Stop! Disco Time!

So picture this if you will...

I am hard at work with a small group then suddenly.....I am interrupted...for someone to show me their broken pencil, or to tattle, or to ask to go the bathroom.  Despite the fact that we have had procedures in place since DAY ONE about what to do in such an instance.  Not mention that I have reached the point where I have told my sweeties that unless someone is:
Bleeding
Dying
Dead
Throwing Up 
   or 
On Fire 
then
Do NOT interrupt a reading group!

Haha, can you sense my frustration?  Please tell me I'm not the only one experiencing this right now. 

I had to try something different.  I was at Lowe's one day plotting my next home improvement and saw this:

It was on sale for 10 bucks!

A disco ball!  My kids this year LOVE to dance so I knew this would catch their attention.  

So now when it is time for reading groups, I turn on the disco ball.

I must take some photography classes!

So now they start to approach the table, see the disco ball, FREEZE, smile, and take care of the "problem" on their own.  So far, so good!

I'm loving it!

Techy Tuesday-Mentor Mob

Hi friends!

I'm linking up with Katie's Techy Teacher Tuesday for the first time.

I have always wished that I could use You Tube videos in my classroom.  There are such great teaching videos out there.  But unfortunately You Tube is cyber-blocked at my school.  {{sad face}}  I tried saving videos to Dropbox and to a flashdrive but just never could get it to work correctly. 

Good news!  I may have a solution for you!

Have you heard about Mentor Mob?  I first heard about it on Technology Tailgate and then EduKate and Inspire.  I tried it out and to my surprise and extreme joy, IT WORKED AT MY SCHOOL despite the You Tube block!!  I'm so glad Kate blogged about it because it is the best thing EVAH!

Mentor Mob is a site that allows you to save You Tube videos (and other media) in category playlists that YOU create.  On my page I have playlists for Science, Social Studies, Math, Lang Arts, Brain Breaks, Holidays, Favorite Stories and Character. 

Here is my link: 

http://www.mentormob.com/people/savedPlaylists/crystal-ingram-13587

Please feel free to just bookmark my page and use it.  That is the great thing!   You can view other people's playlists.  My librarian started her own but then just started sending me links to load to mine.  Someone is definitely using my Brain Break list because it has over 1000 views!  

I cannot tell you how wonderful this site is to have.  It has allowed me to spice up my teaching and to have lessons that POP!  Not to mention the wonderful Brain Break videos for when my sweeties have the wiggles.  Their favorite ones are If You're a Kid and Ants in Your Pants.  

Here is a short video from their site:

Again, please feel free to use my lists but if you want to create your own, it is super easy to do!

I created a short video to show you just how easy it is to add videos.  This is my first tutorial, and I hate my Minnie Mouse voice!  Can you tell where I'm from?  Haha!


I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

I'm on Spring Break and have been cleaning like a fiend!  Next on the to do list is to schedule some blog posts!  

Have a good night!

My Advice to You Linky Party

Are you there friends?  It's me, Crystal!  

I have seriously decided that I have SAD.  I have been in the dumps and barely hanging on all winter.  But now that the sun is shining and I can walk the dog at 7 pm and it's still sunny, I'm GREAT!  Terrible sentence but I'm so happy!  Haha!

I have gotten more accomplished in the past 3 days than I have in months!  I have blogged three times today but before I published one of them, I saw this linky from Ms. Fultz's Corner.  

Click graphic to join linky

How perfect!  I have a dear friend who is looking for a job and we just talked about much of this.  

My advice to you:

1.  Communication  
Keep the lines of communication between you and parents WIDE OPEN.  I give out my cell number to my parents.  This allows them to tell me dismissal changes, why folder is missing, little Johnny had a tummy ache in the morning, etc..  I have been able to nip many problems in the bud very quickly that would have otherwise resulted in a furious parent yelling at me or the principal the next morning.  For those of you hesitant to give out your number, check into getting a Google Voice account for your school.  We got one set up at our school last month.  It allows parents to email or leave you a voicemail at your Google Voice number.  It looks great but I honestly haven't used it much yet.

2.  Make Allies
It's a great idea to get on the good side of the secretary and the custodian.  They can be so helpful to you and are more likely to help you in a timely manner if you have been friendly and respectful. Just saying...lol.

