The one with the pumpkin.

You know those weeks where you just feel like you have a plan and you love what you are talking about. Well, pumpkins do that to me! I LOVE researching and finding ideas that will help kids see pumpkins up close and personal. 

I have found that so many children have never carved a pumpkin, much less looked on the inside and cleaned a pumpkin out before. It was a eewwy, gooey experience that I am SO glad we got to enjoy together!  We did worksheets, watched videos and talked LOTS about the Life cycle of a pumpkin. The kinders really picked up on this and loved talking about how they grew. The Life Cycle of Pumpkins hat was my favorite activity that we did. The kids did such a good job on coloring and placing the events in order. It was really easy for this teacher and the lesson was presented just as well! 

While on this unit, we went on our Fall Field Trip to Cedar Hill Farms in Hernando, MS. We had such a good day! The weather was beautiful and the students were intrigued and loved seeing all the "fall fun" around them. We did have a OOPS moment in our day though. CH Farms has a play area for kids and we waited to go there last before we loaded the buses. I told all of our students to put their pumpkins on the back wall of a building, and they did to my knowledge. When we were about 10 minutes from loading the bus, we started lining up and guess what? NO PUMPKINS! THEY WERE GONE! Can you imagine the chaos that ensued?

My students were crying from exhaustion and the sheer fact that their pumpkins were missing. Thankfully I talked to the lady at the farm and she let me grab enough of the smaller pumpkins to make up for the pumpkins that were MIA. Wow.. I have never. #welcometotheworldofteachers

FALL is treating us well in Ms. Patton's room. We are dissecting pumpkins, dressing up on Friday for Halloween and enjoying the cool weather!

Also, this song is our treat these days! They love to DANCE for Halloween! :)

Check back often.. we have lots up our sleeves. 

Apples, Apples, Apples.

Have we really been in school for 51 days? This is CRAZY, I tell ya! We were in the middle of Morning Meeting this morning and I told my kiddos I couldn't believe how much we have been through together already! :)

Apples is one of my favorite weeks to explore with the kids. Kindergarteners have a very limited knowledge of how Apples grow and what we see when we look at apples. It's fun by the end to have them talking in the "apple language" and telling their friends which color apple is their favorite. 

Naturally, we did a graph before tasting our apples to see which we predicted we would like the best. (Yes, I see my grammar mistake!) The students were so excited to try the apples and make the decision based on what they tasted. You give a kid food and they'll do anything you ask! :)

The students filled out an "Apple Investigation" which included how many cubes tall they thought their apples were and many other ways of seeing what apples are all about. I let them work in groups to boost their engagement and friendliness with their peers. 

On Friday, we told them that we were going to make homemade applesauce.  We brought the apples and cut them open that morning. Isn't the star in the middle just the coolest? We cut the apples into little pieces, mixed them with sugar, ground cinnamon, and sugar and let them cook in the crockpot for the rest of the day. Right before school was out for the day, we smashed the applesauce up and waited for the verdict.

Our kiddos LOVED it! They had WONDERFUL things to say about it. They wanted their mamas' to make it for them as soon as they all got home! I've never felt so loved because we ALL know I'm no cook.

We included Johnny Appleseed books in the mix and had a great week learning about red, yellow and green apples. Can't wait to see what happens next year! 

Changes, changes Everywhere.

Hey Friends!

I haven't posted on here in so long and I felt like this teaching blog needed an update. Well, since the last time I logged in or blogged, I've been moved to the Kindergarten Hall as the Special Education Teacher.

I really love my new job but it is stressful having to learn all over again and find my place in where I belong. My teaching friends are wonderful and were very welcoming. For that, I will always be thankful.

I still find this ironic because I have always talked about how I would freak if I was moved at the end of the year to a different grade, much less in the middle of the year.

I found this quote a couple of weeks before I was moved and for some reason it just touched me. Ironic? Absolutely not. My GOD Reigns!

I got to decorate the classroom in Christmas decor because I moved the week after Thanksgiving Break and it was too fun! I loved cute little corners and organized, might I add. That doesn't happen very often...

Santa came for a visit and on pajama day at that. 

