones that have passed for my kids. I guess it’s easy to get moody about what’s passed by, and what they missed out on this school year, but I need to remember there has been so much good too that has happened and is on the way. So much that is still coming. My kids are still kids.  There is still more to cherish.  

Like summer... I can't wait until summer... 

What did you learn this year? What are you looking forward to?

State Testing - What I've Learned

Just when you think you can't learn anything else in one year, let's throw in state testing - virtual and in person.  

In person - it's feels like past years.  They come in, log in, and do their thing. But there is the component that the kids are not coming each day, and have to readjust their school device for each testing session. It's easier to readjust on some computers than others. Some days this week I feel like a computer genius, other moments I just want to give up.  I don't have extra devices like in past years, so when a computer isn't working then there isn't the choice of grabbing another one for a kid to use.  That's been hard.

Virtual - it's nothing at all like past years.  Kids have to log into our TEAMS meeting to get the code, then get the server to work on their device. If they picked up their school device and still have their home device at home, they can talk to me on TEAMS for me to help problem solve from a distance until they get onto the server.  That has been helpful. Some kids have had an older sibling or parent help with downloading a server, some kids are doing it by themselves.  That's been hard. The actual virtual server is pretty cool.  Being able to see the kids working, send them messages, and have mini meetings to check in. That is pretty cool. 

Tech things that I've learned:

*TEAMS has to be completely shut down, there are settings in each student's profile that need to be un-checked so it doesn't automatically restart.  If TEAMS is running, even if it's hidden, then it won't let them log into the server. Since the kids are logging into TEAMS on the days they don't test for attendance and to work on their assignments, well, it's a lot of readjusting.  

*I've learned that the in class kids have to be logged into the actual district wifi, not the distance learning wifi, or the district guest wifi.  If it's not the real one, then it will kick them out.  

*I've learned that kids need to keep their finger on their mousepad, because if the screen saver turns on (like if they are reading something for a long time), then the screen saver will kick them out.  

*I've learned that a hard reboot can fix a lot of stuff - like a hard reboot of holding the power button for over a minute and waiting and watching a clock...

*I've learned how to redownload the testing server on student devices because the newest one isn't the one that was downloaded earlier on in the year.  

*I've been reminded that restarting a computer can fix almost anything and that when one asks kids to make sure that their devices are charged for the next day, that there will always be one or two that need access to a power outlet.  :)  

*Each day is getting easier... That seems to be the motto for the school year.  

*Countdown - 26 more school days until Summer.  

Hope you had a good day.  P.S. - It's almost Friday. :)  

Highlighting Kids - Easy Check Off Sheet

For the past 7 years I've found how easy it is to use a highlighter to keep track of basic information.  Not grading, but for participation, or as a check off.  On powerpoint I have this template.  It's really simple to create. (I just covered my student names for privacy.) 

After creating, I save it as a pdf so then I have the option of printing more than one page per sheet.  

Yeah, I bump it up to 9 copies per sheet. It makes it so that the names are still able to be read, and seems to be the perfect size for a highlighter. 

Then I save that as a pdf so it's easier to print when needed. I usually go through 1 of these sheets per week between using one per day for participation, and then other check off types of things.  

These always come in so handy.  I use the top line to write the reason.  This year I'm using it every day for participation.  When a kid volunteers I make a dot with a highlighter over their name.  Our morning question is one color of highlighter, then I switch to a different color for other subjects. I use my highlighted dots to then transfer to Class Dojo for points.  It also helps me know who to call on if I haven't heard from them. It helps me know who to check in with on their private channels, and if I don't hear from them there, then it reminds me which parents to contact with concerns.  

I've used it a lot over the years for different things, but this year it's really come in handy.  

Hope this helps, hope you have a great day!

Brain Flakes - STEM and Participation Tool

Do you know about Brain Flakes? I learned about them a couple of years ago. Kind of like Legos met a pinwheel. But the best part is that they don’t hurt if you accidentally step on them. My own kids absolutely have loved them to create, and it’s been a Fun Friday/ rainy day option in my classroom too. I got mine from a Donors Choose project, then bought another one for at home. 

