Valentine's Day through the eyes of my kiddos...

Well, today was one of the rare moments where I was able to step back a little bit and observe my kiddos as they celebrated Valentine's Day together. First, we wrote about what "love" means to us. Here are a few things they wrote...
LOVE IS...

• considerate of others
• letting go of your anger
• family and friends, hugs and kisses
• not hurting your animals
• colorless (yes, one of them came up with that on their own!)
• giving presents to people and being nice

Another cute moment today was during Math. I had given the kids each a box of "sweethearts" to sort and graph. I was just walking around the kids letting them do their own thing when I overheard them whispering...

"These hearts are inappropriate for school!"
"Yeah, this one says 'FIRST KISS'!"
"Oh yeah?!? Well, mine says 'HEY BABY'!"

hehe--I guess the kids are still innocent about some things ;)

Kid Stories

Well, it has been a rough couple of weeks, but there are always a few moments that keep you laughing, and keep you going. Here are three from this week...

A group of students were reading a book about an opera singer getting kidnapped. It was a tricky book for them, so I wanted to stop part way through and check their understanding. As we paused, I asked someone to summarize what had happened in the story so far, and one little girl stated (in a very frantic, concerned voice)..."Mrs. Hardie, they kidnapped OPRAH!!!" HA! Guess we need to do a little lesson on the differences between opera and Oprah.

We were working on writing what OUR dreams were for the world, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. One little sweetheart's dream was.... "My dream is for everyone to be treated nice, no matter what color their shirts or their skins are." hehe--too cute ;)

Also this week, a co-worker of mine knew I needed a laugh so she came into my room one morning and told me the following story.... One of her little girls came into her First Grade room wearing a beautiful, pink velvety sweatsuit. She was watching this little girl unload her backpack, and as she bent over, the pants slid down to reveal a THONG! Seriously?!!?? She's 7!!!!! Do they even make them in that size???

I'll keep you posted as more stories come... ;)

Florida with the fam

Click here to view these pictures larger

Quotes from the kiddos...

WOW! It has been a LONG time since I've posted! I didn't even realize it....yikes! As stated at the beginning of the school year, this year has maybe been a little more intense than funny, but there are always a few laughs that sneak into each day. Here are a few from our field trip on Friday...

1. The kids were supposed to get dressed up, and one of my little kiddos came in strutting his stuff right away. He marched right up to me and said "Look at my handsome shoes!"

2. On the bus ride I put my sunglasses on (both for the sun AND to escape into my own little world away from the chaos) and one little boy said "Mrs. Hardie! You look stylish in your sunglasses!"

3. Talking about the play on the way home...."That princess was adorable!"

4. Tattling on a little boy: "Mrs. Hardie....he keeps talking about his peanut!" (Seriously?!?!)

We learn a new "Way Cool Word" every week to increase authentic vocabulary instruction, and are always trying to get the kids to use them (correctly!). Here were some of the sentences the kids used with our Way Cool Words while on the field trip....
"There is a commotion in the play!" (the actors were running around into the audience)
"How long 'til we're there?" "Is it innumerable minutes?"
"Mrs. Hardie, the play was similar to the books we read!"
(So proud of my little kiddos for learning, and using their new words!)

Just a few, but hopefully it gives you a little chuckle!

Fall Fun

We've been enjoying our favorite season to the MAX this weekend...football, baseball playoffs, and hockey included. :) Here are a few pics of some other "Fall fun" we had this weekend...

Carving pumpkins
Eating roasted pumpkin seeds...YUM!
Getting our garden and yard ready for winter (yes, it's coming....)

We finished up our hard work with a bonfire, S'mores, and apple cider! We hope you're taking some time to enjoy your favorite Fall traditions too!

So You Think You Can Dance

Click here to view these pictures larger

Hmm....

Well, if this story is any indication for how my kids feel about me, I'm in trouble. We finally finished up our VERY stimulating lessons on Bus Safety (seriously, the most DRY lessons ever, but I DID try to beef them up a bit). They were finishing up a thrilling dot-to-dot bus picture, and one of my kiddos was adding many details to his pictures. Conversation that followed between me and student:

Me:"Hey, I see that you added your bus number to your picture. Way to go!"
Student:"Yeah! Do you see the stop sign?"
"Yup."
"Do you see Kelly?" (friend that rides his bus)
"Yes, right there."
"Do you see the busdriver?"
"Yeah, but where's Mrs. Hardie in your picture?"
"Right here..." points to the person he's drawing right in the front of the bus in the danger zone, about to get run over--HA!

Overall, things get a little better everyday, and I just keep praying for joy, love, and patience as we ALL try to survive the chaos that is our class :)