3.  Be Open to Change
If one thing is true in education, it's that this too shall pass.  Trends come and go.  If you don't like something, be as positive about it as you can and hang on!  

Don't get complacent.  Always be learning and striving to be the best YOU can be.  

4.  Love, Humor, and Fun
Play games when you can instead of "paper" work.  

Laugh with them often and much.  My favorite books to read are funny ones.  Those are the ones that stick with them.

LOVE...your hugs and love might be the only ones that they get on a daily basis.  You might be the only constant in their life.  And the one that is making you want to pull out every hair in your head is the one that needs it the MOST.  I'm living this one every minute of every school day this year.  

5.  Sisterhood
Those of us in the trenches need to stick together and support each other.  Our first grade team is now trying to go out as a group once a month at least.  We are going tomorrow night and I CAN'T WAIT!  I know I will get an ab workout just from laughing.  

6.  Thank God and PRAY
We have the best and most important job in the world.  Pray for patience, love, and to see the sparkle in each one.

Go join the linky!

Much love and cyber hugs,

Just bummed..

Just got home from parent conferences.   I had my first experience with a hostile parent tonight.  I guess since I've been teaching for 13 years this is way overdue, but it doesn't diminish the feeling.  I have cried all over my teammates and now my keyboard.  I know you all understand.  I do what I do because I love children...love seeing them learn, explore, read, write, grow!  To have it insinuated that I don't have the child's best interest at heart just hurts me.

It's been a tough year..  I have a page full of blog ideas and pics to go with them,   But by the time I get home, I just crash.  I was absent last week to take my mother to the doctor and this was the note the sub left me.

If you can't read it, it says "OMG! How do you still have hair in your head?

That sums it up nicely I guess..

Tomorrow is Pajama day and Read the Most from Coast to Coast for AR.  We are trying to break the most AR tests taken in one day.  Should be fun!  This week was Robot Week also.  I can't wait to show you some of the great work we did!

Happy Friday!

Puppy Cam Science

Hello all!  So much for my blog more resolution!  I wish there were about 4 more hours in the day.  I could get SO much done!  I did a little blog element switcheroo.. I think I like the 2 columns much better.  You just don't know what you want when you first start out, do you?

We have been super busy in our class and I have even been taking pics! Yay me!  I will share more of that this week, but today is all about the Puppy Cam!

You know I'm CRAZY about dogs!  I talk about my sweet golden girl all the time.

Bella says Hello!  LET ME IN!!

I have "liked" a lot of dog groups on Facebook but one of my favorite pages is the WarriorCanineConnection.  This is a group that trains puppies to be service dogs for veterans.  My uncle was a Marine until the last breath left his body...he's probably still telling his war stories in Heaven.  He was such a wonderful person in my life so this group just has a special place in my heart.

I was so excited way back in 2012 when they announced that they were breeding a yellow lab named Misty to provide the next group of trainees.  We got to go through the whole pregnancy and have kept up with the progress of the puppies.  This is the latest pic of the babies. {{{LOVE}}} Their names are due to the fact that they were conceived during Superstorm Sandy.

But the most exciting element is the PUPPY CAM!
Haha!  I'm not sharing the cam until the end of this post because you'll just want to watch it forever!

I was watching this cam during Christmas break for my own fun, but it occured to me that my kids would LOVE this!  I showed it to them as soon as we got back to school and they fell just as much in love as I did.  They beg to check the puppies all day.  They have been snoozing and nursing and being fairly boring (ha!) up until the last week.  They have started to really move around and even play.  We are so excited!

I read this book to my class on WeGiveBooks.org about the development of puppies.  We keep going back to this book as a reference for what the puppies SHOULD be doing.  So far they are right on schedule.  :-)

This week I am introducing our Puppy Science journal to my class. We are going to note any changes and write about what they are doing.  This is a VERY simple item (just the facts ma'am) but will suit our needs nicely.  Feel free to snag by clicking the pic below if you'd like. It's really simple..no frills..  I don't want you to be disappointed.  Haha!  I had plans for a more cutified one but my to-do list is so long that I went easy.  This exercise hits the Common Core standard  W.1.8.

And without further ado I give you THE PUPPY CAM!  This site has lots of other webcams to explore as well.  Have fun!

Click Misty to see her babies!