Disclaimer - this isn't an ad, I'm not getting any money from them. 

When we started hybrid I had put some linking cubes in each of their desk pouches to use for volume, and that led to looking around the classroom for other items that could be used for random purposes. My in class kids have become the leaders in our daily break out groups. It has made it a little more fun for in class kids that have to stay at their desks for longer times throughout the day. 

Every day, my in class logs into our team meeting to chat directly with our at home kids. Yes, we can hear the kids at home and in class while altogether, but when kids are in smaller groups they open up so much more. They participate so much more. So headphones on...

During our DL weeks I would give my class 10 minutes during math or another subject to have break out groups. They would do some independent work together or answer questions for me. I would hop through the different groups to listen in. 

Now that kids are in class, I wanted a visual that I can see that shows the communication in the groups. So I pulled out the Brain Flakes. 

Each in class person has 2 of each color that they keep in their pouch. When the groups first meet up in their break out group, they make a quick plan as to who is going to be each color. They type it into the chat. Then as the groups are talking, the person in class uses those colors to build their own design. Person 1 may be blue, and when she talks, the in class kid puts a blue on the design. Then person 2 might be yellow, and that color gets added when they share. Person 3 is red, and person 4 is orange. The goal is for each design to have all the colors. 

Since they are building in front of their camera, we have the buy in from the kids at home. Most kids want to get their color on the design. It’s also a lesson as to who is hogging the conversation. 

Anyhow, if I didn’t have Brain Flakes I would probably pull back out the linking blocks to show participation. 

Hope you had a great day! 

Jenga to Review Math

In a normal year I use Jenga blocks to review for tests all year long. I have 8 sets of blocks, enough for each group to have one as we review. 

It’s a pretty basic set up. I print off task cards, or some activity. The kids work independently to solve the problem, then have a discussion about their answers. 

Did they get the same answer? Then they discuss the different strategies they used. 

Did they get different answers? Then they work together to figure out where the error was and discuss strategies. 

By their discussions they are showing their understanding.

After they have a discussion they all take a turn to play a block in Jenga. 

Then they move onto the next problem. 

Solve

Discuss

Learn

Play 

It’s the same kind of thing with a lot of games. 

With distance learning the kids have missed out on that kind of fun, so now that kids are back in the classroom I figured that we could do the same kind of thing in breakout sessions. We tackled this today for our math review and tomorrow we will do it again with the other set of kids.... a different review with the other half of the blocks.  I split each set of blocks so that the stacks were shorter and stacking didn't take as long.

The kids in the classroom are once again the leaders. They have the jenga sets. I stuck the problems in their team channel. The teammates at home cheer on their in class group member, but they also have to help solve the problems.  

I wanted to make sure that only one in class kid is in a group, so I hand picked groups and started the meetings myself, instead of the random assortment we usually do. Each group has one person from group A, one from B, and one from our DL kids. Thankfully my class is split pretty equally.

Hope you had a great day! 

Smarter than a 5th Grader - Math Review

For a while when my own boys were younger we would watch the Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader show as a family. We like those kinds of knowledge shows. Then when I moved to 5th grade, it was a perfect fit to review everything for math. I even found the actual board game in a thrift store and was able to grab the logo to give some official decoration to my classroom. Sometimes that’s all it takes to make it feel magical. Grabbing a logo from a Google search, and projecting it on the white board, and the kids feel extra excitement. 

In a normal year the kids work in teams to create the project. It’s a whole thing, they have to brainstorm a game board - using large poster board. The game boards, game pieces, and corresponding question cards/answer key then are displayed during Open House. Kids quiz their parents, they drag their friends in to play their games, it’s a big deal. They love it!! 

This year I still want kids to have that experience, but I’m giving them the option to go digital, or keep it as a hard copy. All independent. Either way, I get to see their finished product. Of course I want to see their game board, but I’m really looking at their questions and answer key. :)

Here’s how they start. Before any game board is created they have to create questions in specific categories. (Just like the real game show.) Since it’s all math related, they have to come up with 5 problems in each category. 