I miss my Firsties but I see them often and get great big hugs. :) My Kindergarten SPED babies are precious and I like getting to see how this department in Education works. 

I start Grad school this month and I'm hoping that will help me understand the paperwork and process a little more too.

pray that I will become the Special Education teacher that I need to become and that I can touch these babies lives in ways that no one else can.

-Lauren

I'm baaaaaack!

Round 2

Summer went by way too fast but we are back in session! It's going to be a wonderful, and very different year from last year!

new kids.

new assistant.

smaller numbers in classrooms.

I'm telling you it's a win-win situation!

Our school scheduled to put tile down this summer, Praise The Lord, but things didn't go as planned and we were still no tile, and no rooms finished up until the first day of school. It was crazy, to say the least!

But, we got it done and I honestly am so thankful that it was crazy because I LOVE my room this year!

Now for a classroom tour, you ready??

We've got a theme here! 

Praying for a great year where a lot of little lives are touched!

Schools Out for Summer

The Lord is good!

My first year of teaching is over with and I couldn't be more greatful for the things that I learned. It was a very overwhelming year. Lots of responsibilities, memories, good times, and times I just wanted to cry. Even though it has been a crazy ride, I will always cherish the 1st class that I was given to be their teacher. They have been a challenge, very loving, and so much fun to get to know and see their different personalities.

Please tell me that's normal?

I'm already planning for next year and hoping to be the best teacher I can be. I WILL blog more, hopefully weekly, and keep you up to date with what we are doing. Hold me to that!

I was cleaning out the iPhone and saw some school pics I needed to include on the blog.
 Here we go.

{last day of school! We were so thrilled!}

We had 3 Lauren's in first grade and I'm so thankful that I met this one. She helped me so much through my first year and we had a grand time! She's getting married THIS Saturday and I couldn't be happier for her!

{my sweet "first" firsties. :) }
so thankful for each little body you see here!

{Our class snowman. I have no clue why I chose to do him upside down. Ha!}
we all had to decorate a snowman for the hallway and my class had so much fun doing this!

{Our Easter door.}
this wasn't easy to make but while student teaching, I saw this on the wall of a teacher I looked up to and she had done this to decorate her door.

{thumbprint Easter cards}

pinterest idea- so much fun to make!

{our clock system}

this really helped my kids see how to read the analog clock. :)

{preposition game}

got this off pinterest and my kids loved playing this the week we learned what a prep was.

{our class friend}

someone came to our class and read a book about turtles. Well, wouldn't you know that same day a lady came to share her pet with us! They about DIED!

{love sweet notes}

love leaving my firsties notes. They love feeling grown up when they get them.

Last day of school. my room looks so bare. it had to be packed so it was movie day for us!

So thankful for all the love and support I received during my first year! Can't wait to share more with you next year!

Happy Summer Break!

First Classroom. :)

Welcome to Miss Patton's room! 

A little tour to show you my first year, 1st grade room. I am loving having a HUGE room but decorating it the way that I want is taking longer than planned. The teacher before me left lots of things that are not useful to me, so cleaning out is also on the to-do list. 

Morning Meeting Center. :)

The theme of bright colors and owls is evident in my classroom. 

Made this owl free-handed. I was a proud teacher. :) Classroom rules. 

He's always watching!

Calendar time. My kiddos are loving this.

The Promethian board. it's wonderful technology for us teachers. I miss my dry erase board, but yes... I do enjoy being able to pull anything from the computer up on it within seconds.

My welcome center. 

holds the germ-x, tissues, lysol spray, and my paper sorter. Can't wait to make a desk fabric cover with that cutesy fabric. 

Birthday and Discipline Chart.

I need to get those birthdays posted!

We're WILD about good behavior. 

We have 5 colors and each mean something different. I hate pulling these things but sometimes that's necessary. 

Our Days in School pocket chart. We have Popsicle sticks and everyday we count how many days we have been have left in school. :)

I love my classroom, I do. But, I also know that it is no-where exactly how I want it. I need to start staying a little later after school to finish it. I know that the learning that my precious firsties are doing is so much more important than what the room looks like BUT I want it to be bright and inviting.

Can't wait to share more excitement from room 12!