Settling In

So I won't lie, it took me a few days to settle into summer. Let's face it there's a huge difference between all out madness and barely having time to breathe and basking in the the beautiful glory of what I call "nothingness." Well at least sort of nothing...I still have my online class this summer, family obligations, etc. But, you know what I mean! I came across this AWESOME website www.kideos.com . It's like a safe video website for kids, pretty neat. So what kinds of videos are on Kideos? Well let's see, they have everything from Sid the Science Kid clips to Disney Movie clips/trailers and virtual field trips. They website is organized by channels, and you can also select your age group on top if you'd just like to browse videos that are age appropriate for your learners. My favorite channels are: Educational Videos (they've got some good stuff on Dinosaurs and Oceans which, are big units at my school), Book Characters, and National Geographic of course (see screenshot below)!

 Anytime I find a website, I always stop to think how I can integrate it meaningfully into my classroom. There are so many great technological tools out there, but I have to make sure they serve a purpose. So what would I do with KIDEOS? Well first and foremost, I think it's a great tool to use to supplement Science and Social Studies units as well as Language Arts. Did I mention they have the Schoolhouse Rock grammar videos?!?!?! If your school doesn't subscribe to Brainpop or Discovery Streaming, this is a FREE alternative to find those supplements to your curriculum. Living in PA means that we have decently cold winters. So for much of the winter we spend inside=INDOOR RECESS! Ahhhhh! Doesn't sound bad at all..at first...until you're on your 10th day of it. I try to vary our indoor recess activities. Sometimes we play with board games, magnets, and other building materials that I keep stocked in the classroom. Sometimes we get our cardio in for the day by visiting Adventure to Fitness. Sometimes, I'll show movies (mainly educational movies) and KIDEOS has a LOT of them. So be sure to check them out and think about how you can use them. I'd love to hear your ideas!

Ta Ta for now! Back to reading book 2 in the Shades of Grey series, I can hardly put this stuff down lol.

Watcha doin???

So my sumer vaca is finally here. I've been sort of productive: taking care of finances, spending time with family, completing my ESL class assignments, and taking care of the moms. Anyways, the one thing I haven't done, that I need to do more of, is READ! Some wonderful teacher friends and I started a book club this year. I haven't finished the last 2 books, thanks to everything going on with my mom and the general busy-ness that comes at the end of the school year. So what am I reading? Well, before I tell ya what I'm reading and what my opinions are, just know that Christina Bainbridge is hosting a linky party for summer reading!! If you're lookin for a good book, please hop on over to her linky party. There are some really great teachers over there, who have listed a ton of different books that are purrrfect for summer reading.

Click HERE to hop over to the party

Okay so, these are the books we've read in my teachy book club, most of them are on my Kindle Fire. But, we do tend to pass around paper books to save some $$$. I just got the Fire for Christmas and I do kinda miss my older Kindle (it was the black one with the QWERTY keyboard) only bc the Fire includes things like Word with Friends, a magazine stand, news updates, and it allows you to surf the internet. All of that can be very distracting if you just want to read. Must focus!

1. The Lost Daughter by Lucy Ferriss

2.Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (not on the Fire, very interesting, not at all like the movie from what I've heard but I didn't see the movie...if you're looking for something out of the ordinary and thought-provoking, this is it)

3. Something Borrowed & Something Blue by Emily Giffin--> my FAVS from last summer :)

4. The Thirteenth Tale 

5. The Crossroads Cafe (reading now and I'm into it, it's about a model/superstar who is severely burned in a car accident and is set mainly in small town NC)

6. Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons (also reading this, funny so far, the women seem so real)

7. SHADES OF GREY *This is our June book and I'm a bit nervous about reading it. Leave a comment if you've read it and have something to say about it...although it seems like everyone has something to say about it lol. 

Books I want to read this summer, now that I'm not working full-time:

-Baby Proof by Emily Giffin

-Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin

-The Help (I know, I'm wayyyy behind)

-The Hunger Games (I'm super far behind lol)

Well, I think it's time actually read, read, read and it's like sunny and 78 right now= perfect reading weather!!!