Meet YourTeacher

Orientation Night

Cracker Trail Elementary

August 12th, 2013

As you can probably tell from the name of my classroom Blog, I do a bird theme in my room. This year my school has begun, The Leader in Me Program, by Stephen R. Covey. As I was brainstorming bulletin board ideas to promote this program. I came up with the title, Leaders Soar to Success. My idea grew from the title. I googled eagle art projects and found this one at http://www.allkidsnetwork.com/crafts/animals/birds/bald-eagle.asp  Anyway, the eagle's wings are handprints. I decided I would display eagle bodies on the bulletin board and have each of my students complete the eagle by tracing his or her hands on brown paper, cutting the handprints out and stapling them to his or her eagle's body orientation night. I wrote a letter addressed to each student inviting him or her to join me in completing this board as a team player. The letter included instructions for completing this craft and a poem about hands.



The project went over better than I expected. The children graciously got busy making handprints as they entered the room, while their parents completed paperwork. I had an opportunity to see how parents work with their children and observed which of my students could trace and cut on their own. An added bonus, I could look at the board and tell who was in attendance that night.

First Day of School

August 19th, 2013

For a fabulously fun following directions activity my students made edible eagles with a giant marshmallow head, frosted with vanilla icing glue, covered in coconut feathers, a cashew beak, a creme filled chocolate cookie neck and 2 semi chocolate chip eyes. The students had a blast making them. I thought they turned out great! Did you know a marshmallow is a cylinder and a cookie is too? Seems like we are playing, but lots of skills in addition to following directions were covered today.

 

 

One of my students had so much fun cooking the eagle snack that she made her own version of eagle snacks at home for her family after school. Her mom posted the above picture on Facebook. With the following, "Shelly... Brooklyn insisted on making the eagles you guys made in class today:-) Thank you for making her first day amazing !!!!!! "

How exciting is that! I think hers turned out absolutely adorable.