#1-5 Place Value

#6-10 Order of Operations

#11-15 Multiplication

#16-20 Division

#21-25 Decimals

#26-30 Fractions

#31-35 Graphing

#36-40 Volume

Now they are welcome to use their math book as inspiration, but we always have the deal that they have to come up with their own problems. Word problems being at least 1 of the questions in each category since they are tricky. Usually I give them 40 index cards, and they label the cards with the specific question number and category. This year I’m thinking of just having them stick it all in a PowerPoint.

But what good are questions if they don’t have an answer key for our guests to check their answers? So an answer key must be tucked into a file folder near the board game when the games are played. The file folder also helps to contain all the little pieces once everything is complete.

So creating 40 questions, creating an answer key (and checking their answers to make sure they are correct), and then finally the teams can work together to make a game board. 

I give them a lot of choices. They can do something like Chutes and Ladders, they can do something like Monopoly, they can create something totally new. They need game pieces, they can borrow dice, a sand timer, play money, or even a bell, etc. It’s a way to have fun and review. They must test out the game to make sure it makes sense. They must have directions clearly on the game. 

When everyone is done, we then move into the playing phase. One member of the team stays at their game to explain the rules, while the other members switch around to play the other games. We play the games the following weeks until the last week of school. 

This year, the kids will be creating their games over the 2 weeks before the state math test. They have to turn the different parts in for their daily math independent work. We will also be doing more review in those final few days together, but this game is the bulk of their review.  

Hope this helps,

ELA Review - Shout Outs for Great Resources

In one week the kids will be taking the ELA state tests. You know, the tests that I didn't think would actually happen, but it's now back on... hmmm... I think I have figured out a game plan for testing... But first it’s last minute review time. We have been spiral reviewing all year, and with ELA they either know it or they don't.  But usually they do... I finally settled on a last minute cram plan over spring break - in class vs homework, whole group vs breakout groups. All with the knowledge that in just 5 days my class will not be altogether much anymore. It will be 3 separate groups, moving at their own paces, as I am with the kids testing for hours upon hours...

Back to ELA...

When I moved from 4th to 5th grade I didn’t really know what to expect for state testing, I mean I knew it would be similar, but there's the additional pressure of learning something new.  Jennifer Findley made it easy with her blog posts and her resources.  I met her in real life years ago at a conference, she was so friendly and personable.  I felt like I could trust her advice, so with the move to 5th grade, it was easy to trust her blog.  Today I wanted to share some links that I have found helpful.

Her blog posts about testing... she even has a some free resources. I'm all about not recreating the wheel... I use her post about Test Taking Strategies throughout the year.  I use her free Reading Test Prep Helpers as reference in their notebooks.  I also use her 10 Days of Test Prep Freebies and then have modified to fit my own classroom.  I also use her Test Prep Coloring Pages to help relieve some stress...

This week I am using her Reading Test Prep Task Cards whole class, a handful of questions per day. The last couple of years they have helped to hit all of those standards one more time. I have them printed and will snap a picture to add to our morning conversation. That way the kids at home can click the picture and enlarge it on their own screens. I will then put my copy under the ladybug so kids in class can also follow along.

I also purchased her ELA task cards Rock the Test task cards. I have those prepped for one day to slide into our color channels. It’s a couple pages of task cards per skill. One center per color channel. The kids will get into breakout groups to have a race, and will slide through the rainbow together, answering questions. My in class kids will use their pouch of Brain Flakes to show off what color (aka center) their team is currently working on. 

Rock and Roll theme - I bumped it up a notch and brought in my son’s musical decorations from his bday celebration, and even bought a banner to keep at school. The kids went nuts yesterday when they walked in and saw it. 

Another day we will be working through Jennifer's Survival themed Reading Review.  It's all about survival this year... This is both informational and fiction.  There's also a cute bulletin board prompt to put up.  

For Homework, the kids will be doing another set of review task cards by forkin4th. I'm uploading the task cards to their TEAMs assignment, and the kids will fill in their answers on a separate page before uploading.  

I also like to put these little testing notes by Math Mojo on their desks for testing days.  Just a little something to let them know that I know it's not fun, but that I'm proud of them for their perseverance.

