Long over due....

Wow...I am long over due for a post--I got sick the 3rd day of school, I then caught a cold.  It hasn't kept me from school but definitely has made me super tired in evenings and the weekends. I've been trying to relax and take it easy whenever I can.  I hope to be on the back slide of it but my poor nose just doesn't stop!  (some of it may be do to allergies too)

So just an update on a few things my 2nd graders have been up to.

Even though patterning is an option for us, this usually gives me a quick glance at their patterning skills.  I usually do some for every holiday the first few months.  

Then we did some fall trees--I have them copy a poem and then do the tree.  They can only tear the leaves of their trees.  This gives me a glimpse of what kids can copy from me and their handwriting.  

Here is our purple hand pledge.  We say this every morning after the Pledge of Allegiance. We made our own purple hands.  I painted their right hand and they "stamped" it on the paper.  Then after they dried, the kiddos added hearts and cut them out.  

Here are our buckets for bucket filling.  

A close up of what they colored to go in front of their bucket.

The warm fuzzies they get and give for bucket filling.  After awhile they will have to fill out a bucket filling form but for now, just warm fuzzies.  

Sticky Wix!  (actually I think they are called Wicky Stix)  This is a spelling activity we do to practice our words.  Each week I try to do some kind of "fun" spelling activity and usually hands on.  We've done stencils and will do spelling cream (aka shaving cream). BTW...this little guy got to bring a stuffed animal to school because of his chance card from Homeworkopoly.  

Here's a little girl who spelled prize!

Working on the word grape

Here are some kiddos in our poetry center.  They have to put the poem back together.

I had a picture of a my listening center....but I don't know how to block/cover a student's face--If anyone knows, could you let me know how.  I try not to put their faces in anything but sometimes it's hard not to.  Thanks...

Place Value kites!!  These turned out really well.  I used a deck of cards to hand out their numbers.  My higher kids got 3 cards and my average and lower kiddos got 2 cards.  With those cards they got to decide what number to make--so this kiddo got a 5 and a 6 so they could make 56 or 65. Then they had to write their number in standard form, picture form, expanded form and Hundreds/Tens/Ones. I gave them the labels to use for those (as it would have taken too long for them to write and for space on the bows)

Up close of picture form and expanded form.

Up close of standard form

Tens/Ones

They had to do it in pencil first and get it checked by me.  Then they could go over it in marker.  They really did turn out great.

So that is just a snipet (sp??)  of what we've been doing.  I've been really working on routines still.  I did get all my kids DRA'd and am looking forward to beginning reading groups soon--this coming week most likely.  Also we've been doing our math workstations which seems to be going well.  And we started XtraMath which is a great online tool for having the kids learn those math facts.  I really like it as I can see how they are doing and it only takes them about 10 minutes a day and if they want they can do it at home!