Fish in the Water

This year we were offered an awesome opportunity to participate in Swim Central. One  of the top (if not the top) causes of childhood deaths in Florida is drowning, so when this opportunity came up, we jumped on it. For two weeks we took 14 students ranging from Kindergarten to Fifth grade to a half hour swim lesson everyday. SO EXHAUSTING! The kids loved it and we got to see them improve so much over the course of the two weeks and so it was totally worth it. But let me tell you how hard it is to attempt to teach deaf kids how to swim when their faces are in the water, their eyes are shut, and they don't have cochlears or hearing aids on...I was going home and taking a nap every afternoon and then drinking an extra two cups of coffee just to make it until 11:00pm when it was acceptable for me to go to bed for the night. :)

It's a Love/Hate Relationship

Those darn plastic Easter eggs. As a teacher, we all know it's a love/hate relationship....

Love- They're cheap ($1.98 for 42 eggs!!!)
Hate- They're hard to find except for once a year

Love- My kids LOVE using these things
Hate- My kids are constantly stepping on them (mostly accidentally)

Love- So many activities!
Hate- They break so easily!

Love- Permanent marker allows me to make different activities
Hate- I'm constantly rewriting since they're plastic and nothing stays permanently (I know, I know, clear nail polish)

See- Love/Hate relationship! :)

Wow, I've Been Seriously Slacking!

I'm so sorry. Time has slipped away, things have been hectic, and I've been really bad about documenting all the different things that have been going on around here...so it's time for a photo filled quick recap.

We started off February with Jump Rope for Heart. The kiddies loved it! A full half hour of blasting music and jump rope, what could be better?!

Next we had field day. A fun-filled morning of sack races, relay races, three-legged races, tug-of-war, and many other races. They look forward to this day every year!

And then finally we had a visit from Billy the Marlin- the mascot of the Miami Marlins! He even knew how to introduce himself in sign language! The kids were in love!! They listened to two stories, got autographs, took pictures, and even danced with Billy! It was a great day! :)

And finally, we put up our spring bulletin board.

And I promise, I'll try to be more consistent from now on with posting. :)

Whew...I Can't Believe It's December Already!

Wow, so first let me apologize for not posting a blog in quite some time. Time has gotten away from us! I was on vacation the entire week of Thanksgiving so I was not here to participate in our Thanksgiving activities. :( As far as I know, the kiddies had tons of fun making butter and whipped cream for pumpkin pie. :)

I spent my Thanksgiving week camping in Ocala National Forest (something we do every year). This year wasn't much fun for the most part- I got bit by red ants (to which I'm allergic), I ended up with the flu, it down-poured for a straight 24 hours (which soaked through our tent while I was sick), and then just when I started feeling better I ended up with ash in my eye from the campfire (so I spent Thanksgiving blind because it hurt too much to open either eye).  But the last 56 hours were absolutely gorgeous! Temps. in the 50s/60s during the day and 30s at night!

Needless to say, I was looking forward to getting back into the groove since vacation wasn't as relaxing as it should have been. Once December rolled around, we really got down to work with practicing our performance for our annual Signing Santa field trip. Every year all the elementary, preschool, and middle school D/HH students get together for some winter/holiday fun. The kiddos had a blast and did a great job performing. I wish I could show you their performance, but the file is too large and I can't figure out how to compress it... :( (Don't worry, their parents have all signed media release forms!)

Structured Physical Activity...yuck!

Whatever happened to just letting kids play? I mean, seriously, don't you think we've sucked enough of the fun out of being a kid already? Why do we need to take away their free-play time too? Well, down here in Florida lawmakers felt it was necessary to structure kids recess- structured physical activity (sorry!). Ugh. Now, not only do I plan for 4 different grade levels for math, science, social studies, reading, and writing, I also plan their recess...yay! Because I don't have enough to do already.

And sometimes it amazes us as to what these kids don't know. Last Friday I taught them how to play hopscotch. I couldn't believe they didn't know how already, but, then again, I shouldn't be all that surprised. Once they got the hang of it, they really enjoyed it!  As a matter of fact, this morning it's been raining and they complained that the chalk got washed away... :( I guess I'll be drawing a new hopscotch board when the rain clears up! :)

Popcorn Balls...or Something Like That

So last Friday was Halloween...first of all, let me just let out a loud hallelujah that it was on a Friday! The day after Halloween is a nightmare for teachers! The day of Halloween is crazy- usually. At our school we have an Early Release Day the week before where our students are allowed to dress up in their costumes, so Halloween is supposed to be a typical day. Yea, right.

This year, the majority of my class was on a field trip for the day so I was left with my three little ones. We joined the teacher next door to make popcorn balls. The kids loved it! They had fun watching the marshmallows melt in the microwave and mixing the popcorn into it. They loved getting their hands covered in sticky goo...me, not so much. Sensory overload. It was worth it, though.  That afternoon when the other kids returned from their field trip we gave them their popcorn balls and everyone chowed down...it was hilarious watching them trying to figure out how to chew it. :)

Their parents have all signed media release forms, but just to err on the side of caution I covered their faces...sorry, you don't get to see their angelic faces. :)