All these resources have helped me keep my sanity in the jump to 5th grade.  I use other things for all year long, most that I've found and bought, some that I've created. I'm the type of person that needs to know that something works before I will buy it, so that was my hope today. Just in case you didn't already know these existed.  These are great review and they are awesome.  I hope this helps you!

An Ode to State Testing

I don't know how to make an ode, but I just wanted to let you know the current plan for testing.  

Right now I just want to fast forward the next 4 weeks. Or we can even start the countdown to summer. That’s okay too. I’ve got spring fever and I’m ready for state testing to be over... 

Week of 4/19 ELA testing 

Week of 4/26 Science testing 

Week of 5/3 Math testing 

3 weeks... come on May! 

It probably doesn’t help that we got word that in class and distance learners can not test at the same time. The plan had been that half of the DLs would test with Group A, the other with Group B, so no afternoon testing would be needed, other than make ups. But that now won’t work, so here’s the current revised plan. 

Every morning all the kids will log on for a few minutes to take attendance and go over their must do’s. Then in class will start testing, and at home will go about their daily independent work. 

Monday am - Group A is in class, testing 

Monday pm - all Distance Learners log in and test virtually 

Tuesday am - Group B is in class, testing 

Tuesday pm - anyone not done with that part logs in to finish it up at home

Wednesdays- the only day we are all together, virtually, doing review, catching up, moving forward together. Hopefully we can also have some fun. I feel that testing is going to suck up all the joy of school. :(

Thursdays and Fridays - more testing, same schedule. 

The kids at home that aren’t testing will have work to do that is due that same day. Distance learners will have both days to do the must do’s since they are testing in the afternoons. I figured out a basic outline that I can plug in content. We are still at the limit of 4 hours of school stuff per day, and with testing that pretty much doesn’t leave a lot of other time. 

I figure the only way to move forward is to record intro. videos for Social Studies and Science. I do an overview, and they do the independent work. Then I will also record sections of our novel so they can still listen to our story. We will be starting Ben and Me over the next few testing weeks. :) 

I’ll have to record the lessons the week before to add to our assignment tab and our Weekly Breakdown. So more to do on my to do list. I really like Screencast-o-matic. It has made it so easy this year!! 

For Math, they will be working on their game boards for Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader? to review for the math test. It’s a whole thing in itself, so I’ll share about it in a separate post. 

It’s about to get a little crazy up in here... who am I kidding?  I guess it’s been crazy all year long. I can’t wait for things to be back to normal. Whenever that happens it will feel like a piece of cake compared to all this. 

Now I want cake. Baking does relieve some stress. 

Hope you are well. :)

Spring Break 2021

It’s spring break. It’s been a beautiful week, full of family time, both inside and outside.

Guess what we’ve done this week?

Easter was a lot of fun. A lot of those traditions that I thought my boys have outgrown, but they haven’t. Kids are still kids.  It’s just changed so the boys were running things. Our egg hunt this year was gigantic. One kid hid eggs for his brothers in the front yard, another kid hid eggs in the backyard, and one hid downstairs in the house. Then we moved from location to location as the other two went racing all over finding the eggs. Some eggs were filled, some were empty. So still the challenge of finding all the eggs, but they didn’t know how much candy they got until it was all over. They had a lot of funwatching their brothers. So much joy. 

We also decorated eggs... This year I used the air fryer to hard boil them. 250 for 16 minutes, then an ice bath for 5 minutes. It worked great and it was nice I didn’t have to boil water, wait for my instant pot to come to pressure, or wait for the oven to preheat. It was definitely the easiest and fastest way to get a lot of eggs done.

Our church had a Good Friday walk through in the parking lot, and Easter services were also outside, chairs in the parking lot, and then we had Easter lunch with my dad and sister. It was really nice. 

The rest of the week has been doing random projects , organizing, and relaxing. 

My oldest is a junior in high school. So this week has also been about visiting college campuses. We’ve visited 5 schools around here. 4 on a single day. With all 5 of us in the car for 6 hours. That’s a lot of numbers. Going back and forth with benefits of junior colleges vs university. Private school vs. public. Small college vs larger. Money stuff... lots of money stuff... Thinking of majors... timelines... Along with all of that I’ve been wrestling that he’s old enough to do all of this. What happened to my baby boy? 

I’ve also spent a lot of time in the passenger seat as my kid practices with his drivers permit. The goal was to tackle 8 hours during spring break. Learning night driving skills and working his way to get ready for the freeway. He’s driven me all over this town and the back roads. Then he’s done the same with his dad. I’m not ready for the freeway. I think he’s ready though.

Have I mentioned lately how much of a control freak I am? 

Yesterday would have been my mom’s birthday. I spent some time with my dad, had her favorite meal for lunch, and we went through their wedding album. Most days don’t hurt anymore, but yesterday was hard. I miss her a lot. She was a great lady, and memories are sweet.

Today I get to have a date day with my husband. Again. After the last year of our dates being the extent of runnings errands together, not being able to leave the boys at home alone for too long, a few Saturdays ago we went to Half Moon Bay for a day. Dropped the kids off with my dad and headed to the beach. It was to celebrate our anniversary. 19 years. :) Today we are doing the same thing but heading to Monterey. I feel blessed. It’s a beautiful day. I hope places are open. That’s the hard part. Not knowing what is open or not. That’s why the kids aren’t coming with us. Well that's one reason...

It’s nice to spend time as a couple. Walking around, not on a schedule, holding hands, sitting and chatting, relaxing in a beautiful setting. I’m so excited. When we are in parent mode there's always a schedule, and we have to keep going and going... we are just like that Energizer Bunny. Today I get to just be with my hubby and I am grateful.  

But come tomorrow real life will descend again, and I have to open up my plan book and make sure everything is ready to go for next week. I have my list with all the review. We have 1 week before state testing starts and it’s time to kick it into full gear. There is so much more to prep with hybrid. 

I wish spring break didn’t have to end. I hope you have had a wonderful break too. 

April Fools and Spring Celebration

I really don't like April Fools in the classroom.  I'm not a prankster.  I have no poker face. But I thought maybe this year with a mask, I don't have to work too hard to hide it.  

Today was fun.  

First up, did you know that today was really March 32nd? It really is... honest.  :)  It took until the end of our morning for someone to notice the board.  Maybe they were just being polite.  

I also pulled out the Egged On game.  I do it every year on the day before break.  I filled most of them with a little water, some were empty.  Then I let the kids at home choose which in class kids had to come to the web cam and splat themselves.  We did one person and one egg between each of the subject transitions today.  ;) The in class got to choose which egg they wanted from the container. A lot of kids got wet.  Ha!

This turned on me though, when the kids at home... then the kids in class decided for me to do the final 2 eggs.  The first one I was safe - it was empty. The second one had a lot of water and I got wet. All for the name of fun.  

Another prank that I pulled was the State and Capitals Word Search by Fitted to 4th.  5th graders LOVE word searches.  I love word searches.  With studying our states, this ties in perfectly.  I uploaded it to our TEAM files so the kids at home had access, but I also had printed off a set for myself.  I then took a picture of my papers and added it to our meeting conversation.  My printed pages I put under the document camera for the kids in class.  

We started with the States word search. Calling on kids both in person and online as they found the different locations. They were having a blast.  Then in the 5 minutes before recess we started the Capitals one. I kept encouraging them, said it was a little trickier, that we had to remember our capitals that we'd been studying.  The kids kept saying they were finding them, but it's filled with tons of false starts.  Then they started finding other words... They were getting frustrated since the States one had been so easy.  Finally told them April Fools and we all got a good laugh.  

Other random fun things from today...

*After recess I "made" them get out their playdough to create a 2 minute bunny to show off in front of the camera.  They nicknamed their bunnies either cute or creepy.  Kids at home also had their play dough that they had picked up from the office.

*I gave them a sappy speech about the Glow Eggs.  

*We took time for that Bunny Art project.  I showed off Zentangle Patterns and they decorated their bunnies.  A lot of bunnies ended up with mustaches. :)  

*We did our normal end of week things as well.

It was a lot of fun and now it's really Spring Break!!!